Legal Disclaimer: All of the characters and situations herein do not belong to me. I am making no profit whatsoever off of this. All characters will be returend unharmed to their proper position once the story is over.
Story Title: Justice
Focus: Edo Phoenix, maybe a touch of Edo x Saioh if you squint and have a healthy drink beforehand.
Notes: This takes place a few years after the end of Yu-Gi-Oh GX.

Being young, rich, famous, and good-looking had some serious drawbacks as far as Edo Phoenix was concerned, especially in the world of Duel Monsters. You had to win as much as you could, because if you went too long without one, your sponsers started to drop you, your fans slipped away, and your bank account started to look a little bit on the thin side. None of those situations were anything he couldn't handle. He'd already put more than enough in scattered bank accounts all over the world so he could have stopped dueling whenever he wanted and never have to work for a living unless he actually chose to. He could pick up new fans anywhere, and as for sponsers…well, if he chose not to duel, he wouldn't need them anymore.

But, really, it was the fans that were the largest part of his problem. Not a lack of them, because one thing he had never lacked was a fanbase. He'd had one ever since he'd won his first professional duel. It was the fans themselves that were giving him the most difficulty.

To be precise, it was one fan: Kai Aiko. She was pretty enough, with dark black hair and dark eyes, a little taller than what Marufuji Shou had been the last time he'd seen him, which wasn't too much taller than what Shou had been when he'd graduated, slender, and always dressed in the highest of fashion. She was a duelist as well, though not in the same ranks of the Pro Leagues that he was.

He wondered if that was one of the reasons she trailed after him sometimes, trying to pick up tips or hints or something like that. They hadn't dueled each other, and he doubted that they ever would. He dueled people like the Marufuji brothers or Johan Anderson. People who were actually a challenge to his talents. People that he could respect.

Not someone like her. Edo wasn't one to listen to rumors, but it had crossed his hearing once or twice that she'd offered to throw duels if her opponent wanted to spend a little time in private either beforehand or after. He didn't know if he wanted to believe them or not, but just with the rumors existing, he knew she wasn't someone he wanted to duel. Not because he didn't think he could win. He just didn't want to know for certain if the rumors were true.

She hadn't ever offered to duel him since he'd become aware that she followed him more than the average fan, and for that he really was grateful. He wasn't going to tell her that, but it was true regardless. If she ever did offer, he was already determined to turn her down.

That didn't mean she wasn't always there, however. She was. No matter where he had a duel, no matter what country, no matter the results, she was there, staring at him from the stands. Even if she had a duel of her own somewhere, she would either show up late or send him some kind of a token to let him know she would have been. It had passed creepy a very long time ago.

"Edo!" There she was. She'd only approached him for conversation a few times, but each one had been emblazoned in his memory. She had claimed to be in love with him. Frequently. Edo had perfected the art of staring at an invisible point just off of her left shoulder until it dawned on her that he wasn't going to say it back.

Unfortunately, while she would leave, she always came back. She was worse than a communicable rash.

"I'm a little busy right now." It wasn't entirely untrue. He'd made arrangements to spend the weekend with Saioh and Mizuchi at their mansion. Even after losing his psychic powers, Saioh still had banked enough himself to maintain the sort of comfortable lifestyle that they were used to. Though, personally, Edo wasn't all that certain if Saioh had really lost them or just refused to acknowledge they were there anymore after everything that had happened at Duel Academia. At any rate, he was going to be spending the weekend there and not with this…person.

"Oh, but Edo!" Aiko's voice was just a bit too high-pitched and shrill for him to listen to without wincing. "I have a secret to tell you! Something just for you!"

Edo wondered if this was going to be anything like her last secret, where she'd claimed to be Yuuki Juudai's long-lost twin sister. Frankly, if he had his choice between this girl and Juudai to date, he'd much prefer Juudai. At least there was a brain in there somewhere.

"What is it?" Maybe if she babbled this bit of brainless drivel out, he could get away and still not be late to getting to the Saiohs. He had everything packed and ready in the limosuine already. He'd thought about taking a slightly more exotic means of transportation, but neither of the siblings needed to be impressed by him.

Aiko's eyes darted back and forth, and he wondered why he hadn't ever noticed that she wore contact lenses. He could just barely see them if he looked the right way. Noticing that was much more preferable than having to think about whatever was about to come out of her mouth.

"I'm psychic," she whispered suddenly, eyes widening just a little more. "I've had to deal with it all my life but it's getting worse and worse. People are starting to be scared of me."

She shifted a little, and he stepped back without thinking about it. Being near her was suddenly making his skin crawl. He really, really didn't like where this looked like it was going. "Is that so?" What little patience he'd had with her all this time was beginning to evaporate.

"I think I might even be stronger than that friend of yours. Saioh." Aiko gulped a little and stared up at him through suddenly misty eyes. "Help me, Edo, please."

What on Earth does she think I can do? He hadn't had anything to do with what had, or hadn't, whichever, happened to Saioh. That had all been Juudai. And even if he could, why should? It wasn't his job to take care of every wanna-be psychic, or psycho, that came around. Again, that was Juudai's job.

She started to move closer again, and Edo stepped back once again. "Look, there's really nothing I can do to help you." He didn't even bother to lie and say that he was sorry about that. If she actually had any kind of powers, then there wasn't anything he could do to help her. If she didn't, then there wasn't anything he could do for her delusions anyway.

"But, Edo," she sniffled a little, tears spilling over her cheeks. He would much rather have been back in the Dark World, facing all of those minions of the Haou, than having to deal with this. At least there he could have his monsters smash them into oblivion and not have to worry about getting rid of a body. "You really have to help me. I told you, I'm a better psychic than Saioh. I can see everything. And that's why I'm not dueling as much anymore. I already know how the duel will end, and they said I'm cheating!"

I don't believe in Destiny. Edo's eyes narrowed briefly. This girl was getting on his bad side so very fast. He didn't think anyone had ever gotten under his skin like this before.

She sniffled again. "Really, can't you do something?"

And that did it. Edo never quite knew what it was about that pathetic little cry, nor did he ever really care to find out. "What is it you expect me to do?" he asked a touch guardedly. The idea was still sleeping in the back of his mind, but it wouldn't take much to wake it up.

Aiko looked up at him, still sniffling, and tugged out a little lace-edged handkerchief. "If I had someone like you as my boyfriend, then no one would ever try to kick me out of the Pro Leagues and I'd be happy and I wouldn't have to worry about my guardian anymore."

Edo decided this was really going too far. "And just who might that guardian be?" After his experience with DD, he wasn't entirely certain of what to think about most guardians. Sameshima had taken relatively good care of him until he'd turned eighteen, by which Edo meant he hadn't tried to get hold of his money and had confined himself to signing those papers that a guardian needed to sign and that was it.

Yet another sniffle. Edo was getting very tired of those. "You probably haven't heard of him. His name is DD."

The idea roared into fierce and wild life. There wasn't anything that indicated his fury from the outside, but on the inside, the cold wielder of justice had awakened once more. He smiled one of his best stage smiles. "Of course I'll help you. I've got to make a phone call first, though. This won't take long, and I'll meet you at my limousine."

Aiko brightened at once, and he wasn't surprised to see that her tears had stopped. "Oh, thank you, thank you, Edo! You'll never regret this! Never!" She waved brightly and was out of sight in nothing flat.

The smile that he smiled after her was not his stage smile. It was, however, a look that Marufuji Ryou would have been quite familiar with after all their time in the Dark World together.

Then he pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and quickly called Saioh.

No sooner had the line on the other end been picked up than Saioh spoke. "Hello, Edo. Mizuchi and I will still be awake when you get here. I believe you'll deal with the situation in your usual fashion."

Edo blinked a few times. Yeah. Saioh had lost his powers. And Misawa Daichi was the Emperor of Japan. "All right. I'll see you then."

He ended the call and headed briskly towards his limosuine. He could see Aiko hovering near it anxiously as he drew closer and kept that stage smile on his face at all times. He already knew exactly what he was going to do to this brainless bimbo.

"Let's go," he said, sliding in. He leaned forward and tapped his driver's shoulder. "Take us to the docks. We're going to go for a ride on my yacht. We have some private business to discuss there."

"As you wish, sir." The driver knew exactly how to please Edo the most: by doing what he was told without argument.

Once the door was closed, the limosuine got started, rolling smoothly away. As the building receeded behind them, Edo could hardly contain his excitement. After this, he'd never have to worry about her chasing after him again. But there was something that he needed to check on first.

"Aiko, is there anyone else you should call and let know that you're going to be out for a while?" He listened carefully for the answer, and was neither surprised nor disappointed by it.

"There's no one else. I'm all alone." A heavy sigh followed that. "Isn't it just the worst feeling ever?"

I think I'll call Ryou and let him know I'm up for that team tournament thing after all. Edo made polite and empty noises in answer to any question she asked, letting her think he agreed with her on anything. Whatever she believed of him, he no longer cared.

It was a quick ride to the docks, and not much later, the yacht was slowly moving away from the city lights. Edo watched them fade as they got farther and father away, and excitement began to shoot all through him. He was so close…so very close.

"Oh, Edo, this is just beautiful!" Aiko squealed. She had snuck up on him somehow. He'd probably been too busy admiring just how deep the ocean was around here to notice. "Where are we going?"

"Somewhere very special where no one will bother us at all," Edo replied, flashing another of those stage smiles. "Then we can talk all about your problem and how I can fix it and what you were saying about us dating."

Another squeal sent a shudder down his spine, worse than nails on a chalkboard. He was convinced he should get a reward for services to humanity for doing this.

An hour away from the city, he finally stopped the yacht. He didn't bother with the anchor. He wasn't going to be there very long. "Now, Aiko," he said, coming over to her. "Let's admire the scenery before we get down to the serious talking."

"Of course! The moon is beautiful tonight, isn't it?" Aiko lifted her head to stare up at it. Edo smiled as she took a few more steps closer to the railing, and followed her. The night was beautiful, with the full moon drenching everything. She glanced over towards him and gasped softly. "Oh, Edo, you look so handsome in the moonlight! Like a…an angel!"

Or a demon. Edo stepped close up to her side and took her into his arms. "Would you like to see a real angel?"

"Oh, yes!" Aiko breathed. "Yes, please!"

Edo edged her closer to the railing, then with one quick push, shoved her over the edge and into the water. She splashed, sinking downward, and he turned away without so much as a look back. He started the yacht up again and headed back to the city. He'd have to take his motorcycle to the Saiohs, but that was fine. He paid no attention to the squealing cries behind him, and soon they were lost in the crash of the waves and the cries of seabirds.

Some 'most powerful psychic'. Why didn't she see that coming?

The End