disclaimer: Emerald Twin Blade does not own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX or any of the characters, settings, monsters, etc. that you appear in this fic that you recognize from the show. She only owns the plot... the main idea for this fic.
Emerald's News & Nonsense:
Teehee... I really liked the Reviews I got for .04. X3! Even if I only got 4 Reviews, I was already finished writing this chapter and I just finished checking for spelling and grammar (8:47 PM, Nov.3, 2008).
I really finished writing this chapter yesterday. XD! But I left the editting and revising for today. My boyfriend didn't let me check it so thoroughly while I was at school, so if you find anything, please tell me so I can fix it. Mistakes bother me, but I'm so oblivious that I hardly notice them, even when I'm looking for them. XP
Go on, you crazy kids! XD! -always wanted to say that.-
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Fragment No.05 : RevivalDarkness… Wasn't it supposed to be his friend? The darkness of good that would save the world from the light of destruction? It was so hard to see… In fact, eyes that had once been able to see so much had lost their sight.
Chocolate brown irises were almost non-existent in completely black eyes. Long, messy bangs hung over his face, hiding it from view. His head was held low, chin pressed inward against his collarbone. Eyes were open, unseeing, but staring straight down into his lap.
Yuki Judai currently sat up against a soft, moist, earthy wall; his red blazer becoming slightly soiled by the muddy, dirt-like substance. He, however, was apathetic about it. He sat there, motionless with his knees pulled up to his chest and his arms wrapped around them.
When had he stopped falling? How long had he been there? So many questions that he wanted to ask… questions that should have been floating around in his head, but it wouldn't process thought. His mind was completely blank.
Poink!
His ear twitched, his hearing heightening at the sound of water dripping in the distance. It echoed through the empty area; it was no surprise that there was water nearby, especially when the walls were slightly damp.
Poink!
His blind eyes moved to look off to the right, his head sliding from hanging low to tilting onto his right shoulder. His mouth slowly came open; it had been closed for so long that the inside of his lips had stuck together.
"U-ughh…" he groaned, his eyes half-closing from the movement.
His body was numb and he couldn't feel anything… anything but the cold chill that seemed to be turning his sun-kissed skin a porcelain white color. Could he be dying? He didn't know, and he couldn't even try to consider the subject since it was pretty much impossible to think in this dark, lonely place.
"… I haven't seen your face here before."
"Aah?" he mumbled in confusion; what was that voice?
"Are you a freshman?"
In comparison, it was easy to tell that it was his own voice… but he wasn't saying anything. He couldn't form coherent words due to lack of thought; however, he could listen and piece things together as quickly as possible before he lost the train of thought and went completely blank again.
"Well, if you say it like that, I guess I am a freshman."
His heart began to race at the sound of the other voice; he didn't even have to try to think to know whose voice that was.
"J-Jo… han…" he stammered, his condition not getting any better, though he was able to say the name correctly.
"… I've got a strange feeling about you." Judai could hear his voice echo through the narrow tube that was his empty prison.
"Same here. It's like this isn't the first time we've met."
It was then that he realized he was hearing was a memory… A point in his life that he held dear to him.
The memory of when he first met Anderson Johan.
His body was frozen and numb, but he could feel warmth begin to tingle in his cheeks, causing them to redden softly. Hues of pure black tried to blink away the tears that began to form at the sides of his eyes, but alas, it was impossible for his eyelids to close entirely. The best he could manage was to squint.
"… Did you happen to see a guy named Johan?"
"Huh? Johan? … That "Johan" guy… That's me."
Crystal clear drops of water slipped down the side of his face, leaving a wet trail from the side of his eye and following all the way down his cheek. A single drop fell off of his chin, falling passed his arm and jacket, straight to the puddle of cold water that he hadn't yet noticed he was sitting in.
Poink!
The turquoise-colored water that surrounded him came up to his ankles, and the moment that his tear splashed lightly into the huge puddle, it seemed to fast-forward through his memories to something a bit more recent.
"It's been fun, Johan. We'll definitely meet again, right?" Judai remembered how he said that to his friend after a long, comfortable silence had settled between the two of them. He had held out his right hand to shake the other's in a pleasant goodbye.
His heart clenched at the memory; how could he just shake his hand? Why didn't he give him something more meaningful, like a hug or something…?
"Absolutely. I promise, Judai… I'll find a way to come back—."
Now that he heard it again, the brunette could hear the sudden pause in the blunette's voice. He was going to say more… but he stopped himself. He might have dwelled on the thought, but he was unable to.
Then he heard something that he hadn't noticed at the time they had been speaking. It was a soft mumble and he had to strain his ears to hear correctly, but even after hearing it, he didn't understand what it meant.
"… I'll find a way to come back to you…"
It made his chest ache painfully and made him begin to cry even harder. He couldn't make any sound now… Every time he whimpered and sobbed, no sound reached his ears to tell him that he was making noise. All he could hear was the shallow dripping of water into the slowly rising pool of water he was sitting in.
He sniffled and gasped, trying to get his breathing under control, but the water was ascending faster now. When he opened his mouth to pull in another huge breath, he was greeted by freezing water. His black eyes went wide at the feeling, coughing it out and trying to raise his head above the liquid in order to get the air he so desperately needed.
What was going on? Wasn't the water only around his feet a few minutes ago? A weak strength came to his limbs as he now felt able to move. His arms flapped out, trying to find something to grab onto in the darkness. He was still blind, but even though he had been sitting against a wall of earth, his sense of direction was shot.
Judai tried to keep his head above the water, struggling for breath. Suddenly, a force greater than gravity seemed to shove him beneath the surface. He opened his mouth to let out a scream, but he was still mute. With his head having gone under, massive air bubbles swiftly exited from the teen's mouth, depriving him of what little oxygen he had. He again tried to lash through the pool, attempting to get back up to the surface. When his head was about to exit the water, he merely felt the same weight as before keep him under.
His chest began to hurt again, needing oxygen immediately. Though his mouth was clamped shut, control over himself was lost once again as he let it open wide and breath in the water. He coughed, choking on the liquid surrounding him.
He couldn't get any air… Something was trying to drown him. His blind eyes were shut tightly as he tried to cling to consciousness, but he soon passed out, losing himself to the darkness once again.
-------[Yu-Gi-Oh! GX]-------
The lights were all off inside of the infirmary and it was empty of anyone who might have otherwise been in there. It was silent, but if one could strain their hearing, they would be able to hear the slow, shallow breathing of the comatose brunette who laid on one of the few beds in the room. The only light in the room came from the screensaver of the computer the school nurse used, which was of the words "Duel Academia" floating randomly all over the screen in a variety of colors each few seconds.
It had already been about a day since Yuki Judai was pronounced comatose. It was currently Saturday night, 11:55 PM, and still, there was no improvement in his condition.
The lock on the mechanical door came unlocked, sliding open to reveal the large man who was the principal of the school. Walking into the room, he ignored flipping the switch to turn the lights on and motioned with his hand for someone to follow him in. A shorter, much younger boy entered after him, the darkness hiding both of their features. All that one could see of the two was their size and the shape of their heads. Samejima-kocho's bald head turned around to face the shorter one, beginning to speak.
"I know that it must have been hard for you to come back after everything that's gone on… I'm sorry that you were only able to stay in your home country for a week, but as soon as all of this is done, you may leave when you'd like to." He explained, turning back to look down at the poor, sleeping Slifer, "Everything I've told you is true; we've already cured him, so… the only thing keeping Judai from waking up is Judai himself."
The spiky-haired teen that had arrived with him nodded, speaking in a slightly lower voice because of the quiet and the darkness around them, "I see… and you say that he needs to see how he really feels about something? How do I fit into all of this?"
"It's because most of the signs that led him to this illness began after you and everyone else left Duel Academia. Even though the others may not realize it, I think that you are the only person who can bring him out of this."
"I wish I could ask you why you think that way, but… at this point, I guess it's the truth." The other responded, approaching the left side of the bed, "You can go now, Samejima-kocho… I can handle it from here."
The man nodded, exiting the room and locking the door behind him so that it looked like nothing had happened.
The spiky-haired youth sighed, sitting down on the side of the bed and gazing down at the peaceful-looking face of the sleeping brunette. A small smile curled on his lips as he picked up his right hand and put it to the side of Judai's face, sliding a few stray strands of his hair away from his cheek. When he did so, however, he noticed that the side of his face was slightly damp. Pulling his brown hair back, he felt the thin line of tears that the unconscious boy was currently crying out.
The newcomer seemed to make a sympathetic look and smile sadly, "You really are hurting, aren't you, Ju-chan? And it's all my fault for leaving the way I did… I really am sorry…"
Judai's face didn't move; even though he looked like he was sleeping serenely, the tears that stained the side of his head proved that he was anything but serene. The boy stood up from his seat, his arms hanging at his sides.
"Are you ready, Johan?" a voice asked, its source soon materializing behind him.
Out of thin air came the large white horse with big, feathery wings folded at its back and a pure blue horn sticking out of its forehead, its eyes looking directly at the tall teenager who was standing by the bed.
Teal blue spikes that made up his hair swayed to the side a bit as he turned at a 90 degree angle so that he half faced the Duel Monster spirit and half faced the bed. Emerald eyes held a determination that none could ever hope to rival, besides Yuki Judai himself. A soft smile was on his face as he nodded.
"Sapphire Pegasus… Thank you for helping me."
The horse bobbed its head up and down, "I haven't helped you yet, so how about we get down to business? From what I've heard from Neos, things aren't too good inside of Judai."
Anderson Johan closed his eyes and nodded again, "Right."
"Rubi, rubi!" echoed the squeaks of Ruby Carbuncle as the little purple creature appeared at the teen's shoulder.
"Of course you can come, too! If anything, you'll help find him with your tail's light since I hear that it's dark in there." Johan tried to sound cheerful, cracking a joke accidentally.
"Shall we, then? You know how to start it off." Sapphire Pegasus reminded, scratching its hoof against the tile floor.
The blunette blushed lightly, but it wasn't visible in the dark of the room, "Are… you sure there's not another way?"
"There is, but any other way would not only hurt you, but Judai, as well. I don't think he needs any extra pain added to what he has to deal with already."
The boy sighed, "Fair enough…"
Johan turned to face the bed, bending over the sleeping brunette and thinking about how this silent, vacant figure was once so loud and full of life. Judai's excited and happy smile came to his mind and gave him the confidence boost that he needed to do what he had to. He smiled gently as he again placed his hand to Judai's cheek, wiping away his tears with his thumb as his face steadily grew closer to the other's.
"I'm sorry, Judai… I hope you can forgive me."
With that, his emerald green eyes fell closed as his lips touched the comatose Slifer's, a bright flash of multicolored light occurring for a few moments. When everything settled again, the teen and the two Duel Monster spirits were gone.
-------[Yu-Gi-Oh! GX]-------
"What… is this place?" Johan asked aloud, hearing his own voice echo down the huge, dark, vertical tunnel.
The blunette was currently seated on Crystal Beast Sapphire Pegasus's back with Ruby cuddling up into his neck. His right arm was bent upward so that his hand lightly patted at Ruby Carbuncle's soft head.
"This can't seriously be Judai's mind, can it?" he added to his previous question, which he directed at nobody in particular, but Sapphire was the only one who could answer, anyway.
"It is. This is what happens when a person is so conflicted by emotions that they can no longer handle them. The thing that triggered this entire problem was likely the shot that he got by accident before we left."
Johan looked around, seeing that to his left and right were walls made of what seemed to be moist dirt with stems, roots, and branches sticking out of them. The tube-like place was narrow, but it was wide enough for Sapphire Pegasus to have an abundant amount of space to stretch its wings and fly from side to side about three yards apart. The only place he figured they could go was either up or down, and down seemed more likely a direction to find his best friend.
"Alright, then… Let's go down!" he pointed downward before looking to his shoulder, "Ruby, can you stay ahead to lead the way? I don't think it'd be a good idea to go down without knowing what's in front of us."
"Rubi, rubi! Rubi!" the purple creature squeaked, hopping off of his shoulder and making the crystal at the tip of its tail radiate a bright red color to illuminate their way down.
It fell down easily, showing just how deep the tunnel went as Sapphire dive-bombed to catch up with it. Even its blue horn began to glow, but its light didn't show as much as Ruby's did.
With the wind whistling passed their ears, it was almost a wonder that Johan was able to hear something other than its wild howling.
Poink!
"Huh?" he blinked, hearing the sound again, "What was that?"
Sapphire Pegasus allowed its ears to stand a bit even though they were descending at a hasty pace, hearing the sound, as well, "Water? In a place like this?"
"RUBI!!" screeched the legendary animal whose light had led their way.
"Wah! Ruby!!"
The red glow of Ruby Carbuncle's tail had gone out as a huge splash of water was heard below them. Sapphire's white wings made them slow to a stop just as its hooves felt chilly liquid hit them. It shivered at the feeling.
"For the love of Ra! That's freezing!"
"Sapphire, light your horn again! We've got to find Ruby!!" Johan panicked, looking around and seeing nothing in the darkness. He couldn't even see the water!
The large horse shook off the cool feeling it had gotten and made its sapphire horn exhibit a brighter blue light than it had earlier on their way down. Its thick, white neck lowered toward the water, lighting up the liquid to show Ruby floating at its surface, immobile. The Keeper of the Crystal Beasts gasped in surprise, immediately reaching out his hands and sticking them into the water.
"Ahhh!!!" he screamed at how absolutely cold it was, but he kept his hands there until he picked up the poor little Crystal Beast and held it securely in his long-sleeved arms.
The thin material of his white, long-sleeved shirt was easily dampened and the chill of the water that clung to Ruby's fur soaked through to his skin, making him shiver almost as much as the seemingly hyperventilating Crystal Beast in his lap was.
"R-rub-bi…" it stuttered, curling up into a ball and cuddling into his warm chest.
Johan made a worried look at his spirit partner before he heard Sapphire Pegasus yell, "There! Johan, look there!!"
The blunette bent over the side carefully so he wouldn't fall into the water, scanning over its clear surface with hues of emerald. What he saw past the skin of the water stunned him beyond belief, making those eyes of his go wide as he shouted.
"Judai!!"
There, floating underneath the water in the center of the pool, was his very best friend, the Slifer student who he had gotten to know for God-knows-how-long… and he was unconscious.
Shifting Ruby in his arms so that he held her with his left one, he tried to reach out his right one into the water, but Sapphire Pegasus floated upward a bit more to put the pool out of his reach.
"What are you doing?! You know how cold that is!" it reminded him sternly, "Do you want to freeze to death? I'm sorry to say, but I think Judai's already—"
"NO!" Johan yelled at the spirit who was currently keeping him afloat, "I won't believe that! Not ever! Judai is alright… I know it!"
The blunette pulled off his Obelisk Blue vest and wrapped Ruby Carbuncle up in it, placing it on Sapphire Pegasus's back before leaning over again and calling out to the sleeping Slifer.
"Judai! Judai!! Can you hear me?? Judai, wake up! You have to!!"
As he was about to shout out again, he lost balance and fell off of the Crystal Beast's back, landing head first into the freezing water. Sapphire shouted, almost about to reach its head in and grab him by the collar of his shirt, but stopped itself for fear of being put in the same state as Ruby, who was still shuddering on its back.
"Johan, be careful!!"
The moment Johan hit the water, he felt an odd power force him under, but he didn't scream. He kept his air inside of him, although his chest was throbbing from the fall. The water was making his body go numb, but he still had control over his actions. Slowly opening his eyes and willing for them to get used to the burning freeze of the water, he saw Judai several yards down in the water.
Making up his mind, he began swimming downward, gracefully waving his arms out in front of him and kicking his feet behind him with something less than poise. He also hoped to whatever God might be watching that he would be able to get to the other boy before it was too late… for the both of them!
-------[Yu-Gi-Oh! GX]-------
"Judai!!"
A voice… a familiar one, but… whose was it? Yuki Judai couldn't remember anything… and his eyes wouldn't open. All he felt was… well, nothing. He was completely numb, from head-to-toe. He didn't know if he was dead… or alive, as he floated there in the cool darkness of the water.
"Judai! Judai!! Can you hear me??"
His heart… The muscle that he might have thought stopped beating by now began to function properly again, slowly until blood began to pump faster and faster, but he still felt nothing. His pure black eyes came open halfway, trying to see.
"Judai, wake up! You have to!!"
The spark of that voice suddenly burst into flame inside of his heart and mind; that voice finally connecting to the picture in his head that he had held so dear to him for over a week now. Chocolate brown eyes snapped wide open, his pupils returning to normal as he stared above him in time to see the blurry outline of his best friend fall into the water, causing several air bubbles to fly around him and splash water up on the surface. He opened his mouth, shouting out in the water.
"JOHAN!!!"
Air bubbles rose from his mouth, but it was the last of the air his body was able to produce for him, causing him to choke from its loss. Flapping his arms out in front of him, he tried to swim upward to meet with his best friend and see if he was alright, but all he did was swim in place. He wasn't moving.
Although his vision wasn't so clear in the water to begin with, it began to blur even more as he slowly lost control. However, he was able to make out a teal blue shape that was quickly coming closer. Trying with all of his willpower, he pushed away the hand that unconsciousness had been trying to grasp him in and forced his eyes to see clearly.
Johan was coming for him… He was swimming through these freezing waters to come help him. A determined, unyielding look was on his face as he came nearer and nearer, his mouth clamped shut so as to not let any air escape him.
Judai smiled weakly as the blunette finally came within reach, seeing a relieved smile come to the face of his best friend. As the other reached out his arms and held his hands out to him, the brunette stretched his own arms forward and threaded his fingers together with Johan's.
A bright flash of blue and red occurred, completely concealing everything from view for a few moments, but then when the light cleared, everything was back to normal.
The setting was no longer a dark, circular, vertical tunnel… but a vast, colorful space comparable to Neo Space. Johan was sitting on Sapphire Pegasus's back again with Ruby Carbuncle sitting on his shoulder as if nothing had happened to her, and Judai was sitting behind him with his arms securely around his waist to make sure he didn't fall.
"Judai, you're alright!" Johan exclaimed, swinging his right arm behind him and putting it around his best friend's shoulder. He pulled him into a half hug, squeezing his shoulder lightly.
"Rubi, rubi!" Ruby squeaked, floating off of Johan's shoulder and over to Judai's, rubbing against his cheek affectionately.
Yuki Judai laughed cheerfully as his once-ivory white skin changed back to its tan color almost instantly. Warmth spread throughout his body like wildfire, and it all seemed to be coming from Johan's touch at his shoulder. The brunette smiled happily, feeling as though everything was back to the way it was supposed to be. He was back among friends... the Duel Spirits and Johan.
Johan looked down at him and smiled apologetically at him, causing a look of confusion to come to Judai's face, "I'm so sorry, Judai… It was because I left that this happened, wasn't it?"
The Slifer student tilted his head off to the side a bit, grinning sheepishly, "Well… I guess so… Things just weren't the same without you around and I just… really missed you, y'know?"
The blunette swung his other leg over so that both his legs hung off of Sapphire's right side, and he then put his other arm around Judai's waist, pulling him into his chest for a warm embrace. His emerald eyes fell closed as he just held the younger boy in his arms.
Judai, however, was completely surprised by this movement, the blood rushing to his cheeks and giving him a bright red blush. He looked toward the side of Johan's head, wondering what could have brought on this position.
"Johan…?"
Johan's arms tightened around the other's body as he spoke, "I promise I won't leave you again, Judai… The truth is that… I wasn't in much better a condition back at North Academy, either."
Judai's eyes went wide upon hearing this, but didn't say anything, thinking that the other had more to say.
"They told me that I was acting really off… that I was depressed. I didn't want to believe it because I knew I should've been alright since I was finally back home." He grinned grimly, "I was wrong, though… Everywhere I turned, I was hoping to see you there. I couldn't stand being away from you, even if it was only for a week."
Judai smiled gently, picking up his own arms and holding them around behind Johan so that his hands were placed over his back. His finger clenched inward slightly, feeling the fabric of Johan's Obelisk Blue vest.
"I was never planning to stay at North… I got some papers signed so that I could come back to Duel Academia for the rest of the year, and so I could come back… to be with you."
The brunette pulled back from the older teen, looking at him with a confused look but a curious smile. Johan put his right hand to Judai's cheek and gave him a genuine smile.
"Judai… I—"
"Johan! Something's expelling us from—AAGH!" Sapphire Pegasus grunted, as its blue horn began to shine brilliantly, making itself, Johan, and Ruby begin to fade away.
Ruby Carbuncle's tail began to glow increasingly bright, as well, making it screech uncomfortably. Johan gasped, his surprise evident on his face as he slowly became transparent.
Judai's hands instantly tightened their grip on his best friend's clothing, hoping that somehow it could help make him stay. His fingers went right through him, however, making him seem like a ghost.
"Johan… Johan!!" he cried, moving upward so that he could try to hug him around his neck.
"Judai…!" Johan's voice called in an echo before he and the Crystal Beasts were completely gone.
Judai stopped in midair, floating where he was in his own personal Neo Space. Looking left and right, he spun around in a full circle, expecting to find them magically reappearing in another area. When he didn't see anyone, he bit his lip and shut his eyes.
Not again… he thought before shouting out, "JOHAN!!!!"
Emerald's Notes & Nonsense:
Wheee!! I told you guys that Johan would appear in this chapter! LOL!
I'm actually happy with how this chapter came out. I wrote it exactly the way I saw it in my head. XD!
... the Hopeless Romantic inside of me finally broke free and unleashed its powers through Johan. XD! Good or bad idea? Tell me what y'all thought, y'know y'know? X3!
... May have to wait a bit longer for .06... I'm still debating on whether or not it'll be the final chapter. O.o! It's kinda hard to decide, especially since I want to go on to a fic that I know will be longer, but know for sure I'll stick with due to complete & utter obsession with Spiritshipping. XD
LOL! Since this fic is only rated-T, I'm kinda sad because I've always wanted to write a lemon. D:! But one'll surely come out in the other fic. XD! The title's a work in progress, but right now it's being called "Severed Connection." Go read the summary I put in my profile if you're interested! LOL!
Have any questions? Comments? Random love confessions? Or even just opinions or facts? Please feel free to share with me through either a Review or a PM! XD