Judgement of the World

Written By: Lady Lunar Phoenix

Beta: Me

\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\Later that night\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

The guests were gone, the towering dragons had disappeared back to their own world taking along with them all the other 'lesser' Spirits. The children had been next to leave, making their way home with their conversation blissfully on their Duel Spirits. The older guests left with hand waves and promises to meet up the next day at the same spot as before. Leaving the condo almost achingly empty, with only the twins and Aki left. Even their own Duel Spirits had slipped away, Ruka's because of her delicate health, Aki's because all that was left was to tuck the twins in.

Aki looked about the expansive living room, content that she had gotten the twins fed, cleaned up and ready for bed. All by herself in fact, it was incredibly normal, something that a Senators Daughter wouldn't be expected to know, certainly. But she found just the domestic simplicity a pleasure, get everything done, call up Yusei and enjoy a bit of conversation with him!

The soft sound of the phone system ringing whirled a bit into the air around her until she heard Yusei's voice, "Aki."

"Yusei. Seriously how did you know it was 'me'?" She asked both startled and amused at how easily he knew it was her despite the call being from the Twins' numbers.

"I just know." It was the only answer he gave, quiet, and inscrutable.

It caused Aki to shake her head in amusement as she got comfortable in her seat, after that it was just quiet between them. Without the twins, there was no need for conversation, just the quiet peace of being on the phone and knowing someone was on the other line. When one of them shifted in their seats the soft sound came through and with her eyes closed, she could almost believe Yusei was near by.

"What are you wearing?" He asked out of nowhere, his voice as calm and subdued as ever, making his request odd yet...?

"My school uniform?" She answered her gaze traveling down to the cuff of her jacket before asking, "you?"

"Pants, tank top, took off the jacket and gloves. I'm on a roof right now looking at the stars, if you want to join me."

It was a lot of words for him, and she couldn't help but think of him on one of those dilapidated buildings with his back to a wall, just watching the sky above. Though how would she 'join him' in stargazing? "How?"

"Go outside to the pool, if you look up with your back to the door you should see it. I looked for the brightest star so the artificial lighting shouldn't block that stars' light." He explained patiently, his own eyes locked on the twinkling of said star. Even though he knew it wasn't so much a 'star' as it was just a sun from far away. Made thinking about how their sun was a star in someone elses' sky an interesting thought.

But this way they could look at something the same time, even if they were apart, "Tell the twins too, if they ever feel lonely at night." He offered as she nodded with a thoughtful smile on her lips.

"I will, though if I go stargazing right now I have to hang up you know," she pointed out, tilting her head slightly to the side.

"True..." Yusei answered absently, sitting at his computer gateway to their peaceful, silent conversation in each others presence. Kind of.

But Aki lifted her head as she heard the soft sound of footsteps, and from the hallway that lead into the bedrooms she watched a figure shuffle out. And because the twins had taken their hair down, it took a moment to realize that it was Rua not Ruka out and about. "I'll call you later Yusei, Rua is out of his bed."

"Ok," he answered and the screen went black as they mutually hung up on the call.

While Aki stood up from her call and turned to follow Rua towards the back sliding door, only the faint light of the moon allowing her to see Rua's reflection in the glass. It wasn't the expression of a child still wired from too much fun, instead he looked as though the same thoughts and emotions from earlier were on his mind. Disappointment was written all over his face before he leaned forward and let his forehead touch the chill glass.

"Rua?" Aki called out gently, walking up as her own reflection began came into focus, while the child pushed back from the glass door to look up at her.

"I'm sorry, I couldn't sleep." Rua's apology had all the ear marks of a hung puppy, and given what had happened that day, Aki couldn't say she blamed the kid. But with the memory of the star fresh on her mind, she slid open the door to the outside.

"Come on Rua," she walked around Rua opening the sliding door and stepped outside, which earned her a curious expression from Rua.

"What's up Big Sister?" Rua asked while Aki seemed to be interested in something in the sky with the way she was looking around.

"Yusei said he's sitting out right now looking at a particular star... Said it was bright enough that we could see it." She explained as she saw some very faint stars and wondered which would be the right one.

"Big Brother Yusei said that?" Rua his voice interested and, unlike Aki, he immediately looked straight up into the sky. "That's a really bright one! Did Big Brother tell you where it was?" He asked excitedly pointing upwards.

Aki turned to see what he was pointing at turning her own gaze up almost straight up to the sky. Over the pool there 'was' a visibly brighter star than the others, and as she mentally mapped out where Satellite was. Given he knew where they were... it was possible that he got the distance of the star off, but it was here. "Yes! That has to be it!" She agreed after all it 'was' the brightest of all the ones she could currently see.

Rua ran to the pool side seats and sat himself down so he could look up with considerable interest, while Aki joined him and settled down in the chair next to him.

"He said if we looked at that star, he would be as well so it's like we're together. At least until the bridge is finished and he can come over here." She offered encouragingly as she looked up at the star herself. Yuseis' words echoed in her head making her thoughts drift to when the day the bridge was finished being built.

"So we're watching the sky together!" Rua spoke up after a time, weakly trying to put up a brave front. "I can't wait until the bridge is done and he can stay here with us!"

"Yes," Aki agreed and honestly couldn't see why Yusei wouldn't end up living with the twins. It wasn't as though Jack was looking to move in with them or have them move in with him after all. Also Yusei didn't have a job that would afford him the rent to anyplace decent in the city at the moment. So him living with the twins would make sense with them having an adult and him having a roof. Perfect.

"I'm a burden, aren't I?" Rua asked quietly as his head stayed tilted and his eyes locked on the star twinkling above him. Rua was so quiet when he spoke his voice was almost lost between the soft breeze and the gentle lap of water in the pool. He blinked quickly to keep his vision clear as he stared determinedly at the star. His eyes felt dry and wet at the same time as he struggled to keep his voice steady while his fingers began to curl up into fists. "Everyone else have Spirits that want to hang out and have fun. Mine won't talk to me, block me from approaching others. No one will tell me what's going on and treat me like I'm a fragile little kid!"

Aki turned to look at Rua her lips twisting into a frown that deepened until he brought his balled up fists to his eyes. She pushed herself into a sitting position her years of isolation beginning to show as she tried to figure out what to do. "You 'are' a child though, and you shouldn't be in the situations you've been put in. Living on your own, while Ruka has a heart condition, its not fair and really they are trying to protect you like you deserve to be protected. Children shouldn't have to face the hardships you've seen."

Rua rolled onto his side and looked up at Aki, his eyes couldn't hide the anguish and guilt he felt over the situation. She could see the desperation in his eyes as he looked at her, the pleading for the words that would ease his heart. That reassurance that she, an older sister, could somehow control the future and keep him as safe as she implied he deserved.

Talk about pressure. The expectations placed on her from Divine had always given her a thrill, a strong desire to not fail him. But those expectations had all been built on what she could destroy with her powers. While the expectations coming from a child was actually intimidating, it was more than just destroying things with said power.

"The two of you have Jack and I for now, then when the bridge is built Yusei will be here as well. So don't worry about what happens, you've got people looking out for you."

Rua nodded, not looking completely convinced, or feeling fully convinced either. It was this strange place to want to be taken seriously like an adult, while simultaneously wanting someone else to take over on all the responsibilities. She was right after all, he was still a kid and he wanted to enjoy 'being' a kid. Rolling onto his back again he looked up at the bright star over head while thoughts of having to look after Ruka by himself drifted like clouds through his mind. After all with Aki and the others, it wouldn't be him alone right? If something happened he now had near adults that he could call for help.

It would be ok if he was a kid for a little while longer, right?

"Ne, Big Sister, won't it be nice when Big Brother Yusei gets here? I mean right now stargazing is nice, but it will be better when he's here. Right?" He asked, his voice only a bit shaky from his crying as he tried to sound strong.

Aki took relief in Rua's effort to get himself under control and she laid back as well, allowing her own gaze to go back to the stars above them. "Yes, it might take time for him to find a job or a place to stay here in Neo Domino, but he'll be able to drive in."

"He can stay here with us!" Rua blurted out as his imagination started to take hold again with excitement. "He can live with Ruka and me, so he'll be closer to you guys as well! It'll be great, like a family, you could stay over too! If your parents don't mind it I mean." Cheerfully oblivious to the blush growing on Aki's face at the suggestion that they would be 'like a family'.

It was, after all, a very interesting thought. It was easy for Aki to let her thoughts drift to what it would be like, if the four of them lived together. "Now Rua you know its frowned upon if I just moved in with all three of you..." She gently reminded the boy only to get a perky..

"How come? Its not like the two of you don't like each other. Couples that date live together after all!"

"We're not dating!" She chided, her face feeling way too warm as she turned to look at Rua, only to see his eye slide towards her.

He had this 'knowing' look on his face, no sly grins or further comments just this expression that her comment was being denied.

"Really, we're not."

His face shifted to imply he was raising an eyebrow in disbelief and she was beginning to desperately try and think of a way to convince him.

Which probably would have been easier if she didn't want to be Yusei's girlfriend. A thought upon itself that filled her with a state of nervousness and excitement as well as a healthy dose of fear. Sure her parents were all for it, if how they behaved when Yusei came for a visit was any indication and he clearly had territorial issues around her. But what could Aki provide Yusei? Besides the raw power of her abilities, what did she possesses as her own person that would be suitable for him?

He was raised by an American nun who had allowed herself to live in near isolation from the rest of Japan for over a decade. She had American habits and sensibilities and a Catholic upbringing that showed in how Yusei acted. He spoke his native tongue without flaw, but could shift to English like a switch. His mannerisms were that of an American tourist who only had the briefest awareness of their culture. He knew 'what' to do, but it was done as something that he was told to do, without understanding context. For that matter, did he have a grasp of what Japanese women were 'like'? Or did he look for a more American girl?

Sure she could say that he seemed to like her for who she was, which was great! Yet when they first met she didn't exactly express full Japanese lady virtues. She was docile and obedient to Divine, but once he allowed her, she had no problem destroying anything in her way. Her Witch was far more aggressive and demonstrative of her feelings than a proper Japanese woman.

"You could always tie him UP!" Black Rose Dragon rumbled in a sleepy voice making the sudden whip crack 'up' more a start.

It sent Aki upright in her chair, looking around in a near panic for the potential sighting of her Signer Dragon.

"Ne, why would Big Brother Yusei want to get tied up?" Rua asked, sitting up as well and looking, first at Aki, then around.

This was NOT a conversation that Aki wanted to have with Rua, or ANY child for that matter, since 'she' understood the context. Before them the Black Rose Dragon began to rise up from the pool without disturbing a drop of the water, her dark colors mixing with the dark sky beyond. The cityscape lit the air just enough to give prominence to the red hues of the petals and the ridges of her body.

"You don't need to know," Aki blurted out as the dragon dipped her head down closer to Rua in a near snake like way.

"Awww... Say Black Rose? Why won't anyone treat me like I can handle anything. Just because I don't have a Mark doesn't mean I'm a burden!" Rua asked his eyes expressive and begging, showing that Aki didn't fully comfort Rua of his fears and insecurities. That he would turn to the most 'unhinged' of Dragons to ask such a troubling question was also a red flag.

Black Rose answered by reaching out with her vines and wrapped the whip like appendages around the child. Rumbling in a dark humorous way at how the boy clearly was trying to restrain a sense of mounting panic. She hoisted the boy up from the ground, ignoring Aki's instructions to put the child down, and extended her neck so she could be up close to the boy while letting him near dangle in the air. Letting him see her unsettling red eyes as her crest didn't exactly rise up but didn't flatten. "Is it so wrong to be spoiled boy? Let your elders shelter you as you both once sheltered them."

"Huh?" Rua looked baffled by the comment, while Aki seemed to put two and two together much more quickly.

"Black Rose? Are you saying that... Ok if we existed back in the time of the EarthBound Gods' original appearance. That the twins were older than 'us'?" Aki asked in genuine surprise, her comment making Rua's eyes grow as big as dinner plates.

Black Rose answered by putting Rua down near Aki, as she began to, seemingly, settle into the pool. She watched in casual indifference as Rua rushed to the edge of the pool and a virtual tidal wave of questions gushed forth out of him. "Go to bed, Rua."

The comment was echoed by Aki, giving a strange distorted echo as she tugged Rua back towards the doors.

"Its late Rua, and you need to go to sleep..." Aki admonished, even as her own internal clock suggested that she, too, go to bed.

"Awwwww..." Rua whined, but with a long look at Black Rose, grudgingly did as told and trotted himself back to his own room. His mind a literal buzz at the idea that once upon a time 'he' was the big brother! So perhaps Big Sister Aki 'was' right! That it was fine to leave it up to the others, he was confident that he did a good job being a big brother before! Let the others take the wheel and he should enjoy being a kid. And he was with his friends again, so he and Ruka weren't alone, he just had to have faith in his friends.