Disclaimer: I don't own Yugioh GX.
"So, as I was saying," Misawa said from his position on the couch in Manjoume's old room, "how did you pull this one off?"
"And are you really back? Or is this some sort of trick?" Kenzan asked, sitting beside Judai.
"Well, I am really back," Judai said. Silently, he added, For now... "The Nameless Pharaoh showed up and told me that there was this evil that only I could beat, so some otherworldly gods wanted to give me a second chance at life."
Asuka, sitting on Judai's other side, gasped. "Are you referring to the Nameless Pharaoh!? You actually got to meet him!?"
"And this evil. By chance, it's not the Society of Light, is it?" Misawa added.
Judai nodded. "I think it is."
"So what you're saying is Manjoume-senpai and Marufuji-senpai joined a secret organization bent on destroying the world!?" Kenzan asked, stunned. "But why would they do that!?"
"It's simple," Misawa said. "They probably didn't know."
"But, if that's true, then why are they still with it? Shouldn't they have left when they found out the truth?"
"I don't know," Judai said, shaking his head. "But I get the feeling the light's got them tricked into thinking it is the good guy."
"Maybe. But I've got a different theory about that one," Asuka said.
Kenzan looked at her and asked, "Really, Asuka? What's that?"
She took a deep breath and said, "Remember when Sho joined the Society, guys? Right after they entered the dorm, we heard him scream. Then the next thing we know, he's acting a lot like Manjoume. I've got a feeling it has something to do with this so-called 'baptism' of theirs."
"Hmm. You've got a point...," Misawa admitted. "So are you saying the light brainwashes people?"
Asuka nodded, "Sure looks like it."
"So now what do we do?" Kenzan asked. "How do we fight this new enemy?"
"I don't know. But we've gotta find a way!" Judai said, determined.
"Anyway, let's worry about this later," Asuka said. "Now's a time for celebrating! After all, Judai's back!"
"Right!" Kenzan and Misawa said.
Kenzan jumped to his feet, adding, "I'll break out the party favors!"
Smiling, Misawa got up as well and said, "And I'll provide the food!"
The two ran off, leaving Judai and Asuka alone in the room.
She looked at Judai. "So you're really back for good. I don't have to worry about those crazy girls and my brother bothering me anymore?"
He hesitated before saying, "Yeah." Hopefully.
Asuka looked happy at this statement. Or maybe she was just relieved. Or maybe it was both. "Glad to hear it. This place just isn't the same without you."
Her tone was interesting. Judai wasn't sure exactly how to describe it, but it made him blush a bit. Asuka looked at him, sweat, and then looked away, also blushing.
"I-I mean, obviously, it isn't r-right? I-I mean, seeing's how things seem to fall to pieces quicker when you're gone, and all," she said quickly, her pupils contracted.
Judai thought about his situation for a moment: If he couldn't defeat his enemy and find the stabilizer—whatever that was—in time, he would die again. In other words, his time was limited. Should I tell her? I mean, just in case?
He made up his mind rather quickly. "Asuka..."
"Hm?" She looked at him. "What is it?"
Before he could answer, Fubuki and Haruko burst through the door, huge smiles on their faces.
"Well, sis!?" Fubuki said. "Didn't I tell you that love was powerful!?"
She turned to him, stunned. "Huh!?"
"Don't play dumb with us!" Haruko chimed. "We know what brought Judai back to life!"
"What are you talking about?" the boy in question asked.
"Why, isn't it obvious!? It was you, sis!"
"Me!? What did I do!?" she asked, blushing, as she pointed at herself. "I didn't—"
"The power of your love brought him back!" Haruko cut in. "You love him so much that you can revive the dead with your love!"
Judai blinked, wondering where they got that crazy idea. "What?"
"What!?" Clearly Asuka was wondering the same thing. "That's crazy!"
"Oh, is it?" Fubuki asked. "We all know how miserable you were without him! You almost attacked Kathleen Summers, for crying out loud!"
"And you've been spacing out a lot in class! I bet your grades are feeling that one!"
"Yeah, but—"
"So, in order to ease your pain, the gods took mercy on you and gave him back to you!" Fubuki finished. "It's so romantic, really!"
Asuka closed her eyes and pulled out her PDA, blushing all the while. She typed in a message for a person she was contacting too often these days. It read, "Hey, could you get over here, ASAP? They're at it again. Oh! And bring Ryo over as well."
She got an answer within seconds: "Got it, we're on our way."
Asuka answered with a simple thanks, then put her PDA away.
"What were you doing just now?" Haruko asked, curious.
"Oh, nothing," Asuka answered.
"Anyway, that's why we're here!" Fubuki said. "To congratulate you two on—"
Kenzan came in just then, a bag of party goods in his arms, and looked at the two newcomers in confusion. "Huh? What are you two doing here?"
They looked at him, shocked.
"I was going to ask you the same question!" Haruko said. "Aren't you a bit of a third wheel?"
"Third wheel? What are you talking about?"
Misawa came in next, two plastic bags hanging from his arms and a plate of lobster in his hands. He looked at the two intruders and said, "Ah, good. I see you got Fubuki. Now all that's left is to invite the Kaiser and—Uh, one minute." He glanced around Fubuki at the girl, asking, "why's Haruko here?"
Fubuki gaped at the two on the couch. "So, wait, you weren't celebrating your new-found relationship!? But I thought—"
"Relationship?" Judai said. I wish!
Then two more arrived—Akiko and Ryo. Akiko crossed her arms and gave Haruko a stern glare. The orange-eyed girl sweat. Asuka got up and went to talk to Akiko.
Ryo sighed, a hand on his hip, looking at his friend. "What's going on now, Fubuki?"
"Kaiser? What are you doing here?" Judai asked.
Ryo looked at Judai, then stared in disbelief. When he recovered, he headed down the stairs, stopping next to the couch, as he said, "That's my line, kid. What are you doing here? And have you told Sho about this yet?"
"Asuka brought him back with the power of her—" Haruko started.
"Some otherworldly gods helped me come back to beat some evil that's on this island right now," Judai cut her off. "And I haven't, but I get the feeling he wouldn't care, anyway."
Ryo's expression said he was totally lost. "Okay? And why do you suppose Sho wouldn't care? Seriously, what's going on with you two lately? When I talked to Sho about it, he said he'd decided to forget about you."
"See what I mean?" Asuka said in the background, gesturing to Haruko.
"Haru, you're an idiot, you know that?" Akiko said.
Haruko just laughed nervously—after all, she couldn't defend that. She'd been wrong. Kenzan, meanwhile, put down his bag in front of the TV while Misawa headed to the table to arrange the snacks.
Judai looked down. "Yeah...I know."
"Are you saying you don't even know?" Ryo asked him.
"Well, you see, Aki," Fubuki said in the background, "it makes sense when you stop and think about it, really."
Judai shrugged. "I died, he thought I'd left him, so he decided to forget about me. Joining the Society of Light didn't exactly make him forget, but it did make him stop caring."
Ryo raised an eyebrow and asked, "Is that what he told you?"
"No, it doesn't Tenjoin!" Akiko snapped at Fubuki.
He laughed awkwardly. "Well, uh..."
Misawa turned when he heard Akiko yell. "Wait. What's going on?" he asked.
"They think Asuka's love brought Judai back from the dead!" she answered.
Misawa looked thoughtful. "Hmm. An interesting theory... Too bad it's false."
"Wait, what?" Kenzan said, looking at Misawa in disbelief.
Tuning out the background noise, Judai answered Ryo with, "He might as well have..."
"So he didn't tell you anything else, then? Like what he did before joining the Society of Light?" Ryo asked, crossing his arms.
"No. Why?"
"Because what I heard was he tried committing suicide first."
Judai stared at Ryo for a second. "Yeah, I figured he'd done that...," he said after a moment.
Ryo nodded, then looked up at Fubuki. "Fubuki claims to have seen him jump off a cliff and into the sea."
"Hey, I didn't just see it! I had to go in after him afterwards! Right, Haru?" He turned to the girl.
She nodded. "Uh-huh! It was terrifying."
"Luckily we were there. But I was worried he'd try it again with the way he was acting, so I called Ryo to come slap some sense into him."
Ryo nodded. "And I've been here ever since. So far, however, Sho hasn't even shown an ounce of concern or sadness. That's why I wanted to know what happened between you two. I've also heard tell of your ghost appearing before some of us here on the island. Was Sho one of them? And is that what this is all about?"
Judai hesitated. "Yeah, he was one of them. He was going to drop out, and I told him I didn't want to see that happen, said that I was still with him in spirit—which I was, at the time. But then he and Asuka left to check on Manjoume, and Atem showed up and told me I had to come with him, and, well..."
"Wait. Is that what Sho meant?" Asuka asked.
Ryo raised an eyebrow, curious as well.
"Huh?" Judai looked at her. "Meant by what?"
Kenzan looked down and said, "Well, you see, Aniki, before Marufuji-senpai joined the light, he said something about you lying to him. We didn't know what he was talking about, though."
Judai was silent as he finally realized why Sho had joined. "He means the part about me being with him in spirit... He said I'd left him, so I asked him why I was there telling him not to drop out if that was true... Looks like this is all my fault..."
Asuka walked over and put a hand on his shoulder. "It's okay, Judai. You can't blame yourself for this. He still chose to join, regardless of what we all knew of the situation. Why, Akiko even talked Haruko out of it right before he agreed by saying the Society killed you."
Judai's eyes widened. He had been hoping that Sho hadn't heard this before he joined. Now, though, there was no denying—Sho had joined a group that had killed him so that he could end the pain, regardless of the group's moral composition.
"Hey, you okay, Aniki?" Kenzan asked, heading over.
"You don't look so good," Misawa added.
Everyone gathered around, looking concerned.
"I...I'm fine. Don't worry," Judai said, faking a smile.
"If it helps, Manjoume kept insisting that it wasn't the Society that did it," Asuka said. "That they were the good guys, not the bad?"
"Yeah, okay," he said. But it didn't sound like that piece of information really helped.
"Sorry, Aniki."
Judai didn't answer, staring at the floor, so Misawa decided to change the subject.
"Uh, well, anyway, guys. I thought we were here for a party? Not to mope around thinking of another friend we've practically lost. I'm sure we'll get him back anyway, right?"
"Right," Judai said quietly.
"He's right, Judai," Asuka added. "Don't worry about it. Right now, we should just focus on the fact that we're all together again and worry about the rest later, okay?"
"That sounds like a great idea!" Fubuki said. "Can we join!?"
"Yeah!" Haruko said, revealing who exactly the "we" in that question had been.
"Okay, you're right, Asuka," Judai said.
She nodded, then she turned to her brother and said, "Sure, Nii-san. You can all stay, if you want to."
"Alright! Time to party!" Fubuki said, pumping a fist in the air.
"Yay!" Haruko cheered.
The rest of the day was party time. Even Akiko stuck around, claiming she aimed to keep Haruko in line. When the party finally died down, Asuka and Kenzan moved back into the Red Dorm, with Asuka taking Manjoume's room again and Kenzan going back to the top bunk in Judai's.
After the day he'd had, Kenzan was out like a light in minutes, but Judai's mind wouldn't settle down so that he could join him.
Sho joined the Society of Light after he'd heard someone say they'd killed me? Why would he do that? I thought we were friends! And what am I gonna do to take out this dumb light and save the world? Then how do I stabilize this body?
Kenzan snorted and rolled over, then he did it again.
Judai stared at the bottom of the bed above, having been reminded that he had a roommate. "Well, at least Kenzan still cares...," he muttered.
"Saurus...," he said in his sleep.
This paved the way for a new train of thought. I've gotta find a way to stabilize this body. Everyone thinks I'm back to stay, Asuka included. Then he thought about his feelings for that girl and the fact that his time may still be limited. Hmm... If I can't find a way to stabilize this body, I should probably tell Asuka how I feel... Why would Fubuki and Haruko think her love brought me back from the dead? She doesn't love me, does she?
Rather than leading into something else that may or may not have been related, that last thought lingered. He thought about how Haruko had said Asuka had been crying all night and spacing out in class. He thought about Fubuki saying that she had almost killed another student because of his death. Then he thought about how Kathleen, Haruko, Momoe, and Junko had all been bothering her about whatever had been going on.
What was going on while I was dead? he wondered. "Could it be true...?"
He never got to sleep that night. Before he knew it, the sun was shining through the curtains. Kenzan yawned, climbed out of bed, and looked to the bottom bunk as if he were making sure that Judai was really there. When he saw the older boy laying in bed with his eyes open, he smiled.
"Morning, Aniki! Have a nice night?"
"Uh, yeah!" Judai answered, sitting up.
"That's good," Kenzan said. "So, whatcha doing up already? You're never up this early!" he teased, grinning.
"Heh... I dunno."
"Heh. Well, I'm gonna get ready for class, then! You coming?"
"Yeah, I'm coming," he answered, getting up off his bed.
Judai had never seen something so beautiful. The cafeteria. Oh, how he'd missed it! And the food! Especially the food!
As Kenzan ate, he couldn't help but notice that Judai seemed to be scarfing his food down with even more vigor than usual.
"Wow, Aniki. Are the soybeans really that good today?" he asked.
Judai stopped eating long enough to say, "I've missed them so much!" Then he went back to stuffing his face.
Kenzan laughed. "Yeah, I guess you would! Why, to a guy like you, all food's precious, isn't it?" he teased.
Judai was too busy eating to answer, which was enough of an answer for Kenzan. He laughed again.
Each of Judai's teachers started when they saw him that morning, but they didn't ask any questions, so Cronos must have talked to them about the situation. They tried not to stare too much. His classmates had a bit of trouble focusing that morning, too. In his first class, someone raised a hand before the teacher had even said anything. He was told not to ask if it had anything to do with the walking dead, and he put his hand down.
Sho wasn't there. That was the only difference Judai noticed. Then again, neither was Manjoume. Or, for that matter, anybody in a white uniform. It was like the whole Society of Light was skipping school together. Regardless, after the initial shock of having class with a dead guy faded, people even stopped staring at Judai and started focusing on the lessons. With class being class and not getting any sleep last night, he fell back on his old habit—sleeping through class.
Come lunch, Kenzan was laughing, teasing him again. "Gee, Aniki, for a guy who's glad to be back at school, you sure ain't acting like it by still sleeping in class."
"Would it help if I said I was too thrilled to sleep last night?" he asked, rubbing his head.
"No. Not really," Misawa laughed.
"Oh." He yawned, making Asuka laugh.
"But if you're falling asleep at lunch time, too, we may count it!" she said.
"Aki!" Kathleen yelled from a few tables over. "You're such a jerk! Why didn't you tell me they were celebrating!? I've been helping them out, too!"
They looked, along with everyone else in the cafeteria. Kathleen was standing across the table from Akiko, her hands on the table.
"So sorry if I didn't think to invite you to a party I was only privy to because Haru had wild ideas about Judai's revival," Akiko answered.
"That's your problem! You weren't even supposed to be there, so why not ask if I could come!? We were both involved without being a part of their group, ya know!"
While Akiko retorted with a comment about how the two of them weren't even friends and she wouldn't expect Kathleen to invite her to a party, Asuka sweat. "Right. Probably should have invited her..."
"Now that you mention it, she had been trying to help out some, hadn't she?" Misawa said.
"Then shouldn't one of us go over there and take some of the scolding, too?" Judai asked hesitantly. "I mean, since it's not all Akiko."
Kenzan got up, saying, "Right, I'll go. Hey! Kathleen!" he called, running over. "It wasn't her fault! Uh, I mean, not this time, at least!"
"You know, I think I'll go, too," Misawa said, standing up. "She's been helping me out mostly." He headed over, intending to take some of the blame.
Suddenly Judai was wide awake. They had just left him alone here with Asuka. Now was his chance.
But she started getting up, too. "I'll go, too. She was really concerned about me, after all. Annoying or not, at least she cared."
"Uh, actually, Asuka, can we talk?" Judai asked.
She stopped and turned back. "Hmm? What is it?"
"Uh, well..." He looked around the cafeteria, noticing all the ears, then suggested, "Let's take this somewhere private?"
Asuka looked at him, confused. "Okay."
He took her to the roof, grateful to find it empty.
"So what's the big secret?" Asuka asked. "And why'd we have to come all the way up here for it?"
"Well, see, when I died, I realized that there was...there was something I should've...should've said to you..."
"Hm?"
"I...well, that is..."
She just stared at him questioningly, waiting for him to say it.
You're gonna die again soon! he chided himself. Then, "I lo—"
Haruko burst through the door, cutting him off. "Oh! You...you two are here?"
Asuka looked at her. "Haruko! What are you doing here?"
"Running from a stalker?"
"Really? Again?"
And just like that, Judai lost Asuka's attention.
"Perfect timing again, Haruko...," he muttered. This is the second time she's interrupted me...
"I thought you said you were telling Akiko about him," Asuka said to Haruko.
"I did, and she beat him up. But he won't quit!"
Asuka sighed. "Come on. Let's go tell Temporary Cronos about him," she said, leading the other girl off the roof.
Judai stood there for a moment, alone. "Aw, man!" he said, kicking the ground. "How am I supposed to tell her if someone interrupts me every time!?"
He sighed, then headed back down to finish his lunch.
In the white dorm, Manjoume had called a meeting. He finally came to grips with the reality of the situation—Judai being alive—and told the entire Society the bad news. The darkness was back. Judai Yuki was alive.
"What'd you just say!?" Sho asked, his eyes wide.
"You can't be serious!" someone else added.
"Oh, it's true alright!" Manjoume said. "I saw him with my own eyes!"
"B-but that's impossible! No one comes back from the dead!"
"Yeah! What he said!"
Things got pretty rowdy as most of the other White students argued against Manjoume.
"Look, I know it sounds impossible, but—"
Sho spaced out as the others kept arguing. Aniki's alive again? Could that really happen? And why didn't anyone tell me?
Needing a fact check, Sho slipped out while Manjoume tried to convince the others that he wasn't crazy.
After school, Judai and his friends were all gathered in Manjoume's room at the Red Dorm. After losing him once, time with Judai had become insanely important. Asuka filled him in on what had happened with Haruko and the stalker, sitting on the couch with him.
"So, now that Temporary Cronos knows what's going on, he's promised to have that guy expelled," Asuka finished.
Kenzan and Misawa were fighting over the television. Kenzan wanted to watch a dinosaur documentary. Misawa wanted to watch the news. Ryo and Fubuki were talking near the door, Fubuki leaning his back against the railing.
"Good to know," Judai said. "So Haruko won't be running for her life from the guy anymore?"
"Well, hopefully not! Remember what Rei did, though. For all we know, he could try the same thing. You know how crazy stalkers can get."
"Yeah, I guess. She needs a restraining order."
"I guess. Hopefully that'll work!" She looked amused at the thought that this guy would be so desperate as to sneak back in after being expelled.
Noticing that everyone else was still busy, Judai said, "So, Asuka, about what I was trying to say earlier..."
"What about it?" she asked.
"I—"
There was a knock at the door.
"Hmm. Wonder who that is?" Ryo said, heading to get the door.
If he thought Asuka would be paying any attention, Judai might have continued. As it was, with her staring at the door just like everyone else, he growled.
When Ryo opened the door, Sho was standing there in his white uniform, out of breath.
"Sho? What are you doing here?"
He took some deep breaths, then asked, "I...Is it...true...?"
"Is what true, Marufuji-senpai?" Kenzan asked, walking over.
"Is it true that Aniki's come back to life! Manjoume-kun says he saw him! Oh, just get out of my way." He shoved through the two, then stared in disbelief when he saw Judai sitting on the couch with Asuka, who stood up, stunned. "An...Anik..."
Judai stared at him for a moment, his anger suddenly gone, having been replaced with apprehension. "Hey, Sho," he said, his tone carefully neutral.
"B-but how—" He cut himself off, but nobody answered. After a moment's silence, he growled and turned to the others, glaring. "WHY DIDN'T YOU GUYS TELL ME!?" he demanded.
Kenzan started, "Well, we would've if you weren't—"
"Weren't what!? You guys think that just 'cause I'm a member of the Society of Light that I don't want to be informed about important things like this!? What's wrong with you!?"
"Sho," Asuka said. "We just thought—"
"You thought it was a good thing I was dead, Sho," Judai said, staring at the floor. His tone was still neutral. "Me coming back to life's probably horrifying to you."
Sho turned to him, shocked. "A-Aniki. Th-that's not—"
"I'm evil, Sho, so I'm supposed to be dead. Me being alive spells disaster, doesn't it?"
"Uh, well, w-what I mean to say is—b-but it doesn't have to—"
"Say what you want."
You could have cut the tension in the room with a knife just then. Even Sho noticed it.
"W-well, what I mean to say is you don't have to interfere!" he said. "Th-then you wouldn't be a threat anymore?" He laughed nervously, sweating.
Judai didn't answer, still staring at the floor.
"S-so? What do you say?" Sho said before giving an awkward laugh.
For a moment, it looked like Judai wouldn't say anything. Then he said, "Get out, Sho."
"W-what!? A-are you saying you're—"
"I don't want to hang out with a guy who thinks I'm either evil or capable of being evil. What kind of a friend are you!?" He finally looked at Sho, betrayed. "Akiko accuses the Society of murdering me right in front of you, and two minutes later you join!?"
"Uh, right," Misawa said. "Well, we'll let you two have your little talk then..."
"If you need us, we'll be outside," Kenzan added.
They all headed outside, leaving Sho and Judai to talk.
Sho started, "Hey, Manjoume said—"
"Said what? That the Society didn't kill me? You always believe everything Manjoume says? Or did you just join because he said that it would make the pain go away, because you wanted to forget about me, because you—" He cut himself off, not sure what else to say.
Sho sweat. "I, uh..."
"That's what I thought... You tried to kill yourself first, so I guess this is an improvement. Except now you think I'm evil, and you—" He cut himself off again, then added, "Just get out, Sho."
"W-wait, who told you that!? I never said—" He cut himself off, realization lighting up his face. "Haruko! J-just wait til I get my hands on her!"
"Don't yell at her. It was your brother who told me. He wanted to know what's going on between us."
Sho stared at him for a moment. "Oh... Well, uh... Heh. Th-that didn't really happen!" he said, waving his arms around frantically.
"I already figured that it had, Sho, so lying won't help you any."
Sho sweat, his eyes wide. "Oh..."
Judai sighed. "Sho, why did you even try that in the first place?" He shook his head, saying, "Never mind, don't answer that. I think I already know. But you know the funny thing about that?" He looked at Sho and said, "When I 'left' you after saying I didn't wanna see you drop out, it was because I was trying to come back to life so that I could be here physically again! You joined a group to forget about me, probably because you felt betrayed, and wound up betraying me instead!"
This probably wouldn't have hurt him so much if not for the fact that it was the group that had killed him and he was on the verge of dying again. If he didn't stop this group, he'd die. If they found out he had to stop them, they'd probably kill him again. And Sho was in that group, so he'd be okay with that. Hell, he might even be the one to do it.
"I'm sorry, Aniki," Sho said. "I didn't mean to."
Judai lowered his head, hiding his eyes. "Just get out, Sho. You don't wanna be around me, anyway. I'm evil, remember?"
"But it doesn't have to be that way! You don't—"
"Do any of the members of your group have White Night cards?" Judai cut him off without lifting his head.
"Well, they should. They're our team symbol. Why?"
"Then your society killed me. Whether you believe me or not, White Night Dragon was the monster that finished me off."
With his piece said, he got up and headed out, deeming this conversation over.
Sho, unfortunately, didn't agree, and the last thing he said just made Judai feel even worse. "But, Aniki! You don't understand! It had to be done! Hey!" he called, running after Judai when the brunette didn't stop. "Come back here!"
Later that night, Judai and Kenzan were getting ready for bed. Judai had been unusually quiet since he had spoken with Sho that afternoon. Oh, he had acted as if he were okay, but they could all tell that the conversation the two former best friends had shared was bothering Judai.
"So how'd it go with Sho earlier?" Kenzan asked since they were finally alone. "Are you gonna be okay?"
"I'll be fine," Judai answered, his tone harsh. The message was clear: drop it.
"That bad, huh?"
Judai didn't answer, pretending he hadn't heard, and crawled into bed instead.
"Sheesh. I know I wanted him to back off, but I didn't want it this badly! Do you think you guys will ever be friends again?"
No answer.
"Aniki?"
He pulled the covers over his head.
Kenzan took the hint. "Well, good night, Aniki. Hope tomorrow's a better day for ya."
He climbed into bed, sincerely hoping that Sho and Judai would go back to being friends someday. Never thought I'd want that guy around, he mused. But Aniki's really upset about him being in the Society of Light. Here's hoping they can work it out eventually.