See part one for disclaimer, etc.
KING'S GAMBIT
by Chausten
Chapter 1: As Time Goes By
"Asuka-san, aren't you about finished yet?"
Asuka looked up from her papers and saw Koji lounging in the doorway, his arms folded loosely over his chest. She frowned.
"I've still got another dozen or so. You should go ahead without me."
"Not a chance." He walked over, grabbed her arm, and tugged her to her feet. "Work will still be here when you get back. Come have some fun with us. Ayumi-kun's counting on you."
Asuka rolled her eyes but allowed him to pull her along nonetheless. They looped down the halls and up to the top level, stopping at one of the larger rooms reserved for events of this sort. The doors slid open, and Ayumi beamed and ran over when she saw them.
"Asuka-san, you came! Here," she thrust a glass into her hands. "Thank you for coming; I know you must be busy."
"It's no problem," Asuka said. "Well, congratulations."
Ayumi thanked her again. "You went to Duel College, didn't you?" she asked. "What was it like?"
"I liked it," she said slowly, thinking of a way to describe the experience. "But I was a student there. You're going to be a professor; it'll be different. It's not like here, of course." She thought of her first day there, how overwhelmed she'd been. At least when she'd come to Duel Academia there had been friends from prep school, and Ryou, practically a surrogate brother.
"Nothing's like Duel Academia." Ayumi laughed. "Promise you'll write?"
"Of course." She hoped she could keep that promise. She'd had a lot of things on her mind lately, mostly schoolwork, and she wasn't sure she was going to fit in letter-writing.
"It's a shame, though," Koji said. "Rika-kun's having a party for the first match of the season."
"I'll call you guys," she promised. "What time?"
"Well, I think it starts at two o'clock, but we'll all be there around noon. It'll be kind of late for you, though, won't it?" He scrunched up his face, trying to count the time difference.
"I'll be up working anyway," she laughed. "Oh, I'm going to miss all of you."
She hugged them both and then went off to talk to some more of the party guests.
"So," Koji said after they'd stood in silence for a few moments, "you're going to come to the party at Rika-kun's, right?"
Asuka glanced sideways at him. "Yeah, of course."
He scuffed his shoe against the floor. "I don't suppose you'd like to go, uh, with me?"
She sighed. They'd been over that before, and it only got more awkward the more times he asked. "No, I don't think so, Koji-san," she answered quietly.
"Ah." He bit his lip and toyed with his cup a moment before blurting out, "Is it Manjoume?"
She nearly choked on her water. "What?"
"Well, he's always coming over to see you," Koji rushed on. "And he's, you know, rich and…I guess maybe women would think he's good-looking…and he's a pro…"
Asuka had been gaping at him while he delivered this speech in a flustered voice, slowly trailing off as he watched her expression.
"This has absolutely nothing to do with Manjoume Jun," she said firmly. "And he has nothing to do with my love life." She narrowed her eyes. "And what makes you even think that just because I don't want to go out with you, there's got to be someone else?"
He looked down and mumbled something.
"Sorry?" She leaned forward slightly.
"I said," he repeated, "I was just talking with Rika-kun the other day, and…"
Asuka felt the heat rise to her face. "I don't know what Rika's been telling you, but there is no one else," she emphasized. "Is she the one who told you I liked Manjoume? Don't answer; I already know." Asuka rubbed her eyes with the heels of her hands. Rika was a hopeless romantic who wanted nothing more than to see her friends happily paired off like in some old film. Asuka had tried numerous times to explain to her how uninterested she was in dating at the moment, but Rika wasn't bothered. She loved the challenge. And Asuka had thought her brother was bad.
"So you don't like Manjoume," he said, as if to confirm it one final time in his mind.
Asuka groaned to herself and took a deep, steadying breath. "No," she said calmly. "I do not like Manjoume-kun, that way at least. I do not like anyone like that. I'm perfectly happy as I am."
He looked at her doubtfully but made no further reply.
"You don't believe me?" she demanded, hurt.
He shrugged. "It's not just about going on a date. You know that, right? You work so hard all the time, and it just seems like you need to stop and relax a little. Have some fun. With anyone."
Asuka opened her mouth to protest that she did go out with people and had lots of fun with them, but then she stopped. Actually, she couldn't remember the last time she'd really enjoyed herself at a social function of any kind. It was always like this: she would be working, someone would come and fetch her and drag her there, and then she would stand around and talk to people until she ran out of things to say and went home.
She used to have lots of fun at parties, she remembered. She loved going out with her friends. When had that all changed? Had growing up just made her dull to be around?
No. She knew exactly when everything had changed.
"Asuka-san! Come on, I want a group picture!"
She shook her head ruefully as Ayumi bounded over again.
"Koji-san, you take it." She thrust the camera into his hands without waiting for an answer and hurried to squeeze in with everyone else.
"Everyone smile," he called.
"Here, get one of Asuka-san and me." Ayumi put her arm around Asuka and waved at the camera.
"I'll send these to you," Ayumi promised. "I'm going to miss all of you so much."
Asuka hugged her. "We'll miss you, too."
She didn't stay much longer. Her desk was still piled high with papers, and she wanted a little time to relax before she went to bed.
"Hey." Koji caught up with her as she was leaving.
She had to suppress a sigh. "What is it?"
"Going back?"
She nodded. "Long evening."
"I'll walk with you. I've got some stuff to do, too, actually." He fell into step beside her, and the two walked in silence for several minutes. He finally broke it with, "Are you okay? You look kind of down now. I'm sorry about earlier."
"Hm?" she said, only half hearing him. "Oh, earlier. It's fine." She stopped and looked out toward the ocean. "I used to stand out at that lighthouse all the time and talk with my friend. It was sort of our special spot." She smiled, thinking of sunsets she and Ryou had watched while they'd talked about her brother. It was hard to believe that had been over seven years ago, when Ryou was still the Emperor of the school, kind and confident—the duelist everyone aspired to be.
Even me, she thought, smiling a little.
"You never told me that," Koji said, snapping her back to the present. "Actually, I don't think I know much at all about when you were here as a student." He smiled tentatively, opening the door for a discussion.
But she shook her head. Not now. "I was just a student." Even as she said it, she wondered why. No one would have described her as "just a student," but in some ways, despite everything she had been through, she still felt like it. She wasn't extraordinary, she wasn't some mystical savior—she was just another average person living day to day.
"I don't know about that." Koji laughed a little. "Come on, what're some stories? Like the lighthouse thing. What about some of your friends? I think you've mentioned them a few times before. Well, I know Manjoume, of course."
She started to walk again, faster. "Yes, Manjoume-kun. He went to prep school with me, but we didn't really know each other. And you've met Momoe and Junko, too."
He searched his mind for the faces. "Oh, I remember them," he said. "They're…nice."
Asuka let that comment pass. Junko had spent the entire evening flirting with a very flustered Koji, who shot Asuka so many desperate looks that she at last took pity on him and steered Junko away.
"But you had other friends," he insisted. "Manjoume said they called you the Queen of Obelisk Blue. Is that true?"
She winced. "I don't even know who started it. I was a first year; it seems pretty ridiculous that the queen of a dorm would be a first year."
"Well, they chose a good first year, then," Koji replied. "But you must have had other friends, then."
Asuka stopped again, and suddenly they were all there before her: every one of her friends smiling warmly at her, beckoning her back to a happier time.
"I had lots of friends," she said. "Well, goodnight."
They'd reached the girls' dorms, and Asuka left him with a little wave.
In the bath, Asuka closed her eyes and let herself drift off. It was mostly empty this evening, so she could sit with her own thoughts.
Koji hadn't been wrong when he'd said she didn't have fun with friends anymore. It wasn't that she lacked for friends here. Sometimes she just felt like there ought to be something more.
Maybe I miss all the constant saving the world, she thought wryly. My life's so prosaic now in comparison. Maybe I'm just bored, and that's why I feel like this all the time.
But that was another excuse, albeit a better one. Asuka stepped out and wrapped up before heading back inside. She should probably go to bed, but she wasn't tired.
She lay there for what seemed like forever, staring at the ceiling. Frustrated, she finally got up and switched on her bedside light.
She walked over to her dressing table and stared into the mirror. The light cast odd shadows on her face, making her look almost ghostly. Asuka wrapped her arms around herself, feeling suddenly cold.
She slid open a drawer and pulled out a small wooden box shoved to the back. She hadn't looked into it in years, and the lid was dusty. Flipping it open, she pulled out the contents and simply stared at them a moment. Then, almost angrily, she closed it all up and shoved it away again.
"Stop it, Asuka," she muttered, covering her face with her hands. "It's over."
When she took her hands away, they were wet.
-X-
"Asuka-san, you're here! Come in, hurry, before Hiroshi eats all the food."
"I heard that," a male voice called.
Asuka smiled and stepped inside. Guests were already lounging around the room with the TV turned on to the preliminary events. Asuka took a seat next to Rika's boyfriend, who was down from Tokyo visiting her for a few days.
"How are you, Hiroshi-san?" she asked.
He smiled. "Not bad. It's so relaxing here. I should come more often."
"I doubt you'd get any objections from this end." Asuka looked over at Rika, who was trying to get Megumi to eat some fried shrimp. She had a plate and was actually shoving it at the other girl, who had her hands up in front of her defensively.
"I spent the entire afternoon making all of this; you've got to eat something," Rika insisted.
"I don't like fried shrimp," Megumi protested.
"Eat something else, then, but you're going to eat something," she threatened.
Asuka rolled her eyes. "She's going to nag her till she gets something."
"Of course." Hiroshi laughed. "She'll pick something out eventually, just so Rika will leave her alone."
Rika flounced over to them and tapped Hiroshi on the shoulder. "Come talk to Megumi for a minute. She said her brother wanted to try and get a job with your company."
Hiroshi stood up with a sigh and glanced over his shoulder. "She wants me to get her to eat," he muttered as he walked off.
Asuka stifled a laugh and watched Rika easily slide a tray of sushi between the two as they talked. Hiroshi picked up a roll and began eating without comment, and Megumi finally, reluctantly, did the same. Asuka watched all of this with a distant smile.
"Brooding?"
She looked up to see Koji take a seat beside her. He leaned back in the chair easily and glanced at the screen.
"I'm just thinking about what you said the other night," Asuka said. "That you don't know much about my time here as a student."
He sat up, all attention now. "Feel more like sharing?"
She glanced away. "I'm…not sure."
He furrowed his brow. "Why not? I'm not going to think less of you as a teacher just because you did a few wild things—"
"No, that's not it." She looked at him solemnly. "I'm not sure what to say about it."
His eyebrows went up slightly. "That wild, huh?"
She turned her head slightly so he wouldn't see her wipe her eyes. "I guess."
He noticed anyway. "Hey, I didn't mean to make you sad. You don't have to tell me anything if you don't want to."
She looked down at her fingers where she could still see the tears moist on her skin. "It's been a long time. I guess I shouldn't still react like this."
"Did something happen?" He looked at her curiously. "Hey, you really don't have to talk about it if you don't want to. I didn't want to make you feel like you did."
"Maybe I should," Asuka said thoughtfully. "None of my friends from school are here anymore. It'd be nice to have someone to talk to again." She looked over and saw him smiling, encouraged by her words.
"I'm a good talker. And listener," he said eagerly.
Asuka had to stifle a laugh. "I know."
But when she fell silent after that, he sat back again and said in a more normal tone, "So, have you been keeping up with the pre-season? North School had a really amazing graduate this year."
"I've been watching off and on, but I haven't had as much time as I'd like," Asuka replied, turning her attention to the TV. "How does our graduate look?" She remembered the number one Duel Academia graduate who had been selected by a sponsor and gone directly to the pros. He was popular, of course, but also open and friendly to everyone. She had seen him greet a terrified Osiris first year one time, who had been so awed at being addressed by him that he'd just been able to squeak out an answer.
"He's promising," Koji answered her, "but he has some tough competition. A few of the juniors moved up this year, and they're good, too."
Asuka balanced her chin on her folded hands. "Duel Academia is the best school in the world for training duelists," she said confidently.
"Everyone hurry up!" she heard Rika bellow from the kitchen. "Five minutes to showtime!"
People began to crowd around the TV. Rika turned up the volume, and they got quiet as the tournament began.
"And we'll start our first match right away…"
Rika nudged Asuka. "So what were you and Koji-san talking about?"
Asuka shrugged. "Nothing much."
Rika tugged lightly on her sleeve. "C'mon, spill."
Asuka rolled her eyes. Just because she was having a private conversation with a member of the opposite sex, why did it suddenly have to mean something? "Nothing like that, Rika. We were talking about some of the new duelists this season."
"Oh, what about—"
"Hey, our duelist's up." Hiroshi saved Asuka from what she knew would have turned into a fierce battle with her friend. They rarely saw eye-to-eye when it came to dueling.
"You okay?" Koji asked, seeing her expression.
She nodded. "Yeah, just a headache."
"Who's he dueling?" Rika peered over Hiroshi's shoulder.
"Don't know; they have announced the names."
"The next match will be between Duel Academia's recent graduate Irie Kenshin an—" Rika's shout of "Go, Kenshin-kun!" drowned out his opponent's name. Asuka clapped her hands over her ears.
"A little louder next time; I think my eardrums are still functioning," Hiroshi grumbled.
She glared at him and turned back to the screen. "Go Kenshin-kun! Do your best!"
"Will you stop yelling?" Hiroshi demanded.
"Oh, let her have fun," Megumi said, smiling from her position on the floor. "If we can't be at the arena, Rika's the next best thing."
Asuka shook her head ruefully and looked to the TV where the duelists were just now taking their places.
"It'll be interesting to see how Kenshin-kun does in this duel. I heard this guy is—Asuka-san? Asuka-san, what's wrong?" Koji shook her shoulder gently.
Asuka moved her lips, but no sound came out. She could only gape at the screen, wide-eyed with shock. Was it her imagination, or was the room getting smaller? It suddenly felt very claustrophobic in there.
"Asuka-san, where are you going?"
Air. She needed air.
"I summon Elemental Hero Featherman!" she heard Kenshin's opponent declare as she practically sprinted out the door.
Once she was outside, she clung to the side of the building, drawing in deep breaths of fresh air, her body trembling. Kenshin's opponent had unquestionably been Yuuki Juudai.
Yuuki Juudai, who had died in front of her five years ago.
-xXx-
Author's Notes: Thanks for reading! This is sort of a feeler-chapter to see what you guys all think, so let me know. I don't know how much I like it, and it's subject to drastic revision.
Cheers!
P.S. If anyone finds my one humorous reference (hint: used in a very non-humorous way), you win a whole pan of cookies.