Shadgirl2: Well, after five years, it's finally done!
Midna Azusa: That took too long.
Shadgirl2: No kidding. But this is the final chapter.
Midna: The editor's identity, for anyone who remembers that's a thing, is revealed at the end of the chapter.
Disclaimer: We don't own Yugioh GX.
Judai's POV
Manjoume dropped me off back in mainland North America, and I hurried off to pick Pharaoh up from the place I'd left him. Apparently he'd spent the last three weeks doing nothing but eating and sleeping, so he'd gained a little weight. I'd have to get him on a diet now. However having Pharaoh back also meant I had Professor Daitokuji back with me. I wasted no time in filling him in as we headed off. I planned on getting as far away from that damn island as possible, so I made my way to the nearest airport.
I also made a mental note to never leave Pharaoh with anyone else again unless I gave them very specific instructions for feeding and exercising him.
Professor Daitokuji crossed his arms and nodded slightly. "Hmm. I see. Sounds like you've had quite the adventure, nya."
"Yeah, no kidding."
"So, what are you planning to do now, Judai-kun? You made a promise not to leave again, nya."
"Well, we're planning on getting together when school takes a break."
Looking thoughtful, Professor Daitokuji put a finger to his chin. "Hmm. I see. And what, exactly, were you planning to do? The winter break's the first one, and it lasts a total of three weeks. Where were you two planning on staying at that time? Do you have a place in mind?" He gave me a mildly concerned look. Given that I was homeless, it made sense he was worried about that.
"Hey, I've got a few months to figure that out!" I reminded him with a grin.
"Hmm. I see... Well, what about this summer, then? While you may be able to pull off a winter vacation for the two of you, spending the whole summer together's going to be more of a challenge. Especially considering you're not rich, Judai-kun."
No kidding. I'd been existing on the kindness of strangers and the generosity of those few friends I'd been in touch with. Ed would probably be pissed when I told him most of the money he'd loaned me recently had just gone toward a pet hotel for Pharaoh, but there wasn't much I could do about that. I figured I had enough money to buy a plane ticket back to Japan, but I'd be flat broke then.
"I'll think of something," I answered. Need to find a job... Wow. Never thought I'd be thinking that.
I'd even left myself stunned. In more ways than one.
"Pinch me. I'm dreaming," Yubel, my other half, said. "The famous hobo Judai wants to get a real job. This should be fun to watch." She laughed through her lips, which was really annoying when she was calling me a bum.
I decided not to dignify that with a response. It wasn't like she was wrong, anyway.
I guess Professor Daitokuji could see the irritation on my face because he gave an amused laugh. "What you need, Judai-kun, is a place to settle down and call home. See, most teachers at Duel Academy can't afford to keep a house during their first years on the job. And no landlord will allow them to stay there for too long if they're never home. So most experienced teachers live either at the school, buy a home, or live with their parents. Why, I've even heard Kabayama lives in his car since it's cheaper than owning a house that he never uses." He laughed a bit again, amused by the art teacher's living situation.
"Really?" I asked.
It didn't seem right to me that the teachers at Duel Academy were basically life-long tenants of the school, but I guess it made sense. They did live there for most of the year, so why not stay for the summer, too? I also couldn't help but wonder where Kabayama kept his car during the school year. It wasn't like he had any use for it, either.
"Weirdo," Yubel said, somehow managing to be both bored and disturbed at the same time.
"Well, that's what he said, at least. Point is, with how young Asuka is, she's probably living with her parents or at the school with Professor Cronos during parts of the year where there's no school. Might be nice to have a place all to herself, and maybe even someone special to share it with once in awhile, nya?"
From the way he raised his eyebrows at me, I knew he was hinting at something—get a job, find a place to live, and invite Asuka to stay during her breaks. I'd heard conflicting things about living with your girlfriend. Some said it gave you a better idea whether marriage would work, others said it weakened your relationship. I wasn't sure which one was right, but I had other issues in mind.
For one, we were just starting out as a couple. Moving in was supposed to be a later step, if the couple took it at all. Then again, we were already well acquainted with each others' baggage, and it would only be for short periods of time between school years. Besides, we'd managed to fix our mangled relationship after six years of her hating me and me avoiding her. If we could get through that, it was safe to assume we could stand living together for a few months each year.
I gave all of that some thought before I said, "Right. Then it's about time I stop traveling the world."
Professor Daitokuji grinned at me with pride. "Very good, Judai-kun. That would be best if you want this relationship to last. And I'd say the best place for that would have to be one of the surrounding towns, like Domino or Yonezato. That way, when school lets out, Asuka can get to you quickly without too much of a hassle. The choice is yours, of course, though. So? What will you do, Judai-kun?"
He gave me a curious look at Pharaoh yawned and curled up for a nap as best as his chubby body would now allow.
Going back to Japan was a definite plus. I'd learned other languages on my travels, but I still felt most comfortable with Japanese. Besides, if I moved to Domino City, I'd be close enough that I could stop by and visit Asuka sometimes, like on weekends when I knew she wouldn't be working.
"That sounds good to me," I answered. "Guess I should also work on getting a job."
Yubel appeared beside me, arms crossed. She was laughing amusedly. "Oh you've gotta be kidding me! You were serious? Judai Yuki, the school dropout wants a job! Yeah, sure. That'll work. Why, I can see it now!" She waved an arm through the air as if imagining my "grand" future, then finished, "'Welcome to Zoey's. Home of the pasta salad. Can I take your order?'"
Really? Again?
"Funny. I graduated," I pointed out. Can't be a dropout if I have a high school diploma. It's not like I ever even applied for college, after all.
Yubel pointed accusingly at me, her grin wider. "Ha. Barely. And only because Cronos cracked the whip on you there at the end. There's no way you'll be able to hold down a job."
She looked both smug and amused, which only made me determined to prove her wrong. I wasn't that stupid.
Smiling in amusement, Professor Daitokuji held up a finger and leaned over my shoulder as he said, "Now let's not go jumping to conclusions just yet. He at least managed to keep up with his classmates. Even though he did sleep through all of his classes."
On my other side, Yubel leaned over my shoulder, nodding. "Um-hm. True, true."
Even the cat, now sitting at my feet, mewed in apparent agreement. The cat, for pity's sake!
Winged Kuriboh appeared, eyes closed as he hovered above my head. "Kuri kuri!" he agreed.
Well, this was a fun game—tease Judai about being stupid. Uh-huh, yeah. Not only was I going to find a job, but I was going to be great at it!
"...You guys..."
Professor Daitokuji straightened up, still grinning, and said, "Sorry. Couldn't resist."
The others backed off, too. Yubel nodded in agreement with Professor Daitokuji, her arms crossed. Winged Kuriboh just looked pleased. Pharaoh licked his paw. From the looks of everyone, they didn't think I'd make it.
"Alright, well, I'm gonna work on finding a job nearby so that people will actually let me rent a place," I said, intent on proving them all wrong.
...And...by "nearby," I meant "somewhere closer to Duel Academy." Not somewhere in the United States of America.
Yubel grinned in amusement again. "If you say so. Then let's practice it together!" She threw her hand up to her nose, looking disgusted, and said, "Oh, yuck. Who threw up in this stall?" She started pretending to mop with her other hand while still covering her nose.
...Way to insult janitors everywhere, Yubel. They were hard workers, and they deserved a little more respect than that.
I just grimaced and said, "Yeah, I'm heading home now."
So I boarded a plane for Japan. I planning on heading for my parents' house for the first time in a long time. I figured they might be able to help me figure something out (assuming either of them were home), and I could probably stay with them until I did.
One Year Later
It was the first day of summer vacation, and Asuka was going to be arriving at my apartment any minute. I was making a mad dash to clean it up as much as I could before she arrived. When she'd been there over winter break, she'd complained about how messy it was and nagged me about taking better care of my home. Once I'd gotten it cleaned up, she'd started getting on me any time I let it get even a little messy.
In other words, I was living with a neat freak.
Sure, I hadn't been as much of a slob back in the day, either. I guess spending six year basically living in the wild left me caring less about my environment being tidy, but Asuka seemed determined to fix that one.
The complaining, I could handle. It was better than half of the things that had happened in my life. What's wrong with a healthy lecture about cleaning the bathroom or taking out the trash, after all.?
"Oh, honestly, Judai," Yubel said. "It's just a little cluttered in here. There's no need to panic if the place isn't spotless when she arrives."
What Yubel called "a little cluttered," Asuka would call "a pig sty." Some magazines and comics were scattered on the night stand. Chip bags, cases of pop, and other nonperishable foods were on the counter since I'd run out of room in the cupboards after going shopping to make sure I had enough food for two. I'd left my pajamas laying on the foot of my bed. And there were a couple of towels on the bathroom floor. There also happened to be a pair of pants on the floor in my bedroom.
"Yeah, well..."
I didn't agree. Asuka hated the mess I'd been living in before, and she probably hadn't changed in the months since she'd last been here! I had to clean up as much as I could before she arrived. There was nothing I could do about the counters, but the rest needed dealt with.
I grabbed that pair of pants off the floor and tossed them in the laundry, vacuumed the living room floor, the couch, and even my bed (after folding my pajamas and putting them on top of my dresser first).
Yubel gave me a lame look as I ran the vacuum over the bed sheets. "Really, Judai? The bed sheets, too? Don't you think that's just a bit much?"
"Asuka's a neat freak. No, I don't. I don't need another mom."
I quickly picked up the towels in the bathroom and hung them up, moved the magazines to a shelf in my bedroom closet, then went to reorganize the food on the counter so that it at least looked like I meant to have food sitting there.
I was reaching for some cleaner so I could scrub a few things when I heard a knock at the door. I was out of time. Sure, the clutter was gone, but I had to finish sweeping the floors, dust the furniture (even though I did that yesterday), wash the tabletops and counters, and I should probably wash the windows.
But time was up. It was time to face the music. Now if I could just think of a good reason why things were so messy.
"Oh, great!" I moaned. I sighed and went to open the door a crack.
Asuka stood there, as expected, with two bags. She had a smile on her face I figured would vanish when she saw the place didn't look like a germophobe lived here. "Hi, Judai. What's up?"
Yubel just crossed her arms and grinned at me in amusement. "Hmph. Neat freak. Heh heh heh," she muttered.
"Hi, Asuka! How's it going?"
"Oh, not too bad. Mind if I come in, though? These aren't exactly light, you know." She grinned holding her bags up.
She could tell the place was a mess, couldn't she? From the look on her face, she also thought it was amusing that I was scrambling to clean up.
"Yeah," I said, realizing there wasn't anything else I could do. "Yeah, sure." Ready to face the music, I opened the door, and she walked in as I said, "Sorry about the mess. I was cleaning when you got here."
She looked around, still smiling, to my surprise. "What are you talking about? It's nice in here. That is, compared to last time, of course," she said, putting her bags down by the door.
The smile on her face said she thought this was all highly amusing. I wasn't sure if that was because hindsight was making it comical or if she was just enjoying teasing me, but I didn't find it very funny.
"Yeah, well..." I said awkwardly.
And that's when Pharaoh jumped on the couch, getting his hair all over it.
"Aw, Pharaoh!" I complained.
He just yawned and curled up to sleep.
In case anybody was concerned, I'd gotten Pharaoh to lose some weight, so he was back to his usual shape. He had, however, been stealing my food, digging in the trash, and forcing me to walk my cat on a leash like a weirdo. He wouldn't play and wouldn't walk, he just wanted to sleep all day, so it was the only way he got any exercise. Then, while we were out on these walks, he'd wail like he was starving to death, which earned me a lot of nasty looks from animal-lovers everywhere. I'd started just walking him inside to avoid that. He also wouldn't eat the diet food I'd been getting for him meant for "healthy weight."
Now that I had the simple cat back to his normal weight, I had him back on his normal food (which he happily ate), but I still had one Pharaoh-proofing measure in place—I'd put padlocks on my cupboards to keep him from getting in and eating my food, and I still had those there. It was a lot of fun explaining that one to Asuka last time she'd been here.
"You alright, Judai? It's just a couch you got at a thrift shop. What's it matter if he sleeps on it?" Asuka asked with an amused grin.
Oh, she was definitely teasing me about being a neat freak. That was rich, coming from her. She was the reason I was acting like one!
"I just got it clean..." I whined like a neat freak. Apparently it was contagious.
Asuka watched as I knocked the cat off the couch and vacuumed it again. I heard her laugh at me and knew I deserved it—I was acting ridiculous. "Oh, come on, Judai. I can't be that bad!" she asked with a grin on her face.
You should never answer your girlfriend when she makes a comment like that, so I pretended I didn't hear her over the vacuum. My lovable neat freak didn't have any right to tease me about it—she'd been bossy and kind of scary last winter, and I didn't want to deal with that side of her again! Now, after showing me that side of herself, she was going to tease me for being too clean? I couldn't possibly have been clean enough the last time she was here!
Still, annoying as it was, I figured I'd look back on this whole thing and laugh someday.
Asuka laughed again and teased, "So, neat freak, care to help me unpack? Or are you too busy delousing the couch?"
If there were lice on my couch, I would definitely not be helping her unpack!
I sweat. She was right, I was being ridiculous, especially since it wasn't bothering her. "Uh, yeah, I'll help."
She picked up a bag and said. "Great. I'm guessing we're sharing a room again? You do have everything ready for me in there, right?"
Oh, yeah, I had everything set. All my stuff was in the bottom two drawers, leaving the top two for her. She didn't say she needed the top drawers—I just did that to make things easier for her. I'd also made sure there was room in the bathroom for her stuff. So, yes, everything was ready.
I picked up her other bag and said, "Yeah, Asuka, it's all set."
"Great," she told me as she headed into the bedroom and put her bag down on the bed. I followed her and set the other one beside the first.
Hands on her hips, Asuka gave me a stern look and said, "Now, remember, just 'cause we're sharing a bed doesn't mean we're doing anything dirty. Just like last time, we're just going to sleep in it, okay?"
Like I wanted anything else? Our romantic relationship was still new, and I'd taken forever getting to this point with her. I'd wait until I was 90 if that was what she wanted!
We'd talked about this when she'd first arrived last time. She said it wasn't anything personal, but she'd apparently had some close calls with some guys in the past and wasn't all that comfortable with sharing a bed with her boyfriend to begin with. I'd agreed to wait and pointed out that I wasn't in any hurry myself.
Then the nightmares came. I'd had a few bad dreams in the months since getting off that island, but they weren't anything too serious. I'd been seeing that psychiatrist Manjoume had recommended (he, Ed, and the Marufujis alternated who was paying for my appointments since the guy was pricey). But something about having a woman laying in bed next to me just made them so much worse and so much more uncomfortable, so I'd had to talk to Asuka about my side of the issue because I was debating just letting her have the bed and moving myself to the couch. Now, since neither one of us was ready to do anything that involved nudity, we had both promised to wait until the other was ready. That had calmed my nightmares down, and Asuka hadn't said anything more about it, so I figured we were good on that front.
Either way, since it had needed discussed before, I answered, "Okay," glad that the original understanding was still there. Sure, it had been about a year, but I still wasn't fully over it.
Looking stoic, Asuka nodded. Then she walked around the bed and wrapped her arms around me, a smile on her face. "Oh, Judai. I'm glad you stayed."
I hugged her back and answered, "Yeah. Me, too."
The two of us unpacked her things, ready to spend the summer together.
And this concludes the final volume of the Duel Academy Adventures series: "Trouble on Stalker Island." I hope, my dear readers, that you've enjoyed this adventure. - Sho Marufuji