Disclaimer: I own nothing involved in this story unless I invented it myself. This is written for fun, not for profit. All forms of feedback eagerly accepted. Concrit is loved the most, but everything is welcome.
Fandom: Yu-Gi-Oh GX
Title: Trust
Friendship: Juudai & Shou
Word Count: 1,000||Status: One-shot
Genre: Fantasy, Friendship||Rated: PG-13
Challenge: Written for the Diversity Writing Challenge, section B, #80, write a sidestory for any of your multichaps; Written for the One Friendship Boot Camp, prompt #49, employ
Notes: This takes place in the same world as Enchantment, but much earlier.
Summary: His parents are gone. His brother vanished three years ago. Shou is all alone in the world, until a golden-eyed prince found him.

Shou stood underneath the spreading branches of an oak tree, barely noticing the tease of the wind through his hair, not with all of his attention focused on the people going in and out of the house on the far side of the town square.

Until recently, that had been his house, his home. Until he'd run out of money and the debts mounted too high and the only path he'd had open involved selling the house to whoever would buy it.

He didn't have much left over from after he'd settled his debts. He thought he could make his way to the nearest city, though what he'd do after that he didn't know. Couldn't even guess.

"Shou..." His name whispered in his ears, spoken by a voice that he didn't recognize. That had never happened before; the town wasn't too large, and he knew everyone here.

Again something played with his hair, and now it felt less like the wind and more like a teasing pair of hands.

"Shou," the voice said again, and it was very clearly a voice now. "Come to the woods. Come on. It'll be all right."

Shou hesitated only for a moment. What reason did he have not to? He had nowhere certain to go and no one around the town was that interested in offering him a job so he could stay. He pulled his bag, stuffed with what little he had to call his own left, over his shoulder and started down the trail to the woods.

He didn't know how long he walked; he'd never gone this way very often before. His big brother had, back when he was still al-

Around. Back when Ryou was still around. Shou refused to even consider that he might be dead. It didn't matter what everyone else said. Ryou hadn't died. Ryou had simply left.

"You're right," a musical voice spoke from underneath the trees ahead of him. "He left and came to my world and he's perfectly fine now. Do you want to see him?"

Shou stopped in his tracks and stared, trying to figure out where the voice came from. He couldn't see anything but shadows there…

"Who are you?" He gripped onto the strap of his bag and tried to make himself sound as imposing as his brother. He wasn't doing a good job of it, but he tried anyway.

"I'm Juudai. Prince of the fae." Leaves tossed and shadows parted and from within that darkness there stepped out someone who looked not much older than Shou himself. At least he didn't look much older until Shou met his eyes, and in that moment he wanted to cry out in surprise and fall down to his knees.

Eyes of glimmering molten gold looked back at him, proud and independent and confident in ways that reminded him of Ryou and yet blew every thought of his brother out of his mind with how much more they were. The features of the self-named prince held evidence of fae blood, pointed and a little distant, with an amused quirk to one side of his mouth.

"Fae..." Shou murmured the word, though he hardly quite could wrap his mind around the concept. What in the world, in any world, was a fae prince doing here? Calling him? And hadn't he said something about his brother?

The prince's smile sharpened like the edge of a dagger. "That I did. One of my allies found himself interested in your brother and petitioned me to bring him to our world so he could be healed."

The words fell into Shou's mind and he blinked, shaking his head in a mostly vain attempt to clear it. "He's… he's all right? He really is?" For three years he'd fought to maintain belief that his brother was all right somewhere in the world, that he'd found magical help or a truly skilled healer who could deal with his injuries. But deep in the reaches of his heart, he'd always wondered…

"Of course he is. Would you like to see him?" The prince's smile did not soften all. "But I must warn you, there's a price." When Shou said nothing else, he continued. "Only those who have a place in our world can come there. Your brother is consort to my ally now. What place would you fill?"

Shou blinked again and shook his head again, trying harder to be able to think past the daze the fae cast with just his words. "What...what place is there for me?" He had never thought of himself as anyone's consort, and the idea of Ryou being such...he couldn't get his head wrapped around it.

Prince Juudai's fingers brushed against the side of Shou's cheek. "I could use a personal servant. Someone who would be completely loyal to me. Someone who I can trust absolutely. Can I trust you, Shou? I think you can trust me."

Shou relaxed into that gentle touch. He'd heard a lot of stories about the fae, some of them good, some not so good. They could be trusted, if you were careful. His brother clearly wasn't in any distress. Shou would definitely bet on Ryou against any fae, no matter how powerful. Which meant that he owed the fae for saving his brother's life.

"What would I have to do?"

"I'll teach you," Juudai said, looking down at him with those strange, enchanting eyes. "It won't be hard. Do you want to try?"

Shou didn't really have to think about it. He'd wanted a job out in the world, and this was a job. "I think I do," he murmured. "Will you take me there? I'd like to see my brother."

That smile sharpened a little more and Juudai pulled him closer. "I thought that's what you would want. He's waiting to see you as well. Let's go."

Shadows swept around them and never again did Shou set eyes on the mortal world.

But in fairness, he didn't miss it.

The End