Shadgirl2: Hey, sorry about the slow-down...

Midna: It's complicated, and she doesn't really want to talk about it. Medical stuff, though, so there's the reason. So bear with us. We'll try to get updates out in a more timely manner.

Shadgirl2: Enough about that, though. Enjoy the chapter!

Disclaimer: We don't own Yugioh GX.

Johan's POV

I hung up the phone, once more wondering why we were calling Rei in to help Judai. I mean, from the way she sounded, I knew somebody would have to drill the point home to her that she couldn't go stalking or pursuing Judai right now. Her excitement and determination were…almost scary.

Well, I might not have agreed with the plan, but it was too late to back out now. I put my phone away, turning to the others as I calmly focused on the matter at hand. "I just got off the phone with Rei. She says she wants to come, but she'll need a ride first. So I told her one of us would pick her up at the airport in Salt Lake City, Utah," I said, hoping somebody would be willing and able to pay her plane fare. "Who's going? Or am I picking her up?"

I probably should have gone to get her. After all, I knew the most about the situation, being almost the only one Judai ever talked to these days, and I wouldn't get off Rei's case until she understood it, too. She couldn't do what she'd done back in school. Hell, she couldn't even ask him on a date for a while since he would need to recover from Asuka and her betrayal. Basically Rei would have to move more slowly than she was known for if she was even going to stand a chance of pulling this off.

Still, I decided to let the others volunteer if they wanted. After all, at least one of them had to know something. I couldn't have been the only person who finally knew both sides.

"Don't look at me," Manjoume said. "I've already brought a stalker here."

Typical Manjoume. You know, he once pretended to be homeless, even going as far as rolling in the trash, to keep a cluster of fan-girls from harassing him before one of his duels. In other words, he wouldn't handle Rei well at all and really shouldn't go. I was okay with that choice.

"I ain't going. Not in a million years," Sho said, sitting on the couch with his arms crossed.

…Okay, it was definitely time to find Judai and ask what was up with Sho as soon as this was over. He was still mimicking Manjoume's attitude, and his tone said he thought all girls would hurt our friend. Why did he seem to hate all women now?

"I'd rather not risk having her fall back in love with me, thanks," the Kaiser said.

"Don't look at me!" Akiko said. "I don't have money for a round trip to Utah."

The Kaiser's excuse made sense. After all, Rei used to stalk him. But, based on what little I knew about Akiko, she had to have money somewhere. I mean, Manjoume called her for "special work" all the time, which should give you an idea of what she does for a living. ... No, not that! She's a bounty hunter! Get your mind out of the gutter!

Either way, I guess I'd found another one who wasn't willing to get Rei. But, if everyone else was actually against this plan, why were we still going through with it!?

Just as I was about to ask this, Jim said, "I'll go."

Good old Jim. Ever the optimist, he was willing to trust Rei. Well, if he thought it would be okay, I guessed it was. Besides, Jim would drive the point home, like I would, and he just might know the truth. He was stubborn, stern, and relentless when it came to any kind of lecture. As long as Rei didn't need a babysitter, he'd be fine. After all, we hadn't forgotten how three students had gotten away from him in that other dimension.

"Great! Then we all agree, then?" I asked, looking around.

Kenzan smiled, still excited about the progression of his plan. He really needed to calm down soon. After all, this "perfect" idea of his could still fail. "Works for me!"

"Whatever," the Kaiser and Sho said.

The Kaiser looked over at his brother in shock. Sho just kept his eyes closed, acting all huffy.

I took a moment to wonder what I should ask Judai about Sho's behavior: "Say, Judai, did you know Sho wants to kill anyone who says the word Asuka in his presence, hates all women, and turned into Manjoume's twin?" Nah, that would just weird him out.

"If you must," Manjoume said. He turned to Fubuki, looking slightly annoyed, and added, "Better rename your island, Tenjoin. I don't think it'll fit after this attack of stalkers."

Honestly, I had to agree, but what could I do? Everyone's minds were made up, and I didn't have a better idea. Geez, too bad Judai only really knew two girls.

Fubuki rubbed his head, laughing awkwardly.

"That works," Fuyuko said, I'm guessing in response to the plan to send Jim for Rei.

"Whatev," Akiko said.

With that, it was decided. Jim would be going to get Rei, which meant that this mess would get a whole lot more complicated soon. Hopefully Judai wouldn't find out that Jim was gone and think that he'd been abandoned again, and Rei wouldn't freak him out when she got here. Hah! Who was I kidding? That was about as likely as me finding my way home to Norway from the Amazon Rain Forest without Ruby's guidance. This was going to go all kinds of wrong.

I put on a brave face, though, smiling and turning to Jim as I picked up my phone again. "Okay, Jim! She's all yours! I'll just send this address to your phone…"

I typed it in as I was talking, and a moment after I hit send, Jim's phone went off. He checked it, leaving me looking at him expectantly. "Got it, Jim?" I asked.

"Yup," he said, sliding his phone back into his pocket. "I got it, mate."

"Great," Manjoume said. "Then get going. We can't call this place Stalker Island without gathering all the stalkers we know here."

Admittedly, that joking title seemed to make more sense than Island of the Maiden, especially with maiden being an old word for an unmarried, most likely virgin woman who would hopefully not be a stalker. I mean, that name just sounded way too innocent, given the kinds of things that were going on here. Isle of the Stalker would make more sense… But this wasn't the time to focus on that! Judai was in trouble, Asuka and Sho were both total messes, and Rei would be showing up soon! There wasn't time to be goofing around with all the things that needed done! Focus, Andersen!

While I was having my little sidetracking issue, Jim got up and headed out to go get Rei. I had just realized that somebody could have taken their own plane, given that at least Manjoume had to have brought his own ride. Maybe Jim could borrow his ride? …Then again, how did Haruko find him if he took his private jet?

Well, either way, Jim was on his way, leaving me with one less thing to worry about. Now we just had to make sure Rei knew how to act around Judai, mend two broken hearts, and figure out what the heck was wrong with Sho.

You know, Manjoume had brought up something earlier that I had to wonder about: Why did my group of friends seem to revolve around all kinds of strange and depressing issues?

Akiko's POV

Like hell this idea would work! I remembered Rei. She was that psycho who kept sneaking into Duel Academy—a high school on an island in the middle of the fucking ocean—just to be near the guys she was crushing on! Sure, she was just a kid back then, but what the hell does that say about her!? Who thinks that's okay, even at that young age!?

Well, either way, I didn't have any better ideas, so I didn't fight them on it. I mean, yeah, for some strange reason, Judai was the kind of weirdo who actually considered his stalkers friends, which tells you just how much Ai screwed up. Getting Judai to hate you wasn't easy.

Manjoume looked around a bit, looking annoyed and confused. Thinking of Haru again? "Seriously, though. Where's Haruko?" he asked. "She should have shown up to 'surprise' me by now. What's taking so long?"

Yup, thinking of Haru. The guy was pouting like a little kid, his arms and legs both crossed. I couldn't tell if he was annoyed or confused, seeing as those two emotions looked a lot alike on that guy.

Well, speak of the devil and the devil shall appear, as the saying goes. No sooner had Manjoume finished talking had Haruko walked up behind him. Never could tell when she wasn't wanted.

"Uh, Manjoume?" she said hesitantly.

"Right on cue," he muttered. Looking annoyed, he turned and looked at her over the back of the couch, saying, "Listen. If I told you Momoe and I were getting married, then would you leave me alone?"

Haru looked hurt, which I knew meant that a certain man here was going to get all defensive of her soon. "I didn't even do anything yet… Do you hate me so much that we can't even be friends?"

Geez, she sounded hurt, too! Yeah, she'd be getting defense soon.

Right on cue, Fuyuko walked over to her and said, "Haruko, don't worry about him. Stop chasing someone who doesn't know what you're worth, and find someone who does."

Good advice, Fuyuko. At least, in other circumstances. In this case, though, I didn't think it was quite the same. I mean, she was creeping on a guy who had a girlfriend. Man, Fuyuko could be seriously blind to Haruko's faults. Why didn't he just ask her out already and get it over with? We could all tell he liked her.

Manjoume got to his feet, glaring at Fuyuko. "Well, excuse me for having a girlfriend. What?" He leaned in toward Fuyuko, glaring, and added, "That illegal where you come from or something?"

If Haruko was acting hurt by someone's actions, even breathing was illegal in Fuyu's mind, Manjoume.

He gestured to Haruko in annoyance, saying, "I mean, seriously. She can't take a hint. How can I trust her to not try anything if we were friends?" He crossed his arms and turned away, glaring over his shoulder. "You're something else, Fuyuko." Then he closed his eyes.

Uh-oh. I figured that by "try something," he meant keep flirting and try to steal him from his girlfriend, but that wasn't the best way to word it, in that case. I mean, you all know what that sounds like, right? And, knowing Fuyuko, he'd pick up on that meaning and get mad.

Sure enough, he glared at Manjoume. "She flirts. That's how she is. But she isn't going to 'try anything,' and the fact that you think she will shows me that you know nothing about her."

…Why the fuck would he be trying to get to know her? Knowing Haruko, she probably came up to him out of the blue, confessed her "love" for him, and asked him to marry her or something! Who the hell would try to get to know their stalkers!? Man, Fuyuko, she had you wrapped around her little finger, didn't she?

Manjoume gritted his teeth, growling quietly. I could almost see a vein pulsing on his head, getting ready to burst.

Haruko looked stunned but happy, casting a starry-eyed gaze at Fuyuko. "Fuyu-chan…"

Manjoume's eyes shot open, and he whirled on Fuyuko again, glaring just as fiercely as Fuyuko. His tone made it clear he thought Fuyuko was a moron as he said, "No, I don't know anything about her! What do you think!? That I get to know my stalkers on a regular basis!? Who does that!?" He jabbed a finger in Fuyuko's face, adding, "Name me one guy, if you think you can."

The arrogance in his tone there at the end made me have to speak up. I mean, he seemed to think it was impossible to do that, even though we'd just sent Jim to fetch somebody's stalker to try and hook them up.

"Judai?" I said.

Whoops. Manjoume looked like he was just seconds away from a massive explosion now. He was shaking, veins were bulging out all over, and the sound rising in his throat was bound to turn into an earsplitting scream soon enough.

Johan's pupils were contracted, and he was sweating as he watched Manjoume out of the corner of his eye. He intervened then, apparently worried Manjoume would explode. "Uh, guys? He has a point…"

Yeah, I knew that. But, he had to admit, I was right, wasn't I? I mean, nobody would have even considered calling Rei in if Judai didn't think she was a friend.

Manjoume shut up and cooled off as Johan continued, "I mean, most guys try to avoid their stalkers, not get to know them. Judai, he's, uh…"

Crazy?

"Weird," Sho said. "That's all there is to it. And he's not very careful with his heart, either, trust me."

Still acting like an aggressive little creep, huh? I liked him better when he wasn't snapping at people's heels like a small dog gone wild.

Kenzan cast a concerned look at Sho once again, his eyes softening and helplessness sinking into his expression. "Marufuji-senpai…"

"They have a point, Haruko," Fuyuko admitted. Oh, finally calmed down, did you? "You need to stop doing this. When you meet a boy that you like, you shouldn't stalk him. Try talking to him instead. And do yourself a favor and quit taking Natsuko's advice. It only works for Natsuko."

Ugh, my brother came into the conversation somehow. You know, I often try to forget I have a brother, he's just that bad! On that note, it's a damn miracle his advice even works for him!

"…Okay…" Haruko said, sounding like she'd been properly chastised. Well, I'd make sure of that later by adding a bit of my own. But, for now, I could let it slide.

"Right," Johan said. "Now that that's settled, meeting adjourned. Catch you all later. I'm gonna go check on Judai." He got up and headed out. Good thing, too, because his friend probably needed somebody nearby, given how Sho was acting.

Sho stayed right where he was. He didn't even change his position at all this whole time. "Good. Tell me how he's doing 'cause I'm sure as hell not going there. I might run into You-Know-Who."

Seriously getting old, Sho, but whatev.

Ryo and Kenzan stared at him as if they were getting the same bad feeling. So, finally realize that he'd found out about Asuka's betrayal—and maybe even something we didn't know?

Fuyuko put an arm around Haruko's shoulders, drawing my attention back to more important matters than moody little Sho. "Come on, Haruko," he said, walking her out for what I hoped would be their first real date.

I couldn't help but smirk. They got him all defensive. How cute.

I'll be honest, I'm not that big on romance. Other girls like to talk about boys all the time, but I could care less. Not that I'm not interested in boys, mind you, but they weren't all that fun to talk about for hours. Still, Fuyuko and Haruko were cute together, and he was probably the only guy she'd ever fall for that would get to know her at all. If only the idiot would just stop being so paralyzed by shyness.

Most of the others got up and left, too, heading for the beach or their rooms. The rest, including Manjoume and me, turned on the TV to see if there was anything good on. Hey, why would I leave the villa and risk running into my idiot brother, who was probably drunk, in jail, or knocking up some poor woman somewhere? Or maybe even some combination of the three.

Ryo's POV

After everyone had left, I looked over at my brother. There were just so many things wrong here. For starters, he had always been gentle, which made his new attitude even harder to understand. The only times that Sho ever got angry with anyone was when they did something selfish or stupid, and it always passed quickly. Additionally, aside from certain bizarre medical conditions of his, he was never this bad, and the timing was off for that. To top it all off, he had called his Aniki a fool, something that he should never do. What in the world had gotten into him? I mean, he'd been concerned about mine and Judai's well-beings during our lowest points, so why was he so furious with Asuka?

I decided to address the issue. "Sho, what's gotten into you? You sounded like me a minute ago."

I had always been known for keeping calm, but Sho was always giving off his opinions and blowing up about things, so sounding like me meant he was just about the opposite of normal.

"I don't wanna talk about it," he said, standing up.

Kenzan got up as well, looking worried. I couldn't blame him, but, if Sho didn't want to talk, it was useless to force the matter. It was best to just leave him alone for now. Maybe he'd straighten this out on his own, whatever it was.

"Marufuji-senpai!"

Sho stood there for a second, then said, "See ya," as he headed out.

Well, there wasn't any point worrying about him. He'd be alright. Instead, I joined Manjoume and Akiko, who had found some sort of movie involving gang activity to watch. No doubt it would be a bloody film with death and gore left and right, which wasn't exactly my preference, but it was better than what Fubuki wanted to do, so it was fine by me.

Kenzan watched Sho go, concerned, before turning to me and asking, "Man, what is wrong with that guy?"

"Maybe he knows about Asuka," I said.

It made sense, after all. Sho knew how Asuka and Judai had felt during high school, and he knew all about Asuka's side of the story. Asuka had complained to me from time to time about men and how they "never get it" and how those who did were "real jerks." Sometimes she did this in person, and Sho would be in the room for it. He knew that Judai had been alone last night and had gone looking for him. Obviously, given that Manjoume and Kenzan had said that Asuka had yelled at them, Sho would have figured something out from Judai. What he really knew was the only mystery here, and that would stay that way if he didn't say anything. But that was fine. Sho could handle his own issues; he didn't need a babysitter to help him with them.

Kenzan looked at me in confusion, a look which I chose to ignore. As far as I was concerned, this conversation was over. There was nothing more that needed said.

"Really?" Kenzan asked.