Notes – For the gx_100. The first half is set just before the start of season two, while the second half is set early during season three, before Ryo went to duel Johan for Zweinstein. Also, since Fubuki didn't appear in the Zombie Academia I'm using the assumption that he wasn't there for this story.
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Saiou knew a lot more about Juudai's collective of friends than that collective knew that he knew.
He knew more about them than even the duellist he managed, Edo Phoenix was aware of.
Because of this Saiou delighted in the look on Edo's face when he was caught by surprise, such as when Saiou told him to lose to Juudai on purpose. It was obvious that Edo had no understanding of why Saiou wanted him to lose to this boy. He didn't even know who Juudai was, but Saiou knew.
He knew about them all.
Manjoume, the boy who would fall first to Saiou's control, he knew of. This boy he had seen to have a strong desire to defeat the one known as Juudai, strong enough to blind him to other things. Easy prey.
Asuka would follow Manjoume, whether consciously or not. Saiou had seen that future and knew it would come to pass. She would be a strong figure to rally the females as Manjoume would rally the males.
Misawa would be the third to fall, due to his lust to be appreciated by others. To stop himself from being forgotten he would bathe in the pure light at Saiou's command.
Shou stood by Juudai's side. Shou would continue to stand by Juudai's side right up until Juudai perished at the hands of Saiou. Then he too would die. This boy did not trouble him too much.
And those were all of Juudai's current friends that he needed to consider at the moment. He was aware of another, Tyranno Kenzan, who he foresaw arriving and being adopted into the group. But at the moment these four were the core of the loyal choir.
Except for… except for two others.
Saiou frown at the thought of them. In his mind, as he watched over the events of Juudai's life in the academia he could picture the group of them, including the boy Hayato who had just left, but there were two figures he could not see at all. They were always hazy to him. Though he knew they were there, because a section of his image was always obscured when they were around.
One of them had been there from almost the start, but thankfully wasn't a regular occurrence in the group. He tended to appear with the girl, but most of the time she wasn't the one to take Saiou's interest. From what he could gather the boy Shou felt much discomfort towards this mysterious figure.
The second one didn't turn up until after… that time.
He cringed at the thought of that particular memory. The being of Darkness would arrive at that academia, but the being prevented Saiou's sight from watching its affairs. However it seemed that Darkness was not strong enough at that time either and Juudai emerged from that fight victorious. All the more reason for Saiou to keep his eye on Juudai.
And from that duel the new figure emerged, this one clouded in Darkness. It could only be that this boy had been the host Darkness had used, and that both explained why Saiou was blind to his image and why that boy could never be brought to the Light. But no matter. For all he cared Darkness could wallow within his human host, weakened until Saiou saw fit time to deal with him. Juudai came first.
But he'd be lying to himself if he said these two figures didn't bother him, Darkness's host and the 'question mark'. For that reason he sought out information upon them. Something that he did not do lightly, as Saiou trusted no other source than his own visions that the Light was gracious enough to grant for him, but he wanted a visual. He wanted to say that these were the two people who's futures he could not see at this time.
Eventually the images were found through Edo. Saiou used the boy's eyes as his own. He watched Edo crush one of the sources with much satisfaction at a Pro League match, the boy Ryo Marufuji. And seeing this boy made Saiou understand a lot about him. Ryo was blinded by his own moral high ground, but deep down there was an anger waiting to surface. As far as Saiou could tell Ryo did not play a part in the upcoming dominance of the Light, but he took great pleasure in using Edo to start the ball rolling that would lead to the child's complete corruption. Even if that corruption would not be at Saiou's hands.
The other one, the host of Darkness, Saiou saw when Edo became closer to Juudai. As this person, Fubuki Tenjoin, was part of Juudai's group. He hid his connection to the Darkness well through a mask of cheerfulness. You could hardly associate one with the other. And Saiou would appreciate this cunning up until a time came when he was required to crush Fubuki.
And so time went on. And the future became the present, before becoming the past. But iSaiou's/i future did not come to pass. No, it had never been his future. He knew now that it was a creation the Light of Destruction had shown to him and made him believe was his own. Juudai, the boy who had defied destiny, had destroyed that future.
Saiou was sent to a hospital, where he stayed for a long while after the event, but overall he was content knowing he wouldn't see any futures now, real or otherwise.
He was less than content when one time the boy who had once called him a manager, Edo, came to see him with others. Not that Edo visiting him in itself was strange, but he'd never expected to see with his own eyes the people Edo brought with him.
Framed by the doorway, clearly awaiting Edo to talk with Saiou first before coming forward themselves were the two blanks in the visions. Ryo, now dressed him heavy black, and Fubuki, in the most tropical shirt Saiou had ever seen.
While he tried to talk with Edo his eyes kept crossing over to where they stood until eventually Edo gave in and called them other.
"This is Hell Kaiser Ryo, the guy that Zweinstein wants to duel to create the energy," said Edo, "That's why we can't stay long. The other guy is some tagalong that can't seem to leave Ryo alone for five minutes. I think his name was Fubuki or something." It was clear from his manner of talking that Edo well knew the name of this person but purposely pretended he didn't to annoy Fubuki. Saiou didn't need to see the future to know how Edo worked.
He didn't really contribute to the conversation from there on, except that Edo mostly talked to him while making a few snippy comments towards Fubuki here and there. Ryo talked less than Saiou even, mostly standing next to Fubuki and looking out of place against the pale hospital scenery. But through that meeting Saiou saw them for what they really were, not beings corrupted by anything, but people. People who had lived and had as much freedom as he or Edo did. He appreciated this closure on part of his mind that had been troubling him and was sad when they had to leave.
He stroked his hand against Edo's, just once, before the three left. He could not see any visions but a feeling in the pit of his stomach said to him that it might be a long time before he could see the boy again.
As they walked from the room he saw Fubuki do something similar to Ryo's hand. Perhaps they could be their own individuals now, but perhaps the beings of Darkness and Light had forever left a mark upon Fubuki and himself.
Or perhaps some visions just come from being a human who loves.
