A/N: So...this idea popped into my head, and I really wanted to start writing it. Angst and OCs. With that said, enjoy! I don't own Yugioh GX. Flashbacks are in bold, and spirits talking are in italics.

WARNING: angst

Judai stopped outside of the funeral home, hesitating for a moment.

"Judai?" Yubel asked.

He didn't answer, lost in his thoughts. This is all my fault...

"Judai, help me!" Shelly cried, reaching for him from under the support beam. Her blue eyes were wide in fear.

Flames raged around them. Judai was having trouble breathing through the smoke. He coughed.

"Hold on, Shelly, I'm coming!" he called.

The fire was cutting off their only escape route, but Judai wasn't about to leave her here. She was just a little girl, only eight years old. He tried to take a step forward, but some debris fell down, nearly crushing him.

"Damn!" He looked around, trying to find some way to get to her through the flames. There's gotta be something...

But there wasn't. That was when he realized that he was surrounded by flames. No matter which way he went, he would have to head through the fire.

"Well, in that case..." He jumped through the wall of flames before him, desperate to get to her in time.

"Judai!" she coughed.

He patted out some fire on his sleeve as he ran over to where she lay. "It's gonna be okay, Shelly. You're gonna—"

There was a cracking sound. Shelly looked up, eyes wide in horror. So did Judai.

That was the last thing he remembered. When he had woke up, he'd been in the hospital. It had been a couple days. They said the ceiling had caved in, burying him and Shelly. They said it was a wonder he was alive. But Shelly...

"I couldn't get to her in time," he said quietly.

"Judai, don't blame yourself," Yubel said. "You didn't cause that fire."

He didn't answer. Though he disagreed.

"Judai?"

He turned. A woman with wavy brown hair stood there, her blue eyes rimmed with red from crying.

"Lisa."

"Judai, why are you here? You're not welcome."

There was a knot in his stomach all of a sudden. He had thought that they wouldn't want him around, but having it said so bluntly to his face was...

"Lisa, I'm sorry."

"Save it, you bastard!" an ebony-haired man said, coming over to stand beside the woman. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her close. "You killed our daughter!"

"No! I—"

"You're the one who caused that fire!"

"I didn't—"

"We never should have left her alone with you!"

Judai backed up a step. "M-Minato..."

"You heard me!" Minato said, stepping away from Lisa. "Now get out of here! I never want to see you again! We never want to see you again!"

Hoping for some sort of support, Judai looked to Lisa. She wouldn't meet his eyes.

"Fine," he said quietly, backing up slightly. "I'll leave."

"Good! And make sure you never come back, freak!"

Judai froze for a second, stunned by the coldness in Minato's voice. Lowering his head, he ran off.

"Judai, don't let them get to you," Yubel said as he walked through town. "What do they know? They weren't there."

"But they're right. That fire was my fault."

"You've got to stop blaming yourself for things you can't control!"

"I could have controlled that, though!"

"Yes, by avoiding everyone in the world! How were you supposed to know that maniac would show up at your cousin's house!?"

Judai lowered his head. "You're right."

"That's what I thought," she said, crossing her arms.

"I need to start avoiding everyone."

"Judai! That's not what I meant!"

"Maybe not. But it's the only way I can avoid having—"

"Judai, this is the first time something like this has happened!"

He was silent for a moment. Finally, he corrected, "Second."

Yubel stared for a bit before asking, "What?"

"The second. The first time it happened was back in high school when all my friends got dragged into your fight with me."

"Judai..."

"That was the first time that others had to suffer because of me. The first time people got hurt because of me. Now, this time, it's my little cousin." He started trembling. "She's dead, and it's all my fault!"

"Judai, that's not—"

"Yes, it is! Why can't you understand that!? I'm too dangerous to be around! Getting involved with me can get people hurt, or worse!"

Just then there was a bright flash. Light engulfed everything. When it faded, Judai looked around. His eyes widened in horror.

"H-how...?"

Wasteland, tinted purple by the dim light of the comet overhead. In the distance, he could see a familiar building. It was the building where he had dueled Brron, the place where his friends had been sacrificed...the place where he had gotten that Super Polymerization card that he had used as Haou.

The memories came flooding back.

"Sparkman, take Broww out!"

The hero complied, destroying the enemy monster.

Brron smiled wickedly. "At this moment, the symbol for anger is added to my Wicked Scripture."

"What?"

He heard a groan, and, when he looked, he saw Manjoume getting to his feet. He tugged on the chains, then noticed the other people who were chained up with him.

"Tenjoin-kun! Fubuki! Kenzan!" he exclaimed. He said something else, but he was speaking quieter—Judai couldn't make it out.

The Ojama trio appeared beside him and said something else Judai couldn't make out.

"Manjoume!" he called. "You all right!? Sit tight! I'll save you soon!"

Manjoume looked pretty steamed up. Judai watched him, certain he could see his lips moving, but he couldn't hear a word he was saying. But, when he yelled, Judai sure as hell heard him.

"Judai, you damn idiot! Weren't you going to save Johan with us!?"

Judai looked at him in disbelief.

"Getting yourself all flared up...," he went on. "You didn't even stop to think about us at all, did you!?" As he spoke, the other three regained consciousness as well.

"Y-you're wrong! It's—"

"That's just how you are!" Manjoume cut him off. "You were the only one in your kingdom from the get-go! We were the idiots for getting all mixed up with you and feeling some sense of friendship with you being like that!"

With that, a rune came out if his neck and flew to the book above Brron's head. Manjoume started to glow, the way people always did when they died. Two of the Ojamas grabbed him, and, as he faded away, they went with him.

As Manjoume's picture had appeared on a page in the book, Brron had explained that attacking him would lead to one of Judai's friends being sacrificed. Their words upon hearing this came back suddenly.

Fubuki held a hand to his chin, thoughtful. "If Judai attacks, we'll vanish one by one..."

"That just can't be it!" Asuka exclaimed. "Why do we have to be treated like things in this duel!?"

"She's right! It's your fault, Aniki!" Kenzan snapped, his voice full of rage. "It's 'cause you run off when you want to!"

"My fault...," Judai said quietly.

"The effect of my Wicked Scripture will activate in conjunction with your attacks," Brron said after having forced Judai's monsters to do battle.

Three cards came flying out of his duel disk—the Wicked Runes for hatred, anguish, and sadness. Judai watched in horror.

Kenzan let out a scream. "Aniki! Why did you want to save Freed's comrades when it meant sacrificing us!?"

"You're wrong...," Judai said, unable to believe what his friend was saying. "That's not it, Kenzan!"

"I-It's painful..."

Judai turned toward Fubuki, who put a hand to his head.

"This pain isn't just physical... It's the pain of a friend's betrayal that's tearing my soul apart!"

"Fubuki..."

Asuka's words were the worst: "I'm being betrayed and sent away by you... To think that I'll have to bear a sadness like this..."

He turned to her, his eyes watering. "Asuka..."

As he watched, the runes emerged from his friends and flew toward the book, where Manjoume was still on the page marked "anger." Then his three friends started glowing, the way Manjoume had.

"They can't...," Judai said, shaking his head in denial.

But they could, and they did—the three disintegrated into dust right then and there. They were gone. And they were never coming back.

Judai trembled, unconsciously walking toward the stadium.

"Where are Johan and Freed's comrades!?" Judai demanded as Brron's life points hit zero.

"I already told you!" Brron said as he started to glow. "Their blood has been absorbed by the sand of this field. The boy you call 'Johan' is dead."

His mind fast-forwarded.

"Sho. I'm really glad you're alive."

"Those...those are nothing but hollow words...," Sho said. "Aniki... You're too selfish, Aniki. All this time, Aniki, I thought of you like the sun, giving us all strength, able to make the impossible possible... But...I guess I thought wrong... For you, things were fine if you were okay... It didn't matter who you sacrificed as long as it all helped your plan! Even if you avenge them, the ones you sacrificed won't come back! Aniki, you've been dueling to satisfy yourself!"

Judai's eyes widened in horror. How could his best friend accuse him of such things? Or...was he telling the truth? Sho honestly believed what he was saying...

"Sho..."

"Don't talk to me! You're not my aniki! You're not my aniki!"

Sho ran from the arena, with Jim following behind. O'Brien started after them as well.

"O'Brien!" Judai said.

He stopped, glanced back over his shoulder, and said, "I did tell you to wait, didn't I?"

"So, then, I made a mistake?"

His eyes narrowed and he turned away, saying, "Think about that on your own."

And he ran off, leaving Judai to do just that. He fell to his knees.

"Judai!" Yubel snapped. "You're straying into dangerous waters here! Stop thinking about this! And find some way out of here before you lose your mind!"

"Lose my mind...," he said quietly, thinking about what had happened after that.

"That card...Super Polymerization. To unlock its power, defeat those who try to oppose you, and absorb their energy."

"Hold up! Exactly who are you!?" Judai demanded of the...thing...inside his head.

"The ruler of this world: Haou."

The time after that had been pure torture. It felt like years before he was released from that dark prison. But it came at a price. Jim had sacrificed himself in a failed attempt to save Judai, and O'Brien was unable to defeat Haou, so he ended the match in a draw to save the fool he'd followed to this world, sacrificing himself as well.

"Judai, stop this," Yubel pleaded. "You're only bringing yourself down."

He didn't seem to hear her. He was still lost in another world. Stepping into the arena, he said, "D-Dark World... I-I'm...back in..."

"Judai!"

For a moment, he was silent. Then, finally, he asked, "Yubel...you sent my friends to another world, but what about the other people I hurt as Haou? Did you send them somewhere else?"

She wasn't sure she should answer—it wouldn't make him feel better. But not answering would tell him the same thing. "No, Judai. I was only concerned with keeping your friends. The others... Well, they're gone. Forever."

He lowered his head, trembling. An image of Shelly in that fire ran through his mind, but it quickly switched to a burning village under attack by that fiend, Inferno Wing.

And, again, a bright light blinded him.

Manjoume drew his card. He was in the middle of a championship match against the best duelist in the Pros. Well, they thought he was the best, but Manjoume Thunder was going to prove them wrong—he'd end it this turn.

"I activate Armed Dragon LV10's effect! By sending a card in my hand to the graveyard, I can—"

A bright light engulfed the field, and Manjoume cut himself off, shielding his eyes.

"What the—?"

"What's this light!?" the announcer demanded.

It dimmed after a moment. Manjoume lowered his arm, confused. He glanced at the field, and his eyes widened.

"Judai!?"

The two-tone brunette was lying in the middle of the arena, a bandage on his hand. His jacket and pants looked singed, as if he'd just gotten out of a burning building.

"It appears that a man has suddenly appeared in the dueling arena!" the baffled announcer said.

A low murmur arose in the crowd. Manjoume ran over to the brunette.

What the hell just happened!? Where did this guy come from!?

He knelt down beside Judai, saying, "Judai! What are you doing here!?"

The brunette didn't speak, but he did whimper. Manjoume grabbed him by the shirt and pulled him up.

"I asked what you're doing here, Judai!"

Judai, his head low, quietly said, "I made a mistake... It's all my fault..."

Manjoume's opponent took a step forward. "Hey, is he alright?" he asked.

Manjoume turned to him and said, "I'm sorry, but can we reschedule this? I have to deal with this idiot."

The man blinked. "Uh, okay, I guess..."

"Good." Turning back to Judai, he said, "Come on, you idiot. Let's take this somewhere private."

He dragged Judai out of the arena, hoping to get to the bottom of what was going on.