A/N: It's been a long time I know. *looks around* Well for the love of Chazzi I decided to post this up anyway ;_; It's been in my comp for more than a month. Pardon me if they're grammar mistakes here and there. I did this at around 3 A.M. one gloomy night and I was kinda afraid I'd lost my touch for writing but well, enjoy and review. Thankew. :3
Mornings, Judai feels his eyelids flutter open routinely and he lets out a lazy yawn while performing a few stretches, following that he steps out of bed and dresses for class, all almost mechanically. There is no expression on his face, his footsteps are monotonous and without any swing or rhythm.
How long has it been? A month? A year? A decade? A century?
Ninety-seven, he makes a rough count with his fingers, and ominously a photo frame which had hung precariously above his bed frame falls to ground below with a soft thud.
Instantly, he picks it up and caresses its worn edges. A tear rolls off his cheek, tarnishing the picture embedded within the frame. It was a young boy, basking in the prime of his youth, his smile so vibrant and full of life, his turquoise hair swaying about in the wind of deep autumn.
Gingerly, he cups the frame to his chest and places it back in its original position, leaving the room after stealing a second glance at it.
In loving memory, Johan Andersen; a best friend, brother and soulmate, the frame reads.
The school day whizzes past as usual. He waves stiffly to those who greet him, gives a superficial smile to Asuka who politely enquires about his day, careful not to broach upon sensitive topics. And when Sho comments about his state of depression for the billionth time during class, he looks perturbed but ignores the gesture.
"Are you going to be like this, oblivious to everyone and everything around you forever?" Sho's voice rings in his head like an alarm, but to no avail. He shrugs him off before walking out of the classroom in even, calm strides.
Judai heads back to his dorm room; he makes no effort to socialize with anyone. He flops onto his bed, picks up the frame for the second time today and clutches it to his heart. Then it strikes him, all over again.
Two boys, whisking down the aisles of the Duel Academy hallways after classes. Best of friends they were, an unbreakable bond binding them together; an emotionally intimate bond that could not be described with mere words. Mahogany eyes met emerald ones and they both sparkled under the bright lights of the chandelier-lit hallway. A genuine smile crept onto one, while the other revealed a gleeful grin.
"Come catch us if you can, Winged Kuriboh!" The chocolate-eyed one snickered, still holding tightly onto his friend.
Winged Kuriboh did not give chase, instead it fades away.
And without warning, everything goes up in smoke. The little fragments of memories collapse like a sandcastle tumbling onto the earth. The grin is gone; all that is left is a cold, lonesome heart.
Ninety-eight.
Judai awakes with a start. He leaps out of bed and takes a few deep, even-paced breaths in semi-consciousness. It is as though he had been jolted with a bolt of lightning – perhaps it was the overwhelm of past memories from the previous night's dream. He blinks a few times, and then gaining full consciousness, grabs his jacket and dons it on whilst making his way out.
After classes, Sho repeats the same question, and once again he receives similar silent responses. This is exhausting, he thinks, and even if Judai himself is not tired, he is very much on the verge of breaking down. He is not giving up until he gets a solid answer today, he decides.
"Judai." He grabs him by the arm. Judai shakes him off without turning back and continues walking briskly down the hallway.
"Judai." He repeats himself, this time with much more force and sternness. Judai is stunned for a moment but does not stop moving; instead he picks up his pace.
"He's not coming back, Judai. Snap out of it."
"It's been ninety-eight days, aniki. He's gone, he's -" Sho hesitates for a moment – "not coming back". He bites his lower lip, letting his sentence hang on his last three words.
Almost instantly Judai freezes in his tracks, spins around and begins moving closer to Sho, forcing him into a corner. He looks daggers at the younger boy, who is somewhat frightened by his friend's lack of mercy. However he keeps calm and maintains a firm outlook, determined to bring Judai back to his senses. Sho's back is against the wall, Judai's unnerving gaze still fixed upon him. Finally Judai turns his head away, letting out an exasperated yet agonizing sigh.
"You don't understand." He chokes, clenching his fist. "You don't." He slams his fist into the wall, and his knuckles turn white. "You never will."
Eight words, the first in ninety-eight days. But it is enough to let Sho conclude that he had not made a wrong decision previously. He disappears into the crowd of students and what's left visible is the mere bobbing of his cotton-candy hair.
Ninety-nine.
Weekends. Today there are no lessons. Judai does not go out for breakfast; instead he lies in his bed, stares at the ceiling and watches the magnolia clouds drift past his window aimlessly. Kenzan and Misawa knock at his door, wanting to invite him to a game of baseball out of pure courtesy. He hesitates for a moment but opens the door and shakes his head.
"We shouldn't even have bothered. This isn't the first time." Kenzan rolls his eyes. Misawa gives him a sharp nudge and hisses.
Judai rolls back onto his bed and subsequently a million thoughts race through his mind. He ponders about life, death and the afterlife. What's life mean? Is death truly the end of life? Vivid images of Johan's last moments flash in front of him, like pages of an autobiography. It is barely moments before he rolls onto the oak floor below, his palm over his mouth to prevent himself from shrieking, his eyes tightly shut in a failed attempt to prevent the influx of those torturous memories. Within moments he finds himself sobbing uncontrollably. Why did it have to happen?
He climbs back onto his bed and buries his head into his pillow, hiding his muffled cries and wishing the earth would just swallow him all at the same time. Where do people go after the end of life?
More importantly, where did Johan go?
The night is serene. A solitary figure sits on the rocks where the waves slosh sluggishly onto. Judai stares down at his feet, and then looks up into the sky. It is a starless night sky; however the moon is bright. He remembers the times he and Johan would sprawl cross-legged at the exact same spot and they would blabber about everything they could talk about till the golden sun was sitting on the horizon, under the watchful eyes of Winged Kuriboh and Ruby.
A sudden, acute ache in his head breaks his train of thought. He presses the heel of his hand to his forehead and glances into the distance, where the sky meets the sea.
The silhouette of a young boy gradually comes into sight, emerald eyes sparkling under the moonlight. Judai is astounded for a moment. He blinks several times and realizes that it is really him, the one whom he'd been waiting for the past ninety-nine days.
"Jo-Johan…" He whispers, barely audible.
Johan smiles, and instantly Judai lights up as well. He gazes into his lost friend's eyes, savoring the moment. They were a deep green and full of life, they were so beautiful they put the prettiest Northern Lights to shame. He extends him arm, but before he can reach him, Johan starts to fade away, inch by inch.
"Be happy," the last words he hears his friend mouth as he reaches out into cold air.
Judai retracts his arm and runs it across his locks of mahogany hair. He gazes into the distance once more, but his friend has completely disappeared into the clouds now. A single tear rolls off his flushed cheek.
The moon fades into the distance, and just at that moment the gleaming sun rises. With a deep breath, he chokes out, "I will, Johan, I promise."
One hundred.
END