Judai threw himself on his pathetically stained mattress that the Amari's had offered him. He was too exhausted to cover it with sheets. In his mind, sheets were nothing but a blessing. A blessing he was too tired to deal with.

The room was surprisingly tiny. Smaller than he could have imagined. However, the fact that it had a bed to lay on and a small dresser to throw some belongings on made all the difference.

"I can't do this," Judai mumbled. Not regarding his room, but rather about his return to Domino.

Although he didn't want to admit it, Kaiser was right. Not only was he right, but he was a firsthand source with experience on exactly what Judai was doing. He was simply telling him all of the things that his friends were too scared to say.

His stomach performed consecutive summersaults, causing Judai to toss and turn in pain. He was experiencing some sort of inner battle with himself. No matter how hard he tried to reason things out, he couldn't decide what he wanted to do.

The thing was, he needed friends. Judai wasn't the type of person who could live without friends. However, it didn't matter who his friends were. He could easily befriend people in another city across the world. The problem that hovered over him was his that he had friends right here in Domino; friends that changed his life. It could bring things full circle if he stayed. He could build with these wonderful people and make a life for himself. If he could just suppress his need to travel, he would be okay.

But did he want to do that? Did he want to miss out on all the possibly wonderful things he could experience in new places? Adapting wasn't a problem. Judai had turned into quite the traveler. It'd be easy for him to leave…easier than it would be to stay. He could make wonderful friends and maybe even fall in love. He already knew what Domino has to offer, so why settle for less when there's so much more?

Judai groaned, clutching his stomach to ease the pain. "What the fuck do I do?"

"What does your heart want, Judai?"

Judai quickly sat up, breathing fast all the while. He rolled his eyes at the sight of Yubel. "What are you doing here? I thought I told you to leave me alone in Granada."

"Yes, you did," Yubel agreed, crossing her arms. "But you haven't really needed me since then. You're on the edge of making a life changing decision, so I'm here for you."

"It turns out every time you're here for me, I end up doing the opposite of what you say."

Yubel laughed. "Well, I'm not here to tell you what to do. I'm just here to listen. Maybe add in a few words of encouragement here and there."

Judai grunted at her words. "Whatever."

Her eyes widened in surprise. "What's your problem, Judai?"

"You are. You, and quite frankly, the whole world."

"Oh, okay. Because everyone's out to get you, is that right? The whole world is trying to make your life a disaster. They're all in on it, except you."

"Yeah, pretty much."

Yubel flailed her arms in disappointment at Judai's response. "Judai, you used to be one of the most selfless people I ever knew."

"You're a trading card, Yubel. Don't pat yourself on the back too hard."

"This is what I'm talking about!" She snarled. "Why are you being so…so cold?"

"Because I don't know what the fuck I'm doing with my life!" Judai yelled, revealing how shaky his chocolate eyes were. One look at his face at this moment of time, and instantly one could see just how exhausted Judai was with his journey. How little determination he had to move on or stay strong.

"I came home because I had to," Judai continued, lowering his tone and taking in deeper breaths to cool himself down. "Because eventually, you need to go back to where you started. That's just the way it is. Yes, money runs low. Yes, visas expire. But those things could be fixed in an instant. The main reason I came home was to reconnect with what I left. That was the motivation, at least."

Yubel stood there, arms crossed and eyebrow arched while listening intently.

"But I told myself that going home doesn't mean I'm stuck there. If I could just save up money and relax for a little while, I could do a huge trip all over again." Judai lowered his head, twiddling his thumbs for comfort. "I never realized people would react the way they would."

"Can you blame them, Judai?"

"I don't know they feel," Judai shoved it off. "I don't have that same attachment to people or places the same way they do. Is that a crime?"

"No, but you still need to be aware of their feelings. Just because you can't empathize, doesn't mean you can't—"

"What? Sympathize? I was never one to sympathize."

"No, not even. Just…understand. Just try and imagine how they feel."

Judai sighed, shifting his position on his mattress and cringing at all of the squeaks it made. "Want to hear a secret?" He asked.

Yubel nodded.

"Part of me thinks they don't really care if I'm here or not."

"What?"

"You heard what Kaiser said. They'd just rather I never came home."

"Yeah, as an alternative of not staying and investing in their lives, Judai. Come on, give me a break."

"I'm not trying to be dramatic. I'm being honest," Judai mumbled. "I knew you wouldn't understand."

"No, go on. Explain."

Judai sat up on his bed, sitting across from Yubel. "All my life, I've had this perception that, well, that maybe, people don't really care about me as much as I thought. Like, if I just disappeared, would people really care? Would they be upset? Try and bring me back?"

"I think the answer is pretty clear," Yubel began, "You already pulled that on everyone here, and they clearly expressed how much you hurt them."

"They say that," Judai agrees, "But are they saying that because it's true? Or because they want to hurt me?"

"You're quite the devil's advocate."

"I'm being serious, Yubel. I really can't decide what's better, to leave—or to stay."

"What do you want?"

"If I knew what I wanted, I wouldn't be going through this crisis now, would I?"

Yubel snorted in response. "Tell me how you feel."

"What?"

"Just, tell me how you feel."

"I don't know," Judai flailed. "Annoyed. Confused. Betrayed. Alone. Tired."

"Did Domino make you feel this way? Or did you feel this way before landing?"

Judai laid back on his bed, staring at the ceiling as if an answer would descend from the heavens. "It's just…I feel so free. I have so much freedom and I want to use it. But, at the same time, I want to sleep. I want to feel something for someone. But…I feel numb inside. It's delaying me from making a decision."

"I think you do feel something for your friends here," Yubel suggested. "Because if you didn't, you would have never called Asuka, and quite frankly, you'd probably be gone.

Judai mumbled a "yeah" in response.

"You don't need to make up your mind now," Yubel assured. "Sleep on it for a little while. Forget the Kaiser. Forget everyone. Do what you want. Your heart will do the rest."

Yubel disappeared after that. Judai smiled softly. "Yubel?" He asked, though not being able to see her.

"Yeah?" She answered.

"Thank you."

She didn't respond, but there was a warm feeling in the atmosphere for the first time in a long time. It gave Judai hope that he didn't think could be found.