Disclaimer: All canon-based characters, situations, and plotlines are copyright to their original owners, creators, and designers. I make no profit, nor want any.
Fandom: Yu-Gi-Oh GX
Title: Whose Idea Was This?
Romance: Edo x Manjoume
Word Count: 3,429
Genre: Romance, Humor
Rated: PG-13
Status: Complete
Challenge: 15pairings: Yu-Gi-Oh GX: set three: prompt #7: up close & personal.
Timeline: About five years after the ending of Yu-Gi-Oh GX
Summary: At Asuka's wedding, it's Manjoume who wants to get out of the closet.
If it hadn't been her signature on the invitation, then Manjoume wouldn't have come. Sure, it had been five years since graduation, and at least three since he'd come to the conclusion that Tenjoin Asuka didn't love him in the way that he'd hoped that she would. But when the wedding invitation came in the mail, he'd almost thrown it away, until he'd seen just who had signed it.
Instead, here he was, attending the wedding of Tenjoin Asuka and Jim 'Crocodile' Cook. He didn't pretend to be completely thrilled about it, but on the whole, he also couldn't be too unhappy. If it made her happy, then he was all for it, even if it made him unhappy.
"Hey!" Fubuki grinned and waved at him as he came around to be seated. There were several other familiar faces, as well as many unfamiliar ones, already in the rows of chairs that had been set out.
"Shishou." Manjoume found himself smiling, regardless of how irked he was in some fashion. Fubuki had always been able to make him smile. He slightly regretted not really being able to call him 'niisan' anymore, but it just wouldn't be right, since they never would be the brothers that he had wanted.
Well, they were still friends, and that was just as important.
He glanced up and down Fubuki and his smile widened a little bit. "Nice suit." Indeed it was, and what was most shocking was how normal it was. No loud colors, it actually appeared to have been tailored in the twenty-first century, and it fit Fubuki like a glove.
Fubuki himself tugged at it a little, making a face. "It was Asuka's idea. She insisted that I wear it. Something about me owing her one." He shrugged, but his smile returned a moment later. It was all but impossible to get him to not smile, after all.
Manjoume grinned just a touch. This did not surprise him at all. Tenjoin-kun could be extremely persuasive when she wanted to be. Though, to be honest, just by the way Fubuki wore it, the suit appeared to be even more flamboyant than if it had been in a rainbow of colors with a few frills thrown in for good measure. That was Fubuki for you, though. He was his own best accessory. Which he was more than willing to inform you, if you didn't already know.
"Let's see. Oh, you get to be seated right over here!" Fubuki guided Manjoume to the third row on the bride's side. He paused and looked at Manjoume a bit more seriously. "This isn't going to bother you, is it?"
He wasn't talking about the seating, and Manjoume knew that well. "I just want her to be happy, and since Jim makes her happy, that's good for me." It wasn't the whole truth, but it would do for now. From the oddly wise look in Fubuki's eyes, the older man also knew what he wasn't saying.
Manjoume settled into his chair and relaxed. At least the Ojamas were being quiet today, for which he was profoundly grateful.
Hey, aniki! Whoa, this is a nice place! Well, they had been being quiet. Aces of his deck or not, he just wasn't in the mood to talk to them at the moment.
Ojama Yellow floated before him, and he caught a glimpse of Black and Green hovering off to the side. "What are you three after?" he grumbled.
Can we have some cake? And some punch? Yellow stared soulfully into his eyes, but Manjoume turned away. He knew they were just trying to be friendly. He wasn't in the mood. He wanted to be annoyed and they were certainly helping with that, whether they wanted to or not.
"No, you can't." He could see a few people from the other side of the aisle looking at him a bit oddly. He guessed those were people from Jim's side of the family, ones who didn't know about his pesky companions. Well, let them stare.
"Problems?" That voice. Far, far too familiar, and yet not heard from in months. He lazily turned over, showing with every line of his body that he was not surprised, and not even particularly enthused about seeing who it was who was there.
"The usual ones." He glanced up, meeting eyes as blue as summer sky, and a grin as mocking as could be. Edo Phoenix had arrived. He was also sitting next to him. "What are you doing there?"
"This is where I'm supposed to sit." The younger duelist replied with a slightly amused tilt to his lips. Fubuki waved from the far end of the aisle, then wandered off, presumably to get someone else guided to their seat.
Manjoume glowered a little more. "I thought this was where friends of the bride were supposed to sit." And sort of ex-boyfriends, if you called being on four dates being her boyfriend.
"Hey, I was invited, and this is where I'm sitting." Edo didn't seem all that inclined to move. "If that bothers you, then…talk to someone else about it."
That got another glower, and Manjoume decided that it wasn't worth arguing about. He had survived working for Edo for three months. He could handle having to sit next to him for the duration of a wedding ceremony.
Besides, as much as he wanted to deny it, Edo's cologne did smell rather nice, and there were a lot of people that would be much more annoying to sit beside.
He was just starting to get relaxed when something else occurred to him. He turned to look at Edo directly now. "You heard them?" He couldn't be sure; Edo certainly knew about the Ojamas, though. Almost everyone who had been in on that trip to Dark World knew about them.
"Yes, I heard them." Edo met his eyes calmly. "I see them, too. You didn't know?"
Manjoume frowned; this was a new development. "When did this start happening?" Not that he cared about Edo that much, but it killed time as more people filed up and found their seats, guided by Fubuki or some other usher.
"Not too long after I dueled Juudai, actually. The third time." Edo clarified. Manjoume snorted; he hadn't watched that duel, but he'd heard about it. He'd had his own issues at the time, after all. "Since then, it's just been growing."
"I don't suppose you have one…" He was a bit curious, he admitted to himself. What kind of a Duel Spirit would Edo have?
Edo smiled slightly and his eyes went distant for a brief moment. Then it appeared next to him. Manjoume groaned to himself; he should've known. D-Hero Blood-D floated there. It was only visible for a moment before fading away completely, but Manjoume was certain that it was still around. After all, his pests were always there, even when he couldn't see them.
"Congratulations. Welcome to the insane asylum that is being able to see those things." He muttered the words a trifle crossly, though in all truth, he wasn't that bothered by it. Even though he and Edo seldom spent time around each other, to know that there was someone else who would truly understand what it was like to see and hear things that were somewhat on another plane of existence was a little soothing.
"You're welcome." Edo's voice was dry enough to have dehydrated the Pacific Ocean. Luckily Manjoume didn't have to come up with an answer, since the music had begun to play, and the ceremony was finally about to begin.
He sighed briefly when Tenjoin-kun came into view. Her gown was extraordinarily beautiful, though simple and elegant at the same time. It was her innate grace and charm that made the difference. In his eyes, she could have made a paper sack look attractive. He hoped that Jim felt the same way. From the look in his eyes as Asuka approached, the Australian most likely did.
Manjoume gripped the edge of his seat as the ceremony continued, but kept his mouth shut the whole time. Had anyone so much as breathed near him, he was convinced that he would have smacked them out of sheer instinct. The looks that Fubuki kept throwing at him didn't help matters either. He suspected that before very long, he'd be a victim of his shishou's matchmaking attempts.
He wondered if it was too late to try to talk him out of it. It probably was.
Finally, the vows had been exchanged, and the ceremony was over with. Manjoume made certain to stand in the receiving line, wanting to talk to her. When he finally got there, she smiled a bit sadly at him.
"Manjoume-kun. I'm glad you could make it."
"Tenjoin-kun." He nodded a little, suddenly at a loss for words. He caught a brief glimpse of Edo out of the corner of one eye, somewhat off to the side, and decided that he wasn't going to make a fool of himself in front of that little jerk. "I'm glad you found someone who can make you happy." Even as he spoke, he knew the words were true. "And no matter what, you'll always be Tenjoin-kun to me." It wasn't that he didn't acknowledge her marriage. But the respect he had for her wouldn't let him think of her any other way.
She smiled warmly back at him, and a small knot that had been somewhere in his chest loosened. "I want you to be happy too, Manjoume-kun. I know you will be."
He nodded, then glanced over at Jim briefly. If it had been anyone else, he might have warned them about being certain to be good to her. But Jim would never be anything but that, and he didn't worry in the slightest. "Congratulations." That was all he said, and Jim nodded a little. There was understanding between the two of them, and Manjoume left the line, wanting to find a place to be alone for a while.
He found that place in a mostly empty closet inside Jim's ranch house. No one would bother him in there; most of the people were still wandering around outside. Those who were inside would likely enough not need an empty closet for anything. He closed the door on himself , settled onto a box, buried his face in his hands, and let a few silent tears drip down.
Yes, he was glad for her. Yes, he wanted what was best for her, even if that wasn't him.
None of that meant he wasn't going to shed tears over the ending of a dream he'd held close to his heart since he was fifteen years old. Some things simply needed to be wept about.
He didn't know how long he'd been in there when he finally tugged out a handkerchief and wiped his face clean. He doubted anyone would even notice that he'd been gone, and if they had, he could simply claim he'd needed to heed the call of nature. And if they wanted to pester him about it, then he'd make sure they regretted it.
Manjoume made no moves to actually leave the closet, though. It was quiet and dark, and he liked that right now. He closed his eyes and sighed deeply. He was going to have to move on with his life. She had been a huge part of it, or the dream of her had been anyway. Maybe he could find something new to dream about. Or someone.
He wasn't sure how long he'd been in there, when the door swung open suddenly and he saw Edo Phoenix there.
"I wasn't aware this was where they kept spare duelists." Edo said, his lips twitching. At least he didn't follow it up with another bad joke. Manjoume was grateful for that much.
"What do you want?" Manjoume didn't move at all. There wasn't enough room to get by him anyway.
"I was looking for my suitcase." He indicated something Manjoume hadn't even seen in the shadows, though he realized in retrospect that he should have. He'd lugged it around before, after all. But that had been years ago. "Hand it here."
Manjoume started to reach for it, then stopped. "I quit working for you years ago. Get it yourself."
"You didn't quit." Edo reminded him. "I fired you." His lips twitched ever so slightly. Manjoume stayed right where he was, getting himself as comfortable as he could. He wasn't going to make this too easy on Edo, or too difficult. He would have much preferred it if the American had put his suitcase in some other nearly empty closet.
"I don't care. I still don't work for you anymore. If you want it, lean over here and get it."
Edo raised an eyebrow and started to lean right over, reaching for the suitcase. Manjoume wasn't all that surprised. Edo really had done more for himself than Manjoume had ever done for him.
The closet was just deep enough that Edo had to actually step inside to be able to properly reach it, especially given his somewhat slight height. Manjoume shifted back, wanting Edo to get the suitcase and get out of there so he could get started on some first-class brooding. Or at least get out himself and find the buffet table, preferably before Juudai got to it.
Both of them whirled to face the door as best they could as it suddenly slammed closed and there was the distinctive sound of the lock clicking. Manjoume jumped to his feet and tried his best to push by Edo regardless of the lack of room. "Hey! Let us out!"
No answer came, and Manjoume pounded harder on the door. "Didn't you hear me? Let us out of here!"
"You're not claustrophobic, are you?" Edo asked, calmly sitting down where Manjoume had been. "You don't strike me as the type."
Manjoume glared over his shoulder. "No, I'm not. I just don't want to be trapped in here with you." He paused for a moment. "Or anyone else, so don't ask."
He pounded a few more times, only to receive the same non-answer that he had before. "Who would do something like this?" He doubted it was Fubuki. Not that locking two people in a closet together wasn't within his abilities, but Fubuki jut wouldn't do that to him. Not when there were so many other interesting ways to get him to notice someone else existed.
"The wind is most likely. There are open doors all over the house, and the wind has been fairly brisk." Edo seemed a bit too laid back about this for Manjoume's taste. "Someone will either hear us, or need to get something out of here."
There wasn't that much light in there, but Manjoume still managed to glare once more at him. "I don't intend to wait." There were ways to get out of here that didn't involve waiting for someone to notice them. he preferred to make people notice him, after all. "You three, get out here!"
Ojama Yellow, Green, and Black snapped into existence before him, saluting. Yeah, aniki? What can we do for you?
"You can be useful, for once." The lack of light didn't hinder his ability to see them, and he was somewhat grateful for that. "Go find Juudai or Hayato or Fujiwara-kun or Johan and let them know Edo and I are in here and we want out. And speed it up!"
Right away! All three saluted once again, Green putting his hand into his eye as he did, and Manjoume sighed once they vanished. They were probably going to be in here a while.
Well, maybe not. He squirmed so he could get a better look at Edo. "Why don't you send yours too? Those three couldn't find their way to Juudai if he were standing outside the door, but yours is probably a little smarter."
"Maybe." Edo shrugged. He was far too collected about all of this. Manjoume might have been suspicious, if he weren't too busy being annoyed. The annoyance just got stronger as each moment passed and there was no sign or sound of anyone coming to get them.
"Damn it! What's taking so long?" He smashed at the door again, harder and harder. He wished that he had powers like Juudai. If he did, he would have summoned up Armed Dragon Level 7 or XYZ-Dragon Cannon and blown this damned door right off the hinges.
"Manjoume." Edo had his suitcase in his lap now. "What would you do to get out of here?"
He didn't even bother to look at the white-suited duelist. "Just about anything." Of all the places to be trapped, and of all the people that he could be trapped with, it had to be one of the few that he wasn't sure how he felt about. At least with someone like Fubuki or Juudai or Johan or Shou or even Saiou, he knew what the situation was. They were friends or rivals or he was somewhat neutral about them. But Edo…Edo was different.
Edo was someone that he'd admired and despised, someone that he'd worked for once, that he'd beaten once and been beaten by as well. They had met again in the Pro Leagues, and Edo had stomped him into the ground. They hadn't met there since, but Manjoume was looking forward to it, and to dishing out another beating when they did.
Edo was someone that had hovered somewhat in the back of his mind, never where he could quite see it, never consciously, ever since his second year at Duel Academia. Edo had slipped into the nooks and crannies of his mind, and had never left.
"Would you go on a date with me?"
Manjoume sighed and rubbed at his face a little. Now he was starting to hallucinate. He'd thought there had been some kind of an air flow in here, but obviously he'd been wrong.
"Manjoume." Edo grabbed him by the shoulder and pulled him around to look at him. "I'm talking to you. Would you go out with me, if that were the price for getting out of here?" "If you can get us out of here, then I'll go out with you!" Manjoume declared. He'd obviously passed out and was on the floor of the closet. With his luck, he'd probably landed right on top of Edo. He could only hope that he wasn't saying something he'd have to lie about later.
Edo moved him to one side, and it was amazing how real that the hallucination felt. Then the shorter duelist braced his arms against the back wall of the closet, lifted his feet, and slammed them against the door once, twice, and on the third time, the door flew open.
Manjoume blinked a few times himself, as clear air rushed in, and the entire situation did not change. He was still on his feet. Edo had just kicked the door down. Had he…not been hallucinating?
"Edo…" Something else occurred to him then. "Why didn't you do that as soon as the door shut?"
"Because you hadn't agreed to go out with me." Edo told him, picking up the suitcase and stepping out of the door. "I'll call you later to set up the time and place."
Manjoume shook his head slowly. "You mean, I really did agree to go out with you?"
"Yes." It wasn't Edo who said that, though. Fubuki was a short distance away, with Fujiwara beside him, and the three Ojama brothers there as well. "Congratulations!"
Manjoume sighed and put his head in his hands. "This was your idea, shishou?"
"Actually, no." Now Edo replied. "It was mine. Fubuki suggested skywriting." There was the faintest hint of a smile on his lips now. "That was going to be my second plan if you said no this time."
"How were we going to get out, then?" Manjoume's brain was working at half-speed, at best. Especially when Edo opened up the suitcase and withdrew a cell phone. "Oh."
Fubuki patted him on the shoulder. "It won't be that bad, trust me. Give him a chance." His eyes twinkled mischievously. "Or should I arrange a love duel?"
Memories surged through his mind of a time on the beach, and being dragged through the woods. "No. no, that wont' be necessary." What could it hurt, anyway? Edo wasn't that bad.
Besides…he did know how to get Manjoume's attention. Even if it meant coming out of the closet.
The End