Title: Prelude to What is Stolen

Genre: romance, hurt/comfort

Rating: T for language, mild violence, and suggest themes (might go up)

Pairings: JohanXJudai (spiritshipping)

Summary: Judai couldn't be happier. Johan has proposed to him! But just when Judai thinks that life can't get any better, Giese Hunter returns from God knows where and seeks revenge on the two. Yubel swears to protect Judai and Johan from the man that once worked for her, but will Yubel's strength alone be enough to stop the hunter and his new found powers? Giese decides to get revenge on Johan by stealing Ruby! Judai blames himself and goes to get Ruby back! But is this exactly as Giese planned? What will they do? Can Yubel help?

Me: Chapter five of "Prelude to What is Stolen"!

Lucy: Giese just sent one of his shadow minions to steal Ruby, and Johan's having a mental break down! What will become of our dearly beloved Johan after this?

Me: And what of poor Judai?

Lucy: If you want to figure out what is going on, then please read on!

Chapter Five: Guilt Trip

Johan, who wanted to run after the man and tear his head off, did the only thing that his body would allow him to do. He did something that he would forever hate himself for doing, since it was pathetic of him and showing weakness at a time where he needed to be strong and brave for the spirit he cared for.

He sunk to his knees besides Judai, shivering, and cried.

Judai was instantly by Johan's side, holding him as close as he could.

He nuzzled up against his fiance and rubbed his back while Johan sobbed and damned fate. The brunette helped Johan stand, still rubbing his back gently. "Johan," he murmured, leaning up and kissing Johan on the cheek.

The bluenette choked on a sob and laced his arms around Judai, holding his fiance as close as he could.

Judai helped Johan walk back into the dorm room, and he closed the door behind him.

Johan struggled a bit and reached towards the door, as if he were going to run outside and follow after the shadow minion. Judai laced his arms a bit harder around Johan and refused to let him escape.

"Johan," Judai snapped when Johan continued to struggle.

The bluenette stopped and stared into Judai's cold brown eyes. He gulped and shivered. He had never seen Judai this serious before. It was almost scary how serious he looked.

"There is nothing we can do now," Judai told the bluenette. "Especially not with you this distraught. Calm down, take a rest, and we'll think of something to do when you're calm."

Johan looked even more distraught at those words.

Judai sighed and held Johan close. "Johan, listen to me," he whispered. "Giese won't hurt Ruby. He obviously wants you to get angry. If you go out there and find him, you'll be giving him what he wants."

Seeing the logic in that, Johan calmed down slightly, though tears were still streaming from his emerald eyes. Judai glanced down and frowned, his heart thundering.

"Johan, this-" Judai shook his head. "This is all my fault."

Johan stopped mourning for a split second and turned a shocked look over to Judai.

Judai looked even more depressed than Johan must have. He looked as if Johan was going to start blaming him for all of this. He looked as if he were on the verge of tears.

Johan grabbed Judai's shoulders. "Judai, this was not your fault!" he said.

Judai shook his head and glanced down at the ground again. "No, Johan," he told the bluenette. "It is my fault. You told me to put your deck in the dorm, and I obviously wasn't careful, and that man found it."

Johan hugged Judai. "I-it's fine," he whispered, his voice cracking again. "W-we'll find her. We'll-"

"Johan," Judai whispered, and Johan looked down at his fiance. "Something in your voice, it... There's something about what you said. It sounds as if you don't believe that."

Johan said nothing for a moment, and then started to cry again.

Judai caught Johan and tried to calm him, but he saw that nothing was going to work.

He laced his arms around his fiance's body and helped him into the dorm yet again. He laid Johan down on the bed, which he had to fix up first, and then climbed in right next to him.

Once under the blankets, Judai held Johan and tried to keep him calm.

It worked, though Johan kept crying, and after a few minutes, Judai noticed that Johan had cried himself to sleep. Judai felt terrible that his fiance was crying, and though Johan had said it wasn't his fault, Judai felt that it partially was.

If I had been a little bit more careful, Judai thought to himself. Ruby would still be here, I imagine.

Judai shook his head and looked down at his fiance.

Johan was incredibly hard to wake up when he fell asleep. Sure, he could wake up if he sensed something wrong, but otherwise, he was a usually deep sleeper.

Slight movements didn't wake him up.

Ever so carefully, Judai slipped out of Johan's arms and replaced himself with a pillow. Johan hugged the pillow and murmured Judai's name in his sleep, but didn't wake up.

Judai smiled sadly at his fiance. "Johan, I'm sorry," he whispered. "But I need to get Ruby back for you. I need to do this alone. Giese won't be expecting me to go and get her. He's expecting you to go."

Judai kissed his fiance on the forehead before turning and leaving the dorm.

Before he was out, he stole one last look at Johan.

Johan was still fast asleep, and Judai thought to write him a note in case he woke up. Judai knew it was kind of stupid, since Johan would probably follow him when he saw it, but he needed to write it.

In case he never came back.

After writing the note and leaving it by Johan's bedside, Judai slipped out of the dorms and into the forests, where the cloaked man had gone off to a short while ago.

After a short while, Johan woke up.

Something felt wrong, he noticed. There was something in the air that was constricting around him and making him feel sick. It made it worse that he didn't know what it was.

Johan sat up and glanced around. "Judai?"

The brunette was no where in sight. Johan would have thought that maybe he was in the kitchen or in the bathroom, but both of their lights were off, and there were no noises; running water, thumping, scuffling, nothing; coming from either of those places.

"Judai?" Johan called a bit louder.

He became worried when Judai wasn't answering.

Johan leaped from his bed and glanced around, hollering his fiance's name as loudly as he possibly could. He panicked when this hollering got him nowhere, and glanced down at the nightstand beside the bed.

A note was written on a piece of yellow paper.

Johan quickly dashed for the paper and snatched it up as quickly as possible. He scanned over it with wide emerald eyes, and he almost collapsed when he read it.

Johan,

This is all my fault. I'll get Ruby back. Please don't follow me.

I love you. I always will, no matter what happens.

-Judai

Johan shivered and dropped the yellow note to the ground. "No," he whispered. He became more worried when he thought of the things that Giese could do to his fiance. "No-!"

Grabbing his deck, Johan attached it to his belt and tore out of the dorm as fast as possible.

He leaped over the railing and landed, running into the forests. He snapped his hands out at the trees and branches, trying to move them away as he ran.

How long ago did he write this? Johan found himself wondering. How long has he been gone?

Unable to tell where his fiance was, Johan tried to use the strange mental bond that he shared with his dear fiance. It was a strange bond. They could never speak to one another through it, but could both sense when something was wrong with the other.

Johan hurried as quickly as he could in the direction where he felt Judai's bond coming from.

And he hoped he wasn't too late.

Me: No-! Judai, go back! It's obviously a trap!

Lucy: Johan, go after Judai! Save him! Before Giese-

Me: -slaps hand over Lucy's mouth to silence her- Shut up! You're going to ruin it if you tell them what is going to happen when Judai goes! Don't say anything, Lucy!

Lucy: -takes my hand away- Please review nicely and we shall update soon!