heleentje: (Default)
heleentje ([personal profile] heleentje) wrote2010-01-23 09:21 pm

Yu-Gi-Oh GX - Shatter (8/8)

Series Title: Shatter
Chapter Title: Life's Philosophy
Author: Heleentje
Fandom: Yu-Gi-Oh GX
Rating: T for this part, T overall
Characters: Gem Beasts, Johan, Juudai
Word Count: 1879
Warnings/spoilers: spiritshipping-if-you-squint, spoilers for season four
Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh GX or any of its characters

 

8. Life’s philosophy

 

Juudai uses the boat trip to Duel Academia to fill Johan in on everything that happened while they were gone. It’s still a bit hard to understand why Juudai willingly fused with Yubel, but Johan seems to have no problem accepting it, so they stay silent for his sake. Even so, there will always be a kind of lingering resentment towards her; she possessed Johan, she hurt them all. But it’s Juudai’s choice, and Johan is okay with it. They don’t have the right to interfere.

 

They have more pressing problems to deal with, anyway. The disappearances Juudai talks about remind them eerily of what they’ve heard about the Dark World. Does the loser of every duel just vanish? Does that mean that Johan and Juudai were actually in danger during their duel in the harbor?

 

Topaz Tiger asks, but Juudai shakes his head.

 

“It’s only when you lose to Mr. T.,” he assures them, and immediately follows up with an explanation of who exactly Mr. T. is. They’re not quite sure if they understand everything, but they do understand that the situation is urgent. Duel Academia is several hours away, and they’re all tired, but Juudai is driven by a kind of urgency they’ve only seen once before, when he tried to save Johan. Only now do they start to realize what it means for him to be the Supreme King.

 

But it’s already too late when they reach Duel Academia. They don’t know Tenjoin Fubuki well, but they know he’s a kind person. Even though they never talked much, he’s always been nice to Johan, and it hurts to see them duel this new person. It seems like they used to be friends. What’s worse than having to duel someone who you obviously care about? They root for him; Cobalt Eagle even shouts out his support, but he doesn’t hear. For a minute, it looks like he’ll win, only for the other person -Fujiwara- to turn it all around at the very last moment. And when Fubuki loses, he disappears. Is that what’s in store for them? For Johan?

 

“No,” Sapphire Pegasus reminds them all. “We won’t think like that. We’ll duel him, and we’ll beat him.”

 

Johan, who is usually at least vaguely aware of their conversations, nods. He already knows what has to be done, and he’s glad he gets the chance.

 

“You should not be confused by listening to a card spirit,” Fujiwara announces loudly, and they don’t even need to look at Johan to feel his anger. It perfectly mirrors their own. Who does that guy think he is?

 

“That’s it,” Topaz Tiger growls, “We’re taking him down even if it’s the last thing we ever do.”

 

And a duel seems like the best way for that, but it’s dangerous. If Johan loses, it’s game over. And they’re not quite sure why Fujiwara wanted a Battle Royale instead of a Tag Duel. It will only give him the disadvantage, so they’re sure he has a reason. What reason, they don’t know. They don’t even know if they want to find out.

 

Fujiwara goes first, summoning one of his Clear monsters. Johan summons Emerald Turtle next and Juudai ends the round by bringing out Elemental Hero Wildman. They look on warily, but the duel seems to progress normally. Even when Clear World is brought out, they’re not too bothered. Johan has dealt with worse.

 

Until-

 

“Johan, be careful!”

 

They don’t even need Juudai’s warning. Fujiwara is trying to enter Johan’s mind, and they won’t allow that! Besides, if Yubel couldn’t find any darkness, why would this guy be able to? He can try. He can try as often as he wants, but…

 

There’s another presence there with them. Familiar, caring. Trying to protect Johan, trying to keep him hidden… Is that-?

 

“I see it! So his darkness is Yuuki Juudai!”

 

“Oh, you have got to be kidding me,” Amethyst Cat voices. Johan has darkness? Juudai is Johan’s darkness? They collectively shake their head. Johan wants to beat Juudai, of course he does. But he’s the fifth best duelist in the world. Shouldn’t dueling be in his nature? Does that even qualify as darkness?

 

Apparently it doesn’t, because it only takes Johan a little more than one minute to shake off Fujiwara’s influence. The bond between all of them tells them right away what Johan is planning, and they go along with it, of course. Johan wants to fool Fujiwara, and they’re more than happy to help him with that, even if it means attacking Juudai. Amethyst Cat does so without complaints.

 

Juudai, for his part, seems to worry about Johan, but they can already see that he too knows of the ruse. He even goes along with it perfectly, displaying a level of awareness that almost borders on telepathy. They’re starting to wonder if that truly isn’t the case. The combo they’re executing is much too complicated to pull off without communication, and yet they’re doing it.

 

“They can both act really well,” Emerald Turtle muses, wincing slightly as Johan gets knocked over by the trap card Juudai activates, then cheering as Johan uses a card of his own to boost Sapphire Pegasus’ attack.

 

And then Johan breaks character, Juudai following suit.

 

It is immensely satisfying to see Fujiwara’s face when Sapphire Pegasus attacks him. The look of shock at being fooled by them is absolutely priceless. It will be something they’ll remember to laugh at in days to come.

 

But right now, there’s a duel to win. And even though they Juudai manages to bring down his life points all the way to 800, they’re still sure that Fujiwara has something planned.

 

“It would be too easy,” Amber Mammoth decides. And he’s right; Juudai takes a serious attack from Clear Vice Dragon only minutes later. The tide has turned again, now in Fujiwara’s favor. If they don’t beat him, if Johan loses… No, they won’t think about that.

 

And Fujiwara… They’ve never met a person whose philosophy is so completely different from theirs. How can he just deny the bonds between them? Just trash, he says… No doubt he has a reason for acting like this, but they don’t know, and they don’t particularly care either.

 

“Don’t worry,” Johan assures them. Just like they are able to hear what goes on in his mind, he can also hear what they are thinking and he’s been following their conversations. “Don’t let him get to you. We can take him out right now.”

 

Of course, that’s when it all goes straight to hell.

 

A few minutes later, Sapphire Pegasus, Cobalt Eagle and Emerald Turtle have been destroyed by Juudai’s Flame Wingman. They’re powerless. As long as Johan and Juudai have to keep attacking each other, there’s no chance they’ll win. No, it’s even worse. If Fujiwara’s attack gets through, Juudai will lose.

 

“Why are you despairing?” Rainbow Dragon asks suddenly. They have no real physical forms here, of course, but they like to think that the dragon can feel their stares. What is he talking about?

 

“Yeah, it’s not like we lost yet,” Johan agrees, and he activates one of the cards he already had on the field, saving Juudai from certain death by discarding Topaz Tiger. And discarding Topaz Tiger means they’re all on the field or in the graveyard, which in turn means…

 

“You’ve got it!” Johan tells them, then promptly spends the remainder of his turn to summon Rainbow Dragon. The shock on Fujiwara’s face doesn’t quite compare to his reaction to Johan and Juudai’s earlier plan, but it’s still very satisfying.

 

“It’s no use attacking, though,” Emerald Turtle warns. “You’ll only attack Juudai.”

 

“I know,” Johan replies. While Juudai and Fujiwara take their turns, he takes a long look at the cards on his duel disk, then nods. “I use Rainbow Dragon’s effect to send every card on the field back to their owners’ decks!”

 

And just like that, they’re back to where they started. The playing field has been cleared, and Johan ends his turn by playing one card face-down. He very conspicuously doesn’t show it to them, and it makes them wonder what exactly he played. Johan isn’t usually this secretive. Something tells them they won’t like this.

 

They don’t.

 

Johan only spares them a quick thought when Juudai gets attacked, but it’s enough to make them panic. I’m sorry.

 

And then he goes and commits suicide.

 

Not literally, of course; they’re not in the Dark World or in Yubel’s World. But he might just as well have. By choosing to sacrifice himself to save Juudai, by choosing to give up the remainder of his life points… He’ll disappear. He’ll disappear like Fubuki did.

 

“Johan, don’t!” Amethyst cat tries to stop him, but it’s already too late. With the last of his life points gone, he collapses onto the ground. Juudai is safe, but Johan lost. He’ll disappear, like the others. He’ll disappear, and there’s nothing they can do to stop it!

 

He doesn’t.

 

They don’t even try to wonder why he doesn’t. They’re too busy thanking whoever has made sure that Johan is still around. Unconscious, yes, but after a minute or two it becomes clear that he’s not going to vanish. Ruby cuddles up to him, trying to wake him up, and they only briefly pay attention as Juudai brings back Rainbow Dragon to summon Rainbow Neos, but the rest of the duel mostly passes them by. It doesn’t take long anyway. And with Fujiwara beaten, Johan wakes up again.  

 

“Johan, thank goodness,” Cobalt Eagle sighs. Johan sends them a quick reassuring thought, but even beating Fujiwara doesn’t seem to have solved the crisis they’re in. He was merely a pawn. Juudai goes off to find the real culprit, leaving them alone with Fujiwara and Honest.

 

And then, just when everything seems to be looking up, it all goes to hell again.

 

They’ll never be able to fully recount what happens next. But what they all remember is a hooded figure bearing down on Fujiwara. What they see is Honest trying to protect him, but ultimately failing. And while they look on, helpless, the figure turns to Johan.

 

They’re powerful. Rainbow Dragon’s power on its own is enough to form a bridge between dimensions, and combining the power of all eight of them can create miracles. But this being’s power far outstrips theirs. This is a primordial creature, an evil that has been around since the beginning of time, long before they were created. Darkness.

 

Just as sudden as it began, it’s over.

 

----

 

And then it all starts again.

 

They do not know what happened. They only know that Juudai has beaten Darkness and that his defeat must have freed them. But the details are unimportant. They survived and they made it to the end of the year. After everything, after a year filled to the brim with trouble, they’re still around. All of them.

 

Maybe it was hard. Maybe they wished they’d never gone to Duel Academia or lived through all of this, but in the end, it was worth it. Because they’re all still here, all still united. Those who tried to shatter their little family never succeeded.

 

They never will.



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