Notes – For the gx_100. Set post-GX by a few months.

---

"There aren't many songs that I know off the top of my head about the desert, couldn't you have chose to go wondering in somewhere a bit more mainstream," Fubuki's voice came across the phone as the video moved into better focus. Juudai had just about found somewhere high enough to sit that gave him some half decent reception on the thing.

"I didn't really ask to come here, this is just sort of where I was… dropped off," answered Juudai, who was still being a bit vague with the others in regard to what happened to him after he'd left Duel Academia where he could afford to be, "And why do you even need to sing at all?"

In a tone of mock-hurt, Fubuki said, "It's like you don't know me at all! You've been away for a few months now so naturally I have to sing you a song so you know we're still thinking about you."

"How are the others anyway?" Juudai asked, wanting to latch onto a part of the conversation that he could understand instead of trying to work out Fubuki's logic. The weather was getting to him a bit and serious thinking was never one of his strong points to begin with.

"Oh, they're all doing really well," Fubuki replied, always one to love talking about other people, "You know that Asuka was going to study abroad and Manjoume's only been doing better and better since his career kick started before you left. Shou's starting to get a bit of attention too. Though I have to admit I've not really been keeping up with as many people as I could have been. You never notice until you're gone just how many people you knew there."

Juudai had to agree about that. Sometimes when he couldn't sleep at night he thought about how his friends might be doing, only to realise he'd made quite a lot of friends to think about.

"You've not even been keeping up with Kaiser?" he asked idly, as Pharaoh climbed up onto his lap.

"Ryo, well… yes. I've been keeping up with him."

"You have?" The pausing wasn't usual for Fubuki and attracted Juudai's interest.

"He's a busy guy," Fubuki answered defensively, "He's been trying to help Shou start up in the Pro Leagues, but he's made time for me."

"That's nice of him," Juudai answered indifferently. Ryo wasn't particularly known for being sociable, but people said that him and Fubuki had been good friends at one point. That was what they said anyway, Juudai hadn't really seen them hanging out with each other much personally.

"He's not all scowls and glares you know," Fubuki laugh a little, "There is a friendlier side to him deep down. Um, very deep down."

"Sounds like a lot of work to find it," said Juudai suspiciously, scratching behind one of Pharaoh's ears.

A slight pause, then Fubuki answered, "I'm prepared to put in the work."

"Oh?" The tone to Juudai's voice now was akin to Fubuki's own when he was prying into someone's love life.

"Well, yeah. Anyway. Songs! I've been looking on the Internet while we were talking and I think I've found a few songs about the desert that I know well enough to sing for you," Fubuki said quickly.

"Nah, it's all right," Juudai answered, trying not to laugh, "The connection doesn't last very long here so I want to talk to as many of you as possible while I can."

"Any excuse to not hear me sing," Fubuki moped, "I'll have you know that one day I'll be on TV and people will watch me everyday to hear my singing."

Juudai had no doubt that Fubuki would be on TV someday, though he didn't think it would be for his singing.

"You'll have to tell me when you are and I'll find a TV," he answered, "But I better get going. I hope everything goes well, for you and Kaiser both."

He hung up before Fubuki had a chance to protest, though he would have loved to see Fubuki's indignant face at being accused of dating Ryo. At least that was one set of friends done; he could count on those two to look after each other in their own strange way. He went through his phone to find the next number that came after Fubuki's.

Back at an apartment in Domino, Fubuki stared at the blank screen and blinked a few times. When had Juudai got so good at figuring out relationships?

Maybe one day Juudai would even be able to sort out his own love life, Fubuki mused to himself. But no, today wasn't a day to ask for miracles.