Shatter (7/ 8) - De Amicitia
Jul. 9th, 2009 12:12 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
heleentjeChapter Title: De Amicitia (About Friendship)
Author: Heleentje
Fandom: Yu-Gi-Oh GX
Rating: K+ for this part, T overall
Characters: Gem Beasts, Johan, Juudai
Word Count: 1509
Warnings/spoilers: spiritshipping-if-you-squint, spoilers for season three and four
Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh GX or any of its characters
7. De Amicitia
Norway should be a place where they can relax, and for a few weeks, it’s exactly that. They’re glad to be home. They know that Johan misses Duel Academia, but even though they like the people, they don’t like the Academia itself. Danger magnet, they all know. It’s safer to be here.
A part of their memory has gone missing. It’s the part about what happened between the end of Juudai’s duel with Yubel, and their return to Duel Academia. They didn’t really participate in the duel with Yubel; only Rainbow Dragon ever made it onto the field, and even he didn’t stay for long. Still, they know that something happened to make Juudai change his mind about Yubel, and they’re happy for him. But that doesn’t mean they like her. She’s caused too much trouble and she’s hurt them and Johan too much for them to consider forgiving her. Maybe, one day, they will. But not now. Not yet.
In the meantime, part of their memory is still missing. It’s a bit unsettling, and they all wonder what exactly happened while they were with Juudai. Rainbow Dragon seems to have retained his memory, but refuses to talk about it outright. He only tells them that they are not meant to learn what Juudai has on his journey, and that Juudai has ensured that they won’t remember. Better this way, the knowledge will only hurt them.
Johan asks them about it, of course. They’ve all felt the pain of separation, especially after they’d just been reunited after so much time apart, and especially when there’s so much space between them. However, their pain has been dulled by the memory loss. Johan’s hasn’t.
“You don’t remember?” he asks, and Rainbow Dragon explains to him, once again, why they don’t. He doesn’t want to tell Johan the story either.
“Why, though?” Sapphire Pegasus asks the dragon later on. “I can understand why you won’t tell us; it would defeat the purpose. But why not Johan? He has the right to know.”
“He has,” Rainbow Dragon agrees. “But I do not have the right to tell him.”
“Juudai,” Cobalt Eagle guesses.
“Juudai,” Rainbow Dragon agrees. “He will tell Johan when they meet again.”
Not if, but when. They all know Johan and Juudai will meet again, and probably soon too. They just don’t know if they should look forward to it.
“I think I’m going back to Duel Academia when they graduate,” Johan says one day. “It’s a few weeks after I’ll graduate.”
Money has never been a problem for Johan. The first journey to Duel Academia had been paid for by the schools, of course, but Johan is one of the best duelists in the world. He has won more than enough tournaments to earn the money to go to Japan. And they can’t blame him for wanting to go. Johan has been happier during the few weeks he’s really spent at Duel Academia than he’s been at North Academia. They just wish it weren’t such a dangerous place.
But then, what harm can one trip do?
… They really should start paying more attention to their own words.
At least they don’t get involved right away. In fact, they’re blissfully unaware of any kind of trouble until O’Brien calls them one day, in the middle of the night. That means that it’s afternoon in Japan. It also means that something has probably gone horribly wrong.
Johan, of course, takes the first plane he can find to Domino City . He considers taking an earlier plane that only goes to Tokyo, but finally decides to wait a bit longer. It’ll get him to Duel Academia faster.
They arrive at Domino airport late at night, and manage to find a lone taxi to the harbor. Johan doesn’t know exactly what’s going on, O’Brien never managed to elaborate, but apparently something is wrong in both Domino City and Duel Academia. Something about people disappearing. It sounds right up Juudai’s alley.
And speaking of Juudai, Johan tells them that he’s supposed to be in the city, but they don’t know where to start looking for him. Their best bet is to go to Duel Academia.
“I could look for him,” Cobalt Eagle offers, but Johan shoots him down.
“Too dangerous,” he decides. “We don’t know what’s going on, I don’t want us to get separated.”
Or disappear. He doesn’t say it, but they all know he’s thinking it.
The docks are utterly deserted when they arrive. Johan tries to call O’Brien (he’s been trying ever since they arrived in Japan), but fails to reach him. He then tries Juudai, but Juudai either has his cell phone switched off or not with him at all, because he doesn’t pick up either. They’ve been looking around for about ten minutes when they hear the sound of a motorcycle come nearer.
… And turn around just in time to see it skid right into the sea.
Johan runs forward, but the driver seems relatively unharmed.
“Juudai?” Emerald Turtle wonders when they get a closer look. It is Juudai, and he doesn’t look particularly healthy, even considering he’s just fallen of a riding motorbike. Johan runs forward.
Wait.
“What?” Johan asks, but Rainbow Dragon only shakes his head. He’s not himself. Wait.
Juudai gets up slowly and walks towards the water, but stops when he sees Johan. “You’re… Mr. T!”
“Who?” Amethyst Cat asks sharply, but Johan ignores her and steps forward. “I’m glad you’re safe, Juudai.”
“Stop it! Saiou told me everything! You’re aiming for Duel Academia!”
“What? Who’s Saiou?” Amethyst Cat asks again.
“Juudai…”
“Get out of my way!”
“He does not see the real you, Johan,” Rainbow Dragon sounds sad. “Duel him. I will try to get through to him.”
Juudai has already activated his Duel Disk when they look up again. Johan shakes his head, but activates his Disk anyway.
“Do we really have to duel?”
It is the only way. We must find out what is wrong.
Juudai starts off with a standard move: Burst Lady and a face-down card. They can’t predict what he’s going to do yet.
“Come forth, Cobalt Eagle!”
“A Gem Beast?” Juudai exclaims in shock.
“Well, obviously,” Amethyst Cat butts in. “What else would it be?”
She gets cut off when Johan summons her through Golden Rule’s effect, and summons Topaz Tiger immediately afterwards. Juudai seems to be getting worse every minute. He manages to take a sizeable chunk out of Johan’s life points, but Johan immediately retaliates by activating Amethyst Cat’s special effect. She ends up in the graveyard, as does Ruby Carbuncle, but after just one turn most of the Gem Beasts are either on the field or in the graveyard. They’ll be able to summon Rainbow Dragon soon.
“Magic card! Polymerization!”
Johan almost jumps, though Juudai doesn’t notice. “That card! It’s that card!”
“It is,” Rainbow Dragon replies over Topaz Tiger’s shouts of How does he know? Ruby Carbuncle chirps.
“Yeah, but it’s not like with Cobra, you’re not helping him see this time,” Sapphire Pegasus answers. Ruby shakes her head and curls her tail around her body.
“You have to summon me as fast as you can,” Rainbow Dragon continues. Johan nods and uses Elemental Hero Tempester’s attack to send the remaining Gem Beasts to the graveyard. They’re ready.
“Focus on that card,” Johan mutters as he activates Rainbow’s Gravity. Rainbow Dragon nods as he is summoned.
“Over the rainbow!”
“We got it!” Topaz Tiger shouts when Juudai gets hit by Rainbow Dragon’s attack, and the Polymerization card slips out of his discard slot. Juudai screams as the taint of the card leaves him, and Johan steps forward, but Rainbow Dragon stops him again.
“Not yet. Wait until the influence has left him. Wait until he recognizes you.”
Johan nods, but they feel him hesitate. Juudai is suffering and they want nothing more than to help him. But if they’re lucky…
“Johan?”
“Yes,” Johan sighs, relieved, “You finally recognized me, Juudai.” He deactivates his Duel Disks and runs forward as Juudai falls over, probably due to a combination of stress and exhaustion. The duel won’t have a winner, but nobody cares at this point.
“Johan? It’s really you?”
“Of course! No one but me can control the Gem Beasts.” Johan smiles, and they all nod in agreement.
“But then… I-”
“It was that card that deceived you,” Johan explains. “It was never your fault.”
“So when Saiou put in that card… I’m sorry! How could I think you were an enemy?”
“Who’s Saiou again?” Amethyst Cat asks, but everyone ignores her. She shakes her head and settles for licking her paws. Sapphire Pegasus nudges them, and appears before Juudai.
“You have overcome the darkness already,” he assures Johan and Juudai both, “I know you can face it again.”
The rest of them choose this moment to materialize as well, together with Juudai’s monsters. Johan gets up and offers Juudai his hand.
“Let’s go, Juudai.”
“Yeah. I’m sure we can do this!”
