Finding the One

My eyes continued to look up at the sky, watching the crimson dragon and wondering where it was going. Although a part of me wanted to stay in Yusei’s arms, to hear his confession, the other part of me felt a need to leave, to see what the crimson dragon wanted.

I looked at Yusei but before I could say anything, he said,

“You need to go, right? I can tell that in your eyes.”

I nodded and it never ceased to amaze me how Yusei had this ability to read my feelings, almost like seeing into my heart. He then continued,

“But promise me that you’ll return. I won’t chase after you if you promise me that you’ll come back.”

I nodded and replied, “I will. I know there are some things that we still need to talk about.”

Yusei nodded and slowly, he released me. I was about to leave but before I did so, I gave him a quick kiss on the right cheek and then ran in the direction where the crimson dragon went.

I ran as fast as my feet would allow, heading towards the park that was in the middle of the city. I observed that was where the dragon headed. Along the way, I briefly asked myself why Yusei let go of me more easily and then it occurred to me that seeing the crimson dragon, Yusei knew that it was a friend and that I would be in no danger.

Finally, I reached the park although my feet were a little tired from all the running. As I stopped to rest, I saw the crimson dragon in front of me and almost instantly, it was like we were being taken to another place. The place had no physical definition; it was more like a realm of the warmest light-the feeling that one would have from being loved for all time. I looked into the eyes of the dragon, wondering what he wanted with me, for I felt that he had called out to me for some reason. The dragon made a soft roar and then telepathically, he started to communicate with me. As he looked straight into my eyes, he said,

“Miss, I know that you’ve been helping the bearers of the mark and for that, I thank you.”

Knowing that the crimson dragon had referred to Yusei and Jack, I simply nodded and then waited for him to continue. He then said,

“I found a way for the bearers to return to New Domino and stop the new dark signers from further destruction. You must know that if the bearers don’t return, your world will be in danger, too.”

I nodded in reply, for it did make sense that if Yusei and Jack continue to stay in this world, more dark signers would continue to come and cause trouble. I said,

“I’ll do everything I can to help.”

The crimson dragon roared in approval and in my right hand, there appeared two golden bracelets with some markings engraved on them. I looked at the dragon in confusion and the dragon said,

“Give one to each bearer and they can return to New Domino but if you choose, you and your friend can choose to go with them. I know enough.”

I knew what the dragon alluded to and shaking my head, I replied, “But we can’t. We’d be disrupting the timeline, in a way. I mean…Haven’t some events been already messed up because of what those dark signers did?”

The dragon nodded its head and replied,

“Yes, but it’s doubtful that what you call the timeline can be restored to the way it was. I’m giving you the choice. Either way, I trust that you’ll help the bearers return to New Domino and restore peace to the city.”

I wanted to talk to the crimson dragon more, to ask him questions, but then our surroundings changed. Instead of being surrounded by the warm light, I was back in the park and the crimson dragon no longer appeared in front of me. For a couple of minutes, I thought that perhaps the conversation was a dream but then I looked down at the bracelets in my right hand and realized that it wasn’t. I could feel some sort of power coming from them and knew that the dragon meant for me to have them and to trust that I would do the right thing for everyone’s sakes.

I placed the bracelets in my purse, thinking that it was best to ponder for a few hours at least on what to do with them. Seeing how late it was and how Yusei was probably worried about me, I returned to where Yusei was. I ran as fast as I could, not wishing for him to have to worry about me for a moment longer than necessary.

When I finally arrived, I panted, having run out of breath from the running and the excitement. Yusei saw me and approaching me, he gave me a big hug and said,

“You kept your promise.”

I nodded and smiling, I replied, “Of course. I told you that I would return and I wasn’t in any danger.”

Yusei replied, “I knew you’d be ok.”

I reached up to touch his cheek and replied, “As I said, I’m stronger than I look so don’t underestimate me. I know there’s a lot to talk about but let’s go home first, ok? If Natalie’s up, I can talk to her and apologize for running off earlier. I promise that I’ll tell you everything soon, ok?”

Yusei nodded and replied, “I trust you, Callie. Let’s go. My duel runner’s nearby.”

Yusei led the way to where his duel runner was parked and I followed him. Once there, Yusei handed me a spare helmet and then we both got on. I put on the helmet and then wrapped my arms around Yusei’s waist, making sure not to be too tight. Then we headed away from the city and back towards the house, where Natalie and Jack were most likely waiting. Since it was pretty late now, I assumed that they had returned home after Yusei talked to Jack on my phone earlier.

The ride was pretty smooth and there was hardly any traffic so we arrived back at the house in a little after 15 minutes. After we got off and Yusei put his duel runner back in the garage, we went inside the house and closed the door. I looked around for Natalie and as my eyes faced the living room, there was a sight that I didn’t expect to find. On the sofa, there was Natalie and Jack both asleep. Jack had his arms wrapped protectively around Natalie and Natalie had this peaceful smile on her face. I couldn’t help but smile at seeing the two of them in such an embrace and I looked at Yusei. He had about the same expression on his face that I did. Without saying anything, I led the way upstairs and Yusei followed me.

When we arrived at the door to my room, I quietly said,

“I can talk to Natalie in the morning and apologize. And umm, Yusei, thank you for being patient with me today. I know I can be difficult at times.”

Yusei smiled at me and replied, “You don’t need to apologize to me. I’m sorry if I was overprotective. I just want to make sure that you’re safe because I care about you.”

I nodded and replied, “I understand.” Closing my eyes, I decided to make an important decision. Opening my eyes, I looked straight into Yusei’s eyes and continued,

“I know you told me that I would confide in you when the time was right. Tomorrow will be that day. I can’t keep what I know inside of me anymore, especially now that your duel runner’s been fixed and it’s almost time for you and Jack to return. I want to talk to Natalie first, though, and I’m certain that she would want to talk to Jack herself. I know I’m being cryptic but I promise that I’ll tell you everything tomorrow, no matter what the consequences afterwards will be.”

Yusei looked a little confused but nodding, he replied, “I’ll wait then. I guess I should let you go and get some sleep now.”

As Yusei was about to head off to his room for the night, I suddenly grabbed his left arm and shyly asked,

“Umm if I’m not being too forward, would you stay with me tonight? I don’t want to be alone but if it’s too much trouble-.”

Yusei smiled softly and shaking his head, he replied, “I’ll stay with you and make sure you’re safe.”

I smiled gratefully and after opening the door, Yusei and I entered. Then I closed the door, took a pair of pajamas from a dresser drawer and went to the bathroom to wash up and change. After several minutes, I was done and after putting away my clothes, I climbed into bed and patted the left side of my bed, silently inviting Yusei to sleep next to me. Yusei took off his jacket, placed it on a chair and then climbed into bed next to me. I pulled the covers over us and Yusei wrapped his arms around me, asking,

“Do you feel safe now?”

I looked up at him and smiling softly, I replied,

“Without a doubt. Good night, Yusei.”

Yusei smiled back at me and replied, “Good night, Callie. Sleep well.” He gave me a soft kiss on my forehead and then we both closed our eyes, soon falling asleep in each other’s arms.

Waking up the next morning, I felt the warm rays of the sun on my cheeks and the embrace of two strong arms around my body. I opened my eyes and the first sight I saw was Yusei gazing back at me. Involuntarily, I blushed and asked,

“How long have you been awake?”

Yusei replied, “About ten minutes. You looked peaceful so I didn’t want to wake you yet. Natalie peeked in. She’s making breakfast for everyone so we should go down when you’re ready.”

I nodded and sitting up, I said,

“I should take a shower and change.”

Yusei replied, “I’ll do the same. Let’s meet in the hallway when we’re ready.”

He then removed his arms from my waist and got out of bed, heading to his room to get ready. I missed the contact of his warm embrace but then remembered that I had to get ready so I got out of bed as well and after taking a change of clothes, I went to the bathroom to shower and change.

About 15 minutes later, I was all ready for the day. I decided on a simple outfit of a light green t-shirt with dark blue jeans and decided to leave my hair down, letting it fall beautifully over my shoulders. After I was done making sure that I looked all right, I went to the hallway to wait for Yusei. Yusei left his room shortly after and then we made our way downstairs and to the kitchen, where Natalie and Jack were already eating. I could see that they were having blueberry pancakes and the choice of either coffee or orange juice for a drink. Jack looked up and said,

“It’s about time you two showed up. I’m surprised to see Yusei up late. You’re becoming a bad influence on him.”

Jack looked my way and I immediately replied, “What? Of all the stupid things to say in the morning-.”

Natalie sighed and replied, “Please, no arguing right now. I’m still too out of it.”

Yusei looked at me and touching my right hand, he said, “Natalie’s right. Let’s get something to eat, ok? You must be hungry.”

I nodded and took my usual seat at the table while Yusei took a seat beside me. Natalie gave each of us a plate of pancakes and I asked for juice while Yusei wanted coffee. As Jack had finished his breakfast quickly, he got up and then went to the living room. Natalie was finishing up when I said,

“I’d like to talk to you alone after I’m done, ok?”

I could tell that Natalie wondered what was up but nodding, she replied, “Ok. I’ll be in the living room with Jack. Just come get me when you’re ready.”

She took hers and Jack’s plates and utensils and put them in the kitchen sink to wash later. Once Yusei and I were alone, Yusei said,

“This has to do with what you told me last night, right?”

I nodded and replied, “Yeah, it does. I promise I’ll tell you everything. You deserve to know. It’s just that I should tell Natalie first so she can break the news to Jack. It’s obvious that she gets along better with him than I do.”

Yusei gave a small smile and replied, “That’s true. I don’t understand why you and Jack don’t get along.”

I shrugged and replied, “Maybe it’s our personalities? We’re like oil and water-they don’t mix well.”

Yusei chuckled quietly at my comment and the two of us finished breakfast soon after. We took our plates, utensils, and glasses to the kitchen sink and Yusei helped me to wash them as well as clean the table. Once everything was clean and tidy, we went to the living room and approaching Natalie, I said,

“Let’s go talk in my room. There’s something I want to show you.”

Natalie nodded and as we went upstairs, Jack shouted, “Don’t keep her all day.” While Natalie giggled, I simply rolled my eyes at the comment.

Once we entered my room and I closed the door, Natalie took a seat at the foot of my bed while I took the desk chair. Natalie looked at me and said,

“What’s up? I saw you and Yusei here earlier. It looks like you two are getting along very well.”

I blushed at Natalie’s teasing but I knew that this was no time for that. I took a deep breath and said,

“Natalie, I want to apologize first to you for running off like that yesterday. I know how worried you were about me.”

Natalie looked a little sad and replied, “Yeah, I was. I mean, you’re my best friend, after all, and I know how strong you are but when the kind of crazy things that have been happening to us lately occur and you run off like that, I have no idea if I’ll ever see you again.”

I nodded and replied, “I understand and I won’t do that again, ok? Besides, Yusei told Jack that he’d keep a close eye on me so it would be almost impossible to run off without someone noticing.”

Natalie giggled and replied, “That’s because Yusei cares about you. Has he told you that he loves you?”

I thought back to what happened last night, especially the part where Yusei held me in his arms and was about to make his confession. It did sound like he was going to tell me that he loved me but then we saw the crimson dragon and he wasn’t able to complete it. I felt that it was just as well. If Yusei was in love with me, it would only complicate things and make it harder for me to do what I needed to do.

Looking back at Natalie, I shook my head and replied, “Nope, he hasn’t but it’s ok. I’m not expecting him to tell me such a thing. You know my track record with guys.”

Natalie looked disappointed and replied, “But this is Yusei, your dream guy. Everything would be perfect if he told you that he loves you and you would finally be happy and-.”

I interrupted Natalie by saying, “It's ok, Natalie. Really, it is. I’m not heartbroken about it or whatever. Anyway, there was another reason I wanted to talk to you.”

Natalie nodded and she was silent, allowing me to continue. I found my purse, took out the two bracelets and then proceeded to tell her everything that had happened last night after I left the hospital, especially the part about when the crimson dragon talked to me and found a way for Yusei and Jack to return to New Domino.

After I was done retelling the events of last night, I took a deep breath before continuing,

“I’m giving you one of these bracelets. It will help Jack to return to New Domino. I guess he just needs to put it on or something. But you can go with him if you choose. I’ve seen how close you two have become and although I do think it would disrupt how events should go in their world, you should decide what you want.”

Natalie took one of the bracelets, looked at it, and then looked back at me. She replied,

“What are you going to do, Callie?”

I looked down and replied, “I’m going to tell everything to Yusei today. He needs to know what’s been going on and how we happen to know certain things. I’ve done a pretty decent job of covering for that knowledge although I’ve always had the feeling in the back of my mind that Yusei knows that I wasn’t telling him everything. I think you should do the same with Jack. If you want to have a future with him, he should know the truth, right? That’s the basis of a solid, open relationship and all that.”

Natalie nodded and replied, “I’ll let Jack know but what I meant was more along the lines of if you’ll go back with Yusei to New Domino.”

Immediately, I shook my head and replied, “I don’t think it will happen. I care about him very much and I want him to be happy but after what I tell him today, I’m sure he’ll hate me for keeping things from him, even if they were for a good reason. And I don’t want to disrupt things further from how they already are. But I don’t want my decision to influence yours. If you want to go back with Jack, I’ll understand. I’d miss you lots, of course, but I want you to be happy.”

Natalie smiled sadly and replied, “And I want you to be happy, Callie. I don’t want to argue with you on this but I think you should rethink your decision. I haven’t ever seen you so happy or Yusei, either. I mean, I’ve watched 5D’s with you and I know how Yusei is when he’s happy but this is different. I’m not sure if I can explain it well but it’s like you two are meant for each other. And if you don’t go back with him, that Akiza will be worshipping at his feet. Urgh.”

I laughed quietly and replied, “I suppose but Akiza isn’t so bad. I don’t like the worshipping part, either, and thank goodness I haven’t behaved that way towards Yusei but Akiza wouldn’t be so bad for Yusei, would she? As far as I know, she and Yusei are supposed to be the canon pairing.”

Natalie replied, “But you’re way better for Yusei and he needs a woman who’s his equal and you’re that woman.”

I smiled a little and said, “There are fans out there who would disagree. I’ll think about what you said although I doubt I’ll change my mind.”

I stood up and then said, “I should go find Yusei and I guess you want to talk to Jack.”

Natalie nodded and then we left my room and went downstairs to the living room where Yusei and Jack were. It looked like they had finished some sort of conversation as well and if I didn’t know better, it looked like Yusei was uncomfortable or embarrassed. Jack saw Natalie and me and immediately turning his attention to Natalie, he said,

“Good. She didn’t keep you prisoner all day.”

Feeling annoyed, I replied, “Geez, why can’t you get off my case just this one time?”

Jack shot a look back at me and was about to reply when Natalie touched his right arm and said,

“I need to talk to you about something if you’re not too busy. I’d like to go somewhere more private.”

Jack nodded and without further comment, he walked with Natalie upstairs.

Breathing a sigh of relief, I was silently grateful to Natalie that she had stepped in when she did. Jack definitely got on my nerves at times and it was quite irritating. Yusei then looked to me and noticing my weary expression, he said,

“You could use some fresh air. Let’s go for a ride.”

Thinking that it might be a good idea to get out of the house for a while, I nodded and replied, “That would be great and it’s perfect weather today.”

Yusei smiled at me and together, the two of us went outside and then to the garage to get Yusei’s duel runner. I took the spare helmet, put it on, and then hopped behind Yusei on his duel runner and held on to him as he revved up the engine and we headed away from the house.

Yusei and I headed towards the city although there wasn’t a specific destination in mind. I just needed some time alone to talk to him and although I felt nervous about what I was going to tell him, I knew that it had to be done. Now that Yusei had repaired both duel runners and there were the means for him and Jack to return to New Domino, there needed to be closure. Despite what Natalie had told me about pursuing a romantic relationship with Yusei, I had to be realistic and knew that it couldn’t happen, not without some major consequences. I looked off to the side and sighed sadly. Yusei noticed my action since he asked gently,

“Is everything ok?”

Quickly, I turned to him and said, “Yeah, I’m fine. Once we’re in the city, can we park your duel runner somewhere? I’d like to go for a walk.”

Yusei replied, “Sure.”

Once we were in the city, Yusei headed towards the parking lot where I had first parked my car the first time I took Yusei to the city. After we made sure that his duel runner was secure and we both took off our helmets, I led the way. Even though the day was beautiful, it was lost on me, as I had only one thought on my mind. I must have been silent for a while since Yusei suddenly said,

“You don’t have to tell me if you’re not ready, ok?”

I looked at him and said, “I want to, really I do. It’s just that I don’t know exactly the best way to bring this up without making it sound like I’m mental or something. What I want to tell you has to be taken with a lot of faith. I’ve had people in my life who’ve put me down or doubted me because they didn’t have faith in me but it isn’t about me.”

I could feel myself starting to ramble and I knew that I was getting really nervous. Yusei seemed to sense this, too, as he held my hands in his and replied,

“I have faith in you. I’ll believe in you. How could I ever doubt you after all we’ve been through?”

I blushed but felt a little relieved as Yusei was able to calm me down. Suddenly, I thought of something and asked,

“Hey, Yusei, how come you can read my feelings so well? The only other person who’s ever really been able to do that is my dad although Natalie comes a close second.”

Yusei smiled a little and replied, “We’re a little alike in a way so I can sort of read your body language. Does that make sense?”

I nodded and replied, “It does. I hope I’m not so predictable, though. I hope to give you some surprises now and then.”

Yusei chuckled quietly and replied, “You’re not predictable and you’re definitely not what I expected. The other night, when you beat up those guys, it was a little hard not to feel sorry for them. Then again, they did deserve it for trying to hit on you like that.”

I laughed a little and replied, “That’s right. No jerk does that to me and gets away with it.”

We both then laughed and I could feel myself at ease more. It made things less tense and looking into Yusei’s eyes, I said,

“I want to show you something. It might make it easier to see it with your eyes than to hear it from my lips.”

Yusei nodded and taking his left hand, I led the way through the sidewalks, crossing a few intersections. After about 20 minutes of walking, I stopped in front of a medium sized toy store. I was about to open the door and enter when Yusei asked,

“What are we doing here?”

I turned to Yusei and replied, “You’ll see. I’ll explain things better once I find what I’m looking for.”

I entered the toy store and Yusei followed me. I walked through a couple of aisles until I found the section that sold Yu-Gi-Oh! trading cards. I selected a pack that had a picture of stardust dragon and showed it to Yusei. Yusei looked at me confused and asked,

“Callie, are these my cards? Why are they here in this store?” He reached into one of his pockets and took out his deck which had all of his cards, including stardust dragon.

I took a deep breath and replied, “Well, you see, Yusei, here’s the thing. I know I should have said something from the beginning but I didn’t want to shock you or anything. I tried to imagine what it would have been like to be in your shoes and experience what you’ve gone through.”

Then I went on to explain how, in this world, Yu-Gi-Oh! and everything and everyone associated with that universe didn’t really exist. They were regarding as nothing more than manga, anime, and games that spawned from the series. As I explained everything to Yusei, I looked at him carefully, observing his reaction. He looked very surprised but relatively calm. I had to give him credit; I’m not sure I would have remained calm if I’d heard such news.

After I was done, Yusei finally replied, “Forgive me, Callie, but is everything you just said the truth? I find it incredible.”

I felt a little hurt, remembering before how Yusei had said that he would have faith in me and here he was, doubting me. But then I had to remember that if I were in Yusei’s shoes now, it would be hard for me to believe. I nodded and replied,

“I know it’s hard to believe but yeah, I told you the truth. Let me take you somewhere else that’ll verify what I said.”

I put back the pack of cards and left the store. I led the way a few blocks down and then stopped in front of a store that sold anime DVDs. I opened the door and entered the store and Yusei followed me. As there was only a very bored clerk manning the cashier’s counter, I was able to walk peacefully in the store. I found the section that sold Yu-Gi-Oh! DVDs as well as all the spin-offs to the series and pointing them to Yusei, I said,

“Here’s more proof. People here watch it for entertainment. Natalie has a lot of these DVDs if you want to take a look at them.”

Yusei picked up one of the DVDs that had a picture of himself, Jack, and Crow and the title Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D’s on it and quickly put it down. He was silent for a long time and I couldn’t blame him. It was hard news to swallow. I wasn’t sure of what to do so I stood there in front of him, waiting for his reaction or any sign.

After a long silence, Yusei finally asked, “When you and Natalie first met Jack and me, did you think that we weren’t real?”

I was surprised by the question but knowing that Yusei had to know the truth, I replied, “I didn’t know what to believe when I first saw you. Natalie was so sure right away that it was the two of you but I couldn’t be sure. I mean, there could have been other explanations and one of us had to be rational and I’m usually that person. But after you woke up and we began to talk and get to know each other, then I knew that you were real and somehow had ended up here.”

Yusei was silent for a while and during that time, I observed him, trying to figure out what he was feeling. He didn’t look angry but rather pensive, like he was trying to solve a puzzle but not finding the solution. Finally, he replied,

“Part of me doesn’t want to believe any of this but you’ve shown me the proof. Then again, it could be an elaborate trick on your part.”

I wasn’t sure how to react to Yusei’s words. The comment about the trick hurt me and it took me a minute before I could reply with,

“It’s not a trick, Yusei. Everything I told you is the truth. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you before. I was trying to protect you until the time was right and-.”

Yusei put his right hand up to motion me to be quiet and immediately, I was. He then replied quite calmly, “If you had thought of me first, you would have told this to me right away or at least not have waited so long. It’s as though you intentionally withheld all of this from me, something that those dark signers would do.”

I backed away from Yusei, feeling hurt with the words he was telling me. I couldn’t believe my ears. Although I couldn’t blame Yusei for being upset at me, this felt like it was going a little far. I turned my back to him, hung my head down and quietly replied,

“I’m sorry, Yusei. I am. I guess I should have told you all of this from the beginning but I really was trying to do what I thought was best. I can’t blame you for hating me.”

Then I ran away, not bothering to wait to hear Yusei’s reply, if he had planned to give any. Not knowing where I was going, I kept running, wanting to be as far away as possible. The tears that I had suppressed in my eyes finally spilled and although there were probably strangers who noticed and stared, I didn’t care. All I knew was that Yusei was hurt by my actions-that I didn’t tell him the truth earlier-and that was something I couldn’t take back. I had forgotten to tell Yusei about the crimson dragon and how he could return to New Domino but my feelings overwhelmed me and it slipped my mind.

I had no idea how long I had been running but when I stopped, it was because I bumped into something or rather someone. I fell to the ground and the person I bumped into fell down as quickly. Feeling embarrassed, I kept my head down and said,

“I’m sorry. I didn’t watch where I was going.”

The voice of the person was warm and familiar as he replied, “It’s all right, my beautiful Callie. You must have been in a hurry not to look on ahead.”

I knew who the voice belonged to but I had to confirm with my eyes. Looking at the person’s face, I was slightly cheered up as I shakily replied,

“Hi, Dad.”

Despite my saddened mood, I felt a little cheered up as I bumped into my dad. He always brought a smile to my face just with his presence and I had to admit to myself that I had missed him. It had been a while since our last visit. I looked into his eyes and said,

“How are you?”

My dad looked back into my eyes and it was a though he knew right away that something was amiss. With a small smile, he replied, “I’m all right but something’s wrong. I can see it in your eyes.”

Although I would have denied this statement if others had spoken it, I couldn’t do so with Dad. He always knew when I was happy, angry, sad, etc. However, I wasn’t ready to tell him what was wrong. Dad must have sensed this because the next thing he said was,

“It’s rare for us to meet up nowadays so how about we get some lunch? And I won’t take a refusal on my offer.”

Nodding, I agreed and I followed Dad as we walked down a few blocks to a nearby café. Once we arrived, a waiter escorted us to a table outdoors and gave us menus. After the waiter left, Dad and I opened our menus but I really wasn’t hungry. My mind was still on the argument I had with Yusei and I felt sad. I had anticipated that Yusei might not react well to all that had happened and how I had kept certain information from him but I hadn’t anticipated that he would be angry to a point that it would hurt. I closed my menu, sighed quietly, and said,

“I’m not hungry, Dad, but you can order what you like.”

The waiter returned after a few minutes, asking us if we were ready to order. Dad closed his menu, turned to the waiter and said,

“I’ll have the steak, well-done, with baked potato and my lovely daughter here will have the chocolate ice cream and brownie special.”

The waiter jotted down the order, took our menus, and left. Then I looked at Dad but before I could say anything, he said,

“You can never refuse dessert, especially when it comes to chocolate. And if you can’t eat it all, we can share, ok?”

I nodded, smiling softly to myself and thinking about how Dad always knew me so well and how I couldn’t refuse certain things like chocolate. While waiting for our orders, Dad engaged in small talk, discussing about innocuous subjects like the weather, how work was going, and so forth. He was careful to avoid touchy subjects, as he knew that I would usually close myself off if someone brought them up.

After the waiter returned with our orders, Dad and I didn’t talk as much but we had the food so we could eat. Although I wasn’t hungry, I did eat the dessert, as Dad was correct-I’ve never been able to pass up on chocolate. Eating it did cheer me up a little although not much.

After we finished our food and Dad paid the bill, he and I left the café and Dad said,

“Let’s go for a walk. I want to catch up with what’s going on with you.”

Inside, I took his words as meaning

I know something’s up and this is my subtle way of finding out.

Nodding, I walked beside Dad through the streets of the city. Although it was busy, as it was early in the afternoon now, it wasn’t too crowded. We passed by several stores although we didn’t enter in any of them. I was happy to be spending time with my dad, as he was one of the people in my life who always made me happy and never let me down. However, as my mind still weighed heavily with Yusei, I couldn’t completely focus on Dad or the particular sights he would point out now and then.

After a while of walking, I found that we had arrived at the park and Dad motioned for me to follow him. So I did and walking through the park, it was quite lovely. The trees had beautiful bright green leaves on their branches and there were some people enjoying the afternoon. I saw a few children playing and then I saw a few couples. I couldn’t help but look at them and felt a little envious of how happy they were. From afar, I could see how deeply in love they were and it hit me that I would never have that feeling. There wasn’t a guy out there that I was so madly in love with that the whole world disappears or was there? Feeling confused, I shook my head, trying to sort out my thoughts.

Dad saw what I was doing and he said, “Let’s sit down. I want to find out what’s going on.”

He led the way to an empty bench and after he took a seat, I sat down next to him. However, I didn’t immediately speak, as I wasn’t sure how to bring up the topic of Yusei and all the problems and craziness I had experienced since he and Jack had arrived. I think Dad could tell that I was having difficulty bringing up the topic since he said,

“I know something’s wrong but I’m not sure what it is. I know it’s not about your mom because you would have come right out and said so.”

I replied, “It has nothing to do with Mom, I think.”

Dad raised an eyebrow as I said the last two words but then he continued, “And you’re not having troubles with Natalie, right?”

I shook my head but didn’t say anything.

Dad then said, “I doubt it’s about a guy since you take care of those issues right away and-.”

He stopped, as I had hung my head in a weak attempt to hide the tears that were threatening to spill from my eyes. Immediately, Dad wrapped me in a hug and said,

“Did a guy hurt you? I’ll teach him a lesson. No one messes with my daughter and gets away with it.”

I smiled a little upon hearing Dad’s words and his hug comforted me, like being in a warm embrace. After calming down and wiping the tears from my eyes, I turned to him and said,

“It’s more complicated than that, Dad. I guess I should get you caught up on what’s been going on.”

Taking a deep breath, I knew that I would have to choose my words carefully. If I revealed the entire truth to Dad, he might think that my imagination was working on overtime. So I had to edit the events concerning Yusei and Jack. I told Dad about how Natalie and I had found them and helped them out and such. I left out the parts about the attacks by the dark signers, as I was certain that Dad would have only been worried about me even though the danger had probably passed. I told him about how I had left out certain details to Yusei because I had wanted to protect him and I didn’t think he would have been ready at the time if I had told him those details early on. I was careful to explain these events to Dad and observing Dad, I saw that he was taking in everything I said and trying to understand.

After I was done, I took a deep breath and didn’t say anymore, as I was a little exhausted from speaking. Dad took the opportunity to speak up and said,

“I’m trying to figure this all out but I want you to know that I believe you and that I have faith in you and always will. Never doubt that, even if it appears that others do.”

I smiled at Dad and he took my left hand and squeezed it gently. He then continued,

“I want to meet this guy, especially since he has you unnerved a bit. I know that you withheld certain details from him as a way to protect him but were you trying to protect yourself as well?”

Immediately, I shook my head and replied, “No, of course n-.”

Dad put his right index finger to my lips and gently stopped me by saying,

“I think I know you pretty well, my sweet Callie, but I’m your dad so it would make sense. All your life, you’ve put up these emotional walls around yourself. I know that it’s somewhat because of how your mom treated you and I’m so sorry that I wasn’t a better dad to help you with that.”

I shook my head and replied, “It’s not your fault, Dad. You can’t control how she is and all.”

Dad nodded and replied, “True but still, I should have helped you out with that better. Then perhaps the two of you wouldn’t be so estranged now. I’m not sure if you know this but a big part of the reason your mom treated you like so was that she wanted you to be more like her and to live more of her life. That’s the reason she was always emphasizing things like outside beauty, getting married, having kids, and such. But you’re more like me or the part of me that was inside before I married your mom. You have an adventurous, courageous spirit and you don’t want to live the usual life and I’ll tell you something. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with that.”

I looked up at Dad and asked, “Do you regret marrying Mom?”

Dad looked up at the sky and replied, “Yes and no. A little because of how she treated you, how she was too controlling when it came to you. But mostly no because if I hadn’t married her, you wouldn’t be here and be the wonderful daughter that you are.”

I smiled at Dad, feeling cheered up by his words. He then continued,

“I know that it was because of her that you put up the walls around you. Of course, you don’t do so around me or around your friends, especially Natalie. But you tend to do so when it comes to men. That’s why I think you haven’t had a successful relationship and why you hold such a high ideal to the impossible soul mate. But then you found a man who does hold up to your high ideals and now you don’t know what to do. You think you do but you don’t.”

As Dad paused, I looked at him in confusion, wondering what he meant by his last sentence. He then said,

“Do you follow fate and not interfere with the supposed natural course of events or do you take control of your destiny and find a way to be happy, even if it’s not through the way you expected? It’s a difficult question to answer, isn’t it?”

I nodded my head, clearly agreeing with him. He then continued,

“I’m not going to tell you what to do, Callie. I’m here to support you and be here,” he pointed to where my heart was, “for you, no matter what path you choose to take. But I’ll tell you something that you need to know. You deserve to be happy and finding love is a way to be happy. Even if you haven’t openly admitted it to yourself yet, I can see that you are in love with this guy and he should know. You care about him, which is why you’re willing to let him go. But think about it. Would the two of you truly be happy going your separate ways, now that events have unfolded the way they have? Even if it meant that I would never see you again, if you were to find happiness with him, that would be more than enough to make me happy because your happiness means so much to me, my beautiful Callie.”

Dad had finally finished and I took a few minutes to think about everything he said. It made a lot of sense and Dad was always wise when it came to advice for me. Although I wasn’t entirely sure yet of what to do, I knew that Dad was right about something. I needed to tell Yusei how I felt about him. He should know about my feelings for him, whether they be love or something else. Smiling softly at Dad, I hugged him and said,

“Thank you, Dad. You’re the best.”

After we had hugged and let go of each other, Dad looked over my right shoulder and pointing, he asked,

“Is that him?”

I turned around and saw Yusei standing nearby. I gasped quietly, surprised to see him and that he had found me.