his guard and his goaler
5.
Five years later, things changed. Ryoken hadn't gone to a physical school in years, of course, but Yuusaku still did. He'd also taken up work at a friend's hotdog stand, which was a surprise because Yuusaku hadn't mentioned any other friends before. Even Ryoken did, sometimes, though he was careful not to reveal too much about them: about Faust or Baira or Genome… or even Spectre who was the complete opposite of Yuusaku in so many ways, despite being a victim of the same trap.
Victim… it was such a funny word. Spectre thought it was a blessing. Yuusaku described it (in not so many words) as a curse. It only really came up when they talked about future plans. Because neither of them really had future plans. Time had stopped, that day he called the police… Or, for Yuusaku, the day he'd been locked up in that container and forced to duel. Of course, he couldn't say that in front of Yuusaku, but he could listen, and think, and if Yuusaku told him these things and then moved on to the next topic, then maybe all he wanted was to be heard and continue on.
Spectre and Fujiki Yuusaku: two children involved in the Lost Incident and both friends of Ryoken. It was a dangerous place to be in. He'd know that when he'd taken that step to solidify that relationship and hidden things upon things so that, when he first met Spectre, he chose instead to expose himself and see where that lead. It lead to an ally, but it wouldn't have led to an ally with Fujiki Yuusaku. He'd declared from the onset that he sought revenge, and even if he never said it to Ryoken's face since that hadn't changed.
He should just cut Yuusaku off. He knew that. He knew that years ago and now he had even more reason: they were about to awaken his father in Link VRAINS, and finally learn the truth.
But another part of him wanted to wait, wanted to keep this fragile friendship with Yuusaku.