I haven't done one of these in a while, so here's a little something I whipped up, just so you know I haven't died or anything like that. Part three of my never-ending series (at least until I end it), Through the Ages. This part is where the two meet when they are at the Academia's test to get in (episode one, basically). Keep in mind, that this takes place after Judai also had his memory wiped (OH SNAP…SPOILERS!!!!!). So, here we are, enjoy!
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Part III: New Beginnings
Asuka sighed heavily as she stood inside the doorway, awaiting for her friend, Marufuji Ryo to appear. She peered down at her watch and cocked an eyebrow. "Why isn't he ever on time?" she wondered, annoyed and anxious as the precious seconds ticked by. "You'd think a guy with his sincerity would be able to keep an eye out for the time."
She inhaled and exhaled deeply. 'Maybe I'm the one who needs to calm down,' she mused. Indeed, she had a lot on her mind lately. She had been studying vigorously to get into the Academia straight for her dueling prep school, to be with her brother, Tenjoin Fubuki. Everything had been going according to plan. She was tops in her class, and was soon ready to join her brother, who, even if he could be a nitwit at times, was always looking out for her.
She thought back to the times she had with her brother; the time she drew a picture of her Cyber Tutu in the sand and how impressed he was with it; and the time she was sick in the hospital after chasing the boy who stole her mother's handkerchief (she still hadn't caught him). No matter what, Fubuki always knew what to do and say to pick up her attitude. She never wanted to lose that, even if it meant having to stand for his idiotic antics from time to time.
So Asuka studied. She became the best female duelist at her school, even better than a lot of the boys, most of whom tried asking her out afterwards. She never budged, though. She was firm, always cool, calculating, and collected. She never spoke or moved more than was necessary. She groomed herself to be a well-oiled machine, not showing emotion, being very precise, and always knowing what to do or say.
All of it came crashing down, that one day.
Asuka remembered it clearly. She was walking home from school and arrived at the house, where a black car was stationed. She didn't recognize the model, nor the license plate. She thought maybe Fubuki had come home for the weekend. It was their Fall Break, after all. She sprinted into the door when the words she never thought she would here entered her ears.
"Tenjoin Fubuki, along with several other students, have gone missing," an elderly looking, bald man, she soon found out to be Principal Samejima, stated. There was aloud bang throughout the house, causing Asuka's father and the intruder to turn to her. Her books were sprawled on the floor as her eyes looked dilated. A lump crept up her throat and she felt her body go numb. She forced the lump down again, however, telling herself it wouldn't do Fubuki justice to cry for him. After all, he was only missing, they would find him soon, right?
The next few weeks were a blur, as she began moving through life by simply existing. And every day seemed longer, because she didn't hear one of Fubuki's crazy attempts to get her on a date with one of the guys at the Academia, or to create that Bucky and Asuryn duel/musical group he always talked about.
One day, she received a letter from someone from the Academia. It was Marufuji Ryo. He expressed his sorrow to her, and the two became penpals extremely quickly. Soon, the two would talk on the phone, sometimes for several hours on end. Asuka would explain her sorrow, and Ryo would intently listen, only making remarks when necessary. Asuka was happy she was able to confide in someone again about her true feelings, but again, it just wasn't the same as her older brother.
She heard the steps of someone racing towards her, which snapped her out of her train of thought. She picked her head up and stared down the corridor, before realizing that they were coming from around the corner. 'Is that Kaiser…?' she wondered. Even due to his usual lateness, he never hurried before. It was only about ten minutes after they agreed to meet, as well. She began walking towards the corner.
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"Crap, Crap, Crap, Crap, CRAP!!!!" A brown-haired boy shouted as he dashed down the corridor. "How could I be so late!?" he wondered. "Stupid train and it's stupid late-ness…"
He grabbed the wall to keep his momentum going and flung himself around the corner and down another hallway. "101...101...101...WHY DID THEY MAKE THE TESTING HALL ALL THE WAY DOWN TO THE OTHER SIDE OF THE STUPID BUILDING!?" he roared out loud.
After taking a second to make sure he wasn't going to run anyone over, he noticed that a man with rather long blue hair and a long white jacket with blue on the shoulders was walking in the same direction. "S'cuse me, sir!" Judai shouted. "I don't wanna be rude, but I'm kinda in a hurry!!"
The man turned to look at the boy, allowing Judai just enough room to squeeze past him. "Thanks, mister!" he called, waving behind him as he bolted down the hall.
The older boy who allowed Judai to pass just stared down the hallway, watching Judai speed around the hall. "Strange kid…" he muttered.
Judai noticed a clock on the wall, which revealed it to be 12:55 PM. "Ahhhh…The man at the front said that if I made it before one o'clock, I would technically still be able to take the test…I gotta hurry!"
With this statement to himself, he began barreling down the hallway even faster, passing random students dressed in blue and an occasional professional looking person, presumably teachers.
He saw he was hitting another dead end and planned on swinging himself around the corner again to retain his momentum. He began to close in on the wall as he approached the left-turn only corridor, when a being peered out from around the corner, saying, "Kaiser…?".
It was a girl with velvet brown eyes and dishwater blonde hair that seemed awfully familiar to Judai. She, like all the other girls he had passed, had a white, sleeveless blouse on with a black turtleneck underneath and outlined in blue. Judai scanned her for a moment before he realized that their bodies were about to connect. He knew he was going to fast to slow down enough before colliding with the girl, so he did the next best thing…for her, anyway.
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Asuka was certainly surprised when she turned the corner only to find a boy wearing a gray sweat jacket with a red t-shirt careening towards her. She was also quite surprised to find an aura of familiarity with the boy. She soon realized, however, that she was on the verge of being run down by this boy, not even giving her time to brace herself for the impact.
Suddenly, the boy slammed his palm against the wall, propelling him outward, just far enough so that he would miss her. The problem, for the newcomer, was that the only other thing that could stop him was the wall.
Asuka closed her eyes and grimaced as flesh met cement in an unnatural crash. When she opened her eyes, she saw the boy lying on the floor dazed. Asuka quickly ran over to him. "Hey, are you alright?" she called worriedly, kneeling next to him.
The boy began to chuckle as he sat in an upright position. "Yeah, I'll be ok," he grimaced, before forcing a smile to confirm what he said about his condition. "Sorry about that, though. I should've watched where I was going.
Asuka shook her head. "I wasn't the one who crashed into the wall, so there's nothing to apologize for," she noted.
"I guess not…" he frowned slightly. "But still, I should've been more careful!" He grinned at her again, causing Asuka to cock an eyebrow in confusion, before softening her gaze. He suddenly perked up and leapt to his feet. "By the way, do you know where Room 101 is?" he hurriedly asked.
She pointed down the corridor. "The second door on your left as you go down this hallway. Why?"
"I got a test to take and a school to get in, bye!" he shouted.
"Wait!" she called, though he was in too much of a hurry to listen. She stood and followed the boy as he skidded to a halt in front of the door and burst into the room. Asuka sighed. 'I never even got to ask him his name…His smile though…it reminds me of nii-san…" A small smile grew upon her face.
"Asuka…?" a firm calm voice inquired, causing the girl to turn to him.
"Oh, Kaiser!" she gasped. "It's been a long time!"
He noticed something was different about her. She hadn't told him off for being late, like usual. Was she also…smiling? "Were you thinking about Fubuki again?" he asked.
Asuka turned and stared down the hall where the boy had been. "Something like that…" she muttered, before turning and following Kaiser to watch the new duelists compete for a spot in the Academia.
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Kinda short, but I just wanted to do one of these before continuing my main fic because of (1.) I've had a lot of papers and speeches and whatnot to give into class and (2.) I plan on at least finishing through two or three chapters over Thanksgiving break (the last break before the home stretch for Christmas). Read and Review, flames are welcome, per usual.