Please dare to spare me… just spare me… One-shot, yes, one-shot. I decided I shall write something before I kill my inner self for not updating anything! I have new stories in writing-in-progress mode, well they were all in progress but just you know… we're on summer now just a week before but also a week ago I just got placed as an officer of my course and all those tributes and moving to another house just well, got into me. :P
Disclaimer: Oh heavens, I don't need this, you don't need this. But for the sake of inner obliteration ...NOR. THE. CHARACTERS. . ..SHOW.
Warning: I have no idea… I haven't typed the story while I'm typing this. Can't give you spoilers UGH!
Oh by the way, pretend they are talking in Japanese language because if I tried and be more realistic and type this in Japanese language this story will never pass one correct sentence obviously.
This is the start. I just have to upload a story okay? Yes, there are going to be some updates in my almost forgotten stories and there will be new uploads. SPARE ME, SPARTA!
It is late afternoon on the park where Johan decided to play on. As part of the deal from his mother that he will be a good kid while they are in Japan, she let him spend his day on the children's park with lots of things to play to. Johan had a lot of good time and he want to spend some time more here but his mommy will pick him up soon. He knew he have to make his time here last, tomorrow he will be in some meeting with a someone he doesn't know the name but Johan knew it was because of Duel monsters and its okay as long as it is like that. He loves Duel monsters and someday he knows he'll have an awesome rare deck that is only his. He also imagine things like being friends with them or maybe talk to them like what he sees on T.V. where people talk to these amazing creatures. Duel monsters are amazing creatures so that means Johan will be able to talk to them soon. Johan tries to talk to his cards everyday even though they do not response. Someday some cards will soon, maybe the cards are just shy to him. He believes because T.V. never lies… even if his father tells him otherwise.
He prances to the swings and decided to play with the rainbow colored one he played for so long earlier. He is please it is unoccupied and take a seat on it, tip-toes and push himself up as he can. The park is being deserted by children one by one and it makes Johan sad. He didn't make a friend today just like the other days. They won't believe him that Duel Monsters are alive. They'll just laugh at him or tell him that they are simply cards and nothing else. Johan can't be friends to those kids even if they are actually nice. They are still bad because they ignore the life of the precious cards. Johan just ignore it and enjoys the swing, feeling the cool wind tickles him. It's really nice.
After a while Johan decided that he should wait for his mommy on the park's entrance so she will be please. He is always a good kid and having a deal with her mommy is just a bonus. He always gets new decorations for his card house.
He walks his way to the entrance and just as he was about to pass the seventh bench he counted, he heard the boy sitting on the bench talking. Normally Johan will ignore it if the boy is talking to somebody. The boy is alone. Johan starts feeling his nervousness erupting in his little tummy. There are options for Johan to that, his mommy always tell him to always get options whatever the situation is, and Johan knows this is a situation. A situation with options like, the boy is talking to a ghost Johan can obviously can't see or the boy is a ghost and is talking to himself about how he wanted to grab another boy to join him in heaven. His daddy said his wild imaginations always get him in trouble. He doesn't believe his daddy like how his daddy doesn't believe Duel Monsters are real.
All those options were erased though, when Johan sees a card in the boy's hand.
Johan's heart starts to feel warm. A hope in his little heart rise that maybe this boy can talk to Duel Monsters. The idea made Johan jump to his feet. He will have a proof to his daddy and to everyone else. And the proof is that boy in the bench. He wishes the boy will be nice.
He stands in front of the boy. Remembering fast enough to speak in Japanese language because they are in Japan and he's fluent in it. His teachers are awesome. "Hi. Are you talking to your card?" He smiles meekly to the boy, remembering again his daddy telling him that he doesn't know how to introduce himself properly. He feels embarrassment as he realize he haven't introduce himself and just asked a question that made bigger kids laughed at him when he said -
"Yes," Johan thinks his voice is changing but his mommy said it will go deeper and not higher. The thought scares him. He feels that's not a good thing. He didn't even talk he realizes. "Are you talking to me?" Johan looks up to see pretty brown eyes staring at him with wonder. The said boy tilts his head to the side as if examining Johan. It made Johan uneasy and made his feet shift to one step and another. "I've never seen you here before." The boy smiles and stands up. As of what the boy said, Johan concludes that this boy might be a ghost because that means he can always be here and knows that Johan is a new kid. And he has this aura around him that makes Johan feel weird all over. It's both funny and not funny, like someone will throw glue at his face if he steps closer to the boy, which is bad, because Johan hates glue, especially to his hair.
The boy raises a hand to him that Johan knew exactly what for, he always sees his daddy do this to those people he call co-workers when they are doing business. He wonders what his business with this boy is. "Welcome to the central park!" The boy smiles cheerfully at him that Johan is sure that his teacher is wrong about the sun being so bright. He accepts the hands and the not funny feeling came back stronger. And Johan feels another aura around him, but it is good, like if someone will throw glue at his hair, someone will wash it. "How did you know I'm talking to my cards?" The boy asked and Johan gives him a confuse look. The boy is obviously loud, everyone will hear him. And that made Johan put another percent in the accuracy that this boy is a ghost.
Johan never lose his smile, his mommy taught him so, and she said it always makes a person look good. "You were loud." He said simply and the boy laughs. "Your laugh is loud too."
The boy laughs louder and stops quickly. "Is that louder?" Johan giggles while nodding his head. The boy laughs along again with a softer laugh this time. "My name is Judai." Johan stops laughing and pays attention, maybe this boy will conclude it for Johan if he is a ghost or not. "I forgot to tell you my name when you hold my hand. It's soft." Judai's smile is still bright nonetheless and the not funny aura became stronger but it is nothing against the jittery feeling on Johan's stomach. He's happy his hands were soft. He liked the compliment.
But his attention is still on the card on Judai's hands and how he thinks that Judai is talking to it. He asks again, "Are you talking to your card?" Judai laughs again and Johan feel embarrass, maybe he had been wrong. He thought there will be someone like him who talks to cards but he's wrong. And this kid will be like those bad kids who will laugh at him for believing that Duel Monsters do have life. His eyes feel stingy.
"Maybe we can be friends!" Judai exclaims. Johan looks at him, confusion etch on his face. He still thinks Judai will make fun of him but not being by friends. Friends do not tease each other. Friends are nice to each other, so why Judai would think they can be friends if Judai laughed at his question?
Johan need to ask. "Why?" He asks with a sadder smile. His mommy will not be please if he let go of his smile. "You laughed at me."
"I did because you're funny!" Judai laughs again. Johan feels his heart sinking. He doesn't need to be laugh at. He hates it because it's mean. If Judai is laughing because he told him a joke that will be awesome because that means Johan is funny, which means Judai's right that he's funny. Now Johan's confuse. "You also forget things!" Johan let his smile falter and totally looks at Judai with full blown confuse look.
Johan shake his head slowly as if trying to process what Judai is saying. "I don't understand you." Judai lean in close to him making Johan see his teeth that has a tiny brown smidge on it. Judai smells like chocolate so it's probably chocolate. "You smell like chocolate." Johan remember his daddy telling him to stop abruptly telling people what he thinks of them. And feels embarrass again. But Judai seems happy with it.
"I love chocolates." Judai's smile grows wider. "And you're still funny."
"Can you tell me why?" Johan whined.
Judai giggles and lean back. "I already told you that I talk to my card." He flashes out the card in front of Johan. Johan suddenly feels a little headache in his head. "Her name is Yubel, my best friend." Judai said with obvious proud on his voice.
Johan involuntarily step back one time, as if someone is pushing him off – telling him to go away. He still needs to clear his confusion though. "You never told me you talk to your card." He said, contemplating if this Judai kid is making fun of him.
The said kid stares at him as if he is ridiculous, "I did." He giggles. "I told you, you also forget things!"
"I don't understand you." Johan hoped that it will make Judai elaborate more but he laughs again. Johan feels uneasy now; maybe talking to this kid is not a good idea in the first place. He wants to just politely say good bye and leave but the thought that this kid is just like the another few like him, Johan knows he has to stay. "Can you please stop laughing at me? It's not really funny at all."
"But you keep repeating things!" Judai exclaims. "First, you asked twice if I was talking to my card but I already said yes the first time you asked!" Johan raise a scrutinizing eyebrow more likely to himself to think back and oh, so that wasn't his voice, that was Judai's voice! "And then, you said 'I don't understand you' twice!" Judai giggles again. Johan wonders if this boy can never stop laughing and also, what's so funny about saying things twice? People do it every time. It's just like that one time when his daddy repeated his words to his mommy, his mommy never laughed. Come to think of it, actually, Johan has no idea what his parents are talking about. That's still is a good example though.
That little reminiscing makes Johan remember another advice from his mommy. 'Ask directly', and with further elaboration Johan understood that his mommy meant that if you want to ask something, ask it right away. "I have a few questions for you." For the umpteenth time of his young life, Johan forgot to make polite introductions. He felt relief as soon as Judai seems to not minding his impromptu sentences at all and just nods. "Are you a ghost?"
Judai's eyes grow wide like a deer caught in headlights. "Why would you think of that?" He snorts and as if Johan isn't expecting it, he laughs again. Johan feels his face heating up. There's nothing funny about anything at all and even though Judai's laughs are the kind of laugh that makes you feel fluttery inside, Johan doesn't want to be laugh at, that's it.
Johan says, loud and clear for Judai to hear throughout his laughs. "Just answer me. I have questions after that."
The laughing stops but the big grin is still there. "I am not a ghost." Judai bits his lips to prevent his quivering mouth to laugh again. "But I'm a ghost at sleepovers!"
"So that means you are not a ghost now right?" He still has to be sure though. His mommy said that he should always be sure.
Judai nods eagerly, "Of course, I only do that to try scaring my cards." Johan looks at him skeptically. "Maybe if I scare them they'll be convinced that I'm a ghost and then if they are convinced that I'm ghost, maybe they'll show themselves to me and be my friend." In every word that Judai had spoke, Johan noticed that his face got lonelier and lonelier. "I never had friends. Just one, but he was in the hospital after playing Duel Monsters with me."
Johan doesn't know why but he has this feeling that he has to make Judai smile, because seeing him sad makes his teacher correct that the sun is the brightest thing. "It's okay." Johan assured Judai and the said boy looks up at him with sad eyes. Johan put his hand on Judai's shoulder and the not funny feeling along with the comfortable feeling is contrasting again. Johan doesn't know what to feel. "I have no friends too. They always think I'm crazy because I believe that Duel Monsters are real." Suddenly, Judai's eyes lit up and his smile is shining again. Suddenly, the not funny feeling is fading away.
"Me too!" Judai exclaims. "Those mean kids think I'm crazy too because I believe Duel Monsters are real too." Johan's eyes lit up, the hope in his heart swelling back again. His mind screaming, finally!
"I thought I'm alone." Johan pulls his hands from Judai's shoulders to wipe the tears in his eyes, not caring if his mommy said before that wiping your tears gracelessly is inappropriate. He hears Judai giggling, this time it's not weird in Johan's ears, right now its nothing but contagious. Slowly, the bubbles in Johan's chest start popping and soon he's laughing along with Judai through his tears. The feeling of flying high on the swings is nothing compare to this. Johan feels he finally found what he's looking for. And he feels that he is assured that it is real when he heard Judai says the next.
"You were never alone."
Johan wonders for a while, staring at Judai while thinking that he can compare Judai to Casper the Friendly Ghost. The wrong side is Judai is not a ghost. Johan realize that Judai looks like he want to say something more and his mommy said it's not polite to not listen to people when they are talking.
Judai seems to notice Johan's stare and decided to repeat what he said earlier, trying not to giggle as he remember telling Johan that his repeating of words are funny. "You were never alone." His grin got bigger. "Duel Monsters were always there with you, even now!"
Judai and Johan spent the few minutes together talking about Duel Monsters, there experiences with people who do not understand them and Yugi Mouto before Johan's mommy had arrived and took Johan home, but not without a big hug, promises that they will meet again someday and eager wave with of what Johan was assured is real.
New Found Friend.