Chapter Text
EPILOGUE
Dear Yuuka Hattori,
It's been two years since the Ark Cradle first fell into my sky. I know this because of a newspaper clipping that I have. There's a photo of Yusei and I, with the biggest smiles on our faces. Kasumi saved it for us. It's in a photo frame in our apartment, I look at it every morning as I get ready. It almost seems like yesterday that you told me to save myself, and that's what I did. I work hard every single day to prevent your, and your Yusei's, bad future. My therapist told me to write this letter to you. Closure, that's what she called it. I think my therapy sessions are coming to an end, something which both scares me and excites me. She told me to go through everything that's happened since you left us, and go from there. I wrote another letter to you after my friends left to go chase their own futures, so I'll just start from there.
Yusei managed to get one hundred percent on his entrance exam. So, naturally, he got accepted into his Applied Physics course. Surprisingly, he shared a Math class with Kenta in first year, even though Kenta's studying Computer Science. The two get on really well. I was amazed that I hadn't thought of it before. Then, as everyone predicted, Yusei ranked first in his class at the end of the year. Of course, this may have been because the university let his work on the Antinomy project count as credits towards his grade. The project finished during his first summer in university, so naturally, that gave his grades a huge boost. Jaeger insisted that the Moment framework be in place as soon as possible. Anything to stop the bad future Z-One spoke of, that's what he said. Every day that passes makes the bad future seem further away than before. Does that mean one day I'll wake up and your memories will seem impossible to me, even though sometimes they still feel like my own? I hope so.
Even though I wasn't sure to begin with, I love my job. Waking up, putting on that police uniform, going out and actually making a difference in people's lives. It really helps me get up in the morning. Kaoru and I, to no one's surprise, ended up working in the same division. We're known for our rivalry, and being overly enthusiastic. Our supervisors actually tell people to be more like us. We simultaneously landed a promotion last year, not even a year into the job. Our goal is to get the next promotion before the other one does. Considering there's rumours about an open position, we'll see about our bet. I hope we both get the promotion again honestly. Our telepathy really helps on the job. Someone cracked the are you two psychics or something joke the other day. We just laughed it off.
Kaoru and I visit Kasumi at least once a week. She got that second cat, named Sir Fluffykins. It was named by me, of course. A name that spectacular could only come from someone like me. We even bring Yusei and Takumi over for dinner sometimes, which is nice. Somehow, Kaoru joining the Police made things better between him and our dad. He's still surprised that his fiancee and both of his children are police officers now. I see Nancy at work all the time. She's started planning their wedding, and asks me for help. She's making me the flower girl, for some reason. I agreed to do it on one condition, that Kaoru was the ringbearer. I was surprised that she said yes. Kaoru was too, especially since he was in earshot of the whole thing.
Shinji proposed to Reika with the ring that we picked out, at the place on the harbour where he first asked her out. She said yes, as expected. Their wedding was last month. I was the best woman, of course. I got to wear this great black tux with a red bowtie, and my hair was pulled back into a high ponytail. Yusei loved it. To be fair, I think all of my friends did too. Though, I did have to deal with Takumi bitching about why he should have been the best man. Mainly, y'know, cause he is a man. To which Shinji replied, that I wasn't exactly a girl to begin with. I never felt more valid, to be honest. Raiden unfortunately made an appearance at the wedding. But thankfully, he disappeared once I accidently broke a wine glass, or two, or three. I haven't spoken with him since the Key to the City ceremony, and I'm hoping not to again. If he even attempts to make an appearance at my wedding, I swear I will actually murder him this time. It's not like Yusei's proposed or anything, but y'know, everyone's waiting for it, especially me. Every single one of my friends is convinced that I'm gonna be the next one to get married. My bet's on Kaoru, but no one listens to me. Yusei knows he wants to marry me, he tells me everyday. But I feel like, at this point, I'm going to be the one to propose.
Thankfully, for my sanity, Anako is still in the City, which means weekly brunches with glasses of wine. She's studying to become a teacher in Neo Domino. Her placements are in Duel Academy of all places. She was Reika's maid of honour at the wedding, so we ended up spending a lot of time together. Emiko's off in Europe for her dueling league, apparently it's very close to Aki's university. So, those two aren't completely alone over there. It's a thirty minute drive, I think, so it could be a lot worse.
Shinji and Reika finally opened their garage. Reika's the head mechanic, while Shinji runs the business end of it. Miguel works there as a mechanic too. Yusei and Miguel also ended up becoming friends through Kenta. We've formed a little friend group, and have gone on many double dates at this point. Kenta and I usually just stare at our boyfriends lovingly as they talk about D-Wheels for hours, even though we don't understand a thing they say.
Speaking of Kenta, him and Takumi are back on speaking terms after their messy breakup, this is all thanks to Kaoru. He couldn't deal with going backwards and forwards between the two of them anymore. Kenta and Takumi can now be in the same room without going for each other's throats, a concept. Kenta has finally come to terms with Kaoru and Takumi being a thing. He just says that he wouldn't have Miguel if it weren't for Takumi. I think he's also doing it for Kaoru's sake more than anything else. He was quite close with Kaoru before the whole end of Team Liberation thing, so I think it's an attempt to get back to that.
As strange as it sounds, I think Takumi has snuck his way back into my group of close friends. I don't exactly know how he did it. It's probably the fact that I can hear Kaoru's thoughts. He's just so fond of Takumi that it's probably starting to rub off on me, a little. He's like a bad rash that keeps coming back, eventually you just have to learn to live with it. Shinji, Takumi and I have formed a little close-knit group. We even have a group chat named Bad Decisions and Tequila Squad, it's very important. It also never shuts up. I can't cuddle my boyfriend without having fifty notifications going off. We have a routinely one night out in Psycho a month, much to the chagrin of Reika, Kaoru and Yusei. This is probably because we all normally come home drunk and very loud. One time we didn't come home at all, but we try not to bring that up. There's a reason why Tequila is in the name of the chat.
All my friends have gone on to do so many amazing things that I feel like at least half my friends are famous by now. From Crow, Jack, and Emiko being in dueling leagues, to Ben from the Cardinal Dragons becoming a famous drag queen with a reality TV show win. Even Felix from the Red Serpents is working for Neo Domino City University on a cure for some rare genetic disease. Apparently, Yusei and Kenta ran into him in the canteen since he's doing a postgraduate programme there. They all have lunch together every now and again. Of course, there is the fact that Yusei and I are still, technically, famous. Even now, two years after, I still get stopped in the streets. I've had to kiss the heads of so many babies, they tell me that it's good luck. I honestly think it's a load of shit. Sometimes I wish this little bubble of fame that surrounds Yusei and I would finally pop. While having heads turn around every time we're in public makes me feel special. I sometimes wish I could make it all stop, even for a few minutes, but I know what my job is and I'm gonna see it through till the end. I know why I took on this responsibility. That bad future must be stopped. Everyday, I encourage the people of this City to do their best to prevent it from happening.
I visited Crow last year with Yusei. I brought him a new set of earrings to wear instead of those nasty bolts that started rusting. Bullets, he started laughing as soon as he saw them. I will never let the nickname Crow the Bullet die, even when he's old and grey. Apparently, Aki had been over the week before us. They've been going steady since they both left the City. I think even now, eighteen-ish months later, Crow is still in shock about the whole situation. They've been thrown into the guesses of who's getting married next. Kaoru thinks that they'll get married before Yusei and I. They're both people who want to settle down eventually, he said. Implying that I'm not ready, and I suppose he's right. The idea of having kids has always been appealing to me, just not right now. I want to feel safe in my future before I could even think of raising a child.
Speaking of not wanting to settle down, Jack is still off dueling in Europe. Carly's there. They're finally dating, only because Carly got sick of waiting for Jack to ask. Everyone agrees that they'll be married last with the most elaborate wedding in history. Jack's doing well in his league, and that's all he cares about at the current moment.
Aki and the twins are studying hard. Apparently, in her first week of living abroad, Aki called Crow at four in the morning, his time, asking how to work the washing machine. The twins hit puberty in the meantime, and I'm thinking they're going to be taller than Yusei and I. It's really strange. It feels just like yesterday that I could rest my arm comfortably on their heads.
Yusei and I are still making rounds, visiting everyone when we have the time. Jack is still as difficult as usual to get a hold of. We might as well just go and visit Carly at this point, and catch Jack off guard. It's nice getting to see the world. It's what I've always wanted to do, and I'm actually getting the chance now. Our next visit is Kiryu in Satisfaction Town, we know that. Then, Bommer in Peru. Then, Jack in Italy. I feel so free. I never thought I would feel this way. After years stuck in the Satellite, then in the City under Raiden's thumb, then under all that responsibility of having to save the world. Now I get to do whatever I want. Sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night and walk around in the bright lights of the City, just because I can. This City is mine, and I have all of the freedom in the world.
But still, I always look forward to coming home. To Yusei. We took the couch in the garage with us when we moved out, so yes, we've really have done everything on that couch. I just get to sit there with him. He normally studies while I read a book on my ever-growing list. We sit there in the quiet, just enjoying each other's company. This will never change. No matter what happens around us now, I know that he will always be there.
I can't imagine my life without him, honestly. Sometimes, when I can't sleep, I think about what would have happened without Yusei in my life. I struggle to think of anything. He's been such an integral part of my life that, without him, I would feel empty. Maybe that's how it's supposed to be. I used to be cautious about the idea of soulmates. It sounded completely implausible to me. Someone who you chased through every lifetime in the hopes of being with them. Someone that you're destined to be with, no matter what. I wake up every morning and look at Yusei's face, in ourapartment. And that idea could never have sounded more right. Knowing that I have chased Yusei across two lifetimes, and gods know how many more, it helps me feel at ease. It lets me know that I won't lose him. Even if, for some reason, I do, I can merely find him in another one. I know we're soulmates. Why else would he keep appearing in my life? We knew each other as babies, we met again in the Satellite. I disappeared in the Satellite, he found me in the City. He thought I was dead, but he still found me when I needed him most. He's saved me many times, but I've saved him just as many. I love him more than anything. Knowing I'll spend the rest of my life with him makes me even happier than I ever thought possible.
If you had asked me the day before the Fortune Cup, the place where this all began, what I wanted most in my life. I would have told you that I wanted to be normal. That's what I wanted for the longest time honestly. I thought about it every single day. No gangs, no ancient wars, no Satellite, or no alternate futures. Waking up normal would have been my dream come true.
Not anymore.
There's no such thing as normal. I've heard people claim this all of the time. I've meet so many people in my short lifetime. Everyone's got their own things to deal with. It might not be something as big as saving the world from an apocalyptic future, or dealing with memories of another lifetime. But dealing with gangs, loss, breaking up with your boyfriend, finding another one, finding out that you're biromantic, having someone treat you like absolute shit, being bullied, having anxiety, being depressed, being a psychic, being from the Satellite, and being marked, just to name a few. Even existing in this hellscape of a world that we call home. We all have shit to deal with. Stuff that hundreds, thousands, millions of people deal with everyday. I am not normal, and I never will be. But the thing is, no one is normal. Normal doesn't exist. We're all fucked up in our own special ways. I've come to peace with it, accepted it even.
Regardless of what the future may hold, I will still be here. I will step forward with my best foot everyday. I will fight every day like it will decide everyone's futures. With Yusei at my side, we will prevent the bad future from which you came. We won't stop until we've secured the best future for us. Maybe then, we can retire to a big house in the suburbs, and live that perfect storybook life with the pitter-patter of tiny feet on the stairs. Until then, you and your Yusei will stay in my thoughts. You give me such strength. I spend every second with Yusei like I won't get another. I know that my existence is only fleeting, so I've got to make every second of it count. I love Yusei more than anything else. I want the best future for us, for everyone. So, until I know the future is safe, I'll carry on.
Forever yours,
Yuuka Hattori-Sasaki.
WAKING UP NORMAL END