A/N: Okay, so some OOC here, but, hey, a lack of sleep can do that to a person. Enjoy! We don't own Yugioh GX.
After school, "Asuka" had just one thing on her mind...a brunette who was still having trouble sleeping. She wanted to stop by Johan's place and see how he was doing.
"Aw, why bother him right now?" Johan asked her. "He's probably still trying to get a little sleep! Why don't we do something else!?"
"I just want to check on him, that's all," Yubel said, giving Johan a chance to use his brain. After all, it was just her, him, and Sho.
The teal-haired duelist didn't take the hint. "Why not wait until later?"
"Because I'll hurt you."
Johan sweat, slightly nervous. "Good answer, heh. Come on, Sho!"
"Do I have to?" he asked.
"Sho!" Johan scolded at the same time that Yubel calmly said, "Yes."
Sho sighed. "Okay."
At Johan's apartment, Judai had fallen asleep on the couch in the living room after having quit trying to get any sleep. As a result, when Johan and the other two arrived, they heard a blood-curdling scream from inside.
"Aniki! Hold on! I'm coming!" Sho cried, bolting into the apartment ahead of the other two. He crashed into the couch. "Aniki, I'm here, it's okay, just squeeze me and you'll feel better!"
Sho didn't even seem to realize how wrong that sounded. Judai didn't seem to hear him—his breath was coming in short gasps as he sat there, trembling. Worried, Sho flung himself into his friend's arms, trying to help in any way he could.
Johan came running in with Yubel, still in Asuka's body. "Judai, Judai! It's okay! It was just a really bad dream!" Johan said, rushing over to the brunette. "You're okay. We're okay. Everything's okay, so take a deep breath and try to calm down."
"Judai?" Yubel said, using Asuka's voice as she feigned worry. A few more of those, and he'll be begging me for mercy, she thought, pleased.
From the looks of things, that nightmare had been about ten times worse than any he'd had before. Judai still didn't seem to hear them. His breathing didn't calm down at all, and he was still trembling.
"Oh, great. It's okay, pal," Johan said, massaging Judai's shoulders as he tried to calm him down. "Asuka, get me some tea."
"Right, I'm on it!" the blond said as she rushed off to the kitchen.
As Yubel made tea, Johan kept rubbing Judai's shoulders, repeating the same reassuring phrases over and over again. Sho just held onto the panicked brunette.
When Yubel came back, she handed the tea to Judai. His hands were shaking so much that he nearly dropped it. Johan caught the cup and helped his friend hold it.
"Judai, it's okay," Johan said. "Try drinking that. It may help you calm down."
Judai did as he was told, nearly burning his tongue, if not for Johan still holding onto the cup and forcing him to move more slowly.
"Yes, that's it," Johan said. "Just drink that tea slowly and breathe. In. Out. In. Out."
I take it back, Yubel thought. One more dream like that, and he'll seek me out.
Judai took some deep breaths.
"That's it. Just breathe," Johan said gently, relieved that Judai finally seemed to be responding to them. "Everything's okay. There's nothing to be afraid of. It was just a dream."
Finally, Judai spoke. "Y-your dad's c-calling a d-doc-tor, r-right?" he stuttered.
"That's right. You have an appointment on Wednesday," Johan said, noticing the note on the coffee table that said as much. "So try to hang on until then, okay?"
"W-Wednesday?"
"Yes, Wednesday. Okay?"
Judai whimpered. Wednesday. That was two days away.
"It's okay. It's okay," Johan soothed, massaging his friend's shoulders.
"So, that's what happens when you anger Yubel," Asuka said. "Nice work."
"She's evil! Why can't sh-she just let me go, already!? She lost, a-and a deal's a deal!"
"Well, gee, I don't know," Asuka said sarcastically. "Maybe she's lonely? Ever think of that?"
"I s-said I'd be her friend. She d-doesn't have to hold me prisoner! I-I could always go visit her."
"That you could," the blond agreed.
"Who's side are you on!?" Judai demanded, still visibly upset.
"Okay, just calm down," Johan said. "It's okay. We'll stop Yubel soon enough."
Asuka crossed her arms. "I doubt that, Johan."
"Don't listen to her. It's going to be okay, okay?"
"I've had enough," Judai said. "S-she's got to learn that she can't treat people this way! It doesn't make her any better than that creep who turned her into a monster!"
"Ever stop to think that she may be mad at you for something else as well?" Asuka asked him.
"I'm the one who should be mad! She lied! To Johan, to Kathleen, to me! She said she'd let me go if she lost, and she lost! She betrayed me!" He lowered his head, thinking about the time Yubel said that he had betrayed her trust. "Guess it's payback time... Should've known she'd hold a grudge..."
"Come on, pal," Johan said, still rubbing his shoulders.
"Aniki..." Sho wasn't hugging him anymore, but he was still sitting next to him on the couch.
"Well, maybe you did something equally as bad in her mind," Asuka suggested. "Like opened old wounds or something?"
Judai muttered, "If she'd just let me go...I'd visit her. As it is, she's just driving me further away..."
"Really?" Asuka asked. "Is that the truth? Why would you do that?"
"She may be crazy, but she's my friend. I don't want to lose her as a friend."
"Then why not just go back to her? Is that really the truth?"
"Asuka, I already told you about the weirdness... It's creeping me out, having to live with that day in and day out."
"It's not weird, it's love! When will you learn that!?"
Judai stared at her. Johan decided to avoid disaster—which he saw coming either in the form of those two fighting or Judai finding out that Yubel was possessing Asuka and standing right in front of him.
"Uh, anyway, Judai!? Feeling any better?" Johan asked, drawing Judai's attention away from the blond girl.
"Not really..." he said, rubbing his eyes. "Got any ideas to keep me awake?"
"Uh, pretend Yubel's in the room spying on you?" he suggested, eying Asuka warily out of the corner of his eye. "Waiting for her chance to nab you?"
Judai's eyes shot wide open, like a deer caught in headlights.
"Aniki?" Sho asked, worried again.
"She's not, is she?" Judai asked fearfully.
"It's okay, Judai," Johan said, kicking himself for suggesting that. "Try to calm down! You're safe with us! Right, Sho!?" He turned to the shorter blunette.
Sho nodded nervously.
"Well, maybe," Asuka said doubtfully.
"Don't listen to her! I've still got my dragon, remember!?"
Judai grabbed Johan's arm. "Don't leave me," he begged, his voice small.
"Wasn't planning on it," Johan said reassuringly. "But, uh, you two have to leave soon!" He pointed at Judai and Asuka. "Unless you want to see humans attacking each other and destroying everything in sight! Why, I'd hate to be Yubel if the whole town rioted! She may not survive that one!" He laughed awkwardly, hoping that Yubel would take the hint and go along with it.
"Huh?" Judai asked, so tired and scared that he forgot what he was supposed to do today.
"Oh! That's right! The soulmate show! It'll start in less than half an hour!" Sho said, shooting up off the couch.
Judai groaned.
"Yeah!" Johan said. "Aren't you two in it!? You better get going before that monster-killing riot starts!"
Judai was still holding onto Johan's arm. He didn't answer.
"He's right," Asuka said. "Let's go. I've got a brother to embarrass in front of everyone."
That's when Johan realized that Judai was bruising his arm with that vice-like grip.
"Hey! Let go!" he cried. "That hurts! It's okay! It's not what you think!"
"Can't..." the terrified brunette said quietly, almost as if he were in a trance.
"Ow! Let go, already! You're gonna break my arm or something! It's okay! Did you forget your new heroes!? Think Thunder Giant! Thunder Giant and Thunder Giant! Now let go!"
"Wait, what!?" Asuka asked.
Slowly, Judai let go of Johan's arm. It fell to his side as he started rubbing it.
"Good... Now, get going... Meanwhile, I'll try to get the feeling back in my arm. Ugh."
"You're not coming?" Judai asked, nervous.
"Hey, I'll be lucky if my dad doesn't take me to the hospital after this," Johan answered. "Take Sho with you." He left to find his dad, apparently serious about the hospital thing.
"So, you ready now?" Asuka asked Judai. "We're gonna be late, at this rate."
"Uh, yeah, let's go..."
"Do I have to come?" Sho asked nervously.
Judai eyed Sho. "What's wrong? Is there something you're not telling me?"
Not wanting to scare his friend again, Sho grinned and said, "Uh, no. Never mind!"
Judai just stared at him, not sure whether he should believe that or run for his life.
"But there will be trouble if we don't get to the mall asap! Come on! Let's go!"
Sho ran out ahead of them, not wanting to answer Judai's question, spoken or unspoken. Judai and Asuka followed.
"Sheesh! If that's how you treat your friends, I don't wanna know how you treat your enemies," Asuka told Judai, referring to his nearly squeezing Johan's arm off.
"That's not normally how I treat my friends..." Judai said guiltily.
"Really? What about Yubel?"
"I've already told you," he answered defensively, "if she'd just let me go, I'd go back to visit her."
Sho glanced back at the two of them, slightly nervous.
"Do you really think that's enough?" Asuka asked. "Do you have any idea what love is? Eventually, the ones in love want to move in together. So, if she loves you..."
Judai shook his head. "I guess I've got a lot to learn about love... I mean, Manjoume says you belong to him, so I guess only one person has a say in the whole 'love' thing... The thing is, Yubel raised me, so it's weird. It's like having your mom say she wants to be your 'girlfriend.'"
"Well, that's a dumb reason to run off."
"It is? So, if your dad decided he wanted to hook up with you, and he just wouldn't drop it, you'd go with it?" he asked her.
"Oh, brother. She's not your real mom! Didn't you say you were her pet or something?"
"Oh, look!" Sho said, trying to end this conversation. "It's the mall! We better hurry and get to the show!"
Judai looked at Asuka and said, "Thanks for making it more weird, Asuka. Now you're hooking up with a dog."
"Why not!? Jim's hooking up with a crocodile!"
"Uh, guys?" Sho asked tentatively.
"I'm not so sure!" Judai retorted.
"Guys?" Sho tried again.
"Besides that," Asuka went on, "I don't think that's it, either, based on what you said! Sure, she raised you, but not as her son! I think she made you her servant, that's all!"
Sho tried once again to get their attention. "Hello?"
"You think I don't know that!?" Judai snapped at Asuka. "I do, really, and I've put up with everything else, but that's going too far!"
"You 'put up with it!?' What do you mean!?"
"Guys!" Sho yelled, sensing that this argument was moving into dangerous territory.
They still didn't seem to hear him. "The bomb, the no-friends, the attacking other people!" Judai answered. "All of it! It sucked! But I did it anyway because I cared about her, and that's what she wanted! But that's just too much!"
Sho took a deep breath and screamed at the top of his lungs. "GUYS!"
"What!?" Asuka snapped, turning to the blunette.
"We're here," Sho answered, pointing at the dais in front of them.