Shadgirl2: Sorry about how long this took. A lot's been going on lately.

Midna: We're working on getting these stories finished. None have been abandoned. It's just taking forever to get them done, given what's going on and how long it's been since any of them were updated.

Shadgirl2: Yeah, no joke. A Second Chance should be getting updated soon, too.

Disclaimer: We don't own Yugioh GX.

Judai's POV

Yubel appeared beside me, looking concerned. Well, in a Yubel way, she looked concerned. "Are you okay, seriously? That was insane back there, and you know it, too."

"Yeah, I'm fine," I said, rubbing my neck. Dang, it hurt, though. That woman was strong. "Geez, she's got a tight grip."

"So, you worried about her now, then? Maybe Manjoume was right. With a grip like that, it's only a matter of time before—"

I cut her off—I didn't want to hear that. Seriously, why would I want to hear that? "I'll be fine. I could have fought her off if I'd tried."

Yubel looked a bit annoyed with me, but what else was knew? She always gave me that look when she thought I was being an idiot, after all. "Then why didn't you? Could have saved you all the trouble, maybe. Sho would've calmed down better with you helping, at least."

Fubuki saved me from having to come up with an answer to that. That's about the time he—along with most of my other friends who were still around—came over from town, carrying a bunch of supplies. Timber, bags of cement, hammers and nails... The list just went on.

Fubuki walked right up to me, looking about as cheerful as ever. If he wasn't carrying three planks of wood, he might have waved. "Fubuki's Construction Service, at your service," he said. "Someone call for a house delivery?"

The others went and put their stuff down, Kenzan dropping a lot of timber near me. Fubuki added his to the pile. Manjoume was going over blueprints, from the look of things, and trying to map out their construction area. Asuka had a bucket that looked like it was full of nails, which she put down to come and check on me. Heck, even Akiko was helping, carrying some tool kits.

So there was only one thing I was wondering—why were my friends planning on building a house on the middle of the beach? I mean, based on a brief glimpse of Manjoume's blueprints, they were building a full-size house! Really, if this was supposed to be to help me, all they really needed to do was bring out a tent or something. I didn't plan on living here! How long were they thinking it was gonna take to stop Ai!?

"I didn't ask for help with that," I told Fubuki, hoping to stop this crazy project. "I just wanted to make sure Asuka didn't get killed by Ai or something."

While I was talking, Manjoume folded up his blueprints, gave them to Fubuki, and started doing manual labor, picking up a piece of wood from beside me. Manjoume doing manual labor? Since when did he ever do that? For anyone!? If this house was for me, that spoke volumes about Manjoume's feelings for me. Well, it was good to see proof right in front of me that he cared, at least, even if I didn't need a house on the beach.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Manjoume said as he worked. "Shut up and move. You're in the way, you idiot." He shoved me aside, then jammed his wood into the ground right where I had been standing. "Hey! Someone give me one of those hammers and hold this dumb thing!"

Akiko came over and did that, and the others besides Asuka started putting wood of their own out to mark the perimeter. Based on the spacing, I could already tell that, unless Manjoume had designed it, it was too big to just be a "grass hut," as Manjoume had suggested. It might make sense, if Manjoume were designing the hut, though. Big and fancy were his two favorite words.

Asuka looked at me then and gasped, her eyes widening in concern. Aw, crap, what was she worried about? I hate making people worry about me! "Judai!" she exclaimed. "What happened to you!?"

She ran over to check on me, reaching for my shirt collar. Oh, whoops. Guess it was showing.

I turned my attention to the men at work, hoping that ignoring Asuka would get her to stop, and said, "I'm not living in a hut on the beach! Ai's gonna find that as easily as if I had a tracker on my neck."

Manjoume looked at me and asked, "So? Who said that's what we were building? You need to pay more attention. Geez."

And he went back to work, using both hands to hold the hammer he was beating his wood into the ground with. Well, that made sense. Manjoume had probably never held a hammer in his life. After all, he didn't do manual labor. I should probably also point out that he was the only one who needed somebody to hold it for him. Everyone else was doing this by themselves. Even if some of them were doing it poorly...

Fubuki finished with his, after having hit himself about five times. He turned to me, spreading his arms wide with excitement. "We're building a dream house! You know, for Natsuko to live in until he can get a real job to support Lisa with! Didn't you know they got married?"

While he was talking, Akiko finished with Manjoume and moved to fix Fubuki's work. Kenzan had finished and was going for more wood, Manjoume checked his blueprints again, and Asuka grabbed my shirt and pulled me closer gently.

Kenzan walked by with another plank of wood, saying, "And, besides. You're gonna need some place to spend the night, right!? So, while it's under construction, you can crash in here! Everybody wins! Right?"

He walked over to the last corner (they'd only gotten three before) and got to work, doing the same thing. Manjoume, meanwhile, went to the center of the square with another piece of wood and seemed to need help again. Well, good thing Akiko had finished fixing Fubuki's work. Now she was free to help the helpless!

Asuka pulled down the neck of my shirt a bit as Akiko helped Manjoume again. I decided not to acknowledge the concern that crossed her face when she saw my neck. It couldn't be that bad, after all. Besides, this was weird, and I had to figure out just what the hell these guys were doing.

I just stared at the workers for a minute, then pointed out, "I'm gonna find somewhere I can stay that Ai's not gonna find me. And why are you building Natsuko a house? Doesn't he have one?"

Seriously, they weren't making any sense.

Fubuki's POV

Well, it figured he'd ask that. Why wouldn't he? After all, Natsuko lived in Japan—surprisingly close to my bachelor pad, I might add—and had a decent job and about two dozen applications to Pro League dueling sponsors. Incidentally, his deck was downright sexy! And deadly! I am never underestimating female Duel Monsters ever again! His are so fierce, even I wanted to use women now!

Anyway, the point was, he had what he needed to support his new wife, so explaining this was kind of difficult, especially with this being my family's island... Now that I thought about it, that sounded bad. Natsuko was going to be living on someone else's property instead of getting a place of his own. Well, with that in mind, naturally I felt really awkward. I rubbed the back of my head and shrugged, grinning awkwardly. Gee, Judai, did you have to make sense?

"Well, he, uh... No?" I said.

There. That should work...with some liberal amounts of cock and bull, anyway! Judai was dumb enough to believe just about anything, as long as your acting was good enough! Why, there were some days when he didn't even know which way was up! Speaking of, I wondered if he ever figured out what "fiance" means?

Before I could really ponder that, Akiko showed me her proof that she and Natsu were related: naivete. It was so bad, I cringed after just the first three words!

"He has a place to stay," she said. "He's got an apartment in Japan, and he has a job. He's also working on finding a Pro League sponsor."

No doubt about it, Akiko was naive. How was I ever going to convince Judai that the place wasn't for him with her spouting stuff like that? No doubt about it, I had to address that one.

I laughed, sweating, and closed my eyes. "'Scuse me," I said before grabbing Akiko's arm and dragging her off a little ways to talk about the plan again. After all, she clearly didn't get it. I clapped my hands together once we had some distance and said, "Ahem. Listen, sweetheart. We're using that excuse as a cover-up so that even Ai won't know what we're really doing, so, if you could just go along with it, that'd be great, 'kay?"

"Like she's gonna buy it," Akiko answered.

The construction crew I'd called showed up about then. After all, you can't really build a guy's dream vacation destination without the right kind of help! I knew they were there because Kenzan called, "Yo! Fubuki! The builders are here! Should I show them the blueprints!?"

"Yeah, go ahead!" I called in answer. "But remember! Explain the honeymoon suite in great detail! We don't want that private Jacuzzi ending up in the wrong place, okay!?"

Ah, yes, a honeymoon destination for my dear friend. On a lovely, sunny beach, by the clear blue sea. What could be better than that? Natsuko was going to love this place. What a great wedding present I had created!

"Right! I'm on it!" Kenzan said before getting the blueprints from Manjoume.

Judai took in the situation. "Okay, this is weird..."

I looked at him, noticing he looked disturbed. Great! Maybe he'd buy it, after all! That is, if Akiko could shut up and play nice for once. … Yeah, we were doomed.

I looked back to Akiko, grinning. Hey, it was still worth a try, even if it was probably doomed to failure. After all, this house was for Natsuko now, whether Judai got saved or not! "So? Think she'll buy it now?" I asked.

"Whatev," Akiko answered, rolling her eyes.

Oh, that was such a relief! Maybe she wasn't so bad, after all! I clapped my hands together again, grinning even wider. "Great!" Then I got serious and pointed back to Judai. Hey, Ai was no laughing matter, and Judai needed to buy this if Ai was ever going to. Really, Akiko could stand to learn a thing or two about being sneaky. Considering what Natsuko said she does for a living, she sure was new at this. "Then go cover up what you just said, okay? I'm gonna go find Natsuko and Lisa and fill them in, too."

Whistling, I headed for the resort. Surely Akiko could fix things from here. She'd have to, anyway, because Natsuko needed to know about the surprise! This was really exciting news, and I couldn't wait to tell him! Hey! Maybe he'd be at the resort and Ai would hear it, too! I could kill two birds with one stone that way!

Judai's POV

Well, when Fubuki left, Akiko came walking back over, looking bored. Seriously? They're building a house on the beach, and she's bored? What was her deal?

"Apparently they're going on a honeymoon here. That, or my stupid brother is moving to this island..." She shrugged and added, "Not like I know what he's doing. Ever."

...Okay, this wasn't making a lot of sense, but it wasn't like it was a big deal. I mean, if they wanted to say Natsuko needed a house on Fubuki's family's beach, who was I to argue?

Giving up, I said, "Whatever."

Asuka's POV

"Okay? You done worrying about this house yet? Ready to tell me what happened?" I asked Judai, a bit annoyed. He'd been ignoring me, after all.

Seriously. Why did Judai always have to act like that? His neck was a mess, ringed with bruises and some small cuts, and all he cared about was this stupid idea the boys had come up with? In all seriousness, why would Ai buy this? And how on Earth was it going to help Judai? Were any of the guys I hung out with smarter than kindergartners? Judai was bad enough! Did I really need more fools?

And, speaking of, fool numero uno was at it again! His answer was nothing but annoying. "What?" he asked, finally looking at me.

Apparently Judai was completely blind to his own problems right then! Had he even noticed his neck was hurt, or was this like third year when he ran out of the infirmary after suffering from extreme exhaustion the night before? What was wrong with that guy?

I pointed at his neck in annoyance, glaring at him. "What happened to your neck? It looks terrible! Don't tell me you didn't even notice!"

He blinked, his eyes widening slightly afterward. Then he waved it off, his expression returning to normal, as he said, "Oh. That. Don't worry about it. I'm fine."

And there he goes again! Honestly, taking care of Judai was like a wife having to raise her husband. He did a terrible job of taking care of himself, so everyone else had to do it! Well, since Judai clearly needed a mother right about then, I looked at him firmly, crossing my arms. Seriously, that stubbornness of his had to go. It was driving me nuts.

"Judai," I said sternly.

He looked a bit uncomfortable before he reluctantly answered, "I... Sho and Ai had a wrestling match. On me."

I started, my eyes widening in shock. Ai and Sho were wrestling on him!? Whatever for!? Sure, they were both bad whenever Judai was involved, but I never imagined they were that bad! Okay, Sho could be at times if he didn't have his stuff, but Ai, too!? What, was Judai trying to say that Ai was a monster also!? What could be wrong with people that would make everyone rabid on full moons, anyway!? I was definitely planning on looking into that urban legend about crazy people coming out on full moons. Clearly there was something to it, and I should be more careful! Judai's condition was mild, compared to the television stories, after all.

"W-what!?" I stammered. "Judai, are you okay!?"

Now more worried than before, I rushed to grab Judai and immediately started checking for more injuries. After all, the news often said the emergency rooms in a ton of hospitals were overcrowded on full moons, and a wrestling match on Judai? You tell me what that could mean!

I started my frantic search by patting him down, as if I were checking him for weapons. Nothing perverted. I still had a boyfriend, after all. If Judai flinched, winced, or cringed, then I'd take a closer look, but only to see how bad it was. Call me his personal nurse. I had a boyfriend.

He grabbed my arms, trying to calm me down. Not that it stopped me. I kept going, whether he was holding on or not. "Yeah, yeah, I'm fine," he said. "Don't worry about it. It's no big deal."

Oh, yeah! With an answer like that, Judai had to be hiding something. Judai never told the truth when he was injured because he was too stupid to care! I was going to search every inch of him now, for sure!

My answer was to pull loose of his grip and grin at him sarcastically. Hey, if he was going to act like a little kid, he was going to get treated like one.

Meanwhile, the boys started helping the professionals build the house. Not that I really cared about that. All that mattered to me just then was that child I called a friend.

"Uh-huh. Yeah, sure, it isn't," I said.

Having finished patting him down, I reached under his shirt, lifting it up so I could see better. Just because he hadn't reacted didn't mean there was nothing there.

He started, apparently surprised. "Hey! Those are all the bruises I've got!"

I grinned. Judai could sure lie with the best of them, couldn't he? Well, so far, he seemed truthful since neither his front nor back seemed to be hurt any, I realized as I leaned around to check that while he freaked out on me. Seriously, who did he think I was? Ai?

Seeing nothing there, either, I let go of his shirt and took hold of his right leg, saying, "Sure, Judai. Whatever you say." I lifted the leg of his pants to check his legs for any injuries.

Judai pulled his shirt back down, sounding annoyed as he stood on one leg and said, "Asuka! It was only my neck she bruised!"

As he was doing that, I checked his other leg, whether he liked it or not. His track record with health care wasn't very good, after all. After Camula had put him in the infirmary, he wouldn't stay in bed. Then there was the extreme exhaustion debacle. Repeatedly. And last night's cold... Really?

Tired of his attitude, I gave my 24-year-old son a stern attitude to shut him up and settle him down. Honestly, Judai. Sometimes you're just too much. I glared at him sternly and snapped, "Just hold still, alright!"

With those words, I let go of his second, uninjured leg and firmly grabbed his left arm, pulling his shirt sleeve all the way up to get a better look. After all, the arms were the most likely places I'd find more injuries since he was probably wrestling with them, too, trying to get them off.

Judai just stood there, looking annoyed, and let me get on with it. Good. Finally some cooperation! Now, maybe, I could take care of him and get those wounds treated. Why did Judai always have to be so difficult? He wasn't much better last night, either. You know, when I offered him my bed and he wouldn't take it? Judai Yuki was such a handful sometimes.

Without further interruption, I checked everything I could—his feet, hands, got a closer look at his torso now that he was actually letting me—and soon there were only a couple of spots left to search. Spots I would really much rather not have to look at myself. I wasn't as perverted as Ai, after all. I stepped back, trying to figure out how to check the rest of him without looking like a pervert. Sure, most of him was fine, but you never know. Ai was one of his attackers, after all.

I crossed my arms, concerned. "Well, most of you's okay, but..." I turned to the boys. They were busy mixing cement and hammering wood together.

Seriously, though, a house? On the beach? What were those idiots thinking, anyway? This was never going to work, especially if they used that cement. It would be wet for hours past sundown! Judai couldn't lie down in wet cement, after all, so what was the point?

I called the the house-building idiots, hoping one of them would be willing to help me out. Judai needed checked right away, after all, all things considered. "Hey! Anyone wanna give Judai here a thorough check-up!? He said that Ai and Sho had a wrestling match on him!"

Kenzan dropped a bag of cement he'd been carrying and turned to us, shocked. "W-what'd you say!?" he asked. He walked over looking worried. And he should be! Judai was hurt, after all. Stupid Ai and that dumb werewolf Sho! What the hell were they thinking? You just don't do that stuff!

Judai threw his arms up in exasperation and said, "All that happened is that Ai wrapped her arms around my neck, Sho attacked her, and she squeezed tighter! Okay? It's not a big deal."

Not a big deal, he said. That sounded like a big deal to me! That, and the rings around his neck and drying blood from where her nails clearly dug into his skin was proof enough for me! What was wrong with this guy? Calling injuries that would land most people in a doctor's office or hospital waiting room "no big deal?" Really? Did Judai even know how to care for himself? 'Cause that was just ridiculous!

Kenzan seemed to agree with me because he looked at Judai, concern lacing his tone as he said, "You sure?"

I moved to grab Judai from behind as I called to the others, "Hey! Someone go find Kyle and tell him we need that first aid kit over here! I'll keep an eye on this stubborn man for now, okay!?" I put my hands on him firmly, giving him a stern look once again. Like I said before, if Judai was gonna act like a toddler, he was gonna get treated like one.

"Right! I'm on it!" Kenzan said before running off to get Kyle.

You might be wondering why I wanted Kyle to get the first aid kit. Well, that was simple: It was his. Kyle was the one who brought it, thinking we should have it, just in case. I was so glad he did that, too. After all, Judai couldn't get to the island's local hospital now, being stuck on the beach by Ai. Good old Kyle! He was ready for anything.

I pulled Judai down to the ground, sitting behind him with my legs folded beneath me, as I said, "Now, sit. You shouldn't be standing after an ordeal like that." I gripped his shoulders firmly to hold him there so he couldn't get up and make things worse. I'm sure I don't need to remind you why. Judai's stubborn, after all.

When I said that, I spoke to him firmly, the way a mother might speak to her disobedient son. Seriously, when had I adopted a child? And did it really have to be one of my same-age friends? For crying out loud, this was so wrong!

Judai tossed his head, annoyed, rolling his eyes once again. I leaned my head to the side to avoid getting hit. I'd seen that coming. Judai was throwing a tantrum, after all. "Oh, come on! I'm fine! It's a turtleneck, anyway! How do you people keep seeing those bruises!?"

In the background, the construction crew and our other friends were building a base for their cement. I supposed they were getting ready to build that first room of that dumb thing... Sheesh. I pushed that aside, more worried about Judai's condition.

"It's not the bruises I saw at first, it's the tiny trickles of blood coming from the spots where she dug her fingernails into you," I said to the brunette. "I only noticed the bruises after I examined your neck. Now quit being so stubborn and take it easy until we get you treated, okay?" I ended that sternly. In a mutter, I added, "Sheesh. You and injuries. They never mix well."

Seriously, though. Raising Judai was just too much. Couldn't someone else do it already? Anyone else?

He sounded startled. "Wait, I'm bleeding?"

Good old Judai. As usual, his idiocy knew no bounds. Did he mean to tell me he didn't even notice the cuts on his neck? But, the last time I checked, cuts feel different from bruises, didn't they? One had more of a stinging sensation, the other throbbed?

Well, since he clearly didn't have any clue what his body was doing right then, I decided to humor him and tell him what his full condition was. Seriously, though, how could he miss something like that? I was definitely taking him to see someone about this later. There was no way this was healthy.

"Yes," I answered. "Just a little, though. It's mostly stopped now. It's the bruises I'm worried about. They're bad and need to be treated ASAP. Not that you'd notice that, all things considered."

When I finished, my annoyance slipped into my tone. I thought back to Camula and the incident with Darkness and my brother right before that. Darkness had hurt the both of them pretty badly, and Judai couldn't even stay awake for the next couple of days because of it. He was in a world of pain when he moved anytime he was awake, and he kept insisting on running off and helping, anyway! Who did stuff like that? Then I thought about the Des Duels... Geez, Judai, what was wrong with you!?

He looked at me, looking surprised, but he also looked like he understood my concern now. "...If I say I'll stay still, will you get off me?" he asked.

Before I could answer, Fubuki, Kyle, Kenzan, and Natsuko all came over. Fubuki was carrying Judai's missing clothing items, and Kyle had his first aid kit. As expected, he looked concerned, even though he barely knew Judai. He was such a caring guy.

Fubuki glanced at Judai for a moment, then, looking relieved, he turned his attention to the construction site, grinning. Of course he would. It was his dumb idea, after all. Even if Manjoume had backed him up on it a ton. The two fools in question had convinced everyone else present to go along with this, after all, even if Ryo was smart enough not to get involved.

Kenzan stood back a bit, looking concerned, but Natsuko was totally focused on his excitement. Well, he didn't really know Judai, so it made sense he wouldn't care. He had his own problems, after all. Like getting married to a girl he didn't even know... Suddenly taking care of Judai didn't seem so bad after all...

"How is he?" Kyle asked, kneeling in front of Judai to get a better look. "Has his condition changed any?" He reached a hand toward Judai's shirt collar. Judai raised a hand and swatted Kyle's away.

Okay, I take it back. I'm not sure which is worse! A man getting married to a woman he barely knows; or a stubborn, injured, baby of a man who not only couldn't care for himself but wouldn't let others help, either. Really, Judai, where were you raised?

I answered poor Kyle, still holding onto his soon-to-be unwilling patient, Judai. My boyfriend had no idea what he was dealing with. "No. It's about the same. Well, other than how much complaining he's doing, that is." I leaned over Judai's shoulder, looking at him with a grin. Sure, this was annoying, but it was also kind of cute. Judai's childish antics always had been, after all.

I wrapped my arms around his waist, pinning his arms down, so Kyle could look at him. With my help, Kyle got a good look at those bruises and cuts.

As he opened his first aid kid, Judai said, "Yeah, well, that's a good sign, isn't it?"

He sounded a bit annoyed with me, but what else was new. Judai always gets that way when someone tries taking care of him.

Natsuko looked over at his "dream house" being built, but that still wasn't my problem. Those idiots could take care of themselves. I was too busy playing nurse to care right then, anyway. Dr. Kyle needed all the help he could get, after all.

Kyle poured some alcohol onto a cloth and reached for Judai's neck again, smiling. "Promise you won't hurt me?" he teased lightly.

With how Judai was acting, I thought that was a good concern. No one treated Judai Yuki without some issues, after all. Myself included just minutes before. Need I say more?

Judai rolled his eyes but otherwise didn't give Kyle any grief. I figured it was probably because I was still holding him. He couldn't cause any trouble if he couldn't move, after all. "Ha ha, you're hilarious," he said, a lame look on his face.

Kyle closed his eyes, grinning. He could be such a joker sometimes. "Thank you, thank you." He opened his eyes, moving closer and looking more calm and focused. He reached one hand up to grab Judai's collar and pull it down and moved the other toward his neck to clean the wounds as he said, "Now, seriously, hold still. This may sting a bit."

He started cleaning the wounds, stopping the flow of blood from those few that still had a flow of blood. Fortunately Judai was letting him do it without further trouble. Good! It wouldn't be long now until he was all patched up and really fine. That was, if he took care of himself from then on. Really, Judai, you're just too much sometimes.

Natsuko's POV

Okay, this was sweet! My buddy Fubuki was building me a vacation house for me on the beach! Sure, I hadn't planned on getting married during this trip, but at least Lisa was nice and the gifts were great!

Don't get the wrong idea, though. Fubuki had told me the other reason they were building this thing—to give Judai a place to rest and hide from Ai. But he did promise the house to me when it was finished to use as I pleased! But, besides that, Judai needed a safe place to go. He was stuck on this beach, after all, and there weren't exactly any places he could go to hide or even for shelter around here. Fubuki said that some parts were going to be intentionally left unfinished for awhile so Judai'd have a place to sleep, and they'd cover the thing over with a tarp at night until the first room was built so there'd be a sort of roof over Judai's head. Basically, there was going to be one area that was just a wooden frame with no cement poured into it until they were sure there was another spot Judai could crash in this construction site. I mean, sure, a construction site wasn't the safest place in the world to sleep, but it was better than being out in the open where Ai could easily find him.

Either way, I was getting a house on the beach! For free! This was dope, man! Totally sick!

Checking out what would soon be my sweet vacation pad, I couldn't help but notice that he'd hired professionals while still having his friends and my baby sis involved. It didn't surprise me much to see my sis doing well with this all on her own. After all, she was a tough girl. What did surprise me was the rich Manjoume building a house. I'd heard from Fubuki that he was so lazy, he wouldn't even help repaint the dorm he was supposed to be living in, choosing instead to move back to the Red Dorm so he could avoid the work. Guess coming up with a place for Judai to sleep was way too important not to help with.

"You're building me a house, huh? Sweet!" I said, voicing my thoughts on this whole thing.

Fubuki looked at me, totally excited. "Uh-huh!" He raised his arms into the air and closed his eyes, smiling wide. "Now you guys can vacation here, too, whenever you like!"

Yeah, dude! That's what I'm talking about! Me and Fubuki, rocking the beach together whenever we decided to vacay together!

"Sweet! Thanks, dude!"

Fubuki turned back to me and said, "Hey, it's the least I can do to congratulate you and the missus on your newly-found love!" He gave a thumbs up and a wink, adding, "Consider this my wedding present to you!" He threw his excited arms up again. "Congratulations, bro! I wish you both many years filled with love and joy. You're a great couple, really." He gave me a warm and reassuring smile. Made sense, considering the...circumstances of my wedding.

Man, what the hell was I thinking? Well, at least I had a supportive friend like Fubuki to help me deal with my own stupidity. I...kinda think I'd gone too far for Fuyuko this time. He was seriously pissed at me, after all. But, hey, at least Buki was there!

"Gee, thanks," I said.

Judai's POV

Stupid Kyle... Of course he was great at first aid! Why wouldn't he be? He was great at everything, after all! So of course the stupid guy would be the one treating my stupid wounds and stupid injuries.

He finished cleaning those dumb cuts and pulled out a bag of ice that I guess he'd gotten from the hotel and wrapped some of it up in a beach towel. Fortunately, by this point, Asuka had decided to let go of me because I was letting her stupid boyfriend do his job. Seriously, this was annoying.

Kyle put his homemade ice pack around my neck and held it in place. Ugh, seriously? Get the hell away from me, creep!

Apparently he noticed my bad mood because he looked at me with some concern before grinning as he adjusted his ice pack. "You okay, Judai? It doesn't really hurt that badly, does it?"

Why, you lousy...

"I'm fine," I said.

Kyle smiled again, ignoring my attitude. Probably Asuka told him I act like a baby when medical care's involved! Seriously, I didn't need her babying me. It wasn't that bad, damn it! I could take care of myself, after all!

Granted, if Kyle thought I was just in a bad mood because I was being taken care of, maybe he wouldn't realize that I didn't exactly like him. So, maybe it was a good thing he thought I just didn't like medical treatment?

"Good. Then why don't you hold onto this?" Kyle said, grinning at me. "We do look a little awkward right now, after all."

Oh, that stupid... I knew what he was implying, and there wasn't a chance of a snowball in Hell of that being a misunderstanding that anybody with brains would make! I couldn't stand this guy! Why would I be doing anything with him, let alone something like that!? I didn't have any romantic feelings for the creep! Just because he was right up in my face did not mean there was anything going on!

Asuka, apparently, thought it was hilarious. She stifled a laugh at Kyle's dumb comment. How the actual hell was this funny!? If she knew how I felt about her stupid boyfriend, she wouldn't have been laughing!

Kyle grinned at her, looking a bit sheepish. "Yeah, yeah. Laugh it up, dear. Better watch it, or I'm coming after you next."

Through her laughter, Asuka answered, "Th-that's okay. I th-think I-I'm go-good, guys." And she giggled some more.

Seriously? Was this somehow the funniest thing she had ever seen? She'd watched me duel a monkey and kept a straight face, but another guy and me in an awkward position was hilarious? Also, dear!?

"Oh, give me a break..." I muttered, annoyed at them both—Asuka for laughing and stupid, perfect Kyle for using lame pet names.

Kyle took my hand and put it on the towel, indicating that I should take it from here. "Got it, Judai?" he asked.

"Yeah, I got it," I said, still irritated at him.

Kyle let go, saying, "Good." He closed his eyes, grinning, and stood up before straightening his tie.

And people thought I wasn't dressed for the weather. This punk was wearing a white suit and a stinking tie, as if he was going to some business meeting instead of doing first aid on the beach. I mean, I know Ed always wore a suit and tie wherever he went, but how many people did that!? I figured Ed would have enough sense to wear something different if he planned on taking a tropical vacation, at least, but Kyle was wearing a suit every stinking time I saw him. Did the guy own any other kind of clothes!?

"Now, then..." He walked over to Asuka, who was sitting nearby, and started tickling her.

Asuka laughed a whole lot more, waving her arms and legs around. "H-hey, Kyle! Cut it out!" she said through her laughter.

He didn't. He just kept going, grinning playfully. "I said I was gonna get you next, didn't I?"

Asuka kept laughing, apparently enjoying herself. "Alright, alright! I give! I'm sorry!"

Lucky punk... I scowled, wishing Asuka wasn't dating that dumb guy. Why'd they have to rub their stupid relationship in my face, anyway?

In the background, I heard Manjoume shout out something that covered my feelings pretty well right about then, although he was doing it because Fubuki had, apparently, dropped something on his foot.

Kyle knocked it off, and Asuka gave him a playful shove, grinning. "Kyle, you're such a clown sometimes!" she laughed.

He shrugged, his eyes closed and a grin on his stupid face. Then he came back over to me. Great. Just what I needed. More time with perfect Kyle. Kneeling in front of me, he asked, "So? Has the swelling gone down any?"

"Don't know. I can't see my neck," I answered, not in the mood for him. I didn't even care that I was glaring at him right then. He sucked.

Kyle raised an eyebrow, apparently concerned. Asuka looked at me in the same way. Apparently they didn't understand what my attitude was about.

"...Okay?" Kyle said, brushing it off as he reached for my neck again, one hand aiming for the one I had holding the towel, the other aiming for the towel. Seriously, couldn't he just leave me alone? "Then let's have a look, shall we?"

I narrowed one eye, irritated, and leaned away slightly. Stupid Kyle didn't take the hint and took my hand so he could move it and the makeshift ice pack. Figuring I'd get this over with faster if I helped him out, I moved my own hand. Also I just didn't want that creep holding it again. It got him off faster, at least. He took hold of his ice pack, let go of my hand, and moved the towel down slightly. Then he leaned in closer to get a better look.

Too close for comfort, you jerk.

Asuka was just looking at us in concern. "Well? How's it looking?" she asked.

"A little better," he answered, then he leaned back and looked me in the eye, taking my hand again as he continued, "But keep that ice on it until the swelling goes down completely." He put my hand back on the towel and slipped his out from beneath it. "Then we can move onto the final stage of your treatment."

Ugh, seriously? Just leave me alone!

Once I had a grip on my makeshift ice pack again, he finally let go of me, leaving one hand on his knee.

"Yeah, whatever," I said, still irritated.

Kyle stood up and calmly said, "Good. Alright." He made his way to the construction site as Kenzan put a wet beach towel on Manjoume's sore foot, asking, "Need a hand, guys? Building a house is a pretty big job."

Yeah. And, let me guess: It was another of your many "talents."

Sure enough, Kyle started helping the construction workers, even though he was wearing a suit. Stupid Kyle, with his stupid skills and stupid...

Asuka walked back over to me and sat next to me, looking concerned. "Hey, Judai? You okay? You never act like that with friends. What's wrong?"

Friends, sure. But Kyle?

"Since when's Kyle a friend?" I mumbled incoherently.

Asuka raised an eyebrow at me, and I could tell from her expression she hadn't heard that. Good thing, too. Who knows what could have happened if she had? I mean, regardless of her emotional response, it would lead to a talk or a fight that would just make things between us really, really awkward. "What was that?" she asked.

"Nothing," I said.

She looked at me questioningly, still looking concerned. I didn't want to answer her, seeing as the guy I hated just happened to be her boyfriend. For a second, I wondered if I'd still hate Kyle if he wasn't dating Asuka. Then, remembering how much everyone loved the guy, I answered my own question—yes, I would. Who likes their replacement, after all?