Title: Misplaced Blame
Characters: Ryou, Fubuki
Chapters: 1-1||Words: 840
Genre: Friendship||Rated: G
Prompt: GX Month Day #5, this wasn't my idea
Notes: This takes place the same night as Ryou vs Edo in season 2.
Summary: Lots of people were worried about Ryou after his loss to Edo. Fubuki, probably most of all. Well, maybe.
Fubuki lounged back on his couch, considering taking a nap. He'd already put in nearly three hours trying to get in touch with Ryou, and his old friend didn't seem interested in talking tonight. But he knew how stubborn Ryou could be, and even better, he knew how stubborn he could be.
He wanted to be awake in time for that Edo guy's duel against Juudai. Asuka had let him know it would be happening the next day, and it was already late at night. He wasn't sure if 'nap' was even the night word for what he wanted to do now, but he also didn't think it mattered. Trying to get through to Ryou took up a lot of energy even when the other wasn't clearly closing himself off.
An alert sounded, and Fubuki pried his eyes open, hoping that this was someone that he wanted to talk to. Asuka, perhaps, or Manjoume.
But across his screen there was a different name, and one that he did want to talk to. He quickly hit the command to accept and smiled brilliantly as Ryou's face appeared.
"Where have you been? I've been trying to get you to answer all night!"
Ryou sniffed briefly. "I know. I haven't been in the mood to talk."
"You never are," Fubuki retorted, getting himself in a more comfortable position. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be?" Ryou frowned at him and Fubuki grinned back even more. "It was a lost duel, Fubuki. Nothing else." He shrugged. "One of us was going to lose."
Fubuki had a feeling he knew what Ryou wasn't saying - that he hadn't expected it to be him. No one had. But one loss wasn't so bad. He'd bounce back; that was the kind of person that he was. Then he leaned forward.
"So did you actually see my messages or did you just call for the giggles of it?"
Ryou frowned even more at him. It dawned on Fubuki that it didn't look as if he'd slept properly. Which he hadn't; the duel had only been a few hours earlier. "Did you do that?"
Fubuki tilted his head. "Huh? Do what? Specifically?" He'd done a lot of things. Ryou was going to have to be a lot more specific than that.
Ryou held up a small note. "This was delivered after the duel. From Kouchou Ran."
That name did sound familiar - oh, he knew. "That Obelisk Blue girl who has a crush on you? Did you know she dueled Shou the other day and he ended up prompted to Ra Yellow when he won?"
"So he told me." Ryou set the note down. "She sent "condolences" for the results of the duel. Did you tell her to do that?"
Fubuki blinked again, tilting chis head now to the other side. "Why would I do that? I've been trying to get in touch with you. I've barely been out of my room since the duel ended. I knew you'd want to talk to someone."
Ryou snorted at that. "Not especially. But it's the kind of thing you would do."
Fubuki rubbed the back of his head. "You're probably right about that." If it had occurred to him, then he might well have. But he'd wanted to talk to Ryou himself more than he'd wanted to ask someone else to. "Anyway, are you sure you're all right? You looked a little upset out there."
For a few seconds, he thought Ryou might actually open up to him. For as long as they'd known one another, Ryou had always been rather closed off, telling few people about what went on in his head. Fubuki could guess better than most, simply because of all the time they'd spent together before his own disappearance. But this time, Ryou turned his gaze away.
"It was only the shock. There's nothing for you to worry about. I'll win my next duel. And when I duel him again, I'll win then." Ryou set his jaw, determination in every line of his body. "If you didn't put her up to this, then who did?"
Fubuki rubbed the back of his head a little. As much as he liked Ryou, the guy could be stubborn as hell more often than he wasn't. "Maybe she thought of it herself. Pretty sure I saw her in the auditorium when everyone was watching the duel. She probably had it sent over as soon as the duel was done."
Ryou's lips twitched. "I suppose you could be right. I shouldn't have blamed you."
"Eh, no problem." Fubuki waved one hand. "It's what I would do anyway." Before he could ask exactly what Ryou had in mind to do next, Ryou kept on.
"I'll call you again later. I needed to get some rest." Without waiting for any further farewells, Ryou cut the connection, and Fubuki blinked.
He never changes. At least this time Ryou believed him when Fubuki insisted something wasn't his fault - and this time, it really wasn't.
The End
Notes: I've wondered for a while what Ran thought of the whole Hell Kaiser thing. I might go into that at some future point.