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Judai's POV

Okay, Johan, uh...I'm gonna go ahead and ignore what you were doing for now, and we can talk about that later. For now, let's rewind a bit. While Johan was busy planning how he was going to get into Ai's room, Rei came back to me totally prepared for a picnic and a swim.

The construction crew had, recently, managed to convince Fubuki that he should get back to his vacation with Natsuko, so, to everyone's relief, the clumsy guy and the mildly concussed (who was more relieved than anybody else) headed to the beach to have as much fun in the sun as possible, as Fubuki had worded it. Now that it was safe, the workers broke out the heavy duty equipment that they'd been afraid to use with Fubuki there, so it was going a whole lot smoother now as they tried to actually build the foundation. In fact, everything Fubuki had been working on got torn down, and these guys told my friends to stand back so the "real" work could begin. Guess they'd been too afraid to do their jobs with Fubuki around... They were digging up all the sand, trying to reach the bedrock below so they could start building right this time. So, basically, all of the stuff they'd been doing up to this point was just to amuse Yubel. What a massive waste of time, guys.

While I was musing over the construction mess (and learning a thing or two about how to build a house on a sandy beach), Rei walked over to me, smiling sweetly. "Here, Judai. These are for you," she said, tossing me a pair of swim trunks and sandals. She also brought a blanket, umbrella, sunscreen, a picnic lunch, and her own swimsuit.

I caught the clothes, saying, "Thanks." I wasn't sure why she'd bought me some new clothes, but I guess she was worried about how poorly dressed I was for the weather. You know, seeing as I was wearing long pants, a long-sleeve black shirt, and a jacket on a tropical beach. Admittedly, that outfit was hot...

Rei smiled back at me in response. "Don't mention it." Then she looked over at Jim, still sitting beside me, and asked, "What about you, Jim!? You gonna join us?" She sounded inviting with that question, but she was giving him a weird look, like he'd ruin her plans by saying yes.

Okay, admittedly, that was a little closer to how Rei usually would behave... Now I was getting worried.

"Nah, sheila. Think I'll...go for a walk," he answered, getting up and leaving.

Yeah, Jim, nice excuse. The hesitation already told me you didn't have anything better to do. Then again, I already knew they were all hoping I'd start dating Rei so I could get off this island. I mean, that was the plan...and she wasn't nearly as creepy as Ai, even at her worst.

Rei watched Jim go, waving and smiling. "Well, alright, Jim! If you say so!" She turned a gentle smile on me. "So? You wanna go get ready? There's some changing rooms over there," she said, pointing to some brightly-colored little huts on the beach a little ways off.

"Yeah, okay," I said, getting up off the ground.

"Come on. Let's get ready, and I'll set up our picnic after that, okay?" She gave a cute little smile on that last word, and I couldn't help but tack that word "cute" onto my description of it.

Granted, she'd tried to get my attention by acting cute before, and I knew she was at least capable of stalking me until the day I die.

"Uh, okay," I said, starting to wonder if this was actually a good idea. It wasn't like I had any better ones, though, and I pushed that thought aside instantly. It wasn't fair to Rei, after all—she wasn't doing anything wrong.

Rei ran off to the changing rooms, looking a bit excited. Not as bad as when we'd been in school, though—just like she was ready for some fun. I watched her for a moment, wrestling with my instinctive desire to avoid putting myself in this kind of situation with any stalker of mine, current or former. Once "Rei hasn't done anything lately" won out over "but what if she does," I followed.

When I came out of the changing room, I saw Rei setting up her umbrella. The blanket was already spread out, with the picnic basket in the middle. Rei was wearing an orange bikini with a strapless top. Hate to say it, but orange has never looked better than it did on her that day.

She saw me and beckoned me over before she started putting on sunscreen. The way she'd arranged things, the place I'd be going to sit would be on the other side of the picnic basket. She'd made it real easy to use that basket as a barrier between the two of us, which wasn't normal for her. She loved touching me—photos for the graduation album, after Darkness's defeat...basically any time she saw me was a good time for a surprise hug, so why put an obstacle in her own way now, of all times?

Still trying to figure Rei out, I headed over and sat down. Rei finished up with the sunscreen and held it out to me, saying, "Hey, do me a favor and cover my back please. I'm having trouble reaching it."

A nice, casual tone, as if she was just asking a friend for a favor. Seriously, there were a million other girls who would use that as a way of trying to get a guy interested! Rei was acting totally different these days. She really had grown up, inside and out.

"Okay," I said, taking the sunscreen and helping her out.

Apparently she liked the feeling of that. She closed her eyes, smiling, as if I were giving her a massage instead of just rubbing sunscreen on her back. "Ah... Thanks, Judai. You're a real pal."

Either she liked back rubs, or she liked me giving her a back rub. Oh, well. She'd been way more tame about it than she would have back in school.

"Yeah, no problem," I answered.

When I was done, she picked up the bottle again and handed it back to me, smiling warmly as she said, "Okay! Your turn! Just let me knew if you need any help, okay? That's what friends are for, after all."

I was definitely getting used to her acting this way, and it was definitely an improvement over her behavior at school. I'd take this Rei over the sneaky stalker version any day.

"Okay. Thanks, Rei."

I started putting on sunscreen (needing it for the first time since arriving on this dumb island), and Rei pulled out a sandwich and started eating. Tuna, from the smell of it. Yep, this new Rei was a massive improvement. She looked over at me as she was finishing her sandwich, then casually offered, "You want me to do your back now? You did mine, after all."

"That'd be great, thanks," I answered.

She took the bottle back and started rubbing sunscreen on my back. While she was at it, she started massaging me a bit, too. "Wow, you're tense. Ai must be bad."

I sighed as she continued. "That feels good..."

She kept up the massage, saying, "Well, it should. I've only been practicing for two years now. Did you know I'm studying physical therapy so I can help soldiers who were wounded in battle?"

"Really? That's cool."

I hadn't known that was what she was doing with her life. I was still halfway convinced she had to be a model, too, though.

"Yeah. I first started thinking about it back at Duel Academy. After I saw the way Dark World had affected you...then reading about it in Sho's book series, the events you went through sounded a lot like war."

Not a bad comparison, Rei. That's about what they felt like, too. Especially considering I'd slaughtered entire villages as I tried to take over the place and gain more power.

"It got me thinking. 'If Judai had been hurt so badly by something like that, what did the real thing do to people?' After that thought crossed my mind, I quit everything I'd been doing and enrolled in a college that taught you how to help those people. All they need is a little love, after all. You know what I mean?"

I thought I sensed a hidden message in the end of her little monologue there—the "need a little love" bit, more specifically. So she wanted to help me with that, too, huh? That was...nice. Really nice, especially since she was one of the first people to make that kind of offer.

"...Yeah..."

I think it was a first. I was feeling grateful for something Rei was doing. Really grateful. She wanted to help me, not just with this Ai problem—she was willing to put up with any other issues I might have because of Dark World. With the stuff she'd been studying, she should have known there was a chance of flashbacks, nightmares, and all kinds of other issues. Not to say I had all of those, but she knew there was the possibility, and she was offering her help and...her love anyway.

Even though my back was definitely covered by now, Rei didn't stop massaging me until the tension was gone.

Asuka's POV

Oh, man, had I screwed up. What had gotten into me that night, anyway? I've never done anything like that before...but...Rei was right. For one reason or another, I'd had a desire to sleep with Judai that night, and I'd acted on it without thinking. Oh, if Judai found that one out, he'd be so mad at me. I mean, I'd acted almost as bad as Ai! There was no doubt about it—I had to find him and apologize before he figured it out on his own. Then I needed to find some way to break the news to Kyle, too. I'd wronged two men in one night, and I still don't even know why I did it!

As I headed to the beach, head down, to find Judai, I saw the most shocking thing I had ever seen. Rei was sitting on a picnic blanket under an umbrella massaging Judai's shoulders! And, if that wasn't bad enough, Judai seemed to be enjoying it!

I gasped, horrified by this scene, and quickly took cover behind a hot dog vendor's booth. The woman running it looked at me strangely, but I didn't care. I was way too busy trying to figure out what the heck was going on here and why it bothered me so much in the first place!

As I watched from my hiding place, Rei finished up with Judai. She said something, and it must have been funny because they both started laughing.

I ducked back out of sight. Laughing? With Rei, who'd just been touching him in a way I know he hated being touched by her? What the hell was going on here!? And why was it making me so anxious that I felt I needed to hide from it, anyway? This wasn't like me at all!

I took another peek just in time to hear Rei call out in a voice so excited that it should have been a crime. "Come on! Last one in's a rotten egg!"

Apparently they had decided to go swimming. She bolted straight for the water, and Judai followed her! Of all people, Judai was on a date with his first stalker, Rei!? That little witch knew even less about him than Ai thought she did! Why had Judai decided to start dating his stalkers now, anyway!?

I leaned back against the hot dog stand, feeling more than confused. What the hell was happening here? You could tell I was more than a little stunned as I sat there thinking about it, too. Rei? He's dating Rei? Of all people, why'd he choose to hang out with Rei!? She's a stalker, too!

Against my better judgment, I kept watching this scene in disbelief as the two of them played in the water. Okay, so Judai had decided to start dating Rei! They were having so much fun splashing around with each other, it was like they were the only two in the world! So Judai was into stalkers now. I guessed that was okay, as long as he was cool with it, but...

I watched a moment longer. Why am I even doing this? I finally wondered. What do I care if he's dating Rei? It's none of my business, anyway, so why...?

I let that thought trail off. Why was I watching them? This was what we all wanted him to do, right? He needed to get a girlfriend to get off this beach, and we all knew that. Even if it was Rei, another stalker, at least it meant Judai was making an effort finally. This was a good thing, right?

Apparently Rei thought it was time to take their splash war to the next level. She pounced on Judai, knocking him down into the shallows. He was laughing, but she looked playfully annoyed. Apparently whatever he said wasn't all that funny to her, though it wasn't insulting enough to end their fun.

I watched on as she started tickling him. That...stung...somehow. I really should just leave. I mean, this is a good thing, right? Besides, I've already got a boyfriend...

I looked down as I thought about that. A boyfriend... I had a boyfriend who was the best thing that ever happened to me...and I was seconds away from cheating on him with another man. That wouldn't be fair to him at all... It was better this way, anyway, right?

"...Yeah. That's right," I said to myself. "I've got a boyfriend, so it shouldn't matter what Judai does. It doesn't affect me anymore..."

With no further reason to stick around, I got up, took one last look at the "happy" scene behind me, and sighed. Then, deciding I'd have to apologize to him later, I walked off so I wouldn't ruin this perfect date he was finally on. Or, maybe, I'd never tell him. I didn't want to risk hurting him again and ruining our friendship now that he had a dumb stalker girlfriend to hang out with instead.

Judai's POV

Geez, Asuka, that's...new. Well, hate to say it, but I wouldn't be a man if I hadn't been turned on a bit by Rei that day. Well, okay, I could have been, but I would have had to have been gay for that to be a thing. Sue me, I'm a straight guy who's never actually had a girlfriend before (Yubel doesn't count).

With Rei's mature appearance and her friendly, not-flirting attitude, she was a lot more appealing than she'd been back in school. We actually had a lot in common, more than I'd thought before. And, as I lay in the (now being professionally built) construction site that night, I couldn't sleep—I couldn't stop thinking about Rei.

Just real quick so I'm not just talking about Rei and nothing else, let me tell you a bit about how construction went. With real work finally being done, the crew had managed to clear away the sand and actually get some supports for the foundation of the house cemented into the ground. The wooden frame my friends insisted on having for me to sleep in was securely tucked away inside the perimeter. This was finally starting to look like a real construction site, aside from this bizarre wooden frame and tarp in the middle of it. With Fubuki around, though, that could change. Hopefully he'd stay on vacation.

Alright, I guess I've avoided it as long as I can. I've gotta talk about Rei, sorry. It's the only way to keep this story going right now, seeing as somebody insists on making me tell part of the story right now!

Editor's note: At this point, Judai and the interviewer (your beloved editor) briefly argued over the importance of this scene. I, personally, feel my readers deserve an honest glimpse into his thoughts and feelings, especially considering they were absent from the Duel Academy Adventures saga. But I'm rambling.

At the time, I wasn't really worried about the construction job—I was thinking about Rei in that bikini, bending over and drying her hair, grinning; Rei sunbathing, an arm draped over her forehead and one leg propped up; Rei stretching in the sunset (right in front of me), then shaking her head a bit to get her bangs out of her eyes; Rei turning to me and saying goodbye before running off, looking like a real beach babe.

...I'm not too proud of the thoughts that were running through my head. Seriously, do I have to tell this part?

Editor's note: Judai nearly refused to speak. It was like pulling teeth. Once again, your adorable editor had to persuade him.

Ugh, okay, okay! Sheesh! Let's just skip to what Yubel did, okay? She appeared beside me, laughing hysterically. She was doubled over, which is bad, considering she's a spirit. Apparently this was a great joke.

"What's so funny?" I asked.

She stood up, regaining a little composure, and put a hand to her chin, grinning at me. "Oh, nothing." She snickered at "nothing" before looking at me with a taunting smile. "So do you always think about your stalkers in ways like this?"

As she laughed again, I realized that she thought I had a crush on Rei. Ridiculous! Just because I thought she was...uh, pretty—Don't tell me that's not the right word!—didn't mean I was crushing on her.

I blushed, though—it's hard to hide your thoughts from yourself, especially when you happen to be a mind-reader. "H-hey! Rei's not stalking me now!"

Yubel got down to my level and said, "Uh-huh. And you're not a dirty, little pervert, either."

Two things: First, she didn't believe me. Second, she was poking at my side in a way that told me this was not only funny to her but also cute. Well, it wasn't like I was known for being a pervert...which is why I don't really wanna be telling this part of the story! Seriously, can we just forget it happened?

Editor's note: Sheesh, how many of these is he going to make me put? I, your editor, told him that we couldn't just skip important parts of the story and to stop whining, for pity's sake.

Ugh, well, I just blushed in response to Yubel.

She crossed her arms and teased, "You like her now, don't you? Does this mean you think she's the one?"

Okay, this was embarrassing. But, no, I wasn't thinking she was "the one," as Yubel put it. We'd only been on one date! ...And I just called it a date. Man, I'm still messed up...

"I-I never said that!" I stammered, for all the world implying that Yubel was right.

She pointed at me in an accusatory way and said, "You're thinking it, though. It's written all over your face."

"Am not!" I protested like a kid.

Yubel didn't buy it. Well, duh, didn't I just say how hard it is to keep secrets from yourself? Looking more serious, Yubel turned away and pointed, saying, "Hey, look, Rei's over there!"

I crossed my arms, knowing full well what she was going for. I mean, first off, I was under a tarp. She couldn't see Rei in the distance that way. Second of all, great acting or not, the timing made it obvious, especially if you've known her as long as I have. "I'm not falling for that."

Grinning, Yubel turned back to me. "Aw, come on. Well, if you don't like Rei, then why are you thinking about her so much?" She crossed her arms, grinning mischievously, and added, "And all the ways you can bang her, deep down inside."

...See, I told you you didn't want to hear this part, didn't I? Stop looking at me like that!

Anyway, I knew what that meant. Yubel was sensing all of the...things I wanted to do with Rei. Hey, when hormones hit, they hit hard. Admittedly, she was right, even if I wasn't entirely sure where these thoughts and ideas were coming from. I...wanted to see more of her body. Wanted to...get more acquainted with...her curves, her breasts, her everything, okay!? I just wanted to run my hands over every inch of that perfect body of hers, kiss her flawless lips, run my fingers through her silky hair.

These kinds of thoughts normally came from Yubel, so it wasn't like I was a total stranger to them running through my head. It was just new to be the one having them for once. Where were these thoughts coming from?

I blushed again and gave my worst defense yet. "I—she's—I like the way she looks."

...Yeah, that didn't really sound any better.

Yubel grinned again, looking pleased. She seemed to think she had won, probably because I didn't deny it. Yeah, yeah, stuff it, Yubel. And you, too, "editor!" "Well, that's a start, at least." She laughed through her lips.

"Night, Yubel," I said, closing my eyes. I was determined to either fall asleep or ignore her at that point.

"Yeah, yeah," she responded, her tone showing she was still enjoying teasing me. "See you at the wedding. Oh, and by the way, try thinking of how she looks totally naked." She spoke slowly with that last sentence, really working hard on getting me to do that, then laughed before diving deep into our joint consciousness.

As I felt her presence go dormant, a sure sign she was resting, I couldn't help thinking of Rei wearing nothing but her birthday suit and posing in such a way that everything was visible. Damn it, Yubel! I was having enough trouble with those thoughts without your help, you pain! Man, the only time I'd ever seen a girl in that pose without any clothes on was Ai! Now I was applying that sicko's moves to Rei, who was way nicer and prettier? Granted, she looked better that way than Ai did, but... Ugh, what was I thinking!?

I blushed, feeling like a dirty pervert. Made sense, seeing as I was thinking like one right then. It took a lot longer for me to stop thinking about Rei and finally get to sleep, and, when I finally did, I had my first ever sexual dream. No, I'm not giving any details! Your readers don't need to know that! It's bad enough I've already told them this much! I'd rather forget I ever had it, honestly—it made me feel really uncomfortable, even if it was Rei and I did kind of like her. It was better than the nightmares I had about Ai doing similar things to me, but this was way too much! I was gonna kill Yubel for helping to inspire this, trust me.

Asuka's POV

Oh, my goodness, I did not see that coming! And I thought I'd been having a bad night! When did Judai turn into such a perv!?

Anyway, like I said, Judai wasn't the only one having trouble sleeping that night. I'd been tossing and turning in my bed back at the villa. Yes, we had decided just the other day that I should keep up the act and stay at the resort, but Ai wasn't due to be released from the hospital until tomorrow, and I wasn't ready to face Junko again and get yelled at some more after the discoveries I'd made that day. I'd had the words "guilty" and a hint of what I can only describe as "sadness" plastered on my face ever since finding Judai alone with Rei earlier.

Everyone at the villa seemed concerned about me, and I couldn't blame them. I was acting out of character the past few days, and I didn't even understand why/ Manjoume and my brother didn't help matters much—they both jumped me with disappointed and disgusted questions and lectures the moment I walked back in. Fortunately, though, Jim had come to my rescue, telling them both to back off and pointing out how messed up I apparently looked. I suppose Jim, at least, knew what was wrong with me. At the time, I didn't have a clue.

Now, though, as I lay in bed, desperately trying to forget the events of the last few days, it was starting to make sense. For some reason, there was only one thing on my mind, and it was keeping me awake, feeling too restless and unbearably stressed to even consider falling asleep. I was in a cold sweat, and, yet again, I had only that two-toned brunette to thank for it!

Within 30 or so minutes, I relived almost every memorable moment I'd spent with Judai since meeting him: His silly but kind of cute attempt at flirting the day we'd met after I'd chased Manjoume off for him; how he'd bravely gone into the abandoned dorm and not only saved me but sweetly found a picture of my brother for me, back when Fubuki was still missing; how annoying and embarrassing it had been to be caught with those silly draw breads he loved so much—yes, I'd wanted the golden egg bread, but he didn't have to tell everyone! Then there was the time I dueled him and lost to his overpowered Thunder Giant, and he'd still called me strong. And, finally, the last memorable thing we'd done together until this point—holding hands after we'd won that silly pair duel tournament Kenzan had tricked us into fighting together. Maybe Kenzan pairing us up that way wasn't so bad. It brought Judai and me back together as friends...for a little while, at least.

Wait a minute! Why was I thinking of all these wonderful memories of a guy who I thought I'd gotten over? My mind normally focused on all the bad things he'd done, like running off without a word or... I couldn't make myself think of any more.

I sat bolt upright in bed, my eyes wide as they could get, sweating. I felt more than stressed out and slightly shocked at how many random good memories were suddenly flooding back after so many years of thinking of the opposite.

I was in a cold sweat, and my breathing grew heavier as I tried to get a grip. The shock of this whole thing was just too much. In fact, I hadn't been this worked up since my last Dark World nightmare about four years ago!

Once I'd calmed down a little, I flopped back onto my bed, letting my arms fall where they may. "What is...wrong with me..." I said, my tone making it more of a statement than a question.

Still, it was a good question. All I could think about all that night was Judai! I took some deep breaths, trying to calm down and gather my thoughts. Once I felt the pounding of my heart come to an end, I sat up, pulling my legs up to my chest and hugging them. Now that I was calmer, I was feeling kind of...sad. And a little lonely, too. But, the last time I'd checked...

"It ended six years ago, so why am I still thinking about it?" I voiced my next thoughts, trying to make sense of what was happening here. "I've got Kyle now, right?"

It suddenly dawned on me that something was wrong here—very wrong. I lowered my head, feeling upset now because...I had a boyfriend? Let me remind you, Kyle wasn't going to leave me, unlike a certain brunette we all knew, so it didn't make any sense for me to suddenly feel badly because I had a boyfriend!

"...If I'm really happy with Kyle, then why does Judai keep slipping into my mind? Why do I feel so bad about seeing him with Rei?"

I kept thinking about that, trying to make sense of it. I'd been horribly upset when I'd caught Judai with Rei earlier, but I had no idea why. Was I...jealous of her? Could it be that I wasn't happy with Kyle because I wanted Judai instead? But Kyle was a great guy I knew I could trust! Judai, on the other hand, was a wanderer I may never see again after this mess. But that had been because of me (and the others, too, I suppose), so...maybe he would stay if I asked him to? But, on the other hand, there was no "maybe" about it with Kyle—he wasn't going anywhere. I suppose the real questions were simple: Which guy do I really like, and will I be happy with the one I choose if I give up the other?

"...I wonder if I'm making the right decision here. I'll ask Junko what she thinks in the morning, I guess."

With that, I forced myself to sleep for the umpteenth time—I'd had to do that a lot those six years. My dreams, however, didn't give me much rest. They consisted, yet again, of a certain brunette holding me in his arms, marrying me, raising a family. Apparently I couldn't even escape Judai in my dreams! Nothing new there—I'd had similar dreams about him ever since graduation.