P E R F E C T I O N

Disclaimer: I do not own GX. If that wasn't obvious enough.

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I hate him. I hate him. I absolutely hate him!

I really do.

If there's one thing I'd never lie about, it's how much I feel like puking up my insides whenever I just see his face.

Much like how I feel right now. Of course, this has partly to do with the fact that I just saw him. And not only that, but I had to talk with him.

Then again, I really didn't have to talk to him. That was probably my fault for being curious, but he's not supposed to be here in the first place! He's a famous priss – he should be off somewhere else, in an interview or signing autographs or…just not here like he's not supposed to be!

That would definitely make my life a whole lot easier. Not to mention my thought process would move a whole lot smoother and I'd actually be able to put my feelings into words.

It's just, he makes me so angry, gets me so worked up. All the time. With his words, his voice, and especially that stupid attitude of his. The way he always just brushes me off, always acts like I don't matter. And, okay, so maybe I don't matter in his life, but he could be a little more hospitable about it!

Stupid Edo Phoenix with his stupid silky hair and his stupid silver suit and his stupid duel career and his stupid, stupid life!

After I finish my mad rage, stomping across campus (and probably destroying a few things as well as accumulating strange looks along the way) I end up in the room I share with my best friend in the Osiris dorm, fiercely swinging the door open, then slamming it closed. I manage to stomp all the way toward my bed before falling on my back, meeting the covers and facing the ceiling of the room.

Somehow this action serves to calm me, makes me take a deep breath of air. Makes me stop and think about everything that's making me this angry. To make me think about how this whole nonsense started, about how I know now that this year is not going to go the way I'd wanted.

Stupid Phoenix has been showing up in my life again, and I really don't like it. Granted, I've only seen him once in months – today being that once – but I still hate having him around. Period.

See, he made an unannounced visit to Duel Academia today, throwing me off guard just a little. What exactly the point behind his visit was is something I still have no idea about. I had only heard that he was even here because my best friend/roommate, Hamako, told me all about his duel with Judai – one of the kids who live in the Osiris dorm. Apparently Edo challenged Judai to a duel (out of nowhere), didn't tell anyone who he was, lost the duel, then split.

That story was lame, and, well, me being me, I was a little bit curious (a little bit, a lot; what's the difference, really?) and decided to find out what he was up to. Which easily translates to: I wanted to know why he was invading my territory. So, assuming (or hoping. Again, difference?) he'd walk past a certain bench quite close to the docks (seriously, though, it's not like his yacht was exactly what someone would consider "small") and waited for him.

And, of course, when he did come, he just walked right past me. I knew he knew I was sitting there. We were the only people in the area! (And that was kind of surprising considering he's famous; but then again, he had come to Duel Academia on the DL…) It was like he was indirectly saying, "you're not important" or "what a waste of time to even look at you". (He didn't even glance at me!)

Of course, I was offended quite a bit. (I mean, where does he get off acting like I don't exist?) It only annoyed my slightly, though, as I'm used to that kind of treatment from him. He doesn't think I'm good enough to be in the same room as him, let alone the same planet, so his ignoring me is probably one of his nicer attitudes towards me.

But that's when I don't get on his nerves first. Regardless, none of it is new.

The only thing that piques my curiosity is that I'm the only one he treats that way. With everyone else he just puts on his little façade to make himself seem as though he's the best person alive. (Then again, that probably wouldn't work with me anyway – I'm excessively stubborn.)

He's clearly not that great. All he is is rich, good-looking, and a great duelist, but all the wonderful qualities of him end there. He's nothing but a prick to anyone that he doesn't like (AKA. Me).

So, he just walked off, taking no notice of me, someone he's known for at least a year now, but of course I'm not worth knowing. Why would I be? I'm just a piece of trash to him. An insignificant taking up his oxygen.

Since I can't stand being ignored more than I can't stand him, I stood up and walked after him. He knew it – I could tell – but he continued to ignore me, probably hoping I wouldn't talk to him, wouldn't register him as he hadn't registered me.

"Hey Phoenix. Long time no see." I didn't use honorifics. It's not really in me personally to be formal, and I especially won't be formal to him. He doesn't deserve it. Besides, he's a foreigner; honorifics mean nothing to him.

He froze (I think he was tense?) giving me a sort of a happy chill at the fact that maybe I'd already pissed him off. Maybe I'd ruined his day. Not exactly the point of what I was doing, but it definitely made me a bit smug.

"Sakamoto-san." I felt my face fall for a few moments. Leave it to him to use honorifics even when I don't. He always tries to upstage me like that. It didn't affect me for too long, though, as I was still a bit smug when I stepped up beside him, looked at him, and smirked a bit too nicely.

"What brings you to," I looked around, trying to find the word I wanted to use, "here?"

"Business." Well. Way to be conversational or what?

"Really?" I said, feigning surprise, my sarcasm seething through my words. "I mean, I wouldn't expect you to be here of all places unless you were on business or forced or something, but thanks for that wonderful piece of insight."

He didn't exactly say anything to that – I think he made a face? He's really good at controlling his emotions, unlike myself… - but somehow we'd started walking toward his yacht. (I personally think he just didn't want to deal with me at that moment. Had a bad day, maybe?)

"So, what kind of business?" I asked, a bit too casually, waiting for him to reveal to me part of what I already knew. He'd dueled Judai. For no good reason that I could think of. My hope was that he would tell me why, but the real question is: why in the world would he tell me what I want to know?

"Publicity." Way to give me the reason I wasn't looking for. He was being extremely difficult today. I mean, that was a perfectly acceptable reason for a celebrity as himself, and a reason that I – anyone else would've – been able to accept. But, I'm too difficult myself.

I'm too stubborn, too forthright. And I never stop until I get what I want. They're not exactly qualities I brag over – they make me rude, annoying, and definitely not someone you'd want to invite to a party – and half the time I wish I could just hold back before I say certain things. The problem is the fact that I have no self-control. I usually say the first thing that comes to mind, and with my automatic sarcasm, it doesn't usually end up too well.

See, his publicity answer angered me in more ways than one. Firstly, he's a celebrity. Of course everything he does is going to be publicized. Except maybe if he goes to some island on a private vacation or whatever event he doesn't plan to give extreme details about to the public. (Like when he argues with me. I bet no one knows about that.)

So, obviously he's going to get publicity for coming here. That's not exactly rocket science. What, does he think I'm stupid? (…That was a stupid question. Don't answer it.)

Secondly, I know what he was doing here and I also know he did not tell anyone his actual name. And the kid he dueled had no idea who he was in the first place. How in the hell do you get publicity when no one knows who you are? Yeah, so his 'publicity' answer? Complete bull.

I went on as usual since he didn't give me what I wanted. Anyone else would have accepted that as 'he's not going to tell me', but I – like I've always been – was ready to get all the details out of him. I'm difficult like that.

"You see, Phoenix," I said, "I heard a thing or two about how you dueled one of the best students here. Something about how you didn't tell him your name, oh, and that you lost." I paused there on purpose. I wanted to see his reaction to that word, that idea. That he lost a duel.

I thought I saw a part of his face quiver, but other than that he didn't show any change from the plain face he'd been wearing for the whole conversation. The conversation that consisted of mostly me talking. Like now. "It just makes me wonder how that could be publicity. Or, at least, good publicity."

At that point, we'd reached his ship. I wasn't about to follow him onto it. Traveling with Edo Phoenix? Not exactly my preferred choice. Not to mention, it's his boat. For me to even touch it would cause my flesh to burn. Before he got on his piece of giant property, though, he turned to me to give me a smart remark.

"Try, it's none of your business."

He must've been dry of clever things to say.

With that, though, he turned around and walked away. He gave no recognition of the conversation as he left – no wave goodbye, no word. And even though I should have expected treatment like that, I was still offended.

I glared at his back for a few moments, and then stomped away. I'm not completely stupid; I know when something's a lost cause. (Although, that doesn't necessarily mean I leave it alone; I'm still stubborn…) And, like I said before, for me to even touch his boat would make my flesh burn and I wasn't in a flesh-burning kind of mood.

As I look back on what happened, I muse on why exactly it's made me as angry as it did. It's nothing I'm not used to from him – even after not seeing him in person for months. (Of course, the last time I saw him, I called him a few names that would make your mother flinch…)

It pisses me off that he treats me like I'm nothing, and then it pisses me off that I get pissed off about it in the first place. It's a never-ending circle.

With everyone else, though, I couldn't care less what they think of me, so I've never understood why Phoenix gets to me the way he does. It's probably his stupid attitude and the fact that he thinks he's so damn perfect.

No one is perfect. (And no one knows that better than me.)

I've probably made every mistake in the book. Twice. And then here comes Phoenix acting as though he's never messed up in his life.

It pisses me off.

You know that person, that all you have to do is see their picture or hear their voice and you automatically get upset? Well, Phoenix is that person for me. And most of the time, I wish I could throw him off a cliff.

I mean, at least I know I'm not perfect. At least I accept (probably a loose term in my case) it. Because that's just a fact of life: no one is perfect.

Though, I'm sure Edo Phoenix could give you a convincing argument as to why he's so amazing. But it'll all just be a cover-up of what he's really like deep inside: a liar. I've seen through his little act enough to know that at least.

He continuously wears masks. In fact, every time I've seen him, he's always just finishing a conversation with someone and moving on to the next person. During that exchange, his aura seems to change, his attitude switches. He goes from being a charming flirt to a knowledgeable businessman to a guy who's "great with kids" and so forth. And, from the way he portrays them, it doesn't seem like any of these masks fit his true personality.

If he even has a true personality in the first place. With his inconsistency, it's hard to tell. Sometimes I wonder if there's even anything under that shell of his after all.

Maybe he just carries a jar of masks around with him because there's nothing there.

Regardless of whether there is a real person in Phoenix or not, I've made it my job to find out. Or, at least, let him know that he's not as perfect as everyone else seems to believe.

At the sound of the door opening, I lift my head up to see Hamako walk into the room.

"So, this is where you went off to," she says, walking over to my bed. She sits down next to me, and her blue eyes scan me over. "I was wondering what happened to you."

"Nothing big," I say, sitting up. "Got into an argument, probably destroyed something on my way back here. All in a day's work."

"Geez. It's the beginning of the school year and you're already getting into arguments? But, I guess I should expect no less from you, Rin-chan."

"Of course not," I respond, smiling. And like that, my bad mood has just about disappeared. Somehow, Hamako is the only person who can make me feel better. Maybe it's because she's been my best friend since we were practically five. Or maybe it's because she's the one person in the world I really care about.

"Just promise me you won't get into any fights with anybody anytime soon. I want to get off on a good start, at least."

"You make it sound like I fight people on purpose!"

"Well, for all I know, you might!" We both laugh. I do tend to get into fights more often than the average person, but I can't help it if people piss me off. They should know better than to mess with me by now.

Then again, some of the fools I fought last year didn't have a clue who I was. I gained quite a pretty descriptive reputation from all the fights I got into last year. (And duels, too. Since this is Duel Academia, we're supposed to solve our differences through dueling, which is probably healthier for me. And I did solve some problems through dueling. It's just…some people don't exactly know how to take a hint…)

"So, was there something you wanted?" I ask. "Or did you just want to make sure I hadn't killed anyone yet?"

"Well, as much as I'm glad you haven't killed anyone, I was gonna tell you that it's dinnertime."

I look to my bedside clock, and sure enough, it is most definitely mealtime. I must have great timing or something – or maybe I'd stayed out longer than I'd anticipated – because I'm starving just thinking about food.

"Alright, let's go eat, then." I hop off my bed, all traces of any previous rage gone, vanished into thin air. Hamako doesn't seem to notice as she follows me.

"And there's no need to worry!"

"Huh?"

"'Cause if we get hungry later, I brought my mini-fridge!" She points to the little white box at the other corner of the room. I smile.

"You would."

"I did."

"I'm so glad you decided to come here this year." I don't think she realizes how true this is. Last year I was just some insane freak with anger issues. This year I'll be some insane freak with anger issues who actually has a friend. The possibilities after that are endless!

But, in all seriousness, I can count on this year to be less boring now that Hamako's here. I love dueling and all, but it's not as fun without your best friend.

"I know." Her smile is brighter than the sun. We walk to the Osiris dining hall together, laughing and talking about stupid things we remember from before. And my bad mood – well, it's more "I was in a bad mood?".

Well, until all they can talk about is that stupid duel with stupid Phoenix at dinner. Even though Hamako and I are sitting at a different table than the others, we can still hear their conversation as if they're sitting right next to us. (Let's just say the Osiris dorm isn't exactly the most populated…)

Hamako insists that we go over to them and discuss the thing with them. I decline, telling her that I don't want to. Mainly because I don't want to think about Phoenix any more than I already am. And secondly because I don't really know anyone over there aside from Manjyoume. Though, knowing Hamako (as she's the most social butterfly) she'll probably have made great friends with all of them before the night is through.

I stand up from the table, announcing to Hamako that I'm going to bed – and, really, that's all I want to do. She joins them as I walk out.

With my bad mood starting to resurface, I kick at the rocks outside in an attempt to let some of my frustrations out. If there was one person I didn't want to see this year, let alone for the rest of my life, it would be Edo Phoenix.

I take a deep breath and sigh. (An exercise my previous psychiatrist told me to use to calm myself. I have yet to see if it really works.) All I can do is hope that he won't be back. This year will be a good year.

I will make sure to wipe any fake perfections away.

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A/N: It's finally back. For good. (After what? Ten uploads?) I'm actually planning on finishing it this time. Don't expect fast updates (as usual) and I hope you'll stick with me!