Disclaimer: We don't own Yugioh GX.
Yubel's POV
While the two princes were at dueling class, I just happened to pass our guest's room on my way to dinner, and I overheard her issues.
"What'll I do?" I heard, and I stopped to listen, wondering what her problem was. "I can't go out there looking like this! I'll turn every head in the building, including his. Then he's likely to get in trouble for cheating or lying or falling in love with a peasant girl from another land or—"
Oh, she was worried about getting Judai in trouble, huh? Fair, given that he already had feelings for her and she sounded like she'd been given a very flattering outfit by the castle staff. But I knew better than that. As long as he didn't pick someone incompetent, Judai was free to marry whoever he wanted. This nonsense about sticking to nobility didn't matter as much in a world where education was not only free but mandatory up to a certain age. So long as his kids carried his blood, who cared who the mother was?
So, thinking I could solve her problems and do Judai and myself both a favor at the same time, I smirked and took a peek. When I saw what she was wearing, I smirked some more. I'd called it.
"Knock knock," I said, opening the door wider.
Asuka turned, startled. "Y-Yubel! What are you doing here?"
I walked in, saying, "Just passing through, heading for dinner, when I heard you in here freaking out. So? What's wrong? That dress that bad?"
The dress she was wearing certainly wasn't my style. I tended to favor the more modernized attire that Neospace had to offer. Still, I had to admit, it looked amazing on her, and Judai would have a hard time controlling himself if he saw her. After all, as I said, he already had feelings for this girl.
She blushed, completely flustered, and stammered, "I-I wasn't freaking out! I just don't think this dress fits me, if you know what I mean." She gestured at the flowing orange skirt and gold sash. "I mean, I look like a princess," she finished, staring at herself in the full-body mirror.
I smirked again, an idea forming. It wasn't a very nice idea, but it would definitely solve her issue. "Well, if you don't like it, I may have something for you."
Asuka turned to me again, looking like I'd just offered her a wonderful gift. "Really, Yubel!? You're serious?"
I nodded, still smirking. "Uh-huh."
"It's not another dress, is it?"
"Honey, I never wear dresses," I said. It was true—or, at least, I never wore the kind she was thinking of. "So trust me, that's not it at all."
"Oh. Okay." She sighed, relieved.
A little early for that, sister.
"Wait here, I'll go get it for you," I said, walking out. Oh, this is so perfect. If I play my cards right, I may not have to marry that idiot after all.
Judai wasn't the only one who didn't like our potential engagement—I couldn't stand him, either. He was immature and childish and irresponsible. He also happened to be holding several grudges against me from when we were kids. When I'd been told I was being brought to the Neospacian castle as a potential fiance for the crown prince, I hadn't expected him to be such a brat. If he hooked up with Asuka, though, he'd be her problem instead of mine.
"Thank you, Yubel," Asuka said. "You're the greatest."
Since my back was to her, she didn't see me smirk.
Judai's POV
After dueling class, Sho and I headed to dinner. To my relief, Sho seemed to be feeling a bit more confident.
"I don't know, Aniki. I think I was doing better there at the end, but...was I really?" he asked, still unsure. "What do you think?"
What I thought was easy—yes. He'd successfully used trap cards, paid attention to my moves, and remembered most of his monster effects during that second duel. He'd even used DNA Transplant to make all monsters on the field Light attribute so he could use Thunder Nyan Nyan without penalty.
"You did great, Sho," I told him. "That last run was way better than the first. You're improving."
"You think so, Aniki? Really?" he asked, sounding hopeful. That was way better than him sounding dejected all the time.
I nodded. "Uh-huh! Definitely!"
"Alright! Yes!" Sho celebrated, looking excited for once. "Finally! I've done something right!" He laughed, happy.
I just smiled, glad to see Sho feeling better. This was what I'd wanted, after all, and it wasn't as confusing as the other details of our relationship were nowadays.
"We should celebrate, Aniki! What do you say!?"
"Sorry, Sho, but I don't have time to celebrate."
After dinner, I had another class. By the time that was over, we'd have 2 hours before we were supposed to go to bed. Technically, I could celebrate then, I supposed, but I didn't think about that at the time. Besides, those two hours would be less by the time I got a bath and everything.
Sho deflated. "Oh..."
"Maybe tomorrow," I offered.
"...Okay..."
We walked in silence for a bit, Sho still seeming dejected. I wondered if I should have tried to make time that evening to hang out with Sho.
"...Aniki?" he asked after a moment. "Will you ever have time for me? Or is it always gonna be like this?"
"Huh?" I asked, startled.
"Never mind..."
Well, apparently, Sho hated my busy schedule as much as I did. I guess it would be an adjustment for him, too. When we met, he was the one who had to go to school, and I was available 24/7. We'd had a lot more time to spend together when he just had 7 hours in school each day. It wasn't just me that had to figure out this new dynamic in our relationship.
We walked into the dining hall to find our parents already waiting for us.
"Good evening, boys," Mom said. "And how was your day today?"
I shrugged. "Same old, same old," I said, taking my seat.
"Yeah," Sho agreed as he sat, too. "Same old."
"Well, that's interesting," Dad said. "We had a guest stop by today, and neither of you hung out with her?"
Technically, I had for a bit, but why would I admit to that, given the way Sho found us? I didn't need anyone getting the wrong idea.
I settled for something a little easier to explain instead, saying, "I think she's decided to take up a career as a recluse, actually. She won't come out of her room."
"Oh, won't she?" Yubel said, her voice coming from the doorway.
We all turned to see her standing there with a figure hidden in the shadows behind her. Slowly, the other person stepped forward, blond head bowed and face completely red. I'm pretty sure her eyes her closed, hands cupped in front of her like she was about to bow (the Neospacian way, not the Misgarthian way).
Asuka Tenjoin was definitely wearing something Neospacian. I hadn't thought about it before, but she looked really good in orange, and the gold sash around her waist was a nice touch. Someone had even talked her into wearing some jewelry—she had a silver tiara-like headband and a diamond necklace, also silver, to complete the outfit.
In other words, she looked like nobility. No wonder she'd been less than eager to show it earlier. Still, it looked great on her. Who's bright idea was it to give her a gown with a neckline like that, though? How did those off-the-shoulder dresses stay up, anyway?
Sho's chair fell over, toppling his blushing self onto the floor, and I hardly responded much better. I could feel the heat creep up my own face and knew I was blushing, too. "Uh..."
Asuka curtsied, saying, "Hello, your majesty. Thank you for inviting me."
Her manners were on point, too. For a second, I forgot I wasn't looking at Neospacian nobility, honestly.
My parents looked at her for a moment, then smiled. "You're welcome, my dear," Dad said. He gestured to the table, adding, "Come. Have a seat anywhere you want."
"Thank you, sir. Don't mind if I do," she said, and a bit of the noble facade faded. That last sentence was perfectly acceptable in certain parts of the world or certain households, but nobles and royals never said it, at least not to someone of a higher rank. Well, some of them might, I supposed, like Yubel. Still, it sounded polite, the way she said it.
As she took a seat at the far end of the table, away from my parents, I could tell she was nervous. Not only was she sitting as far away as she could, but she was being more polite than usual. Way more polite than usual.
My father turned his attention to the other girl in the room and said, "Thank you, Yubel. You may go now."
Oh, good, my future fiance wasn't invited to join us for dinner. That, or she'd just refused again, like she always did. She preferred to eat away from me, which was fine by me—I didn't want her around, either.
Either way, she bowed and walked out. But something about the smirk I saw on her face had me wondering what she'd done.
Sho finally sat up, hearts in his eyes. "Pretty!"
As I looked at the girl sitting at the end of the table, waiting for the go-ahead to eat, I couldn't help but agree. That dress really brought out the color of her eyes, and I could only guess who had loaned her the jewelry.
"Well, now that everyone's here, we can begin," Dad said. "I'm sure Judai's starving to death, after all," he teased me.
Oddly enough, food was the last thing on my mind right then—I was more concerned about how Asuka was showing herself to be the kind of girl my parents would approve of and trying to figure out how to get her to agree to marry me in a little over a year.
"Uh..." was all I said as I kept staring at her for a second.
As everyone else started eating, though, I finally snapped out of it and joined them. I wasn't going to earn her affections by staring at her like an idiot, after all. During the meal, though, I couldn't help but notice she was definitely trying to mimic medieval table manners—in the old days, there was an etiquette rule about eating your meal at the same pace as the king, but we really only used that rule when there was a big party, and I doubt my parents expected Asuka to know it, anyway. She was sitting up straight, keeping her elbows off the table, and even managed to use the correct utensils for everything. That often tripped people up, so I couldn't help but be impressed myself.
Of course, she also wasn't talking, but she had chosen to sit away from everyone.
Sho, who had set his chair back up and was in it again, leaned over and whispered to me, "Oh, wow, Aniki. She's amazing! Just look at that dress!"
"Yeah," I whispered back. "Wonder who made her wear that."
"So, my dear, how did you meet my son?" my dad asked, looking at Asuka. "He refused to tell me that little detail." He grinned at me next, like it was funny that I didn't want to tell him how I'd met this girl I so clearly liked.
"That's because it wasn't the most pleasant of beginnings," Asuka answered. "He showed up suddenly at my neighbor's house and walked over to me while I was trimming hedges. He introduced himself to me and claimed he was moving in. But that made no sense since my neighbor never said anything about moving or adopting a child."
"I see. And how would you have known this?" Mom asked.
"Because she was a good friend of the family. We always talked to each other about what was going on in our lives, and she never spoke of adoption or moving before. So I guess I was taken by surprise when Prince Judai said he was moving in." She looked up from her meal and made eye contact with my father as she continued, "Honestly, sir, I didn't know what to make of him at first. I thought he was a little nutty, to tell the truth. Then, when he showed up a couple of days later, claiming he was attacked and needed to use our phone, well..." She looked away, her tone saying it all—she'd thought her suspicions about me were confirmed.
Instead of getting offended at a commoner saying she thought his kid was a bit "nutty," like some nobles would do, my dad laughed. "No surprise there! Judai does have a tendency to act like a nut job from time to time," he said with a grin, eyeing me.
"Hey, I resent that," I said. "Besides, I get it from one of you." I pointed between him and Mom with my fork.
"He has a point, you know, dear," my mother teased, and Dad just laughed.
"So, Asuka-san, what made you want to come here, anyway?" Sho asked, changing the subject. "I thought you two didn't get along very well."
Asuka turned away, but I could see a hint of pink in her cheeks as she did. She was blushing? "Well..."
"Come now, dear. No need to be shy," Mom said.
"I-I..." She sweat, and I could tell she was really reluctant to answer that question but equally unwilling to ignore it when it came from royalty.
"Well?" I asked, then I grinned and teased, "Could it be...?"
"S-so? How's life in the castle, Sho?" she quickly asked, turning to my blue-haired brother. "I-I mean, Prince."
Much as I was only kidding around, it was starting to look like she'd come here because she liked me more than I thought she did. Maybe it wouldn't be impossible to convince her to marry a guy she'd just met recently, after all.
"Uh, well..." Sho shrugged. "It's okay, I guess."
"So that means it's better than your old life? The one where you got beat up all the time?" Asuka asked, effectively reminding Sho of why I hadn't let him stay in Tiller.
"Well, compared to that, it's a lot better. Compared to other things, though..." He trailed off, and I knew he was thinking of the fact that my schedule kept me so busy that we hardly saw each other anymore.
Not really wanting to dwell on that one, I looked at Asuka and said, "So...nice dress."
She blushed, sweating. "Uh...thanks?"
"Yeah! It's gorgeous!" Sho said, all earlier signs of misery gone. "You look amazing in that!"
"It suits you, dear. Like a real princess," Mom agreed.
Asuka just stared at her hands, which lay folded in her lap, obviously embarrassed by this attention. "Thanks..."
"Yeah, you look amazing," I said. Unfortunately for me, I think something of my feelings for her must have shown in my tone.
"I'm sorry, sir," Asuka said, looking at my dad. "But may I be excused? I've...kinda lost my appetite..."
My dad laughed, amused. "You may, my dear. Have a good night."
Asuka stood up, curtsying again. "Thank you, sir. Good night to you, too." She left without another word.
As soon as Asuka was gone, my mother laughed through her lips. "Poor thing. You can tell this is her first time around royalty."
"Give her time, dear," Dad said. "She'll figure it out. Sho did, after all."
I just stared after her. I hadn't meant to scare her off, but I guess she really was uncomfortable. I couldn't blame her since she was in a castle's dining hall, eating with the royal family.
My dad followed my gaze and grinned—I could tell from his tone when he said, "You want to go after her, son? It's fine if you do."
"'Kay!" I said, running out without any further comment.
I heard my dad laugh behind me.
"Aniki," Sho said. "So lucky..."
"Okay, Sho. Now, about school..." I heard Dad shift the conversation before I was out of earshot.
I found Asuka out in the garden, staring up at the starlit sky. "This was a really bad idea. What was I thinking, letting them all talk me into this?" she asked herself.
"Letting who talk you into what?" I asked as I stepped out onto the walkway.
Asuka gave a start before turning to me, her pupils the size of pinheads. "P-Prince!"
It was one thing when a servant called me that. It was another thing entirely when a friend called me that.
"Don't call me that," I said. "I have a name. And I prefer when people use it."
"O-oh, right. Sorry," she said, turning away and looking just as nervous as ever.
Well, this wasn't off to a great start.
I walked over to her, asking, "So? What's on your mind?"
"Nothing much. Just thinking about some stuff."
"Wishing you hadn't come or something?"
"N-no. It's nothing like that. It's just..." She trailed off, leaving me to wonder what was on her mind.
"Just what?" I asked.
Asuka was quiet another moment before asking, "How's Yubel been doing lately? 'Cause, when I saw her today, she was acting kinda weird."
Damn, why did she have to ask about that girl? That was the last topic I wanted to talk about!
Asuka's POV
When I asked about Yubel, Judai's expression darkened, like I'd just asked about some hated enemy or something. Either they were fighting, or they didn't get along as well as I thought. "She's always weird," he said.
"Really? 'Cause I'm pretty sure she wasn't acting this weird the last time I saw her. Do you know what she did earlier today?"
Judai just closed his eyes and said, "I don't care what Yubel does."
"Really?" I asked. "Even if it involves messing with me?"
His eyes snapped to me as he asked, "What? What did she do?"
"She tried to get me to wear the most ridiculous outfit ever," I answered as I thought back to earlier that day.
Yubel had left to find me something else to wear, and she came back with exactly what she promised—the "something else" included short leggings, a short red dress, brown leather shoes, and white socks.
"What's all that for?" I asked.
Yubel smirked and answered, "Well, you said you wanted something different, didn't you? Let's try this on for size." And she shut the door.
Shortly after, when Yubel had me take a look in the mirror, I screamed. When I'd called that dress short, it was an understatement. It might as well have been a long shirt with a low-cut neckline. Each move I made threatened to expose what I was wearing underneath, which I guess explained the leggings. Those, however, were hardly any longer than the skirt, more like modesty shorts than leggings. The socks went up to my knees, and she'd even brought me some brown leather shoes that were definitely fashionable...back in the middle ages. She even did me the disservice of tying my hair up with a thick black ribbon so I had a ponytail.
Not only was this far from my style, but it was also insanely inappropriate. I looked more like a Neospacian prostitute than anything else. Did Neospace have no middle ground?
"Y-Yubel! Th-this is—" I stammered.
"A lot more modern-looking? I know," Yubel said, acting like she was completely oblivious to my dissatisfaction. "Neospace has an interesting flair, don't it?"
"Yubel! I look like I'm after the attention of every sick and twisted man out there! I can't go out looking like this!" I protested, gesturing at my new outfit.
"So are you saying you'd rather look like a princess than a modern Neospacian?" she asked.
"Yes! Absolutely! I mean, look at me! That dress was way better!"
It was amazing how quickly Yubel made me miss the medieval dress that would have been perfectly suited for a Renaissance festival back in Kalmar.
"So, then, maybe you should stop whining about what you were given by the castle staff?"
I gave a start as I realized what Yubel had just done. "I, uh..."
"See, there's a lesson in here, Asuka. Just because you don't like something doesn't mean it's bad. You look amazing in that dress, and that's why they chose it. You want to look your best for the king and queen, now, don't you?"
"I-I...I guess you're right."
But I could have learned that lesson without playing dress-up with her.
"Okay, Yubel. I'll wear that thing," I conceded. "B-but can you help me get ready? I don't want to make a fool out of myself at dinner."
I'd never been around royalty before, and Neospace was a whole different culture. I didn't know anything about their customs or mannerisms or anything, especially not around the royal family. Yubel would be my best bet for learning that quickly, so I might as well ask, right?
She smirked again, and I only hoped that wasn't the same sort of devious smirk she'd given before dressing me in "modern" clothes. "Believe me, girl, when I'm done with you, you'll be the best dinner guest the royal family's ever had."
She'd spent the rest of our time before dinner teaching me royal table manners—and making some adjustments to the original outfit I'd been given by adding some jewelry.
Of course, I had no intention of detailing any of that to Judai.
"Really?" he asked, apparently wanting more details.
I thought about it for a moment before giving him the footnotes. "Let's just say I'm never taking her offers to help out again..."
Judai laughed and said, "Gee, is that all? I could have told you that."
Apparently, Yubel's offers were often some kind of trick. That would have been nice to know earlier.
"Well, thanks for the late warning, Prince Judai. You missed the bus by that much," I said, annoyed, holding my fingers up with just a tiny gap between them.
Judai shrugged. "I didn't think you'd be at risk of taking help from Yubel. She's always up to something. The last time she helped me—I mean, before the Light—she was just trying to get me to stay out of trouble. And it worked! She got me a broken leg. That kept me out of trouble for a few weeks..." He looked away, apparently thinking about that.
I turned to him, shocked. How had she not gotten into some kind of trouble for that? "R-really?"
"Yeah. It was an accident, but still... That's the sort of thing that happens when I get help from Yubel."
He sounded bitter, like she'd recently hurt him in the guise of helping him. I stared at him in awe and wondered what the situation was this time. I also couldn't help but wonder what other incidents the two of them had been through together.
While I was still wondering about all of that, the very topic of our conversation came walking over with a bouquet of roses in her hands. "Hey, guys. What's up?" she asked.
"Not much..." I answered vaguely, still in shock.
Judai scowled at Yubel, an expression I rarely saw him give to anyone. "What do you want?"
"Oh, just the usual. To tell you that your lessons start in five minutes and to give you these," she answered casually, handing him the flowers. "You can do with them as you want. Five minutes, boy. At the garden maze. Don't be late." And she walked off, leaving Judai with a bouquet...which, apparently, was normal? I mean, she'd said all she wanted was the usual and then given it to him.
I watched her go and asked, "What was that all about?"
Judai looked just as confused as I felt as he stared after her. "...Well, the roses are a new thing, leading me to think she's up to something again..." He eyed the roses suspiciously, as if fearing they were somehow a trap.
"Do you think they're dangerous?" I asked, looking at them myself. They looked freshly picked, and some were even thornless.
Judai stared at the roses a second longer before answering, "Only if you count thorns. She isn't dumb enough to hurt me on purpose."
"Oh. Okay."
That was a relief. At least none of her plans ever intentionally led to Judai getting hurt. If nothing else, that told me the Neospacian royal family was better than Kalmar's rumors claimed. Then again, I'd already figured that out from Judai himself, but it didn't mean I knew much about his parents.
Judai sighed and said, "Well, you might as well take these, then." He held the bouquet of roses out to me. "I've gotta get to class before Yubel decides to hunt me down like a wild animal."
Confused, I took the flowers and said, "Thanks?"
Was he just naive, or did he intentionally give me flowers?
"See you later," he said before running off, leaving me with no chance to ask him.
"See ya..." I looked down at the roses in my hands. I sniffed them, taking in their sweet aroma, and smiled.
Who cared if he was just being naive? I could at least pretend he'd done something so sweet on purpose, couldn't I?
