disclaimer: Emerald Twin Blade doesn't own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX, blah blah blah... You guys know the drill already!

Emerald's News & Nonsense:

ZOMFG, I'M FINALLY DONE WITH IT! XD!

Lucky Number Chapter 7! It's up! And it's at 'em!

BEWARE, READERS! TONS OF FLUFF ALERT! 8D! XDDDD!

And in the BEGINNING, too! ;D! LOL, I think it happened a little too fast, but it was too cute to take out or move. XD!

Enjoy, my dear Readers! This is the Fluffiest yet! XD

: Fragment No.07 : Warm Embrace

About an hour later, Ayukawa Emi was finally done conducting several different checkups on the formerly comatose teen. As soon as she said "okay, that's it," Yuki Judai took a firm hold of Anderson Johan's hand and grabbed his Slifer jacket as he dashed out of the room. Johan yelped as he was suddenly dragged out of the infirmary, leaving behind a stunned school nurse. The copper-haired Obelisk Blue advisor merely smiled and shook her head, going back to writing several things onto a paper that sat upon her clipboard.

Judai finally stopped once they made it outside, standing behind a few support beams as if afraid that somebody was going to come after them. Panting lightly, he pulled his Slifer Red blazer back on, straightening the violet red jacket. It was definitely a horrible color, which made it look closer to pink than red. Sticking his tongue out in distaste, he sighed; this was what he got for being so apathetic before. Now he really wanted a new jacket.

Johan couldn't help smiling as he watched his best friend's actions, chuckling good-naturedly. When innocent chocolate brown eyes looked up at him curiously, all he could do was shake his head and take a few steps closer, wrapping his left arm around his waist and reaching his right one around to hold onto the back of the brunette's head. His fingers slipped into his mop of brown and orange hair, running through it lovingly.

The Slifer student could feel a familiar warmth in his cheeks, knowing that a blush was forming there. Gulping, his eyelids sunk a bit at the strange tingle he was feeling on his head wherever Johan's fingers touched. It was an odd feeling… but it was comfortable. He didn't know what this pleasant sensation was; although, it felt very nice.

"J-Johan…" he moaned, looking up into a fond gaze from emerald eyes.

The blunette brought the brunette closer, hugging him softly. Judai leaned his head against the side of Johan's neck, feeling his heart begin to beat faster and louder in his chest. With how close the two boys were, he swore that the other could feel it, too, and it was this thought that made his face redden significantly in half-embarrassment. His arms twitched to life for a moment before hesitantly wrapping themselves around the other's waist. His fingers clenched around the thin fabric that made up Johan's white shirt, accidentally pulling it out from being tucked into his black pants.

Johan buried his face into Judai's brown hair, breathing in the younger boy's scent. Although he'd been lying in a nurse's office for about two days, he still had that absolutely addicting smell that was simply Judai. His eyes closed as he found himself caught in the moment, nuzzling against the other's head gently.

"Mmm… Judai…" he breathed tenderly, his arms tightening around his best friend's body, "There's something I… have to tell you, Judai…"

The Slifer student was intoxicated on the feelings he was drowned in by the current situation; it was like there was nothing but the two of them… All he was aware of was the blue-haired teen currently holding him close.

"Uh… uh-huh…" he tried to let the other know that he was listening, trying to tell him to continue, but when he let out the acknowledgement, it came out more like a pleading whimper.

A delightful shiver ran down his spine as Johan's warm breath hit his sensitive left ear, making his entire body tremble in anticipation. He almost let out another moan, but he shut his eyes tightly and bit his lip. Turning his head away slightly, all he accomplished was placing his ear closer to the other's mouth.

"Ever since we met… I've always felt something toward you…" Johan began, his eyes half-opening as a small smile came to him, "Something that… I didn't entirely understand until recently. Judai… I—"

"Judai! Juuuuudai!!!" a voice called out, ripping through the quiet of the air and totally ruining the moment.

Judai, having been immediately snapped out of his trance, shoved himself away from his best friend, standing about two feet away from him with his arms held out in front of him as if he was pushing the other. His eyes were staring directly downward at the ground, the blush burning his face. He gulped; what was that just then?

Johan made a confused and hurt look toward the brunette, but the expression melted away instantly as a certain Obelisk girl dressed in a Slifer vest came into view. He smiled weakly at her, greeting her politely.

"Good morning, Rei! Isn't it a little too early to be yelling?"

The dark-haired girl stopped a few feet away from him, seemingly oblivious to the fact that Judai was there due to the fact that he was hidden behind one of the support beams. She stared at Johan in surprise.

"J-Johan! When did you get back?" Saotome Rei asked with a wide smile on her face.

The blunette put his right hand behind his head and scratched at it some, chuckling embarrassedly, "Well, it's a long story… I came back because I heard about a few things."

"Like what happened to Judai?" the young girl pointed out, receiving a slow nod in return, "You don't have to be so shy about it! You're his best friend, right? You have a right to worry about somebody that close to you."

Johan nodded more confidently, "You're right. You're looking for him, aren't you?"

"Yeah, but I found him already!" she exclaimed cheerfully.

The two boys froze; did that mean she knew he was there the entire time? Clearing his throat, Judai slowly came out from behind the pillar, standing directly beside his best friend now with a slightly frightened look on his face.

"Judai-sama, why were you hiding from me?" Rei asked innocently, pouting childishly.

Oh, boy… The Slifer student knew where this would lead to, so he just decided to literally cut to the chase and take off running in the opposite direction. Johan blinked as he turned around, seeing nothing but the trail of dust the brunette had left behind. Out the corner of his eye, he could tell the girl was getting ready.

"Grrr… JUDAI-SAMA, WHERE ARE YOU GOING?! YOU SHOULDN'T BE RUNNING AFTER GETTING OUT OF THE INFIRMARY!!" she yelled at the top of her lungs as she ran after him, her tailwind making Johan's hair and clothes blow wildly in the opposite direction.

He blinked for a few seconds before taking a deep breath and sighing, "I guess I'll tell him later…"

Johan wound up turning around and walking off toward the Slifer cafeteria, knowing that Judai would likely head there once he thought that Rei finally lost track of him. It was almost funny how predictable he was… Hopefully, no one else knew this much to intercept him again. The blunette really did want to tell him how he was affected by their separation and… and how he really felt about him.

-------[Yu-Gi-Oh! GX]-------

Yuki Judai panted heavily as he leaned against the back wall of the Slifer Red dorm's cafeteria. It was a wonder that it hadn't become abandoned, especially since he was the only Slifer student left. Several people still came to eat at the homely little dining area. Straightening his horrible Slifer blazer, he looked both ways cautiously, as if Saotome Rei would pop out at any moment.

"I… think I lost her…" he mumbled before taking a deep breath to calm himself down and beginning to walk off toward the front area of the cafeteria so he could enter through the doors.

The brunette closed his eyes as he walked along the outer walls, dragging his left hand along the barrier. His mind instantly came up with an image of his best friend, which then led to the memories of what happened around a half hour ago. His cheeks reddened significantly at the thought; just what was all that? He didn't know… His heart had been beating so fast… and he felt like all he wanted was for Johan to hold him close forever…

The pulsing in his chest began to start up again, even without the blunette around. Picking up his vacant right hand, he stopped walking and placed it over his heart, feeling it through his shirt. He didn't know how Johan could have this effect on him… or what any of it meant. Maybe he should ask someone? If he asked Johan, he would definitely get an answer, but… since it involved him, maybe that wasn't such a good idea. Perhaps he should ask Asuka or Sho or somebody…

Going back to walking, he turned the corner and pushed open the doors weakly, not really having enough strength to have it open by a lot. He growled quietly, pressing both of his hands against the door but still not getting them to open any wider. Right when he was about to yell for somebody inside to open it for him, he heard familiar voices.

"… Now that you know that Aniki's alright, what'll you do now?"

Judai blinked to attention; that was Sho's voice! Moving his head so that his eye peeked through the crack in the door, he located his little friend, seeing that he was standing in front of Johan. It seemed that the two of them were the only ones in the cafeteria at the moment.

Johan was sitting at one of the tables while Sho was standing up, looking down at him. Judai couldn't see Sho's face, but from the nervous look on Johan's, he didn't think they were talking about anything too good. It was then that he remembered what he just heard; what was Johan going to do now that Judai was okay?

"Well… it's actually a funny story…" the blunette began, picking up his right hand and scratching the back of his head for a bit.

Sho folded his arms over his chest and interrupted the other, "You're leaving again, aren't you? I could tell from how you just started explaining. So, when is the boat coming back?"

The brunette froze as he listened to their conversation; Johan was… leaving again? His heart, which had been beating so pleasantly fast before, began to ache painfully, making him want to cry. He sniffled as silently as he could, trying to clear himself up, but it came out too loud for even his own ears. The two inside of the cafeteria turned to the doors, seeing familiar brown and orange hair through the crack. Johan gasped, getting out of his seat so quickly that he moved the table a little.

"J-Judai! How… how long have you been there?" he asked, an anxious look on his face as he slowly took a few steps toward the door.

Judai's tears began to fog his vision, making Johan and Sho simple smudges over a watercolor world. He sniffled again, taking a shaky step backwards before shutting the doors and running off.

"Judai!!" Johan called, completely ignoring the smaller blunette in favor of pushing passed the double doors and running after his best friend.

He could hardly see the Slifer student's violet red jacket flapping behind him; it was the only thing he could keep track of from such a far distance away.

"Judai! Judai, please!! Stop running! Stop running away from me!!" He cried several times, begging from so far away.

Johan could feel his chest clench inward uncomfortably, heartache traveling up to his face to produce a stinging in his eyes. He knew that he was going to cry, but he shut his eyes in an attempt to get rid of them. Teardrops detached themselves from the sides of his eyes, falling through the air behind him as he continued onward. Hues of emerald green reopened, only to grow wide in surprise. The blunette tried to stop himself from running, seeing that he was about to run into the absolute worst person to run into at this moment.

"Anderson Johan! Stop running this instant, de aru!!" commanded the vice-principal Napoleon, holding his right palm out to emphasize his authority.

The Anderson boy stopped his feet so fast that the momentum he'd built up as he ran wound up pushing him into the stout man, causing both of them to fall onto the ground. Johan landed on top of the staff member, an embarrassed and slightly frightened expression on his face as he laughed nervously.

"E-eh heh… S-sorry, Napole—"

"OUTRAGOUS!" Napoleon snapped automatically, shoving himself up to his feet and literally throwing the poor European off of his back, "You're coming to the principal's office right now, de aru!!"

"Wh-what?!" the blunette gasped after he stumbled forward and spun around to stare in disbelief at the vice principal, "B-but I just got back! C'mon!!"

The short, round teacher glared at him, making his pudgy face look awfully distorted, "Now, Anderson! Get moving, de aru!!"

Johan groaned in disapproval, slouching over and walking in a totally different direction with Napoleon following behind him. Even after all that he and Judai had done for him and Martin, he was being this way toward him? He wasn't even considered a student of Duel Academia yet!

His eyes wandered off toward the direction Judai had dashed off to, a worried sparkle in them, Judai… I hope you'll be okay…

"EYES FORWARD, DE ARU!"

He winced, shutting his eyes tightly and lowering his head for a moment before slowly picking it back up a bit and opening sad emeralds to watch where he was going. It didn't look like Napoleon was going to make this easy…

-------[Yu-Gi-Oh! GX]-------

Judai was lying back on his bed, chocolate brown eyes staring up at the bottom of the top bunk. His arms were spread out to either side of him and his violet red jacket was crumpled underneath him; he didn't bother taking off his shoes as he came in, completely forgetting about everything except for what he'd heard.

Johan… Johan's going back to North…? Tears slid down from the sides of his eyes, passed his ears and into his hair, dampening it significantly. He had already gotten used to his watery vision, seeing nothing above him but a dark brown blur in the dim room. His heartbeat had calmed to a slow, almost calm level, but he felt just as crappy as he had all last week.

Even though Johan was back, he would still have to leave again. This thought hurt him and he didn't know why. He knew that Europe was his best friend's home… so he had a right to go back. Far be it from him to keep him at Duel Academia. Judai kept telling himself this, but it didn't make him feel any better about it.

His eyes darted over to the clock; it was 3:13 PM. Had time really flown so quickly? It seemed like only a few minutes ago he was smiling and laughing along with Johan once he'd finally awoken. He sighed, closing his eyes and letting his face tilt upward slightly.

Every time he closed his eyes, without fail, he would see an image of Johan… Smiling, laughing, teasing, worrying… just about anything! Why was it that he couldn't get that friendly blunette out of his mind?

Knock, knock, knock!

He instantly turned around on his side so that he faced the wall, his back to the room. Reaching up his wrist, he wiped his eyes on his sleeve hurriedly before he heard his dorm room door creak open. He cursed mentally; apparently, he forgot to lock the door on his way in. He really didn't feel like seeing or talking to anybody at that moment.

"… Judai?" a familiar, velvety voice asked softly.

Judai's heart stopped; chocolate hues went wide as he slowly fell back onto his back, his head turning so that he could see the blue-haired boy standing by the door, "J-Johan…"

Johan had a worried look on his face as he watched the depressed Slifer lie in bed. His arms were folded over his chest, a white package being held to it. This item confused the brunette, making Johan grin slightly as he tossed it over to him.

Judai sat up hastily, swinging his legs over the side of the bed and reaching his arms out to catch the package. Whatever was wrapped in the white tissue paper, it was definitely soft. Looking up again to his best friend, he received a nod, which meant that he could open it. Going on to carrying out the action, he tore off the paper packaging and couldn't suppress the smile that appeared on his face.

The blunette must have remembered how the brunette wasn't too happy about wearing the old, violet red Slifer jacket, because sitting in Judai's lap currently was a brand new Slifer Red blazer. The same as the one he'd thrown away due to blood stains, minus the blood stains and plus that new-clothes smell. A low chuckle escaped his throat as he looked over to his friend again.

"Thanks… Johan…"

Emerald eyes softened at his calm voice as he entered the room, closing the door by leaning back against it. His arms, which had been held behind him, reached back a bit so that his fingers locked the door with a quiet click. Approaching his best friend, he didn't even bother trying to sit down; he didn't feel like it would be the right thing to do at the moment. Johan merely stood there, looking down on the other boy.

The curtains had been pulled off to the sides, allowing some of the afternoon sun to shine into the room. The rays of light fell directly upon Judai's innocent frame, giving him a golden angelic look. At this thought, Johan's throat went dry; he had been about to say something, but the other just had to look so damn adorable!

"Johan?" Judai asked, blinking up at his best friend, "Is something wrong?"

His voice… He sounded almost like a curious child, making the European teen chuckle inwardly before finally feeling comfortable enough to sit down beside the other. He sat himself down with about a foot between himself and the other, hopefully giving him enough tolerance to not put his arms around the cute brunette.

"Judai… There's been something that… well, no… There are a couple of things that I've been meaning to tell you." He finally said, his normal-colored pale hands coming together over his knees as he stared at them instead of looking to the other, "The first is about… how things were when I left."

"O-oh…" Judai stuttered, looking down, as well. He was slightly embarrassed; surely the other was going to try and make him explain why he got sick after he left. Everyone asked him that, but he couldn't answer… because he didn't even know why himself!

Emerald eyes closed for a moment as he began to speak, "Y'see… When I went back to Europe and finally got back to North Academy… things weren't the same."

"Huh?" The brunette made a puzzled look, turning to face the blunette; so, this was about how Johan had been feeling when he went home?

"I thought that I'd be happy to be home… and for a while, I was. But then everywhere I turned, I was expecting to see you there." He explained, smiling weakly as his eyes cracked open to continue looking at his fingers, "I realized that I missed you very much… and everybody started noticing that I was getting depressed."

Judai was surprised; that meant that Johan had been going through the same thing that he'd been for the last week! Except he didn't fall into a coma for almost two days.

"I started getting sick not long after… It was a little scary, because no one knew what was wrong with me besides that I was sad. Then I got a call from Samejima-kocho…"

Huh? What does Samejima-kocho have to do with anything? Judai tilted his head to the side cutely, blinking as he continued to listen.

"… He told me that you were really sick and that I should try to come back. The moment I heard about it, I went to the principal at North and made him let me come back." Now, a true smile came over him as he turned his face to look to the other's, "And while I was at it, I got him to sign a bunch of papers that would transfer me to Duel Academia for the remainder of the year."

Chocolate brown eyes went wide at what he just heard, "Then… back in the cafeteria… when you and Sho were—"

"He was just making assumptions." Johan said automatically, turning his head back to his fingers, "The truth of it was that I really didn't want to tell anyone until I told you first."

The pain that had been pulsing through Judai's chest faded away, leaving behind a rapidly beating heart and several butterflies flying around in his stomach. His cheeks reddened as he looked away, too, in a feeble attempt to hide his blush.

Johan, however, had noticed the change of color around the other's cheeks. He smiled with a slight chuckle as he scooted himself a little bit closer to his best friend, slowly reaching his left hand around Judai's waist and pulling his right one up so that his hand lay flat against his warm left cheek. The brunette was shocked by the sudden touch, but allowed the older boy to redirect his face to look straight into his.

Stunned chocolate brown stared into soft emerald green, the smile on Johan's face instantly making him relax under his touch. His face, however, only darkened as he was pulled closer into the other's warm embrace. His head tilted a bit so that his face was nestled into the crook of the blunette's neck, a few stray strands of teal blue hair falling over his forehead. Eyelids fell closed as his heart pumped faster within his chest, making him think that he might as well add 'heart attack' to that list of signs and symptoms Ayukawa-sensei and the others had put together to see what was wrong with him, but he wasn't experiencing the kind of heart attack that was harmful.

"Judai… There was… one more thing that I'd been meaning to tell you." Johan whispered, keeping his grip around the younger boy loose just in case something should go wrong.

"Hm?" Judai mumbled, giving into the warmth the other was providing for him.

It was absolutely mind-numbing, being this close to his best friend… The blue collar of Johan's Obelisk vest had been folded over to the side so that Judai's cheek and nose actually did come into contact with the soft skin of the European's neck. It took almost all of his self-control to keep himself from nuzzling against the tender, warm, pale skin there.

"For a long time now… I've felt these… strong feelings toward you. Not the kind of feelings that I feel toward Jim, or Sho, or anybody else… They're only focused on you." The blunette began, pulling back a little so that he could look into the face of the younger boy.

Judai opened his eyes, only to see that upon the light face of Anderson Johan was a bright red blush, almost as dark as his own. He had hardly been able to listen to what he was saying, but of what he did hear, he understood Johan's feelings to be very similar to what he was feeling toward him. The feelings were mutual, then… Did that mean that Johan knew what they meant? Maybe that's what he was about to tell him? He tried to clear out his mind so he could listen carefully to his best friend; he wanted to know what and why he was feeling this way.

"It took me a long time to realize… but the closer you and I got to each other, the more the feeling seemed to grow. Even now… I can feel it, and I know what it means now…"

What does it mean, Johan? Please, tell me! Judai pleaded in his mind, his eyes widening expectantly.

"I…" Johan started but paused, gulping in an attempt to dampen his dry throat, "I really… care about you, Judai… and I never want to see you get hurt or sad… I know for sure that I… I really…"

The anxiety and embarrassment on his face made it seem all the more suspenseful to the brunette, but then he saw a sparkle in the emerald eyes of the other and noticed how his face was steadily growing closer to his own. Judai didn't move, but as Johan came closer to him, his eyes fell closed again. Instinct literally took over his actions as his lips came open a tad and he too began moving forward.

The two tilted their heads to right side slightly, drawing nearer to each other until finally, their virgin lips met in their first kiss. At first, they were both merely frozen in place, the kiss a simple touch of lips, but then Johan's arms tightened around the other's body to bring him closer. His lips gently caressed Judai's unexpectedly feather-soft ones, rubbing over them to feel their delicious smoothness against his own. The brunette followed his lead, going along with the rhythm they were setting.

After about a minute of that, the two separated for a moment to stare into each other's eyes once again. Judai's eyes were filled with the very emotion he'd been trying to figure out all of this time, but Johan was able to read it clearly. It made him smile kindly as that fond look in his emerald eyes increased, and then he finally said it.

"… I love you."

It was at that very moment that everything lit up inside of Yuki Judai's mind, showing him that the feelings he held toward his best friend were unmistakably feelings of love. Not the kind of love one holds toward their family or their friends… Oh, no, these feelings had crossed the line of friendship into more-than-friendship a long time ago.

The harsh beating of his heart became a comfortable one to him as he smiled right on back at the blue-haired European, leaning forward to press his lips against the other's again. Judai picked up his arms and placed his hands over Johan's chest, fisting hesitantly at his white shirt as he brought him closer. The blunette had been mildly surprised by the action, but went along with it, closing his eyes again and trying to pull something different off on the other boy.

His mouth opened slightly wider than it had during their first kiss, allowing his tongue to lightly run over Judai's soft lips. A small gasp came from the younger boy, his eyes closing shut as he tried to lean his head back. Johan's hand, which had previous been over his cheek, traveled slowly to place itself within his brown hair, holding him in place so that he could continue what he was doing. The blush over the brunette's face became almost as bright as his old, faded Slifer jacket, his mouth open a little. A small moan rumbled from his throat and escaped into the air, making the blunette's ear twitch in interest.

Johan chuckled quietly before leaning forward a bit to close the gap between them again, holding Judai close to his body as he cautiously slid his tongue into the other's almost-awaiting mouth. The small, warm organ felt around the inside of the Slifer boy's mouth until it came in contact with his tongue. Judai shyly moved his tongue forward, rubbing it against Johan's, but becoming a little more confident as the two began a sort of war.

The kiss became more passionate as their faces and mouths gradually moved faster, each trying to get as much of the other as they possibly could. Not long after they started, they fell back onto the bed with Johan straddling over Judai's shivering body. The blunette finally pulled back from the brunette, his eyes coming open in unison with the other's. Both smiled contentedly and lovingly at one another, knowing how each other felt.

"Johan, I… I love you, too." Judai stuttered, happy that he finally knew what he should have been able to figure out before.

Johan leaned back down, holding his lips near Judai's ear, "I'm so glad… so, so glad…"

Just as they were about to lock lips again, they could hear the doorknob turning frantically, followed by the high-pitched voice of their good friend Marufuji Sho, "Aniki! Aniki, I know you're in there!! Come out, already! You need to eat! Tome-san made fried shrimp to celebrate you coming out of the infirmary!"

Judai immediately sat up, making Johan move back reflexively to give him room. The two stared at the door and then looked to each other. The brunette smirked, "Race you to the cafeteria?"

"You're on!" And so the two raced out the open door, totally ignoring the Marufuji boy in favor of dashing for the cafeteria.

Emerald's Notes & Nonsense:

This didn't end it, People! There's still the Epilogue! ;D!

Judai & Johan will only be semi-main characters in it, though. XD! Half of it will likely be centered around Sho and Manjoume. ;x

CAN YOU GUESS WHAT'LL HAPPEN?! XDDD! It's gonna be fun!

Okay, so tell me what y'all thought! It took me a VERY long time to finish this! It's currently 12:40 AM on Monday, November 10th, 2008. LOL! I was TRYING to get this done yesterday, but I kept getting distracted. XD Oops?

Okay, yeah... Questions? Comments? Reviews? Please, feel free! I reply to all questions and randomly reply to others. XD

See you in the next chapter! :D