Series: King's Knights||Title: Knight One
Characters: Juudai, Yuusuke||Pair: N/A
Words: 2,046/2,046||Chapters: 1/1
Genre: Friendship||Rated: G
Challenges: Diversity Writing Challenge: GX canon: E51, character achieves a target; GX Non-Flash Bingo #103, Fujiwara Yuusuke; Include The Word Boot Camp, #11, clumsy
Notes: post-canon, five years or so.
Summary: Juudai has a question for Yuusuke. From serving one Darkness to another...

"What?" Yuusuke wasn't entirely certain that he'd heard Juudai's question correctly. Of all the questions that he could have heard, why that one in particular?

Juudai nibbled on the bread he'd picked up from the draw bread options. Even after being graduated for five years, he enjoyed that, it seemed.

"I asked, would you be my Knight? One of them anyway. I need three total."

Yuusuke shook his head, though he wasn't really saying no. He just didn't understand what he'd heard. "What do you need knights for?" He could get to the other question after that: why him in particular.

"Because I can't go everywhere and do everything," Juudai pointed out. "I talked to Yubel about this and Yubel agrees that I need some help." He grinned, a sudden sharp spark in his eyes. "Actually I think Yubel wants to be sure that I don't wear myself out. And that I have time for them, too."

Yuusuke hadn't ever been formally introduced to Yubel. He'd heard about them, of course. No one who associated with Juudai on any sort of regular basis could avoid knowing about Yubel. But now he wondered what it was Yubel and Juudai did, and decided that he wasn't that interested in finding out.

"Some help doing what?" He also knew something about what Juudai did. He helped people. He frequently traveled to the other dimensions and helped them there as well. Darkness could, after all, go anywhere and everywhere.

Juudai fiddled with the bread, worrying off a little piece of it. "Doing things. Helping. There are lots of people who need help, you know." He lifted his gaze to meet Yuusuke's, and for the first time, Yuusuke could feel exactly how old Juudai's soul was.

Old. Ancient. Beyond counting.

"My Knights would get some abilities from me. Like being able to travel. And for the ones who can't already, they'd be able to speak with Duel Spirits." A grin flashed now, one that banished the extreme age and weariness from his face. "Fubuki-san's going to love that, if he says yes. I bet Kaiser will, too."

Yuusuke perked up. "You're going to ask them?" The idea of being associated with his two oldest friends again sent happy thrills all through him. They'd spoken frequently since his return, but sometimes the mundane matters of life interfered, preventing them from talking for days at a time.

This might change that. Maybe.

"Yup. See, I sort of have to ask people who have a connection to some kind of darkness. Cause that way, my power can infuse them. Not everyone can do it."

Yuusuke frowned. That sort of made sense. But another thought crossed his mind. "What about Johan-san? Couldn't he be your Knight?"

"Nope. I said not everyone can." Juudai set the little piece of bread he'd worked away onto the ground and Pharaoh started to sniff it. "Johan's going to be picking his own Knights anyway."

Yuusuke's fingers twitched for a heartbeat. "He is?" As surprised as he was, the idea of Johan being like Juudai in some fashion...well, didn't surprise him at all. If he strained himself, he could remember the feel of Johan's mind, back during their duel. There had been such a sense of light.

Well. Light. There was a difference. A very big one.

Juudai nodded. "I have a feeling I know who he's going to ask." A quick shrug followed. "But I'm asking you now."

Yuusuke watched as Pharaoh ate the bread. Was bread even good for cats? He trusted Juudai wouldn't do anything to hurt him, at least not on purpose.

So do I trust Juudai enough for this?

He breathed in. "What do you mean by helping?"

"Do what I do. At least where you can. Find people who can see spirits and help them figure out what it means for them. Find people who can't and help them bond to their spirits even without that. Help spirits who are new get cards." Juudai leaned back against the tree they sat underneath. "There are some new ones coming out. President Pegasus is developing a new summoning method." He grinned. "I'm not sure if he's doing it because of the new spirits or if they're coming out because of the new method, honestly."

Yuusuke tilted his head. "New method?"

Juudai didn't look at him. There did seem to be a faint hint of worry in his expression, though. "It's being called Synchro. I-I need to keep an eye on it. So I also need some help so I can."

In the five years he'd known Juudai, Yuusuke hadn't ever heard him sound even the faintest worried until now. What did he know that no one else did?

Probably more than I can imagine. As he'd just had a reminder of, Juudai wasn't entirely human, and that had nothing to do with Yubel being a part of him. He'd never been entirely human. He just hadn't always known it.

But he was still human enough to need help. Human enough to care. Human enough to ask for help.

"How long is this for?" Another question held itself behind his lips. He didn't think that he could have been picked just because of the mistakes he'd made when he was a teenager. At least he hoped not.

Juudai smiled. Like before, Yuusuke could feel how old he was with that smile. "The rest of your life. Probably the rest of all your lives." He kept on playing with the bread in his fingers. "There's a lot I can't describe. Not with words. But you'd understand it if you were my Knight. Because I'd be able to show you. Once you're all picked, anyway."

Yuusuke started to say something, to ask once again why him, when Juudai's eyes met his, and instead of the mismatched gleam of Yubel's, this time Yuusuke saw shimmering gold.

"I'll tell you if there's anything in particular that I need you to do. But most of the time you three would just wander around – like I do. It's not going to be easy. Living like me isn't easy for me. But it's the best way that I know to do what I have to do." A laugh that didn't match his eyes, or even come close to it. "And I hate the thought of being tied down, anyway. I've got all this power and I have to do something with it. I've believed that since I was seventeen. But there's too much."

Yuusuke swallowed. He'd heard about Juudai's stint in Dark World. Fubuki and Ryou made sure that he knew. But never had he seen eyes like that before, or felt the taste of power like he did.

There really was only one answer that he could give. He could feel the faint whisper of Honest's presence in the back of his mind, agreeing. Honest had never liked the concept of Darkness, but this was a different kind. This was something – and someone – meant to help and heal, who was asking for their help.

"All right. I'll do it." The more he thought on it, the more he knew this was the right thing to do. He'd done something sort of like it before, finding people who could see spirits and trying to help them. This would be a lot the same. At least he hoped.

Juudai nodded. Then he reached out a hand and Yuusuke took it automatically.

The moment that he did, he had time only to be aware of Juudai's skin touching his, the full weight of the hand in his, and then darkness flowed through him.

He'd had something like this happen once before. As then, he'd accepted it freely and willingly, but there were so many differences now. Now he did this to help others, instead of trying to flee from his own fears. Now the darkness that crashed into him wasn't the way of sealing him off from others and removing him from their memories, but the way of filling him up from the inside out, finding all the little cracks and chips and nicks inside of himself and letting him know that he was accepted in a way that he'd never thought that he would be.

Accepted by the primal darkness, that knew everything about him and gave him more, that opened his eyes and his heart and his mind even more so than had happened five years earlier.

When Yuusuke could see again, he found he stared up at the stars. What were they doing there? It had been mid-morning when Juudai walked up to his apartment door and asked if he wanted to have a talk. But there were the stars, glittering bright at him.

Juudai leaned over him. "Awake?"

He could hear a difference in Juudai's voice this time. Most of it was the same. What was different was something that whispered underneath it, the soft call of the shadows. He breathed in and tried to push himself up. So seemed to be succeeding.

"I think so." Everything seemed to act as it would when he was awake. Though wasn't there more… something? He didn't think that it was light. But he could see, nevertheless.

He rubbed at his eyes, trying to understand. Juudai chuckled at him.

"That's one of the perks of being my Knight. You can see in the dark, like I do." Juudai patted him on the arm. "You'll be all right. It's just going to take some time to adjust. Don't worry, I'll be here. Once you're ready, we can go talk to Fubuki and the Kaiser." He tilted his head thoughtfully. "I guess he's still Hell Kaiser. I should ask him that."

Yuusuke nodded, though it was more because he wasn't sure of what else to do than in total agreement. He took a long look around. They were still where they'd been, the little copse of trees behind his apartment building. He even recognized one of his neighbors walking by. But said neighbor didn't even look towards them.

Juudai leaned over. "They don't see us. No one's going to see us until I want them to. I figured you could use the time to rest."

"Oh." Yuusuke murmured, trying to piece his brain together. Everything seemed the same and different and he had no idea of what he needed to do next.

"Rest, that's all." Juudai said. Yuusuke glanced at him; was Juudai reading his mind? "Sort of. We're connected now. The same thing's going to happen to Fubuki and Hell Kaiser. Yubel says that there are ways to put up shields, though. We're going to work on that later."

Yuusuke nodded again. His head spun in clumsy circles, though he didn't think he was dizzy in the way that he thought would lead to pitching face forward onto the grass. He closed his eyes and breathed in. Doing that seemed to steady him.

Juudai brushed his hand against Yuusuke's. "Let me know when you're ready to go. The sooner we get this done, the better."

"It is?" He could now feel something coming from Juudai, a worry that he hadn't felt before. It wasn't his; it was clearly Juudai's. And he wanted to know why.

"There's things we have to do before you guys go out on your own. I want people to know that you're my Knights." Juudai's smile said volumes. "And that's going to be fun."

Yuusuke wondered what Juudai's idea of fun was. He thought it wouldn't be all that long until he found out.

"It won't be. I think you're going to like it." Juudai's smile sliced harsh and sharp. "I know some people who won't though."

"Who?" Yuusuke tugged the word out. His tongue wasn't quite working with him, but he made it speak regardless.

"You'll see. First we talk to Fubuki and Hell Kaiser. Well, first you have a drink." Juudai held out a thermos. "You've been out for a while."

Yuusuke stared at it, uncomprehending, before he reached for it. Part of what his problem was, he suspected, was that his throat was dry. This would fix that. Then they could get started on what came next.

And whatever that was, he could hardly wait to get to it.

The End

Notes: I have had this idea for ages. Can you guess who Johan's Knights will be?