Yu-Gi-Oh 5Ds: Judgement of the World
Written By: Lady Lunar Phoenix
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Asuka walked along the side walk, occasionally sticking her nose back into the bag she carried. Her eyes went over each item she could see and feeling the dread all mothers felt when getting food for guys. Growing up she hadn't realize how much a bunch of guys could eat only her brother and father. But with the change above them, the gang had decided each person cooked for a month. One to help the guys with their cooking, and two it forced learning variety
But tonight was Momoe's first night for her turn to cook.
"We're not that bad," Fubuki argued with a faint grin as he carried his own bags by their handles at his side. But while he was light on conversation, his eyes kept surveying the area with quiet worry. He wasn't a trained fighter, the most he could do was smack someone in the face with the weighted cans he carried and hope that it would be enough to get the two of them back to their place safely. Cyber Blader was helping on that end, discreetly ducking from shadow to shadow, only the steady sound of her blades rolling could be heard.
But since she wasn't visible it came off more like a snakes' hiss than harmless skates.
'I wish Asuka would just leave.' Was a thought that regularly ran though his mind when he watched the streets during the night. When the silence became deafening and the shadows moved on their own. Spirits? People? No way to tell without a spot light from the height of where they lived. But the ability to see them meant they were large enough 'to' be seen.
"I was talking to mom and dad..." Asuka began, her voice stiff and determined. It was the type of voice that warned him of mine fields, while she made another meaningless check of the stuff in her bag.
"Oh? How are they?" Fubuki asked while they walked under a street lamp, the light making the distant shadows wobble and flow as though alive.
"Well..." She was quiet, the steps of their sneakers, and rustle of bags was the only sound between them for a while. The lamp fell away as they approached the darkness, yet the shapes didn't still. "She was talking about us leaving again.."
Yet their silence was consumed by the spirits that were with them. Cyber Tutu bounded out of the darkness in this energetic leap, the tails of her tutu streaming out behind her. She landed on a single pointed toe, did a pirouettte, only to bound again out into the distance again. Panther Warrior was prowling the shadows as well, while Baby Dragon was walking behind them.
Unlike the Cybers, the Panther and the Dragon had weight to their steps, a can was crushed under the Baby Dragons' foot as he walked along. The scrunching sound echoed off the walls followed by the sharpest hiss that startled the pair into turning to look down at him in surprise. Made more awkward as they realized the hiss was Panther drawing his blade and the dragon standing on a used and discarded coffee can.
"Oh..." Tutus' expression was one of amusement as the baby dragon lowered his head in embarrassment.
Panther Warrior shook his head in annoyance as he put his sword back, the reverse hiss a comfort.
Fubuki shook his head in amusement before he moved to the dragon and draped his arm around the dragon's neck for a sympathetic half hug. "Don't sweat it Baby Dragon, one day Neo Domino's streets will be cleaned properly again."
The dragon gave a chuff and an embarrassed bob of the head as he reached up and scratched at the back of his head with those thick, long, dragon claws.
"I told her 'no' and she started in again about how I can't hold myself responsible for Momoe forever." Asuka continued, almost as though she wanted to avoid the comedy of the moment.
"But I..." Asuka looked down at the bag's contents, the ingredients that Momoe would need to make their dinner. "This isn't about me. I have an obligation to my classmates to be a leader and look after them. What type of 'Queen' abandons their home?"
"Its ok to want to leave, this is turning into a dangerous place." Tutu pointed out sympathetically. "You're not one of the Dragons... We can't even help you beyond just our voices unlike Jounouchi's spirits."
"That's not the point Tutu," Asuka retorted, her lips turning into a hard line. "Look at this place, look around you. This is my home, 'our' home, and now Yubel as ruined all of it, the streets are abandoned, shops boarded up. Ms. Nagisa got 'attacked' and nearly sold, here, in 'Neo Domino', its like the moment the world faces a moment of difficulty it starts trying to turn Neo Domino into Satellite."
Her gaze raked across all of the city, the abandoned cars, the black swath over head, the lightless buildings all around. Her voice growing hard as she spotted her spirits floating about, even if they were only darken shadows. "We gave up on Satellite, and allowed it to fall apart into a near no mans' land. Now we're being told to give up on Neo Domino? What's next? Give up on Japan? I won't tolerate this anymore!"
Her outrage, normally kept at a comfortable smolder only seen when she was allowed to see the city for too long, was starting to break through. "We aren't Aki or her fellow Dragons, but that doesn't make us useless! We shouldn't run and hope for someone..."
"No," Fubuki butted into her growing fury with a cool rebuttal. "We're not Fudo, he and the guys grew up on Satellite, they have experienced stuff like this before. That's why they're fine with how things are." Without looking he let go of the bags only for Baby Dragon to catch the bags easily while Fubuki rested his hands firmly on his sisters' shoulders. "We're not warriors sister. We're upper class, spoiled, entitled teenagers trying to pretend to be warriors. We're lucky that Fudo and the others look out for us or we wouldn't be able to stay here."
"Aki," Asuka began when Fubuki shook his head in annoyance.
"She is in the same exact boat as us, only with the power to back up whatever idiotic idea crosses her mind. The difference being her parents didn't let her be entitled because they were too busy being afraid of her." He frowned as she stared up at him defiantly while he inwardly sighed. "We can do what we can because of her, we survive because Fudo gave us tips and insight. But that's no excuse to think we're on the same level as them about surviving. You can't stomp down the street acting like nothing bad can happen to you because of the Cybers. Same as me, same as any of us."
"It wouldn't be like this if everyone hadn't left." She argued before pulling away to resume their trek down the road.
"What makes you so sure?" Fubuki argued. "They would be scared and we know what that can do with the Momentum Project. Would you rather have a bunch of scared people influencing the very thing keeping our lights on to explode?"
"I want people to be better than this! I want people to not sell each other," she began when Fubuki gave her that look to the back of her head.
"Yeah everyone wants that, everyone thinks they'll do the right thing when the time comes and then they run off screaming. All I'm saying is that you need to stop walking around like you have a chip on your shoulder. You're going to make someone think you want pick a fight!" He pointed out and frowned when she stiffened.
"I don't want to throw myself against Yubel unprepared, that's true. But I'm fed up with living in fear. We're here to do some good and all we're doing is living day by day like some wanna be survivalists. It feels wrong and so fake, we're not scrounging for food, or really roughing it. But the moment something bad happens we scurry into our holes and hide." She pointed out in frustration. "We're not lazy, we can do better, be better."
"Asuka..." Fubuki sighed in growing frustration as he walked.
"Gramps and Grandma are braving this town to keep their grocery store open, the hospital is still open. Only for those... those 'animals' to try and nearly..."
Fubuki nodded quietly, in acknowledgment, "when me and the guys have a chance we'll go help fix up the store. Hopefully they won't try to go after those good folks again."
"Bunch of punks. Why can't they be like Fudo and the others?" Asuka demanded as her arms began to close in on the groceries.
"You're going to crush them," Fubuki warned, putting his tone a bit on the lighter side as she continued brooding.
He watched as she paused, looked down at the bag and forced her posture to change. Shoulders relaxed, back lost the ram rod straight militant posture. "I hear what you're saying Asuka and I totally agree. But if I had a choice I'd rather them run than be subjected to something they may not be able to handle. After all we don't know what 'that'," he paused to gesture above him, "is. Could become a death laser at any moment."
Asuka broke into a laugh at that as she looked up. They couldn't see 'it' at the moment, it was just this massive black space, no stars or anything to go by. But a 'death laser'? It sounded silly and relaxing her posture felt easier. "You're right big brother, I guess I'm just venting. But I shouldn't, Momoe is cooking for us this month!"
Her beaming smile lit up her face for the supplies in the bag. There were pastes and dried noodles, stock and vegetables. There were other staples at their home, but these were necessary as Momoe wanted to make something different. Just the pride that filled Asuka's being as Momoe spoke about her family meals and wanting to make that.
From stepping out of her room, making her way to the kitchen to get a list of what they had on hand and what she needed. She wasn't talking about making meals for a future husband, sure, but...
"Mom sent me the family recipe book, they've been cobbling it together from the meals they've been learning over in Ireland. The area doesn't have any proper Japanese ingredients, and their host family has been trying. So its been this mash up of trying to find close substitutes. Different meat pies and buns, soups and salads. Mom made it sound interesting so I thought I'll try to make it here so we can have something new and interesting to try!" Momoe's voice filled with thoughtful amusement as her fingers trailed down the various recipes hand written in a flower covered notebook.
"Its going to be fine, and if the food tastes bad, well its a fun learning experience! I mean, Japanese and Irish coming together for a dish would take tons of trial and error." Fubuki agreed as they turned the corner.
Above them rested the condo they had taken over. Large enough for all of them, and close enough that they could flash an emergency light to the twins condo if something seriously bad happened. It was also a sky rise, with a beautiful view of the horizon, and so far out of their price range none of them could ever hope to live there on their own. So it was a plus for their current situation...
"Natasha tried to bring some of the food over, but well..." Tutu began with an amused smile on her face. "But lets face it, we'd have to bring Aki and she's too important here."
"I'm curious myself about this food," Blader admitted as she approached. "When I looked over her shoulder, the pages were full of 'you can use this or this'. It sounds to me that they are having quite a food experience over there."
"You should ask the Ishtars for food recipes while they're near by. Since Momoe is curious they would be a good source of information and they're here." Angel Dice suddenly suggested as they materialized, dice in hand.
"Hm, I faintly recall that yes," Panther noted calmly. "Malik was always curious about food that came from other countries. Even if his stomach couldn't handle it in the end," the tail twitched as he recalled those days when Jounouchi was a young adult. The memories weren't solid, God had only just been coming into His power and Panther Warrior had at that point begun to develop his soul.
"They are? How do you know?" Asuka asked turning to look at Panther in surprise.
"He's the son of Gods' cousins' fathers' reincarnation so he has an air about him..."
Behind Panther, Asuka could see Fubuki with Baby Dragon try to follow all that. Fubuki holding out his hand and ticking things off with his fingers. Baby Dragons' mouth opening and shutting as though they were speaking even though they couldn't understand the dragon. Both saw Asuka openly staring at them and shrugged.
"Its the reincarnation part that throws it off," Fubuki pointed out just as Asuka's foot came down dangerously wrong on a fallen brick.
"AHH!" Tutu dashed in grabbing for Asuka, but all she could feel was the pressure on her gloves. Aki refused to allow full interaction, and Tutu understood the inherent danger of letting the spirits be able to fully interact... But seeing Asuka's foot begin to slide in a dangerous angle made the poor spirit's heart nearly stop.
Thankfully it worked though, Fubuki had grabbed Asuka in those precious few seconds of added stability and pulled Asuka back from the brick.
"Ok no more playing around, we should go," Fubuki finally announced as he stood there, earning an almost apologetic nod from his little sister.
"Thank you Tutu," Asuka smiled in appreciation of her Spirit when this sudden chill ran down her spine. It froze more than her spine as her expression froze as well, causing Tutu to tilt her head over in question.
"Is something wrong Asuka?"
Blinking she shook her head, "I should wear more clothes when I'm going to be out," she replied. "Gets chilly with less sunlight..." Knee high skirt, shin high socks, her top was a light off white camisole with only a her old school jacket open in the front over that for warmth. Realistically it 'could' have been the cold. The ground soaked no heat from the sun now, the temps tended to stay on any lower spectrum when predictions were made.
Only she 'felt' a deeper cold than the average chill.
Experience with guys staring at her in school had been one thing, she knew the feeling of eyes filled with admiration on her. Since the sky thing appeared she had become accustomed to the feeling of eyes on her in a predatory style. Sickening revulsion as the gut twisted up in knots out of fear...
This wasn't that though.
No lust, or predatory instinct. It felt...
"Oh ok, we should hurry then," Fubuki picked back up the bags from Baby Dragon and they began to walk down the street. Skirting the street lamps to avoid attracting attention while feeling that Asuka was walking stiff suddenly. Big Brother instincts were sending him warning bleeps in his head, though it wasn't usually this strong.
In all fairness it was usually when he was walking his female classmates home due to harassment from 'business' men. Types of harassment that would wander off when they saw a guy with the gaggle of girls. Meaning that he was often standing surrounded by younger classmates when they all would hit this type of fear. Stiffen walking style, forced cheer in their voices, training to know when a threat was approaching a group he was with.
Now working even more loudly, probably because it was his own sister, yet he saw and felt nothing. Panther and the other spirits were relaxed... What was setting his sister off? 'If the spirits don't seemed alarmed I guess its for the best I get her home 'then' drill her for information.' He decided, all the while straining to see into the darkness for what might be bothering her.
The building they lived in had a canopy that they maintained that he saw first, alerting him that they were nearly home. The glass doors slipped open with little sound, bringing them inside and away from the depressing darkness of the outside world. Not that the darkness of the interior of the building was great, they had to feel their way to the elevator.
But so long as no one was cheeky, it was a straight walk, press a button, and the first light of the building would be revealed when the elevator...
"Kazu forgot to change the light bulb in the elevator... didn't he?" Panther asked.
"We don't talk about that..." Fubuki answered.
"Yes we do, yes he did, that goof," Asuka replied, safely inside her nerves began to loosen up and fond amusement filled her voice. 'I have binoculars in my room, I can go on look out for a bit...' she decided as they stepped into the darken box. "Feels like a coffin."
"Thank you sis."