Dislclaimer: We don't own Yugioh GX.
Judai's POV
As I put my phone away, I caught Yubel looking at me with concern. Or, at least, the closest she ever got to it. "Hey. Are you okay?" she asked.
"Yeah," I said. "Fine."
So my friends all liked Kyle better. Big deal. It wasn't like it mattered.
I needed to focus on my own problems right then, since nobody else was going to do anything. They were more worried about Kyle and how he was doing and how he could handle anything that life might throw at him. Briefly I wondered if he could handle a semi truck being thrown at him, but I brushed that thought aside quickly. Instead of worrying about that, I headed for the cliffs to finish checking for someplace sheltered. After all, Asuka had interrupted me the night before.
Yubel put her hands on her hips, looking annoyed. What else was new? "Yeah, uh-huh. Do you think I'm stupid or something? We're not all as dense as you are, after all. Now what's—"
"Oh, shut up!" I cut her off. "So I'm not perfect, like Kyle! Just leave me alone!"
Winged Kuriboh came out, glaring at Yubel. He got up in her face.
Her eyes widened for a moment, then she moved away from the Kuriboh and, looking a bit more concerned, floated closer to me. "Oh, come on. You think Kyle's perfect? Everyone has their flaws, you know. I'm sure there's something you're missing here."
"Yeah, sure. Everybody loves him. What's there to miss?"
I wanted to hit him. I wanted to smash that ridiculous face of his into a wall and grind it there for a few minutes. I wanted to steal everything from him since that was what he was doing to me!
Yubel crossed her arms, a lame look on her face, as Winged Kuriboh moved to my side, looking concerned. "Well, not everybody does," Yubel pointed out. "You clearly don't." She nodded at me with that last sentence.
Yeah, but I was the only one, and I probably just didn't like him because he was taking my place in my group. Worse, actually—he was filling my place better than I ever had.
That's about when I saw Sho storming around the beach, seemingly aimless. He looked like he couldn't be any angrier if he tried. I mean, he was glaring daggers and grinding his teeth as he walked—no, stomped—around.
Yubel stared at him for a minute, apparently genuinely surprised. "Wow. Looks like you're not the only one who's in a bad mood right now. What's his problem?" She crossed her arms again, somehow managing to look both lame and confused at the same time.
Winged Kuriboh looked curious, too. He moved toward Sho a bit to get a better look. "Kuri?" He turned toward me slightly, looking confused and concerned.
I thought about it for a minute, trying to figure out why Sho would be so mad. "Asuka's at the villa, and he's mad at her," I said after a bit. "That's probably got something to do with it."
So, in an attempt to be a good friend, I headed over to find out what was up with Sho. My two spirit friends vanished, giving the two of us some space. I approached him from behind.
"Sho?" I asked when I was close enough that I didn't need to shout.
He stopped walking, crossing his arms, but he didn't turn around. "Oh. Hi, Aniki. What's up?" he said, sounding as mad as he looked.
That's Sho for you. Always wearing his heart on his sleeve. You can always tell when he's not happy.
"...Not much," I said, trying not to make too much of his tone just then. "Something wrong?"
He answered, still sounding mad, but also a bit annoyed now. "What do you think?" He turned to face me, and he looked a lot like Manjoume did when he was annoyed as he continued, "You know, I can't believe you sometimes. First there was Yubel, and now Asuka. Why do you always forgive someone who's being a complete and utter jerk?" Turning back around, he closed his eyes and stuck up his nose as he muttered, "Or worse, in some cases."
If not for the obvious appearance differences and the voice, I might have mistaken him for Manjoume right about then. I knew those two had been spending a lot more time together after that thing in Dark World, but did Sho always adopt the characteristics and mannerisms of the people he hung out with the most? I mean, he hadn't turned into a clone of me at any point! This just wasn't normal, even for the guy who hid in a trash can to avoid dueling once!
I blinked, then said, "Because everyone deserves a second chance?"
You'd think he would know that was my reason.
Sho stood there a moment, though his posture changed slightly. Then he turned to me, giving me a lame look and lowering his hands. "Really? She's still doing it, you know. And the only ones who know for sure what it really is are you, me, and Natsuko."
I could have pointed out that Natsuko's new wife did, too, but I let that one go. Instead, I pointed out everything else wrong with Sho's words and attitude. "Uh, Ai's catching on, everyone knows, and Asuka gave me a place to stay last night."
Sho narrowed his eyes. Funny, I'd expected them to fly open. He was silent for a minute, as if thinking about all of that. What, did he think he was related to Manjoume instead of the Kaiser? I was seriously starting to worry about him.
When he spoke, I worried more because he still sounded like Thunder instead of him. "And how do they feel about all this? And why'd she help you if her act's still going on?" He closed his eyes and crossed his arms again, asking, "Ai already on her trail when she did?"
Okay, that did it! I was separating him and Manjoume for awhile if it was the last thing I did! He'd been spending too much time with Manjoume, and he was starting to act like him because of it. Now I had to fix Sho. Again. Great. Last time, it took me almost three years!
"No! That's how Ai caught on!" I answered.
That got the response I'd been expecting this whole time! He started, finally dropping the attitude. His eyes widened, like they should have done in the first place, and he looked straight at me, finally looking like himself instead of a carbon copy of Manjoume when he had to talk to me. "W-what?"
"Asuka helped me out last night after...a heckuva day," I said, deciding it was better not to tell Sho exactly what had happened. "She took me back to her room so I could sleep, and Junko screamed when she saw me there. That got Kyle's attention and Ai's! Asuka didn't do such a great job acting, so I got out of there while Ai was interrogating her, but she's still suspicious."
"...What...?"
Well, this was more like Sho. He was looking at me in disbelief, as if the very thought of Asuka caring that much was crazy. Come to think of it, he'd said some interesting stuff to Asuka earlier. Stuff that matched that talk she'd had with Kyle. Had Sho known all along how she really felt? And he'd kept it to himself instead of telling me. Gee, Sho, might have been nice to have known. Then I wouldn't have been caught so off guard the day before!
Sho's POV
Okay, so, according to Aniki, Asuka had helped him last night, putting her act in danger for it. But that would mean that she cared, which she didn't! I knew that for a fact thanks to that "cover story" of hers. But to risk her act just to help Aniki stay safe and warm isn't something you do when you hate a guy. But...
I was just so confused, my head was spinning! Aniki had better have a good explanation! After all, I might not have known what story Asuka told Ai, but I knew some of it had to be true! A made-up guy who she loved, but who never knew how she felt? Aniki fit where "Eric" should be, and I knew it! And she accused Aniki of being dangerous, too! Clearly she hated his guts, so why was she doing all that!?
"B-but what about the stuff she told—"
I'm sure my confusion and disbelief were showing clearly in both my tone and my eyes.
"We...had a little talk yesterday, too..." Aniki said, rubbing the back of his head and hesitating a bit. "About how she hated me for running off. Kyle told her some stuff Ai had said, so we worked that out."
Whoa, whoa, whoa! Back that up! Aniki had talked to Asuka about it? But he never even knew! Why, only a select few did, and, fortunately for Aniki, he wasn't one of them! Unlike me! I spent all of last year listening to her yelling at my Nii-san all day long because of that "stupid jerk and his best friend O'Brien!" I heard that every other day for eight months! Why, I was so afraid of Asuka that year, I spent most of my time locked securely in my room unless I had a duel to attend! How'd Aniki find this out!? Did that big-mouthed Johan tell him!? And what on Earth did Ai tell Kyle!? She shouldn't have known anything useful, right!?
Naturally, with all that running through my head, my eyes bugged out. "What!? You did!? But how'd you—" I gaped at Aniki, totally shocked. After all, he knew things he was never meant to hear! Painful things he didn't need to hear! How the heck had he heard that!?
Before I could finish my question, Aniki cut me off with, "I overheard her and Kyle talking yesterday. The part I heard was her saying she hates me." He said this as if it didn't really bother him, although there was the tiniest bit of annoyance in his eyes when he said Kyle's name, for some reason.
But, more importantly, no! Aniki heard her!? Well, that was just the icing on the cake! The absolute worst possible way for him to find out! What was with this guy!? I thought he was past his days of eavesdropping! He hadn't done any all the way through third year, so what made him do it now!? And of all things to hear! That was absolutely the worst! Aniki couldn't handle that! He was too messed up as it was! What with him leaving forever and not saying goodbye to any of his friends, he had to be bad! Now he was hearing pure evil from his ex-girlfriend!? Why was he even still breathing!? He should have been getting ready to jump in the sea and drown right about then!
Wait, didn't people usually act completely fine right before they did something like that? Aniki! Don't do it! You've got too much to live for! Namely making up with me! You're my only aniki, Aniki! I don't want to lose you again! Please don't do it!
I gasped, worried now. "Y-you—Aniki! Are you okay!?"
I'm sure my panic showed. Depending on his answer, I was gonna tell him at least part of what I was thinking. Specifically about how he was my only Aniki and I couldn't live without him. I mean, I loved this guy like my own brother!
Remember that word: B-R-O-T-H-E-R. No one go getting any crazy ideas here! Your precious editor might get very, very mad at you if you do!
"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine," Aniki said, raising his hands in a calming gesture and making his tone reassuring. "Don't worry. We talked about that, and she doesn't hate me anymore."
No, no, no, no! That made no sense! Aside from Aniki trying to calm me down, that is. He always did that, even when he lied about sacrificing himself to save us third year. B-but that was besides the point! That was the second time Asuka had hurt him, and all he could say was she didn't hate him!? He should hate her for everything she had done! And how did her not hating him anymore make him feel better, anyway!? He was the one wronged here!
"What!? B-but why!? You were—" I hadn't calmed down at all. Sure, my panicked look may have changed some, but my eyes were still wide as dinner plates. And can you blame me? This was just crazy! And really, really bad!
"Sho, I left because...because I thought you guys wouldn't care either way," Aniki said, looking away.
Oh, no way! Had Aniki really just said that!? And he sounded upset, too! But I thought he left because he was messed up by the fusion! Kenzan told us he'd changed soon after it, so I had naturally assumed there was a connection! After all, Yubel was inside him now, and she liked being alone! Aniki loved being alone all of third year, so it made perfect sense! Now he was saying he thought we hated him!? What on Earth gave him that crazy idea!? Did Yubel do something to him again!? That was the craziest thing Aniki ever said! I had to straighten that one out before it was too late and Aniki started hating us all for no reason!
"WHA!? Are you crazy!? Why would you ever think that!? Aniki, we—"
Aniki cut me off mid-rant, suddenly defensive. "You said that I betrayed you. That all I cared about was myself. What was I supposed to think?"
...Okay. So I was thinking Aniki was being paranoid for no reason, but... Those words. I said he'd betrayed me. I kinda remembered saying something like that...but the memory was a huge blur. Most of what I went through during Dark World was. I...sort of remembered hiding and watching my friend from afar. The nightmare known as Haou was very vivid for me, but I wasn't sure why I did next to nothing back then. Or even why I doubted everyone's loyalty and friendship, including my Aniki's, until we got home. That whole adventure was a huge blur to me that I only remembered in bits and pieces.
But one thing I was starting to recall was the words I said to Aniki: You're not my Aniki. For you, everything was alright as long as you were okay.
With his words, Aniki managed to shut me up, and the only thing I was thinking was "oops." What had I done? Those were the harshest words I had ever said to anyone! And I didn't even know why I'd said them! And of all people to say them to, Aniki!? What on Earth had I been thinking!? No wonder Aniki was so upset!
"Yeah, well, I, uh...lied?" I said before laughing awkwardly, rubbing the back of my head. I really didn't know what to say to that. After all, I might have said all that, but I knew I didn't mean it! Was I trying to push Aniki away!? Was I really that desperate to grow up alone!? Because there were way better ways to get some space! I didn't have to be so cruel!
"That's why I was avoiding you guys," Aniki said, sounding slightly upset. "I thought you hated me."
I sweat again. Oh, this was bad. I had such a big mouth back then. How would I ever explain it? "Right... See, about that...uh..."
I just couldn't explain myself on that one. I didn't even get what I was thinking back then. I remembered doubting everyone, but I wasn't sure why. I remembered my friends being sacrificed in a duel Aniki was having, but I didn't know what for. All I knew for sure was that Aniki had been really angry with the guy who sacrificed everyone and glad I was okay, but, for some reason, I wouldn't believe that!
Aniki smiled reassuringly and said, "Don't worry about it. Asuka talked to me about it already. She said she doesn't think any of you meant what you said that day."
I looked down. And I called myself Judai's friend. What kind of a friend lets a treacherous witch fix his mistakes? Let alone a best friend... They wouldn't. No friend in their right mind would ever let that happen. A true friend would explain themselves, say they're sorry... I wasn't worthy to call Judai a friend. Maybe that was why Johan was so "special." He was a true friend...
"Yeah..." I said, ashamed.
I had no right to call this guy aniki, let alone hang out with him... After all, I couldn't come up with a good reason for being so cruel...because there is none. No excuse would make up for how cruel I was that time... Maybe I should just leave, I decided. I'd done enough...
"It's okay, Sho," Judai said. "I'm just glad to know you guys don't hate me."
"Yeah, okay..." I said, but I didn't agree. It's never okay to say stuff like that... Surely Judai was hiding his inner hatred with those words, and I couldn't blame him. After what I'd done, who wouldn't hate my guts? "Well, see ya."
I started walking off, feeling completely unworthy of Judai's friendship. My head was lowered, and I was slouching. I felt awful. Judai would be better off if I just disappeared... That way, he could forget he ever met the little scumbag known as me and move on with his life...
This was the saddest day of my life. It was time to let go of this friendship...forever.
Judai's POV
Ugh, Sho, reading your viewpoint on that sure puts things into perspective! If you're still thinking any of that, we need to have a long talk.
"Uh, actually, can you...stick around?" I asked Sho, partly because I didn't like the looks of him. I mean, he looked like he was feeling about as great as I had right after I'd been rescued by O'Brien back in Dark World, and that was bad.
Sho stopped and turned his head slightly, looking more dejected, depressed, and lonely than I had ever felt in my life. "Why?" he asked, his tone matching his expression.
"Because we're friends," I answered immediately. "And, uh...because Ai's got me stuck on the beach now. I can't even go to the resort anymore."
There. My real reason, and a good excuse to make him stick around so I could convince him of my real reason.
Sho looked at me kind of funny, as if he thought I were an idiot. Figures. But he still looked like he was feeling unwanted at the same time. "R-really? But why'd you want to be friends with someone like me? I'm the—You're stuck where now?" Dejection and concern—two emotions that didn't mix well on Sho's face.
"On the beach. Outside. Unless I can find a cave or something in those cliffs." I pointed to them as I finished.
Sho looked that way a moment, apparently thinking about something. Then he lowered his head again, looking dejected, hated, and alone as he said, "Oh. You want me to help you look. Okay. That makes sense. Okay, Judai, let's go—"
The lifeless tone he was using as he started off for the cliffs needed addressed right now, along with the fact that he just called me by name. It looked like me asking him for help was taken by Sho to mean I was just asking because he was the only one who could help. That wasn't good—trust me, I'd been there. I couldn't let Sho think that was what was going on!
"Sho! We're still friends!" I cut him off. "I wouldn't have asked if we weren't."
He stopped walking again and turned his head, but it was still lowered. Sounding ashamed, he asked, "Why? I'm no good. I said—"
Wow. Did Sho ever stop hating himself? I mean, first it was because he thought he was useless, now it was because he thought he was a lousy friend. This guy had more issues than a magazine subscription!
"You didn't say anything worse than anyone else said."
He just looked at me blankly for a moment. Then he glared at me, trying to look mean while his self-hatred was still showing through. "You're not my Aniki!" he quoted. "Twice..." Then he lowered his head again and asked, "How's that not any worse?"
"Because Manjoume said you were all idiots for thinking of me as a friend," I pointed out.
That did it! He looked up, finally turning to me completely, his eyes wide in amazement. "He-he did?"
"Yeah. So what you said wasn't any worse, was it?"
Sho thought about it for a moment before saying, "I-I guess not, but—"
"You're my best friend, Sho," I cut him off.
His eyes widened in surprise, as if he couldn't believe his ears. Well, it was good to know that Sho felt so badly about causing me pain. Now I just needed to convince him that it was all okay. "R-really? Even after all—"
"Yes," I said, smiling.
Sho teared up. He lunged at me, wrapping me in a hug as he cried, "Oh, Aniki! Th-thank you! You're the best—" His own tears cut him off, his words dissolving into sobs.
Ah, typical Sho. It was just like that time I'd decided not to leave the Red Dorm after that promotion exam, or the day I came back after fusing with Yubel. I got pounced by Sho, who just sobbed on my shirt until it was completely soaked through. Why hadn't I realized how Sho felt about me back then? What, was I totally blind?
I just laughed. I'd have told him to let go, but I wasn't sure he'd take that well. Besides, I had kinda missed Sho's crazy outbursts these past six years.
"Aw, how adorable!" a female voice said.
I knew that voice too well—Ai. I tensed. "Oh, crap." I looked, and, sure enough, there she was.
Sho sniffled a bit. "W-what is i-it, An-iki?" he asked, looking up at me with the tiniest bit of confusion.
"The devil herself," I answered honestly.
"That's not very nice, Judai," Ai said, her hands on her hips.
"Neither are you."
"H-huh?" Sho asked, slowly turning to look. "...Hey, isn't that...?"
The look on Sho's face was nothing more than curious, like the kind of look you sometimes see from little kids. Apparently, when Sho gets his bearings after an outburst like that one, he's slow and child-like.
"Judai, aren't you tired of this yet?" Ai asked me. "You're stuck on this beach now! You're running out of places to run."
"Aren't you getting tired of chasing after a guy who's never gonna say yes?" I countered.
"You're going to cave eventually, Judai."
"Yeah, sure. I've said it once, and I'll say it again. I'm not marrying you."
Up to that point, I had to wonder if Sho even recognized Ai. I mean, he just kept looking from one to the other of us through that whole exchange.
Then Ai moved forward and pushed Sho aside gently, like she was just brushing some leaves out of the way. That's how little resistance he put up. All he did was widen his eyes in surprise and stare innocently. Seriously, this guy needed to get a grip!
"Oh, really?" Ai asked coyly, putting her hands on my chest.
I grabbed those hands and pushed her backward. "Stop that."
I was seriously getting tired of Ai's sexual advances! I mean, it wasn't like I even knew her, and why would I want to after she'd trapped me here!? She was just some crazy woman who thought she could force her will on others, probably because she was a princess. I guess she was used to getting her way because it never seemed to occur to her that she was doing anything wrong.
Sho blinked, and I could see the moment when his brain caught up with his eyes. Well, took him long enough. Seriously, I hoped nobody ever tried to do anything like that to him. He wouldn't even realize it was going on until it was too late, under the right circumstances. "...Hey!"
He lunged at Ai, looking angrier than I had ever seen him. I mean, he was angrier than when he fought with Kenzan, or when I ate his fried shrimp, or even angrier than he was at Asuka right now. He had a crazed look in his eyes. I'd never seen anything like Sho's behavior that day—except in horror movies. Now I was worried about him again!
"I will have you arrested if you try it!" Ai said, wrapping her arms around my neck. To this day, I don't know if she was just grabbing something for defense or taking a hostage.
Either way, it was a bad move.
Ai's POV
If I could change one thing about what I did during that whole island fiasco (I mean, besides the obvious), it would be messing with Judai with Sho right there. He got this crazed look in his eyes and charged me like a wild bull! The way he was acting, I couldn't help but wonder if he had some sort of mental condition. The only thing was, I couldn't think of what kind of condition would cause such behavior.
Especially when he literally roared at me.
No doubt about it: Sho was acting like a crazed lunatic, a wild animal. Maybe even like that Hulk, a totally normal and gentle person until he was angered. For some reason, this got me thinking about something my mother had always said: some people go crazy on a full moon. Wasn't there supposed to be one of those tonight?
I had never put any stock in my mother's silly superstitions, thought now I had to wonder.
As if to prove that he were a werewolf or something, Sho bit me and wouldn't let go, chomping down as hard as he could on my shoulder.
"HEY!" I cried, and reflexively, my grip on Judai tightened.
"Agh! Hey, get off! Both of you!"
Sho's response to this was to start scratching me, still digging in with his teeth. Suddenly I was very much wondering if he weren't a werewolf. He let go of my shoulder and, in a deep, growling sort of way, roared, "LET GO! HE'S MINE!"
He continued with his attack then, biting me in various places and clawing at my eyes. Fortunately he missed his mark there every time. His teeth were far more dangerous than his "claws." He kept growling and hissing like a wild animal the entire time.
"Are you two dating!?" I shrieked. Sho's possessiveness made a girl wonder, after all.
Judai's eyes widened, effectively answering my question. "AI! What are you thinking!?"
We continued on like that, with Sho the wild dog biting me anywhere he could reach.
Natsuko's POV
Oh, do I have to comment on this part? I'd rather wipe it from my memory, thanks very much! And Fuyuko thought my adventures were bad! At least I didn't have a rabid dog for a friend! Just a cat yokai. No biggie, since he was friendly.
Aw, well, let's get this over with. Fortunately for Judai and Ai but very unfortunately for my new wife and me, we just happened to be walking toward the resort at that moment, with me taking my new wife home and Fuyuko tagging along to "babysit," as he put it. Of course, when we found the insanity, we all three stopped and stared.
Lisa's eyes were wide with shock, and she pointed at the trio wrestling on the beach, from which the sounds of screaming, choking, and growling were coming. "W-what!? Natsu, what's going on!?" she demanded, her irises the size of pinheads.
I really couldn't blame her, though. My eyes bugged out of my head, and so did Fuyuko's, although he covered his face with his hand after a moment, as if this were a normal but irritating part of his daily life.
What we saw was a three-person pileup. Judai, Ai, and Sho were all standing there—well, okay, Judai and Ai were standing, Sho was...kinda hanging. Ai was the source of the screaming—she was squeezing the life out of Judai, thus resulting in the gagging sounds we were hearing. And why was she doing all of this? Why, that's a silly question! It was because Mad Dog Sho was climbing all over, biting and scratching and growling. Fortunately, he was only hitting Ai. Unfortunately, this seemed to be causing Ai to hold on tighter, even though I'm sure Sho's goal was to get her off his friend.
You know those werewolf things you sometimes hear about from some cultures? Yeah, I couldn't help but wonder if they were real. I mean, I used to think these sorts of things were all myths and stories, until my cat turned into a nekomata. Now, I'd believe just about anything you told me.
But, back to the matter at hand! In answer to my wife, I just blinked and said, "Uh, good question..."
The poor woman looked like an actress in a horror movie right then. You know, one of the ones who plays a girl who you just know is never gonna live to see the end? Her knees were knocking together, her hands covering her mouth. Seems my brave new wife still had her limits. I mean, she'd barely been phased when I told her Judai's story or when Sho had attacked Ai the first time.
The first to recover, as always, Fuyuko ran over and pulled Sho off Ai, which jolted me into action. Moments after Sho was in Fuyu's arms, I had Ai off of Judai.
Sho, wide-eyed, started flailing, shrieking, "LET ME AT HER! LET ME AT HER! LET ME AT HER!"
He kept that up until Fuyuko jabbed a hypodermic needle into his arm, seemingly unfazed by this behavior. Geez, dude, I knew you were a cool cat, but I had no idea just how much it would take to really make you lose your cool! One of these days, I'd have to test the limits. Surely me getting married drunk and unexpectedly wasn't the only way to make you flip your lid.
"LET ME—" Sho started, but he was cut off when whatever was in that needle took affect. He froze, blinked, and went limp.
A tranquilizer. Good thinking. Always want to have one of those handy when dealing with wild animals.
Lisa came running to the two victims as I let go of Ai, who fell to the ground. My new wife was concerned. I mean, obviously. She was a very caring young lady.
Me, I couldn't figure out what the hell was wrong with Sho. Every time I saw him, the guy went nuts. I don't know what kind of meds he was supposed to be taking, but I didn't think it was a good idea for him to be off them, which he clearly was.
"Is everyone alright!?" Lisa asked. "What on Earth was that!?" She went to check on Ai, who was bleeding from several bite wounds. Lisa knelt down, took one of her arms, and started to examine it. The worst of the bites did look like they were there.
Judai, meanwhile, was just trying to catch his breath, a hand to his throat. From the look on his face, he was adjusting to the idea that a woman could squeeze so hard just because she was scared.
"Ow, he bit me! Does he have rabies!?" Ai demanded.
I thought that was a damn good question!
Lisa let go of Ai's arm, looking a bit surprised and more concerned, then moved on to examining her other arm. From her expression, that one was in better shape.
How badly had Sho gotten Ai? Hopefully it wasn't as bad as it looked. After all, she was a princess—he could end up in serious trouble. On the other hand, she might just call the psych ward. That one wouldn't be so bad, but the first would be an utter disaster.
I hoped Ai was in a forgiving and understanding mood.
"You...you're insane..." Judai breathed. "Totally...insane..."
"But so's he! I wouldn't have... Hey, are you okay?"
With those last words, Ai pulled away from Lisa, moving to check on Judai. She got to her feet, leaving Lisa on the ground. Lisa seemed startled, and she looked like she thought Ai should seek medical attention, pronto. I couldn't argue that point—after all, Ai was dripping blood all over the sand.
"You were choking me!" Judai said, backing away from Ai a step.
"Well, I wouldn't have been if your friend hadn't been attacking me!"
I didn't want to know. I really didn't want to know. I wanted to get the hell away from Sho as fast as humanly possible and get back to my nice, normal life. You know, the one that didn't have werewolves and crazy princesses.
"This whole thing's weird," I said. "How about you go get those...bites...treated, we'll get Sho back to where he's staying, and Judai...can find somewhere to stay."
It wasn't like he was going anywhere, after all. The barrier had shrunk again.
"Guess it is true," said my American wife, looking up at the sunny sky in awe. "Some people really do go crazy on a full moon."
I'd have to ask about that later. That, and point out that Sho was just plain crazy.
"Hey!" Ai started. Then she winced and said, "Ugh, yeah, okay. I'm going to the hospital." And, with that, she was gone, folks! Great, one piece of weirdness had left.
Still, I couldn't help but worry, and let me list all the things I was worried about just so you know why! First of all, Sho had attacked Ai really badly, and Johan had to leave after he'd threatened to strangle her. What would happen to Sho after he'd done so much worse? Second, Sho was completely insane! What the fuck was the matter with that little lunatic!? I made a mental note to tell my manager to refuse all duels with anybody by the name of Sho Marufuji. Third, it had almost looked like Ai had just tried to kidnap Judai, so leaving him alone seemed like a bad idea. And, fourth, Ai had just strangled him! And he was stuck here on the beach, without even any access to ice, for Pete's sake! Undoubtedly his neck was sore, and I was willing to bet it would swell up here soon, but there wasn't anything the guy could do about it!
What was I gonna do about any of this mess?
Judai's POV
Fuyuko, Natsuko, your timing couldn't have been any better. Well, unless you'd shown up about two minutes earlier. Oh, well, at least Ai was off my case—for now.
Lisa's eyes widened in surprise as Ai left. I couldn't blame her—it wasn't like she had a clue what was going on here, and she'd just seen something so violent that most people would have called the police. Wait, what did I just say? Oh, man, I hoped she wouldn't do anything like that!
"But, wait," she said, getting to her feet. "Shouldn't he go with her? Those marks..."
She was obviously talking about me, and, when she reached toward me with concern, all I was wondering was why she seemed so calm. Maybe she knew more than I thought she did.
"I'm fine," I said. Silently, I added, Can't go anywhere anyway...
Maybe being trapped on the beach wasn't such a bad thing. At least nobody could force me to get in bed and stay there when I wasn't nearly that bad off if there wasn't a bed around.
Lisa's eyes widened in shock, and she gestured at my bruised neck, looking more concerned. "B-but look at these! Surely you agree. Right, Natsu?" She turned to look at him.
He looked at my neck for a moment, then, apparently trying to appease Lisa, said, "Good point. You should probably get those looked at."
"Thanks. I'll keep that in mind."
Fuyuko started walking off, taking Sho with him. I could only assume he was heading for the hospital since he was heading toward town.
Natsuko stared at me for a moment, seemingly feeling awkward. Finally he said, "I guess we should...get going, then."
Lisa glared at him, apparently unable to believe that he'd just leave me there. I couldn't help but think Natsuko had lucked out with this one. She was so kind, even caring about strangers and people who seemed to be causing nothing but trouble. "J-just a minute, now! We can't leave him like this! We should—"
There wasn't any point in them fighting over me—I wouldn't be going anywhere, even if I wanted to. "I'm fine," I said, wanting to stop this before it went any further. I didn't need to be their first fight, after all. "Don't worry about it."
Lisa looked back at me with concern.
Natsuko took her arm, making her look back at him. "Come on, hon," he said. "He's tougher than he looks. He'll be fine."
So saying, he steered her away. She looked back once more, still looking concerned, but she didn't fight him.
Good, now I could figure out a way to deal with my mounting problems. Namely, finding shelter, dealing with the bruising, and worrying about Sho becoming Misgarth's most wanted.