Long time no see. This is mainly because I want to finish the newest chapter of Simply Spelled, but I'm horrible at writing duels and such. Progress is being made, however.

Anyway, this one-shot drabble. Where did this come from? I was looking for good Asuka fics that didn't have her in a romantic relationship with someone. That fruitless search produced this. And if you find any good Asuka-centric fics, PM me with the title/link.

Disclaimer: Do I even need to write this?

Brash and Bold

Asuka wanted to scream until her lungs gave out, and any effort to breath was monumental. Why? Because of all the gods-damned rumor spreading people.

She had male friends. It was only natural, seeing as she grew up with an older brother and they were friends. Kaiser was only a friend of her brothers; she has hung out with her brother and his friends before. Manjoume may have a crush on her, but Manjoume is respectful of her wishes to remain friends. Judai wasn't even a romantic option; he couldn't see romance unless it hit him in the face with a hammer. Besides, he had enough girls following him, invisible or screaming loudly.

Junko and Momo thought otherwise. They would bug her about guys, who she liked, and who she didn't. Every duel she had was analyzed, every move and action, just to see who she had a crush on. People didn't seem to get it.

Even though she made it plain a million times she wasn't interesting in romance quite yet, people bugged her about it. A sizable portion of the school population thought she was lesbian for Rei or a duel spirit Judai talked about.

When everyone wasn't talking about her love life, they talked about her friends. Who she was friends with, what she did with them, and more. That was only half the problem.

What sometimes seemed worse than what the school was talking about was what the school wasn't. Any discussion about Asuka was about her social life. None of it was about her dueling abilities.

Asuka wanted to be a strong, female duelist that would encourage many potential duelists to come out of the woodwork. Girls who thought dueling was a 'guy thing' would be proven wrong, and maybe want to duel. Dueling may be a male-dominated field, but Asuka wanted to show that girls could duel equally as well. However, everyone's talk reduced her image to that of a socialite who had a rough exterior but was extremely sensitive and was waiting for her prince charming. No thanks, the prince charming would wait for her. After all, Asuka was a modern career woman. No psycho obsession over guys, no rumors, and certainly no Hollywoodesque talk about her. That is all she wanted.

Her friends were her friends because they could see that. Manjoume knew never to say, 'I will defend you'. Never once did he imply she was weaker than him. Sho realized how composed and strong she was after the affair with the false love letter. Asuka was kind and understanding in the way a benevolent Queen was, not the way of a mushy girl who never tries to improve her life or wait for a good windfall. Kaiser knew that, especially since he knew the determination and the soft side of her for her brother. Fubuki better realize that, seeing as he raised her and how much she hated him matchmaking her. Judai thought of her as 'a great duelist and a great friend'. Rei knew that when Asuka threw a dirty look at Rei's flirting, it was because Asuka wanted Rei to be serious about dueling and not use it as a way to get guys. After all, Rei was a pretty good duelist and she could have beaten Manjoume. Asuaka was probably the only girl to actually defeat Manjoume. Of all the things to be worried about, romance wasn't one. Romance could wait until one was done dueling, or had climbed that ladder high enough to be able to make time for it.

She sighed, and took her horrible boots off. They looked cute, but were as practical as bed slippers outside. They were not meant for running, or any practical exercise. It was out of sheer practice that Asuka had managed to run as fast as the guys with high, tiny heels and stiff, knee length boots wrecking havoc on her calves and ankles.

Johan, as the rumor/theory went, was Judai's clone or long-lost relative, and his reaction to Asuka had been that of Judai's. Jim understood, and had a nickname for her out of friendly affection. Asuka could hear Momoe and Junko's twittering and chattering at the fact Jim called her 'Tomorrow Girl'.

That didn't mean she was stone-hearted and never dreamed of a guy. It just wasn't her priority or life.

Asuka picked up her photo album of the past two years. She opened it up to one of the beginning pages. "Oh Judai. So long as nobody tells you the real meaning, or tell you to look it up in the dictionary, you're my fiance and nobody knows, and you don't know what that means" she whispered into the air. A smile graced her face. Technically, she could say that she was engaged and therefore unable to date anyone. That might stop Manjoume from mooning over her a bit more. After all, his guilt over what happened while he was in the Hikari no Kessha faded into his overzealous attempts to make it up to her and prove his love. Asuka shook her head.

Fubuki walked away from the door to his sister's room slowly, a little shocked. So his little sister was more interested in guys then he thought. He had to set Judai and Asuka up on a date. She wouldn't be able to refuse. And maybe he could say that as Judai's future brother-in-law, he had power over some things. Like choosing the tuxedos. And when they would get married on a Hawaiian beach. What were brothers for, if not micromanaging their sisters' lives?