In So Many Words
By,
Aestivate
Author's Note: Trying a 50 sentences story. It's been a loooong while since I've written fanfiction in any shape or form, so… Yeah. Apologies for certain amounts of choppiness and strangeness. Most of the themes are dedicated to Spiritshipping, but you will also see Darkspiritshipping and Soulshipping. Some themes also address the (very complicated) relationship between Johan and Yubel. I KNOW Yubel is a hermaphrodite, but I refer to Yubel with feminine pronouns.
Inspired by Heleentje's and Glass Butterflies' similar takes and how beautiful, perceptive, and insightful they were.
Most take place within canon. Specific references (episodes, BBT movie, etc.) to the themes will be listed in the notes at the end.
Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX.
#01 - Comfort
Even though Johan feels forlorn when Judai is gone, he still has his colorful family of precious stones to keep him warm while he waits, and he is never truly lonely; neither is Judai.
#02 - Kiss
If Johan is the moon, he is ignited in Judai's sun-kiss and wrapped in his Darkness.
#03 - Soft
"She keeps one wing over thee and one wing over me."
#04 - Pain
Even though Judai believes that he must distance himself, only Johan is the one that can bring out his true smile.
#05 - Potatoes
If it's one thing Judai and Johan have learned from Shou, no opponent is a small potato, and that every opponent is worthy of respect.
#06 - Rain
No matter how well he knows his best friend, his soul mate, Johan knows there is no use trying to predict the onset, severity, and duration of a storm, and just that it'll come and that he'll have to deal with its aftermath.
#07 - Chocolate
After all this time, he still finds himself slightly unnerved by that cold heterochromatic gaze when it superimposes over what is usually warm, chocolate brown.
#08 - Happiness
They are happiest not when they meet with friends, go on dates, or have sex, but when they stand opposite one another in a stadium, duel disks and card hands at the ready and twin souls raring for a well-fought duel.
#09 - Telephone
Judai usually hates his cellphone because it usually means he and Yubel have to leave Johan, yet it's one of his most prized possessions (next to his deck and duel disk) when he's on the road.
#10 - Ears
Johan tucks Judai's unruly hair behind his ears and presses his lips closely against them, his breath warm as he whispers his "I love you's."
#11 - Name
Judai learns on his travels that the German word "juwel" which is pronounced the same way as Yubel, means "gem," and she does not at all appear to be as amused by this as he is.
#12 - Sensual
Maybe it's because of Haou, but Judai finds himself oddly aroused by the idea of being able to make love to a Yubel-possessed Johan, but obviously he wouldn't tell either of them this.
#13 - Death
His life was just another thing he admitted he would be willing to exchange for Johan's freedom, but Johan tells him later that no matter what the circumstance, Judai should never, ever give up his resolve to fight.
#14 - Sex
It was the only time the Gem Beasts, Yubel, and Hane Kuriboh ever let the two have complete privacy; sometimes they built it up slowly, just so they could enjoy only each other's company for longer.
#15 - Touch
Sometimes, when he wakes up from nightmares (or maybe they're memories), he has to stroke the other's cheek, just to see if he is really there, serenely sleeping next to him.
#16 - Weakness
They did not need Darkness of Nihility to remind them that Judai is Johan's weakness; what only the Darkness of Gentleness knows is that Judai is also Johan's strength.
#17 – Tears
Asuka, Shou, and even Yubel always beat him to the punch when it comes to crying. It dawns on Judai (accompanied by a large pang of guilt) that maybe those tears are shed for him. He vows to himself that he will never, ever let them cry again – unless they are tears of happiness.
#18 - Speed
Once in a blue moon Johan will catch up, but he never surpasses. Not that it matters; it's the thrill of the chase that's important to him anyway.
#19 - Wind
Though Judai goes wherever the wind takes him, for some uncanny reason it always leads him back to Johan.
#20 - Freedom
Only Johan accepts the invitation to the Pro-League; Judai already has a job (and is frankly too blithe to be tied down by the League anyway).
#21 - Life
Johan knows he'd choose the Gem Beasts, just like how he knows Judai would choose Yubel and his Heroes; but for now and hopefully for the rest of their existences (in this life and the next) they won't ever have to make the choice.
#22 - Jealousy
Their jealousies were borne away ages ago, casted aside in favor of their common love for Judai and ultimately, for each other.
#23 - Hands
Yubel's and Johan's hands are so different (for one thing, Yubel has reptilian-Dragon-whatever hands, and Johan has rough, calloused human hands), but he realizes that the love emanating from each is pretty much the same as he clutches one in each of his own.
#24 - Taste
The taste of fried shrimp always brings him back to a place and time he knows he can never return to – but now he's made peace with the fact that maybe he doesn't want to.
#25 - Devotion
He tells himself that he devotes himself to Judai to repay his debt, but that's not exactly true. After all, Yubel does not have to be Judai's only protector.
#26 - Forever
In some of his more dispirited moments, Judai pulls Chou Yuugou from his deck and lets himself be assailed by painful memories. And even though he is guilty, he doesn't regret its creation. The lost souls sleeping within the card are what united him, Johan, and Yubel, after all.
#27 - Blood
All of the blood Haou spilled; it was for him.
#28 - Sickness
He is afflicted by wanderlust.
#29 - Melody
Karaoke is one of the more mundane things Johan and his friends do when they have reunions, but no matter how drunk anyone is, everyone listens most intently when Judai sings.
#30 - Star
It's not the Darkness that concerns him so much anymore as it is the Light.
#31 - Home
After they finish their meal (with Yubel looking wistfully at the food on the table), Judai insists that he helps Johan with the dishes, and Johan finally relents, letting Judai clear the table. A smile graces Johan's lips as he watches Judai bound towards the kitchen he is so familiar with and put the dishes away in exactly the right cabinets. Johan wonders when Judai stopped being a guest but a housemate.
#32 - Confusion
In hindsight (and post-unification with Judai), Yubel thinks that possessing Johan as a means to an end was probably not a very good idea.
#33 - Fear
They never have to fear loneliness; they have each other, and they have their spirits.
#34 - Lightning/Thunder
"Dammit, I can't believe Manjoume lost. How much do I owe you?" Juudai throws popcorn dejectedly at the television screen, while Johan holds out his hands, with the broad grin on his face.
#35 - Bonds
In the next life, Johan hopes that he and the Gem Beasts will choose each other again and always, just as Judai and Yubel did.
#36 - Market
Chronos-sensei and Samejima-kaichou always grant his requests for new Osiris Red jackets, if anything happens to separate Judai from his current one. Red would always be his color, and Osiris a guidepost in the venerable sky.
#37 - Technology
Dueling on a D-Wheel must be exhausting, Judai muses as he watches Yusei ride away, following the Red Dragon. You can't see your opponent's expressions, Judai thinks, and a flash of crystal green eyes appear in his mind's eye.
#38 - Gift
Johan's dream is to bridge the dimensions for the Duel spirits and those who bond with the spirits, and Judai is that bridge.
#39 – Smile
In his dreams, Johan always looks nostalgic rather than regretful. He understands. And Haou cries upon waking not because he misses him, not because he longs for him, not because he needs him, but simply because in his dreams, Johan is always smiling.
#40 - Innocence
Their youthful innocence was something she'd taken from them, but all-in-all, Judai and Johan considered it a good trade.
#41 - Completion
For all of their similarities, it was exactly their differences that made Johan's hands fall exactly into place in Judai's.
#42 - Clouds
Johan, Judai, and Yubel all hate clouds because they have nothing to conceal from each other (Amon did).
#43 - Sky
One pulls him skyward, the other pulls him back down to the Earth, and Judai decides that the in-between is the only place he'd ever prefer to be.
#44 - Heaven
For all of their chiding, the Tenjoins were the first to bless their relationship after Yubel.
#45 – Hell
Although Judai was beyond thrilled to know that Fubuki-san, Asuka, Manjoume, Kenzan, Jim, Karen, O'brien, Ryou, and Edo were alive, he wondered once – very fleetingly and no doubt born from his endless guilt – if death would have been a better option.
#46 - Sun
Judai always had this ability to draw people into his orbit.
#47 - Moon
...and illuminate them.
#48 - Waves
It didn't take long for Johan to discover Judai's favorite places at the Academia, and it took even less time for those to become his favorite places as well. Every one of those spots seemed to overlook the endless, surrounding sea.
#49 - Hair
Johan wonders if anyone has ever told Judai that his hair looks like a Kuriboh.
#50 - Supernova
Johan was very engrossed in the story of Judai's deck – an epic tale of Heroes and Aliens that made the tones of Judai's voice rise excitedly and his eyes light-up as he told it.
Fin.
Notes:
(a) All references to Johan being the Moon and Judai being the Sun refer back to episode 175. #16, #26 also refer to this episode.
(b) Judai receives his cellphone from O'Brien in episode 157.
(c) Theme #11 is something noticed not by me, but astute viewers on TVTropes.
(d) #29 is a reference to Judai's voice actor (KENN) being a famous and popular singer.
(e) #34 refers to Manjoume's nickname in the Japanese version - "Manjoume Thunder."
(f) #37 is a reference to the Bonds Beyond Time movie, where Judai meets Yusei and Yugi and gets to ride behind Yusei on his D-Wheel. Judai also mentions Johan explicitly by name in the movie because Paradox has stolen Rainbow Dragon (and Cyber End Dragon, too, for that matter).
(g) #38 refers to Johan's "reason for dueling" which is given in episode #115. The word "bridge" is also used to refer to Rainbow Dragon in episode #130.
(h) #44 is a play on words - The "Ten" in "Tenjoin" means "heaven." This pun is also used in the anime.
(i) I could not resist #49, which is a Yu-Gi-Oh!: The Abridged/Cancelled Series reference.