A Moment of Rest

by Higuchimon

After making his mind up to follow Juudai but before finding him, Shou finds someone else, when he's in dire need of just a little rest.

Disclaimer: I own nothing involved in this story unless I invented it myself. This is written for fun, not for profit.
Fandom: Yu-Gi-Oh GX
Title: A Moment of Rest
Romance: Shou x Black Magician Girl
Word Count: 10,269||Status: Complete
Genre: Romance, Drama||Rated: PG-13
Feedback: All forms eagerly accepted. Concrit is loved the most, but everything is welcome.
Summary: After making his mind up to follow Juudai but before finding him, Shou finds someone else, when he's in dire need of just a little rest.

---

Thunder rolled across the starless skies, thick clouds blocking out the comet's light, with fat drops of rain splattering downward only moments later. Shou hunched over, wishing he had something to cover his head with.

"Whoa, this is nasty!" Ojama Yellow shuddered from where he floated next to Shou's shoulder. "We need to find somewhere to stay out of this, Big Bro!"

Shou could not help the twinge in his heart at hearing those words, but he kept it to himself. For one thing, Ojama Yellow was right. If they stayed out like this, they'd end up soaked to the skin and probably at risk of catching pneumonia.

"See anywhere?" He wished that little cave of his was closer than it was. It made such a wonderful place to ride out any kind of weather. But even if he could get back to it, by the time he did, they would still be wetter than a fish. They needed somewhere closer to take cover.

I hope he's safe. In all truth, Shou didn't know for certain if he meant Ryou or Juudai, even in his own thoughts. The thought of his tall, dark elder brother wandering this world, possibly on his own, didn't disturb him nearly as much as the idea of whatever Juudai might be up to. He clenched his teeth; he'd find out what Juudai was doing sooner or later. He couldn't follow him if he couldn't find him, so that was the first step.

Second step. First step would be to get out of this weather until it blew over, which could take hours or days. Dark World and Earth weren't so different in that regard, he'd learned since arriving here. Horrible weather meant staying out of it as much as possible. At least he didn't have to go to classes like this.

Apparently Ojama Yellow didn't see anywhere that could be useful shelter, since the little gremlin shook his head and floated down closer in an attempt to snuggle closer for warmth. Shou trudged onward, looking everywhere he could for either a suitable thicket of bushes he could curl up under or even a cave where he could ride out the weather. He wasn't certain if he wanted to risk the hospitality of any village that they might come near. He wasn't sure of how far he was from Brron's old stronghold and he didn't trust the people who might live in the area.

Rain continually poured from the skies, chill and unrelenting, and Shou shuddered even more, wrapping his arms around himself in a vain attempt to stay warm. I miss Duel Academia. Now would've been a perfect time to curl up somewhere indoors and watch the rain, preferably with a cup of hot tea by his side. Now he had no idea of if he'd ever see Duel Academia again.

"Big Bro Shou! Big Bro Shou!" Ojama Yellow patted his ear over and over until Shou looked up, blinking for a few moments in an attempt to see clearly, until he gave up and took his spectacles off to rub them dry.

"What is it?" He hoped it was something on the order of a dry cave, preferably with a good hot fire already going and something warm waiting. He'd seen stranger things in this world.

Ojama Yellow gestured ahead of them. "There're lights over there. Maybe it's a house we can stay at?"

Shou glanced in the direction the other pointed, biting his lip. A house would be better than a village, maybe. Still, he wasn't sure if rushing over was the best idea. "All right." If he had to, he could defend himself. He didn't want to duel to do so, but if it came down to doing that or dying himself, he knew what he'd choose.

He started over, taking care where he put his feet. The ground beneath seemed fairly solid, but the rain turned most of the earth into mud that sucked at his shoes. His uniform already needed a serious wash. He'd managed to rinse most of the stains off in various streams during their time here, but he could see holes starting to wear in the material, and his shoes weren't holding up as well as they could have. Shoes meant to last for the minor rigors of school didn't stand a chance against walking through some of the terrain he'd seen since their arrival here. He had a couple of spares in his backpack, but he didn't like the idea of shoving the old one in there next to a clean one.

Ojama Yellow's eyes were better than his, with or without his spectacles, and it took Shou a few moments of careful walking and peering through the still splattering rain before he managed to identify the smears of light ahead of them as coming from the windows of a house. Once he had his glasses back on, he took another careful look, wanting to know just where they were going.

The house wasn't all that large, not so far as he could see through the shadows and the rain. One window glowed warm with candlelight, and smoke rose from a chimney, showing that someone did indeed live there. Human or spirit, Shou found himself hoping they would at least have a warm bed and some food to share. He'd do whatever he needed to do in order to get a portion.

The closer he came to the house, the more he looked around, trying to figure out who might live there. He couldn't see anything unusual, though he had to admit to himself he didn't know what would be unusual around here. It was simply a house, mostly tucked up under a small outcropping of rock, maybe three or four rooms from what he could see on this side, and a small orchard off to the left.

He stopped a short distance from the door, tenser than he wanted to admit to himself. How long has it been since I even talked to someone else? Someone who wasn't Ojama Yellow or his brother. Not that he'd passed that many words with his brother when they'd crossed paths, but other than those two, he hadn't spoken to anyone at all since...since...

Since the moment he'd stood in Brron's arena and let loose all of his fury at Juudai.

"Big Bro?" Ojama Yellow floated down enough to brush his ear and Shou shook his head, more to get rid of those memories than anything else. He meant every word he'd said that day, but that didn't mean he wanted to think about them, not right now.

It was enough that he relived that moment every time he slept.

Shou took in a deep breath and stepped onto the pebbled path that led to the front door. He wasn't getting any drier or any more fed sitting out here. The closer he got, the more his skin began to tingle, as if from a sort of odd pressure. He didn't know what to call it, but he did feel warmer and more comfortable the farther he walked, even with the rain still pouring down on him.

Finally he stood in front of the door, and he wasted no further time, knocking on it quickly. He tried not to expect anything or anyone; it could belong to anyone from an ordinary human to...to Juudai himself and he wouldn't care, as long as he could stay and get something to eat and dry off.

But of all the people he expected, or didn't expect, Black Magician Girl certainly wasn't on the list. He stared, jaw dropping, hardly able to believe his eyes.

"B...Black Magician Girl?" Of all the ways, times, and places to meet her! He shuffled his feet and ran a hand through his hair, knowing that would only make it worse with how wet it was. At least he wasn't too muddy, except for his legs.

Her eyes grew round and wide in return and it took her a moment to say anything. "...Shou?"

She knew his name? He swallowed several times, trying to get his head wrapped around that. "Um...hi?" It wasn't the most brilliant word that had ever come from him but it was all he could manage right now.

"What are you...never mind, get in here!" Black Magician Girl waved them both in quickly, looking over their shoulders out into the dark rain-streaked weather. "Is there anyone else with you?"

"No, it's just us." Ojama Yellow answered, fluttering in alongside of Shou, who was still trying to figure out how to say something intelligent and coherent, even as he realized how much warmer and drier it was in here than out there.

The blonde spellcaster nodded, closing the door behind them as she turned to look at them. "You need a bath," she decided, looking them both up and down. "Come along here."

Shou followed, still not able to think of anything to say. If she knew his name, did that mean she was the one who'd come to Duel Academia in his first year? The one he'd always dreamed of having kissed him.

His cheeks flamed red at the very thought. That had just been some kind of daydream, hadn't it?

Daydream or not, he could tell the hot bath she set out for him a few moments later was sweet, sweet reality. A huge, silver claw-foot tub set in the middle of a wide blue-tiled room, with warm towels hung within rich, seemed like a vision of heaven to him.

"Just toss your clothes out here and I'll get them taken care of. There's a robe you can wear in there, and once you're done, you can tell me how you got here while we have dinner."

Shou didn't bother thinking about anything she said; thinking seemed a little beyond his grasp now, even as the warmth of the room wrapped around him. She closed the door and left him to his own devices. It only took him a scant heartbeat to strip out of everything he had on him, throw it out the door, and sink into the hot water. He breathed the scented steam in deeply. He'd never really been one to add anything special to his bath, but the water here carried a warm, spicy scent that he found he enjoyed even if he couldn't name it properly.

"She's nice, isn't she?" Ojama Yellow murmured, sinking into the tub with him. Shou wondered vaguely if the Ojamas did that with Manjoume. Then he pushed the thought away; he'd never be able to find out, so why bother with worrying about it?

Instead, he pulled his thoughts over to the actual question the small monster'd asked. "Yeah." It was about the first coherent word he'd uttered since the door swung open and he'd seen her standing there. He wanted to say something to her, but everything in his head just closed up shop when he looked at her.

She's so cute. Cute didn't even cover it properly. Just looking at her made his heart beat faster and his stomach to squirm around in pleasant ways that he'd seldom felt before.

Ojama Yellow splashed around some, sending small waves of water rocking against Shou, and reminding him that as much as he might like to, he couldn't sit in the hot water forever. His fingers and toes were already starting to wrinkle up. The short duelist sighed; at least it was warm here.

He pulled himself out, shivering faintly at the contrast between the air and water, and looked for the robe she'd promised was there as he dried himself off. It hung from a hook on the wall, a warm shade of medium blue a few shades darker than his own hair, coming complete with a pair of comfortable slippers.

Black Magician Girl's house wasn't that big, he realized, as he stepped out of the bathroom into a short hallway. Other than the bathroom, three other doors led to other rooms there, with the open end of the hallway being where they'd come down from the main entryway. He headed that way, looking around curiously, sniffing as a rich, hot aroma caught his nostrils. His stomach rumbled fiercely, putting every other thought out of his mind as he stepped into a kitchen, the source of that delicious scent.

"Hello!" Black Magician Girl smiled cheerfully at him as he entered, and she gestured to a table not that far away. "Dinner's almost ready, you can sit down and wait."

Shou nodded, doing so at once, still trying to put his brain together in a coherent fashion. "Thank you." At least that came out sounding somewhat intelligent. It was a start.

Ojama Yellow settled on the table as well, eyes tilted in her direction. "Are you the same one that came to Duel Academia? I think you are. You kind of look like her."

Shou sank his face into one hand and sighed. If this was what Manjoume dealt with, he couldn't blame him for the occasional flare of temper. "Ojama Yellow. Please."

"No, it's all right." One brilliant smile lit the room nearly as much as the chandelier full of candles overhead did. "Yes, I'm the one who came there for that duel. You can call me Autumn."

"Autumn." Shou repeated the name, shivering at how it tasted on his lips. "It's good to see you again." He didn't know how that ranked on the scale of intelligence, but at least it covered 'coherence' enough.

Autumn dished up a hot bowl of soup and set it in front of him. "You can tell me what you're doing here after you eat." Two more bowls, one for herself and one for Ojama Yellow, completed the setting. Shou didn't ask questions of the soup but simply dove into it with all the enthusiasm he could muster.

Which, in all truth, was almost twice as much as he would have before this horrible trip to another world, given how little he'd had for days before this. A few berries here and there didn't make for the best meals. He'd simply not paid attention to how much his stomach cramped and growled until now, when he had a chance to put as much as he wanted into it.

He'd never been fond of soup before this, but every drop that passed his lips tasted far better than those few meals he'd eaten in Obelisk Blue. It was only after he realized he didn't want anymore than he figured out he'd had his bowl refilled four times.

"Are you sure you don't want any more?" Autumn eyed the bowl and him, her lips curved upward for the space of a heartbeat. "I think I can make more if you need it."

Slowly Shou shook his head. "No, thank you." Eating all of that cleared his head to an extent, as had the hot bath, and he knew that as much as he wanted to, he couldn't stay here very long. He had a promise to keep and a trail to follow.

Autumn leaned back in her chair and pinned him with her clear gaze. "Would you tell me what you're doing here in this world, then?"

Images of Juudai flickered behind his eyes at her words. Juudai, leaping ahead of them to duel, to fight, to kill, not caring about what any of them thought or wanted, just as long as he could satisfy himself.

Just like Big Brother. His shoulders tensed at the very thought. Wasn't it enough that one of his brothers had gone off the rails before? Did it have to happen to both of them?

He took a breath, trying to calm himself as much as he could. "That's a really long story." He wasn't even certain of where to begin. Thinking of it all sent threads of cold fear wrapping all around his spine and heart.

"I like long stories." Autumn told him as she rose and went to set a kettle on the stove. She pulled two cups out of a cupboard, then a third that was much smaller. Shou realized she was giving him time to think of what to say and did his best to do just that, working to put everything into words.

"It started, I guess," he said at last, his heart thudding harder as he heard himself speak, "with Juudai."

She glanced over her shoulder toward him, a faint smile curving her lips upward. "Somehow, that doesn't surprise me. He seems like the type that things would start with."

Oh, if she only knew. He started to talk, his heart twisting even more as he recalled how peaceful everything seemed at the start of the year. Sure, the dis-belts were unusual and he'd been worried about how passionate of a duelist he could, but after the Seven Stars and the Society of Light, it was a normal kind of fear, the fear of not doing well enough in school.

Autumn set the cups of tea before them, the small one for Ojama Yellow, and Shou picked his up, turning it around and around in his hands, sipping now and then as he kept on talking. He left nothing out, not even the thick streaks of jealousy at how well Juudai and Johan got along with one another. It was easy to tell these things to her, he found, perhaps because in some ways he was telling them to himself for the first time.

"I don't remember much about when we were in that world of sand," he said, staring into his cup. "Those duel zombies found me and I got caught up in dueling." He'd wanted to duel, he remembered clearly enough. Juudai'd always saved them by his dueling and somewhere deep in his mind, he'd wanted to do the same thing. Somehow. If he could.

He hadn't. He'd fought harder and harder with each duel and it just never mattered, because they kept coming, an endless horde made up of people he'd eaten beside and studied beside and fought beside for two years.

Then he came. When Shou'd been on his last legs, hardly able to think clearly anymore, almost every ounce of his strength burned out of him, and yet he'd still been ready for the challenge when Manjoume, pale and haggard, with the three Ojamas hanging over him, stepped forward.

"Shou..." Manjoume's voice, drained of all emotion but the simple, pure, raw desire for a duel, echoed in his mind, buried mostly by everything else that had happened since then, but now revived as vividly as if it had just happened. Ojama Yellow said nothing, only stared down into his cup of tea, and Shou wondered if he remembered it at all.

A warm hand folded itself over his own and he looked up to see Autumn looking at him, compassion strong in her eyes. He dredged up a smile, though he suspected if he could actually see himself, it wouldn't look very cheerful at all.

"That only lasted a couple of days. Johan and Juudai got us out of that. But it meant Johan had to stay behind." That he'd only found out after they'd returned to Earth, when Asuka, O'Brien, Kenzan, and Jim took it in turns to fill everyone else in about what happened that they'd missed. "Juudai took it hard. He blamed himself for it." Shou still wasn't sure of why, though what Principal Samejima'd told them about his experiences with Yubel helped a lot. "So when he found out there was a gateway opening up, he just had to go try to find him."

And they'd all come along. For all that he'd made a show of not wanting to, Shou knew he'd never stood a chance of not coming. Juudai needed him. Why else would he have had a backpack ready?

His heart twisted once again, remembering those horrible days when they'd first arrived, where every other word out of Juudai's mouth was 'Johan' and he cared for nothing at all but asking anyone they met where Johan was, if they'd seen Johan at all.

That, and dueling. Dueling in a world where it meant death if you lost. Juudai didn't care about putting his own life on the line, just so long as he got what he wanted in the end. As if anyone here had ever stood a chance of beating him in the first place.

Slowly he picked up the tale again, telling of their crossing over into this world, after saving Taniya's companions, and how they'd met Freed the Brave Wanderer and the remnants of his people. He wondered where they'd gone and if they were safe, or if someone else in this world ended their lives. He'd probably never know.

The frantic, headlong race on that Sonic Duck, culminating in being cornered yet again by Gold and Silver. As if he hadn't had enough go wrong in his life. If it hadn't been for Jim and O'Brien, he would either have ended up dead like the others or...well, dead, period.

What came after that he didn't want to think about. He knew he couldn't change it, but that didn't mean he wanted to dwell on it, either. But Autumn had asked, and there was no way he couldn't just tell her. She'd dueled Juudai, after all. She deserved a full answer.

The more he spoke, however, the paler she grew, and the more her hands clutched at her teacup. She asked no questions, only let him continue at his own pace, while Ojama Yellow curled up and dozed off, likely enough not wanting to hear about Manjoume's death yet again. Shou didn't blame him one bit.

"After that, I ran away," Shou said, coming to the end of the tale. "I didn't want to see him anymore. I couldn't stand to look at him and what he's turned into." He shook his head, staring into his now empty cup. "But I can't stay away forever. Meeting Juudai was the most important meeting of my life and I want to follow him. Find out what he's doing and where he's going and just...follow him."

He wasn't sure what he expected from Autumn, though he wouldn't have been surprised for something on the order of 'are you sure that you're not insane?'. If anyone had asked him that, he had to admit to himself that he wasn't.

What she said wasn't at all what he would've thought of, though. "Do you know where you're going to find him?"

"No." Shou shook his head, still not looking up from his cup. "I'm going to start at Brron's castle and see what I can find from there." He hoped he remembered how to find it. He hadn't paid that much attention to where he was going when he'd left and street signs were a little hard to come by here.

Silence fell between them for the space of a few heartbeats. Autumn broke it herself. "I might be able to help a little with that."

"You can?" Shou lifted his gaze to meet hers. Some part of him still wondered if this were some kind of strange dream. Of all the people he could meet in this world, he met her? Not just a Black Magician Girl, but the Black Magician Girl? The one that they all sort of knew? If you could count watching her duel Juudai as 'knowing'.

She nodded, worry flickering through her eyes. "I can't be sure but you might want to check anyway."

He waited for her to say more, watching as her hands clutched and unclutched for a few moments.

"I was in a village a few days ago. I don't know if you've heard about the Haou?" She waited for his answer, which was a quick shake of the head. He'd hardly spoken to anyone to hear about anything, after all. "He's a terrifying duelist who turned up recently in this world. He's amassed a huge army and destroyed anyone who stands against him. A lot of people I know have either run away as far as they can or gone into hiding, trying to avoid him."

Ice twitched around Shou's heart. He wasn't certain how what she said related to Juudai, not just yet, but he didn't like it already.

"While I was there, his army attacked. I had to duel to even stand a chance of getting out of there in one piece." She hesitated for a heartbeat or two. "I didn't even think about taking him on. Just seeing him there is enough to give people nightmares."

"Is he a Duel Spirit? Or is he human?" Shou had to know. The word 'Haou' echoed in the depths of his mind, as if it were something he should've known all along. This was just a way to make yourself king...

Autumn shook her head. "I don't know. He wears black armor whenever he's in public. No one I know has so much as seen him lift his visor. But I saw him duel before I left." Again she hesitated, for a little longer this time. "He used an Elemental Hero fusion deck."

Ice clamped around Shou's soul harder than before. "What?" He didn't know if he wanted to hear that right or not.

"It's not like Juudai's deck. He fused Featherman and Burst Lady to summon Evil Hero Inferno Wing, not Flame Wingman." Her fingers flexed again. "But his strength is so much like Juudai's, only darker. Evil."

Shou wondered where all the air in the room suddenly vanished off to. He couldn't find enough to draw into his lungs. It was one thing to think something, to believe it, but yet another to see it before you, no matter how true you thought it was. "Then that's where I have to go. To find him."

"You'd have better luck going to his castle, if you insist." Autumn reminded him a touch dryly. "There's nothing left of that village anyway." She shook her head. "There's not often anything left when Haou attacks a place. Just rubble."

"What's he trying to do?" He didn't claim to understand how Juudai thought anymore, so if this Haou was him, he had to wonder what was going through Juudai's mind.

"No one knows. Other than just conquering and ruling everything and everyone. He doesn't exactly talk that much." Autumn stared at Shou, eyes full of that warm compassion still. "If you're going to go, then you should at least wait for the storm to pass. I can guide you along as far as I know, but I'm not sure where his castle actually is. It isn't a place I'd want to go."

Again she fell quiet. "I've heard there are people fighting against him. They've failed so far, but they still keep trying. Maybe you could find them and see if they can help you?"

"Maybe." Shou knew that fighting against Juudai wasn't the road he wanted to take. He'd simply watch and see what he could learn from that. How do you watch someone like this, though? Talking about doing so sounded easy. Doing so was harder than he could have imagined.

Perhaps wasn't the hard part. What would be hard would be coming out of it alive.

Autumn stood and crossed over to the window, flicking the curtain back. "It won't stop raining for quite a while. You have time to get some rest and at least more hot meals. When was the last time you ate something decent, anyway?"

Shou blinked at that; he'd been so busy thinking about Juudai and how to find him that he didn't expect the question at all. "I don't remember." His cheeks scorched red at the look she turned on him and he decided at once he'd at least try to eat more regularly, just to avoid looks like that anymore.

"You'd better start remembering. How are you going to follow your friend if you pass out from hunger?" She didn't quite waggle an admonishing finger at him, but the look she gave him was more than enough of a reprimand.

Whether he wanted to admit it or not, she was right. He ducked his head down and swallowed some. "I'll keep that in mind."

Why did he have to meet her now, when he couldn't stay? When he couldn't live in this beautiful little house with her?

He didn't even consider asking her to come along. Following Juudai when he was just Juudai, no matter how dark he'd become, wasn't easy all by itself. Following him when he had an entire army at his beck and call, plus whatever other dark powers were at his disposal was nothing short of suicide. He wouldn't ask her to do that. Juudai was his friend, no matter what.

Just a little visit. That's all this is. A few brief hours of light and hope in a world that didn't know the sun and likely enough never would. He'd probably never see her again after this, either.

He pushed away those thoughts, mostly because a huge yawn caught him before he could keep down that mental track. Autumn frowned, leaning closer to him.

"You do need to get some sleep. Come along." She guided him down the same corridor the bathroom was on, this time to one of the other doors. "You can stay in there tonight. I'm just over there." She gestured to the one a little farther down. "Call me if you need anything."

"What about Ojama Yellow?" As annoying as the yellow gremlin was, Shou couldn't bring himself to forget about him. He was the closest thing he had to a friend here, except perhaps Jim and O'Brien, and he had no idea of where they were right now.

"I'll fix up a cushion for him tonight. He's already sound asleep, no need to wake him up." Autumn opened the door and motioned for him to enter. "You get some sleep and don't worry about anything. I'll see you at breakfast."

If he hadn't been so tired, Shou might well have protested, or at least thought about doing so. But another yawn proved to him he needed sleep more than anything else. He headed inside, a warm sourceless glow springing into existence from above as he did so. He glanced up at it, then back to where Autumn still stood in the door, one hand resting against a gray plate he wasn't sure if he would've noticed if she hadn't touched it.

"You can control the lights from here or one like this over by the bed," she told him. "It's something I set up when I moved in here." She smiled at him, then closed the door, her footsteps moving down the hallway and fading out of hearing.

Shou glanced at the bed, which looked far more inviting than any bed he'd seen in Osiris, Ra, or Obelisk at the moment, and wasted no time at all getting into it. He could worry over what he'd do to find Juudai and follow him safely after he'd slept.

---

Autumn carefully tucked the cushion under Ojama Yellow and drew a small towel over him. It would be a serviceable blanket, she thought. Both of them were so worn out.

I wish they'd stay here. Seeing Shou again sent a warm tingle through her that she'd experienced with very few people before. Of all those who could've knocked on her door, she'd never expected him. If anyone, she'd thought perhaps someone from Haou's army found her. She brushed her fingers by the deck on her hip; if that happened, she had every intention of going down fighting.

Yet it had been Shou and his small friend. She wished almost that she hadn't seen Haou and his army that day; perhaps then she wouldn't have been able to point him farther along on his quest. He could've stayed here just a little longer.

But he wouldn't have done that anyway. His loyalty to Juudai, even after everything that happened between them, was far too strong for that. He'd follow Juudai into molten lava if he had to.

She peered outside again; the rain showed no sign of slacking up and she had no intentions of complaining about that. The longer it poured, the longer they'd be able to stay here. A little rest would do them both good.

Following him, even knowing what he's like now. Though Autumn knew they couldn't be sure that Haou and Juudai were one and the same, not on the basis of vaguely similar decks alone, from what Shou'd told her and what she'd seen herself, it did seem likely. And Shou would risk his own life to follow him. Even knowing of his loyalty, that still seemed more than a little insane to her.

He would need some kind of protection. He couldn't just wander around the Haou and that insane army without something. She thought she knew what he might need.

A quick stop by her closet provided the base material: a simple cloak she'd bought some time earlier, wanting to practice some of her spellcasting on it. Now she settled down with it in her favorite chair and began to run her hands over it. Sewing wasn't one of her strengths, not doing so by hand anyway, but freshening it up, taking it in, and working some very specific spells into the fabric were well within her abilities.

She murmured under her breath, concentrating with all of her might on getting this just right. She might still be considered an apprentice in magic, but she'd practiced this kind of thing long enough to get it right.

Perhaps once all of this is over, he can stay here longer. The idea certainly warmed her heart. She suspected Shou would want to find a way back to his world somehow, and there were gates scattered in odd places all over, but if he could stay here a little longer when everything wasn't so dangerous, she would gladly open her home to him.

What could make this world safer, though? That she didn't know and couldn't imagine.

She turned her full attention back to the cloak; if she let her thoughts stray too much that could damage the spellcasting and she wanted this to work as best she could make it.

---

Shou didn't want to wake up. Waking up meant he would still be in a world that hadn't ever known the touch of sunlight, where Juudai killed his friends without regret or remorse and thought of killing other people as 'avenging' them, where the only friend he could still count on was Ojama Yellow and...and...

Autumn. He couldn't help but open his eyes then, his heart skipping a happy beat or two. As much as he knew he couldn't stay here, the thought of just a few more hours in her company sent thrills through him.

He took a careful look around the room before he sat up, something he'd been too tired to bother with the night before. It was just a little larger than the room he'd shared with Juudai and others in Osiris Red, but the bed itself was every bit as comfortable as the one he'd had during his brief time in Obelisk Blue. One bed, a bedside table, a small chest of drawers, and a tall bookshelf completed the room's decorations. Everything gleamed with cleanliness; even the rumpled sheets gave off a faint aroma that indicated they'd been washed not that long before.

It was probably one of the better rooms he'd been inside of his entire life. It was something he knew he could get used to.

No. No matter what he wanted, he knew better. He pushed himself out of bed, tugging the robe around himself once more, and slipped his feet into the waiting slippers. His stomach demanded food already, and he wasn't in any condition to ignore it now. A hot bath, a good dinner, and a good night's rest made it so much easier to pay attention to his needs.

There was no sign of Autumn when he stepped out into the hallway; the door she'd indicated as leading to her own room remained closed. He stood outside of it for a few seconds, wondering if he should wake her up and ask about breakfast.

No, I think I can do this. He wasn't a world-class chef by any means, but he thought he could manage putting together something to eat. At least he would try.

He shuffled his way into the kitchen and looked around. He hadn't paid too much attention to how she'd done things the night before, being too worn out from all the traveling and stress to even think about anything at all, as well as the surprise of just being in her home to start with.

Tea first. Then he could figure out what else. He didn't make a big deal out of it, but Shou enjoyed starting his day off with a good hot cup of tea. It didn't exactly wake him up, but it made everything so much easier to deal with once he had something hot in his stomach. Sometimes Juudai joined him, sometimes he didn't. Kenzan had more than once.

His heart twisted painfully at the thought of both of them. Would it ever stop?

Tea. He put that foremost in his mind and began to search for the tea kettle he'd seen her use. Getting the stove going took a little longer; stoves in Dark World used actual wood, not electricity, and he stared at it for several minutes, trying to figure out just how to get it going correctly.

"Big Bro Shou?" Ojama Yellow floated down from somewhere to hover over his shoulder like usual. "What are you doing?"

"Making tea." He hoped, now that he thought about it, that Autumn didn't mind. It was just a little tea, after all. And so long as he didn't burn the house down, it should be all right.

"Are we going to stay here today?" The small monster moved around the kitchen, looking at everything he could get into. Shou sighed to himself; he could definitely see why Manjoume had some of the issues he did if he had three of them to deal with all the time.

As always, he decided he'd better not to go down that trail of thought. He paid strict attention to the tea kettle, sparing only a few moments to search where for where Autumn kept her tea. He also kept a little part of his attention kept alert for any sign that Autumn herself would wake up.

"Big Bro?" Ojama Yellow patted his ear and floated around in front of him. "Did you hear me?"

Shou held back another sigh. He'd heard him the first time. "I don't think it's stopped raining yet, so, yes." Rain still pattered down from the sky, and a quick look outside showed that the ground was more mud than solid. Going out there wouldn't get them anything but soaked and exhausted.

He wanted it to clear up. He wanted to get moving again on his search for Juudai. The thought of Juudai wearing black armor and leading a mass slaughter on a world, any world, sent cold chills all through him. But he had to follow where Juudai led. He always would.

"Shou?" Autumn stood in the doorway, head tilted to the side, wearing a soft blue robe over a paler blue gown, feet covered in white slippers. "I didn't know you were awake."

His cheeks reddened as much at her words as at the sight of her in morning attire. "I didn't mean to bother you. I made some tea." Or was in the process of making tea, anyway.

"It smells delicious. Thank you." Autumn moved farther into the room and started to gather together various items for breakfast.

Shou's cheeks flushed an even deeper red and he stared at the tea kettle, hoping that he could write it off as just being too close to the heat of the stove than anything else. At least she didn't seem to notice anything unusual.

"Was the cushion good enough, Yellow?" Autumn glanced over toward the Ojama who hovered there. "I can find something better if you need it."

Ojama Yellow shook his head. "No, no, that was wonderful! Thank you!" He flitted around her head. "No one's ever had such a nice bed for me!"

"If there's anything you need, then let me know and I'll do what I can," Autumn told them, setting a pot of water to boil on the stove. "I think we might be stuck here for at least another day. You should wait for the roads to dry out before you get moving again."

Shou wasn't all that certain he agreed, but until the rain stopped, he knew he couldn't go anywhere anyway. "How long do you think that will be?"

"It should clear up sometime tomorrow evening, if not sooner." Autumn glanced out again, a faint line of worry between her eyes. "What I'm really worried about are Haou's patrols. They've come by here a few times before."

"Have they bothered you?" A hint of protective fire burned in his chest for a heartbeat or two.

She shook her head. "My home has wards around it to keep anyone who genuinely wants to harm me away, so I'm not worried about them for my sake." She turned enough to look him in the eyes. "If all that you want to do is follow him and not fight, then what happens if they corner you?"

Oh. That was a question he hadn't thought of. He'd done his best to avoid confrontations with anyone since making up his mind, but he couldn't be sure he'd continue to do that.

"If I have to, I'll fight." He'd already made that decision before even knocking on her door, now that he thought about it. That didn't mean he'd like doing it. The thought of killing someone with his dueling made his throat close up and his heart beat even faster, in quite a different way from when he looked at Autumn.

Her smile eased away some of the frost that had taken up residence in his stomach and around his spine. "I'll have something for you when you're ready to leave. It should help you a little."

He wanted to ask what she meant, but just then the tea reached the perfect boil, and he busied himself pouring it into the waiting cups. He couldn't imagine what else they could do with their day, but he assumed she had something to do to keep herself occupied. If nothing else, he knew that bookshelf in his room could provide something to do. He'd never had days so potentially empty as these.

"Where do you get your food from?" Shou wondered as he spooned up the hot oatmeal she set in front of him. He hadn't really thought too much about where any of it would come from during his stay here. This was a kitchen, kitchens had food, what else did he need to think of?

"I trade for most of it. You probably saw the orchard on the way in; I trade fruit from there a lot of the time. The people in the towns like them a lot." Autumn stared down into her own bowl for a few moments. "Or they did, before Haou's army began to attack. Before, when Brron ran matters, it wasn't quite as bad."

So Haou, Juudai, or whoever, made everything worse. Shou couldn't say he was that surprised by it. These days it seemed everything Juudai did just made things worse no matter what.

He scrambled around trying to find something he could say that would improve matters, if only a little. "Maybe you could try trading it to Haou's people? They have to eat too, don't they?" Everything he'd seen seemed to point toward that. And he guessed Juudai would have to eat, too. As dark and twisted as he was, he wasn't capable of going on without food. "And if you did, they might leave you alone." It wasn't a bargain he would've wanted to make for himself, though.

Autumn swirled the tea in her cup. "I'll think about it." He could see she didn't like the idea any more than he did, but sometimes you had to do things you didn't want to do.

She finished the last of her tea and set the cup down firmly, prompting him to do with the same with the sudden charge of energy in the room. "Would you like to see my library? I spend a lot of time in there when the weather's like this."

"All right!" He wasn't as into books as some people he could've named, but what else could they do?

With Ojama Yellow floating along and babbling things about how many visitors she got and if any of them were as pretty as she was and preferably as small as he was, the two of them made their way to the library. Shou stared through the door, then looked back to the hallway and back to her.

"It's bigger than it looks." Which had to win some sort of award for understatements, since the room he looked into stretched out far beyond the confines of the house itself.

Autumn's laugh tinkled off the walls. "Of course it is. It's a magical library! I couldn't fit all the books I have on magic in just one ordinary room." She hesitated before going in, something occurring to her. "Would you like a bath first? I can find you something to wear; it's going to take at least another day for me to finish cleaning your clothes from yesterday."

He hadn't even realized he still wore the robe and slippers from the night. "That's probably not a bad idea. But I do have some spares." He had no idea of what spending time around Autumn did to him. At times, he almost forgot what he was doing here in the first place.

Almost.

It didn't take much time at all for both of them to get cleaned up and dressed, Autumn once again wearing the familiar garb of Black Magician Girl, and Shou wearing one of the spare Ra Yellow uniforms he kept in his pack. He wondered how lucky he was that his backpack was waterproof; it had been a birthday gift from his mother, though he didn't think for a moment she had any idea of what use he was putting it to now.

The library held more than just rows and rows of books, though there were plenty of those. There weren't any windows, but a warm fireplace crackled along one wall, with two comfortable chairs set in front of it.

"Expecting company?" Shou asked, glancing at the two chairs. Autumn shrugged, a hint of red across the bridge of her nose.

"I miss not having my master around." She moved closer to the fire, reaching out to warm her hands at it, unnecessarily so with how warm the room was.

Shou nodded, trying to think of something that would get them past this somewhat uncomfortable moment. Ojama Yellow hovered beside her, head tilted to the side.

"Where is he?" Trust him to come up with something that was utterly without tact and yet was something Shou had to admit he was curious about himself.

Autumn shook her head. "I don't know. This isn't where I lived when I came to your school that day. Master and I lived in another world, in a beautiful city." Tears brimmed in her eyes and she dashed them away. "I wanted to go back and see you, but Master wanted to make certain I could use portals correctly before he would let me. He said it was a miracle I made it through and back the first time without anything going wrong."

Shou thought back to that day and what else had been going on. "I think it might've had something to do with the Spirit Gates and their keys." It wouldn't be the strangest thing that happened that year, or any other. If anything, it was probably one of the best.

"You're probably right." Autumn's lips curved up into a bit of a tight smile. "And once those closed all the way, I couldn't find my way back. Not like I had before. So Master made certain I studied gates and traveling through them." She glanced down at her fingers for a moment. "I'm still not sure how I ended up here. I wasn't doing anything with gates at all that day. I was having dinner, actually, with Master and some of his friends."

Shou wasn't certain what prompted him to reach over and touch her hand, but he never regretted the fact that he had. She looked up and smiled at him, warmth glowing in the back of her eyes.

"That's happened before. We met some people who came here from a different world." He still hoped for the best for those who'd been with Freed. "They weren't sure how they ended up here either."

Autumn took a deep breath, gathering her thoughts. "I'll find a way back there one day. Or to your world." Her lips twitched just a little. "Though I wouldn't mind finding a way to go to both. My master's probably going out of his mind about what I'm doing without him." A hint of mischief hovered around her lips. "He's probably right."

Shou wouldn't argue that for a moment. He glanced around the room; he didn't mind reading, but it hadn't ever been high on his list of things to do for fun. Can't duel for fun here. He turned his thoughts away from that; he didn't want to start getting upset about where they were and how unlikely it was that he'd ever see Duel Academia again.

He started over toward the nearest shelf; he wasn't even sure if he'd understand any of it if these books all spoke of magic and spells, but it would at least be a way to pass the time. And who knew? Maybe he could make something work if he tried at it? What could it hurt to try? At least Autumn was there in case he really screwed something up.

He glanced to where Autumn trailed her fingers in the air, a stream of blue and green sparkles following her movements. The idea of screwing up something in front of her wasn't an appealing one.

Before he could pick up a book, or do anything else at all, a fierce pounding echoed from the front door. Autumn leaped to her feet, eyes wide.

"Shou, stay here." With another spray of light, a cloak appeared in her hands and she tossed it to him. "If you have to come out, put this on. It should protect you."

There wasn't any time to ask questions, as she hurried out of the library. Shou didn't hesitate; he threw the cloak on over himself and followed her, Ojama Yellow following along. He remembered Autumn mentioning her wards, but he refused to take any chances.

"Keep quiet!" He shot a quick glance toward the floating gremlin. "This is dangerous!"

He stopped just out of sight of the door and peeked around the end of the hallway to see who stood there. He recognized the monster as Neo Aqua Madoor, a powerful magician who used ice and water magic. Wonder what he wants?

"I'm here on Skull Bishop's authority!" The spellcaster declared, staring down from behind his mask at Autumn. "You know who he is, of course."

Autumn smiled her sweetest and most innocent smile up at him, one that Shou could only see a little of, but he loved how it made her look. "I'm sorry, but I haven't stayed here all that long. I haven't met too many people."

Shou smothered a laugh. He didn't know how true it was, but from the way the monster bent forward, his taloned fingertips clenching, it wasn't what he wanted to hear.

"Skull Bishop is one of the highest servants of Haou-sama! Do you dare to say you don't know who he is?"

Again Autumn smiled, and Shou suspected she was doing her best to give the impression she didn't have a brain cell in her head. "I'm sorry. Is he someone I should know?"

"Stop-" Shou's hand flew up, catching Ojama Yellow and dragging him down into his cloak before the little creature could say another word.

"Keep quiet!" He hissed under his breath, looking back up in time to see Neo Aqua Madoor staring over Autumn's shoulder into the room. He shifted a little, unwilling to hide, and yet unwilling to step out, either. The thought of having to fight and kill with his deck...no. He wouldn't do it.

Autumn glanced around as if trying to see what the monster looked at, then looked back at him. "Is something wrong?"

"Are you the only one here?" He kept staring deeper into the room, but so far as Shou could tell, he hadn't actually seen Shou himself yet.

"Of course! Who else would be here?" Autumn shook her head. "Now, who is this Haou person and why should I know them? Him? Her?"

Neo Aqua Madoor's attention settled back on her and Shou hated the way he looked down at her. "Haou-sama is the great duelist who will rule this world. If you've not given your allegience to him yet, I advise that you do so, or face his wrath."

Juudai. Shou closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He wasn't sure what he wanted to believe anymore, unless it was the truth. The issue there was just what the truth was.

"Are you certain there's no one else here?" Again the monster leaned forward and looked around, as if expecting someone to appear out of thin air. Autumn laughed, a silly little sound that tinkled off the walls.

"There's no one here but me." Autumn stamped one foot, folding her arms over her chest. "Is there some reason you keep asking that?"

Shou started to lean around the corner more, wanting to get a better look at what was going on. As he did so, his grip on Ojama Yellow loosened just a little, mostly due to the fact that the small gremlin kept squirming the whole time. Now, he wriggled out altogether and flew right toward the door.

"I'm here! I'm not no one!" Ojama Yellow squeaked. Shou sighed and leaned back against the wall, one hand going down to his deck. He didn't want to but if that monster attacked Autumn, he knew what he would do.

Neo Aqua Madoor stared at the approaching creature, then looked down at Autumn. "You live with an Ojama?"

Shou couldn't see Autumn's face from where he stood, but from the tone of her voice, he could imagine her expression, wide-eyed and even more innocent than ever.

"What's wrong with that? He and I are great friends, aren't we?" She reached up to catch Ojama Yellow gently, holding him as if she did that every day of her life.

Ojama Yellow tilted his head back, blinking. "Of course we are!" He started to open his mouth again, but this time Neo Aqua Madoor interrupted.

"Have you seen anyone suspicious in the area? Anyone who might attempt to rebel against Haou-sama?" From how swiftly he spoke, it was plain that he wanted to end this disastrous interview as soon as possible.

"Suspicious?" Autumn shook her head at once. "Of course not. There's no one around here who'd fight against him if he's that powerful."

Shou bent his head for a moment. He couldn't disagree with that at all. I'm just going to watch. This isn't my fight. The fact it was true didn't stop the pain from squeezing his heart, though.

"I would!" Ojama Yellow squeaked, wiggling from top to bottom. "I would give him a one and a two and a..."

Distracted from his own thoughts, Shou sank his face into one hand and bit back a sigh. One day he was going to have to teach Ojama Yellow how to keep his mouth shut.

"Of course." Neo Aqua Madoor snorted, dismissing the miniature creature with a flick of one hand before he looked back at Autumn. "I suggest you teach your 'friend' better manners. And both of you pledge yourselves to Haou-sama if you'd like to continue living."

He whirled and stalked out of sight, ignoring the pouring rain. Autumn closed the door behind him, then leaned against it, taking several deep breaths, while Ojama Yellow floated worriedly about her.

Shou hurried over to her, his heart pounding faster than ever before in his life. "Are you all right?" He knew she was, but he had to ask anyway, just because of the weary look on her face.

"Yes. I'm fine." She smiled at him, straightening up and brushing herself off. She glanced out the window, then back toward him. "It's too dangerous for you to stay around here."

Shou bit his lip; he didn't like it, but he knew she was right. If this was just one of Haou's servants, more and more would come in due time. Maybe not looking for him in particular, but one wrong move, one glimpse of his deck caught, and it wouldn't matter if Juudai were Haou or not. His exposure as a duelist would put him in danger. Better far to keep moving and keep out of sight than wait for exposure. At least if he moved on, he'd have a chance to find Juudai.

She reached out to touch the cloak. "This will help you stay out of sight. I did my best to work a charm on it so that people who are evil won't see you. I'm not sure if it actually worked or not, but I did my best."

"Thanks." He didn't know what else to say, reaching up to catch her hand, so warm in his own. He squeezed it gently, still fighting for something to say. Autumn shook her head; he doubted she could read his mind, but perhaps she didn't need to.

"We'll see each other again someday," she promised, leaning forward so he could feel her warm, sweet breath on his own lips. For a few wonderful moments, Shou forgot all about being in a world of darkness and death, in search of someone he couldn't trust and yet had to follow.

For a few wonderful moments, so long as Autumn's lips rested on his own, all he knew was being there with her.

He didn't want her to step back, and he thought she didn't want to either, but she did, a rueful sort of smile on her lips.

"You should still wait until the rain's stopped. And give him time to get out of here, too. I trust the cloak, but I think if he saw the door open and close and no one came out, he'd figure something was up anyway."

He smiled back, a little of the pain in his soul easing at her words. "You're probably right."

"I'll have a chance to make you something to eat, then. You'll need supplies." She didn't waste another moment, but headed toward the kitchen. Shou watched her go, a flicker of yellow catching his attention, and he looked to see Ojama Yellow staring at him.

"You two are cute," the gremlin said after a moment or two. Shou could feel his cheeks flame at that and he hurried after Autumn. He didn't need someone else's opinion of his love life, especially not someone like Ojama Yellow.

Far too soon, the clouds parted, revealing once again the deep blue light of the comet as it coursed across the sky. Autumn packed Shou's backpack as full of food as she could manage it, and Ojama Yellow hovered over it, giving pleading looks in an attempt to convey how utterly starving he was, even after Autumn served up one last meal for them together.

"Be careful." Autumn advised as Shou stood on the doorstep. He wanted to smile, to find some reassurance just in that, but the slowly dawning realization that he was about to set forth into the greatest danger of his life stole it away from him.

"I will." It was all he could say. He would be careful. But he couldn't promise that he would be safe. "Thanks."

She brushed her lips across his once again and squeezed his hands. "I told you, we'd see each other again. And we will."

Shou couldn't begin to bring himself to deny it. Instead, he nodded. "Good-bye." He wished he could say more, but anything else refused to pass his lips. Heart torn, but mind knowing what he had to do, he dropped her hands and started down the path that led away. He couldn't look back.

Someday. He had to believe it would happen. He couldn't yet have faith in Juudai, but he had faith in Autumn.

The road he took wound far out of sight and he kept walking. Somewhere up ahead rose Haou's castle, and the answers to so many of his questions.

Behind him, lay his heart.

The End