Disclaimer: Yugi-Oh GX does not belong to me nor its characters or rights over the story.
Warn: This story may have heavy and uncomfortable themes/situations like use of drugs, violence, suicide, abuse, sexual harassment, rape, depression, trauma and bad language. If you do not like such, Do not read this.
ToBlazePurple: Rie has a few interactions with others too, but the focus is still her relationship with Ryo so the story can progress, there will be other characters in the future too, so we will have some more depth to it once they appear. For now, the school crew is all the staff. Rie will have a break too, but we will see for how long.
presea221: That psychologist really made sure to leave a legacy of pain for her. And yes, Rie is a kind girl, she has been through a lot and she can empathize with the Marufuji brothers' problems too. Well, Ryo is having some difficulties in his school life, no wonder he'd have scars for life after all that happened, and I will say we are in for a long ride through all the seasons and we're just in the first one XD, in other words, expect some Hell Kaiser.
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Chapter 10: Mythic Demons
More shadow duels take place in the academy grounds, Misawa loses, but both Manjoume and Asuka claim victory and Fubuki who had been still recovering seems to be back to his normal self after seeing his sister triumph over the darkness.
Once again, Rie meets Kaiser around the cliff. Even though that place had so many bad and anguished memories, recently it has been the place where she wants to be the most, because she made precious memories with her friends and with him there.
"It is unusual that you were the one calling me here today, Rie." He looks at her with a pique of interest.
"I am sorry…" she fidgets while trying to gesture an apology
"I don't mind. But I assume you have something important to ask."
"I heard Fubuki-san has returned to his school activities…" her gaze flashes to the side, a drop of sweat rolling down her cheek, she takes more time than usual to type the message. "Do you know if he remembers something about… Darkness?"
His eyes narrow upon the mention of the words. True enough the persona Fubuki became and the Darkness mentioned by the psychologist seemed somewhat connected. Yet, they found no more proof other than the mention.
"You are right, he returned, but… Many doubts remain… Even though Fubuki is back, he can't tell us what happened… I tried to investigate on my own, but no clues seem to be left both about Darkness and about the other criminals who..."
He sighs in a troubled and rather impatient manner, casting his eyes at the horizon in a grumpy mood. Her blue orbs lower to the rocks under her feet, clenching her student PDA in between her fingers, her eyebrows angling up in sorrow, until she musters the courage to type:
"I don't know who they are, plus if they didn't do anything else so far, I figured they lost interest in me..." with a deep sigh, she stares at the horizon too "Well, as long as they don't do that to anyone else, I'd be fine… Is what I'd like to say. But I am not sure how to feel about it..."
"Rie..." He clutches his uniform with both hands, she can live with it, but he can't just accept that "I am sorry, even though I told you I'd help, I couldn't figure it out yet..."
"Ryo-san, you already helped me plenty. I will be forever grateful for that. I want you to know that. Don't pressure yourself too much."
Her smile is soft and slightly troubled, but her intentions of comforting him soothe his frustration a bit. Seeing such expression on her face, his eyebrows curl upwards in affliction, his eyes flicker and melt as fondness fills them completely.
He didn't need to try and help, despite vowing he'd do it, he couldn't accomplish anything. Why does he feel like he is weak in front of her and her problems? He just wishes he could help her smile more often without having to hang onto such a terrible past.
"Rie, I..."
That moment is interrupted by the sound of leaves rustling, he is alerted and immediately turns around, looking at the bushes.
"Who is there?!"
His furrowed brows are menacing, making the person come out with raised arms, in surrender. The intensity of his expression attenuates after catching a glimpse of who it is.
"Fubuki...?"
"In person!" a drop of sweat drips from his chin "You don't need to kill me with your scary glare, Ryo. It's just me."
He sighs deeply and then approaches his friend with a curious gaze, Fubuki has his aloof expression back, an unworried smile on his lips.
"What are you doing here?"
"I was just passing by." he chuckles looking at the pink haired and waving his hand graciously "But I didn't want to disturb your fan meeting."
"It's not a fan meeting." He blurts dryly.
"She…" his eyes open wide, looking at the girl, blinking a couple times "She isn't one of your fans?"
She also denies with her head, making him even more confused. Then, he slowly steps towards her and gently grabbing her hand, he plants a soft kiss on it, declaring:
"I thought so. A pretty and smart looking girl like you wouldn't be fawning over that boring Kaiser, would you?" He smiles happily, but her hand twitches under that action.
Even though the gesture was part of his extroverted personality, her face becomes dreaded feeling his hand, a shiver running down her spine, her eyes display some disgust.
Fubuki is startled at her reaction, his hand immediately lets go of hers. That was the first time he'd seen a girl look at him like that, disgusted and in panic rather than in admiration or love after his flashy introduction.
He looks at his friend fishing for an answer, but all he sees is a big frown and an intense aura overflowing out of him as he stomps closer, his hands stretch menacingly and suddenly, Fubuki feels a firm push on his chest, tumbling a step back, utterly stunned with his actions.
"Back off, Fubuki." His tone is loud, grave and clear.
That was an order rather than a request, he gapes, at loss in the situation after at loss after seeing Ryo's brows angled so obtusely while looking at him. For him to be this incisive he must've done something seriously wrong. A smile contorts his lips unnaturally, his face sweats aplenty and he raises his hands gesturing frantically.
"I-I'm sorry, I was just joking, trying to break the ice. I am very sorry!"
He turns his face to the side nervously looking at her in the expectation she will say something. She steps back once, a drop of sweat rolling down her face, her skin is slightly paler than what he remembered it was just a second ago.
Ryo scowls at him and steps in between them, crossing his arms and sending a rebuking glare to his friend, he turns sideways to check on the girl, speaking to her in a calmer tone, his expression also becomes very different, gentler.
"Rie, are you fine?"
She flinches, as if brought back to the world by his voice, forcing a smile and nervously typing.
"I am fine… I am sorry, I was just surprised. That is all."
Ryo smiles briefly and faintly, but as soon as he looks at Fubuki, his frown is back. Did he do something that bad? And ouch that difference in treatment pinches his heart a bit. As he ponders about it, he switches his glance from one to the other and gasps in some sort of enlightenment after taking a look at her pink hair.
"I apologize, it was not my intention to scare you. So you must be Rie-chan, right? I heard from Asuka you're a third year here. We probably studied together before, but I don't recall much about it right now. I am Fubuki Tenjouin, nice to meet you."
With a smooth and friendly smile, he offers a handshake which she accepts, slightly puzzled at him, replying via a message.
"Rie Kinomoto. Nice to meet you too."
"Why were you hiding?" Ryo's eyes narrow, scrutinizing the intentions of his old friend. "And what were you doing?"
"Ah… Sharp as ever… Always spoiling the fun…" he mutters to himself "I wasn't spying or anything, I just came now… I thought I should introduce myself properly this time, but is my friend boring you too much? He only comes and broods over the sea, right? Does he even know how to talk properly to cute girls?"
He chuckles at the girl, approaching again from the side, the blue-haired sighs heavily with all his inquisition. She is uneasy around him, wondering what he is expecting of her, but answers nonetheless.
"He talks a lot about you."
"About me?" He is startled, his eyes tearing up as he wipes those manly tears away, giving a thumbs up. "Ryo, you're my best friend!"
"Rie, don't feed his ego."
"You never told me you got such a nice girl in the time I was away, Ryo! I didn't think you of all people…" He places an arm around his friend's shoulder, still wiping his tears from her previous words. "Would be interested in something other than dueling now..."
"A… What?" he flinches in surprise upon the words "This is not what you're thinking..."
Rie blushes and gestures frantically denying it too, but the great King Fubuki knows it better, putting a hand to his chin, a sparkle comes to his eyes. He inspects the girl from different angles and nods proudly.
"You cannot deceive my eyes trained to identify love! There is certainly something going on here!" he blurts out confidence in his skills. "You were telling me to back off because she is your girl, right? I can comply with that."
Ryo slaps his own forehead, the habit of his friend of shipping people could be really embarrassing sometimes and he was misunderstanding his actions too. Fubuki approaches Rie, bending closer to her face as if analyzing it, he then casts a glance back at Kaiser that wonders what he is up to now with a cautious posture.
"Let me tell you something: my dear old friend may look cold like an ice prince, but he can be quite intense when he wants to."
He winks as if giving a hint for something, Rie's face reddens even more from top to bottom, Kaiser is no different, his face sweating aplenty in shame as he grabs Fubuki's shoulders, pushing him away a bit from her and shaking his friend in a rather desperate tone:
"W-what kind of nonsense are you spouting, Fubuki?"
"You think I would lose the chance to embarrass the great Kaiser in front of his girlfriend?!"
"She is not my girlfriend! I already told you that! Why are you even thinking this?!"
"Don't deceive me! You think I can't tell?! I know even where you hide your hot magazine stash!"
"Those are duel magazines!"
"Not all of them! I know what you hid among those! I am your best friend, even if you changed your hideout, I can find it in no time! If she is just a fangirl and can't love you knowing about this, I won't allow it!"
He scuffles like a parent throwing a tantrum and inhales a lot of air and shouts as loud as possible the next part:
"Rie-chan! Ryo may look like a cool Kaiser outside, but he is a perfectly healthy boy and also has a collection of secret dirty magaz-"
"Just stop!"
While they bicker with a very embarrassed Ryo scolding him for jumping into conclusions, she calms down and observes, their noise becomes a background sound. They look like such good friends, she can't help but giggle, that is also the first time he has seen him so uncomfortable too.
It reminds her of her friends. Even though she feels sad for them, she can't help but feel relieved that at least Fubuki is back for the people who loved him. Her fingers slowly type and the boys that were distracted turn around to look at the message she displays with a bright smile:
"You are misunderstanding it. We are friends. Besides, the one who has a very special place in his heart is you. He really cares a lot about you. You should treasure that."
Ryo seems to put his emotions to rest, but utter shock overwhelms Fubuki's expression, while tears come down his eyes and cover his mouth with a hand, placing the other hand on his friend's shoulder, gripping it firmly.
"Ryo… I didn't know you… Got friendzoned. You are so popular… I thought you had it in you to win over any girl's heart… Really..."
A big drop of sweat rolls down his face hearing more of the friend's idiocy and a vein pops out as he frowns:
"Fubuki, enough of your jokes!"
He cries even more, shaking his head off and then nodding firmly with a comforting expression on his face:
"Don't worry, my friend, I will help you!"
He then slides away from Ryo's grip like an eel and grabbing one of Rie's hand with both his, looking into her eyes, a flame of determination burning inside him, spurting with utmost confidence:
"I'll reignite the flames of passion in your heart, just you wait!"
A big drop of sweat appears on her head as she has a bewildered expression and forces a slight smile, especially when he seems so eager and honest in what he says.
"See?" he turns around, glaring at Ryo defiantly, still holding her hand "She is speechless with my fierceness!"
"She can't speak, moron!"
"I'll make sure you'll enjoy all of your youth, just wait, Kaiser Ryo!"
"Wait, what are you talking about?! Fubuki!"
He then lets go of her hands and they start bickering again while she is left in the background. The wind blows past the forgotten girl, until someone comes.
"Brother. What did I say about pestering Rie?"
"I-I didn't know it was her at first, okay?"
Asuka crosses her arms and has a dim shadow over half of her face, her brother trembles in fear and then gives a random excuse, running away, being followed by the sister chasing him off the place with angry snarls.
Ryo sighs in deep relief, putting a hand to his aching forehead. Finally a moment of peace. Sometimes he wishes his friend would be as collected as Darkness, he then turns around a bit abashed with the whole situation.
"Ignore what he said, please, he is like that to everyone..."
"It's fine. I am happy to see you have such a good friend. I was getting curious to know who was the person who you were always searching for. I understand it now, he is such a high spirited person, you two match well together."
She chuckles, he can't hear any sound, but he can see her expression, a faint smile also comes to his face seeing how relaxed and happier she looks now. It disappears again as he looks at the ocean.
"He is indeed a lovable idiot… But don't get me started on him…"
He tells her the story about how they first met in the academy and how their friendship came to be. She is also happy to get to know more about him and which people he met in the past.
A few days past,
Another Shadow duel happens and with that, only one unknown opponent is left to face, the leader of the seven stars. Fubuki walks down the corridors, greeting some girls watching him with hearts in their eyes.
He slows down his pace, almost stopping while spotting Rie's back, she is alone, walking somewhere. A flinch when he listens to some whispering voices:
"Isn't that the mute girl who won a duel against Ran? You heard she is the daughter of the owner of a conglomerate of companies? I even heard terrible things about her, sleeping with boys in the forest? And even dueling for Kaiser so boldly..."
"Shhh. Do you not know? The last time people spread rumors about her, the ones who did that got punished, it seems her family wasn't happy and put pressure on school. Plus Kaiser and Asuka seem to be on her side, so I wouldn't provoke her. I don't want to get on their bad side."
"R-really? I didn't know she had this much influence, I'd better shut my mouth or she will punish me too."
"Tsk, she is mute, not deaf, you know?"
Those girls talked nonchalantly and clearly enough. Rie quickens the pace of her steps, bothered by it. Fubuki's eyes follow her as she disappears, narrowing slightly. A hand taps his shoulder, startling him.
"Asuka… What are you doing here? I thought you had classes."
"It ended earlier today, what about you? You seem worried." she pinpoints it in a second.
"Ah, I was just wondering… Why are there such bad rumors about Rie-chan and how did she meet Ryo?"
"Bad rumors? Were people bullying her again?" she frowns, huffing in annoyance.
"Again…?" he raises a brow "They stopped, but..."
"Well, if you want to know more, you should ask them, not me. If they won't tell you, I won't either. But promise me you won't pry too much on it, right?"
Without giving more explanations, she darts ahead and he follows in dismay, wondering what it's so dire his friend has to hide it from him and even his beloved sister.
After Rie distances herself from those gossiping girls, someone approaches her from behind, in instinct, her feet slide, whirling around as she looks back. It's professor Daitokuji, her posture relaxes.
"Professor, is there a problem…?" she asks with the device.
"No, not at all, Kinomoto-chan." he smiles "I was just wondering… Don't you miss the sessions with your psychologist?"
"He helped me a lot before and I've learned many things about life too…" a glint of bitterness in her eyes as she speaks, but then she smiles "However, I am fine to walk by myself now and I have people to help me."
Her eyes are truthful to her words, he sees no fear or hesitation in them, on the contrary, she seems healthier than when she had the meetings with that man.
"I see… That is good to know. But do you want to know a secret?" he puts a finger to his lips and bending over towards her, he whispers right beside her ear.
"I knew all along who he was, unfortunately my hands were tied because he was also keeping a secret of mine, so I had to keep an eye on him, waiting for a chance. Thank you for giving me that chance. You'll be fine from now on, don't worry about all those shadows, they will be gone before long."
Her eyes open wide in shock and she almost drops her device, he then smiles, almost wickedly.
"You can live your life normally again, Rie Kinomoto-chan. I wish you the best from now on."
He leaves the place and she trembles in fear. He knew about the dorms and the shadow taking students there?! Their professor knew?! She has to tell everyone. She has to tell them that man is dangerous.
That same day, it's when the last of the dark duels take place and the biggest revelation occurs. The professor they knew and loved, Daitokuji, was working for the person who wanted the keys. Not only that, he was trying to revive the Mythic Demon cards.
In the end, his weakened body is gone and his soul is swallowed by his cat Pharaoh, but his legacy stays within the hearts of his students, he allegedly implies he tried to train Judai for worse pains, but what he meant with that and what he truly wanted was all too obscure at that time. By the time Rie finds them, they all look depressed by the revelations of their teacher's past.
With all the duels settled, the academy receives the heroes with open arms, the crowd cheers on them as they arise victorious over that long and dark nightmare of a trial. The keys are protected and the Mythic Demon cards secured, or so they thought. For a while, they have some peace in the school life.
Ryo's mind drifts off into the vastness of the ocean, his arms crossed and his expression aloof. He blinks once upon hearing quiet steps approaching. The pink-haired waves lightly, looking around in search of something.
"Fubuki is surfing at the beach, he is not here."
"How did you know I was...?" Her fingers move nervously, as she stares at him astonished.
"I can tell you'd feel uncomfortable around him after what he did. But it amuses me you came all the way to the lighthouse, is something bothering you…?" he turns sideways to look at her.
"Yes… About Daitokuji sensei… He knew all about the dark duels and my psychologist, so why did he never…? It seems they were enemies, but I never got to hear what their connection was. There are so many things I'd like to ask… yet..."
His grip on his arms tightens, creasing his sleeves even more, letting out a sigh of dismay. Indeed they had no chance to ask about it all, left without clues or leads again.
"I don't know, but he was involved with the other students that disappeared along with Fubuki… It would be good to have heard the details. But that is no longer possible."
"Do you think Daitokuji sensei knew something about my friends and didn't tell me?"
She doesn't look at him while questioning, her eyes hover on the land, lost there along with the rocks, raising her hand with the device mechanically.
"I don't know… It's possible those were different cases, otherwise your friends would also..." his lips remain open for a moment before continuing "Otherwise they'd also have come back..."
"I thought so too." her eyes flicker as if a blow was dealt again to her heart. "It's not possible they are still..." she shakes her head off "I'm sorry. I will let you be now, see you another time."
His brow furrowing upwards in concern. Despite what she said about having overcome that past, it seems she didn't fully sort out her issues. It should take some time until she is fully recovered, but as long as she can get over it, it will be fine.
The moment she turns around to leave, they hear hectic footsteps crackling the rocks, it's Shou, Hayato, Asuka and Judai. She halts in front of them.
"Brother! This is bad! Majoume stole the seven keys and he is calling us to the beach!"
"What?!"
The blue-haired exchange a glance with Rie, they both follow the first years to the shore. As soon as they arrive they find out it was purely for the sake of dueling Asuka, but to think Manjoume would go to such lengths… Then, the instigator behind the scheme appears.
Fubuki plays an instrument, asking Asuka to accept the duel and Majoume's feelings, Ryo sighs heavily and slaps his own forehead, his friend is exactly as he remembers.
"It's Fubuki's bad habit again..."
The duel ends with Asuka's victory and her brother cries in pain for the loser who had both lost the duel and a broken heart. However, before they have time to mourn more, an unexpected event occurs.
The keys he stole fly towards the seven pillars sealing the Mythic Demon cards and release them. Finally the mastermind behind all those shadow duels appears: former chairman Kagemaru.
All of them want to challenge him, but he chooses his own opponent: Yuki Judai. After a long and tense duel, having defeated the three Mythic Demons and opening Kagemaru's eyes to his foolishness, the academy is now safe from those perils and a new page is turned.
"The threat of the three Mythic Demons has really left us now, hasn't it?" Kaiser asks with a deep relief in his chest.
"Yeah."Asuka nods.
"All that is left are the promotion exams next week." Chronos reminds all the students.
Judai is the first to panic, for him that was the biggest threat. The story ends on happy notes for them, their life as students resume. Even though many questions were left unanswered, their hearts feel at peace with the results of this journey, yearning for a better future.
Later that week,
In the Osiris Red dorm,
Both Shou and Asuka are outside with Judai. They are looking at her with a surprised and concerned expression. She clenches her fists.
"I know it is a big favor to ask, but after hearing it all from Rie, I am with Ryo in this, I can't just stand. Nevertheless, I can't do this alone. I am sorry for asking you this."
"Asuka-san…" Shou's eyes lower with an afflicted glint "I didn't know my brother was having difficulties like this, nor that Rie-san had those awful problems… My brother was always so cool and calm, to see him behave angrily like that... I was surprised, but I can't say I don't understand why he'd be so angry at those people… If I knew it before… I would have tried to help too…"
"Shou…" Judai stares at the friend worriedly "You're right Asuka, we can't just stand around!" He puts a hand on his friend's shoulder "If this will help your brother and his friend, we'll do it!" He nods confidently. "We should show it to her too that those people were wrong."
"Judai…" Asuka smiles faintly. "Then, it's decided, we should meet at the school building tonight."
Shou's eyes fill with determination and the three of them agree firmly, becoming thus partners in crime.
During that same night, Asuka is in the guard's office with Shou, Judai is outside, guarding the door and checking if someone is coming. The two inside rummage through the guards files of the incidents that happened in the school.
"You said Rie Kinomoto, right?"
Shou searches the drawer through a dozen files, he has the impression he heard her surname somewhere before, but where? Judai inspects the corridors in curiosity, a certain excitement with the late night adventure. The blonde girl can't find anything, but Shou gets it.
"Ah, here!" He pulls it out of the drawer proud of himself, but as soon as he does, the papers inside fall.
A scolding glare is cast at him as they gesture to be quiet, but once he panicky picks the paper, his cheerful expression turns into puzzlement. The papers have nothing written in them. He flips them to one side and the other and stares at Asuka.
"It can't be..."
She skims through them, analyzing, but all she can see is a big confidential stamp in a blank paper saying all the said documents were taken in by the official psychologist of the school. Her shoulders drop as they all exchange a glance.
"There is someone coming!"
Judai opens the door shouting silently, they all hurry to put everything back into place and make their escape on the school corridors. By the time the guard arrives, there is nobody there.
A couple days later,
Shou sighs in utter dismay, his head lowered, Judai has his arms behind his head, casting a side glance, slightly worried at the friend.
"Shou, for how long will you be moping around?"
"Aniki, how can you not see why I feel like this?" he clenches his small fists a bit annoyed "The promotion exams are coming and even after we broke into the guard's office we didn't find any clue, anything! This is just… Too much for me…" he lets out a big sigh.
"Come on, you'll do just fine on the exams, Shou!" he pats his shoulder cheerfully. "And it's not like we can do anything about not finding the files, right? Don't hang onto it too much."
A bunch of obelisk students walk past them, they smirk before bumping into the blue-haired for fun, Shou falls down to his bottom, his glasses dropping on the ground.
"Oh, I almost didn't see the trash of Osiris Red."
"You got a problem?"
Judai frowns at them, they just guffaw and grin haughtily looking down on the boys and raising a brow.
"My bad, buddy, it was just an accident." he sneers.
"Come, Shou, ignore those assholes!"
Judai helps the friend up, the obelisk blue boys exchange a glance, and push both of them, Shou falls down once more. Before a fight erupts, someone else comes into the scene. The pink-haired, her hand stretching towards the younger Osiris Red.
He accepts that help, a tad amused with her presence there, the other boys watch, stunned as she takes his glasses from the ground and wipes it with a handkerchief, handing it back to him with a gentle smile.
"Thank you..." his cheeks gain a faint color.
The Obelisk Blue students squint their eyes in jealousy and step closer, a denser and menacing air hovering around them.
"Why are you hanging out with those losers from Osiris Red?"
"Such a pretty girl, don't waste your time on them."
"Yeah, don't be with those wimps! Why don't you come with us?"
One of them offers a hand, her feet slide back, a drop of sweat trickling down her face. Both Judai and Shou step in front with a scowl.
"Hey, stay away from her!"
The other group is in bigger numbers, they scowl at each other and look at the two boys. One of them grabs Judai's collar with a defiant glare and a grin.
"As if you can fight, wimp!"
Rie frowns at the boys who started the brawl, they chuckle at the sight, laughing at her glare.
"Your glare won't win the fight, babe. Why don't you just give up on those losers and come with us?"
A sound floats in the air, a shamisen is played, they follow the source, from in between the trees a figure appears. It's Fubuki in his beach clothes, he plays the instrument in a happy-go-lucky mood, a faint and aloof smile on his face. A big drop of sweat forms on all their heads as they watch him walk slowly, they can all relate, that was a very strange entrance.
"My friends, why don't we all bond through a duel? I will take you on with my whole heart." he plays a chord in a dramatic tone.
"Who are you?"
"I am a man that fights for the sake of love. I have many names, the Blizzard Prince, the great King Fubuki, or just Ten-jouin! But now you can call me a cupid in my mission of forging a bond of love through tempest and fire!"
"Y-you serious? That Fubuki who was compared to Kaiser? He is back?!"
"Sheesh, fine, we're leaving!"
They recoil nervously and walk away under the watch of the others. The three other students can't help but look at him in admiration, despite his jester behavior, one minute and he solved the situation without ever fighting.
"Fubuki-san, what are you doing here?"
"I was just passing by and saw a damsel in distress and her honorable knights in trouble. I couldn't just sit by and watch." he plays another chord, another drop of sweat rolling down their faces.
"Thank you..." she forces a smile, but turns to the other two "You too. Thank you for helping."
"But I just got pushed around..." Shou exhales deeply, of course he has no physical capabilities to fight a bunch of bullies.
"Not really. I think it was very cool and brave when you stepped up for me, regardless of how they attacked you before, Shou." she smiles kindly "But are you hurt?" A hint of concern on her expression.
"I-I am fine." he gestures blushing harder.
"Don't sweat it!" Judai chuckles too.
"Now, now, Rie-chan, I will escort you properly, you two have exams to attend to, right?" he smiles carefreely at them.
"Ah, crap! The exams!" Judai messes his hair and darts out waving hectically back.
Saying their goodbyes, they take different routes, with Fubuki accompanying the girl towards the beach side and the other two going to the academy main building. There is an awkward silence between them as he lets his hands play the shamisen, creating the ambience soundtrack.
"Fubuki-san, you don't need to come with me all the way to the entrance of the dorms."
She fidgets nervously, walking at least a meter away from him, he giggles at the sight, this distance she puts in between them is rather funny. His fans would kill to have a moment like this, yet she is completely averse to the idea of walking close.
"I'm sorry, you probably would feel more comfortable around someone as quiet as Ryo," he holds back his laugh upon seeing her jolt and blush at the observation "But still, if I let something happen to you, Ryo and Asuka would bury me alive."
"I don't think they would..."
"Then, you're mistaken, they care about you and by ordinance, I shall care too." he plays another chord to give emphasis to his words "Rie-chan, you should also look out more for yourself. There are people who will be worried if you are in trouble, so be careful, will you?"
His words seem to leave her struck in awe for a moment, surprised to hear him saying those things all that she has seen of him considered. The layer of gentleness in his words reminds her how much Ryo missed his friend calling him a "lovable idiot", perhaps, he had solid reasons to.
"You're a good person."
He flinches for a moment, wondering why that came out of nowhere, but gradually a smile appears on his lips as he plays the shamisen again.
"Of course! I am the great Fubuking after all!" he inhales air filling his chest proudly.
She waves and leaves the scene under his watch, his eyes squinting shrewdly as he laughs to himself internally, scheming unknown plots for the sake of his notion of love.
At the lighthouse
The blue-haired stands in front of the sea, the sun spreads orange through the sky and a mix of other colors. A quiet sound calls his ears, he could recognize those silent footsteps anywhere.
A faint smile opening on his lips as he turns slightly sideways to look at the visitor, she is startled upon being noticed.
"Did you also come for the sight?" he gazes at the horizon, watching every second as the sun goes down.
It takes long seconds before he can hear her typing on the device and turns again to look at the message.
"Do you think it's really over? All the story with the shadow duels and Mythic Demons…?" Her eyes seem distant, delving in worries too big for her shoulders.
"Yes. I don't think they will be a problem anymore. All the seven stars and their master are defeated, we can take a break from all this now."
"I am relieved it's over."
She rests a hand on her chest, sighing deeply for a moment, another minute of silence occurs before he listens to her fingers creating another text.
"Ryo-san, have you thought about what you want to do in the future, after we graduate?"
The question surprises him. She has an anxious smile as she waits for his answer, looking into the horizon. He also gazes into the distance. She fidgets typing:
"I-I mean, of course you did… I'm sorry if this sounded strange..."
"No, it didn't. I intend to enter the pro world and become a renowned duelist." he casts a side glance at her, slightly intrigued. "But I am curious why you'd ask this so suddenly."
"I have been thinking about the future myself… I entered the academy because I thought dueling was fun at first, but as time went by, I noticed I had more fun watching those duels than doing it myself. Even though I came all the way here…" she huffs, shaking her own head at her words "Given all that happened, I decided I want to become an investigative journalist covering many matters about dueling and the duel world that are hidden under the curtains."
"A journalist…?" he ponders for a moment "Will you be covering the matches?"
"I plan to. But the reason why I also want to become one was so I can investigate more cases like the one that happened at the abandoned dorms..." her gaze flickers for a moment while drifting into the blue of the sea "This world is big, I am sure there is more to see out there, I want to find it out and disclose the truth about such cases so no more people need to go through that. But of course, I will also be covering some pro matches here and there if they're related to such cases, maybe we will meet! I also want to try learning some martial arts for self defense and signal language would be useful… There is plenty to study about the job too…"
The list keeps growing on her fingers, her smile brightening with the prospect of all the things she'd want to do now. The orange colors of the sunset reflect on her eyes, sparkling with life. She stops to appreciate the nightfall.
"It's really pretty isn't it?"
Her smile is full of hope. He is stunned for a moment as he watches her profile gazing into the horizon. A faint smile comes to his lips, replete of an endearment that brings warmth to his chest. When he thinks back on all that happened and how this girl beside him that used to have no intent to live was brimming with liveliness and dreams again.
"Yeah, it is."
His eyes look only at her for a long moment, wavering softly before he also watches the sunset ahead.
After all the dark duels and all the hardships, it was nice to have a moment to rest and smile together with people they cared for, as well as think about what the future would hold. They're about to graduate from the academy, but which path will they take from now on?