#55: Dreams
Title: Surprise.
Author: cheeky_eyes
Rating: PG - for mild swearing.
Genre: General
Pairing: None.
Theme: #55: Dreams
Summary: Somehow Juudai always managed to surprise him, and his latest visit was no exception.
xxx
When he opened his door that morning Juudai was the last person Johan had expected to see standing there, for a variety of reasons.
The first being Juudai had been last seen in Africa by O’Brian only yesterday and no traditional mode of transport could bring him to his town that quickly. Or at least that practically. The second was that he wasn’t sure Juudai even knew where Norway was, let alone his house; incidentally the third reason was he was also pretty sure he’d never told Juudai his address which generally makes finding people a lot easier. The fourth reason was probably the least convincing, but he knew that Juudai wasn’t a morning person, preferring to sleep the early hours away. (This was probably a throw back from being the Herald of Gentle Darkness as Juudai never seemed to have any trouble staying awake at night, or any other time he wanted too.) So for many reasons Johan was stunned into silence as he stared at his friend.
“Surprise,” Juudai grinned at the stunned look on Johan’s face. Hane Kuriboh appeared beside him with a wild look around.
“Juudai?” Amethyst Cat summed up pretty well behind him as Ruby Carbuncle flew off his shoulder and tackled Hane Kuriboh out of the air with a joyful squeak.
“So, got anything to eat? I’m starved,” Juudai continued as his grin widened.
“Yeah sure, come in,” was the only articulate reply Johan could manage.
After the door had clicked shut and Pharaoh jumped out of Juudai’s bag Johan continued as he led his friend into the kitchen.
“So how exactly did you get here?” he asked happily as he caught a flicker of Yubel between him and Juudai.
“Turns out there are perks to being the saviour of the universe,” Juudai answered as Yubel became more visible.
“What, an enhanced vocabulary?” Johan teased as Juudai’s smile turned to one of slight confusion.
“He gets that from me,” Yubel said calmly at the same time Juudai replied “A what?” Juudai gave a half hearted glare at Yubel before dismissing both comments and carried on with his explanation.
“No, teleportation. It’s great! I’m pretty much guaranteed never to be late again!”
“Yet you somehow still manage it,” Yubel interfered dryly. From the other side of the hallway Amethyst Cat hissed before darting in front of Johan.
“Hello Yubel,” he said neutrally as they entered the kitchen. She nodded slightly and faded from sight. Johan didn’t doubt that she was still there, but as she made the Gem Beasts uneasy he was glad that she had disappeared. On the table was half of his breakfast which had been interrupted by Juudai’s knock on the door. He sat down again at the table as a hopeful look flashed across Juudai’s face as he followed suit.
“I suppose the chances of there being fried shrimp are slim to none huh?” Juudai asked with a hopeful lilt on his voice that was at odds with his doubts. “I haven’t had some in ages,” he finished with a despondent sigh. Johan just laughed.
“Well if you’d given me some warning there might have been,” Johan replied, teasing slightly.
“I believe I told you that too Juudai,” Yubel’s disembodied voice said quietly, sounding faintly amused. Silence fell over the apartment as Johan finished his breakfast and Juudai started his.
An hour later found them in the lounge room with a serious look on Juudai’s face. Well at least as serious as he could look with a smile twitching in the corner of his mouth.
“I suppose you’re curious as to why I’m here,” Juudai said as his eyes became duel coloured.
“I wasn’t,” Johan said carefully as he knew those eyes meant something was out of wack in the world somewhere. “We’ve all stopped wondering when and where you’d appear.”
“That’s fair enough,” Juudai replied with a shrug. He seemed happy still, so maybe whatever was playing up wasn’t all that serious. He cleared his throat as he got to the point.
“You once said your dream was to be the bridge between humans and Duel Spirits. Is that still so?”
Johan’s eyes widened. He’d said that yes, but given the circumstances it had been revealed in (between Juudai’s own weakness after his duel with Professor Satou, his own reaction to Giese, duelling Martin, the duel ghouls and the shit hitting the fan in the Dark World) it was nothing short of amazing that Juudai had remembered.
But then again it’s Juudai, so it wasn’t that surprising.
“It is,” Johan replied almost breathlessly, not daring to say any more.
“Then would you like to come with me?” Juudai finished with a soft smile. Before Johan could answer Yubel appeared once more and the tension between the Duel Spirits rose. His family had been wandering (and sitting) quietly about the room, but they all snapped to attention when Yubel appeared once again, their distrust of her obvious.
“I would love to,” Johan answered, his tone indicating that his opinion wasn’t what would stop him. He did have his family to consider and while he’d forgiven Yubel, they hadn’t. Of course, she hadn’t really harmed him as much as she’d harmed them. Everything had turned out all right and he supposed it wasn’t entirely her fault, given the nature of the Light of Destruction.
“Yubel promises to play nicely,” Juudai replied with a grin. Apparently this promise had come to be after a long and interesting conversation for Yubel’s face filled with an amused sufferance. The room was silent for a moment, before Juudai threw a pointed glance at Yubel.
“I suppose I never apologised for what I did to you, then,” she said, facing Johan, with a hint of indifference in her voice. From behind him he could hear Topaz Tiger mutter that that wasn’t much of an apology. Sapphire Pegasus shushed him as Yubel looked at them.
“I’m sorry,” she said with a trace of difficulty turning back to Johan, who smiled faintly at her.
“And I’m not the one who needs to forgive you,” he answered as the tension rose once again. His family looked at him and then at each other holding a silent council. After a minute Sapphire Pegasus stepped forward with Emerald Turtle behind him. Yubel sighed.
“Like I said, I’m. Sorry,” she managed to get out again with more difficulty, this time turning to look at Juudai after she’d said it, who just smiled serenely at her. It must have been a very interesting conversation if Juudai had managed to convince her to feel a little bit of remorse. Or at least fake it somewhat convincingly. There was a moment’s pause before Sapphire Pegasus replied.
“If Johan is ok with you, then all is well,” he got out, not without his own difficulty. Johan smiled widely. His family and Yubel may have some problems, but once they got going they’d be able to figure it out. And after a year of the Pro’s it would be wonderful to have a chance to follow his dream.
“In that case Juudai, I would love to come with you!”