Reality

The young man held up his hand, blocking the bright light from stinging his eyes. When it finally vanished, he looked at the card that floated before him. It shimmered like a diamond, speaking to him and him alone. "Welcome to the team, Gdon." He watched as the card vanished, before looking at the long nosed man who had helped him. "Thank you, Igor." The finely dressed man replied with that persistent smile of his and a casual nod. The silverette then looked at the other guest in the room and smiled at her. "One Gdon that knows Rampage, as you wished."

"I see. You have successfully completed the request," the older woman stated, nodding her head. Margaret gazed as the card formed before her, and Yu could almost see her smile as she watched the hovering card turn. "Do you know why I asked you to bring me such a beast?" Yu shook his head, signaling Margaret to explain. She spoke, but her words went through one ear and out the other.

He found his thoughts wandering to the nightmare he had experienced weeks ago. The nightmare was nothing but lies, he understood that now, but there was one thing the nightmare was able to accurately predict, to his annoyance. There had been absolutely no signs of a certain blue haired sleuth anywhere in Inaba. You'd think he'd stand out pretty well. Like a sore, tiny, blue thumb.

His distracted mind was interrupted when the platinum blonde spoke slightly louder. "Distracted, Yu Narukami?" Margaret asked, this time with a knowing, if faint, smile on her ruby lips. "Perhaps, distracted by a young boy?"

"Huh?" Yu blinked. "How do you know about Naoto?" He questioned, leaning forward with surprise in his eyes.

"You told me, just now." The woman seemed to silently laugh at him as the card vanished. The silverette smiled and laughed with her, but inside he frowned. The last thing he had patience for were mind games. "Infatuations such as the one you have for this 'Naoto' are quite interesting, are they not? The subject of many famed love stories." Before Yu could say anything, Margaret's golden eyes shot into his soul. "Love is truly an amazing thing. Sometimes it drives men and women to madness, other times it brings out the best in both. I wish you the best of luck in finding which path love takes you, Yu Narukami."

"What we had was not love, and what we have now is even less so," Yu responded, his mask cracking slightly as a breath of rage slipped out. He quickly composed himself and his face became calm once more. "You were going to tell me why you wanted Gdon?"

She closed her eyes for a moment, and she smiled again as if she knew something he didn't. "Yes. I wanted to ride him."

"Oh. I see." Yu's calm mask hid the laughter of his mind. If you want someone to ride, I could help with that. "Will you be?"

"No, I'm afraid Gdon's pelt is far too hot to be used practically as a steed. Regardless, he is a majestic beast, is he not?" The silver haired teenager nodded as she raised up her hand, bidding him goodbye. "I will inform you of my next request when you return, Yu Narukami. Goodbye."

"Goodbye, Margaret. Goodbye, Igor." The long nosed man merely nodded again.

"Oh, and Yu Narukami?"

Why does she always say my name like that? "Yes, Margaret?"

"I feel it is important to notify you of this now so you do not get your hopes up. The link between us is made of purely platonic feelings. You will receive nothing you seek from me. You will have to fill yourself with someone else's infatuation." Her golden eyes seemed to glimmer, shining in the light like a knife to the throat, yet her scarlet lips still had that small, wryly smile. It left Yu unnerved and even a bit frightened.

"I-I'm sorry. I don't know what you mean," he lied.

"Then you do understand? Good. Goodbye, Yu Narukami."

Yu Narukami walked towards Yasogami High School with his classmates by his side. Chie and Yosuke were arguing about this or that, while Yukiko tried in vain to referee the two. Yu fought the urge to roll his eyes as the two made a racket, instead he voiced his thoughts in the privacy of his mind. Man, those two are either going to kill each other or fuck each other, and I don't know which I'd rather see happen.

"Yu? Yu? Narukami, are you okay?"

"Huh?" The tall, young man looked over his shoulder at Yukiko. She looked concern, so he quickly formed a faux smile on his face. "I'm sorry, Amagi-san. May I help you?"

"You don't have to call me that, Yu. We're friends now." Yukiko blushed and Yu laughed at how easy she was. It didn't last though as she focused on him, staring at him with concerned eyes. "But are you okay? You've seemed rather out of it recently."

"Thank you for the concern, Yukiko, but I am fine. I've just had a lot on my mind lately. It's just difficult processing it all." Ugh. Buzz off, Yukiko. I'm really not in the mood for you playing therapist!

"Huh? You wanna talk about it, dude?"

Oh, good. Now Yosuke and Chie are joining in, Yu bitterly thought.

"You have seemed kinda..." Yosuke stopped for a moment to think of the right word. "Empty, lately."

"Empty?" Yu repeated, with slight surprised. He hadn't been expecting for him to say that, and it pissed the silverette off. Just hearing that word pissed him off. He was so sick of that word. It was a load of crap, just like the last guy who called him that. "I'm afraid I don't know what you mean, Yosuke."

"You just haven't seemed as focused lately," Yukiko clarified. "Like something is bothering you."

"Yeah! You hardly said anything whenever we visited, or even at the watermelon party! You know you can talk to us, Yu," Chie added, joining the the other two in giving him concerned looks.

Yu, sadly, did not appreciate their put up a good facade, but the three were quickly getting on his nerves."It's nothing, really. Just some stuff regarding my part time jobs. Now that the case is closed, we won't be needing as many funds anymore, so I'm debating which one I should drop," he explained.

"Oh yeah. I forgot, you were practically funding the whole operation," Yosuke commented.

Yeah. No thanks to any of you.

"Man, is there anything you can't do, partner?"

"I just try to do my best to help my friends."

"But that's just it, Yu. We're your friends too. If there's anything we can do to help, we want to." Yukiko placed a hand on his shoulder and gave him a comforting squeeze. He turned to face her and stared into her obsidian eyes. It didn't take long for her to turn away, cheeks flushed under his charisma and charm.

"I'll be sure to keep that in mind, Yukiko." Hm. I was going to try going after Rise first, but maybe Yukiko would be fun to play with first. Hm. Nah.

The group continued their walk in relative silence. Yukiko would glance at their brave, stoic leader with a faint blush as Chie and Yosuke returned to their argument. As always, the 'hero's' face hid his thoughts well.

He angrily damned his three compatriots in his head. His mind had been wrestling with that nightmare since they closed the case, and the three had unintentionally brought back those horrible memories. He could still hear the voices of his 'friends' taunting him. He could still feel the blade stabbing him through the chest. Izanagi's golden eyes...

Yu's lips twitched slightly, his mask almost cracking under the frustration and sense of revulsion to the memory. He had planned on wooing Rise over summer break and scoring himself an ex-idol girlfriend, but instead he just continued playing the passive 'nice guy.' He tried telling himself it was him being careful, but he knew there was more to it than that. He was scared, or maybe he just knew Rise wasn't going to be as good a toy as Naoto was.

Speaking of, his mind was still plagued by that blue haired bastard. He hadn't seen him since the nightmare, nor had anyone else, it seemed. The silverette's mask held, but he let out another frustrated sigh in his head. He'd been doing that a lot lately, almost like he was depressed. Not that he was, obviously. He was Yu Narukami. He was probably just getting tired of his so-called friends' antics. That or horny. Probably both.

The thought came to an end as the silver haired leader of the group halted, the others stopping by his side with confused stares. His grey eyes widened as he saw a familiar face walk towards them. You have got to be kidding me.

"Good morning," the blue haired boy greeted. Naoto had his hand on his hip and he leaned to his side slightly in a pose that the perverted delinquent thought looked like a weird mix between sexy and cute. Yu tried not to stare at the younger boy's lithe form, but how long ago had it been since he'd seen the real Detective Prince? He threw his self-control (what little control he had in that regard) aside, and happily drank at the sight of the Detective Prince, savoring the moment.

God, did he get hotter over summer break? That shirt really fits him well and those pants look tight on him. That cute butt of his must be- wait. That shirt. Those pants. That was a Yasogami High outfit. Naoto even had a briefcase. You have got to be kidding me, he repeated.

"Y-you...?! You're that, uh... pint sized detective!" Yosuke gasped.

Yu hid his laughter with a small cough. He had to admit. The look on Naoto's face was hilarious.

"I beg your pardon? My name is Naoto. Please, don't give people bizarre nicknames you make up on the spot."

"Um... You know this is a high school, right?" Yukiko inquired.

Yu saw the hint of annoyance to the question behind Naoto's eyes, but he hid it well. He kept his eyes on the Prince, never lifting them for a second.

In return, he barely even looked at him as he answered, "My cooperation with the police has come to an end. However, there are aspects of the case with which I remain unconvinced. There are some family issues as well, so I've decided to stay here for the present. From today forth, I'll be a first-year at your high school." And without even a real goodbye, the young boy turned to walk away.

The four second-year students were left speechless and astonished. Yu was the only one to real have a thought on the matter. His eyes tilted down, slightly, and stared at Naoto's ass. I hate it when he leaves, but I love watching him go... What the fuck am I saying?! What the hell just happened?! Yu thought, his head a mass of confusion.

Naoto suddenly stopped and turned to the four again. He looked at Yu Narukami for a moment, and the silver haired teen swore the younger student was glaring at him for a moment, before he spoke. Yu recognized the tone, oddly enough. It was polite, but felt wooden. Practiced amiability. He had spoken like that plenty of times to know when others used it.

"And I felt that I should at least introduce myself to you all. I trust our relationship will be cordial, Senpai." Once again, the blue haired boy turned around and left the four.

"Senpai...?" Chie repeated. "That detective boy's... our underclassmen?"

My ex-boyfriend now goes to the same school as me... Shit.

Yu grabbed the bag of food and dashed out of class during lunch. He told the other that he was going to share lunch with one of his other friends at the school. They bid him farewell as he walked out of the door. As soon as the door closed behind him, he quickly dashed towards the stairs. As he moved he ran by a familiar musician, who waved at him.

"Good morning, Senpai," Ayane smiled.

He considered just giving the younger girl a quick greeting and running past her, but he worried that that'd be out of character. Instead, he stopped and returned her smile. "Good morning, Ayane." His tone was sweet and friendly, expertly practiced and rehearsed. Practiced amiability.

"Are you going to eat lunch now?" She asked, looking at the bag in his hand.

No, Ayane, I just like carrying food with me. Somewhere in the back of his mind, Yu realized that his inner thoughts were extra agitated today. He hid it well, of course, but he could still feel that he had little patience for today's problems. He wasn't going to apologize if he did seem rude, obviously; it wasn't his fault that everyone was stepping on his last nerve. "I am indeed, Ayane." An awkward silence as the meek Ayane nodded and shifted slightly in place. Damn it... "Would you like to join me for lunch?"

Ayane was practically beaming as she nodded her head. "I'd love to!"

"Great!" Great... "I just need to go check on something and then we can eat together on the roof." Ayane nodded and skipped off, leaving Yu to roll his eyes and return to walking down the stairs. Great. Whatever, I've had three way lunches with Kou and Daisuke, I can have one with Ayane and Naoto. Speaking off... He saw the bluette standing in the hall, all alone, ripe for the picking. He donned a new mask and called out to the blue haired sleuth. "Naoto! How's the snipe hunt going?"

The boy didn't turn to look at him. No matter, Yu would just keep talking with a smug little smirk on his face. "Did you like what I did there? Snipe hunt? I know things too, ya know."

No response.

Okay, fine, be direct. "Since this is your first day, I thought we could eat lunch together?" He held up the bag of food and gave it a shake. "Grilled fish, heated to perfection!" Naoto still didn't respond, instead he just started walking away from the silverette. "Huh?" Yu quickly intercepted him, standing in front of the younger boy now. "Come on. I promise I have no ulterior motives. Just a friendly lunch between exs. Sounds nice, right?"

Naoto stepped around him and kept on moving. "Huh? Are you really saying no, my Cerulean Prince? It'll be just like old times, my Sapphire Beauty!" He thought the nicknames would elicit some kind of response. They didn't, and he was left crestfallen. "Naoto? Are... are you really just not going to say anything to me?"

"I apologize, Senpai, but I feel there is little else to say." He didn't even turn around when he spoke. He just kept walking away, leaving the silver haired man alone in the hall, with only the occasional passerby as his company. Yu's face broke for a moment as he stared, mouth open, eyes wide at his rejection.

He tried to call out to the Detective Prince, but all he could say was- "Senpai?" He didn't like the sound of Naoto calling him that. It felt wrong. It felt very, very wrong.

Lunch with Ayane was dull. She obviously enjoyed it, but Yu was far less amused. He faked a smile and laughed like he always did, giving the girl practiced, generic answers to her generic questions. The end of lunch was a blessing. He said goodbye to the girl and returned to class.

Class was not better.

He couldn't get the rejection out of his mind. This was the second time Naoto had pushed him away, and his current feelings brought up the buried ones with them.

He remembered the first time well. What a shit night that had been. He found the detective waiting for him, and suddenly they were talking about the case. The Detective Prince demanded answers and every attempt to lie his way out of the situation only resulted in the him digging deeper and harder. Naoto was able to see right through his masks, and that both angered and impressed Yu.

"Please."

He had actually meant it. That was the part that annoyed him most. He had been so desperate, so scared of seeing Naoto leave and never come back, that he had actually meant it when he said 'please.' Lot of good it did.

You know what? Fuck this. Naoto wants to avoid me, he can avoid me. I don't need him. In fact, I'm going to rub it into his face how much I don't need him!

When class ended for the day, Yosuke and the girls just saw a blur. Yu ran out of the room and practically jumped down the stairs. He stopped in front of the door and nearly ripped it open. He had made a lucky guess, and it was proved right. Rise and Naoto shared a homeroom and both of them were packing things up to leave. Kanji was there too, not that Yu really cared.

The silver haired youth quickly composed himself and walked over to the red haired idol. It was perfect. Her seat wasn't too far from Naoto's, meaning the sleuth could hear every word they said to one another. "Rise-chan! May I speak to you about something?"

The idol looked at him, slightly curious about his panting and messy hair, but happy to see him, regardless. "Sure thing, Senpai. What's up?"

Yu's eyes darted to Naoto, who was taking a moment to look over his notes before packing them up. Perfect. "I was wondering if you'd go to Aiya's with me after school?"

The red haired beauty beamed at him and nodded her head. "Yeah, I'd love to!"

"Excellent. It's a date." HA! Take that, Naoto! Yu's eyes darted to the side again, watching Naoto pick up his briefcase and start walking towards the exit. He didn't look bothered, despite Yu's hopes of seeing him heartbroken.

"D-date?" Rise repeated, stepping back, bumping into her desk.

"Huh? Yes. A date. I thought that with the case over, you and I could become more than friends," Yu explained, remaining calm as he wondered what her problem was. Considering how you practically throw yourself at me half the time, I don't see what the hesitation is about.

"I-I appreciate that, Senpai, but I... I mean, I just don't think I'm ready for a boyfriend right now. I mean, I'm just not looking for one right now."

"I'm... I'm sorry?" What the fuck!?

"I just got out of the idol business a couple of months ago, and- and while I really do like you, I just don't really feel comfortable with dating right now. I mean, what if paparazzi see and they take your picture? Then you're suddenly in a big tabloid paper, and- I mean..." Rise grew quiet. The reasoning was flimsy. Her face was flushed. She was obviously lying, and that pissed Yu off.

She was rejecting him, and she wasn't even going to give a real reason? "Oh. I see." His voice was flat and dull. He swore he saw Naoto walk by with a smirk on his stupid, pretty face.

"Do... do you still want to go to Aiya's or..." Rise slowly lifted her head to look at his eyes, only to look back down. "Y-yeah. Probably not."

"Yeah. Probably not."

"... I am sorry, Senpai. I don't want you to think I don't like you, but- I just... I'm not really ready for a relationship."

Could have fooled me... "It's fine." It isn't. "Goodbye, Rise-chan." What the fuck is happening? Without another word, Yu turned to leave the room. He walked out just in time to see Naoto turning the corner and leaving. He was pretty fuckin' sure the detective was smiling at the rejection. He saw his three friends walk down the stairs, waving at him.

"Hey, partner! We were thinking about going to Junes and-"

"Can't. Busy today." Without another word or even a glance, Yu kept on walking. He headed straight home.

That night, the Dojimas and Yu ate dinner with a special guest. Adachi happily munched away at the food on the table, talking in between each swallow.

"Oh, man, this food is delicious!" He grinned, wiping his mouth with a napkin. "Narukami-kun, you're an amazing cook!"

"Thanks." Yu quietly continued to eat.

"Hey, Adachi, do me a favor. Go to the fridge and check to see if there's anymore milk," Dojima declared. .

"You got it, sir." Adachi left the table and happily walked to the fridge. Nanako was talking about this or that, which Yu just nodded in response to. He didn't really care, but he didn't even have anything on his mind to distract him. He just felt- "Sorry, sir. It looks empty."

Yeah.

Yu swore his eye was twitching for the next few minutes. Nanako watched as her big bro placed his bowl and chopsticks down and wiped his mouth. "Big Bro?"

"Uncle Dojima, I think I'm full. May I be excuse to work on some homework upstairs? They are starting the season off rather heavily, unfortunately." It was the most he had since he had gotten home. His voice was calm and polite, as he had practiced, and it made Yu sick to his stomach just hearing himself. Like eating way too much candy in one night, he'd been forced to put on the same sweet, nice guy mask for nearly the whole day. It was awful.

"Sure thing, Yu. Good night."

"Good night, Narukami-kun!"

"Good night, Big Bro!"

"Goodnight everyone."

As Yu walked upstairs, he could hear Adachi talking to Dojima. "Man, Narukami's so polite."

"Polite, smart, and he takes care of Nanako. Honestly, him staying here is a blessing."

For once, hearing the compliments didn't stroke Yu's ego or make him feel proud of himself. They just made him feel sick.

He kicked the door closed behind him and fell onto his futon without even a grunt. He hadn't even bothered turning on the light. He just stared up at the ceiling in utter silence. The room was a reflection of his mind, as strange as that sounded. Quiet and dark.

It wasn't the rejection itself that bothered him, it wasn't Naoto ignoring him, and it sure as hell wasn't the nightmare anymore. He was over that, he told himself. Still, he just felt so... dull. So out of it.

"Empty."

His brow furrowed at the memory. He could still hear that bastard's voice, beating him into a pulp hadn't helped there. Yu cursed under his breath as his fingers dug into his palms. "Damn it." He glared daggers into the ceiling as he laid there. Eventually, he just drifted off to sleep.

END

Well, well, well. Looks like Yu Narukami is on the verge of a breaking point. Or a turning point. I don't know, what's the difference between those two?

Also, Rise Kujikawa rejecting Yu Narukami? GAAAASP. I understand some of you may be confused or see that as out of character. Let me say, that Rise's reasoning, as well as her relationship with Delinquent Narukami will be explained and explored. To put it simply, though, I've always thought that Rise was a lot smarter than she looks or acts. Maybe not book smart, but people smart. She's good at reading people as long as she isn't too overly passionate about something. Maybe she can read the bad vibes off of Narukami?

This chapter was the calm before the storm, folks. The next two chapters? Drama is happening, and Yu and Naoto's relationship... Well, it won't be the same after the next two chapters. Pack your bags, we're going on a field trip to Tatsumi Port Island! Y'know what that means!?

KING'S GAME.

Thank you for reading, and have a good day, everyone. Please leave a review, if at all possible. Take care.

Oh, and happy birthday to anonymous reviewer: Kabuto. Hope this chapter made it in time for your celebration.