Series: Bridges||Title: Pieces of Belief
Characters: Yubel, Juudail||Pair: Yubel x Juudai
Words: 1,500/1,500||Chapters: 1/1
Challenges: Diversity Writing Challenge, GX, Bridges AU, C50, OTP; Easter Advent 2017. #1, 1500 words exactly
Timeline/Universe: Bridges universe. More or less pre-canon, past life. So, spoilers~
Summary: Juudai wants all of reality to burn because of what he's lost. In any world, he has an issue with overreaction.
Juudai rolled the maps up and tossed them back into their storage case before he threw himself into his chair and stared balefully at the tent opening.
"What's taking so long?" He grumbled, leaning his head back. It should have been here by now. Was he going to have to kill more people to get taken seriously around here?
It wouldn't be the first time that he'd killed without mercy. He didn't think it would be the last.
Truth to tell, he thought it would be the fifteenth or so. He hadn't made a specific count, but he'd only begun his plans less than two months earlier. That hadn't led to a lot of opportunities for vicious, savage murder.
Yubel brushed one hand against the side of his neck. "Your lunch will be here soon."
Juudai leaned against their touch. "It had better be." He hadn't ever had to wait for meals when he'd lived in the palace. They came whenever he wanted them.
That was one of the issues with having fled those lies and deceptions. There were plenty of things that weren't the same. Some of them he favored. Not having to deal with people who pretended to care about him and then …
He held back a snarl, the Light's anger boiling up inside of him.
They didn't deserve to live. None of them, not for a single moment. Whatever it took, he would see to it that they didn't live.
Again Yubel touched him and he breathed out silently, trying to get himself under control. Yubel's touch always steadied him. He leaned his head against their touch yet again.
"They don't deserve it," Yubel murmured. As always, they followed his thoughts effortlessly. "And we won't allow it to happen. We will destroy them all."
Juudai smiled at that. Yubel knew just what to say to calm him even more. Such a lovely image they posited as well. He'd admired the beauty of the world once before but no more. All of this creation deserved death.
"When?" He could feel the Light's power within him stirring at the thought of mass destruction, chaos, and endless screams of pain.
One person's screams of pain in particular. He did so hope they could lay hands on him before too much longer. All of his spies – and he had so many, it was so easy to persuade people to see things his way with the Light's support – and yet they still couldn't tell him where his target hid.
Those who could have weren't there any more. Though if they'd been there, would he even be here now?
Juudai's eyes glazed for a few heartbeats. His hands dropped to grip at the arms of his chair. He breathed faster, but not nearly enough air made it into him.
They're gone. They're gone and it's my fault, my fault, I never should have trusted him and I did, and they're not here anymore, and it's because of me!
Hot, harsh tears pricked at his eyes and dripped down his cheeks, brushed away a moment later by Yubel's gentle touch.
"Beloved, it isn't your fault. It's his." Yubel reminded him. "We know what he's like. We've seen it." Their voice remained gentle but compassionate and strong. "He wanted what you've had all of your lives. He took that chance to rip it all away from you."
Juudai pulled in a staggered breath. He closed his eyes and tried to get himself calm and centered, focusing on Yubel's bolstering presence.
"It wasn't my fault," he murmured. "It was his. He took away what was mine."
All of the friends that he'd had. He'd never made them easily but he had a few and then that traitor arranged for their deaths, one and all. Some of them he'd even personally killed.
Against his will, the memories flared back up, bright and shining. Innocent. Trusting. That's what his friends had been and they'd had every right to be.
Johan was their friend too. Or so they'd always believed. The Knight of Darkness, true companion to the Prince of Light. The two of them grown up together, always at each other's sides, ready to fight whatever stood against them.
And then a summons came, luring Juudai's friends into an ambush. A summons from Johan.
Juudai clenched his fists. He didn't want to think about this but the Light apparently thought that he needed a refresher course.
He didn't. He never would. He could never, ever forget being shown it for the first time. The way that their bodies fell, the harsh copper reek that filled the air, the glazed eyes that would never open again…
And the evidence of it being Johan's doing: the knife forged of living darkness. A weapon only he could have forged or used, caught in the bright morning light and fading away.
Yubel still soothed him, still urged him to calm. Yubel ached for the traitor's blood as much as he did, but held him back for the moment. Mindless raging would do no good, not now.
Something stirred near the tent opening. Juudai forced himself to sit up, eyes open. It became less forced when he realized that it was his servant, bringing in lunch. He set a large silver tray, with several covered dishes, on the table, then quickly started to uncover them.
Everything smelled delicious. He'd brought a few of the palace cooks with him when he'd left the palace, so they knew what he liked best. Their resources here weren't as good as they'd had back in those days, unfortunately.
But they made do and Juudai remained pleased with their work. Being a double incarnation of Light didn't mean that he didn't need to eat. In fact, he'd noticed that he ate a lot more after he'd accepted the second Light.
He started to reach for the first plate, a very finely made steak that sent up a fragrant, delicious aroma. Before he touched the first implement, Yubel's hand came down on his.
"Yubel?" He waited. Yubel never interrupted his meals without a very good reason.
Yubel stared at the food for a few heartbeats, as the servant started to step back. Juudai turned toward him, eyes narrowed. He could feel Yubel's rage rising, even before Yubel darted past him, wings spread wide, and slashed at the servant. Liquid splashed, cloth tore, and when Juudai looked again, the servant wasn't his familiar servant anymore.
He was also within a few moments of dying. Yubel did their work very well and very quickly.
Someone else might have asked questions. He didn't bother. Instead, he glanced at Yubel. "Poison?" Nothing else made sense.
"Poison," Yubel agreed, before reaching into the attempted poisoner's clothes and tearing out a long, sharp knife. Magic dripped off of it; if he'd touched that, or if it touched him, it would have killed him nearly at once. Yubel, unable to be harmed by any attack, stared at it balefully before snapping it in half. "A very foolish attempt at murder."
"Johan." Juudai breathed out the name. He stepped aside to call for the captain of his guard. He really needed no guard, but they proved useful in situations like this.
The guard stared at the body on the floor before turning back to him. "Sir?"
"I want the head removed and sent back to the palace. Then I want a replacement meal. No poison this time." Juudai ordered. He swept the table clean with one swipe of his arm. "Understood?"
The captain swallowed. "As you wish, sir." He didn't wait another moment, calling for lesser ranked guards to come dispose of the body.
Juudai flopped back into his chair and sighed. Johan hadn't ever tried anything like that before. Juudai still couldn't believe that his former friend sank so low.
He needs to be disposed of. You wish a clean destruction to everything. He will ruin it all, and everyone.
Juudai didn't deny the Light's words. He wasn't at all sure if he knew how, since the Light always told him the truth. Why deny the truth? It would just take time to get everything done, because if he didn't do it right, then they would just have to start over again. They would be reborn. Somewhere else, sometime else.
He didn't want that. He wanted to do it once and get it over with, not to have to start from scratch.
"Whatever you have to do, I will be with you," Yubel assured him with a gentle smile. "You will never be without me, beloved."
Juudai reached over to take Yubel's hand and holding it close. Yubel burned warm against him as he pressed his lips against their fingers. "You're stuck with me, huh?"
"And I would have it no other way."
Juudai leaned in and pressed his lips against Yubel's. "Neither would I."
He'd loved Yubel since before they'd become a demonic dragon. Reality could – and would – burn but that would never change.
Notes: How much do you believe about what was said here?