Disclaimer: I own nothing involved in this story unless I invented it myself. This is written for fun, not for profit. All forms of feedback eagerly accepted. Concrit is loved the most, but everything is welcome.
Fandom: Yu-Gi-Oh GX
Title: Coming Soon
Characters: Saiou, Edo, Light of Ruin
Word Count: 2,162||Status: One-shot
Genre: Drama/Angst||Rated: PG-13
Challenge: Written for the 2014 Advent Calendar Challenge, day #2; Written for the Diversity Writing Challenge, section D, #17, write a fic using the alliteration device.
Summary: [one-shot, Saiou, Edo, Light of Ruin; 2014 Advent Calendar Challenge; Diversity Writing Challenge] As the new school year at Duel Academia approaches, Saiou considers how it will end.
The time had almost arrived. Only a few days remained until Duel Academia's new year, and the path before them would truly open up.
The path that would not stop until the end of the school year and the victory that he'd longed for.
Saiou could not see just how it would end, but he knew that it would. That somewhere in the misty future that was barred even to his sight at this distance, what he'd dreaded for most of his life would no longer hang over his head.
Perhaps it would no longer do so because the world would've come to an ending in brilliant white light. Perhaps it would be because somehow, something had turned aside the fate that he saw.
Would it be Edo? It had to be Edo; he'd never met anyone else who could even come close to changing the whims of fate, and why else would his visions have led him to the Hierophant if not for this ultimate success?
While Saiou knew a great deal about the future, he knew well that he did not know everything. He was quite aware that this Yuuki Juudai would be important, but the exact nature of why currently eluded him. He wished to know more; he would need to know more.
He will be useful.
A soft whisper, nothing more, but he knew well what it was. The power that flowed through his veins alongside of his blood, shimmering with glee whenever fate turned out just as Saiou saw it: the Light of Ruin. For over a year now it had dwelled within him, ever since that day...
His thoughts turned aside, expertly twitched. "How?" Sometimes the Light told him things that he did not know himself. It did not tell him everything. He did not know if this was because it didn't know everything or because it didn't want to tell him.
You know what you need to know. Was that a twinge of amusement? He knew well that powers such as this did have a sense of humor. All of this time with it and he had learned that very well. And yet he couldn't always be certain of what would cause it such joy.
Still, that hadn't been an answer to his question. "What purpose does Yuuki Juudai serve?" He would influence Edo in some manner; the cards had made that clear. But they did not tell him everything he wanted to know, or felt he needed to know.
The Society must spread. That was true. Saiou had spoken of this to few others. Edo did not know of it, though Mizuchi did. While she wasn't Light-touched as he was, she would still work with him. Sometimes he wondered if she knew about what had happened to him. He would not ask and she would not tell.
But the Society: his pride and joy, those people who knew full well what he was capable of and unlike so many others, didn't turn away from him. Instead, they embraced his power and his gifts, and praised him to the highest heavens.
Saiou wanted that. He wanted it as most people desired the air in their lungs or the food on their plates. He wanted to be able to walk down a street and use his powers without being stared at, without pointing fingers and hidden whispers that he could hear as clearly as if they were speaking directly to him. He wanted what he could do to be considered normal.
And with the Society of Light, he would have that. The Light kept its word, always. What reason did it have to deny him, when by granting his wishes, he would give it what it wanted in return?
Yet there was still that tugging little thought at the base of his mind, the wonder and the worry that perhaps there was something off about all of this, that there was something he'd overlooked.
Nonsense. He'd considered every outcome, and there were none that he wouldn't be pleased with.
Even the one where the Light's wrath was was unleashed upon the world, bring it to a fiery, flaming, furious, fantastic finale. For if the world could only find fault with those who were born different, then why should such a foul place continue to exist at all?
That's right. That's what they deserve for not recognizing you as the wonder that you are.
Saiou didn't always listen to the Light's praise of him, but it soothed a part of him that seldom slept: the part that remembered every moment where someone had ignored him or hurt him because of his abilities. Sometimes he wished he'd lashed out more often. If people knew that a single thought from him could bring them to end their days convinced they were a tuna fish, then perhaps he and Mizuchi would be treated with more respect.
Or fear. He would accept fear from most, if he at least had the friendship of some.
He had Edo. Somewhat. He'd only gone to the young American because of the visions he'd seen. It wasn't based on actually wanting to know him, but on knowing what Edo could grow up to do for him. He'd never told Edo that.
He would not want to know. It would ruin what you have. Yes, he knew that quite well. He would never tell Edo, either. Edo was the only person who came even close to genuinely knowing and trusting him. How could he break that?
Saiou seldom chose to lie to himself. But he liked to think now and then that if Edo knew, he wouldn't care. That he would say that he liked Saiou regardless of what their purposes in meeting had been.
He knew it would never happen. He didn't think of that very often.
"Saiou." And speaking of the devil – or in this case, of the one who would destroy the devil - there stood Edo in the doorway, elegant as always in his perfect white suit and the crystal blue eyes of an angel. "Are you busy?"
"Never when you need me. What is it?"
Edo didn't move from the door just yet. "The lead didn't go anywhere." There were few who would've noticed the sadness in his voice at that. Saiou was one of them. Having yet another potential guide to the killer of his father fade away did nothing to please Edo.
And seeing how sad Edo was, he did what he could to cheer his friend up. "You've heard of what happened at Duel Academia at the end of their last year?" He didn't need to ask; Edo kept up with all the important dueling news, and sometimes that which was not so important. Anything that could be a key to his search was worth looking into, so far as he cared.
Edo nodded, coming over to take a seat across from Saiou. He didn't ask why Saiou brought this up. He knew Saiou better than that. "Marufuji Ryou, the Kaiser, tied in a duel with a first year Red student."
By all rights, something like that should never have happened. Everyone who knew anything about Duel Academia knew that those in Osiris Red were the least of the least, the worst of the worst, the ones who had made it in by sheer luck alone. Once a while one might get promoted to Ra Yellow, but those in Red were, by and large, meant for only the dregs of dueling society.
Until Yuuki Juudai came along and changed everything. Saiou wanted that kind of power; it burned in his mind like a brand, though he still didn't understand it to any degree. But the more he considered it, the more he realized that it was in many ways akin to Edo's own abilities. He had to know if Juudai were one of those who could change destiny as well.
And if he were not, Saiou knew exactly what use he would put Yuuki Juudai to. As the Light had said mere moments earlier, the Society needed to spread. With someone who held Juudai's charisma kneeling at his feet, it could only do just that.
He would have to see Juudai's abilities for himself, though. Which meant that someone had to duel him. He and Edo had considered this already, and Saiou knew it would happen. Edo still wasn't entirely certain about it. It was hard to get him enthused about anything that didn't bear directly on either his career or his quest.
"Yes. I feel that dueling Juudai will be good for you, Edo. He can help you to grow as a duelist." If that didn't catch Edo's attention, there wasn't much else that might, aside from indicating that Juudai might have information. Which Saiou knew well that he didn't, but given Edo's limited sphere of interests, there wasn't much else that would fan his warrior's spark into action.
Edo frowned a trifle, tracing a vague design on the glass-covered table between them. "He probably is a little decent. The Kaiser's not an easy opponent." He'd followed the trail of the premier student of Duel Academia for some months now, as it grew more obvious that once in the Pro Leagues, they would more than likely face one another.
Saiou's only reply was to nod solemnly. Edo would work it through the rest of the way for himself, and not only leave behind his annoyance at having yet again failed to accomplish anything on his personal quest, but would take a step forward to becoming a much better duelist.
He would need to be better than he was, no matter what the future ended up being for either of them. Saiou could not help but hope that in the event of the Light washing over everything that Edo's end would be swift and painless. The rest of humanity could writhe in burning fire for all that he cared, but not Edo.
I will make it so. Saiou still couldn't bring himself to be entirely grateful to the Light for that. He wanted the world to respect him, not to be afraid of him, and to be punished if they couldn't. He hadn't yet completely hardened himself to the thought of the world ending if they didn't. You need not worry yourself about it.
Saiou didn't even try to cling to the thoughts as they slipped away. He had so much that he needed to do. Edo's career in the Pro Leagues needed to be handled with his usual care. Aside from the Kaiser, there were several others whom he would need to duel for the expansion of his skills. Not to mention that soon it would be time for a holiday family dinner with Mizuchi and DD. That wouldn't be for another couple of months, but when it came to planning ahead, there were few better at it than Saiou.
Edo soon made his farewell, focused now on arranging matters so that he would be able to duel Juudai at Duel Academia at the proper time. Saiou hadn't yet seen fit to inform him of who would win that duel. Edo would learn a great deal from it. One could learn a great deal from defeat.
Edo would be unlikely to believe him just yet, however. Saiou would not be a good friend, or a good manager, if he didn't let Edo learn things properly.
He rose and took a few long strides to the window, staring outwart at the busy city streets. There would be no customers in search of his future seeing gifts for the rest of the day. He didn't need to continue this deception that much longer, anyway. He'd already set the sign out front indicating that they would soon close.
A faint hint of a smile curved his lips upward at a flicker of a memory. Not long after he'd done that, a passing teenager called out to him, asking why he 'hadn't known' they were going out of business.
Or to be more precise, he'd wanted to ask that. Saiou read the question clearly from his thoughts, turned to the teen before he could speak the words, and replied in the only way that he could.
"I did. That's why I set the sign up already. We won't be closing for another month."
The teen's mouth had closed with an audible snap and he'd hurried himself along as quickly as he could, cheeks flaming red and muttering about 'freaks'.
Saiou knew that he should likely have not done that. But some things, not even the most powerful psychic on the planet could resist.
He reassured himself that once the following year came to an end, that sort of indignity would never happen again. He'd seen it through in his mind, and he would see it through in reality.
He could hardly wait. One way or another, it would all be over.
The End