A/N: A new chapter! Enjoy! We don't own Yugioh GX.
The next day, Judai pulled a black turtleneck shirt on to hide the bandages. He had plans to meet up with some friends who didn't know about the events of last night, and he didn't want to worry them. Especially considering that one was Sho.
When he headed to breakfast, while neither of his parents openly asked what had happened, he could see the question in his mother's eyes. She kept glancing at him, as if she were waiting for him to suddenly explain what had happened the night before. Unable to take it anymore, he finally settled on an excuse that was half true.
"Okay, fine, you wanna know what happened last night?" he asked.
"Oh, no, it's fine, honey, if you don't want to talk about it," his mom said, though he could hear her eagerness in her tone.
"Well, I got into a fight with another one of the guys at the dance."
"A fight?" his mother asked.
"Yeah. I know, I shouldn't have done that. But he came out of it worse than me."
Again, half true—Johan had made sure Fubuki paid for hurting his friend.
His father shook his head. "But what were you fighting about, son?"
Judai stood up, pretending he hadn't heard the question, and said, "I've gotta go. Today's Sho's and Hayato's field test, and I wanna make sure they both actually go."
With that, he ran out the door, his parents calling for him to come back.
When he was gone, his mom turned to her husband and said, "Didn't he say that test was this afternoon? Why is he leaving so early?"
"There's something that boy's not telling us," his dad said.
"So what do we do?"
"I suppose all we can do is wait for him to tell us on his own," Dad said, shaking his head.
It was a good thing Judai had decided to head over there that afternoon—Hayato was having trouble getting Sho to come out from under his bed.
"I can't," Sho said when told to come out and go take the test. "It's not going to work out, anyway. I'm no good at dueling."
"Aw, come on, Sho," Judai said. "How do you know if you don't even try?"
"Remember this guy?" Hayato asked, holding up The Little Engine That Could. "He said he couldn't do it, too, then he tried it, still unsure, and saved the day! You can do that, too. Come on. I'm going!"
"Yeah, well..."
"Come on, Sho! I know you can do it," Judai encouraged.
Sho sighed. "I guess I could," he said, crawling out from under the bed. "I mean, I said I wanted to, so..."
"Alright!" Hayato said. "Way to go, pal! So, we ready?"
"I guess..."
Judai smiled. "Good luck, guys! I'm sure you'll get in!"
"If you say so...," Sho said uncertainly.
"Yeah... Well, let's go, then!" Hayato said. "Later, Judai, and thanks!"
He ran out, followed by a still reluctant Sho.
"Sheesh," Yubel said. "That boy. He's younger than you are mentally."
"I resent that," Judai said.
"What? Aren't you a five-year-old? I peg him as at least three, by the way."
"Ha, ha, funny," Judai said, heading out of Sho's room.
At the mall, Johan, who had taken his practical exam that morning, along with Kathleen, was trying very hard to talk sense into Akiko...involving Kathleen.
"Aki, for the umpteenth time, Kathy doesn't need a babysitter! She's had some coffee since then, and nothing's happened!"
"Johan!" Kathleen exclaimed—he wasn't supposed to tell Akiko that Kathy had gotten her hands on coffee again.
"What!?" Akiko demanded. "You've let her have caffeine!? When did this happen!?"
"Now, Aki, calm down," Kathleen said, sweating nervously. "It wasn't that bad."
"YOU SAID I LOOK GOOD EATING LUNCH!" Akiko bellowed, referring to the last caffeinated Kathy incident. "To this day, I'm still trying to figure out what the hell you meant by that!"
"I said what now?"
"Yeah! And then you started making out with Johan, and I'm pretty sure you should've gotten a room for what you seemed to want to do!"
Johan sweat, thinking about it. "Uh, yeah... But that's all in the past! I mean, look at her! She's fine now! That was just her first time, that's all!"
"She can't handle caffeine!" Akiko insisted. "She can have coffee, as long as it's decaf! I just don't want a crazy, drugged red-head running around town with no idea what she's doing!"
"But, Aki, I've already had a cup!"
After a moment of silence, Akiko asked, "When?"
"The morning before our feud!" Kathleen answered. "I said I'd been up all night making that thing, so naturally I had a cup right before we went out! And it was black, too!"
Akiko was silent for a moment before, reluctantly, she said, "Fine."
"So, does that mean you'll stop bugging her all the time and move back home?" Johan asked hopefully.
"Sure," she answered. "After all, Asuka's staying with me, anyway, so I probably should."
"Yes!" Kathleen exclaimed. "Finally! I get my room back!"
"So, if that's true, you should probably go get Asuka and pack up your things," Johan told Akiko.
"Yeah, yeah," she said, walking off.
"Hey, wait for me!" Kathleen called, running after her. "It's my house!"
Back at home, Judai was in his room when his mother came knocking.
"Judai?" she asked, opening the door. "There's a man named Fubuki here to see you."
"Uh... I'm not here."
"He says it's really important and can't wait. Are you sure?"
"One hundred percent."
"Well, okay, then." She shut the door and headed off to tell Fubuki that Judai wasn't available.
"Now why'd you have to go and do that?" Yubel asked. "I've been waiting for that son of a—"
"I don't want to see him, that's why!" he cut her off.
A nervous voice at his window ruined his hopes that the guy would give up. "Uh, Judai? You there?"
Judai jumped, turning to the window. He just had to have a bedroom on the first floor, didn't he? There, in the window, was the last person Judai wanted to see—Fubuki Tenjoin. He was wearing sunglasses, and there was a bandage on his nose.
Yubel appeared beside Judai, looking ready to attack. "Well, well..."
"Hi, what's up?" Fubuki asked, raising a hand in greeting.
"Ooh! That guy! I'm gonna—"
"What do you want?" Judai asked, backing away from the window.
"Uh, listen, about last night..." Fubuki looked down, then took a deep breath and finished, "I'm sorry..."
"Nightmar—Wait, what?" Yubel blinked, stunned, as she cut herself off right before she attacked him.
"What?"
"I'm sorry, okay? You see, I—" He cut himself off, not sure how to explain himself.
Judai took a shot at finishing for him. "You thought I was gonna hurt your sister, or that I was controlling her? Both of which are not only way off but insulting?"
"Well...Momoe thought up the second part when I told her, so..."
"Okay, that's it!" Yubel exclaimed—any second now, she was gonna hit that guy up with some Nightmare Pain.
Yubel..., Judai warned silently.
"Look, the point is, I was wrong," Fubuki said. "You may be a wild duel monster, but, unlike the others, you're not dangerous, I think. At least, I hope you're not, anyway! Are you!?"
It seemed that the jerk was rethinking the words he had just said. Well, it wasn't like Judai expected him to really think that he wasn't dangerous. That was a hopeless cause, one he had given up on last night.
"No," he said anyway. "I'm not dangerous. And you shouldn't be so quick to judge. Not all duel spirits are dangerous."
"Really?"
"And now you see why my empire exists," Yubel told Judai, her arms crossed. "He's a prime example."
"Yeah," Judai told Fubuki. "Just like not all humans are heartless, like I was taught."
"Yeah, yeah, shut it."
"But throughout all of history, there are countless stories of wild monster attacks and deaths! I've never even heard of a wild one with a heart!"
"Of course you wouldn't. But history varies depending on your perspective. The history I grew up learning said that humans were all evil and would betray their own kind to save their own skins. That parents would abandon their kids and everyone only cares for themselves. That's the way the duel spirits see it."
"What!? But that's ridiculous! Why would I be trying so hard to protect my little sister if any of that were true!? That's crazy talk right there."
"That's how duel spirits see it," Judai said with a shrug. "And, what with the way you've been treating me just because I'm half duel spirit, I'm not surprised they feel that way. You think duel spirits are dangerous, so you treat them as such. That leads them to think you're evil, which makes them act defensively when they see you, reinforcing your idea that they're dangerous. It's a never-ending cycle. I'm not sure where it started, but it's led to a huge misunderstanding."
"Really?" Fubuki asked, genuinely surprised. "Wow. That's incredible. So, is there any way to end it?"
"Why are you asking me?"
"Well, I guess because you're kinda like a bridge between the two worlds. You've seen the world through the eyes of man and beast and can relate to and understand the feelings of both. In fact, if there's anyone out there that can mend the fences, it would have to be you, the dude who's part both. After all, who better than someone like that?"
Judai was quiet, thinking about this. It had never occurred to him that he could do anything. But, thinking about it, he had suffered cruelties at the hands of Yubel and her followers and at the hands of Fubuki. On the other hand, he had seen the good in both the duel spirits he had lived with most of his life and the humans he was living with now. Maybe there was something he could do to change things.
Yubel was also quiet a moment before saying, "Wow. Never thought of that. Now I'm honored."
"Well, anyway, Judai," Fubuki said. "I'm sorry for acting like that. Bygones?"
"...Yeah. Bygones."
"Good. Then the next time you see my sister, please tell her that her idiot brother's fine with her dating you, okay? But don't get the wrong idea. I still don't trust you. One wrong move, and you're dead, understand?"
With that established, Fubuki walked off, not even waiting for an answer.
"Did you really just forgive him like that?" Yubel asked. "You know it's thanks to him that the whole school probably thinks you're a monster now, right?"
Judai lowered his head. "...I know..."
"And you wonder why the ladies love you. You're too nice, kid."
Judai didn't answer—he was too busy thinking of how he was going to tell his parents that he wasn't going back to that dumb school of his. After all, if Yubel was right and the entire student body thought he was a monster, it would be best if he didn't go back there. Who knew what they would do?
