Title: Stressed Bond
Characters: Juudai, Thordis (OC), Wolf (OC), Shou (all others but Juudai mentioned)
Chapters: 1-1||Words: 692
Genre: Angst||Rated: G
Challenges: Diversity Writing: YGO GX: Combo Aus: B16, 3rd person POV; Include The Word Boot Camp, YGO, #36, harm; GX Month 2021, #18, This Wasn't In The Rule Book
Notes: This takes place in my Healer/Firestarter AU, but also merged with the concept of Royal Hound
. Summary: He isn't cold. He thought he would be. He chose evil, after all. He should have frosted over. But that's not his fate.

He wasn't cold. If someone had asked him what he thought it might be like to have this rage inside of him, he would have thought cold. He would have thought that his flames would frost and he would become like Hell Kaiser, a Frostflame.

He should have known better. He should have known much better. Being cold inside might have changed how he went about matters. He'd always had a heat burning inside of him, one that had never faded no matter what happened. Flickered a time or two perhaps, but never faded, never waned. Even when he hadn't been able to see his monsters, his fires burned bright and strong in his deepest heart. They still did even now.

A Black Flame couldn't frost over, after all. They stood at the very top of the Firestarter rankings, unable to turn to ice. He'd always sort of considered that neat. Interesting. It hadn't ever been of importance because he'd never thought that he would want to frost over. He'd never thought that he'd be cold or that he'd even want to be cold. The closest he'd ever come to being cold was when he'd been near Hell Kaiser, but he made everyone cold these days.

Not like him. These days, whenever Haou's attention rested on someone, he could tell they felt the flames of his unending rage. That was just fine as far as he was concerned. The more they feared him the better.

Though if he were willing to admit it to himself - and Haou could just barely be honest enough with himself to do this, if to no other - there were two who didn't fear him. Both of whom regarded him as if he were somehow more exasperating than anything else. They never disobeyed him but he could tell they did not fear him.

What would he have done with himself if Theodis had broken their bond and departed, like Shou had? He refused to even think about it. He might have frosted over then, Black Flame or no Black Flame. But the Healer Cat stayed by him, supporting him, even as he began his conquest. She did not agree but she did not prevent him, and he accepted that from her when he would from no other.

Wolf was much the same way. Saved from hunters who'd sought him for his pelt, the Duel Spirit pledged allegiance to Haou and stayed by his side once he'd recovered from his injuries. He and Thordis spoke often with one another, and Haou might have feared sedition if they were not the two beings he could trust to stand by his side no matter what. They were not human, or close to it. They could be trusted, and no others.

They hunted together now. Somewhere; he wasn't sure of where. But he trusted them to return when they were done. Perhaps they would even have interesting news for him. Thordis wanted to find Shou for him - he suspected that she suspected doing so would influence him to be more like he'd been before.

I do want him around. The biting words Shou had said, repudiating Juudai as the Firestarter that he'd courted and been courted by for the last couple of years, as well as his best friend and aniki, those still resonated in Juudai's heart. But perhaps if Shou were there, then he would be able to convince Shou that what he did now was for the best. Having lost the others remained horrible. Juudai would never deny that.

But if he ruled this world, then he would be able to ensure that no one else fell to the same fate, not without his permission. Which meant that no one would ever harm Shou. Surely Shou could understand that.

And if he couldn't - Haou wasn't sure what to do then. But he'd figure it out when that happened. Because he would. No matter what. His servants weren't just looking for evidence of Yubel or Johan's deck or places for him to conquer. They looked for his Healer as well. Shou wouldn't be able to hide forever.

The End

Notes: I have far more fun ideas than I could express right now for this!