"Asuka, you look beautiful honey!"

"Oh mom, you're being over dramatic."

"No I'm not, I mean it! You look wonderful!"

Asuka giggled softly, shaking her head. "Whatever you say, mom."

"Are you excited? It's your first breakfast date with this man! What's his name again?"

"Edo Phoenix."

"Oh my! I'm so excited for you! When is he coming?"

"Mom, please-"

The phone began ringing, pulling them out of concentration. "I'll get it!"

Asuka rolled her eyes in amusement, turning to the closest mirror to check out her appearance. She didn't think much of her looks. In fact, she sighed at the sight of herself. Edo had tried so hard to get a date with her, and for some odd reason, Asuka couldn't figure out why. What did she have to offer that he so desperately wanted? She wasn't sure, but she was hoping to find out this morning.

"Honey, there's someone on the phone for you."

"Who is it?" Asuka called, brushing loose ends out of her face.

"Um, he says his name is Judai."

Silence.

"Do you know a Judai?"

Asuka swung around to face her mom in complete shock. "Yuki Judai?"

Her mom shrugged, putting the phone back towards her mouth. "Is it Yuki Judai?"

Asuka didn't wait to find out; she ran over to the phone and snatched it from her.

"Judai?!" She quickly gasped into the phone.

It was silent for a moment.

Too silent.

She was beginning to think this was some sort of practical joke.

"Asuka," a familiar, comforting voice rang. "Boy is it nice to hear your voice."

Almost cinematically, Asuka's mind began reeling with memories of her beloved classmate and their time together at Duel Academy. She definitely had a soft spot for him, but he never seemed to notice.

"Judai…where are you?"

It was all she could think of asking. Besides, he had disappeared before graduation. The last time she got to see him was right before the going away party the night before graduation. She always regretted not telling him how she felt. How could she predict it'd be this long since hearing from him again?

She could hear Judai sigh on the line. "I'm…home."

A huge smile crawled on her face. For the slightest moment, she was happy.

But it didn't last long. Anger suddenly swelled her emotions and over took her.

"Yuki Judai! You ran away from school and disappeared for six months! No one knew where you were or if you were okay! You didn't tell anyone! Why the hell would you do that to us? We loved you! We cared about you! We deserved at least a warning before you pulled that kind of stunt!"

Judai chuckled nervously on the other end. "Asuka…I didn't mean to worry you."

"But you did, Judai! You had me scared to death! I couldn't sleep for weeks!" She accidently blurted out, quickly covering her mouth in response. "I mean….well, it wasn't easy, Judai. It just…wasn't easy."

Judai sighed heavily on the line. "I don't deserve this, but…can I see you sometime?"

Asuka breathed in. "You want to see me?"

"Mhm."

She began biting her nails nervously. "When?"

"Anytime you can. The sooner the better. Even now, if you're free."

Asuka quickly grabbed her keys out of her purse. "Send me your address, I'm coming now."

She gave him her cell number and hung up hastily. She began scurrying towards the door.

"Asuka! Where are you going?!" Her mother demanded.

"To go see Judai," she huffed, nearly out the door.

"But what about Edo?"

"He can wait. Judai needs me."

"But…hasn't he been making you wait?"

Asuka stopped at the door, looking at her mom with wide eyes. "He has. But it's over now. He's finally come home."

When Asuka pulled up to 67 Oak Rd, she swore she had made a mistake. She double checked the messaged Judai sent her earlier that morning. She studied the picture google maps had shown her of the house. It had looked quite different from the mess in front of her.

After a moment of hesitation and inner debate, Asuka sent Judai a message.

I'm here….I think.

A few minutes later, Judai slowly emerged from his house and scampered towards the car. Just the sight of him made Asuka breathe faster.

She quickly unlocked the door in time for him to swing it open. He ducked in and straightened his posture. Asuka noticed his resigned mood, but it only lasted a slight moment. He shook it off and turned to Asuka with the largest, forced smile she had ever seen.

"Asuka," he grinned, as if everything was okay.

Asuka couldn't answer. She stared at him with shaky eyes, investigating him through appearance and emotion.

His hair had gotten a little longer, but not much. It spiked up in all the right places, though it was apparent that he didn't try to make that happen. His skin was kissed by the sun, making her feel a little self-conscience about her lack of tan. A tiny stubble shadowed his chin, but she figured it must have been because he hadn't had time to shave.

She remembered Judai as a lanky, preppy student with lots of energy. Somehow, Judai had grown more muscular and built. His arms were bulky and his black shirt hugged his abs tightly. His brown eyes seemed tired and dull, but they hadn't changed that way for good, she could tell. Not yet.

"Asuka?" He repeated, more question like.

"Judai," Asuka huffed, bowing her head. Words ran through her head as she tried to figure out what to say. She wanted to hug him-yell at him, accuse him and yet love him. So instead, she raised her head, forced a peaceful smile and gazed at him with love. "Your parents aren't the best home keepers," she decided to say, regretting it the moment she said it. But what else was she supposed to say? What words could she utter that would capture how she truly felt without coming on too strong? Heck is she knew.

Judai's fake smile instantly dwindled. He turned to the window and looked out at his house.

"Yeah, they never were," he softly responded.

Asuka grew fidgety at the awkward silence that followed. "Are they still there? Looks like they left a long time ago."

He shrugged, "Your guess is as good as mine."

She raised an eyebrow in confusion. "They moved without telling you? That's absurd!"

Judai chuckled softly. "To be fair, so did I."

The words caused shivers to run down her spine. "Judai…," she turned away to gather up the strength to follow his name with piercing words, "Did you return to an empty house?"

He took in a noticeably deep breath. The ends of his lips curled up, "Yeah. Yeah I did."

Asuka shivered at the sound, lowering her head in defeat. "Judai—"

"Are you hungry, Asuka?" He interrupted kindly, finally turning to look at her with wide eyes.

She stared at him in awe for approximately 2.7 seconds before turning her car on aggressively and looking at the road before her. "You bet I am. Let's get breakfast."

"I didn't bother you this morning, I hope," Judai mentioned softly over a cup of coffee.

"No, I had nothing going on," she lied with a half-smile.

Judai grinned in response. "Good. I found your last name on my phone and tried my luck. I went through a few Tenjoin's before I found you."

Asuka blushed at the thought. "Why me?"

"Why not you?" He retorted.

"Oh I don't know," she grasped her cup of tea harder in her palm. "I figured Sho or Kenzan would be a more fitting first choice."

Judai let out a little chuckle, nodding his head in amusement. "I just wanted someone who would treat me as an equal," he responded honestly. "Someone I could just sit with and talk to as if time hadn't passed."

Asuka grew a little uncomfortable at that statement. "But time has passed Judai," she admitted. "Even I can't hide that fact."

The waitress came by as Asuka finished speaking. "What can I get you two?"

Judai gestured for Asuka to go first. "A fruit parfait with two strawberry pancakes on the side, please," she ordered.

"Uh-huh, and for you?"

"Oh, I'm not that hungry," Judai began.

Asuka's eyes widened in surprise, and soon it shifted to anger. "Judai, what do you mean you're not h—"

"I'll have three eggs, over easy. A stack of three chocolate chip pancakes with extra whip cream. To top it off, a side of sourdough toast and hashed browns as well, please."

Asuka's jaw dropped in shock.

"Oh, and more coffee, please," he smiled sweetly.

The waitress blew the bangs out of her face. "Sure thing," she hummed before scurrying away.

Asuka shook her head in denial. "Not that hungry, huh?"

"Nah," he sighed, "Don't have much of an appetite."

Asuka giggled. "Well, some things never change," she rolled her eyes while taking a sip of tea.

"Yeah, it's unfortunate."

She titled her head in confusion. "What do you mean?"

The brunette shrugged lazily. "I don't know," he gestured with his hand. "I've been gone for six months and everything looks the same." He looked off steadily into the distance. "Nothing to prove any time passed, yah know?"

Asuka hummed in confirmation. "Judai…where did you go?"

"Europe."

She kept staring, as if begging for more information.

"Amsterdam, Germany, France, Spain, Sweden, and Italy."

"Oh my God," she caught herself mumbling.

"Mm."

"Judai," she straightened up her posture in anticipation to hear more. "What happened that night?" She grew slightly embarrassed at the memory. "I tried to get you to go to the party…I tried to make things better for us…but, well," she stopped to shake off her implications, "You didn't even go to graduation. You were gone. No one ever saw you after that."

Judai nodded, swirling circles into the spilled sugar on the table with his finger. "There was nothing left I had to say to anyone," he reminisced. "That was why I left so early."

"Oh Judai," she nodded her head solemnly. "You're so dense, you know that?"

"I'm…dense?"

"Yeah, you are." She stopped to look at her tea, as if words to say would swirl around at the top. "Sho cried when he couldn't find you. Kenzan nearly had a heart attack. No one seemed to enjoy their last moments because a significant friend had ran away."

Judai gazed clueless at Asuka, though she kept avoiding eye contact.

"We all knew you had a rough semester, but no one expected you to leave like that. Your hurt a lot of people, including myself." She sighed heavily. "Whatever was going through your mind that night…whatever way you thought that leaving would make things better…you were wrong. You were selfish, Judai. And for the longest time, I never thought that could be possible."

"I was hurting, Asuka," he exhaled. "It doesn't matter what I was thinking, that was the only way I knew how to solve it."

The waitress came over with a large tray, lowering their food on the tables and grabbing the pot of coffee to fill Judai's cup. She tossed Asuka another bag of tea with a little kettle of hot water.

"Anything else I can get you?"

The two of them both answered "no" in unison. The waitress took off.

"Look, Judai…it's been six months," Asuka cooed in a more uplifting tone. "I didn't come get you to scold you or judge you. I just missed you and I wanted to know why you left. But I'm glad you're here now. Okay?"

Judai smiled softly, "Thank you, Asuka."

She smirked in response, delving her spoon into her parfait. "Anytime."

"You did WHAT?" She laughed, nearly choking on her pancakes at the sound.

Judai laughed at the reaction. "I had to, he was coming at me and Emmanuel with a knife!"

"I'm surprised you didn't just duel your way out of it," she giggled.

"I tried to, but he didn't have a deck," he chuckled. "Isn't that weird? Well yeah, so I had to shatter my beer bottle on his head."

"All because he stiffed you?"

"Well yeah! I had 100 Euros in that pot! That's how I made my money, yah know? Cause I couldn't work without a work visa. So gambling was all I had." He took another bite of his hash browns. "Emmanuel was the best pool player around, and I was pretty good myself. We'd win a lot. But this jackass was stoned out of his mind, because it's Amsterdam, and everyone's just casually stoned over there. He musta been really high, because he thought he could get away without paying us what we won. Emmanuel coaxed me into chasing him, so we did. We got outside and cornered the bastard. But this guy was armed, and he was doing these weird little sprints at us trying to jab us with his knife. So Emmaunel yelled at me to use my beer bottle, yah know, to stun him. So I did. And it worked. And so we took our money and ran for our lives."

Asuka shook her head in light hearted disappointment. "Oh Judai, you turned into a hoodlum."

"Sometimes you have to be," he shrugged playfully.

"What happened to this Emmanuel you keep talking about?"

"Well, he lived in Amsterdam, so once I went to Germany, we had to split ways."

"Geez Judai," Asuka mumbled. "You must have left a lot of great people that you met."

"Yeah," Judai sighed. "But it was okay. I was never lonely. I'd leave a lot of people, but I'd meet more. I learned so much from them. They kept me going," he gestured with his fork.

"I believe it."

"What about you, Asuka?" He questioned out of the blue.

"Me?"

"Yeah, what have you been up to these past six months?"

"Oh, well," she shied her head away for a moment, "I've been studying to get into a University. I've been dueling a lot in local competitions and working a lot as well. Other than that, nothing much."

"That's good," Judai assured, finishing his last bites of his meal. "Glad to hear it."

The two both smiled at each other before finishing their food. The waitress came over to drop the bill on the table. Judai pulled out his wallet in response.

"Not today," Asuka stopped him.

"What?"

"This is on me," she informed.

"Asuka, I can't let you do that," he denied while blushing.

"Of course you can. I have a steady job. This is nothing. Let this be my welcome home gift, okay?"

Judai gazed into her eyes. It was a powerful gaze; the type that made Asuka's cheeks flush red. She shook herself out of it and tossed money on the table.

"It's on me," she repeated.

"Okay," Judai smiled lovingly. "Thank you, Asuka."

"Don't mention it," she brushed it off, attempting to hide her feelings.

The waitress came to collect the money, and the two got up on their feet.

"Thank you for breakfast," Judai repeated. "Thanks for coming out to see me. I really appreciate it. I had a great time."

Asuka's heart began fluttering at his sincerity. She didn't want this moment to end. "Judai, why don't you come over to my place? You can clean up and relax a little. I'm sure you're in no rush to return to your house, right?"

He didn't respond right away. He kept his gaze towards the ground, kicking a few pebbles that he came across. "I can't intrude any longer than I have."

"No, Judai…please? I really want you to. I like spending time with you. I'm not asking just for your own good, but for mine as well."

It was a rather daring thing for her to admit, but she didn't want Judai to feel like he was a charity case. She really wanted to spend more time with him, and he had a right to know it.

"Are you sure?"

"Or course!"

He took in a deep breath, "Okay," he smiled.

"Mom, I'm home," Asuka greeted while swinging the door open.

"Sweetheart!" She responded from another room, skipping towards the living room to greet her daughter. "How was seeing your…." She entered the room to see Asuka standing beside a handsome, young man, "friend?"

"Hello Ms. Tenjoin," he bowed in respect. "I'm Yuki Judai."

She looked at her mom with pleading eyes. "Mom, Judai needs a place to tidy up and rest for a little while, is that okay?"

"Um…well, uh, okay," she stumbled on her words. "Yes." She turned to look at Judai with concerned eyes. "Asuka, why don't you get him a clean towel? I'll get the guest room bed ready."

"Thanks, mom."

"Thank you, Ms. Tenjoin."

Asuka lead Judai to drop his stuff off in the guest room. She got him a clean towel and told him how to use the shower.

"If you need anything, just call me."

"Okay."

Asuka closed the door as she left and went to the next room to see her mom.

"Honey, you brought him home," her mom sighed.

"I know that, he needs a place for a little while."

"Where's his family?"

"They're gone, mom. He returned to an empty house. I felt awful. He has no one at the moment."

Ms. Tenjoin grabbed clean sheets and began spreading them out on the bed.

"Well, that's a shame," she expressed. "But that's not our problem, honey. I can have him here for the night, but your father returns from his business trip tomorrow. He'd have a heart attack if he came home to find that boy here."

"Mom, let me talk to dad, okay?" Asuka cooed with the slightest trace of worry. "Let's just not worry about any of that right now. This means a lot to me."

"Why?" She questioned. "What has that boy ever done for you?"

"More than you can ever imagine, mom," Asuka revealed. "He means a lot to me."

"Well, do you mean a lot to him?"

"It doesn't matter," she brushed it off. "I just need to be here for him."

"Asuka, you can't just be doing favors for people that don't help you in return."

"Mom!"

She was right.

Judai knew she was right.

He turned the water on, but was hesitant to enter the shower since he had heard Ms. Tenjoin talking with Asuka. Judai knew he deserved none of this, but he wasn't sure what else to do.

A part of him wanted to turn off the shower and just leave, but somehow he knew that would hurt Asuka. So he took what he was given. I'll just leave when I'm done.

Judai finished up his shower, shaved off his face with the razor from his bag, and wiped his face with warm water. He patted himself dry and put on his clothes that he had worn previously. He exited the bathroom and entered the guest room. Asuka was waiting inside.

"Judai, here," she got off the bed and offered him clothes that were in her hands. "These are Fubiki's. Why don't you put them on while I do your laundry?"

"Asuka…no. I shouldn't impose like this."

"Judai? What are you talking about?"

Judai turned his head away in shyness, "I don't deserve to be here. I've done nothing to deserve any of this."

"Oh cut that out; you sound like my mom….oh….ooohhh, did you—hear her?"

He nodded his head slowly.

"Judai," she put a hand on his shoulder. "Forget that. I want you here. Now change," she threw his clothes on the bed and walked past him. "My mom made this bed for you, so despite what she says, she wants you here. We can talk about this later. Get some rest."

Judai nodded solemnly. "Okay."

Asuka huffed, nodding as well, and walked past him. She closed the door behind her.

"How is he?" Ms. Tenjoin asked as Asuka entered the living room.

"He heard everything you said," Asuka whispered, not wanting another conversation to be heard. "He feels awful. Hope you're happy."

"Oh Asuka…"

"Don't "Oh Asuka" me," she muttered, plopping on the couch and pulling out her phone to look at for the first time in a while. She noticed she had three missed calls and 13 texts. "Oh God," she huffed. She looked up at her mom. "Did Edo come?"

"No one came to the door," she revealed, flipping a page of her book. "But check your messages, I'm sure he tried to reach out to you."

"Yeah, I can see that," she confirmed while flipping through her texts.

Asuka, I'm coming in half an hour.

Asuka? You awake?

Asuka, please answer!

I'm not going to come pick you up if you don't answer me.

Oh great, you're probably not even awake.

Asuka, call me.

Have you been getting my calls?

I always thought you were a morning person.

Geez Asuka! This is not like you!

If you don't like me, just tell me straight up.

I hope you're okay.

Well, I'm just going to assume you over slept.

Call me when you wake up.

Asuka bit her tongue in guilt. Edo was a nice guy…he deserved an explanation. She quickly dialed his number and waited for him to respond.

"Asuka," he answered. "Are you okay?"

"Edo…I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to leave you hanging like that."

"What happened?"

Asuka took in a deep breath, looking around to see if anyone was watching her. She wasn't sure whether she wanted to tell him the truth or cover it with a white lie.

She had always been a rather honest person; Judai didn't ask to keep his return a secret. She figured why not.

"Judai's back," she whispered.

"….."

Asuka nervously tapped her fingers against the armrest.

"Judai?" He repeated.

"Yeah."

"And?"

"Well, he called me asking if he could see me. I needed to make sure he was okay."

"Oh, I see."

"Thanks Edo, I feel awful about—"

"You still have feelings for him," he assumed.

"Wait, no, that's not what I—"

"You dropped our date in an instant without having the means to even shoot me a text and ran off to see Judai. People don't just do that for anyone."

"He's an old friend-he needed me!" her whisper grew louder.

"Oh, he needed you? Did he need you when he ran off without saying goodbye?"

"Edo!" She snapped.

"He only called you because he has nowhere to go and no one to run to. Don't you think for a moment that he's satisfied with being back in Domino."

Asuka gaped at his words. "Edo, I can't believe you would say-"

"Oh forget it. You'll understand that soon enough. Bye Asuka."

"Edo, wait!"

*Beep*

Asuka sat in awe for a moment, taking the time to understand what just happened.

"Over before it started, right hon?" Ms. Tenjoin subtly mentioned, keeping her eyes on her book.

"Thanks, mom," Asuka coldly sighed.

Judai passed out for five hours that afternoon. He didn't sleep well the night before. The cold hardwood floor wasn't the most comfortable surface. He had gotten used to sleeping in weird places, considering he was on the move for the past six months. However, a freezing house with a hard floor and tears to stain his clothes had definitely been the hardest resting spot. Well, besides for the bridge he had to sleep under in Paris when he had ran out of money to pay for another night at a hostel.

The teen rose from his bed, stretched, and made his way to the living room. Ms. Tenjoin was the only one there.

"Judai, why don't you sit down?" She invited with hollow eyes as her glasses were lowered on her nose.

He nodded and sat down on the comfy chair that was next to the couch she laid on.

"Judai," she took off her reading glasses and put her book down. "Why are you here?"

"That's a vague question," he answered honestly. "Do you mean why I am at your house? Why am I in Domino?"

"Why are you back in my daughter's life?"

Judai winced at the words, straightening his posture in fear of further judgment. He didn't respond.

"She told me that you ran off to Europe after skipping out on your graduation without saying goodbye."

"She…told you that?"

"My daughter is a very honest girl," Ms. Tenjoin revealed, "And if you hurt her, I'm the one who's going to have to console her."

"Ms. Tenjoin, I would never intend to hurt your da—"

"Intend to? But you have. You already have and you most likely will again." She stared into Judai's eyes. "Do you know she missed a date this morning to go pick you up?"

"She…did?"

"In an instant," she snapped her fingers.

"She told me she wasn't busy."

"Well, she was. She's already clearing her schedule for you. But would you do the same?"

Judai lowered his head in guilt, feeling an awful feeling overcome him. He didn't know the answer.

Instinctively, he stood up on his feet and looked at Ms. Tenjoin, though his eyes seemed to be wandering slightly. "Thank you for your time today, Ms. Tenjoin," he exhaled in shame. He bowed as a goodbye. "Give Asuka my regards."

Ms. Tenjoin's eyes widened in surprise. "You're going to leave?"

Judai nodded, gazing to the window and looking outside. He turned and went back to the guest room to grab the bag that he had brought for the day. He noticed that his clothes were on the hamper outside of the room. He changed back into what was his and folded Fubiki's clothes, laying them on the bed.

He sighed, and made way to walk out the door.

Once outside, he dialed up the number for a taxi and waited on the sidewalk.

"Judai!"

Judai turned to see Asuka running outside.

"I'm so sorry, I was in my room, I had no idea you woke up," she rambled rather quickly.

"It's okay, Asuka," he forced a smile.

"My mother told me you were leaving…why? You can stay the night, you know."

Judai grabbed her hand, massaging the back of it with his thumb. He released it slowly. "Thank you for everything, Asuka. But, it's not a good idea for me to extend my stay. I don't want to hurt you."

"What are you talking about, Judai?" She spat, frustration overtaking her tone. "You're home now, you can't hurt me anymore."

Judai lowered his head for a slight moment, before forcing himself to look her in the eye to continue speaking. "Asuka, my return to Domino isn't permanent."

Asuka's eyes began watering slightly. A mix of emotion and wind smacking at her face.

"What do you mean?"

"My family is gone. My house is empty. I have no money. I can't stay here. I need to find a place to live."

"Well, you can stay here!" Asuka chimed. "Stay with me. I can convince my parents to let you stay for a little while. Then I can help you find a job and an apartment and—"

"Even if it were that easy, I don't think I could do it," Judai admitted, gazing into her eyes. "This city isn't mine anymore. Familiar faces and worn out places…it's not for me anymore. I'm sorry, Asuka. But I can't do it."

Asuka began boiling with anger, her hand began shaking and she couldn't control her emotions. Instinctively, she smacked Judai across the face. Judai simply took the embrace, his face retaliating at her cold touch. Asuka stepped back and covered her mouth in shock at what she had done.

"Oh my God," she gaped at her actions, noticing his face turn red.

"I probably deserved that," he mumbled, cowering away.

"No, Judai—please don't do this. You can't just…" she began to work herself up, eyes watering and body shivering, "Call me up on the phone and come back into my life just to leave me again! I won't allow it."

The taxi arrived, pulling into Asuka's drive way subtly.

Judai gestured his arms in a way as if to express that he had no other options. "I'm sorry. I'll call you when I can."

Asuka merely watched in utter betrayal as Judai slid into the car. The taxi pulled away; Judai waved as it did.

Asuka stood there for a moment, not knowing how to react. After a second of hesitation, she marched back in the house and stomped her foot upon arriving in the living room.

"What's wrong, honey?"

"Don't "honey" me!" She spat, narrowing her eyebrows with hands on her hips.

Her mom took off her glasses and laid down her book. "Asuka?"

"What did you say to him?!"

"Nothing…"

"What. Did. You. Say. To. Him?!" She repeated slowly, bitterly.

Ms. Tenjoin huffed, "the truth."

"And what is that?"

"That he shouldn't be here," she explained. "That he shouldn't be here unless he intends to invest in a new life."

"Mother!" Asuka growled. "I swear, if you ruined this for me, I'll never forgive you!" Asuka groaned, turning away and running into her room.

"Asuka!" Her mom called, but Asuka slammed the door in response. Tears flooded from her eyes as she threw herself on her bed. She cried for a while, not knowing what else to do.

Judai was so precious to her. She was angry. She was angry that he came back into her life for one day, just to excuse himself. She was hurt, because she didn't understand what she had done to make Judai feel like he needed to leave. She didn't understand why she wasn't enough.

She pulled out her phone and searched through her contact list until she found the name that could change things around.

67 Oak Rd. She typed out, sending it to that name.

Judai's home. Go get him. Make him stay.

Maybe Judai wouldn't listen to her, but damnit, he would listen to someone. And hopefully, she picked the right guy.