This is a story that has been amusing me for almost a year. It was first mentioned in To Cope and then twice more in So Far, So Good, so I decided that, instead of writing about this particular story, I would actually write the story itself. The story takes place about a year before Yubel got her dragon form.
Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh GX
Dedication: For Higuchimon, who wanted past-life fic.
Forbidden Fruit
"Yubel! Hey, Yubel!"
Yubel sat up and blinked several times, then looked at the window and finally at Juudai, who was standing expectantly at the side of her bed. He looked much too cheerful for the time of night.
"Juudai, it's dark outside. Your father will be furious when he finds out you're here."
Juudai laughed sunnily and flopped down on top of her bed, looking at her with big eyes. "No, he won't. Now come on, get up!"
"For what?" Yubel asked tiredly, lying down again and trying to kick him off the bed. He didn't move. "I'm tired. Can't it wait until tomorrow?"
"No, it can't, they'll all be gone by tomorrow!" Now Juudai really did get up, but in the process he grabbed her arm and dragged her half out of the bed, resulting in her hanging upside down with her head almost against the floor. Juudai bent down so his face was almost touching hers. "You coming?"
"Alright, you win. Now help me up."
Juudai laughed in delight and pulled her up. Yubel considered her nightshirt, then looked at Juudai, who was fully dressed except for his cloak. Not that he wore it often in the first place. The king made him wear it every morning, and the moment he had his back turned, Juudai would toss the cloak in the nearest empty room, only to pick it up again before dinner. Juudai was sure his father didn't know, and Yubel was just as sure that he did.
"Are you going to let me change?"
"Of course!" Juudai frowned. "Why would you go outside like that?" He picked up her tunic and shorts from her drawer and tossed them at her. She caught them and put them on quickly, briefly pausing to smooth out the wrinkles and take her shoes from under the bed.
"Ready now?" Juudai asked. Yubel nodded and followed him out, closing the door carefully behind her and locking it. It wouldn't be the first time someone tried to break into her room; being the prince's best friend did have its disadvantages.
By the time she'd locked the door, Juudai was already halfway through the corridor, moving quickly but quietly. Yubel hurried after him, stumbling a bit in the dark. She followed Juudai outside and onto the courtyard. A few soldiers were standing guard at the entrance gate, but they slipped past them easily.
"Over here," Juudai whispered, leading her to the wall around the castle orchard. Yubel threw him a questioning look, but he just shook his head and tried to open the gate, frowning when he found it locked. He considered the wall for a moment. It wasn't a high wall, and a few of the tree branches were sticking out on the other side. He tested the branch of an apple tree, pulled himself up and turned his head to look at Yubel.
"Give me a hand?"
Yubel sighed and walked over leisurely, letting him hang just a bit longer than strictly necessary, before putting both of her hands under his foot so he could use the foothold to climb onto the wall. Once there, he reached out one hand, which she ignored. Instead, she quickly pulled herself up on the same branch and climbed onto the wall.
"Yeah, you're a better climber than me, I know." Juudai pouted. "You don't need to rub it in."
"I'm not," she lied. "Now what did you want to show me?"
Juudai immediately cheered up again and jumped down from the wall into the orchard. It was nearly harvest time and most of the trees were laden with fruit. Yubel resisted the urge to pick an apple. She'd get to eat them soon enough anyway, and Juudai really wasn't giving her any chance to get one. He had grabbed her arm and was enthusiastically pulling her along, past the apple trees and in-between the cherry trees which had already lost most of their fruit. Juudai only stopped again when they arrived at the orange trees.
"You like oranges, don't you?" he said, letting go of her arm and grabbing her hand instead.
She did. Looking at the trees, laden with oranges, was almost enough to make her want to grab a few. But they'd be harvested soon enough and then she would get to eat them whenever she wanted.
"Papa said that they were going to start harvesting tomorrow," Juudai said, leading her to the biggest orange tree in the garden, a huge tree that was older than both of them combined. "But you know, they always keep the best oranges for themselves, so I thought we'd get some first!"
"Juudai, we can't climb in, it's too dangerous!" Yubel insisted, but Juudai had already let go of her hand and grabbed a low-hanging branch. He pulled himself up and climbed higher into the tree, inspecting the oranges as he went.
"Come on, Juudai," she tried again, asking herself whether she should climb after him. "You don't even like oranges!"
"You like oranges," Juudai insisted, clearly not seeing her point. "Here, catch."
She caught the first orange he threw down, then the second and the third. He had good taste; the oranges he'd chosen looked flawless. She almost wanted to eat them there and then.
"Anyone there?"
Uh-oh. Yubel threw a frantic look over her shoulder. They had been heard and the palace guards were coming to check out the source of the commotion.
"Juudai, get back down!" she hissed. Juudai looked down at her and shook his head quickly.
"Just one more. Look, that one!" he pointed at one of the highest branches of the tree, but the orange he wanted to pick was one Yubel couldn't see. She only saw that he was bending over further and further to reach it.
"Be careful!" she didn't bother to keep her voice down. The guards had heard them anyway and she just wanted to get Juudai out of the tree as quickly as possible. "You're going to-"
She never got to finish her sentence. Juudai bent over even further, made a frantic grab for the orange and lost his balance, falling down twenty feet just as the guards came from behind the cherry trees. Yubel dropped the oranges and lunged for him. She managed to grab his arm before he hit the ground, but it only had the effect of making her fall over as well, with him half on top of her. She gasped for breath as the guards realized who was in the garden and hurriedly ran closer.
"Your Highness! Are you alright?" one of the first guards asked, helping Juudai off Yubel. Yubel recognized him as one of the guards at the gate, a kind man who often let them through even when they weren't allowed out.
Juudai slowly got up, but cried out when he tried to rest his weight on his right foot. Yubel scrambled upright and grabbed his arm to help him. One of the other guards took his other arm, and together they managed to get him back to the palace. Someone had already woken up the king, because he was in Juudai's room when they got back, looking none too happy. Juudai stiffened a bit, but the king only gestured for the doctor, a young man who had clearly just been woken up. He hurried to help Juudai onto the bed and get a closer look at his foot.
"It's just sprained," he announced after a few minutes, and Yubel sagged in relief. "But His Highness should walk as little as possible until he's recovered."
The king nodded, and Yubel saw the same relief she felt in his eyes. "Juudai, what were you thinking? Why did you go out in the middle of the night?"
"You said there were oranges," Juudai said cheerfully, though his foot clearly hurt him. "And Yubel likes oranges."
Yubel suddenly felt the eyes of everyone in the room on her. She shrunk back a bit, wishing dearly that Juudai hadn't mentioned her.
"It was my idea," Juudai said, quickly coming to her defense when he noticed the reproving looks. "She didn't want to, it's not her fault. And at least I got the oranges, right, Yubel?"
"Ah," Yubel quickly looked for the oranges he'd tossed her, only to notice that she'd lost them along the way. "I'm sorry, I dropped them…"
Juudai frowned, and Yubel felt worse than ever. He'd gone through all that trouble to get her her favorite fruit and she had lost it. But only after a few seconds, Juudai's frown changed into a smile again.
"That's okay," he said, getting up as far as his foot allowed him and searching through his tunic. "Here!"
He triumphantly got out another orange and tossed it at her. Yubel almost dropped it in surprise. "You actually got it?"
"I did! Told you I'd get it," he said, smiling widely at her. "Now you have to eat that!"
"Yubel, a word please?" the king asked before she could reply. He ignored Juudai's protests and left the room, with Yubel following him reluctantly.
"Your Majesty, I'm sorry," she began once the king had closed the door to Juudai's room behind him, but he waved her apologies away.
"You weren't to blame, Yubel. I know my son. You tried your best to stop him." The king looked a bit thoughtful. "I wonder if I should get him a guardian."
"With all due respect, your Majesty," Yubel said slowly. "But I think Juudai would try to run away from any guardian you appointed to him."
The king eyed her speculatively. Yubel pretended not to notice. "Yes, I believe you're quite right. You are the only person he stays close to. I wonder…" He shook his head. "No, never mind. Go on, go back. He's probably missing you already."
"Thank you, your Majesty." Yubel curtsied briefly and entered the room again. Several guards left the room when she went in, leaving her only with Juudai, the doctor, and the head of the royal guard. She toyed a bit with the orange in her hand.
"You have to eat it," Juudai said when he saw her. "I risked my life for that. I could've been dead!"
"You don't look very dead to me," Yubel replied, but she pealed the orange like he'd asked and ate the first slice. It was absolutely delicious, as she'd expected.
"Can I have a part?" Juudai asked, gesturing for her to come closer. She did so, sitting down on the edge of the bed. "It looks tasty."
"You don't like oranges," Yubel said, but held out a part for him anyway. He didn't take it.
"You make it look tasty." He grinned. "And you have to feed me. I can't do it myself, I'm hurt!"
She snorted. "Last time I checked, you didn't eat with your feet."
He only gave her a look. She sighed and fed him the piece, briefly hearing the doctor snicker behind her. Juudai ate the piece slowly, and smiled at her when he finished it.
"It's good. I can see why you like it."
"As long as you don't go climbing in any more trees to get them," Yubel admonished, but she smiled back. The doctor coughed softly behind them.
"His Highness should rest now," he announced. Yubel got up reluctantly and looked back at Juudai. He waved her away.
"Go on, go to bed! I'll be fine. Besides, I woke you up anyway. You need to sleep too."
She shook her head and headed for the door, then turned around. "Just take care of yourself. And Juudai?"
"Yeah?"
"Thanks for the orange."
END
Concrit, questions and comments very much appreciated!