Moi: Geez, how long has it been? A while. Sorry!!! I've been pretty busy with stuff!

Here we gooooooo!!!

Yay.

Cobalt's Gem

Chapter 2: A New Side

The four arrived at the twin's house.

"Aki should be sleeping, so please be quiet!" Rua whispered, "She's really angry when she's woken up."

Judai looked at Johan, who laughed sheepishly, "It's true."

Judai blinked in confusion. Usually Johan would know what he was trying to say, which was really "Who is Aki?"

Yusei was the last to go in, and he shut the door and locked it. Johan looked at him in confusion. Yusei just stared at him with hard cobalt eyes. Johan rolled his own and laughed quietly.

"You're so paranoid Fudo," he said.

"Better safe than sorry Andersen," Yusei replied. Johan giggled and went into the kitchen. Judai blinked again. Johan giggled. He had never heard him do that before.

"Oooh, can you make that stuff you made us last night? Plleeeaasssee!" Rua pleaded. Ruka nodded,

"Yeah! And that sauce too!"

Johan chuckled this time, "Sure."

The twins cheered, and a voice groaned,

"SHUT UP!"

The three bluenettes fell silent, and Johan busied himself with taking things out. Yusei helped him.

"Take that jacket off, stay a while," Johan murmured so only Yusei could hear, "And those gloves."

Judai, with his sharpened hearing, listened in, pretending to be looking out the window.

Yusei sighed, "Ok mom." He took off his jacket and gloves, putting them on the table.

Johan shot a mock glare at him, and Yusei chuckled. Only he didn't smile.

"Why don't you ever smile Yusei?" Johan's voice was still low. Yusei shrugged,

"I don't want to."

"Why not? It's fun."

"I'm sure it is."

"Yes, it is."

Yusei rolled his eyes and helped Johan still, chopping up some basil. Johan took out some spaghetti and put it into the boiling water. The two made dinner in silence.

Judai decided to come in and help. He walked over and asked,

"Can I help?"

"AH!" Johan jumped. The knife cut his finger. "Kuso! Judai, don't scare me like that!"

Judai looked at him strangely, "I scared you?"

Johan rolled his eyes, "Yes, yes you did."

"I'll get a band aid," Yusei muttered, and gave Johan a Barbie one.

Johan's eyes widened and he backed away from it. "No."

Yusei chuckled, a hint of a smile on his face. He gave Johan a ruby red one, and put it on the small cut.

"Ah, I love this color!" Johan smiled at it.

"Yeah, I know," Yusei sweat-dropped, "Your walls are painted that color."

Judai chuckled, but a smile crossed his face with it. Johan blushed in embarrassment and went back t chopping the tomatoes for his sauce.

"Get back to work!" he said.

"I am not a slave," Yusei protested.

"In my kitchen you are," Johan gave him a look and the knife was raised. The tomato juice was on it, making it look like blood. Yusei sweat-dropped again, along with Judai, and went back to finishing the basil.

TIME SKIP

Dinner was eaten in silence, except for Aki's groaning and the twin's bickering.

Johan looked at Yusei and Judai, who just ate, never looking up. He sighed.

Yusei was the first to ask, "You ok?"

Johan nodded, "Tired…"

Aki looked at him with cold eyes, and the emerald eyed man fell silent.

Judai searched Johan's face. But to his utter shock, he couldn't read his old best friend like he used to.

"You're not alright," Yusei said, "You're just nervous."

Johan blinked, "Geez, am I like an open book to you?"

"Maybe."

Johan stuck his tongue out, and Yusei laughed, a full blown smile on his face. Johan gasped,

"Yay, you smiled!"

Yusei was hugged in a death grip by Johan, and Judai held back a glare. Yusei patted the smaller one's head awkwardly, and Johan went back to eating, as did he.

It was silent again.

ANOTHER TIME SKIP

Judai was going to bed, when he heard groaning and mumbling from Johan's room. He went in, and shut the door quietly.

Johan was tossing and turning in his sleep restlessly. Judai couldn't make out what he was saying, so he just shook him awake.

"…and don't shoot me monkey!" Johan shot up. Judai looked at him strangely. Johan laughed sheepishly,

"Ehehe…hiiii Judai."

Judai just shook his head, "Are you ok?"

Johan smiled, "Mhm!"

Judai contemplated on speaking his mind. He didn't really get a chance to have a full conversation with his friend yet, and he probably wouldn't get the chance again…

He looked into Johan's eyes, and found something new in them. A new Johan…this Johan wasn't like the one he knew. It was older, mature. This Johan looked like he had been places and seen things that Judai didn't even know of. This Johan was stronger than the old one. It was strange to Judai, and once again the brunette had to wonder if it was ok to speak his mind.

"Something's wrong," Johan said. It wasn't just a statement. It was as if the new Johan was coming out and saying "Tell me or I'll force it out of you."

Judai sat on the edge of the bed, Johan's gaze never leaving him.

"You seem…different," the brunette began slowly.

Johan smiled softly, "Well, so are you. We can all change Judai, especially after what, 3, 4 years?"

"4," Judai nodded.

"Yes, 4 years then."

Judai shrugged, "It's just…"

Johan chuckled, "You don't like it."

Judai nodded again. He realized, that Johan could still figure him out, but Judai couldn't do the same anymore.

"You're harder to read," he murmured, "I don't know what you feel anymore…"

Johan shrugged, "I guess I practiced well then."

Judai looked at him in confusion.

"I used to live in a dangerous place, Judai. In that place, life would hit you hard in the face, and its fist didn't feel so good, let me tell yah. Your friends were everything. I'm not talking about back at the Academia, where they were just like your family. To me, they aren't just like family anymore. They're everything in that place. They're the only support you got…" he looked Judai hard in the eyes, the new Johan fully appearing. "Trust me Judai, if you went to that place, you would know exactly what I'm talking about. And if you're thinking it's just like Dark World, think again. Because it's not. In Dark World, your cards could get you through it all. In Satellite, your cards were illegal. Sure, they could maybe get you out, but there were police there too..." he sighed, "So, you can probably tell that I had to lie and conceal what I felt many times over. But it was what we all had to do."

Judai's fists clenched. Johan…just what did he do to deserve a life like that, even if it was only for a little while?

But he moved on to the next thing on his mind. "You and Yusei…seem pretty close."

Johan seemed unaffected by the change of subject and nodded, "Yes."

"How did you meet him?"

Johan smiled again, "It was really rainy…"

FLASHBACK

Johan shivered as he took refuge under a small expanse of metal as the rain pounded down onto Satellite.

"Hey, are you ok?" a voice called.

Johan looked up to see a man with spiked black hair and golden streaks. He had cobalt eyes, and he had on brown gloves and boots, with dark pants and a blue jacket.

Johan shook his head, not trusting his voice. The man offered a hand,

"My name's Yusei. What's yours?"

"Johan," Johan replied.

"Come on Johan, I'll take you to my place."

Johan nodded and took the offered hand. "Thank you."

END FLASHBACK

"He helped me out, and I met everyone," Johan finished, "We all became friends, and I lived there ever since. Until Yusei got us out and all."

Judai nodded again. He looked at Johan, and asked,

"What does he mean to you?"

"Yusei?" Johan asked. "Well, he's a very good friend, but…sometimes I like to think of him as a hard crystal, and I have to break through all of that composure to get to the real him. I want to be closer to him, you know? He helped me out, so I want to help him."

"You didn't really answer my question," Judai said.

Johan thought about it. "I guess…I want more from him. He's mysterious, he's adventurous, helpful, trustworthy, friendly…but I still want to get more out of him. I want…" he blushed, "I guess I just want him."

Emerald eyes glazed over as Johan murmured, "Yeah, him…all to myself…"

Judai felt jealousy and heartbreak creep into him. Johan…he loved Yusei, and he wanted that love to be returned. Just like what Judai wanted from him. He was going to try and confess that night, but now it was useless.

Johan noted the look in his eyes. His friend would have concealed it from anyone, but Johan was anyone. He saw what Judai felt, saw what the brunette wanted from him. He kept it to himself, not wanting to make things worse.

If only he could read Yusei like this…

I'm sorry Judai, he thought, but that kind of love for you had died the moment I saw those shining cobalts.

Moi: There. Again, sorry. Yeah. Review, or I will find you 0.0…