((Hello, everyone! Here is Chapter 13 of Uncharted Islands! Is this the end? Does Judai finally confess to Johan? Will Johan except? You will just have to read and find out.
I don't own Yugioh GX or any of its characters.
There may be a bit of OOC in this chapter as well, maybe… I don't know. I will let you decide))
Chapter 13
Judai gazed up at the ceiling of his room as he tried to calm himself. He had just returned from his third failed attempted at trying to woo Johan. He had been trying since Sunday to meet with Johan and try to confess his feelings before it was too late. His first attempt took place on Sunday and had ended in failure. The next day he had decided to make a cake for the boy he loved. When he went to drop the cake off there was no one at home and Judai was meant with disappointment again. He had left the cake at the door step in hopes that Johan would find it and seek Judai out. Yubel had talked Judai into waiting a few days before going to see Johan again. She had said to give Johan a bit more time before assuming Johan did not find the cake, or simply did not want to meet with Judai. Judai never received any sort of call from Johan, so on Thursday, today, Judai had tried a third time to win Johan's heart.
Judai had bought Johan some chocolates and a rose as his third attempt. It may have been a bit sappy and not really his style but he was starting to feel desperate. He had not seen the teal haired boy in over a week and was starting to worry that Johan didn't even want to see him. When Judai had knocked on Johan's door, he was met by the last person he wanted to see, Bret. Judai had a feeling that Bret had been the reason Johan never received the cake. Judai had almost lost his cool at the sight of the cocky purple haired boy. Bret and Judai had argued at the door as Judai demanded to see Johan. Judai had a sinking feeling that Johan had been in the shower and that Bret was trying to keep them apart. Judai had badly wanted to punch Bret straight in the face but knew that would only cause more problems than it was worth. By the end of it Judai had decided to come again another day. He had been royally pissed off at Bret and knew that if he tried to confess at that time, he would mess it up. In the end, Judai once again left Johan's dorm empty handed, and this time pissed off.
At the moment Judai was lying on his bed, alone in his room, attempting to cool his temper down. He was still mad at Bret for keeping him from his Johan. 'Who does that jerk think he is!? Does he really think he can get between Johan and I?' Judai thought as he clenched some of his bedding in his fists. 'If he every tries anything like that again…' Judai thought as he shot a nasty look at the ceiling. Judai then took a deep breath in an attempt to relax himself. He knew that even if Bret kept them apart, as long as Johan was okay, Judai would never be able to bring himself to hurt the purple haired boy.
Judai rolled onto his side as his mind drifted from anger to a strange mix of sorrow and worry. 'Had Bret been telling the truth? Is Johan avoiding me? Did Johan find the cake and decided to ignore my message,' Judai thought as a strange lump began to grow in his throat. "No No NO! Johan would never do that! He would never ignore me if he knew I was reaching out to him! If he had found the cake then he would have surely…" Judai said aloud as he shot up in bed and tried to keep his thinking positive. Judai didn't know if Bret had been the one to keep the cake from Johan but he did know that Bret had kept them apart today. Judai had a feeling that Bret would keep up this act until Judai ether gave up on Johan, or until Johan's feelings for Judai disappeared. Judai used Bret's behavior today as a way to prove that Johan still had feelings for him. If Johan was over Judai, then Bret would have no reason to keep them apart. Judai was starting to feel better already. Though Judai knew Bret was keeping them apart, he felt that Bret was doing it because Johan was still not over him. There was still time!
Judai's brow furrowed a bit as he tried to think of his next game plan. He had tried cake, and flowers and chocolate thus far and was at a loss of what to do next. Judai let out a big sigh as he looked around his room. As his eyes studied around the room for ideas, his attention was grabbed by the keychain he had received from Johan for Christmas. It sat on the side table by his bed. It was one of his most treasured items. He reached out and picked up the wooden figure by its chain and held it up. "No wonder he acted so strange back then…" Judai whispered with a smile as he studied the detail of the figure. It was evident that Johan had put much time and love into making the figure as accurate as possible. Judai's eyes saddened as he recalled Johan's confession. 'Had Johan really been in love with me since summer,' Judai thought as he let out another sigh. He could not help but feel saddened by the thought that Johan had kept these feeling hidden for so long. 'It must have been so terrifying for him and I just…' Judai thought as a dull pain grew in his heart. 'What am I going to do…?' Judai thought as his mind started to go blank.
"Maybe you should talk to someone, Judai. I am sure your friends are going to notice something is up," Yubel said in a monotone voice as she appeared next to Judai.
Judai jumped at the sound of Yubel's voice "Huh!? What?" Judai said as he returned to reality.
"I said you should talk with your friends Judai," Yubel replied as she looked up at the ceiling in an attempt to not make eye contact with Judai. "They will notice something is wrong and worry," Yuble said as she quickly glanced over at Judai.
"I know but… I just… It's not their problem… and…" Judai said as he tried to talk himself out of consulting his friends. He never minded it when his friend looked to him for encouragement but he could not help but feel like a bother when he got his friends mixed up in his problems.
"Judai! They are your friends, as well as Johan's, and they will be more than willing to help you both out! They care for you…" Yubel said, finally making proper eye contact with Judai. She knew that there was not much she could do to help Judai out as is. She also knew that Judai was at a loss and a push form those close to him could really do the boy some good. Judai just looked to Yubel without saying a word, her words sinking into his mind. "If you ask me, I think you should let someone know… someone who you trust and always give sound advice…" Yuble said after a few moments of silence. Without waiting for a reply from Judai, she disappeared.
Judai sat alone once again with his thoughts. 'Maybe Yubel is right! Maybe I should get some advice… but who should I talk to?' Judai thought as he looked around his room yet again. He knew he was not going to ask Fubuki. He had seen what Fubuki's advice could lead to. Judai was a naïve person when it came to love but he knew better then to ask his overzealous friend for help in a situation this delicate. Judai then thought about Jim. Jim was the most mature out of Judai's male friends. Jim always seemed to keep a level head and would often think things through before doing them, but how much did Jim know about love? Judai had never seen Jim deal with love before. For all Judai knew, Jim was just as naive when it came to love as he was. Judai sat and thought hard. This matter was something very important to Judai, maybe the most important thing in his life at the moment and he needed to make sure he picked the right person. "If I can't turn to Jim or Fubuki… then who…?" Judai thought aloud as he scratched his chin and looked up at the ceiling.
All of a sudden it hit him! Why didn't he think of it before! With much haste Judai shot out of his bed and dug his phone from his backpack. He juggled it in his hands a bit as he pulled it out. His hands shook as he turned his phone on. He pushed a few buttons and rolled through his small phonebook as he tried to find the person he was looking for. A big smile graced his face when he found the name His hands shaking with excitement, he pushed the call button and held the phone to his ear. He waited impatiently as the phone began to ring.
"Hello?" came the, oh so familiar, voice of his friend Asuka.
"Asuka? Is that you?" Judai asked stupidly, knowing very well who the stern girly voice belonged to.
"J-Judai?" Asuka questioned, feeling quite shocked to be getting a call from the brown haired duelist. He never called her unless… "Judai… why are you calling me… Is something wrong?"
"What? How… How did you know I had a problem?" Judai asked, wondering if Asuka had the power to read minds.
Askua rolled her eyes as she listened to Judai's shaky voice. She had rarely ever heard Judai's voice this shaky. "Well, you rarely ever call me just to talk… you often only call me when something is wrong and you need help," she said after a few moments of silence. She could not help but feel a bit flattered knowing that Judai confided in her opinion.
"Oh… yeah… um… sorry about that…" Judai replied, feeling a bit guilty for never taking time to just sit a chat with the girl.
Asuka could not help but smiled as she heard Judai's apology. She didn't really mind. She knew that Judai was not the chatty type. "So… Spill it! What happened?" she said with a big sigh as she readied herself to listen to her friend's problem.
Judai sat in silence as he tried to think of a way to explain the situation to Asuka. He sort of wished that he had thought it out before calling her. "Well… you see… the thing is… I think I really blew it…" Judai finally said in a low sad voice.
Asuka's titled her head to the side as she heard the sad tone in the duelist's voice. She had never heard Judai speak with such utter sorrow before. It sounded almost as if his heart was breaking. "What happened…?" Asuka replied after a few seconds of nothing being said by ether party.
"It…." Judai said as he swallowed a hug lump in his throat. Thinking about his problems was one thing, but talking about them and admitting that they were real was a whole new ball park; a very painful one. "You see…. It has to do…. with…. Johan," Judai's voice cracked a bit when he said the name of his love.
Asuka's eyes widened at the name of the teal haired duelist. She had noticed a few months ago that Johan had been acting strange around Judai, almost as if he were in love with the brown haired duelist. At the time she felt that it was none of her business and had an inkling that Judai's feelings were not too far off from Johan's. 'What could have happened between them…' she thought as she tried to find the right words to reply to Judai. With a deep sigh she finally spoke "What happened between you two?… Tell me everything."
Judai could not help but wince at Asuka's words. The idea of telling Asuka everything created a sickening sensation that started from his stomach and spread to the rest of his body. He did not want to admit to others that he had hurt Johan so bad. Despite the pain it would bring to verbally admit to another what had happened, Judai knew he had to tell Asuka the truth if he expected to receive useful help from the girl. "Well, you see… It happened about a week ago… Johan and I both went to an aquarium together…" Judai started to explain, deciding that it was best to start from the beginning.
Asuka nodded her head and 'Umhum' every now and then to show that she was listening to Judai. Never in all her years did she think Judai would fall this hard for anyone.
XXX
Johan packed a small bag as he readied himself to head out to Risa's café. It was early Saturday morning and he had made plans with Bret to spend the day at the dueling café. Johan had skipped out on duel class the other day, still not ready to face Judai. After water polo practice he has messaged in sick, and stayed locked in his room all day long. He had validated his behavior by saying he needed to catch up on studies in other classes, granted he did get a lot of work done, he still felt like a cowered for hiding from Judai. The idea of seeing the boy and having to accept his rejection in front of the whole class sent a jolt of discomfort through Johan. He just wasn't ready for it. What pained Johan even more was knowing that Judai hadn't even tried to contact him all week. 'Maybe I really did scare him away,' Johan thought as the dull pain in his heart began to resurface yet again. His eyes then caught the small silver Ruby keychain that hung form his bag. He had put it there a few days ago. Despite his rejection, Johan could not let go of the present from his crush. There was something about it that reminded him of how close he and Judai had been and, hopefully, still are.
"Are you ready to go yet, Doll Face?" Bret asked as he looked over his shoulder at his melancholy roommate. He noticed the awkwardly pained look on Johan's face knowing that Johan was probably thinking of Judai yet again. He waited for a second but didn't receive a reply from the teal haired boy. With a sigh he stood up and walked over to his spaced-out roommate. "Hey! Anyone in there," Bret sang as he taped the side of Johan's head.
Johan's eyes widened as he shot back to reality! "Huh?! Did you say something," he sutured as he tried to recall what Bret had said to him.
"Yeah Doll Face! I asked if you were ready to leave!" Bret replied as he poked Johan's nose playfully. This won him a small smile form the teal haired boy.
Though Johan still felt broken, he had been able to smile a bit more recently. He felt so grateful to have such a caring roommate who looked out for him. If it were not for Bret, he probably would have stayed locked up in his dorm room all week, never even leaving for class. Thought Johan also had Liz to thank as well. She had gone out of her way to try and keep the atmosphere cheerful when around Johan. Johan has been grateful that Bret had offered to go with him to the duel café, it would be a good distraction to have someone else there. Bret had even offered to bring his deck to duel with. "Sorry, I guess I just spaced out a bit," Johan replied as a small smile graced his soft lips. "I'm ready to go."
Thought it was small and wavered a bit, Bret savored the sweet smile on Johan's lips with a loving gaze. The two boys sat in silence as Bret studied Johan. Their eyes met for a split second causing a small awkward atmosphere to settle between the two before they both looked away from each other. "Then…um… let's get going, Doll Face" Bret sang in an attempt to lift the awkwardness. He then sauntered over to his back pack and tossed it onto his back.
"Oh… um… right," Johan replied as he tried to place the look he had seen on Bret's face. 'Hadn't Bret made that exact same face during the New Year's countdown…?' Johan thought as he swung his back pack onto his back. He shrugged off the though as he followed his roommate out the door.
The two idly chatted about classes and water polo as they made their way, in Bret's car, to the café. The drive only took about 10minutes. Once at the café the two ordered their meals.
"I see you have added quite a few new items to your menu!" Bret commented as he looked over the menu.
"Ah yes! I suppose you could say I was inspired by… two young and amazing duelists," Risa replied shooting a sly but kind smile in Johan's direction. Johan looked up to Risa and smiled awkwardly before looking back down at the menu. Risa was quite surprised by the boy's reaction. She had expected a bit more enthusiasm. "Well then… What can I get you two?" she asked with a big sigh as she shot a worried look in Johan's direction.
"I will take, the Watapon Smoothie and… the Blue Eyes White Cheese Burger," Bret said with a wink as Risa took his orders. All of the menus items were named after duel monsters. Bret had always found this to be quite amusing.
"Okay, so that is one Watapon and one Blue Eyes," Risa repeated as she wrote the order down. "And how about you Johan?" Risa asked with a kind smile.
Johan could not help but smiled back at Risa. Something about her calming presents lifted some of his worries. "Umm… I will take the Very Berry Neos Smoothie and… the Hane-Kuriboh Chicken Sandwich," Johan replied, not realizing that he had ordered two items that were named after some of the duel spirits Judai was closest to.
Risa wrote down Johan's order before looking back up at the young duelist. She could tell something was terribly wrong with the boy. Johan always seemed to shine like a bright gem wherever he went but now he seemed like a tarnished piece of silver. The boy's hair was a mess, his nose had a pinkness to it, like it had been rubbed one too many times and he seemed to slouch. His eyes had also lost their enchanting shine. "Johan, are you feeling sick? You don't look so well…" Risa asked as she handed the boy his order number to put on his table.
"What… oh…Um… I'm fine," Johan said as a fake smile spread across his pale face. "I was just… up late… studying," he lied, not wanting to worry the kind duelist. 'Do I really look that bad…?' Johan thought as he took the number from Risa.
Risa, not convinced that everything was fine, looked from Johan to Bret. Bret motioned for her to drop the subject. Risa got the hint and nodded her head. "Well, make sure you get lots of rest tonight. I don't want to see one of the top duelists in the area get sick simply because of bad sleeping habits," she replied with a calming sweet smile. Risa was old, and wise, enough to know when not to pry. Thought she wanted to know what the real problem was, she decided to instead try to cheer the boy up. "Now, why don't you two find a seat and relax while I get your orders ready," she said as she motioned to the half full café.
The two boys thanked Risa and made their way to a table. Johan had found a nice two person table that was hidden in the back corner of the café. Realizing that he probably looked reached, he wanted to hide himself from the rest of the diners. Johan took the seat that faced the front door while Bret took the other seat that faced the wall. The two sat in awkward silence as they tried to find an interesting subject to talk about.
Bret could tell that Johan was nowhere near being out of his dejected slump. It bothered him to see the boy so hung up over that brown haired duelist. 'I still don't see what is sooo enchanting about him. He seems like a jerk, who acts all funny and nice but when he does not get away, he becomes a monster… Johan does not deserve that,' Bret thought as he recalled the scuffle he had with Judai on Thursday. He still did not admit that he had been shaken by Judai. He looked across the table at Johan whom looked like he was trying to fight back tears. "You know, Doll Face, you should just forget about him! He is just a selfish jerk… I mean, come on, it's not like he has even tried to contact you since he rejected you, right," Bret said after a few moments of silence. He felt that someone had to tell Johan the 'truth'! That Judai had rejected him and he needed to move on.
Johan looked up from the fork he had been fiddling with and shot a confused look at Bret. "What? Who are you talking…" Johan began to ask but then realized who 'he was'. Johan's heart beat painfully in his chest as he took in what Bret had said. Johan had also noticed that Judai had not bothered to contact him since last weekend. "I… He…is…" Johan stumbled over his words as he tried to control his emotions. It hurt to know that Judai would avoid him like this. "He is probably… just busy…or his phone broke… or…. He doesn't want to…." Johan realized that tears were beginning to gather at the sides of his eyes.
Bret felt a mix of guilt and annoyance at the way Johan had reacted to his statement. Why was Johan still so willing to make up excuses for the stupid brown haired duelist? "Johan, isn't it obvious that he is not interested. Only a shallow person would leave you high and dry like this. I don't see why you bother crying over someone so uncaring!" Bret said in an annoyed tone. He felt bad for the way he was hurting Johan but knew Johan would never get over Judai without a push.
Bret's words hurt Johan more than he was willing to admit. Johan had been telling himself this whole time that Judai had NOT abandoned him. Judai would never do that. Johan and he were too close to fall apart like this, or that's what Johan hoped. For some reason, the way Bret talked about Judai pissed Johan off. Johan knew deep down that Judai was caring and would never hurt his friends on purpose, not unless it was to protect them. "He… probably… just," Johan stuttered as he tried to find reasons as to why Judai would avoid him for a week, but failed to find any.
"See! He is just a waste of your time and tears!" Bret carried on, neglecting to notice the slight hint of annoyance in Johan's posture. "Judai is an annoying, shallow, selfish, uncaring person who-" but Bret was cut off before he could finish.
"JUDAI IS NOT A WASTE OF MY TIME!" Johan shouted as he slammed his hands down onto the table and blinked away his tears. This caused many people sitting around them to jump and shoot concerned glances at the two. It infuriated Johan to no end to hear someone talk about his Judai in such a negative fashion. "Judai has done nothing wrong!" Johan spat as he shot a threatening glare at Bret. "It's not his fault for not liking me, so STOP, accusing him of being selfish, uncaring and shallow!" Johan's eyes were watery but stern as he stared down Bret.
Bret was speechless. He did not expect Johan to react in such a way. He had expected the boy to melt in self-pity at hearing the 'truth' about Judai. Had he gone too far with his lies? Bret knew that Judai had tried at least twice this week to contact Johan and he, Bret, had intervened both. For all he knew, Judai could have come more than just twice this week. He felt sick shame and guilt over take his being for the way he had been acting and for the lies he had been telling Johan. "I…I'm sorry," Bret finally said after a minuet of neither of them talking.
Johan sighed as he regained his composure. "Listen… I know you are just trying to make me feel better but… please don't talk about Judai that way… He really is… a good person… no…. the best person, with a warm heart and always looking out for others wellbeing," as Johan spoke a sad but loving smile graced his soft lips. "It's… It's more like… I'm the wait of ti-" but Johan was unable to finish his sentence as a smoothie and sandwich was placed in front of him.
"Hope you two were not waiting too long," Risa said with a cheerful smile as she placed the food and drinks on the table. "I also have a surprise for you two…" Risa added with a sly grin.
"A surprise?" Johan questioned as he took a sip of his blue Very Berry Neos smoothie, it tasted mainly of blueberries.
"Yes, it's a new item on the list. It's another dessert item, inspired by Judai's deck. I was hoping that you two could give it a try for me before I put it on display," Risa explained with a smile as she looked at the two boys. "It's free of charge," she then added.
Johan's heart gave a funny thump at the sound of Judai's name. "Um… Yeah… I would love to try it," Johan said with an awkward smile. Risa still had no clue what had happened between Johan and Judai.
"Yeah, free food is always good I guess," Bret said, a little ticked off that the dessert was names after a monster from Judai's deck.
"Great! You two can start on your lunch and I will bring it right over," Risa sang as she walked back to the kitchen.
The two boys dug into their meals as they waited for Resa to return. Johan had to admit that the flavor of the Neos smoothie and Hane-Kuriboh sandwich reminded him of Judai.. 'I mean his duel monsters… not Judai… the duel monsters,' Johan thought as a soft blush graced his cheeks. At first they ate in an awkward silence but after a while the two boys started to talk about life in general. While Johan was in the middle of discussing what he had learned about the Giant Kelp forests, Risa had returned with the dessert.
"Now, Judai has never actually played this card against me but he has mentioned it to me many times," Risa stated as she placed a decedent slice of chocolate cake in front of them both. It had chocolate mousse in the middle and dark chocolate black berry ganache on top. It was also decorated with fresh black berries. "I call it, Yubel's Deciant Chocolate Cake," Risa sang as she looked to the boys with expecting eyes.
Johan could not help but truly smile as he heard the name. The cake truly did seem to fit Yubel well, just looking at it made him think of the winged duel monster. "Judai is going to love this when he sees it," Johan said as a true joy filled smile spread across his soft face, forgetting his sorrows for a second.
"What? Do you really think so? Great!" Risa sang as she clapped her hands together. "Well, you two enjoy the free desert and let me know what you think," and with that Risa headed back to the counter.
The two boys sat in silence as they ate their cakes. Johan found the cake to be very fitting for Yubel. The dark chocolate of the cake was very bitter and rich, while the black berried added a tart sweetness that complemented the chocolate well. For a second, Johan imagined sharing a slice of this cake with Judai. His became flustered at the thought but soon his mood sank as he came back to reality. 'What if he really is trying to ignore and avoid me…?' Johan thought as he took a sip of his Very Berry Neos smoothie.
Bret saw the sad look on Johan's soft ivory face. "Um, so, you never finished telling me about that Giant Kelp… I was really interested ya know," Bret said sarcastically in an attempt to distract Johan from whatever was making him sad.
Johan smiled at his roommate knowing very well what he was trying to do. The two chatted as they munched on their cakes. After a while they were only left with their smoothies to sip on. Johan half listened as Bret told him a story about his latest attempts at flirting with the girl at the fast food restaurant on campus. While listening, Johan's eyes scanned around the room arbitrarily looking at people, and that's when it happened. A messy poof of two toned brown hair came in through the front door. Johan felt his heart stop when he saw his heartbreak enter the building. Judai shined as he stood in the doorway and looked around the now full café. Despite the god like glow that shown from Judai, Johan could not help but notice something was off about his crush, like he had not been sleeping well. A ting of worry for the boy passed through Johan's heart as he leaned down against the table in an attempt to hid himself. His heart beat like crazily against his chest as he realized he was not yet ready to see Judai.
"Um… you feeling okay man?" Bret asked as he watched his roommate sink down in his chair.
Johan slumped all the way down out of his chair and onto the floor as he yanked his wallet from his bag and placed a wad of money on the table. "Bret! I think we should leave," Johan replied in a shaky voice, his eyes never leaving Judai. It seemed that Judai had yet to notice the two.
"What? But I still have half my smoothie…" Bret complained.
Without answering Bret, Johan grabbed the boy by the arm and pulled him down under the table as well. "I said we are leaving!" Johan spat in no joke voice. "I put enough money on the table for us both so let's go!" as Johan spoke his yes kept shooting to where Judai was. Judai was next in line to order. Johan neglected to notice that Asuka, Jim and Fubuki were all with him. "We are going to crawl out the back door! No complaints," Johan explained as he made sure Judai was still distracted.
Bret stared at Johan as if he were insane but went along with it anyways. "Whatever you say Doll Face, you just owe me a smoothie the next time we come here," Bret said with a sigh as he gathered his stuff.
"Yeah, sure, whatever," Johan said as he too picked up his back pack. As Johan started to crawl out from under the table, his back pack did not seem to want to come with him. Something on it was caught on the chair. Johan looked up to where Judai was and saw that Risa was pointing in his direction "Crap!" Johan hissed in a quiet voice as he gave his bag one great tug, breaking it free from its hold. He did not seem to notice that his Ruby keychain had been what was stuck and had broken off his bag. In one great leap Johan pushed Bret and they both hid behind a table that was two down from theirs. Johan looked up to see that Risa was pointing and looking at the table that he had just been at not two seconds ago, her face painted with confusion. Johan also noticed Judai shoot an excited look at his table, only to see Judai's face fall from joy to disappointment. Johan could not help but wonder why Judai had been so happy.
"Excuse me, but do you mind," came a very disgruntled voice in Johan's ear.
Johan looked up to see an angry man and a bewildered lady sitting at the table they were hiding behind. "Oh Um… Sorry… I huh… dropped something… Sorry," Johan said awkwardly as he crawled away from the man. He then turned and motioned for Bret to follow him to the back entrance that led out to the beach. He glanced over to see Judai looking around the cafe with a… panicked look on his face. Why did Judai look so panicked? Johan then noticed Risa giving Judai a number and point him to a table that was in their direction. 'Crap, crap ,craaap' Johan's mind sang as he madly crawled to the back door, both he and Bret winning confused expressions from the people they passed. Once they were only a meter from the door Johan stood up and dashed out. As she dashed out of the café Johan swore he heard an angelic voice call his name but he didn't look back.
XXX
"So that's why Johan skipped out no class yesterday, because you dumped him and broke his tender little heart," Fubuki sang as he rubbed his chin and thought. Much to Judai's dismay, Asuka had insisted that Judai tell Fubuki and Jim about his love problems as well. She had argued that four heads were better than one and that, being both Judai and Johan's good friends, they would most likely be good help in getting Johan to give Judai the time of day, if need be it. In the end Judai had agreed to tell the two; he had a sinking feeling that they would figure it out in the end anyways.
"Why didn't you come to us sooner, mate?" Jim asked as the group exited his car and made their way to the duel café.
"Well I…" Judai said as he tried to find a good excuse as to why he had kept it secret from the two. It's not that he didn't trust them, he just could not think straight when it came to Johan.
"Ah, its okay! We understand!" Fubuki sang, slapping Judai hard on the back. "Sometimes we do crazy things when we are in love," he then hummed as he clapped his hands together and leaned on Judai.
Judai shot an annoyed look at the over passionate duelist, not wanting to be touched at the moment. Fubuki shot overly dramatic puppy dog eyes at Judai as he leaned on Judai's shoulder. Unable to truly be annoyed with Fubuki, Judai let out a sigh and rolled his eyes. "Yeah… I guess I am crazy… so crazy that I…" Judai spoke in a shaky voice as he put a hand to his heart. Anytime he thought of Johan, a dull pain would settle in his chest, making it hard for him to do anything. Every last fiber in his body yarned to see Johan, even just a glimpse would do.
His three friends all shot worried looks at the love sick boy as they arrived at the café.
"Judai, it's all going to be okay… the plan will work… It just has too," Asuka said as she placed a comforting hand on Judai's slumped shoulder.
The kind touch shook Judai from his Johan filled thoughts. "Yeah…Thanks… for helping me," Judai replied with a grateful smile as he looked around at his dear friends. It was true, they did indeed have a plan to help Judai win Johan over, Judai was just worried about whether it was going to work or not.
"Don't mention it mate," Jim said as he too gave Judai's shoulder an encouraging pat.
"Yes, I would do anything for love," Fubuki sang as he took Judai hand and gave it a pat.
The four friends sat in silence outside of the café. The whole situation seemed too cheese and scripted causing a funny awkwardness to befall them. As if on que, all four burst into laughter, causing the awkward feeling to lift almost immediately. Judai looked around at the group as he too laughed along. He was thankful for the comfort true friends could bring when you are feeling at your lowest. "Thanks guys! I don't know what I would do without you…" Judai said as a grateful smile awkwardly spread across his face. It had been a while since his last true smile.
The three all smiled back at Judai, not feeling any need to say more. "Well then, how about we order some food and discuss out plan of attack," Fubiki said as he opened the door to the café for the others to enter.
Judai was the first to enter the building. The first think he noticed was how packed the restaurant was at the moment. The other times had been to the café, on none duel even days, it had only been half full. Judai's eyes scanned the full café wondering if there were any empty seats left. "It looks full," Judai commented as his three friends entered the building behind him.
"I have never seen it this packed, I wonder if we will be able to get a seat," Jim said as he too took in the numerous amounts of people in the cafe.
"Well, let's get in line and put our order in before it gets even more crowded," Asuka said as she studied the short line in front of the order counter. There were about three people ahead of Judai.
"Oh my! It looks like they got a new menu," Fubuki pointed out as he read through the menu that hung over the counter. The group all studies the menu as they made their way to the front of the line.
"Oh Judai! Jim! Fubuki! How are you two doing?" Risa greeted when the group arrived at the front of the line.
"Oh, Hello Risa," Judai greeted with a weak smile as he thought about what he wanted to order.
"Hello there! It's been a while, right?" Jim said with a tip of his hat. Karen hissed a hello from his back causing Risa to jump a bit.
"Why, hello there my dear Risa, you look quite perky today," Fubuki sang as he took a
deep dramatic bow.
Risa giggled at the boys before noticing Asuka. "Oh my, Asuka is that you? How have you been?" Risa said as she leaned to the side to get a better look at her.
"Oh, Hello Risa, I have been fine!" Asuka answered with a shy smile. The two girls had only ever met once before. Back in December, before the Christmas party, Asuka had come to the cafe with Jim for a 'friendly' lunch. Asuka cheeks went pink as she remembered the nice time she had with the Aussie boy.
"Well then, how about I take your orders," Risa said with a joyful sigh as she readied her pad of paper and pen.
Judai let the other three go first. He was still having trouble deciding on what to get. It had been days since he had a real apatite. With his mind focused only on Johan, Judai did not have time to think about food. He then noticed two items on the 'new items' menu that caused his stomach to grumble. Everyone looked at Judai as his stomach let out a loud groan. "Oh… I guess… I'm a little hungry," Judai said as he placed a hand on his stomach in an attempt to keep it quiet. 'I wonder why those two items made me feel so hungry after so long,'
Judai thought as he studied the two items on the menu.
"Well, it sounds like you have finally decided on what you want, am I right," Risa giggled as she watched the burnet's attempt to quiet his stomach yet again.
"Oh, right. I guess I have," Judai replied with a silly grin as he held one hand on his stomach and the other scratched the back of his head. "Let's see. I will take the Six Fruit Rainbow Dragon Smoothie and… The Ruby Carbuncle Roast Beef Sandwich," Judai order. His three friends all looked at him, surprised written all over their faces. They then looked at each other all wondering if Judai had ordered items names after Johan's duel monsters on purpose or not.
"Well then, I will get your order right up," Risa said as she sent their orders to the kitchen. She then looked to see what seats were available in the restaurant. "Oh! I think the four person table by Johan and Bret is open if you want to join then," Risa said as she looked at her seating chart.
"WHAT!?" Judai shouted at the sound of Johan's name, causing his three friends, Risa and the other people in line to jump in surprise. "Johan is here!?" Judai's sung in excitement as his eyes raced around the room desperately looking for his teal haired crush, his empty stomach completely forgotten. Judai's heart sped up with excitement and his senses went haywire at the prospect that he would be able to see the one thing he had been yearning for since last weekend. "Johan," Judai whispered as he frantically looked for the boy but saw not a single trace of teal.
"Oh, I think he is over there in the corner," Risa said as she pointed to the now empty table that
Johan and Bret had just been sitting at. Judai's eyes followed Risa's finger to the table, his expression was full of longing and excitement. His face immediately fell to a mix of disappointment and panic when he saw that the table was empty. "That's funny… I swear I just saw them…." Risa carried on as she shot a confused look at the table. "I guess they decided to go home or something," she shrugged as she turned back to face Judai and the others.
"Oh, that's okay. We will take whatever table is open," Jim said with a wave of his hand. Jim, Asuka, and Fubuki were all worried about the desperate look in Judai's eye. They knew that the boy had fallen for Johan, but they did not know it was this bad.
"Oh then, why don't you just take that table anyways," Risa said, referring to the four person table located next to Johan's abandoned table. "I will bring your food to you when it is ready," she then added as she handed an order number to the four.
"Thank you very much!" Asuka said as she took the number from Risa. "Shall we go then," she then said as she turned to the three boys she was with.
As Judai followed the other three to their table, his eyes scanned the café in hopes that Johan was still there. As the four arrived at the table something teal and moving fast caught Judai's sharp eyes. Without thinking Judai bellowed "JOHAN!?" as he watched the teal bushel of hair disappear out the back door. "Johan!" Judai gasped as he turned and made his way to the bac door only to be stopped by someone grabbing his wrist.
"Judai? Where are you going? Risa said Johan left. Just sit down and calm yourself," Asuka said
in a calm voice as she pulled Judai back to the table.
"You okay, mate? Looks like you just saw a ghost or something," Jim said as his worried eyes studied Judai.
"No…. I mean… Yeah… I'm fine… I just thought I saw…" Judai stammered as he flopped down at the table and rubbed a hand across his face. He had his back to the wall and sat on the side that was closest to the table next to Johan's old table.
Asuka sat across from Judai and next to Jim. Across form Jim sad Fubuki. The three all exchanged worried looks as they studied Judai's behavior. They could not help but wonder what it was about Johan that caused Judai to lose his cool so easily. "Listen, Judai, it's all goin to be okay. Our plan IS going to work," Asuka was the first to speak. She spoke in a calm and collected voice as she tied to sooth Judai a bit.
"Yeah, mate, it's defiantly going to work out in your favor, I know it is, so try to cheer up," Jim added with a soft smile.
"Yes… and if you keep pouting like this you are going to look just horrible when you confess to him… He is going to run away screaming!" Fubuki pointed out. Judai looked up from his hands and sent Fubuki a half confused half insulated glare while Asuka and Jim simply glared at Fubuki. "Whaaat? I'm just telling the truth… You need to look your best," Fubuki said in deface.
Everyone sat in silence for a second just staring at Fubuki in disbelief. Once again, as if on que, all four broke out into laughter. Despite the weight Judai felt in his heart, he was grateful to have people around him who care so much for his wellbeing. "Yeah… I guess you're right. Wouldn't want Johan to mistake me for a zombie," Judai said as he chuckled a bit. For some reason, being with his three friends shifted his thoughts to be more positive.
"Anyways, we are going to need to get Johan to come to the Valentine Ball if we want this to work," Jim pointed out, sounding a little more serious now.
"Yeah… If he does not show up to the ball, then this is all for shit," Asuka added as she tried to think of a way to coax Johan to go to the ball. She knew Johan would not go to the ball if she asked him, besides, Asuka already had someone she was going to go with. She wondered if he brother could coax him somehow. "Fubuki, do you have any ideas?" Asuka asked.
"Humm… Well I think it will be hard for any of us to coax him to go. If we pry too much, he may get suspicious… but I do have a plan… I know someone who may be able to trick him into going," as he spoke, Fubuki rubbed his chin as if her were in deep thought.
"Who? Who can help me?!" Judai asked in desperation as he turned to Fubuki.
Fubuki turned to Judai, his face the most serious Judai had ever seen it. "Judai, you said that you are willing to do anything to get Johan back, correct?" Fubuki asked, his face still serious.
"Of course… I would do anything, ANYTHING, for Johan," Judai pleaded desperately.
"Well, then, you are just going to have to trust me… and do as I say," Fubuki smirked as Judai went from desperation to confusion.
Judai looked to Asuka and Jim but they too seemed to be just ask confuted. Judai thought for a second before replying to Fubuki. "Yeah…I… I trust you," Judai finally said, meeting Fubuki's serious stare with a serious stare of his own.
At hearing Judai's words, Fubuki's lips spread into a grin. "Great! Then tonight we will visit her!
She will be able to help us for sure," Fubuki sang as he turned away from Judai and looked at the other two. He winked at them and they returned his wink with blank confused stares.
"How are you-" Asuka started to ask but was interrupted by food.
"One Ruby Carbuncle Roast Beef and Rainbow Dragon Smoothis," Risa sang as she plopped Judai's order down in front of him, causing Judai to jump in surprise. She then placed the other orders in front of the respective owners.
"Wow, this looks great," Fubuki hummed as he looked down at his Red Eyes Tomato Wrap.
"Oh thank you Fubuki. I also have one more item, free of charge, for you all to try! It's an item I have yet to release. If you like it, I will put it on display," Risa explained. "So, do you min giving it a try and letting me know?" She pleaded.
The four looked at each other and without saying a work all know what the answer was. "When have I ever given up free food," Judai said with a big smirk.
"Great!" Risa sang as she clapped her hand together. Without another word she turned back to the serving tray and extracted four mini blueberry tarts. She placed all four tarts on the table. "I call it, The Sapphire Pegasus Very Berry Tart."
The four all studied their tarts before taking a bit. There was a freshness to the tart that reminded Judai of Johan. Just the thought of Johan sent a shiver down his spine. With a deep sigh, Judai sunk his fork into the tart and took a bit. To his surprise, the tart tasted just as fresh and sweet as it looked. Without meaning to he, let loose a loud "Mmmm," as he swallowed. The sweet light feel to the cake reminded Judai of Johan's enchanting smile.
"Wow, this is great Risa!" Jim commented after taking a bite.
"It's so light and refreshing." Asuka added before taking another bite.
"Oh! I am so happy you all enjoy it so much! I will defiantly make it a regular item then," Risa sang as she delicately clapped her hands. "Well I will leave you all to your meals," she said as she readied herself to leave. "Oh, before I go, I found this at the table Johan had been sitting at. I think it may belong to him, could you bring it to him for me," Risa said as she placed the broken Ruby Carbuncle keychain on their table. With that she bid the group a good bye.
Judai felt his heart drop the second his eyes caught sight of the charm. Johan had been here, and he had left the gift Judai had given him behind. Was this part of Johan's way of moving on? Was Johan done with Judai? Had Bret won? Judai felt all his courage escape his body as these thought raced through his mind.
"Hey, isn't this the keychain you got Johan? I wonder what it's doing here" Fubuki stupidly asked, causing both Jim and Asuka to shoot him death glares.
Judai did not reply. He reached out and picked up the small broken charm in his hand. "Why would he…" Judai unintentionally whispered a loud.
The three friends all exchanged worried glances. They could all see very well that something in
Judai was about to break. "Well!" Jim said in a loud voice, causing Judai to look up from the charm. "If you ask me, mate, it looks like it must have snapped off… He probably had it on his bag or something and it simply fell," Jim sighed, trying to make it sound like the matter was not too big of a deal.
Judai looked back down at the keychain to see that it had been ripped off from something. He eye were full of uncertainty as he studied the figure. "Judai, listen, this does not prove that Johan is over you! Like Jim said, he probably just dropped it. I bet Johan is going to be in a mad panic when he finds that it's gone. We all know that Johan is not the type to toss something like this way," Asuka reassured before Judai could fall deeper into his negative thoughts.
"Asuka is right, besides, we still have our plan. It is full proof, so there is no need to worry, my dear Judai!" Fubuki sang as he slung an arm around Judai's shoulder.
Judai let loose another sigh as he looked from the keychain to his friends. They all returned his uncertain look with encouraging smiles. After a moment Judai too smiled. "Your right, I can't give up!" Judai whispered as he pocketed the figure. "Now let's get eating and discuss exactly how we are going to execute this plan!" Judai cheered as he tried to lift his spirits. 'Everyone is right! There is still time to make Johan mine!'
XXX
Judai followed Fubuki as they both entered Johan's dorm building. "Fubuki! I know I said I trusted you but… You better not be leading me to Bret," Judai hissed as he followed Fubiki to the elevator.
"Oh now, Judai, you have no need to worry. Does it really matter who I am leading you to, as long as it gets you to your goal, right?" Fubuki replied with a sly grin as he entered the elevator and pushed the '4' button.
"Yeah, yeah…" Judai replied, avoiding eye contact with Fubuki. Part of Judai wondered if this was some sort of crazy set up to get him and Johan back together. What would Judai do if Fubuki had set him up to meet with Johan now? Suddenly Judai's stomach started to feel funny. Distracted by his now upset stomach, Judai did not notice when the elevator arrived at their destination.
"We're here!" Fubuki sang as he stepped out of the elevator and waited for Judai to follow.
Judai stepped out of the elevator without a word as he tried to control his upset stomach and his now beating heart. 'It's okay Judai! If he even if he does make you confront Johan now, you can do this. Seeing Johan is what you have been wanted all this time! Don't mess this up!' Judai inwardly screamed to himself as he took a deep breath.
"Follow me!" Fubuki hummed as he led Judai down the hall that housed Johan's room.
With a nod, Judai followed after Fubuki. He felt the juices in his stomach splash around as he tried to calm his nerves. 'It's okay! It's all going to be okay,' he thought to himself as he took deep even breaths. Judai's eyes were fixed on Johan's door, and Johan's door only, as he walked. It was as if everything else in the dorm disappeared and that door was the only thing that mattered. With his eye fixed sully on Johan's door, Judai did not notice that Fubuki stopped. "OOF," Judai huffed as he ran into Fubuki. "What did you stop for?" he asked, wondering why they had not gone all the way to Johan's room.
"What? What do you mean? We are here," Fubuki said, giving Judai an annoyed look.
"But this isn't Johan's room," Judai said pointing to the pink flower decorated door they were standing outside of.
"What? What are you talking about, Judai? Who said anything about going to Johan's room? Why would we go there to plan your surprise confession! It would not be a surprise if we did that," Fubuki said with an overly dramatic roll of his eyes.
"I… Da… Thought… eh?" Judai stuttered as he gave Fubuki a dumb stare. Judai thought for sure that they would be going to Johan's room to talk with Bret, or confess now to Johan. If they were not here to see Johan or Bret, then who were they going to meet?
"Well, what are you waiting for? Knock on the door?" Fubuki said as he gestured to Judai to knock on the floral door they were standing outside of.
"What? Me?" Judai said, his voice full of bewilderment. He looked to the flowered door and felt that there was something familiar about it.
"Yes, you!" Fubuki hissed. "I'm not the one who is chasing after Johan and asking people for help, now am I?"
Judai looked to Fubuki and nodded. His crazy friend did have a point. "All right, all right, but you will help me explain, right? I am still not 100% sure how this plan is going to work," Judai said as he tried to think of the best way to explain his situation to this mystery person that Fubuki swears by.
"Oh don't worry. Just make sure you show her that you really mean it when it comes to winning Johan's heart," Fubuki said with a warm smile.
Judai nodded as he readied himself to knock on the door. "Okay, here we go," he said more to himself then to Fubuki. He then lifted his hand and knocked three times on the door.
"Coming~!" came a girly singsong voice that Judai recognized. The door then swung open to show an overly jubilous Liz.
"Um, hey Liz," Judai greeted awkwardly, not quite knowing what to say.
Liz's lips and eyes went from happy and inviting, to furious and demonic at the sight of Judai. "YOU! How dare you break sweet little Johan's heart," she bellowed, her eyes burning with fire. Before Judai could do so much as take a breath, Liz lifted her hand and slapped Judai clear across the face.
Judai's eyes widened in surprise as the girl's hand made contact with his left cheek. All three sat in utter silence as the sound of the smack echoed down the quiet hall. "…Ouch," Judai said in a monotone voice as he lifted a hand to his now reddening cheek. He had not expected a smack across the face but for some reason it made him feel a bit better. His mind was clearer. He then shook himself from his awkward trans and looked up to Liz. "Liz… Please… Listen to me… I never meant to break Johan's heart… I am such an idiot! I … I … I" Judai frantically spoke as he tried to find the right words to coax the girl into seeing how sorry he was.
"Wait, wait wait? What did you just say?" Liz said as she tried to process what Judai was saying, her hands waiving in the air in an attempt to get Judai to shut up. "You… You mean, like, you don't hate Johan?" Liz questioned as she eyed Judai.
Judai's eyes widened in shock at Liz's words. "What? Ha-Hate Johan?" Judai gasped as he tried to figure out why Liz would think such a thing. "No! I… I… Johan is the most important person to me," Judai said, eyeing Liz as if she were crazy for thinking such a thing.
"What? Well with the way Johan was mourning over your rejection, like, anyone would have assumed that you…. Ya know, weren't too nice about letting him down," Liz said her glair became more friendly.
Judai felt his heart drop at the sound of Liz's words. "Wh-what? Did he really cry that much?" he asked, his eyes full of worry. "I-I never meant to… to hurt him like this," Judai sighed in a shaky voice.
Liz studied Judai, trying to make heads or tails of weather the boy was really telling the
truth. She then looked up and down the empty hall. "Why don't you come in," Liz finally said,
gesturing for the two boys to enter her dorm room. Once both were in the room she slowly
closed the door.
"Well if it isn't the heart breaker," Jasmine greeted from her bed as she saw Judai enter the
room, her voice mostly sarcastic and teasing.
"Oh, um, hi Jasmine," Judai said in a very humble tone. He could not help but feel like he deserved it.
"Hello!" Jasmine simply replied before going back to her book on medieval fairy tales
.
Judai looked away from the girl feeling slightly dejected. 'Is everyone mad at me for what I
did…?' he thought as guilt set in. He had not really known up till now just how down Johan
must have really be.
"Don't worry about her, she is always like this when guests come over," Liz said, she returning
to her cheerful self. "Why don't you two sit down. You have something to tell me, right?" Liz
said as she gestured for the two boys to sit in two empty desk chairs what were near her
bed. She then strolled over to her bed and sat down.
Both Judai and Fubuki nodded and took a seat in the empty chairs. Judai was a bit unsure
about asking Liz for help. He had only met the girl a few times and didn't know her too
well. Judai could not help but wonder if Liz even cared about his predicament. He twiddled his
thumbs as he tried to find the right words to describe what he needed from the girl.
"So, why don't you explain to me what is going on and why you need my help," Liz sighed as
she turned to look at Fubuki.
"I think the best person to explain would be Judai…" Fubuki sang as his gaze fell on Judai
causing the love sick boy to shift in his seat nervously.
Liz lifted an eyebrow as her eye moved from Fubuki to Judai. "Well then, Judai, why don't you
explain to me what is going on…" she said as she tilted her head. She could not help but
wonder if Johan had taken Judai's reaction to his confession the wrong way; this excited her.
Judai looked from Liz to Fubuki as he tried to think of the right way to coax the girl into
believing that he really did love Johan back. "Well, you see, as Johan may have told you… He
confessed his feelings for me… and at the time… I was very surprised and…" Judai carried on
explaining his side of the story to Liz. He explained about how he never meant to hurt Johan
and how he felt his heart break when he saw the tears in Johan's eyes. He also told her about
his failed confession attempts.
"Wait, so, like, you're the one who made that cake?" Liz asked, her eyes wide and unbelieving.
"Y-Yeah… I made it all from scratch," Judai admitted as a light blush spread across his cheeks. "But… how did you know about the cake… I thought Johan never received it… If he did get the cake then why didn't he… call me back," Judai said as his eyes fell to the floor, his heart heavy with the realization that Johan had deliberately ignored his plea to fix their relationship.
"Judai, Johan had no clue that the cake was for him, nor did he receive any note. Johan told me that the cake was from Bret's secret admirer…" Liz said as she started to put pieces of the puzzle together. Liz had guessed long ago that Bret held 'more than just friends' feelings for Johan, but she never expected him to sabotage Johan's chances with Judai. "And you said you were going to give Johan chocolates and a rose as well…?" Liz said as she thought hard about what she had seen on Johan's side.
"Yeah… Why?" Judai asked as he tilted his head to the side. He had told her about his last
attempt to see Johan and how Bret had stopped him; though he did leave out a few details, like
how freaked out Bret had seemed.
"You know, now that I, like, think about it, Johan did come to class with a beat up rose. When I
asked him, like, where he found it, he had said it was on the floor outside his room… Looks like
Johan received both the cake and the rose! Too bad he didn't realize it was, like, from you," Liz
explained with a 'that's too bad' look on her face.
"What? So he found both the cake and the rose," Judai mumbled as his mind reviewed what he
had just learned. "But… he didn't know it was me… Did he like them; the cake and the rose I
mean?" Judai asked, his soft brown eyes full of hope.
"Well I don't know about the cake, Johan seemed to talk highly of it, but he was, like, totally enchanted by the rose. He said, like, he just could not bring himself to toss it. All class he would just, like, look at it and smile. I bet you he still has it," Liz said with an encouraging grin. Liz's hostility towards Judai nearly vanished after hearing his side of the story. Being good friends with Johan, she wanted to do all she could to help Judai get with her teal haired friend.
Judai mouth formed into a smile as he listened to Liz. Thought of Johan receiving his failed attempts and feeling comforted by them really made Judai's heart beat with joy. He just hoped that his next attempt won't end in failure as well.
"So, like, I take it, you have another plan up your sleeve, is there anything I can do to help?" Liz asked.
"Well, you see-" Judai started say before being cut off.
"Acctually! There is something you can do, my dear Liz," Fubuki spoke up after being quiet for so long. Judai shot an annoyed look at Fubuki for cutting him off. Fubuki replied to the glare with an encouraging wink.
"Oh really now, do tell…" Liz said as she gently tapped the tips of her fingers together.
"Well you see, we need to get Johan to go to the Valentine's Day Ball this Saturday…" Fubuki began to explain. Both Fubuki and Judai took turns explaining the elaborate plan they had made. Liz listened carefully to their plan and with each new thing they told her, the more excited she became.
"Oh my, like, that is totally romantic," Liz sang after the two boys had finished explaining, causing Judai to blush a bit.
"Yeah, but the only problem is how to get Johan to come to the ball. I have a feeling he would turn me down if I asked him," Fubuki stated as he tried to think of a way to coax the teal haired boy.
"Yeah… That's, like, a tough one… But there must be some way to, like, get him there without having to, like, tie him up and drag him," Liz hummed as she too tried to think of a good idea. "OH! I got it," Liz sang as she hopped off her bed.
"You do? What? HOW? How will we get Johan to come?" Judai asked in excitement as his heart beat like crazy.
"Well, it's quite simple really," Liz said, sticking a finger in the air as if she were a professor teaching some insane topic.
"Do tell, do tell," Fubuki sang in excitement.
"Well, first we will need to, like, ask 'him' for help… do you think he would help?... With the proper coaxing…" Liz listed off as she spoke.
"Wait! Who is 'he'…?" Fubuki asked, not understanding what the girl was alluding to.
"Wait, wait, wait! Hold up! You're not going to tell me that 'he' is Bret, are you?" Judai asked, knowing that the only possible person 'he' could be was Bret.
Liz shot Judai a guilty smile. "Judai, I know what you must be thinking after what he did to you… but Bret is the only person I can think of," Liz said apologetically.
"No, No, NO! I don't want anything to do with him!" Judai said as he stood up, stomping his foot on the ground to exaggerate how he felt, causing Jasmine to lazily look up from her book. "He would never help me! Even if I did ask," Judai grumbled, looking to the floor in defeat.
"Judai, listen, Bret really does care for Johan, and he probably feels a bit bitter towards you for rejecting Johan. And I know, like, that what he did was… not very nice, but I think he can really help us… All he needs is, like, a bit of coaxing to see that you and Johan are really meant for each other…" Liz spoke in a very calm voice as she told this all to Judai. She knew that if they got Bret on their side, he would be able to find some way to make Johan go to the ball.
"Liz… I don't think… I will be able to… ya know… talk to that guy without… punching him in the face," Judai said, still looking to the floor. Judai really was willing to do whatever it took to win Johan back but he didn't know if he could talk civilly with Bret without war breaking out.
"Tehehe, oh silly Judai," Liz giggled as she looked at the heart broken boy in front of her. "I was thinking that, like, I could be the one to talk to him. I have a feeling I know the perfect way to, like, get him to see the light," Liz said with a sly grin. "Just leave it to me! I promise that I will be able to get Bret to help out, and you won't have to, like, speak a word to him!"
Judai studied Liz's face as he listened to her. No matter how much he tried, he could not find any other way to make sure Johan came to the ball. "I… I guess… If there is no other way…" Judai mumbled as he looked to the ground. He sat in silence for a moment before looking back up at Liz. "But if he does anything to mess this up…!" Judai said, his eyes full of fire.
"If he does anything to mess this up, we can all take turns beating the crap out of him," Liz sang with a joyous smile. "Now, tomorrow is Monday, so that gives us about 5 to 6 days to get this done. I will try to coax Bret tomorrow before their water polo practice. I will try to let you know by Wednesday if it all worked out or not," Liz said with a nod of her head.
Though Judai was having a hard time trusting this girl he barely knew, he was thankful that she was so willing to help him get with Johan. "Thank you Liz, you don't know how much this means to me," Judai said as a small smile spread across his face.
"Don't mention it dude, anything to make Johan happy!" Liz replied.
The three chatted a while longer before Judai and Fubuki left. On the way back to their dorm, Judai could not help but feel very nervous. He hoped to Ra that this would all work out in the end. The idea of not having Johan as his own was driving him crazy. Despite his sudden lust for the boy, the one thing Judai wanted most was to see Johan's shining smile yet again.
XXX
Bret jumped in his seat when he heard a knock at his door. It was around 3pm and he had been reading a very confusing chapter for his Economics class. As he stood up and walked to the door, he could not help but wonder if Judai had come back to try and woo over Johan again. 'Pathetic,' Bret thought as he rolled his eyes, though deep down he was still slightly terrified of Judai.
When he got to the door he sung it open expecting to meet brown eyes but was instead met by an overly cheerful bright green gaze. "Hello, Bret," Liz squeaked in a perky high-pitched voice.
"Why, hello their Liz," Bret said as he leaned on the door frame, trying to look as cool as he could.
"May I come in? I, like, have something really awesome I need to talk with you about," Liz asked as she shot her best 'this is going to be great' look at Bret.
"Oh, awesome? I do love awesome. Come on in," Bret hummed as he stepped aside to let Liz into the room, shutting the door behind her.
Liz immediately took Johan's desk chair, dragged it over to Bret's side of the room and sat down. Her wide green eyes followed Bret as she waited for him to take a seat.
Bret felt the girl's gaze and knew that she wanted to talk right away. With a sigh he sat down in his own desk chair. "So, what's got you so hyped up…?" Bret asked as he lazily swung his hand over the back of his chair and leaned back.
"I, like, heard about the cake…" Liz said, her friendly look truing a bit more serious.
"What… What are you talking about?" Bret said, not understating what his crazy female friend was getting at.
"Bret… Why have you been lying to Johan?" Liz asked neglecting to answer Bret's question.
"What… Lying to Johan? I haven't-" but Bret was not able to finish.
"YOU, told Johan that the cake was from some 'secret admirer', when in fact, it was really from Judai," Liz accused as she stared down Bret.
Bret's heart stopped when he heard Liz's words. "How did you know about the cake?" Bret whispered before he could stop himself.
"So Judai WAS telling the truth… and you," Liz whispered, her eyes full of disappointment. "You have been lying to Johan this whole time, Bret… Johan trusts you. How could you lie to him like this, especially when he is in such need of the truth," Liz said, her voice full of emotion.
Bret felt shame overtake his being as he listened to his friend. He was unable to look at the disappointing Liz, his eyes falling to the floor. "I… I don't know what you're talking about…" he mumbled. He was still not able to admit to what he did. Why? Why should he? Why should he allow Judai to have Johan after what he did.
"Bret… Why did you lie about the cake… and the rose… and what ever happened to the letter?" Liz said, wanting to hear the truth from her flirty friend.
"I don't get it!" Bret whispered, causing Liz to scoot closer to him to hea better. "I don't get why you are all so won over by Judai? What has he ever done to make any of us believe that he is good for Johan?" Bret carried on, his tone becoming a bit louder as he spoke. "Why do you all seem so enchanted by that brown haired twat! All he does is make Johan cry! And when he does not get his way, he turns into some kind of terrifying monster! JOHAN DOES NOT DESERVE SOMETHING SO VIOLENT AND UNCARING IN HIS LIFE!" Bret's eyes burned with stubborn hatred as he shouted this at Liz.
*Smack* was the sound Liz's hand made as he stuck Bret across the face. "Listen to yourself! You talk about caring so much for Johan, yet you lie and make up all these crazy stories about the person he loves. Your letting your jealousy get the best of you! You're the reason Johan has been crying this whole time! You know that if you had told him the truth, he would have happily gone to Judai! The only person you REALLY care about is yourself BRET!" Liz spat as she got up into Bret's face. It hurt her to speak to a friend in such a way but she knew she had to do it. Bret was acting like a spoiled child.
Bret sat stunned as he lifted a hand to his now red cheek. It hurt to hear the truth. He had known that what he was doing was despicable, but his selfishness had gotten the better of him. Bret slowly sat down as shame took over once again. "But Judai… he… he was the one that broke his heart… not me…" Bret whispered, his gaze refusing to meet Liz's.
"Bret… I know it seems that way, but as Johan's friends, we need to let Johan decide for himself if he is willing to forgive Judai or not. I know you want to protect him, but all you are doing is hurting him," Liz explained in hopes to show Bret what the right thing to do was.
Bret still refused to meet Liz's gaze, his mind still processing what he had heard from his friend. He sat in silence, not wanting to admit to his wrong doings. He had known all along that all Johan wanted was Judai. He had hoped that, maybe, if he kept them apart, Johan would give up on the brown haired duelist.
"Bret… are you willing to help… help Johan and Judai with their second chance at love…?" Liz asked, waiting for an answer. Bret did not answer, let alone move a single muscle. "Well, this is what I need from you, if you do decide to do the right thing and help. We need to get Johan to that ball that is going to be held this weekend…" Liz said, pausing yet again for any sort of reaction from the purple haired boy. After a few moments of nothing she stood up to leave. She knew that she had to give Bret some time to think it all over. "Please, Bret… If anything, do it for Johan," Liz pleaded one last time before leaving the purple haired boy with his thoughts.
XXX
That night Johan arrived back at his dorm after dinner. He had been worried about his roommate. For some reason Bret had not shown up to water polo practice. 'He seemed fine this morning and afternoon, maybe it was something he ate…' Johan thought as he unlocked the door to his room and let himself in.
When Johan entered the room, he was greeted by an awkwardly quiet Bret. Most days, Bret would greet him with a 'Welcome back, Doll Face,' any time Johan entered the room. At the moment Bret was on his computer typing away with his headphones in his ears.
A sly smile spread across Johan's face as a wicked idea popped into his head. He picked up a dirty sock from the floor and quietly made his way over to Bret. With one swift movement Johan shoved the sock into the unexpected boys face. "Bwhaaaa!" Bret shouted as he flung his arms into the air.
Johan could not help but laugh as he watched his, normally cool roommate, lose his cool. "Gotcha!" Johan said, subconsciously making the pose Judai normally makes when he beats people in a duel.
Bret ripped the sock from his face and shot a playful glare at Johan. "What is it with you and assaulting me with dirty socks," Bret exclaimed in a playful manner.
"What? It wasn't me! Dirty socks are just attracted to your face," Johan exclaimed as he tried to hide how much pleasure this all gave him. Johan had been shaken up for most of Saturday, after seeing Judai and was devastated to find that his Ruby keychain had gone missing. It had been one of the few things that gave him hope. He had a feeling that it was still at the café and when he found time, he planned to go back to the café and look for it. Despite his devastation for losing one of his prized possessions as well as getting over his heartbreak, he had been able to keep his composure. He still longed to be with Judai, but for the most part, he was able to lock away his feeling when around others, he even sort of stopped crying in the shower.
The two boys laughed and chatted for the rest of the night. Johan had completely forgotten about the off behavior Bret had shown when he had first entered the room. "Well, I guess it's time for me to hit the hay," Johan said as he stretched his arms to the heavens.
"Awww, already? But it's only 10pm," Bret pouted as he watched Johan crawl into bed.
"Well, unlike someone, I went to water polo practice and worked by butt off in that pool," Johan teased, sticking his tongue out like a child.
"Well, excuse me for needed to catch up on my work," Bret lied as he too returned Johan's gesture. He had actually spent the time wallowing in his own self-pity, but he was not going to tell Johan that.
"Well, you better not skip out tomorrow! Coach is going to kill you if you do," Johan warned as he cuddled down deep into his warm covers.
"Yeah, Yeah, Mom! I promise to not piss off coach," Bret teased.
Johan shot Bret another playful scowl before yawning yet again. "Well, good night! Don't stay up too late!" Johan hummed as his heavy eyes lids fluttered shut.
"Night, Doll Face," Bret said, his eye softening as he watched Johan's delicate eyelids cover his green eyes. Bret sat studying Johan for a moment before turning back to his computer.
Bret sat up for a good hour before sleep started to settle in. He had spent the majority of the time thinking about what Liz had told him. He knew that what he had done was wrong and that he was being selfish, but it was hard for him to just hand Johan over. Bret had never been so infatuated by anyone like he was with Johan. Part of Bret really hoped that Johan would get over Judai and come to him, but another part of him, the part he mostly ignored, knew that Johan only had eyes for one person. Bret stood up from his chair and stretched his arms up high. He glanced over at the now sound asleep Johan, his heart fluttered in his chest at the sight of the boy.
Without thinking Bret strolled over to the sleeping teal haired boy. Johan was laying on his back, his had slightly stilted towards Bret. His head was the only part of him that was not nestled in blankets. Bret sighed as he looked down at the boy that had stolen his heart. "Oh, Doll Face… What should I do…?" Bret whispered as he studied the boy.
To Bret's surprise, Johan started to mumble in his sleep. "J-Judai… I love… you… too," Johan mumbled as a sweet smile spread across his pink lips.
Bret felt a wave a joyously and hurt over take him at hearing Johan's dreamy words. Was Judai really the only thing Johan ever thought about? Bret then looked to the sweet smile on Johan's face. Bret had not seen a smile this sweet on Johan in ages. Why did Johan always save his most precious of smiles for Judai! 'Why not me?' Bret thought as his mind began to drown in a pool of emotions.
With his mind full of mixed emotions Bret leaned down to steal the sweet smile from the lips of the sleeping Johan. He bent over and planted a firm kiss on Johan's soft pink lips, savoring the kiss as if it were some rare fruit. He felt Johan shift awkwardly so he pulled back. The look on Johan's face sent a disappointed shiver down Bret's spine. Johan's brows were screwed up and his sweet smile was now replaced by an awkward grimace. Johan shifted in his bed as he lifted his hand from under the sheets and rubbed the unwanted kiss from his lips. He then rolled over and turned his back to Bret.
Bret knew that this was Johan's answer. He had known all along that this was Johan's answer; he had just been running away from it. 'Why did it have to be this way?' Bret thought as me mindlessly walked to his side of the room and slumped down on his bed. 'The first person I ever really want… and they don't want me back… figures,' Bret's mind screamed causing him to he sigh and rub his face as the irony that is his life hit him. Despite being rejected, Bret wanted nothing more than to see a smile on Johan's doll like face. With a sigh, Bret looked at Johan one last time. Despite every last fiber of his being telling him no, he knew what he had to do. With that thought in mine, Bret laid his head down on his pillow and tried to think of a way to get Johan to go to the ball.
((Hehehe, well I guess chapter 13 is not the end! You will have to wait for Chapter 14 to see if it all works out. So what did you think about Chapter 13? I felt it was a bit all over the place and maybe sort of rushed. I promise to take more time with Chapter 14, so that means it will probably take me more than a week to finish it. I want it to be… perfect? Or as perfect as I can get it! I wonder what Bret plans to do to help. Do you think he really will help in the end? I don't know :P Also, will the plan work out, or till it all fall apart? We will just have to wait and see.
So I just realized in this chapter that I totally forgot to write Pharaoh and Daitoguchi-sensei into the story and am so ashamed! I think I may have mentioned them at the very beginning! Well, I feel like it's a bit too late to add them now. I do plan on making a sequel to this and will add them in there. I will talk more about the sequel at the end of the last chapter w.
Thank you all for the wonderful reviews! It's always nice to see what you all have to say and how the chapter made you feel!
I want to thank Judaisbutt for being my beta.
If you noticed I have a new cover picture for this story. I would like to thank JaydenNg for making it. I really do love it. Here is a link to the DA page where is it posted art/Uncharted-Islands-Fanfic-Cover-Art-by-Jayden-3 96024911 ))