Chapter 13: Jounouchi's Story

The next day at school, Akia wasn't her usual lively self. She pretty much didn't talk to anyone. Even Yugi seemed less depressed than she was. In fact, he was worried about her. Jounouchi, Anzu, and Honda had been trying to cheer her up, but she didn't even give a single reaction to whatever they said. It went to the point that Bakura stopped avoiding her, because he was starting to get worried about her.

Bakura: "Akia, what happened?"

She just sat there at her desk, looking down. She was lost deep in her thoughts, and all that was on her mind was how her grandfather's soul was literally sucked into the TV by some weird magic from a creepy millennium eye that was possessed by an equally creepy American man who apparently was also the creator of Duel Monsters, and now he wanted Yugi to go participate in his tournament to save their grandfather… Yeah… She had a lot on her mind. Just like all the previous attempts made by her other friends, Bakura's attempt to make her feel better failed as well.

Classes were over and most people had already left the classroom. Akia was slowly packing up her books in her backpack. The sun was just starting to set as she was leaving the classroom. The school was mostly quiet, apart from a few club activities that were going on that day. As she was passing through the empty corridor, she heard a noise coming from the room just ahead. Probably another club… As she got closer to the classroom, she heard Jounouchi's voice.

'I didn't know Jounouchi was part of any club…'

She got to the room slowly, to not alert him, and peeked inside. He was setting up the TV in the classroom. After putting things in place, he took out a tape and inserted it in the player. On the screen, a girl's face appeared. She looked young. Then, she started talking to Jounouchi.

"Big brother Katsuya! Long time no see! Have you been well?"

'Big brother? Jounouchi has a little sister?'

Jounouchi: "Shizuka!"

Jounouchi sounded surprised to find out that the tape was a video letter from his little sister.

Shizuka: "I made this video so you won't forget my face, big brother."

'Don't they like live together? But if they did… I would've figured out about the fact that he had a sister.'

Shizuka: "But… I won't be able to see your face anymore. To be honest, I really didn't want to talk through a video, but face-to-face… I wanted to see your face one last time."

Jounouchi: "Last time…?! Shizuka…!"

Akia was feeling confused about what Jounouchi's sister was saying. Somehow, seeing how Shizuka struggled to not cry made her feel as though there was a lump in her own throat. She wondered just how much worse Jounouchi must be feeling, considering Shizuka is his sister.

Shizuka: "Well… Bye bye, big brother…"

And the video tape ended on that note, leaving only the sound of static filling the room.

Jounouchi: "Dammit…"

Akia entered the classroom, and put a hand on Jounouchi's shoulder. A little startled, he turned around to face her. When he found out who it was, his face relaxed a little.

Jounouchi: "Isn't it a little too late for you to still be here?"

"I should ask you the same thing…"

An awkward silence lingered in the room. After a bit, Akia decided to break it.

"You… never told me you had a sister."

Jounouchi: "You never asked."

"Is something wrong with her? She looked like she was in a hospital…"

Jounouchi sighed.

Jounouchi: "I… I'm probably going to sound pathetic asking you this, but… I really want to talk to someone about it… to get it off my chest…"

It was the first time that Akia had seen Jounouchi in such a state. It was breaking her heart. She got a chair from behind one of the desks in the classroom, and brought it next to the chair Jounouchi was sitting on. She sat down, facing him.

"I'm listening. I think at some point, everyone just needs someone they can lean on."

Jounouchi: "Thanks… I never thought I'd actually be talking to you about my family problems. I'm really sorry to bother you with this, considering what happened to grandpa…"

"It's alright… You were there for me so I'll be there for you too. So what happened to Shizuka?"

Jounouchi: "Well… When we were very young, our parents got divorced. We were separated from each other. She ended up living with mom, while I stayed with my dad. It was… a tough time."

'So they aren't living together…'

Jounouchi: "As her big brother, I couldn't be there for her for many things. A lot of times, I wish I could've been there. Especially when… doctors told her that she had major problems with her eyes…"

"Her eyes?"

Jounouchi: "Yeah… For a long time, she's been getting diagnosed frequently. Recently though… She… The doctor told her that she needed a surgery or else… she'd completely lose her sight."

"She… wouldn't be able to see again?"

Jounouchi: "Yeah…"

Akia could feel it in Jounouchi voice that he was trying really hard not cry. His voice was shaking…

"But… can't she just take the surgery? Won't it prevent that?"

Jounouchi: "The problem is that the surgery costs way too much. We can't afford it…"

"…Jounouchi…"

Akia had no idea how much Jounouchi was suffering this whole time. More than anything, she wanted to help him, but… She wasn't exactly rich either. She put her hand on Jounouchi's, giving it a light squeeze, and they stayed there in silence for a bit.

On her way home, she caught Yugi at the Game Shop door, looking at some cards.

"Yugi?"

Yugi turned around at his sister's voice.

Yugi: "Akia! Are you alright? You've been looking really depressed for the whole day…"

"I'm managing… More importantly, what's that in your hands?"

Yugi: "Oh these? They're the invitation to Duelist Kingdom, the tournament that Pegasus organized."

"So basically, if you win this thing, you can get grandpa back, right?"

Yugi: "That's right!"

"Let's go inside and talk about this whole mess."

The twins went inside the Game Shop, and looked at the contents of the white envelope. One of the cards had a castle placed on an island.

"So… that's Duelist Kingdom."

Yugi: "Apparently, we're going there by boat then."

They both spent most of the afternoon and night examining the cards and discussing what they were planing to do. They also spent some time trying to strengthen their decks for the upcoming tournament.