One Week Later

The past week had been particularly tough. Judai felt a little more drained every day. Working to live in a new and exciting city wasn't so much of a chore, but doing it just to stay in Domino had made him extra exhausted.

In fact, everything was rather strenuous. From waking up, working, eating, and going to sleep. He had this unbearable desire to reach out to his friends, but he knew he couldn't do that unless he was willing to commit. Besides, he didn't want to depend on anyone but himself. But it was that quality about him that was hurting him the most.

Every time he attempted to message a friend, he couldn't bring himself to do it. He'd instantly have flashbacks to his time in Florence, when after a long day of work, he wanted to grab a beer with a friend, but they'd always happen to be busy.

"Fine! I don't need you anyways, you little fuckers!" Judai hissed, tossing over his desk chair. It was the fifth day in the row when all of his "friends" were conveniently "busy".

"Judai! What was that noise?" Ms. Vitali hollered from down the stairs.

"Fuck fuck FUCK!" Judai groaned, grabbing his bag and stuffing it with clothes.

"Judai!" Footsteps ascended the stairs until someone was knocking at his door.

Judai didn't answer; he continued shoving his belongings into his luggage. Ms. Vitali soon opened the door. "Judai, what's wrong?" She asked with worry in her eyes.

"I'm sorry," he apologized, breathing quickly while moving rather fast. "I can't stay here anymore."

"Why not? What happened dear?"

"If they don't want to see me, they'll never see me again," Judai muttered.

"Sweetheart, relax. Maybe your friends are busy," she hummed. Ms. Vitali knew what was going on. For the past week, Judai wasn't getting out like had been doing the week prior. He was staying locked in his room, only coming down for meals.

"I don't ask for much," he revealed. "All I say is, "what's up? Wanna hang?" Yah know? And I get these bullshit replies. I feel like I'm wasting away in here."

"Why don't you try going out on your own?"

"I have," Judai dropped his bag, looking at her straight in the eyes. "Guess where I found all my friends?"

She put her hands over her mouth, "Oh dear."

"Yeah, tell me about it." He picked up his bag and shoved a few more things in there. Once he finished, he looked up at her with a sad smile. "Thank you so much, Ms. Vitali. For everything. I'm sorry for leaving so suddenly. Will you be okay without me for the week?"

Ms. Vitali began tearing up. She really enjoyed Judai's company and his hard work. She nodded yes. "But, where will you go?"

"I'm heading down to Rome. I'll hop on a night train. Start anew."

She nodded sadly, reaching into her pocket and pulling out 50 Euros.

"No, I don't need that," Judai pushed her hand back.

"Please, Judai," she assured. "I never paid you for your work. You simply slept in my spare room. That was never any trouble for me. I enjoyed your company. Please, take this. For your train."

Judai smiled sweetly, embracing her in a tight hug. "Thank you, Ms. Vitali."

Her eyes watered slightly. She flashed him another smile before exiting the room.

Judai huffed at the memory, rolling his eyes as the scene played in his head. He reluctantly got changed, strapping an apron on and combing his hair. He rolled up his sleeves and descended the stairs in preparation to wash more dishes.

Before he went into the kitchen, he stopped by the dining room bar to get his daily morning coffee.

"Morning, Judai," Mr. Amari greeted.

"Hi," he responded in tiresome.

Mr. Amari grabbed him a clean mug and poured some coffee into his cup.

"Thanks," Judai muttered.

"You okay?"

Judai shrugged. "Been better, but I'm alive."

"I'll drink to that," Mr. Amari chuckled, turning back to continue his work.

Judai sighed deeply, cowering his body in exhaustion.

"Well, don't you look tired?"

Judai instantly corrected his posture at the sound of those words.

"But it doesn't surprise me that you didn't get enough sleep. I don't think you could ever get enough."

Judai shivered at the words, trying to tell himself it wasn't possible.

"Turn around, look at me," he ordered…words sounding like honey dripping from a kettle.

So he did. Judai slowly turned around to look…to confirm who was there.

"Johan," he softly cooed.

"Hello, Judai. Welcome home."

Judai stared at him for a while. His luscious pink lips curling to smile. His sapphire blue porcupine hair resting on his head like a cloud. His pale skin brought out the bright hue of his emerald eyes. Just like his duel monsters deck, he was a beautiful mixture of gems.

Not knowing what to say in response, he got up from his seat and skipped over to Johan to embrace him in a hug.

Johan chuckled at their joyful embrace. He brushed his hands through Judai's brown hair, holding his waist close with his other arm.

"I'm so happy that you're here," Judai hummed sweetly.

"As am I," Johan agreed with a large grin on his face. He leaned in close to Judai's ear. "What do you say to grabbing your stuff and running away with me?"

Judai pulled back in shock with wide eyes. "Wait, do you mean—"

"Stay with me, okay? You don't need to be here. Go on, grab your stuff. Let's get you out of here."

Judai smirked, loving how charismatic Johan was being. He nodded in agreement. This was the type of freedom he was looking for.

The brunette ran up the stairs, packed up his bags, and returned to the first floor.

"Judai, where you going?" Mr. Amari called, noticing Judai had his stuff with him.

"I'm leaving. Thanks for your hospitality."

"Judai! You're supposed to be here for another week," he groaned.

"Yeah, well, I'm supposed to do a lot of things, sir. But I just can never make up my mind."

Johan giggled, patting Judai on the back while saying "Let's go."

The moment they got settled into Johan's car, Judai turned to look at him. "How did you find me?"

Johan chuckled. "Don't you know that your return to Domino is hot news on the street?"

"No…I didn't."

"Everyone's been talking about you, but they've been too scared to visit."

Judai raised an eyebrow, "why is that?"

"Well, they all think you're going to leave in a few days, so they don't want to put themselves or you through that. In fact, some warned me to not even waste my time."

"What?! They said that? Who?"

"The ruffians," Johan smiled, keeping his eyes on the road. "The Hell Kaisers and Edo Phoenix's of the world."

Judai slumped back in his chair in relief. "Oh, I see." He pondered the thought. "But you came. Why?"

"Oh, I could care less about what they have to say," he shrugged. "I really like you, Judai. You've done a lot for me. I just really wanted to see you."

Judai could feel his heart flutter at the sound. "But, aren't you angry at me for running away?"

"You just don't like goodbyes," Johan covered for him. "You needed some time to yourself after everything you went through. I don't blame you for that. No one should."

In that moment, Judai rekindled every emotion that he ever had for Johan. He instantly remembered why he had loved him, and why their connection was so perfect.

"When I realized I would run away, I was too scared to go to graduation. I didn't know what I would say to you. I didn't want to deal with that confrontation."

Johan nodded in understanding. "I get it," he exhaled. "Of course I wanted to see you, but I knew that wouldn't be our last meeting."

Judai hummed in agreement, letting himself rest comfortably against the seat. "I wish everyone could think the way you do," he mentioned, closing his eyes and enjoying the cool breeze that came through the window.

Johan looked at Judai, smiling when he saw his eyes closed. "Let's get you another coffee."

"Wow! This is amazing!" Judai cheered, running up to the tip of the grass cliff that overlooked the ocean. "I had no idea we had this sorta thing in Domino!"

Johan smiled at the excitement that his friend radiated. "You just gotta find the right spots. Once you do that, you realize that every place is beautiful."

Judai chuckled, turning back to look at Johan and shoot him a grateful smirk. He ran up to the edge of the cliff to sit down and dangle his legs over the side. He took a sip of his coffee and let out a refreshing sigh. "Beautiful."

"Yeah," Johan agreed, sitting next to him. "I'm really happy you're here," he softly mentioned, looking out into the ocean. The sun glimmered on the water as its waves crashed against the rocky shores below them. Wind whispered a calming tune as it danced around their bodies before getting swept back into the ocean breeze. "Are the rumors true?"

Judai shrugged at the words. He sort of wanted to forget that people wanted an answer out of him so quickly, but he figured if anyone deserved his honest feedback, it'd be Johan. "I don't know," he revealed. "I really don't know."

Johan nodded his head in understanding, taking a sip of his coffee and keeping a steady gaze on the ocean. "You'll make the right decision, no matter what that is."

"That's the thing though," Judai turned to look at Johan. "I don't know what that is." He dangled his legs playfully over the side, watching them for entertainment. "Did you know Kaiser came over to see me earlier this week?"

"Yeah, I did. How was that?"

"Weird," he admitted. "He pretty much just told me off. You can commit, or leave. Leave and never come back," Judai tried to impersonate. "Now I can't shake those words from my mind."

"Forget about him," Johan waved. "Do your own thing."

"Yeah, well, he's got a point," Judai acknowledged, "I mean, even if I left and did come back, no one would want to see me again. So, he's kind of right."

"Well, that'll be for you to decide."

Judai shot Johan a meaningful gaze, noticing that Johan has been avoiding contact for a while now. "What would you prefer?"

"That's not up to me."

"Well, if it were, what would you say?"

"Oh come on, Judai," Johan finally met his gaze, "Of course I want you to stay." He shyly turned back to look at the waves crashing. "But if you don't, I won't be angry at you."

Judai took in a deep breath, nodding slightly. He bathed in the silence for a few moments before speaking again. "What have you been up to?"

"Oh, lots of things. I've been studying at a university, taking part in duel competitions, and being a spokesperson for Industrial Illusions."

"Really? That's awesome! Pegasus must really love you!"

Johan blushed slightly, shrugging it off, "I've got his gem deck; I need to show it off for their business. But I don't mind."

Judai gaped in awe, in love with the idea of working for Industrial Illusions and taking part in lots of duel competitions.

"If you stay, I can put in a good word for you," Johan winked.

The brunette snickered in response. "What an honor," he teased.

The two of them laughed, enjoying each other's company. Judai asked about how the competitions went and begged for some stories on working for Industrial Illusions. Johan went in detail on all of the events and made sure to tell Judai about his time in University as well. Johan asked about some of Judai's adventures as well.

"When I was in Hamburg, I met this old guy at a bar, Travis. He had green hair and lots of piercings and tattoos. He was really cool looking. Couldn't have been younger than 50, but he looked pretty good for his age. He was out with this younger girl, who he said he had met in Hamburg as well. Her name was Jackie. He told me the past few years were really tough for him, because he and his wife weren't getting along. So he got a divorce, quit his job, sold the house and everything he had, and bought a one way ticket to Europe. He moves around every six months. I just happened to catch him while he was in Germany, yah know? He was really cool. Jackie was too. She was a DJ and was always mingling with people and hanging out with them to help boost her rep. It was just really cool to see them hanging out and enjoying the vibes of the night. I asked Travis at one point…I asked him what advice he had for a young person like myself, and he said, "If there's somewhere you want to go, just go. Just do it. If life hands you a wonderful opportunity, whether that's for work, or traveling or anything of the sort, take it up. You never know if it'll come again."

Johan listened politely, watching Judai's expression as he told the story.

"I think about it a lot, what he said," Judai bowed his head, staring at his feet and the waves crashing beneath them. "That's why I feel so strongly about traveling. I'll never know if I'll have another chance."

"Judai," Johan hummed lovingly, "I think the moral of that story is to create opportunities for yourself, not wait for them to come by. If you want to travel again, you will. You don't have to wonder "if", you just have to ask yourself "when".

It was a loving reminder. Very easy. It didn't take a genius to come up with a response like that, but it sounded very pure nevertheless. Something about the way it was said. Something about the person behind the words who said it. All in all, it was very reassuring.

"Johan, can I tell you something?"

His emerald eyes peered up, resting beneath the sun which sparkled on its surface. "Anything."

"I've never been the type to get deep or personal with anyone," he revealed. "Especially not in the past year or so." He took in a large breath and took a moment to ponder about everything he was about to say. "Life had always been pretty good, even when it wasn't. I was always super energetic and happy, no matter what life threw at me. There was nothing to ever get deep about, yah know?

"But, this last year was tough. We went through a lot of shit. We both willingly sacrificed ourselves for one another. We had barely even knew each other and we were surrendering our freedom just to save the other. I mean, I still can't wrap my mind around that."

"It's just the type of people we are," Johan nodded. "You would do that for anyone."

Judai made a weird expression, as if he was truly unsure, "Would I?"

Johan tilted his head in confusion.

"You see, I've been asking myself that a lot too," Judai continued, talking with his hands at this point. "I'd like to think I would. I mean, I had already helped out a lot of friends and put my life on the line before you came. But… those times, the world was usually in some sort of danger. If I hadn't bet my life, everyone would have suffered, you know?

"But that time you offered yourself up, if we had just left you there, everything in our world would have been okay. No one would have had to suffer. And sometimes I wonder, if it had been anyone but you, would have I been so insistent on going back to that alternate universe?"

Johan continued to stare at Judai, as if subconsciously asking for him to return his gaze. "What are you saying, Judai?"

"What I'm saying is, well," he hesitated, mumbling something under his breath, as if to pep talk himself to continue. "I really care about you, Johan. You mean a lot to me. And it's…well, it's because of you that I ran away."

Johan pulled back in surprise, pointing to his chest as if to clarify who he was talking about.

"I didn't want to get close to anyone. I didn't want anyone to hold that power over me…the power of making me go crazy. You had that power, Johan. You brought out my inner darkness. Losing you made me turn evil. I gave in my sanity." Judai shivered at the thought. "And I never wanted to go through that again. I, well, I figured the only way I could prevent another breakdown is if I never got close to anyone again. So I ran away. I ran away, and I kept running. From country to country."

Johan stayed silent, listening with a fast beating heart.

"There was this one guy, Emmanuel. I haven't told you about him, but he was a good friend of mine in Amsterdam. I really liked him. We got along pretty well. Always playing pool for cash. It was easy. It was fun." Judai's voice grew a little weaker as he recalled his friend, his tone getting softer. "I, I really started to like him at one point. I think he liked me too.

"We drank together, worked together, gambled together, watched movies together, exercised together, wandered together….he was my best friend. In fact, I stayed in Amsterdam the longest because of him."

Johan gulped nervously, "What happened?"

Judai looked up at the sky, exhaling uncomfortably. "That night happened."

~ "Holy shit! What the fuck happened?!" Judai cursed, running up to a bloodied Emmanuel who limped through the front door.

"Nothing," he muttered, blood spilling from his mouth as he did.

"Don't give me that bullshit," Judai warned, propping him up with an arm under his shoulder for support. "Who the fuck did this to you?"

"Judai, don't worry about it," Emmanuel assured, wincing at the pain. "We'll get them later."

"Fuck that!" Judai seethed, fists balled in anger at his side. "Tell me where those fuckers are right now, Emman!" He glared at Emmanuel, not showing partiality to his weak, watery eyes.

"Judai—"

"NOW!"

Emmanuel sighed, knowing the fire in Judai's eyes were not going to die anytime soon. "Calico Sky," he gave in. "They're at the Calico Sky club."

Judai growled, grabbing his keys and marching out the door. He scanned the streets as if on patrol, not stopping or giving way to anything that he passed. His anger boiled with every passing minute, fuming at an all-time high the moment he got to Calico Sky.

He used both hands to swing the doors open; a dramatic enterance that caught the attention of anyone nearby. The club was bouncing with music and dancers everywhere. Judai pushed his way through, feeling his eyes steam as he shot intense glares at anyone who looked his way.

"Hey, it's Judai!" A deep voice called out, instantly stealing the brunette's attention. It was a man with a built body, hanging around a few scrawny guys.

"Who's Judai?" The guy's friend asked.

"He's tight with Emman, that wimp that tried to stiff us tonight."

"Excuse me?" Judai hissed, staring the big muscular guy down.

"Yeah, that prick tried to stiff me 50 Euro."

"Emman is no fucking prick," Judai growled. "And he would never lose in a game of pool."

"Not pool, cards."

"Who the fuck are you, anyways?" Judai groaned, getting sicker of this guy's shit with each second.

"David."

"David who?"

"David Lazarus."

Instantly Judai began fuming, angrily walking towards him and trying to size up. "Oh you got to be fucking with me!"

David pushed him off, getting annoyed. "Who the fuck do you think you are?"

"Emman always talks about you, motherfucker, you owe him 300 Euro already."

"No I fucking don't!"

"Hey! If you're gunna fight, get the fuck out of my club!" A bouncer hollered.

"Oh, we will!" Judai muttered, finding his way outside as David and his gang followed. They waited until they were outside in an alley before continuing.

"You better watch yourself, kid," David spat. "It's 3 on 1. If you give us any shit, we'll fix you up real nice."

"Yeah, just like we did to Emman."

That was all Judai needed to hear.

His whole body boiled with fury. All sense left his mind as he could feel his inner darkness blanket over all of the light he once illuminated. The last thing he heard before losing consciousness was "look at his eyes!"

When Judai came back to his senses, David and his two friends were on the ground in a bloody heap. Judai began hyperventilating, unsure of what just happened. He ran over to them to check their pulse….

It was either so low that he couldn't feel it…

Or they were dead.

In haste of the moment, Judai began running-booking it back to his place with Emmanuel. By the time he got there, his friend was passed out on the couch. Judai ran into the bathroom, nearly crying as he stared himself in the mirror. For the slightest second, he couldn't recognize who he was. He was having flashbacks of his time as the Supreme King. He didn't know what had took over him, but he shook in fear as he realized it was nothing more than the darkness in his heart.

Not knowing what to do, Judai ran to his room and collected all of his stuff. Tears dripped from his eyes, but he was in too much of a rush to notice. When he finally began to catch his breath, he realized his pockets were heavy. In curiosity, he stuffed his hands inside and pulled out three wallets. The total amount of Euros added up to 800. Once everything was gathered, he sat himself down to write a note.

Emman,

I took care of those guys. I'm leaving you the money they owe you and then some. I'm sorry for leaving, but it's all I'm good for. I know last week you and I talked about getting jobs and trying to get our lives together. Suggesting maybe there was a future for us. It seems like so long ago now. But I don't think I'm good for that kind of life. I'm not ready to settle down. So I'm leaving. And I don't think I'm coming back. I'm sorry…wishing you the best. Good luck.

~Judai ~

"Oh…wow," Johan exhaled, just to fill in the silence. "That's crazy."

Judai nodded in assent. "Yeah."

Johan looked at Judai, studying the emotion on his face. He seemed so scared…so weak. He had never seen him that way before, and he wasn't sure how to approach that.

"So you're scared of getting close to people?" Johan clarified.

"Yeah."

"Because you're scared of relapsing? Letting out your inner darkness?"

"Mmm, yeah."

"But, what if they bring out your inner light?"

Judai peeked up his head. "Hm?"

"Well, it doesn't seem right to isolate yourself because you're scared of losing them or getting dark. You deserve the ability to love and invest."

"But what if I can't control it? Johan, I could have killed people that night. I can't risk that again."

"You can control it," Johan encouraged. "I can help you."

"How?" Judai quickly nodded in disagreement. "No, I can't risk that. I can't get close to you. Not again."

"Your darkness will never go away if you keep running away from it," Johan informed. "You need to face it. It's the only way. I can help you."

Judai stood up, nodding his head in denial. Anxiety obviously overriding him. "I'm not going to fall into this."

"Fall into what, Judai?" Johan rolled his eyes.

"Fall into your trap. If you're waiting for me to say I'm staying, you're wrong. I won't."

"Well then, what will you do? Leave? Run away?" Johan stood up.

"Maybe I will!" Judai groaned. "It'd be easier, anyway."

"Well, if that's how you want to solve your problems, be my guest," Johan dismissed. "I won't try to stop you."

"Fine!" Judai rolled his eyes, walking away from Johan and towards the trail they hiked up. When he realized Johan wasn't following him, he stopped and turned to look at him. "I just told you some really deep shit and you didn't even tell me if you liked me back."

Johan raised his eyebrows in surprise. "What?"

"See, you don't even care about me!" he turned back to the trail. "Fuck it."

"Judai…I fucking love you."

Judai stopped in his tracks, still looking ahead. "What?"

"Judai," Johan sighed, "You said you weren't sure if you would have went back if it were anyone else."

Judai remained still, listening without seeing him.

"Well, if it wasn't you I was saving, I would have never given myself up."

Those words hit like dagger in flesh…piercing and unforgettable.

"Judai….I, I…" Johan let out a breath, not knowing what to say, "I'll go anywhere with you. If it's traveling you want, I'll drop it all to go with you. Whatever you want to do, I'll be with you 100%. Whatever you decide, I'm here for you. I want you to know that. You're not alone."

Judai smiled, finally turning around to look at Johan. He didn't have any words to say. Simply, he nodded his head firmly, flashing him a huge grin. Johan returned it, "Let's go home."