I hope you review,
I'd love feedback from you.
I wish there was something
that for you I could do.
I'm a horrible poet.
Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh, neither original characters nor the characters of Duel Monsters GX, NOR the Duel Academy. All of them are property of Kazuki Takahashi, and will remain that way forever and ever.
Chapter One: A Visit
Yuki Judai, commonly known as the No. 1 Duelist in the Duel Academy, gazed out at the sunset from his favorite spot on the high cliffs that surrounded the Osiris Red dorm, his school jacket fluttering softly in the breeze from the ocean. His usual optimistic disposition was pierced by a longing in his heart for something really exciting.
It was a one-week break for the students of Duel Academy, in celebration of Yuki Judai's current win against their rival school. Judai couldn't have been happier, because that meant he didn't have to slack off school duties and get in trouble for it, but there was just nothing to do around here!
Two crummy days had passed since the declaration of the holiday, and all of the students could be found outdoors even at this hour, playing practice duels and such. This portion of cliff was hidden from the rest of the students, however, and it couldn't have been better for Judai.
He was sick of the attention he had been getting. Normally he would have eaten it all up like a pig gobbles its slops, but the excessiveness in which the students fed it to him was nauseating. They were constantly following him wherever he went, bombarding him with questions on how to put up their game and what the battle had been like. Sure, it had been exciting at first, but after twelve hours of non-stop conversation, he had just about had it.
Judai sighed and ran a hand through his unkempt red-brown hair. None of the students had offered to duel with him, not even Sho or Hayato. They were too busy following Asuka around because she had gotten her hair cut.
Judai chuckled quietly to himself for a moment. He hadn't been the only center of attraction this school year. After Asuka had come back from a weekend with her parents sporting a new haircut, boys from each dorm were following her around, trying to get her to ask them out. Judai smiled, thinking of how Professor Chronos had tried to accuse him of peeping into the Obelisk Blue girl's dormitory, but Sho got found out instead. Now he bet old Chronos was up to his neck in peeping toms.
Judai gave another big sigh and watched the sun sink lower past the horizon. Something was missing from his life. He just didn't know what. He had friends. That was all he had ever needed before. But now it didn't seem to be enough.
He needed adventure. Maybe that was it. He loved to take risks. There just wasn't any thrill in sitting around watching the world go by in the safety of your own room. He loved to do things out of the ordinary. That's why it was so relaxing for him to play in a heart-racing duel. It might even be the reason he got so much rest while sleeping in class instead of in his own dorm.
For one wild moment, Judai even considered going back to the classrooms and studying, for the sake of being caught and reprimanded for working too hard. That might have been a laugh.
No, Judai thought miserably, picking up a small pebble and tossing it into the sea, they would probably just think I've had a change of heart and become a studious worker, then they'd give me more homework. Plus, some of those 'fans' of mine might even do the same, just for the sake of being like me. Then I wouldn't be different.
It was true. After he defeated the champion from the other school, many students had waved frantically to him in the corridors, sporting a hairstyle just like his. The girls, however, made red jackets a fashion outside of school hours, where their distinguishable dorm uniforms weren't needed.
"I need a thrill," Judai said aloud, his voice pulsating slightly in the enclosed space he sat in. "I need an adventure. I need an identity!" He threw another rock over the cliff as far as it could go.
Then a soft, worried, "Kuri, kuri," came from his deck case, and he reached into it and pulled out his Hane Kuriboh card. "I think you're the only one who understands me, Hane Kuriboh," he sighed longingly.
"Kuri, Kuri," he said pityingly.
"I need something to do," Judai sighed, sticking his card back into the case. "Maybe I should jump off this cliff. It would be exhilarating."
"It would also be suicide," remarked a cheerful voice from just beside him.
Judai jumped, startled. Not only was he surprised at hearing that someone was here with him, he was astonished to see that no one was there.
The voice chuckled again. "Now don't get scared and do that again. I don't want you falling off the cliff now."
"Where are you?" Judai demanded, his heart thumping, though he wasn't the least bit afraid.
"I'm right in front of you," remarked the voice. "I know you can't see me… but I can see you. And I know you, Yuki Judai."
Judai started at this too, but now his heart was pumping in an excited kind of way. Maybe this was the start of something exciting. Or he could be going mad, but at least it would be fun. Or so he thought.
"How do you know my name?" Judai asked excitedly. Then his heart sank. "Oh. It must have been because of my triumph over that boy from the other school, huh?" And he had thought it could have been different.
"I don't care who you've beaten. All that matters is that you're a good duelist." Then the voice chuckled again, in a friendly sort of way. "You're the first boy I've seen who hasn't run away when they heard me speaking to them. In fact, you're the first boy I had ever known who doesn't ask a disembodied voice questions about him apart from, 'Where are you?'"
Judai flushed sheepishly. "I guess I just don't find it surprising," he admitted. "I can talk to my Hane Kuriboh sometimes—and I hear him talk back—or, indeed, squeak back. I guess it's just a special talent of mine or something, to be able to hear things others can't."
"You're not the only one with that ability," the voice corrected sternly. "Anyone I choose to talk to can hear me—they just… don't stick around long enough to hear what I have to say. And your friend Maeda Hayato can hear your Hane Kuriboh."
Judai raised an eyebrow. He was slightly huffed to realize that he wasn't the only one to hear things out of the ordinary. Another deduction from the list of things that proved only one Yuki Judai existed.
"How do you know Hayato-kun can hear Hane Kuriboh?" he asked curiously, putting a hand protectively over his deck case.
The voice laughed openly this time. "Because your Kuriboh told me," he said, as if that was the most normal thing in the world.
Judai's hand dropped to his sides. He heard his deck case pop open, and a semi-solid Hane Kuriboh wriggled out. He bumped Judai affectionately on the forehead, then flapped over to a rock and nuzzled what seemed to be a person sitting there.
"Hello, Kuriboh. Miss me?" asked the voice, apparently patting Kuriboh on the head, because it made dunking motions and appeared to be enjoying itself.
Judai was stunned now. "Someone I met at the park gave the card to me," he said slowly. "But he was alive then. Surely he can't be dead now. And I hope you're not him."
"That must have been my aibou," said the voice, suddenly excited. "Did he look well? Was he happy?"
Judai was startled at this particular question. "Yes… he looked fine. Don't tell me you actually knew Yugi Motou?" he said, sounding just as excited. "And I'm the only one who can hear you! This is just so cool…"
"I've wanted to talk to so many potential duelists," the voice said somewhat sadly. "But no one wanted to listen to me. And you could say I knew Yugi Motou…" the voice fell silent, as if reminiscing.
"Really?" asked Judai excitedly. Then he suddenly realized, with a jolt of horror, that if he didn't like people fawning over him, this spirit might not either.
"Sorry," he faltered, glancing around at the now dark grounds. "I guess you don't like having to answer so many questions, huh?"
"I don't mind them," the voice said, "But thanks for showing some concern. Now… would you like me to go to the main reason why I'm here, or would you like me to answer some more questions?" he asked politely.
"Um… I guess that's enough questions for now…" Judai admitted. Then he suddenly blurted, "Although, there is one thing."
"Which is?" the voice asked, not at all sounding annoyed.
"I would really like to see you," Judai said. "I mean… I know when I'm talking to Hane Kuriboh, because I can see him." He held his hand out to the fluffball, who was apparently zooming in circles around the person's head. Kuriboh chirped happily and came to rest on his shoulder. "And since he can apparently see you, I was wondering if I would be able to too."
"Of course," the voice said happily. "I only show myself to those who are actually interested in talking to me—and you were the first one. But I can only reveal my identity to those who can help me—because to do so without that person swearing to keep a secret would endanger the lives of the people I have been wanting to help. So will you be able to do it? I know you can. Otherwise, I wouldn't have come to you," said the voice amusedly.
Judai didn't hesitate. "I am willing," he said firmly, extremely happy that he would have one adventure that he could share with no one but this spirit—whoever he was.
"I was hoping you'd say that," the voice chuckled. "Alright… Judai." There was a sudden bright flash of light, and Judai shut his eyes instinctively. Kuriboh, however, left his shoulder, and by the sound of it, had moved to the disembodied voice.
When the bright light was no longer visible through his shut eyelids, he opened one eye and hastened to take a peek.
What he saw almost knocked him off his feet again, until he realized that he was already on the ground. Standing in front of him, semitransparent like his Hane Kuriboh, was a figure who looked exactly like Yugi Motou.
There we go, nice and short and kind of crazy. And please forgive me, I've only watched until Episode 7, and only breezed through the episode summaries from Janime ( very nice website) so I don't know much about when this is situated or whether it fits in with the storyline. I am pretty sure it doesn't. So sue me. Well, please review, unless you want me to rhyme again. I want to know exactly how many people out there care about Duel Monsters GX (probably very few). More reviews means sooner chapters! Well... excluding flames, flames are bad, they burn people.