Notes: For the gx100. Manga universe, set while Ryo and Fubuki were in America. Note that I've only read up to chapter twenty-seven as of writing this so if the story contradicts anything that happens in the manga later on I apologise.
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There were posters. But then there were ialways/i posters. Fubuki suspected that someone was making a lot of money out of designing posters for duel tournaments. Even though most of them were generally the same - jagged explosion patterns in the background with varying duel monsters in front. The only real difference was the text.
So he really wasn't part of the crowd gathered around the poster, chattering to each other. Because he didn't need to see the poster to know what it said.
He could imagine that Ryo knew about the tournament too, though he didn't for a moment think that Ryo would be one to hang around the posters. No doubt he would have found out from a formal e-mail sent to him from the principal of this academia.
No doubt that Ryo would enter either.
Fubuki spent the afternoon in his room, mostly to avoid the talk. He liked the American students, they were very cheerful towards him, but he knew that now the tournament had been announced he'd hear nothing from them but news of it.
Aimlessly he played on some handheld games console as the door opened. He didn't need to look to know it was Ryo, but Fubuki was a friendly sort so he glanced towards the door anyway, greeting the other with a cheerful smile.
The smile was returned by the usual blank frown, but Fubuki had learned to read Ryo through the eyes and knew his friend was generally content, though something was on his mind. No prizes for guessing what that was.
"The tournament?" Ryo asked, confirming this.
"So you saw the posters then?" Fubuki said.
There was a roll of Ryo's eyes.
"We're expected to enter," he carried on, if Fubuki wasn't aware of this.
"Expected, are we?" Fubuki smirked.
"You know we are," Ryo sternly said, "We're here as the best students from our own academia so we need to represent it as such. We have a responsibility."
Pushing up onto his elbows for support Fubuki said, "And what if I don't enter?"
"Then you'd fail your responsibility to the academia."
"The thing about that," Fubuki's smile was still there, but his eyes were serious, "I didn't actually come here to make our academia look good as much as I came for a free holiday and to flirt with girls from another country."
A scoff from the other boy, though it wasn't as if he hadn't been expecting it.
"Plus, I wouldn't want to let my responsibility down," Fubuki teased, knowing this would get Ryo's attention.
"A responsibility that requires you to not represent our facility?" Ryo asked.
"Absolutely. I have a responsibility to not take responsibility."
When it was clear that the other boy was lost at this concept Fubuki stood up from the bed and walked towards him, "A responsibility to you."
"How does-" Ryo started, but he was cut off by Fubuki.
"We're both the kings of the academia for a reason Ryo. We are rivals, both as good as each other." A pause while Fubuki waited for a nod from Ryo to see that he understood, "We could both enter this tournament and one of us would win. The other would lose. And personally I'm not ready for the competition between us to end, nor do I think this is the right place to end it." He moved his face too close to Ryo's, "I don't want to end the spark between us."
It was worth the explanation to see the look of bewilderment on Ryo's face. It wasn't an expression that was seen often. There was even a flush of colour in Ryo's cheeks just long enough for Fubuki to notice.
"I have a responsibility to you, to let you win the tournament unobstructed." as he said this Fubuki pulled back from Ryo, walking back over to the bed where he picked up the game he'd been playing and unpaused it. Thus continuing his responsibility to pale from the concept of doing work.