Shadgirl2: Sorry for the long wait.

Midna Azusa: The story's almost over, though. Hopefully we'll have it done before the year's out.

Disclaimer: We don't own Yugioh GX. Kyle is mine, Ai belongs to Midna Azusa.

Judai's POV

I followed Asuka as she headed in a towering rage for the villa's private beach. Given the tension in her, I knew I was about two seconds away from losing the girlfriend I'd barely gotten if I didn't do something quick. It wasn't hard to make up my mind what I needed to do.

Catching up to her, I grabbed her arm and said, "Asuka, if you don't want me to leave, then I won't."

There. Simple, right?

Apparently not. Asuka closed her eyes, frowning. She looked bitter. "Yeah. Sure. And what about Pharaoh?" she asked. "Somebody's gotta go pick him up. Then you can get back to your normally scheduled—"

Her tone matched her look, and she was being sarcastic for a lot of it. Hey, I may be a little slow, but I'm not completely brain-dead!

"I don't want to," I cut her off.

That had the effect I was after. She gave a start, eyes widening. I could see not only her surprise but also a hint of hope in her gaze as she turned to me and asked, "W-what?"

"I don't want to run off without you again. I'm not gonna do that to you again."

The sparkle was back in her eyes now. Good, she wasn't going to make a huge fuss about this. "Judai..."

"I don't know what I'm gonna do yet," I added, "but I'm not running away. Not this time."

Asuka teared up when I said that. "Judai..."

Okay, she was repeating herself. Hey, that was fine. I could carry the conversation for both of us for now.

"You were right. It's about time I settle down. So, whatever I do next, I want you there beside me."

She burst into tears, which normally would have made me think I'd messed up, but she also threw herself into my arms. Her arms wrapped around my back, she cried on my shoulder while I held her close. Honestly, if I had to choose between tears of joy and anything else she'd been giving me lately, I'd take the tears.

"Oh, Judai... Thank you! ...You have no idea how long I've waited for you to say that! B-but, wait..." She pulled back and looked up at me with concern, asking, "What about Pharaoh?"

Wait, it was okay for me to worry about my accidentally-stolen cat now? Guess she'd calmed down enough to actually care about him again. It wasn't like that cat was unpopular—everyone had loved him when we were at school. They'd probably been really upset to find he'd left.

"Well, should we go get him?" I asked, sweating a bit.

I just told her I wasn't going to leave her if she didn't want me to. Now she was telling me I had to leave and get my cat. Could she make up her mind already?

To my surprise, she shook her head at me sadly. "I can't. I..."

Before all of this happened, I probably would have cut her off, thinking she was trying to find a tactful way to tell me to hit the road. However, now, I had the sense to think about what time it was. It was August 12. School would be starting at Duel Academy soon, and Asuka had come here from work in the first place. She was already taking time off from work. She didn't have the time for a longer vacation with her homeless boyfriend.

"Right. You've actually got a job," I finished for her.

She nodded, looking down. I just rubbed my head, unsure where to go from here. She was acting like it was the end of the world if we split up at all, so I didn't really want to leave right now.

"Here's an idea," Yubel suggested with sarcasm. "Why don't you both go your separate ways for now, then meet back up again at winter break? Simple, no?"

Okay, she clearly thought I was an idiot, and she wasn't totally wrong. I mean, I knew I couldn't go live with Asuka at Duel Academy, so one of us would be leaving sooner or later.

"Any chance I can get your number?" I asked her.

Everyone here had my cell number now. I had all of theirs because of this mess with Ai. Asuka had still not given me her number, email, address—shoot, at this point, I'd have settled for a homing pigeon I could use to send her a letter.

"W-well..." She looked away, rubbing her arm.

I couldn't help but feel guilty about the look in her eyes. She was afraid I'd never call, that I'd just disappear again. Even though that was the last thing I wanted to do, she was still worried about it. How long can a relationship last if one member is always afraid the other one will back out?

"You know, so we can plan to meet up when you've got a break? I mean, it's not like I could actually live at Duel Academy, anyway, since I don't work there," I reminded her.

Much as I felt bad about running out on everyone so long ago, it didn't change the fact that she seemed to have forgotten she lived at a boarding school for most of the year. It would be entirely different if her school wasn't on a self-contained island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean—I could find a place nearby and stay close. But, since Duel Academy was in that kind of place, the closest I could get would still be a boat or helicopter ride away.

Unsure, she looked at me for a minute, saying nothing. Then she lowered her head and closed her eyes, apparently thinking about that. Now I was left to wonder if that would be okay or if I'd have to find some way to move in with her at school to get her to settle down.

Finally, finally, she opened her eyes and looked at me. She seemed way calmer than before. "...Okay."

And I finally got her number.

I smiled as I saved it in my phone. "Thanks. About time I got that one."

Asuka blushed, looking down again. Hey, it kinda made sense she didn't want to give me her number earlier. Not only did she hate me until recently, but she was pretending she was friends with Ai. If Ai had gotten her hands on my phone and seen Asuka's number in it, it would've seemed suspicious.

Asuka's POV

I couldn't believe it. Judai'd made a promise to come back after all. Sure, he wouldn't be coming to school with me, but he did agree to meet up during my breaks. And here I thought he'd want to continue adventuring and avoid us again so he could avoid more pain. I guess he really did forgive us all.

I didn't have much time to think about that. Around that time, Sho and Kenzan came running, Sho looking both anxious and excited all at once.

"Aniki! You about ready!?" Sho asked.

"Manjoume-senpai's offered to give us a lift. So, for anyone who's ready, his helicopter's just arrived."

Wow. That was quick. Manjoume must have really been sick of this place. I couldn't say I blamed him, though. He was being stalked relentlessly here, too, so I guess he'd called for a ride as soon as he could...most likely contacting his Mexican butler. As in the butler in his home in Mexico. Seriously, why did he feel the need to own so many mansions all over the world? For most people, a vacation home in one alternate location was good enough! Even Ed agreed that Manjoume had too many houses!

"Wow. That was quick," Judai echoed my thoughts. He looked at me, apparently waiting for me to say it was okay.

I just stared back at him, nervous now. What if this was the last time I saw him? He didn't even bother saying goodbye before, so what if he changed his mind and just...never called, never showed up?

"Judai..."

He was quiet for a moment, and I feared he'd just take off again without a word. But he soon eased my fears when he said, "Guess I'll see you around?"

He had no idea how good it was to hear him say that! So he really did plan on staying in touch!

Overjoyed by those words, I smiled slightly and ran up to him, throwing my arms around his neck and holding on. "Take care, my love. Watch out for stalkers. We wouldn't want something like this happening again, now would we?"

I sounded corny there at the beginning with the "my love" nonsense, but I wanted Judai to know just how much I cared. If he did, maybe he'd feel welcome enough to keep his promise and come back. I wasn't going to risk anymore misunderstandings—he'd be gone faster than you could say "shattered to pieces" if I did.

Judai laughed, hugging me back. "Yeah, no kidding. Don't worry. I'll be careful."

I laughed shortly. Judai, careful? "I doubt that, but good luck anyway."

He'd be needing our help again, it was only a matter of time. Judai Yuki didn't know the meaning of the word "careful." Hopefully I wouldn't be stuck at work again when he next called for us.

Sho came up beside us, looking a little awkward. "Uh, Aniki? Hate to interrupt, but, if you're coming with us, we need to hurry up. They won't wait forever, you know!"

Knowing he was right, I let go of Judai, smiling at him gently. "You better get going. I'd hate to make you miss your flight, after all."

"Alright. See you later!" He took a step back from me but didn't turn away yet.

Kenzan and Sho started running off, but they stopped, eyes wide, and turned to face us while running in place.

"Come on, Aniki!" Kenzan called. "Hurry up! They're about to leave!"

"Alright, I'm coming!" Judai called back before running off to join them.

That brought back memories. The last time I'd seen Sho do that, he and Judai needed to get back to the welcome banquet during our first year. That was the day Judai and I first met... I smiled at the memory as Kenzan looked back at me, waving and smiling.

"See ya, Asuka! Have a great school year!" he called as he left.

Sho smiled at me, too, which was a little strange. Wasn't he still mad at me for hurting Judai? What was he so happy about?

I got my answer quickly enough when he said, "Oh! And, by the way, I forgive you, Asuka-san! See you around!" before he ran off.

I guess hooking up with Judai had somehow made Sho stop being angry at me. Does that mean he never would have forgiven me if I'd stayed with Kyle? Yeah, Sho, that's fair. I was starting to really understand what Judai had been through now. Apparently, in order to fix some of our relationships, you have to do whatever your hurt friend really wants or the others won't forgive you for hurting said friend. Then there was the fact that most of us couldn't get along without either Kyle or Judai there to help us see sense...

I need some real friends. That's just not right.

Regardless, since Sho and I were, apparently, friends again, I smiled and waved after him. I'd worry about how wrong this all was later. Right now, I had bigger concerns.

I stood there a bit longer, thinking about what Judai had said. Will he really come back? I shook that worry off easily. Of course he will! He's Judai Yuki, and he always keeps his promises!

That was something I could count on, at least. If Judai made you a promise, he'd keep it, regardless. It was only a matter of time before I'd see him again. I just had to wait until then.

With those pleasant thoughts running through my mind, I made my way back to the villa so I could pack up and head out, too. "Until the next time we meet. My love," I said quietly as I saw a black jet take off—Manjoume's private ride.

Don't you dare comment on that "my love" thing. I can't help it if it was true.

Ai's POV

My guards were tied up and gagged in a closet when I found them—hog tied, to be more specific. When I untied them, they told me they had no idea what had happened. One minute, it was peaceful. The next, a smoke bomb exploded at their feet and they'd blacked out. The next thing they had known, they were in the closet. They fussed over my safety, asking if it was the same man and where he was now.

Jesse, my pretend stalker, had to have a criminal record or be a trained assassin, I was sure of it. He'd tried to rape me to teach me a lesson, and I have no doubt he'd have gone the full way if he'd needed to. Interesting that he could act like such a psychopath when his real goal was to teach a hard lesson to a hard-headed woman such as me. That didn't mean I liked him or ever wanted to see him again, but at least I now knew that his intentions were less foul than they'd first appeared.

"He's been dealt with," I assured my guards. "I contacted the police when he told me he'd 'taken care' of you. There won't be anymore trouble with him."

Yes, it was a bit of a lie, but I had decided that, insane though Jesse may be, I shouldn't press charges against him. While his idea was insane and cruel, it had been the slap in the face I'd needed to realize how insane and cruel I could be.

"You're certain, my lady? Because we can still go get him if—"

"I'm tired of this place," I cut the guard off. "I want to go home."

The guards saluted me, taking their cue. "Yes, my lady! Right away!" The two hurried to pack my belongings for me.

And that's the last time I'm taking a vacation to stalk a guy, I thought to myself. Wouldn't Ojin be proud? I'd grown on this absurd adventure. Guess I owe that freak a thank you...even if his methods are illegal...and insane.

That man would likely haunt my dreams for a bit, but at least he hadn't bothered me since I'd "learned my lesson."

At the airport, I bumped into Kyle, who was also packed and ready to leave. I knew full well the poor man had likely been dumped by this point, so I wasn't surprised to see he was leaving without his lady friends.

"Oh. Sorry, princess," he said, ever the gentleman. "Didn't see you there."

I couldn't fathom why he would be so polite to me, considering Asuka must have told him what I'd done. Such a wonderful man. Too bad he was single now. That was likely my fault since Judai and Asuka never would have met up again without my interference.

"No, it's fine," I assured him. "I wasn't watching where I was going."

"If you say so. So? What's with the entourage? Heading home now? Did your 'boyfriend' find another girl?" he asked me with a gentle smile—and a hint of pain in his eyes.

Oh, if he only knew. I'd probably just finished scarring another man for life (Manjoume being the first). I'd been stalked myself. I'd inadvertently repaired a relationship that had seemed damaged beyond repair. I suppose that last one wasn't bad, but the rest was traumatic or made me seem like a beast.

"I've..." I trailed off and shook my head. "Let's just say, I had quite the lesson to learn. And I've learned it, so I'm going home."

"Well, that's good," Kyle answered. "Yeah. I'm about to head off, too. There's nothing left here for me now. I just home that they're happy together and that he treats her right this time. He better not go running off on her again. Otherwise he'll have to answer to me."

Sweet as that was, it was a good thing he was joking on that last sentence. Judai would annihilate him, after all. What surprised me was that he wasn't upset with me or Judai. Combined, the two of us had cost him his lover, yet he seemed genuinely happy for her, even though it was obviously causing him a fair degree of pain, too.

Rather than focus on that right now, I laughed lightly and countered, "She better treat him right! After all, she wasn't the only one who was a victim last time." I looked at him apologetically as I finally decided to address the elephant in the room. "Sorry. Guess I just cost you a girlfriend."

Kyle shook his head, looking resigned. "Nah, that's alright, princess. I knew it would never work out from the start. She always seemed only half interested, despite what you may believe. Deep down inside, I knew she was still in love. Still lost in the past and very lonely, even with me there. I tried all I could to get her over it, but it was just no use. She had her heart set on Judai Yuki, and there was nothing anyone could do to change it. I'm just glad he finally came back around. Because, if he hadn't, I don't know what would have happened to the poor girl. So, in a way, I should thank you for finding him for us. He'd have never come back to her if you hadn't." He gave me that gentle smile again, gratitude in his eyes this time.

My goodness, how much did Asuka love Judai? Even though she'd hated the man for years, she still wouldn't let him go!

"Maybe so, but still..."

"I know. What you did wasn't very nice."

That was an understatement. I would be the object of Judai's nightmares for years to come, most likely.

"But that's all in the past now, right? So I say, at least, let's let bygones be bygones and forget that it ever happened. What do you say?" He held out a hand for a handshake.

I could certainly see how this man had taken Judai's place in the group. Even though I'd done something unforgivable, he was willing to offer me exactly what I didn't deserve—forgiveness. A second chance.

He was a saint.

I smiled and shook his hand, affection for this man swelling in my chest. "Alright. Sounds good to me."

"Flight 44, Domino Japan, now boarding. All passengers please report to the loading dock at this time," a man said over the intercom.

"That's me, princess. It was nice talking to you. And try to stay out of trouble, alright?"

"Uh, hold on, I..." I trailed off.

I didn't want to say goodbye. I knew better than to go completely crazy and start stalking him, and I figured I would be wasting my time asking for more than just forgiveness—even friendship seemed like too much to ask from someone who knew what I was capable of. What right did I have to even have a romantic interest in this man? He was far too good for me.

Kyle turned to me, looking curious. The smile that lingered on his face was encouraging. "Yes?"

"Um... Is...there any way we can keep in touch?" I asked hesitantly. "I-I mean, as friends."

Friends. That seemed more appropriate. We could get to know each other properly. Then, if anything else were to develop, I would handle it maturely and responsibly, not maniacally.

Kyle turned to me completely, looking surprised and nothing more. "Why, princess. Whatever for? Don't tell me I'm next on your hit list."

I'd have balked if I couldn't tell he was teasing. He was still smiling at me, as if he wasn't at all concerned about that. It seemed I might have a chance at redemption, after all.

Still, that tease was embarrassing, considering how much sense it made. I blushed. "Uh...I-I..."

Kyle smiled at me and said, "That's what I thought. Promise you're not going to stalk me?"

Okay, the joke was getting old.

"Absolutely not! I've learned my lesson, trust me!" I answered.

He laughed, looking amused. Then he pulled a pen and a notepad from his suit pocket and wrote something down. "I'm sure you have, Ai. Here," he said, tearing out the paper and handing it to me. He'd written his phone number on it. It seemed he actually trusted me! "Call me sometime, and we'll go out, okay?" He winked at me, smiling sweetly.

"O-okay," I stammered.

I'm a princess. Why were words giving me so much trouble?

"Until we meet again, princess," Kyle said, heading off to board his plane.

One of my guards looked at me, concerned. "My lady? Is everything alright?"

I can only imagine my face was flushed. Kyle had just given me his number, as though I wasn't known for being a crazy woman! I couldn't wait until our first date—we'd have such a wonderful time! And our wedding, and—

No, I had to slow down. Get a grip on my wild imagination. I didn't want to scare Kyle away next. He might be just what I needed. And, if it didn't work out, at least we could be friends.

"Yes," I answered. "Everything's fine. Come on. Let's get out of here."

"Right!"

My guards brought my bags along, and we boarded my family's private jet to head back to Misgarth.