Title: Love is Blind

Genre: romance, hurt/comfort

Rating: T for language, mild violence, and suggested themes

Pairings: JohanXJudai (hinted other pairings)

Summary: When Johan goes back to North Academy, he confesses to Judai just before he leaves. He then gets word at North Academy that Judai has fallen into a coma. Johan rushes to Duel Academy in hopes that Judai will awaken. Judai does, but when he awakens from his coma, he's blind! Is his blindness permanent or temporary? Can Johan cure it? And is it just blindness, or is Judai's life in jeopardy?

Me: Okay! The next chapter is up and running!

Lucy: Yubel has rescued Johan from being killed by Duldum, but what can she do? Does Yubel hold the key to rescuing Judai's soul from the bell that he is trapped inside? And will Johan get it back?

Me: Read on to find out!

Chapter Six: Duldee

It was hard to breathe.

Johan didn't know where he was, but it was dark. He could still feel Yubel's clawed arms around his chest, guiding him safely through. They were moving at a break-neck speed, but it felt like an hour had passed.

Judai, Johan let the name waver through his mind. The name that he had fallen in love with. The name of the young man whose life was in peril because of the strong emotions that he felt for the bluenette. The name of the person who Johan had given his heart to.

When Johan finally broke from the darkness, he was greeted to a bright light. He drew in lots of fresh oxygen, and noticed that it was scented with a strong aroma of flowers. Cherry blossoms, Johan noticed.

He stumbled a bit, but Yubel's arms kept him standing. Green eyes fluttered as they adjusted to the bright light that seemed to resonate all around. He could feel a ground below his feet, a hard, cobblestone ground.

"Johan!"

Johan glanced up quickly at the sound of his name. His eyes went wide with shock and relief. A soft, sad chuckle escaped his lips, but that was the most he could manage.

Sapphire Pegasus was standing in the dimension that they were, right before Johan. The wounds on his chest that had been inflicted by Duldum seemed to have vanished, and were now just vague traces of pale crimson. The winged unicorn's eyes were filled with relief. He stepped towards Johan carefully. It was then that Johan noticed Amethyst Cat standing right beside Sapphire Pegasus, giving Johan a relieved look,

"Thank goodness, Johan," Sapphire Pegasus chuckled. "I was worried Duldum had killed you."

Johan felt Yubel slip her arms from around his chest. The bluenette looked over and saw Yubel land gracefully on the ground right beside him. She folded her arms across her chest.

"Well, now that we've established where everyone is, I bet you all have a lot of questions," she pointed out.

"You bet we do!" Amethyst Cat snapped. "First of all, why is Duldum here? And second, where the fuck in God's green Earth is Judai? This place is fucking huge! He could be anywhere!"

Yubel chose not to answer the purple panther's questions. She turned her full attention to Johan. "Johan, please give me your hand," she said, reaching her claw towards the bluenette. "I want to save Judai."

"Save... Judai?" Johan mirrored the question.

Yubel gave a swift nod. "Yes, I want to save Judai. Right now, his mind is in turmoil. His soul, or rather, his consciousness, is trapped inside the bell around Duldum's neck, as you have seen, Johan. But, if we have the bell, I can send you into it to rescue Judai," she explained.

"But... why?" Johan whispered. "Why did Duldum trap him inside there? What is she to him?"

Yubel saw the worry in Johan's eyes. She sighed and rested her hands on his shoulders. He was so much smaller than she was. She could tell that he was scared. He was trembling, even if it was slightly. The purple and black Duel monster spirit closed her eyes and tried to stay calm, so that Johan would calm down too.

"She's not his lover from another life or anything, like I am," Yubel explained. She saw a slight flash of relief in Johan's emerald eyes. "But she was something very close to Judai. She was his pet."

"P-pet?" Sapphire Pegasus spat.

"Yes, pet," Yubel said. "Duldum was never this thing. She was never in the form of a young woman, you see. In fact, like I was once a human, Duldum was once a young white kitten. She was Judai's pet cat when he was a child."

"Judai had... a pet cat?" Johan asked.

"Yes," Yubel answered. "Had being the key word. Duldum and Judai were very close. She would comfort him, sleep at the foot of his bed, and follow him wherever he went. Duldum and Judai were as close as a pet and master could get. However, there were some 5th graders that didn't like Judai all that much. They saw how much Duldum meant to Judai, and decided to use that against him."

Johan gulped at Yubel's tone. She sounded like she was on the verge of tears. Yubel looked away from the bluenette, her arms still folded across her chest. She continued her story.

"This was a short while after I was given to Judai by his father. These kids took Duldum and... gouged her eyes out. They didn't let her suffer long, but they still killed her. That's why Duldum wears those bandages around her eyes, you see. Duldum was killed, and Judai cried. I managed to send those kinds into a coma for a long time. I still don't know if they ever woke up. But, Duldum died... but she didn't leave."

"What do you mean?" Johan asked.

Yubel locked eyes with him. "Her spirit became similar to mine. It fused with Judai's soul, gained a human form like she has now, and she became a guardian for Judai. However, she's not like I am. Judai can't speak with her, and he can't use her powers. This is the first time that Judai has probably ever seen Duldum's human form, if he's even aware of his current situation," she explained.

Johan frowned. "So, is it because of me that Judai is like this... or because of Duldum?"

Yubel closed her eyes and fell silent.

The silence seemed to creep through the dimension they were in. Johan took the opportunity to glance around. He found that they were in a serene forest that reminded him of Duel Academy. He saw both Sapphire Pegasus and Amethyst Cat demanding an answer from Yubel. Johan knew she would give him one, eventually.

"Johan, it is because of you that Judai fell comatose," Yubel admitted. As predicted, a look of hurt flashed across Johan's face. "However," Yubel added. Johan perked up.

"However?"

"Duldum is responsible for Judai being trapped in such a deep coma," Yubel explained. "She dragged Judai into the depths of his mind and trapped his consciousness, so in a way, it's both of your faults."

Johan understood that. "But then..." Johan trailed off. He wanted to ask so much more, but he wasn't sure that he wanted the answers yet. He wanted Judai to be the one to tell him. "Why?" he asked.

"Why?" Yubel quoted. "Didn't she say? It's much easier to watch Judai when he's right here. She wants to monitor him, so his heart is never broken again."

Johan felt his heart racing. He hated hearing the fact that Duldum wanted to protect Judai from getting hurt, or the fact that she wanted to kill him to protect Judai from getting hurt. Did I hurt him that badly? he thought. Johan knew he had. Judai was in this coma because of him. Even though Duldum dragged him this far in, she wouldn't have if it were not for Johan.

"I..." Johan cleared his throat. "I realize that I have hurt Judai terribly. I understand how much it must have hurt him to see me leave after something like that. However..."

He paused and thought. Johan knew that Judai was like this because of him. Judai had become ill because of him. Judai was dragged into such a state because of him. It was all his fault and then some...

But...

Johan knew that if he was given a chance to let Judai know how sorry he was, he would do it. He would never break Judai's heart again. He'd do anything just to see the brunette that he loved smiling. He would do anything, even kill someone if it would keep the smile on his precious Judai's lips.

Huh, Johan thought carefully. Maybe this is how Duldum thinks.

"Judai is my world," Johan whispered. "He's the air I breathe, he's the very being that makes me want to keep living! If Judai wasn't here... I don't know where I would be. Judai's my everything! And I swear I will protect him! Even if he hates me when he comes out of his coma, I will still continue to protect him. If he happens to fall in love with another person, I will still protect him. Because as long as Judai is happy, then I am happy as well."

Yubel smiled softly while Sapphire Pegasus and Amethyst Cat made "aw"ing sounds. Yubel nodded, understanding fully what Johan meant. She knew that he would always protect Judai, no matter what.

What Yubel was not aware of was the other person listening in to Johan's confession.

From her spot in the darkness of "Yubel's dimension", Duldum listened in silence.

She, like Yubel, had a claimed section of Judai's mind. This just happened to be Yubel's section. Duldum had followed after her, because she knew that Yubel would bring "Bluey" to a place where Duldum couldn't easily find them.

Kill Bluey. That had been the plan.

Duldum had arrived in the "dimension" that Yubel owned within Judai's soul and mind and waited in the shadows, undetected, unseen. She waited for the right moment, the correct time to strike and kill Bluey.

However, Yubel's words kept echoing through her mind.

"You can not kill this boy, Duldum. If you do, do you think Judai would be happy with it? Do you want to be the one responsible for making Judai cry?"

Duldum bit her lower lip. Her fingers fiddled with the bell around her throat, the one that held Judai's true self. Not one of those Twisted Memories that kept on trying to kill Johan. But the true, loving, brave Judai Yuki.

Duldum carefully removed the choker collar from her neck and cradled it in the palm of her hand. Her bandaged eyes stared down at it for what felt like an eternity.

Heaving a heavy sigh, she gripped the golden, tiny bell in her hand and lifted her head, lips pulled into a fine line.

"So," Johan said, clapping his hands together. "Where would Duldum be?"

Yubel folded her arms across her chest. "If I know Duldum as well as I think I do, she'd probably be in her section of Judai's mind. But this place is huge, and I can't exactly locate her too well," she answered.

Sapphire Pegasus snorted and stamped on the ground.

"Then where the Hell are we supposed to start looking?" he yelled. Yubel turned and locked eyes with the large, winged horse. "She has Judai's soul with her! If we want so much as a chance of getting him back, we'll have to take it away from her!"

"Yes," Amethyst Cat said. "But Duldum doesn't seem like the type of just surrender something of value without a fight."

"While that is true," Yubel stated, matter-of-factly. "If it's for the good of her dear Judai, then Duldum will probably surrender it is we explain the situation and-"

Jiiing...

The soft, single ring of a very small bell seemed to echo through Yubel's dimension.

The four beings fell deathly silent, and the soft ringing seemed to resonate around them until it vanished into thin air. The winds seemed to hold their breaths and stay as still as the could. Not even a leaf rustled in the small trees.

"Johan, look!" Amethyst Cat motioned with her head behind Johan.

Johan turned around and followed the purple panther's gaze. He gasped when he saw a small black choker collar with a golden bell laying gently on the cobblestone ground. Johan noticed that a piece of paper was attached to the choker collar.

"T-that's..." Johan started to run to the choker, but Sapphire Pegasus stopped him.

"Johan, no! It could be a trap!" he warned.

"I wouldn't worry," Yubel said, walking up beside the white unicorn. "Duldum is the type of person that wouldn't use Judai like this, even if it was a trap. Johan's in no danger."

Johan maneuvered his way over to the choker collar and scooped it up. The bell that held Judai's soul jingled gently as it moved. Johan unraveled the piece of paper from the choker and opened it.

A small message was written in bright blue letters.

Bluey...

If you hurt Duldum's precious Judai again, then Duldum will come and hurt you, understand?

Duldum leaves Duldum's precious Judai to you from now on.

-Duldum

Johan smiled and looked at the bell in his hand. He noticed that it was pulsating softly with an energy that Johan imagined must have been the warmth of Judai's soul.

Thank you, Duldum. I won't let you down, Johan thought with a smile.

He squeezed the golden bell gently and turned towards the three Duel Monster spirits. They all noticed the look of joy and happiness in his eyes, though none of them had seen what was on Duldum's note.

"I'm ready," Johan whispered. "So, let's save Judai!"

Me: Yay! Duldum left the bell for Johan! That means Johan can go to where Judai's soul is!

Lucy: But once he gets inside the bell, he'll have to find Judai in there! But maybe this time, Yubel will be able to give him a bit more help. Will Johan be successful in rescuing Judai?

Me: Review, and we shall updated ASAP!