Down South

Summary: ...And she never did like cowboys.

Dreamshipping-Asuka x Johan. I never figured I'd like a pairing made of pure crack, but I quite like Judai and Asuka, which is very similar. It's a something part mini story I'm doing, because I think this pairing is cute. Does anyone else like it I wonder? Reviews would be nice : )

I've been wondering...there's an impulse I have to end this story on a sad note, but you guys probably wouldn't be too happy, so...I'm not sure.

"Asuka, this really isn't like you."

"I'm ill..."

"No you're not, you're sulking." The humor in his tone was all too apparent. Bugger wasn't even the least bit sympathetic.

"I am not. I do NOT sulk."

"You sulked when mum ate your cookie."

"I was five!"

"And monstrous, Geez, I cracked a small joke and I got beaten to death."

"Fubuki, I am really sick..."

"Well, ya." Asuka frowned deeply at the accusing touches to his voice. "LOVE sick."

The dirty blond blinked, before she drew her brows together and blushed heatedly. Even if Fubuki couldn't see her face, he knew by the way her back muscles tensed up she was blushing, and she knew he knew, much to her chagrin.

"In your dreams brother."

"Hell yes. I've been dreaming about your wedding day. I wake up wondering whether or not to tell Johan about your mean left hook, or what you're gonna wear-"

"What does Johan have to do with my wedding day?"

He blanked in response. A sour Asuka needed cheering up, and, with no trouble picturing her brother's expression, she inwardly giggled.

"He's your groom, unless you're gonna leave him a jilted bride."

And of course, she stopped giggling, due to the fact Johan had been referred to as a bride, and that her brother assumed she was going to be marrying him. Heck, if she professed her love to the very tree she was hiding on, he'd hug it hard and proclaim it his brother-in-law.

"Fubuki, maybe the reason you're dreaming about Johan so much is because YOU'RE the one in love with him!" Asuka countered.

She sat there, basking in the gentle rays of early morning sun, content with the steady breeze brushing over her face.

Well, she was quite alright perched onto that branch, until she began growing increasingly concerned. Where was Fubuki's comeback?

She shimmied around on the branch until she could look down upon her brother. His eyes did not meet hers, for they were stuck on the grass.

"Brother...?" she chanced.

"Asuka," he breathed.

She shivered at his voice. It was so despondent...

"I've tried..." He shook his head repeatedly and fisted his knuckles, continuing, voice becoming more and more hoarse. "I've tried to hide my feelings, crush them down into nothing for your happiness, but I..."

"Brother," Asuka whispered, any irritation present wavering as she watched her brother kneel, hands covering his face.

"I've tried..."

Then he began sobbing.

Asuka's heart leapt painfully, and she nearly toppled off the branch as she toppled forward.

"Brother, I'm so sorry! I really thought I was wrong! You can have Johan! I just want to you to be happy!"

Silence ensued again, until Fubuki's face rose, a hint of annoyance and disbelief appearing.

"Damn it Asuka! You're meant to laugh in my face and say I'm too late because Johan is yours!"

Feeling exceedingly foolish (though, she had to admit, his acting skills were top notch. God knows where he'd acquired his new talent, however) Asuka gave him a murderous glare, which caused him to smile sheepishly.

She was considering lobbing a small branch at him, until the branch she was currently occupying thought it'd lend a hand by breaking.

"Screw surgery. Nothing's ever gonna fix my face!"

Ryo and Asuka flinched at Fubuki's screech. Ryo gave Asuka a look and the girl laughed nervously. She really hadn't intended for the branch to break and give her, and her brother, the shock of their lives. Heck, she'd come out of it with a racing heart and a few bumps, but otherwise she was unscathed.

Her lovely actor of a brother was not as lucky.

Which was why he was currently whining as he scowled at the mirror attached to the ceiling, which was conveniently placed, seeing as it was probably the most interesting thing to stare at in the room.

"Fubuki...how long did they say it would be before you were up and annoying everyone?" she queried.

The aforementioned made a 'hmm-ing' noise as he scanned the room, distaste lighting his features every second.

"That scary nurse with that mole on her eyebrow said I'd be in here for two weeks."

"She also said she'd be your caretaker, right?" Ryo reminded Fubuki. He smirked with satisfaction as the boy's head dropped.

"C'mon brother, looks aren't everything."

"Her voice blinds me more than her face," he admitted.

Ryo gave him a flabbergasted look.

"How does that work?"

"Well..."

"Boy, girl!"

Ryo and Asuka snapped to attention at the voice and Fubuki allowed a little yelp out, seeking comfort under the covers. However, he forgot he couldn't move without sending ripples of pain down his body, so when he tried to dive under his flimsy covers, the searing sensation that surged up his spinal cord said no.

Standing by the door was Fubuki's nightmare, Mrs. Fuji Keiko.

And the very short doctor who had announced Fubuki was stuck with her for two weeks, Mr. Fuji Hao.

Fubuki inwardly howled, while a sweatdropping Asuka and stoic Ryo merely glanced at the pair.

"Visiting hours are over," Keiko said in a warning tone. Asuka, sensing that retaliating would not be bad, no matter how guilty she felt concerning her brother, grabbed Ryo's hand and made a run for it.

They were barely out when they heard Fubuki's call of "You two traitors! Don't leave me in here with this-AH! DON'T COME ANY CLOSER! MR. FUJI, PLEASE STOP YOUR HUSBAND!"

"He called Mrs. Fuji a husband? Wow, your brother is gutsy!" Johan said, awed.

He swore he heard Asuka sigh exasperatedly, and the snort of a deep male voice.

"Yeah, though I wouldn't call his idiocy bravery..."

"In fact, we could just settle for idiocy," the deep male voice sounded again.

This time, Johan recognized it, and became very excited.

"Oh Ryo! How are you! It's been a while!"

"...You saw me earlier this morning," the less than eager response followed. Johan's face fell briefly, and he heard some noises of an annoyed female scolding Ryo off, before the said voice calmed down and talked to him.

"Ignore him Johan. He's just upset my brother is out of comission."

"Right. My soul has been ruptured."

"Gosh, that doesn't sound good Ryo!" Johan grinned.

"Asuka, tell Johan to stop spending so much time with Judai."

The blue head blinked. "And what exactly is wrong with that?"

"Nothing, unless you're ok with catching retardedness."

"Retard-"

"Anyways," Asuka cut in firmly, knowing that if she did not intervene the conversation would go on for more than eternity, "how's the boat ride back to your Academy?"

"Oh, it's great!" Johan chimed, completely forgetting his pursuit of an answer. "The food's a little bad, and there's no eggbread...you can relate, right?" He winked at her, feeling he was being inconspicuous. Asuka flushed a bit and Ryo smirked. "But other than that, it's really nice!"

"That's good to know. How much longer before you reach it?"

"I dunno. A few hours. By the way, what happened to Fubuki?"

Asuka sighed, hoping she had evaded giving an explanation.

"Well..."

Ryo stayed to one side and watched as Asuka relayed what had happened to Johan over the small device in her hand. He observed Johan's varied expressions, almost like the North Academy duelist was listening to an engrossing tale of love, money and adventure.

"And, I think Mrs. Fuji decked him for that comment," Asuka finished.

"Hee! I take it he'll be in there longer than two weeks!" Johan explained.

"No kidding," Ryo commented from the background. "At the rate the twit is going at, Asuka won't have a brother in the end."

"Oh no! That's terrible!" Humor was apparent in his voice. He was quite adept at acting. Fubuki had given him pointers.

"Ah..." Asuka sweatdropped, smiling down at the face of a panicking Johan on the small screen. "I'm sure she won't go as far as murder. That won't do well for her career."

"Yeah! And he's got his fangirls to protect him, right?" Johan asked hopefully.

"Yeah. They're great at multitasking. Screaming and clawing."

"Enough with the snark you," Asuka said in a mock angry voice. Ryo smirked, and Johan's eyes widened.

"Oh geez Asuka. You sound ticked. Listen, I gotta go. I'll see ya later and stuff."

"Huh? But-"

"See ya!"

And his sweatdropping face disappeared as the screen went dead.

"He's learning I see," Ryo said smugly.

Asuka shot him a look.

After Fubuki had realised it was better to shut his yap than to fight, he had found the relaxing presence of his only slightly swollen face in the mirror and morning sunlight nice. The sheets that he was under were flimsy and thin, but they were soft to the touch. Nearly as soft as his face.

"I guess two weeks of this isn't bad."

"Actually," his roomate corrected from the other bed, "you're probably gonna be in here for a few months."

He made a face, eyeing the other person, before he placed his eyes back on the mirror, smiling slightly.

"I can deal."

Needless to say, Fubuki was not aware after an hour more or so, he would get fed up at staring constantly at his face, no matter how beautiful.

"Tenjoin Fubuki! Time for your check-up!"

And Mrs. Fuji Keiko didn't exactly help matters, as when her sessions began, time seemed to slow down instead of speed up.

"Brother, as hurt as you are, I suggest you get that look off your face before you provoke me to damage it more," Asuka grumbled, twitching.

"Oh but Asuka! In spite of me being in hospital, one good thing has come out of this!"

"The thing you're in spite of, right?"

"Asuka sister! You wound me! Ryo really isn't a good influence to my baby sister."

"Fubuki, whatever you're plotting-"

"Brother, I'm so sorry! I really thought I was wrong! You can have Johan! I just want to you to be happy!" he suddenly exclaimed in a higher tone.

Asuka blanched.

"What?"

"Those words...you said them earlier," he told her cheekily.

She blinked.

"What's your point?" she asked.

"Think about it."

She frowned gingerly, but obliged, eyes drifting upwards as she tried to spot his motive for being so cocky.

Then it hit her.

Nearly as bad as the red erupting on her face.

Fubuki's inner self was doing back flips in joy.

"I-It's not like I was making a claim on Johan, it's just..."

"You screwed up and now big brother knows you want Johan!" Fubuki stated cheerily, straining to sit up.

Asuka reddened further.

"It isn't like that! I just thought that..."

"Yes, yes?!" he prompted, knowing he had finally found a loophole in her "I only love duelling" claim.

"I-"

"Miss Asuka? Are you here visiting your brother when I told you NOT to?"

"I have to go Fubuki! I'll come back tomorrow!" And with that, a profuesly sweating duellist ran as fast as she could.

Fubuki slumped and pounded his knee with his fist.

"Damn!"

His knee replied to the assault.

"Ouch!"

"How on earth did I get roped into this again?"

"Because," Fubuki hissed, peering out of the window, "if you don't tell me I'll tell everyone your secret!"

"Fubuki, I swear if you even consider it-"

Not paying heed to Ryo's very convincing and genuine threats, Fubuki let out a yawn and gently lowered himself onto his back. Having his bed pressing against a wall by a window was turning out to be more of an aid than he had first presumed.

The boy on the grass outside bristled.

He wondered if he could somehow sneak into Fubuki's room and condemn him to a night of hell.

'Why not just confess to Asuka?'

"No," he argued with his thoughts. "I'd rather deal with Fubuki than Asuka in a bad mood."

"Exactly!" a voice interrupted, followed by laughter.

Ryo hung his head and conceded defeat.

It was going to be a torturous week, but what could he do besides put Fubuki's ridiculous schemes into action?

End Part IV