AnimeKiwi369: I'm baaaack! And have a new story. This story mainly focuses on Akiza.

Akiza: Should I be honored or afraid?

AnimeKiwi369: Read and find out. I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's or its characters, only the story. This chapter focuses on Akiza and Yusei mainly. Please enjoy my second fanfiction!

A Rose's Nightmare

Chapter 1: The Nightmare

Akiza tossed violently in her sleep. She was dreaming she was The Black Rose again, completely under Sayer's control, and battling Misty in a shadow duel. The dream was getting worse and worse; her powers wouldn't obey her and then…..and then…..her powers got aimed at the best person in her life. She hurt the most important person in her life. The only person she could love with all her heart. She rushed over to him, forgetting the duel, calling to him, but he wouldn't respond. Wouldn't look at her. Wouldn't open his eyes. He couldn't. A trickle of blood was coming from his temple and seeping through his chest. She tried to hear his heartbeat, getting his blood on the side of her head, but couldn't hear a thing. She had lost him; he was dead. She really was a monster. Her life meant nothing now. It was so real. Too real. Tears streamed down her face and cried out his name between her screams for it to stop as her nightmare replayed over and over. She couldn't break free of her barrier of unconsciousness.

"Akiza!" a familiar voice called to her through the barrier.

She trembled violently as the voice called out to her. Was she imagining it? She had to be; she had killed him.

"Akiza, wake up!" the voice called again, worried. Worried? She had to be imagining it. After all, who would be worried about a monster?

She felt someone shaking her as the images of her nightmare replayed in her mind. But it didn't make a difference. She couldn't stop shaking or crying anyway.

"Akiza, please, snap out of it!" his voice called out once again. She opened her eyes with a start. She was still trembling and crying violently. He sat on her bed, looking right at her, his soul-reading eyes full of concern. Akiza sat up quickly and threw her arms around his neck.

"Yusei! You're okay!" she cried, "You're safe!"

"Yusei, what happened to Akiza?" Luna asked from the doorway.

"Is she going to be okay?" Leo asked.

"You guys go back to bed. I'll handle this." Yusei said softly.

"C'mon you two." Crow said, guiding the twins back to their rooms.

"Yusei, calm her down, so we can all get some sleep." Jack ordered, irritated he had been waked by the psychic's screaming and Yusei glared at him.

For the past several weeks, the older Signers had been staying with the twins since their parents were away almost all the time. It had been fifteen months since the defeat of the Dark Signers and things had settled back to normal. As normal as it could get, anyway.

"Yusei!" Akiza cried, "I'm so glad you're safe."

Yusei gently put his arms around her, and pulled her into his chest, "Yes, Akiza. I'm safe, I'm all right."

"I dreamt…I dreamt..." she couldn't finish the sentence; more tears came to her eyes as she thought about what she had done to him in her nightmare.

"It's okay, Akiza. It was just a dream." He whispered, stroking her hair. She laid her head against his chest and clutched his nightshirt as she cried. Yusei pulled her closer and put his head on top of hers.

"Akiza, you don't have to worry, I'm safe. It's all right. It was only a dream. Just a dream. Shhh, it's okay Akiza." He continued to whisper in her ear.

"Yusei, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you. Please, forgive me." She begged, thinking of her dream and the pain she caused him; it had been so real, that, for a moment, she thought it was, "Please, Yusei, I'm sorry."

"Akiza, it was just a dream." He tried insisting, confused on why she was apologizing.

"But I've hurt you before." Her words were muffled as she spoke into his nightshirt.

"That's behind us now, Aki—"

"No, it's not!" she interrupted, "I've caused you too much pain. I'm nothing but a monster."

"Shhh." He repeated in a soft voice, "You're not a monster. Hush, Akiza, it's all right."

She cried in silence for several more. Eventually her crying ceased but she still clutched his shirt, unwilling to let go. Yusei pulled her back to look at her. She had never looked like this in the months he had known her. Akiza looked purely terrified. He only got a brief look because she buried her head back in his chest.

What frightened Akiza so much from that nightmare to make her act like this? Yusei wondered, What exactly went on in that dream?

Yusei continued to stroke Akiza's hair, trying to comfort her. He always tried to help his friends, but Akiza was different. She was like a rose—she could be dangerous, sharp…and very fragile. And beautiful, he thought. She was just like a rose. And she needed care; especially since Misty's Earthbound Immortal had swallowed Sayer. He pulled her back again, and caressed her face with one of his hands, keeping the other securely around her. Yusei dried her eyes and looked deeply into them. Akiza looked away from his soft, yet penetrating, gaze and put her head back on his chest. She listened closely to his heartbeat. After that nightmare, it was the most wonderful thing she had ever heard. She closed her eyes, trying to memorize the pattern. The sound was so reassuring. So relaxing.

"Akiza?"

"Hmm?" she had momentarily forgotten she was in Yusei's arms, listening to the wonderful sound coming from his heart.

"Are you okay now?" Akiza nodded ever so slightly against his chest, enjoying the warmth his touch was giving her. "Do you want to talk about it?" She pulled back and shook her head.

"I don't want to relive that horrible dream." She whispered, "For now, Yusei, just hold me. Please, just don't leave me."

"All right, Akiza. I won't leave you." She buried her head into his chest again as a 'thank you'.

For over an hour, she kept herself as close to Yusei as she could. He was safe and that's all that mattered to her right now. Akiza moved one of her hands from his shirt up to his face and traced it along his features, and ran it through his hair, making sure she wasn't dreaming about his comfort.

"Akiza, what are you doing?" he asked quietly.

"Making sure you're real; that this isn't a dream. That you're not hurt." She trembled as she said the last four words. She felt more tears stream down her face and Akiza turned her head back into Yusei's nightshirt. After that stream of tears was over, she breathed in a sharp breath of his scent. Akiza moved her hand down Yusei's face and chest and placed it under his shirt. She ran her hand across his stomach and up his muscular chest until she reached his heart, and placed a trembling hand over it. He was so warm. So calming. So real.

"Akiza…" Yusei whispered. Her slender hand trembled, sending chills up his spine, as she moved it from his stomach to his chest. He began to stroke her hair again and rocked her ever so slightly.

Akiza began feeling very drowsy after a while, but didn't make a move to lie back down. Her eyes slowly closed and before she fell back into unconsciousness, she whispered something not audible enough for Yusei to hear.

"What is it, Akiza? What did you say?" he asked, feeling her body grow heavy and her breathing become deep.

"I'm sorry. For everything. Yusei, I…" She managed to get out before she fell back into unconsciousness, leaving him confused. Yusei, I…? Then what was she going to say?

He tried to gently pry her hand from his shirt, but her grip was too tight. He gave up and adjusted himself better on the bed and lied down on the top of the covers, with Akiza still clinging to him from under the covers of the bed and stayed with her for the rest of the night. For now he was wide awake and just watched her sleep. Yusei kept stroking her cheek to get her to stop trembling, but she wouldn't stop shaking and he kept one arm around her to keep her close. She still had one of her hands placed on his chest, under his nightshirt. Akiza nuzzled her head against him, causing him to feel a little bit of heat in his face. Several times throughout the night a few tears trickled from her closed eyes and Yusei dried her tears each time they streamed down her cheeks.

Akiza, what scared you so much? What scared you so much that it would cause you to act like this? What went on in that nightmare? He wondered through the night. After a while, Yusei began to feel tired and he let himself fall asleep next to Akiza.

Akiza stirred and felt something warm around her. She lazily opened her eyes to see Yusei right in front of her. She was initially confused, but then remembered the nightmare she had had last night and that Yusei had been the one to comfort her. His eyes were closed and she felt his chest moving from under her head and one of her hands; she felt his nightshirt against her head and found one of her hands still clutching it and the other under it, on his chest, over his heart. He still had one arm around her. Akiza unconsciously nuzzled his chest still enjoying the comfort she was getting from his strong, yet light, touch.

Yusei felt something against his chest and opened his eyes to see Akiza nuzzling her head against him. He smiled down at her a little.

"Good morning, Akiza."

She was startled when Yusei spoke and she looked up at him, "Good morning, Yusei." She replied quietly.

"Do you feel any better?" she nodded slightly, "Do you want to talk about your nightmare, now?"

"No," she said quietly, shaking her head, "I never want to relive that dream again. Ever."

"Okay. You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to." He told her gently, sitting up, taking her with him as he did so. She took her hands away from him, sending chills up his spine again as her hand ran down his chest and stomach as she removed her hand from under her nightshirt, "I should get back to my room." He said as he got off her bed.

"Yeah," she agreed, regaining her usual personality, "we don't want the others to get any ideas." She said, with a small amount of humor. He moved towards the door, "Yusei, wait."

"Yes, Akiza?" he asked, a quizzical look in his eyes.

"Thank you…for helping me last night. For everything."

"You don't need to thank me, Akiza. I would do anything to help you. I care about you." He told her before he walked out of the room. After he left, she laid back down on the bed, starting to tremble again; starting to lose her composure again. Yusei had stayed with her all night. He cared about her. But then again, he cared about all his friends. She sat up and looked at her trembling Mark for several minutes. That nightmare, she thought, is everything I'm afraid of…..for my friends. For Yusei. And if I don't do something, that dream might not be a dream anymore.

AnimeKiwi369: Well the first chapter is finished.

Akiza: I'm not sure what to think.

AnimeKiwi369: When you figure it out, tell me. Please review and review kindly please.