Title: While They're Away
Character: Misawa Daichi
Chapters: 1-1||Words: 999
Genre: General||Rated: G
Challenges: Diversity Writing: YGO GX canon: B99, starts and ends with the same letter; Word Count Set Boot Camp, #13, 999 words; GX Month 2021, day #11, Bonding H20
Notes: This takes place in the Sand World arc, after Juudai, Johan, O'Brien, Jim, and Amon go to the submarine. Before they leave Misawa is in the infirmary bed. Before they come back, he's all cleaned up and doing math. Also, even though it's said then that he doesn't have a deck, he clearly summons Water Dragon later. So there's a mention of how I resolved that.
Summary: He can't just sit there anymore. He's recovered. He needs to make an effort to help. So Misawa Daichi gets up.

Without Juudai here in the infirmary, it was very, very quiet. Misawa wasn't sure if he liked how quiet. Rei lay on the other bed under her blanket, trembling and shaking as Ayukawa-sensei did her best to keep her calmed and quiet. She clearly wasn't having any real luck with that.

Their best chance is if the submarine has medicine that can help. Misawa knew that wasn't a guaranteed chance, though. It was a chance, nothing more. What might work out better would be if they were able to return to their original world.

The logic laid itself out neatly. No one else here right now had a chance to get them back. Juudai might, but he was busy getting help for Rei right now. Misawa wished vaguely that he could get them to some of the monsters that he'd met who traveled these wastes - they might be able to help as well. But those that he'd met were far away now and he had to work with what he had. He rubbed at his face, not pleased at the stubble there. How was he supposed to think with all of that on his face?

How could he think when he didn't even have decent clothes on? And if he thought about it a little too much, he could even smell himself. It wasn't a pleasant aroma. He'd had to deal with it before in the desert. He'd taught himself to ignore it then, because he couldn't do anything else. Now - now he just might be able to.

Do the showers even work now? He'd have to check. This was the main building, where the gym was, which meant there were showers also, not just the ones in the individual dorms. But since they weren't connected to the main water pipes, he honestly couldn't guess right now what worked and what didn't, or for how long it would work.

He ground his teeth together, then forced himself up from the bed, grabbing automatically for the staff he'd carried with him for so long. It existed in his mind somewhere between a help for walking and a weapon - he'd used it for both - but right now he needed it more for support. He gripped onto it hard, making sure that he wasn't likely to fall over, and took a couple of wobbly steps.

"Misawa-kun? What do you think you're doing?" Ayukawa-sensei peered over at him from Rei's bed. "You shouldn't be getting up just yet."

He shook his head. "I"m fine. I have to start helping." He couldn't just lay here and vegetate, no matter how appealing it was to be in a clean bed that wasn't likely to vanish at any point. All though his body there ran the urge to do something, to make an effort to help those who couldn't help themselves. Not, as once upon a time, for the praise that would come from it. But because it needed to be done and he was the one who could do it, no one else.

Ayukawa-sensei came closer to him, clearly worried. "Are you certain? You were very worn out yesterday."

"That was yesterday." Who knew what could happen between now and when Juudai and the others returned? For that matter, who knew what had happened to Rei? They only had the faintest idea of what might be able to help her. The submarine might have antibiotics and they might be able to counter whatever it was. But he'd seen wounds caused by Duel Monsters before - carried several himself under his clothes - and chances weren't certainties. At least if they returned to their own world, the doctors there could have quicker access to medicine. Which meant that they had to get home.

But first things first. He turned to Ayukawa-sensei. "Are the showers working? And can you help me find a new uniform?"

"Yes," she nodded, eyes flicking up and down him in a professional way. "I have a few spares; one of them should be able to fit you." He could tell she wasn't happy with this but at least she wasn't going to argue about it. "Are you going to need a deck as well? Some of the students are outside guarding the school until Juudai-kun and the others get back."

Misawa considered that, then shook his head. "I think I will," he decided, "but not right now. I have other matters to take care of first." If the main building were here, then that meant the card store would be as well. He could check see if there were any cards there he could use. He'd lost the deck he'd had on him when he'd fallen here to a small thieving creature and never gotten it back, no matter how hard he'd searched. He missed Water Dragon terribly.

But for now, he carefully made his way to the door. He needed the best meal he could find and he needed to think about what he could do to solve all the riddles that were in front of him. Untold numbers of formulas danced about in his head and he knew that was one reason he would need to eat something - just to be able to focus on what he was doing.

A shower, shaving, something to eat, and then he could do all the math that he needed. For once he would be able to help with his natural gifts - and this time they needed his abilities. It might not be only up to him but until some other form of aid presented itself, this was what he would do. Cards would come later.

And if he were very lucky, by the time that Juudai and the others returned, he would have found the answer to getting them all home again.

In the back of his mind he also wondered, just what was the source of Rei's strange wound? It looked so much like a claw…

The End

Notes: I don't write Misawa very often. But the idea of what he did before DA showed up in the desert is fascinating. One day. One day.