Yu-Gi-Oh! Skies [IC/PG-16]

[radio414 903]

Everything that lives and moves about will be food for you. Just as I gave you the green plants, I now give you everything.
-Genesis 9:3 (NIV)

---

Melissa smiled when she heard Gabriela was alright. Not that she’d expected anything else, really, so maybe the smile was also that she’d been able to catch her? Whichever it was, the smile remained as Gabriela thanked her in the way only Gabriela would. “An honored guest?” Melissa said, “Um, is this in addition to all the other times I’ll be honored in Romvania or do they all compound together into one very honorable ceremony?”

Not that she minded or wanted to actually call out Gabriela on any of those promises, but she was interested. The interest was quickly revealed to be of the idle sort, though, as when Gabriela said she wanted food, or “nourishment” for “dark power such as hers,” Melissa developed a new plan.

Gabriela’s request had also reminded Melissa how hungry she’d gotten after she lost her own dinner during the duel. Fortunately, she’d also heard that Fast Food (the food truck, not, like catering or anything) would be outside during the dance portion and that seemed like a good place to sate both of their hunger, so she took Gabriela by the hand -- “Alright, let’s fix that,” she said -- and guided her back outside the dance hall.

There were still a bunch of other people around, either in line or eating or otherwise idling around, though it was certainly less crowded than the masses still indoors. The volumes of the music and the chatter had been reversed, too; Melissa could still hear the thumping bass and maybe when she paid attention she could hear some of the melody, but most of the noise came from the fragments of conversation around her.

“My parents were always like, ‘If someone asks you to dance, you should be courteous and give them at least one. More can come if you want to after that, or you can leave, but give them the one.’ I don’t know. I’m not seeing anyone here who I’d want to dance with.”

“I’m not dancing until the deejay plays something with some actual artistic merit. If they open the floor to requests, first thing I’m doing is going in and suggesting some King Gizz because otherwise I’m going to lose my mind.”

“Who’d you vote for Kickoff King and Queen? I was thinking Chaderson and Rendleman but I could be persuaded otherwise…”

And so on. Regardless of anything else, Melissa at least appreciated that it made the line move a little faster, and pretty soon both of them had a burger in hand. Luckily for both of them, too, a picnic table just cleared out nearby. It was a little dirty still -- one of the table’s occupants hadn’t even thrown out their leftovers -- but Melissa took care of that. She gathered it all into one corner of the table and looked back at Gabriela. “I don’t- if we go looking for a trash can now someone’ll probably take the spot without us,” she said, “um, but is this okay? I think that ketchup is still fresh so you might have to watch your elbow, but…?”

[Cappuccijoe 17]

“Oh, Yushiro! I was just looking for you.”Elizabeth took steps towards him, she figured trying to stall for time would show her hand too heavily, it was best to act natural. 

“Heya!” he waved hello and made his way over to her. “I uh.. Didn’t keep you too long, did I?”

“Me? Heavens no. I see you’ve put some thought into the power cards we talked about! Where on earth did you find such a thing?” Well, there goes her whole “avoid dueling at all costs” bit. She glanced up at the staircase, where on earth was Ash? Things were going to get dicey quickly.

“A friend gave it to me.”

“Don’t you mean your boss?”

“Jo can be both!” Yushiro fired back internally. “Well… my boss, actually.” He corrected himself. “I guess Jo’s a little of both, really. But anyway, I’m so glad that’s over and done with. My heart’s still racing.” He let out a little bit of a nervous laugh, trying at the same time to keep his eyes from moving down to Elizabeth’s exposed midriff as he remembered that bringing up other women (even older ones) to his date might not be the best of ideas. 

Elizabeth noted his stare and smiled, it was not the first time she'd caught him and would surely not be the last. Although, she would be lying if she said that wasn't in some way her intention.
"I cant imagine dueling for the ball. I've been in plenty of high stakes duels but this…" she gestured to the air, then brought the focus back to the card, "that's quite a generous donation."

“I thought so too…” Yushiro scratched the back of his head nervously. “But she insisted. Gotta go thank her too when I get a chance. But before then, well…” He took a few steps closer, then, before he could psych himself out of it, leaned in and gave Elizabeth a quick peck on the cheek. “Thanks. I don’t think I could have pulled off that win without you helping me practice.”

Elizabeth's eyes opened a bit wide in surprise, Well isn't he feeling daring today.
'Any time, dear. Certainly Hiraku is quite the adversary. Of course, I could think of much better things to be doing than practicing duels. she placed her hand on his shoulder, near his neck, "I believe the dance is coming up soon. Now it's your turn to hold up the deal."

Yushiro’s heart thumped a little harder, and a little bit faster, but he fought off his nerves for the moment and gave her a smile. “Lead the way. I’ll try and keep up.” He wasn’t sure he could actually keep up- he could dance, sure, but this would be the first time he actually had a partner. Still, Yushiro was determined to go two for two.

The dance floor- really just the area of Maiden hall’s first floor that lacked carpeting, was already beginning to fill with people- couples mostly, but some students were flying solo as well. It was more than large enough to accommodate the majority of those in attendance, should they all choose to get up and dance at once, but at present there was plenty of room and one could see clearly through the dancers to the foot of the stage in most places. Yushiro had been up there not too long ago, rather quickly being handed the Blue-Eyes that was now in his coat pocket to relatively little fanfare. He was actually pretty glad that most people had gone to do their own thing after the duel ended- he didn’t like all the attention and he was much more intent on spending time with Elizabeth, and maybe Akira, if he could find him. 

Elizabeth groaned at the song on the stereo, "They always pick such bizarre music for these things. Could you imagine actually listening to this stuff in your own time?" she took his hand, guiding him off to the side a bit, then took his other,"I suppose it sets the mood. Would you like to lead?"

“I can’t stand this pop-ey stuff.” He said with a little bit of a laugh. “And why don’t you lead? I’m a much better follower.” 

Elizabeth, in what playfulness she did have, had half a mind to take him into a full routine, but given that he didn't even know he was mad at her yet, she thought it better than to irk him. Instead, she simply took his hands and placed them at her hips, followed quickly by her pointing a finger at him, "Don't you go getting creative down there, understand?she smiled, and placed her hands over his collarbone and draped lightly behind his neck, leading them simply to the left by motioning her hips and pointing her left toe towards the inside of the small circle they would form in a full routine. She continued, knowing that neither of them particularly cared to hear the music,

"So, we've had a bit of a quiet week since… well."

His heart thumped a bit, moreso from the fact that his hands were on her hips than his nerves. He kept in step with her as she spoke- it wasn’t particularly hard. Maybe she was going easy on him? “I got the feeling that you wanted a little space… You seemed like you had a lot on your mind last week.” He tried dancing around it a bit, but he was still worried that he’d come on just a bit too strong. But as he looked into her eyes and stole a glance or two down lower when he could, that assessment seemed more and more like it was wrong. So what could it be that was bugging her? 

Elizabeth looked away for a second, she knew how these deals went: Her and Yushiro would trade notes; what did he know? What did she know? What did each other know the other knew about the other? Etcetera. She knew that, if she wanted to, a flirt or two would have her well out of the water she was treading into, but at the risk of sinking the ship, she proceeded onward,

"Well dear, you'll have to get used to that." she looked back at him, "As charming as this all has been, I've almost always got my mind on something or another. Between Ashley, some of the friends I've met lately and my own life, drama seems to find me. You'd think I've been written into a show some days. But that's… not really what I meant, Yushiro."

“Well, what did you mean?”

"I suppose, and I'm not really sure why this has come up now, but I suppose I feel you've been a bit worried by the steps we're taking. Do you understand what I mean?"

He started to blush. “Worried? Nah. I haven’t done anything like this before, sure, but,” He pulled her in just a bit closer. “I’m not having any second thoughts, and I don’t want you to have any on my account, either. I like you. A lot, if I’m being honest.”

"Well, in that case," she leaned in for a kiss from Yushiro, and not just one on the cheek, "Maybe we should stop beating around the bush so frequently, mate." she was blushing a bit, only exemplified by her pale skin, "Maybe we can start by walking each other to class? I know we're not in the same building often, but still. I think I'd like to see you. Seems rare even when I'm supposed to."

“Sounds like a plan.” He smiled, then moved his hands up her back a little and pulled her all the way in for a real kiss, one that lasted a little while, too. “Guess I should start waking up a little earlier.”

 

Edited December 18, 2019 by Cappuccijoe

[LordCowCow 839]

“Um, is this in addition to all the other times I’ll be honored in Romvania or do they all compound together into one very honorable ceremony?”

Gabriela froze momentarily. Was she repeating herself too much? She wasn't actually sure what she was doing. So it was very possible that she kept going through the same lines again and again. Thankfully Melissa didn't press the matter.

Soon she was being held by the hand again. It was something that was happening a lot today. She didn't think she'd like it but it was actually quite pleasant. Even if there was a strange feeling that came with it. An instinctive desire to pull on said hand and get closer to the owner of it. She restrained that though. It would be going too far surely. So she simply followed along and watched the girl as she led Gabby towards the food.

It was much quieter out here. But in a strange way that made her more aware of the noise. More specifically the people. The music being so subdued made their conversations pop out even more. Which reminded her that if she could see them they could see her.

She hoped her hand wasn't sweating too much.

Soon, thankfully, they had gotten their food and sat down. Unfortunately they were sitting next to some leftovers.

“I don’t- if we go looking for a trash can now someone’ll probably take the spot without us,” she said, “um, but is this okay? I think that ketchup is still fresh so you might have to watch your elbow, but…?” 

She frowned at the bits of food. Not for the reason Melissa said. She didn't mind the mess itself. "I don't get why people leave food like that." Gabby said. Her eyes flicked over towards Melissa and she cleared her throat. "Ahem, even in a place of riches like my home we knew not to toss away what was still useful. I hope that the people of this land aren't all like this."

Gabby had a nervous thought. What if Melissa was the type to throw out leftovers? She didn't want to insult her. "Though perhaps I am being too...harsh, maybe it is not so bad." She said. Though her eyes kept glancing over in disapproval at the mess.

"So, er, what comes next in this event. Do you know? Surely those in charge had something planned after all the fanfare. I'd rather this not end...if I can help it."

[Skaia 578]

Jun gave a thumbs up to her friend as she mentioned being kept in the loop about the progress on her costume. "Of course, and when you get big and successful as an entertainer and start to sell merchandise of your stage persona, then you can remember and credit me with the design. And then I'll swim in royalties!" The girl chuckled at the thought and said, "but seriously, I'm pretty surprised you chose the entertainment club of all things to be in."  The image of Kyouko being in a costume putting on a show for everyone via dueling was not really something that matched up in her head. "I thought you didn't really like being the center of attention...or dueling...or crowds...or acting or - uh, yeah. Any  of that really." 

[radio414 903]

When they had all had enough to eat, he said to his disciples, “Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted.”
-John 6:12 (NIV)

---

Melissa wasn’t sure how to respond to Gabriela’s most recent comments. Her initial impulse was, “Well, you’re welcome to them,” but that didn’t scan well at all in her head. Was she even supposed to respond at all? She took a bite of her hamburger in an attempt to stall for time, but the only thing she could really think of was a nod and an “Mm” in acknowledgment. Because Gabriela was right, it was a shame that people wasted food. Oh, that was something she could say. “We’ll just have to make sure not to waste ours, I guess.”

The other big comment Gabriela made was about the dance. “What comes next?” she’d asked. “I’d rather this not end… if I can help it.”

Gabriela’s question caught Melissa mid-chew, which fortunately was enough to keep her from immediately blurting out “I don’t want it to either” or something to that effect. She desperately ran through the schedule in her head, but the earlier moments had been the ones she’d had the most down pat. Everything after that…

She swallowed, then took a breath to prepare the bad news. “I don’t- I’m not sure what comes next,” she said. “The schedule that got posted was pretty clear on some things -- the duel, um, dancing, obviously, stuff like that, but after dancing it got kind of vague. Maybe there’s a Kickoff Court vote, but, um, I’m sorry, if you wanted me to drum up support for you, I didn’t do any of that.” In her head, Melissa noted that Gabriela probably wouldn’t have beaten Ashley Rendleman or whoever was making a serious effort anyway, but she didn’t say that part out loud.

Right as Melissa finished speaking, a large -- or rather, larger than normal -- cheer erupted from the dance hall for reasons Melissa was unable to piece together from the surrounding chatter. Melissa winced. It reminded her too much of the first day of the year. Most social events did, really, but the extra unchecked explosion of social energy made another serious dent in her mental armor.

She had to say it, she realized. “If I’m being honest with you, Gabriela, I don’t actually want to find out what the hosts have planned for the rest of the evening. I’ve already- I feel like I’ve done enough already, but I can’t- I can’t keep doing this. We don’t have to go our separate ways -- the night’s still going, I mean, but all that…” Instead of finishing her sentence, Melissa just gestured at the dance hall and hoped Gabriela understood.

It took more than a few moments (and more than a few more bites of hamburger) before Melissa spoke again. “We can go somewhere else if you want. I- I might have a few ideas.”

[LordCowCow 839]

“The schedule that got posted was pretty clear on some things -- the duel, um, dancing, obviously, stuff like that, but after dancing it got kind of vague. Maybe there’s a Kickoff Court vote, but, um, I’m sorry, if you wanted me to drum up support for you, I didn’t do any of that.”

Gabby almost had a double take at the idea. Thinking of her winning something like that. Being crowned even in something so small was...But, no, that was the point wasn't it? She wasn't just some girl anymore. She was Gabriela, princess of a mysterious nation. If such a contest existed then she should have tried...

"I would not want to trample on the hopes of the common folk. Were I to join such a thing it would be no contest at all!" Gabriela assured Melissa.

She noticed Melissa wince at the sudden cheer that happened from inside. Was she nervous? Gabby thought back through the day. It felt like this whole time that Melissa was avoiding something. That she had to get something said, or done, but she was worried about it. The girl's next words made that even more clear.

“We can go somewhere else if you want. I- I might have a few ideas.”

There should be some significance to what Melissa was saying. Gabby felt that much was true at least. But she couldn't for the life of her figure out what. Did Melissa need to tell her something? Had she been figured out? Or was this some sort of ru-no, she wanted to trust Melissa.

So she smiled at her and nodded. "Yes, that sounds like a good idea. One such as I shouldn't linger too long with the common folk. Lest they grow too accustomed to my presence. I shall go with you to this hidden sanctuary of yours. This night only I shall allow you to lead me."

[radio414 903]

The table was quiet as both Melissa and Gabriela finished their respective meals. They’d already had dinner conversation back when they actually had dinner and the “what’s next?” question had already been answered so that -- for lack of a better phrase -- was off the table as well. Besides, after Melissa’s proposal and Gabriela’s confirmation, the hamburgers were merely an afterthought in Melissa’s mind. She idly chewed on hers, but her mind was elsewhere. This was it, after all. The final moments.

They both finished soon enough and Melissa collected all the trash and added it to the pile in the corner, which, when all combined, formed a ball just bigger than Melissa’s fist. “Let’s find a trash can first,” Melissa said, repeating her earlier assertion, reminding Gabriela in case she had forgotten and reminding herself because she oh so wanted to just be somewhere else already. The noise blasting from the dance was almost intolerable at that point and the chatter around her, too, seemed more energized than before.

Melissa cupped both her hands together, cradling the ball of trash between them, and looked up at Gabriela. “Ready to go?”

---

I want to touch you, but I’ve forgotten how
I said I didn’t need you, but look at me now

---

Finding a trash can was easy. Blue Yonder had so, so many, and they were all evenly spaced out around its campus. It would have been more impressive, actually, if they hadn’t found one. Harder, though, was navigating from that point, but only just. Melissa had told Gabriela she had a few ideas in mind for where they could go but she really only had one, and it was getting to that specific point instead of finding one of many that was the real challenge.

This was all mostly alleviated by the truth behind Gabriela’s words. “I shall allow you to lead me,” she had said. She hadn’t been lying; even as Melissa forged ahead, doing things like identifying buildings so she could regain a sense of where she was, she felt no pull behind her. Melissa knew Gabriela was there without having to look behind her, but they moved in synchronicity, linked only by a pair of clasped hands. It was a link Melissa dared not break, but on the other hand, she was never really worried that it would.

---

You can never be sure of the people that you know
They don’t want to show you their sadness

---

They were close now. Even in the dark, things were starting to look familiar. She almost wanted Gabriela to- no, not yet. It was another too-apropos phrase, but Melissa wanted to keep her date in the dark just a little bit longer. Not that she was hearing any complaints from Gabriela begging to not be.

That was what she most appreciated about the moments, actually. The near silence. Their journey had taken them far, far away from Kickoff and not the only noise was the ambient sounds around them. Crickets were chirping. Trees were rustling in a light breeze. Her and her companion’s gentle footfalls. That was all. And yet, It was enough to rejuvenate her and give her the confidence to keep moving forward. She could feel herself subconsciously moving faster, too. Until…

Until she stopped. And she turned around. “Alright, Gabriela, I want you to close your eyes,” Melissa said. “It’ll just be for a moment, I promise.”

Once she was sure she had done so, she released her grip on Gabriela’s hand and pulled out her phone. A few deft swipes later and Melissa had queued up a song. But before it could play, she looked back up at Gabriela.

“This- this isn’t an incredibly special place,” Melissa said. “To most- maybe everyone else, this is just another spot on Blue Yonder’s campus; it’s a couple more steps they have to walk between classes. You wouldn’t have given it a second thought either, and that’s okay.

“This is my spot.

“It was the start of last year. I was a freshman and, well, if you can believe it, I was kind of a mess my freshman year. One afternoon -- this was in Autumn, um, so just a bit later than this time last year -- I don’t even remember what happened, but I was just going. And I mean not even caring what direction I went in, as long as I was moving. I was that sort of upset.

“When I got to here, though, I stopped. Are your eyes still closed?” Melissa checked again to see that they were. “Okay, so I want to try and imagine the scene I found myself in. Just for me. The trees over here? They were explosions of color. Reds, oranges, yellows, if you can think of a Fall leaf color, it was there on one of these trees. The grasses below them? They were kind of long -- maybe it’d been a while since they’d been mowed -- but they were a beautiful deep, verdant green. And the sky above? As if to complete the rainbow, it was as blue as the sky could be.

“Nobody else was around to notice any of this. It was just me. And just when I had noticed it all, the wind picked up. The grass, it was long enough that it looked like it was waving at me, moving back and forth in the wind like it did. And the leaves, some of them got caught in the breeze; they let go of their tree and swirled around, chasing each other this way and that, until a whole cluster of them blew right through me. And in that moment, I could feel the worries I had had being blown away too.

“I don’t come back here too often, but I do always recognize it when I do pass it. And while it’s never been quite the same as it had that day, I still remember it as vividly as I just described it to you now.

She gave a weak, sheepish smile. “You can open your eyes now. Sorry, that was a little self-indulgent of me. Um. Anyway, the last thing- the only thing we missed leaving Kickoff like this was the slow dance. But if you’ll have me, we can do that here, in this spot only you and I will ever know the importance of.” She held out her hand. “Though I guess that means you’ll have to follow me one more time.”

Gabriela hesitated. Melissa didn’t blame her, though. She could feel it too, how the silence added emphasis in the magical way that only silence did. If she hadn’t already been talking for so long, Melissa would have wanted to keep quiet too. She wondered how she looked to Gabriela, too, in that punctuating silence. Did she look different? Was there some ephemeral quality of hers that only came out in times like this?

Not that any of that mattered. Gabriela took Melissa’s hand again and said, “I think, at least for tonight, I would be happy to follow you anywhere. I place my fate in your hands.”

Melissa’s smile improved. “Thank you,” she said. She guided her partner’s hands to her shoulder and placed them there before moving her hands down to Gabriela’s hips. “Start just like this, and then step, step, step, step.” Melissa lead through a few more music-less motions before, satisfied, she said, “Alright, Gabby, here we go,” and pressed play.

---

If you see me passing by
Please hold me deep in your heart
And just remember, I want to help you
I don’t want to hurt you
Just remember, I want to help you
I don’t want to hurt you

---

You turned my wailing into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy,
-Psalm 30:11 (NIV)

[yui 573]

"Of course, and when you get big and successful as an entertainer and start to sell merchandise of your stage persona, then you can remember and credit me with the design. And then I'll swim in royalties! But seriously, I'm pretty surprised you chose the entertainment club of all things to be in."

"Yeah, me too."

"I thought you didn't really like being the center of attention...or dueling...or crowds...or acting or - uh, yeah. Any of that really." 

"I don't." Frankly, if she had any other option, she would have taken that instead. Not to mention the club sort of presented itself to her and it was a heat of the moment decision on her part. Kyouko couldn't help but wonder if she'd really be cut out for it, but she was already in now. If she didn't at least try, she wouldn't be happy with herself. Counting off other clubs and teams on her fingers, Kyouko explained "I want to avoid the swim team, and being in something is a great way to finally stop them breathing down my neck all the time. The entire literature club wouldn't talk to me, so I can't exactly join them. I'm definitely not about to join the cooking club, because I can't cook to save my life and it's not a skill I really need to learn. And I did try to join the gardening club earlier that day, but I get this weird feeling none of them like me."

She couldn't imagine why. Kyouko had never done anything to wrong them, right?

"But now I'm in that entertainment club, and I'd feel bad if I just dropped out without at least trying it first. I thought about the duel team too, but joining a team for something I'm not so great at where the purpose is to win seemed counter-intuitive."

[Skaia 578]

Jun couldn't help but smile a bit as Kyouko went over her failings at attempting to join the other clubs, but then simply hand waved the last thing the girl said. "Well, you still should've come along to the duel team, skilled or otherwise. After all, Shiro sucked and look at him now!" The girl gave a hearty laugh as she said this, seeming to have quite amused herself, only to then to settle after a bit. "Well, hope you have fun with all of them. I don't think I ever really got what it was Souji's whole "Rider" thing was all about, but hey, if you're gonna do it might as well have fun with it right?" 

Looking back down towards the rest of the campus from where they were, Jun then noticed, "oh, looks like things are dying down. Well, guess we should get going if the party's over. Not like I can dance with these sleeves anyway," the girl held her sleeve covered hands out as she joked, but then began to walk back towards her dorm room.

[LordCowCow 839]

Gabby closed her eyes willingly. She didn't know what was going to happen but it had to be something nice, right? Everything else had been so far so why wouldn't this be any different? So she closed her eyes and entered a magical darkness. Filled with possibilities and excitement.

Her hand felt oddly empty as Melissa let go of it and she wondered where the girl had gone. But she kept her eyes closed. She wouldn't want to ruin whatever this was.

She listened as the girl described the place they were in. And explained its significance. It didn't sound like anything special, not by itself, all the pieces were incredibly normal and commonplace. But the way Melissa talked, mixed with the magic of the night, and the feeling that Gabby could feel inside her combined together to paint a wondrous picture. A sanctuary.

You can open your eyes now. Sorry, that was a little self-indulgent of me. Um. Anyway, the last thing- the only thing we missed leaving Kickoff like this was the slow dance. But if you’ll have me, we can do that here, in this spot only you and I will ever know the importance of.”

When Gabby opened her eyes she didn't see anything but Melissa. Had something changed? For a moment Gabby thought that an angel had landed and taken the other girl's place. Melissa's words brought her back to reality and she glanced about. As she thought the place was incredibly basic. But it was Melissa's place. So that made it special.

She let out a slight gasp as Melissa's hands were placed on her hips. What was that? There was something there. For just the moment. What was it?

Gabby blushed and didn't get much time to think on it before they were moving. The music was playing but she barely heard it. It was just a buzz in her head. Her heart was much too loud now. But she was smiling. Something swelled in her. She wanted to say something. Do something. But what? Her mind was a mess of thoughts and feelings that all mixed together and made it impossible to single anything out.

She just knew that this was really, very, truly nice.

---

It was over far too fast. Though she didn't actually know how long it had been. Really any time would have likely been too fast even had they been at it the whole night.

But eventually they had to return to their respective rooms. Gabby's was the closest so that's where they went at first. While the two of them stood there, by the door, she had a wild idea of asking Melissa to come inside. But that was strange, right? Not to mention she didn't know if or when her roommate would be there and explaining that would be all sorts of strange.

So they had to part, right? But it didn't feel right just leaving it at that. Especially as she hadn't really done anything but be led around by the other girl. It didn't really seem fair to Melissa did it?

"That was...a nice night." Gabriela said, struggling to get the words out. "I, erm, thank you for this. It was. Nice." She glanced away. She already said it was nice. Why did she say it again.

"U-um. I would not be opposed to doing another thing. With you. Later." It was as if she forgot how to talk to another person. What was she supposed to say next? She vaguely remembered seeing movies with scenes like this, a couple times, and there was usually a bit...more.

Gabby stepped forward towards Melissa. Then paused. "Well..." She started. Then stopped. Then, face redder than ever before, she got closer, leaned up, and her lips brushed Melissa's cheek.

She pulled away immediately and stammered out "Goodnight to you, little lamb." She then spun and went for her door. She missed the doorknob and ran right into the door instead of opening it.

Stumbling back she muttered another goodnight and this time managed to open up the door and slide inside.

Gabby practically threw herself onto the bed and grabbed at the blankets and pillows. Anything she could reach. And curled up into a ball before letting out a happy squeak.

[Cheshire Toon 139]

Hitomu’s disguise worked beautifully. He was nothing more than the bartender throughout the dance; the night passed by in a blur of bottle tricks, rattling cocktail shakers, and bouncing club tunes interrupted by the occasional slow song. Yushiro defeated Hiraku at some point in the night. He wasn’t sure how that was possible—he had seen the recordings of all of the former’s notable duels—but he was willing to bet Hiraku showboated the duel away. The kid was pro-material if he could get his Napoleon complex under control. 

That was, of course, easier said than done. Talent was the easiest ingredient to come by in the winning combination that created most of the best duelists. 

Hitomu leaned forward on the bar and sighed, resting his weight on his elbows. Underneath the mask his hair was plastered to his face by sweat. His fingers ached from handling ice and cold drinks all night. The worst of it though was the boulder in the pit of his stomach. He hadn’t seen Tess once, despite scouring the crowd for her slight frame since he had donned the mask. Guess that means she didn’t come. That’s a good thing… right? I should be relieved. She isn’t with anyone yet. Shaking his head, he peeled off the mask and laid it on the bar. The room was almost entirely empty at that point.

Hitomu ran his hands through his sweat-soaked hair a few times. It had originally been up in a tight bun, but it broke free after the first pass and tumbled down to his shoulders. He wished he could rewind time. Maybe back to the start of his freshman year, before his Mom died, when the most painful thing ever was losing a duel. Or maybe his sophomore year instead; before his tight-knight circle of friends was shattered by one dumb mistake, when he had a best friend and he wasn’t some mythical and idolized figure all over the campus. Maybe he would just go back a few weeks and enjoy the handful of peaceful afternoons that he had left with a girlfriend that loved him. 

He sucked in a deep breath and exhaled slowly. He was moping and he knew it. Experiencing the Kickoff for the first time on his own, it had done more of a number than he had expected, but there was nothing he could do but keep moving forward. Close the bar, go home, and wake up ready for tomorrow to be a new day. 


Text To End The Night

Edited December 28, 2019 by Cheshire Toon

[Cappuccijoe 17]

"He didn't ask even once?? Guess it was a good idea to show off a little stomach." Ashley jabbed at her other half,

"Oh knock it off. He was being really sweet, actually. I felt terrible about it; the poor bloke didn't have a clue. I should probably make it a point to tell him."

Ashley fingered through the tabs on her phone as they made their way back to Elizabeth's apartment, walking the mostly cobblestone road, "For what reason? To hurt the poor kid's feelings? It's definitely not something important enough to tell him. There is such a thing as being too honest, Beth."

"Hmm... I'm not so sure of that myself. I know I always felt like Kyata was hiding something from me. Beth pulled out her own phone, deciding to check whatever messages she may have had. A few things here and there, but namely one from Hitomu, asking if she had gotten home safely. She showed her phone to the blonde, "Speaking of poor blokes. I told you something was off with him. Shouldn't I be the one reminding everyone how Todd passed? Why is he? It's this Tess thing, Ash. He's hurt."

Ashley shrugged, "Beth I think you do plenty of reminding people. Of course he's hurt, that was his 'soulmate', whatever that means." Ashley put up air quotes signifying her notably dismissive attitude towards the idea itself, "Hey, speaking of getting home from parties... sort of, can I spend the night? I don't want to go all the way back home."

Elizabeth nodded in approval, "Sure, sure. But you've got to be out rather early; I've a lot of cooking to do tomorrow for my dinner with Hitomu."

"Awesome. By the way, Liz." Ashley paused, "Don't think I'm letting off the hook this easily forever. I want to know more about this Yushiro kid if you're gonna be out and dating him, slobbering all over each other on the dance floor and what not. You two are going to end up bumping uglies before I even know his story at this rate."

Beth blushed, "#^#@ing rude, first of all, I'm no slag. Second of all, I'll tell you all about him the second I get this top off. The wire has been digging into me all night. Here, take the key and pour us a glass of wine. Hitomu wouldn't let me touch a drop all night because of my brother. Just expect a lot of boring nonsense, is all I've got to say. We're not a terribly exciting couple just yet." Beth handed over her keys and tapped out a quick response to Hitomu:

 

"We're just fine, dear. See you tomorrow for dinner!

[Cappuccijoe 17]

Episode 5.5: Missing More

Elizabeth took her dish towel and wiped a small trail of sweat off of her forehead; she was working harder than she would like to admit. After last night's festivities she was hoping this would come a bit easier. Then again, nothing her mother made was ever easy. She looked over the countertop; she had made entirely too much food. That, of course, was not including the two failed batches of Toad in the Hole she had made prior that found their way in the garbage… along with more cigarette butts than she remembered smoking.

"Heavens. I sure hope Hitomu is hungry." she tapped her cigarette against the side of her ashtray.

She had made a charcuterie board, the aforementioned main course, a pan of brownies, a cherry pie, iced tea, lemonade, you name it and it probably at least crossed her mind today. Now that she was done, however, and the Toad in the Hole was in the oven, she thought to herself:

Christ, why am I so nervous? I've seen him hundreds of times. He probably knows the fridge better than I do. she smiled awkwardly to reassure herself, beginning to put stuff away. She looked at her clothes; her baseball tee was covered in flour, all the way down to her jeans.

F*** I hope he's happy to be here. It's been so long… I miss having people over. She sat down at the dining table; her hand was shaking. It was hard to discern whether it was the nicotine shakes or anxiety, but either way… probably a good time to put the smokes down. She snuffed it out under the faucet and threw the butt away. The air freshener in her kitchen was blasting away, so she could only hope the combo of "Fresh Laundry" and opened windows and porch door had done enough to do away with the smell of tobacco.

"A fresh shower should calm my nerves. My hair is greasy anyway."

Her thoughts continued to run rampant in the shower, but at least her hands had stopped shaking. She had opted for a cold shower this time; something about the knocking of freezing cold droplets against her back was oddly soothing. But the feeling of trepidation persisted the second she exited, the constant struggle of hoping he actually missed this time as much as she did, or if this was merely a favor to ease his moral debt now that Tess was gone. Elizabeth was angry with herself for even suggesting such a bitter, hateful thought.

She slipped into her fresh clothing. It had been one of many day long battles on what she should be wearing for something as simple as a dinner between two friends: was she to wear something casual and inviting, as she knew Hitomu would? Or should she look nice for posterity's sake alone? Was it rude of her to assume she could both host and look casual? She knew he didn't care, but did she care?

A constant back and forth of "Woah Elizabeth what are you a slag? Show a little more skin, why don't you?" and "Might as well call up Melissa now and find your way to the monastery!" ensued for at least an hour, but it was settled on a blush crewneck sweater that she had pulled off her right shoulder and black skin tight jeans. Her hair was let down for the second night in a row, and was brushed down to cover her exposed black bra strap. She nodded in final approval of her outfit and looked down to the golden, emerald faced watch on her left wrist.

"Should be here any minute. I better get the drinks and the charcuterie on the table. Elizabeth quickly hustled out of the bathroom and into the kitchen, nervously awaiting his arrival.

Knock knock knock. There was a knock at the door a few minutes later. Elizabeth rushed to answer it. “Hey there, Lizzie,” Hitomu’s warm voice greeted when she swung the door open. He was dressed as casually as expected, wearing a black polo and a worn out pair of jeans, but his hair was brushed back and free of his beanie for what seemed like the first time in forever. Still, something seemed off, but it was impossible to place at the moment. “Can I come in, or…?”

"Well of course not! I thought you would enjoy the chance to watch me eat all of this food by myself! she smiled and stepped out of the way. But… his body language was different. Was he nervous too? No. Elizabeth banished the thought. Hitomu was never nervous. Ever. He gave everyone a run in that department. So what was it?

She decided not to pry just yet. He would need time to settle in and there was plenty to needle in about as it was.

"I, well, I hope you like the selection! I made iced tea, lemonade and uhm… well I bought a fresh gallon of milk if you didn't have enough of lattes on the job." she giggled, anxiously.

"But if there's something I've missed I'm sure I can rustle it up!"

Hitomu gawked at the wide array of food. “... Man, you really went all out Lizzie. It looks more like you were trying to cater an event for the whole duel team,” he said. He grinned and jabbed himself in the chest with his thumb. “Well don’t worry. As the team captain, I’ll make sure to eat enough for everyone. It smells too good to do anything else.”

Elizabeth's fears were mildly assuaged by Hitomu's classic brand, as she shooed him in a little bit, "Well, I already had most of the materials. I wasn't sure how long you were planning on staying tonight and well, the best way to entertain a guest is with food, right? Well, go on in then. The entree isn't quite done yet; I wanted it to be hot and fresh by the time we were ready for it. How've you been? I imagine yesterday was a long one for you. Lord knows it was for me, to that point."

Hitomu raised his gaze towards the ceiling. “Long day, huh? Yeah. I guess you could call it that.” He shook his head and looked back down at all the food. “Some stuff happened after the dance last night, but it’s not super important, so we can talk about it after we eat, alright? I might die if I don’t dig in soon!” Without waiting for her permission, Hitomu got into her cupboard, pulled out a plate, and began to pile it as high as he could with food.

Elizabeth stood up straight and blushed a bit, "Of course!! Where are my manners!" she shot a quick glance at the oven; five minutes plus time to cool?! She had totally mistimed it! She should have expected Hitomu to just bulldoze his way through the appetizer! Oh well; nothing she could do now. She grabbed some of the salad, tea, and a few other small pickings she had offered and made her way to the couch where they could sit down and eat.

Hitomu had taken some of every appetizer she had offered, plus a large glass of sweet tea, and his trip back to the living room was anxiety-inducing. Against all odds, he made it back without dropping anything, then sat his plate and cup at the end of the coffee table by the couch. “Mind if I sit down here?” he asked. “Just kinda used to sitting on the floor at dinner time. That’s what we do at home, so… Wait, actually, was I supposed to take my shoes off on my way in? Is that something you guys do? You don’t, right? Trying to remember right now but…” Hitomu rubbed his jaw for a second, awkwardly, and then burst out laughing. “Man. Are you as nervous as I am right now? ‘Cause I feel like I’m about to go crazy.”

Elizabeth laughed, 'I've been ashamed to admit it all morning. That's why I made so much bloody food. I was a bit worried you weren't going to want to come. You should have seen my ashtray before. But… why are you so nervous? I'm the one hosting." Beth was confused; he was nervous to see her? The resident hot mess on campus?

“Why am I nervous? Hmm. I don’t know. Why am I nervous?” Hitomu scratched his chin as if he was deep in thought. “I’ve been wondering all day myself. I don’t really have any real reason for me to be nervous. Maybe, well--no. I can’t think of anything. I’m not really amazing at reflecting on things though, so that’s nothing unusual. What about you? Why are you so nervous? Was it just because you thought I didn’t want to come?”

"I suppose that's it. I've thought for a while about how we all used to study together. At first I had assumed it to be an extension of Todd but… I've missed having you around too, Hitomu. I think… Yes. That's why I was- am, so bloody nervous. At least more than I'll be angry about the dirt marks on my floor." Elizabeth smiled and picked daintily at her plate. 

“Yeah. I didn’t handle his death very maturely, which is lame, ‘cause I already had experience with it and all that. I kind of ghosted on everyone but Tess,” Hitomu shook his head. “That’s my bad. I’m gonna try to change that, starting n--Wait! Dirt on your floor? I just asked you if I was supposed to take my shoes off!” He feigned indignance, but it was a poor show, because he was sitting cross-legged at the head of the coffee table stuffing his face with food. 

Elizabeth nearly choked on her food, "And such a gentleman!" she put her fork down and washed down what she had in mouth with some water, trying her best to regain her composure, "I was angry for a while, I won't lie to you. But I don't blame you. I wasn't ready to be with people for a long time. If Ash wasn't so...forceful about her involvement in my life I would have pushed her out too. I wanted nothing more than to have swapped places at the time."

Hitomu took a long drink from his tea before saying anything. “Yeah. Sometimes, friends know more about what’s good for you than you do. I don’t always see eye-to-eye with her, but Ashley really is a good person when she wants to be.” He brought the cup back down to the table. “I’m sorry. I’ve been wanting to say that for a long time, for almost two years, but I only managed to work up the courage now.” His face was dark, twisted by a rare somber expression that looked out of place on the happy-go-lucky duelist. 

"Well, she's just from a different world than you and I, is all. She hardly even plays cards. The gossip, the social media, all of it. That's her world. But if two years was as long as it took, then I think I envy you. I still think about it a lot." She took a drink of water and stood up, "I'm going to grab myself a drink, need anything?" She walked over to the kitchen island on the other side of the long, open room that served as both a living area and a kitchen and filled a glass.

“I’m good, thanks,” Hitomu shook his head. “And that’s not what I meant Lizzie. Death isn’t the sorta thing you can just get over. I meant, like… Do you remember very much about when my Mom died?” Hitomu pushed his plate away and followed Elizabeth into the kitchen, leaning on the counter. “I know it’s been awhile and a ton of stuff has happened, so you mighta forgotten, but I haven’t.”

"Well, I remember a lot of long nights at the dining table with Mum, but I think Delia and Broderick preferred to keep us out of it, at the time." She turned to face him, scanning his body language again, but found herself unable to dig anything out, "But I remember some, yes. Why?"

“I’ve lost a lotta people Lizzie. All my grandparents are gone, and I can remember how each of them went. It hurt at the time, but not bad. It was almost like a dull pain, you know? I was a kid. Death wasn’t something I understood.” He crossed his arms over his chest and exhaled. “Todd, too. He was my best friend. There wasn’t a part of my life he wasn’t involved in; you know what that’s like better than anyone, I’m sure better than me. A lot of what-if stuff came with that. What if I had gone to that party? He probably wouldn’t be gone. I was always the one to talk him outta the dumb stuff. Guilt, shock, disbelief. But my Mom… with my grandparents, with Todd, it was all just bad luck. A cruel world. Accidents and nature. My Mom was murdered. All that grief, all that sadness, all the things that normally come with death? Anger beat it all out. I had someone that I could blame. I knew whose fault it was. You remember how I was back then, right?”

"I remember a fair few visits to the doctor, yes. You and Todd were like pouring gasoline on a live flame some days. But hold on a minute. You being absent from that party was not what killed him, Hitomu. He knew Kyata was drunk. Ashley and I asked him to drive with us a bunch of times. It's not like it was with your Mum. Somebody well…" she stopped; she knew it was a long time ago but it was still awkward to talk about, she fiddled with her hair a bit, "Well we both know what happened to your Mum. It was a bit different.

“Kyata was an idiot,” Hitomu spit his former captain’s name out like it was poisonous. “And Todd only got in that car to make sure Kyata got home. I had my license Liz--I could have driven. I…” Hitomu sucked in a breath and looked up at the ceiling. When he started to talk again, his voice was strained. “It’s in the past. I can’t change that, but it’s not what I’m getting at with this. When my Mom died, I was pissed off at the world. I wasn’t a good person. I don’t think I ever would’ve realized that if it wasn’t for Todd. You, Tess, even Ashley, you guys just put up with me. He was the only person who really put his foot down and called me out.” Hitomu laughed, tilting his head to catch Elizabeth’s eyes with his own. They were red and puffy, but he was grinning. “I don’t even know if he ever actually told you about this. You ever hear about the time Todd and I got into a fistfight?”

Elizabeth was taken aback by a sudden memory of the last time she had even seen Hitomu's face like that. Was it the funeral? It had to have been. "Hitomu, hold on a minute. Todd was getting in that car because Kyata and him invited a few girls over, and I never, ever just 'put up' with you. I was always asking how long you were to stay." She took a step closer, unsure of whether or not to comfort him, "I'm not sure… I've forgotten a lot of the smaller things over time, sadly." Elizabeth, always the sympathetic crier, found herself also starting to get a sore throat, but no waterworks yet; she had steeled herself for now, but suddenly felt some degree of regret for wearing eyeliner. 

“It was at the end of freshman year. I don’t remember what I did now, something mean I’m sure. I didn’t treat anyone very great back then. Whatever it was, Todd called me on it. I didn’t take it very well,” Hitomu rubbed his jaw and shifted his teeth, reliving the impact. “He mentioned Mom and I hit him. Not that it did a ton; you and Todd were in the gym all the time, and I’d never been in a real fight in my life. He beat the crap outta me. Really, I think he was just venting ‘cause that whole year he only beat me twice in a duel,” he said, shaking his head wistfully. “Man. I couldn’t breathe right for like two weeks after that.”
 
"He was always a bit more into the heavy weights than I was. He wanted to bulk up; he would never admit it, but he wanted to be bulkier than Kyata in the worst way." She snickered, "He had an ape brain, but I loved him for it anyway. But, and I don't mean to take away from your memory, what does this have to do with losing someone? Or Tess, for that matter, if it was at all related to her." She took a sip of her iced tea, and set it on the island.

“The fight itself? Not a whole lot. I just like telling the bad with the good. If you only talk about all the good things people did once they’re gone, they feel a lot less real, y’know?”

"I suppose so. Todd was nothing else if not a unique individual. Much better for stories of intrigue than I ever was. Larger than life, as it were."

“Yeah, yeah he really was,” Hitomu nodded. “But what I was getting at wasn’t the fight. It was what he said after the fight. After he got a few good hits in, he mostly just held me down. I’m nothing if not determined so I kept squirming the whole time. Eventually, probably sick of it, he shoved me away and yelled,” Hitomu put on his best British accent. “‘Would you knock it off already?’ I thought he was talking about the fighting. But nah, he really let me have it. ‘I get it! Your Mum’s dead! So what?’ Man… I had no idea what to say to that. No one had ever asked me something like that before. Really, I wanted to hit him again, but I was exhausted, so I just told him to go fuck himself. ‘No! Just shut up and listen, because you need to hear this and no one else is gonna tell you but me. You’re acting like a giant twat, man. Yeah, it sucks that guy killed your Mum. If I could do something to bring her back for I would, but I can’t, and neither can you so knock it off! You think your Mum wants you out here acting like this?’ Word for word. He really let me have it.”

"Christ. Well he was never a very sensiti-" DING! BRRRRRRRRR- The oven was going off, springing Beth into action, "Oh! Sounds like dinner is done. I hope you're still hungry, Tomu." She pulled the tray out carefully and set it on the stove. A lovely golden brown shined from the top of the pan and instantly filled the room with a sweet, doughy smell.

"Looks like it came out good! It'll just need some to rest.

Hitomu sniffed the air and sighed blissfully. “If it tastes as good as it smells, I just might not leave any for you. I haven’t had a home-cooked meal since the last time I went home.”

Beth turned around and laughed, "That's so unhealthy for you! Talk about the gym. Well you can have as much as you'd like in about 10 minutes. I've made myself salmon bowls for the week's lunches already. I can always have one of those." She paused briefly, thinking carefully of her next words, "I hope you know how bloody proud he'd be of you for getting to where you are now, where you're going. Me… well he'd probably give me one of those same talks, although I wouldn't leave with a black eye. Probably. Depends on who threw the first punch."

“Yeah. That conversation with him, it was harsh, but it taught me what a real friend was,” Hitomu said. “It’s not about how supportive you are, or how much time you’ve got, or any of that stuff. A real friend is someone who will tell you what you need to hear, even when it’s as harsh as that.” He chewed on his lip for a second, then sighed. “That’s where I was going with this. When I think of it like that, I’m terrible. When you needed me around, I gave you space, because being around you hurt too much. Tess, well, I can’t say I didn’t see that coming either in hindsight. I never really told her what I thought. She missed all my duels, canceled every date we scheduled, and all I did was bite my tongue and laugh it off because I didn’t want her to stress. I wanted her to know that she didn’t need to worry, but I think all I did was make her feel like I had given up and didn’t care anymore.” He crossed his arms again, just to give his hands something to do. “That’s really all of it. There was no huge argument, no implosion, nothing but me being an idiot.”

Elizabeth almost reached for her hair again, her usual awkward crutch, but felt herself going for it and stopped, instead holding then to her hips, "Having lived through it, I can say I can see where she's coming from in that regard. But, well." She looked behind her, supervising the pan as if it was going to tell her anything illuminating, "I think I always knew you cared. I guess I can't speak for Tess. I just couldn't stomach the idea of asking you or really anybody for help. I just wanted to smoke my lungs to ash in privacy. But it was the weirdest thing." She gestured over to a corner of the living room, "I'd order a takeaway pizza on our study nights, hoping any one of you three would come through the door. I always had my preferences, of course, but at some point I was hoping for any one of you." She dabbed the corners of her eyes with her pinky in an attempt to save her eyeliner. 

"I don't much care about it now; therapy has done a lot for me. But I was raving mad for a long time with no desire to tell anyone. Everyone I cared to tell was gone."

Hitomu wore his heart on his sleeve, and right now, he looked terrible. “It shouldn’t have gotten to that point. I should have been there. I owed it to you. Not just because you’re my friend. I owed it to Todd to look out for you, too,” he said. “It’s funny. Well, not really, but I think I understood what Tess was upset about now. I want you to be mad at me. I deserve it. The fact that you’re not mad at me kind of just makes it worse.” 

"What? Well I can't. Not anymore." The distance between them was no more than 4 or 5 feet, but it felt like a rapidly growing canyon as the conversation took a turn for the worst. "Hitomu I've spent the last 8 hours cleaning and cooking so I could maybe see you once a month. Why would I risk losing you again after all this time?" She was starting to become tense, running the fingernail on her thumb around the crease of her other nails, pressing in occasionally to relieve the knot building at the base of her throat. Her body language had become more rigid and defensive.

“I don’t want that,” Hitomu muttered. “I promise, Lizzie, I’m not going anywhere this time. Not on my life. That sounded ominous. I just meant--listen, I’m done running, okay? Look where running got me. But… Just being around me puts you on edge,” he said, rubbing his neck. “You look like you’re gonna throw up, and I get it. I know why. Just, well, do you think that’s ever gonna change? How long until I stop being Todd’s-best-friend-Hitomu, and go back to just being Hitomu?”

"Imagine how I feel!" She wasn't quite yelling, but had gotten louder nonetheless, "I never realized how little people could be with us apart until Todd died. Any time I talk with anyone it turns into this. I'm just 'the girl with a dead brother.'" She didn't mean it wholeheartedly, but Elizabeth was flustered and beginning to cry an occasional tear or two,
"And there were days, weeks even where people looked at me with this… this pity. It was like people were looking at me as if I had already killed myself. Like everyone knew what was coming." she tried to continue letting out her frustrations, but what was more frustrating was that every time she attempted to speak, she was too choked up to say anything. Embarrassed, she turned away to avoid looking at him while she composed herself.

“Hey,” Hitomu didn’t know what to say, so he closed the distance between them and pulled her into a hug. For a little bit he just held her. Then, after a moment, he started to laugh. “Man. What a pair we make Lizzie.” He pulled away and sighed. “Why is this so hard?”

Elizabeth turned into his chest and he held her. It was mostly silent, followed by the occasional jolt of a sob. After a pregnant silence, they separated, "If I had the answer to that question, trust me things would be different." she straightened out, deciding now to just remove her eyeliner which had began to run beyond repair, "Can we try, though? Try to be friends again? No more awkward half-chats while I'm getting lattes before tutoring your duelists?"

“Yeah, yeah I think I can manage that,” Hitomu said. “Now how about we eat? Food should be cooled off, and all this sappy stuff has me even hungrier.”

Elizabeth placed her hands on her hips in faux outrage, "Well you're the one who made me cry." Liz forced out a meek smile before she turned to the pan and started cutting out portions, "Speaking of duelists, did you bring any cards? I've been thinking of changing my deck again lately. You know I just don't get much enjoyment out of my current deck. I don't have the heart to go back to Harpies, though. Not yet. Maybe not ever."

Hitomu tilted his head to the side and squinted his eyes, like he had remembered something that was minorly inconvenient. “About that. I told you something happened last night, right? Well, someone broke into my dorm and stole my deck.” He said it casually, the way someone would mention that they had forgotten to change their laundry over, or what day homework was due. “I still have all my prize cards and stuff, so I could probably scrape a deck together out of those, but I’m basically outta commission right now.”

Elizabeth audibly gasped, and were it not for her already having put the knife down, it would have hit the floor. She grabbed a plate and handed it to Hitomu, motioning him to the living room,

"Oh my God Hitomu that's awful! Why did you only mention that now?! Did you alert the authorities? Are you okay? Was anything else stolen?" She took a seat at the sofa, panic stricken on her face.

Hitomu waved her off. “I’m sure it’ll turn up. It’s not like most of the cards were worth a ton of money or anything, and nothing else was touched,” he said, then paused to scoop up some food with his fork. “Mmm. This is great. There’s no substitute for home-cooking.”

“Well." Elizabeth spoke between bites, “You should take some cards from my boxes before you leave.” she sat back, satisfied with the part of her meal she had eaten, “ I had Mum on speaker almost all morning.” she buried her face in her hands, embarrassed, “She had to have been so disappointed. This recipe was harder than she made it sound! But it was worth having you come. I can’t believe you never cook, Hitomu. That’s terrible. You need to come more often for a meal. Enjoy it for now, but don't think I'm letting you off the hook that easily on Tess."

Hitomu stopped the fork halfway to his mouth. “Huh?” The food slipped off and fell back onto his plate. “Whoops. Didn’t mean to do that. Anyways, there’s not a lot to say with Tess. I mean, I’m not gonna lie and say it doesn’t hurt or anything. I really thought I was gonna marry her, but… if she ended it, and I really love her as much as I say I do, I think I’ve just gotta respect that. If she changes her mind, well, it’s not like I’m a hard guy to track down.”

Beth squinted at him, and tilted her head to the side, "Come on mate. Think about what you just said for a moment. 'There's not a lot to say'? You two were goals for years and you break up for bloody what, a couple bad dates? Sorry Hitomu, I love you to pieces but I don't buy it." She picked the last of her food off the plate and finished it, allowing for a moment to think of her next words, "When did you even meet her? It was freshman year, wasn't it?"

“A couple weeks in, yeah,” Hitomu said. His plate was empty at that point, and he pushed it away. “No one believes me when I tell them, but she asked me out, not the other way around. Couldn’t tell you why either. I wasn’t popular, hadn’t hit a growth spurt, and I didn’t really stand out as a duelist. Plus we had Algebra together and I was failing that too, so…” He leaned back, supporting his weight on his elbow and rubbing the back of his head with his other hand. “Man, feels like a different lifetime, thinking back on it all.”

"Hitomu I didn't even like you freshman year and you practically lived with me. She fell in love with you, and badly. You need to talk with her, or find her or something. As someone struggling a bit with their person of interest taking initiative… she's not coming back unless you show you care, yeah? I'm sure Ash could get a copy of her class schedule… if you didn't know what it was." Elizabeth stood up and took their plates away, towards the kitchen, "Would you like to take some of this home?"

“Hmm… ” For what felt like the thousandth time that night, Hitomu found himself staring at Liz’s ceiling. Was her ceiling nicer than his? It looked like it. “Yeah, for sure. Thanks for everything tonight, Lizzie. We shouldn’t wait two years to do it again.”

[END]
 

[reparoni 161]

Hoshiko came crashing towards the doors of the main building, the outfit she was wearing uncharacteristically disheveled as she took a second to catch her breath. She had ran as fast as her heels allowed her to get here, knowing full well that she was late for Kickoff. She had one last photo shoot she promised to do for her mom as one of the many conditions for her to come to Blue Yonder, the one she had postponed last week. "It's ok... it's ok... everything is going to be ok." She muttered to herself, tidying up as much of her outfit as she could, before getting ready to go in. She placed her hand on the handle, frustrated about the whole situation. How could she have been so careless as to forgot what day Kickoff was? "Its fine! You'll just show up for the later half of the event and..."

Locked.

"...no..." She tried opening the door again, but nothing happened. She wasn't just late - she had missed the whole thing. Eventually, after giving it a couple more tries, she let go of the door, tears rolling down her face as she took some steps back. Hoshiko clenched her fists, turning her back towards the building before leaning on it. Sobbing, she wiped some of her tears from her face, the mascara starting to flow with it. Deep down, she knew this would happen - even after telling the camera man and her mom repeatedly that she had a school event, they insisted that it couldn't be done faster. She should have put her foot down, she told herself, but the young man was so encouraging, and she had made this promise to her mom. It didn't help that it just so happened that the shoot was on the complete opposite side of the city. She didn't have anyone to blame but herself - how could she let this happen in the first place? "You always were an airhead..." She whispered, shaking her head. Exasperated, Hoshiko picked herself up from the locked door and, with her head hung low, she made her way back to her dorm.

"Oh Melissa...!" Hoshiko said as she stood in front of her dorm. More dread washed over her, realizing that she had essentially abandoned her friend. Melissa must have struggled out there in the public like that, without her roommate to guide her. She hadn't even bothered to send her a text explaining her situation! Hoshiko could only hope that Melissa at least had a good time without her.

As quietly as she could, she entered the room, seeing Melissa already sleeping. Hoshiko didn't bother to change, only taking off her heels before going straight to bed. Quietly, she wept into her pillow as she drifted off to sleep. Tomorrow would be better, she told herself.

It had to be.

[Zai 26]

---

ED

---

OP

Episode 6: The Sound of Music

The Monday after Kickoff was always a little bit dreary. No one really looked forward to going back to class after what was often the most exciting weekend of the year up to that point. Kazu Shioda was, on the surface at least, no different. In reality though, class had nothing to do with his melancholy.

"Today?" he asked, clutching his phone to his ear with both hands just to be extra sure he heard correctly.

"Yup. Your girl's got it all lined up for me."

"But, this is all so sudden. I haven't even finished loc-"

"Sorry prettyboy, vacation's over. Just make sure you do your part, alright?"

Kazu grimaced. "Of course. I wouldn't dream of disappointing her."

"Man you're so whipped. Anyways, I'm out. See you later." The boy on the other end hung up.

Kazu let out a growl. Things were moving too quickly. Much too quickly. He took a break from his walk and sat down on a campus bench, deciding that being late for English was an acceptable trade off for having a few minutes to himself to process. "If that brute's on his way... she must be getting antsy. Damn. I was hoping to have more time than this." He pulled a pair of cards out of his deck box. "If you two care at all about this silly dome, you had better make up your minds. And soon." He stopped as he heard footsteps coming up the sidewalk, and just like that back into the box they went. He had to avoid drawing too much attention to himself. Especially considering what he now had to do.

 

 

Monday morning. Time to go get Liz and walk her to class. True to form, Yushiro had managed to get himself out of bed a full half hour earlier, which gave him plenty of time to get ready and make his way over to her dorm.

"Color me impressed. You must really like this girl if you're willing to lose sleep to take her to class."

Yushiro blushed and frowned as Zetsuei's voice echoed in his head. "Yeah, so what?"

"Good! Glad you're man enough to admit it, kiddo. Believe it or not, that's a big step"

"Toward what?"

"Being a man, of course! A real man is comfortable with his own feelings. I figured you would have picked that one up from your buddy Akira a long time ago."

"He and I don't... really operate the same way. And who are you to comment on my manliness anyway Mr. disembodied dragon voice?!"

"Can't help it. Its my directive. Gotta make sure you're worthy of handling this card."

"You keep saying that. But you're just a Duel Monsters card at the end of the day. The only thing really special about you is... well, you."

"There's a lot more to this that you're not ready to know yet, Yushiro. Just focus on doing right by your lady friend for now, ok?"

He groaned, but mentally gave Zetsuei an affirmative answer. He'd given up on getting rid of Clear Wing's resident by now, but Zetsuei's running commentary on his life was still hard to get used to. Yushiro tried putting the dragon out of his mind for the moment as he made the left that took him up the path to the senior girls' dorm, hoping he'd see Liz inside waiting for him. SHe did remember that he was supposed to come get her today, right?

 

[radio414 903]

As soon as Melissa got home, she tried to go to sleep. Like, really really tried. It didn’t take, though; her heart was beating too fast. Between every breath, she replayed moments of the night one after the other like a highlight reel, and when she ran out of moments they just started back at the beginning of the day and played all over again. Actually getting ready for bed -- taking off the dress and the makeup and putting her corsage bracelet away and even taking a shower -- didn’t help much either. Her heart was beating too fast. One breath, she was standing before Student Council President Ashley Rendleman as she chatted away at her before casually dismissing her the moment someone more interesting came along, the next, Elizabeth was leaning on a bathroom wall telling Melissa how Ashley wouldn’t even hurt a fly.

With every loop, though, Melissa found more and more comfort in reminiscing. While some of the individual events had been concerning, hadn’t she succeeded in her goal? She’d been asked out on a date, asked to handle all the specifics that she could manage -- which turned out to be quite a few! -- and to show her date as nice a time as she could. And she had! Sure, there were hiccups, but of all the plans in all the world, how many didn’t go wrong at some point?

One breath, she had her hand outstretched, offering her wrist to her kickoff date in anticipation of wearing a bracelet she’d picked out herself, the next Gabby was calling her “little lamb” in a way Melissa had never heard her say it before.

Gabby… The nickname pinged around in Melissa’s mind, searching for a bell to ring. Jun had said it before, but she shortened everybody’s name, right? Meanwhile, when Melissa had said it right before they’d danced in each other’s arms, well, she’d used it because it seemed like the right name to use just before something so intimate. It wasn’t like she’d been specifically asked not to-

Oh. Oh no.

Melissa rolled out of bed and crawled over to her phone like a girl possessed. Fumbling around for it didn’t take long at all only because of how swiftly she swept it up into her hands and started scrolling through old messages. “Please don’t please don’t please don’t,” Melissa muttered over and over. She wasn’t sure if she was going to wake anyone up or not, but at the moment, she didn’t really care.

And then she found it. Because of course she did. It was only a few days old, after all, and failing that, it was right at the top of the message chain, before anything else had been said between them:

Greetings! I am sending this missive as I had said I would. It would be best if you responded post-haste.

The first message read like the calm before the storm.

This is gabby

Gabriela

Not gabby

Dont call me gabby

A DOOM sound rolled throughout the room. Melissa was the only one there to hear it, but its vibrations could be felt in the floor just beneath her knees and while that could also have been only her imagination, it still managed to crawl its way up into her legs until they were shaking as well. Crawling back into bed was a much more difficult task once that had taken hold, not to mention that Melissa’s eyes refused to move from those four ruinous messages. No, that phrasing didn’t give her enough agency in the whole affair. “She refused to take her eyes away from her phone” was better, not to mention truer. When she pulled her covers over her head, she did so with one hand so she could keep eye-contact with her screen.

And there she wallowed for quite a while. It had been such a simple request, but at the same time, it had been simple enough that it had somehow slipped through the cracks. She’d ruined the moment, probably. Actually, she hadn’t only done that, she’d probably ruined everything.

Everything! It sounded so dramatic in Melissa’s head but wasn’t it the truth?

One breath, and she was all the way back at Elizabeth and Hitomu’s duel. “My name’s Gabriela,” Gabby (no!) said. “Gab-ri-el-a.” The next Melissa was just outside Gabby’s (why‽) dorm room and she was leaning in to…

Melissa was lifted her non-phone hand up to her cheek. The moment she touched the spot she felt a wave of relief wash over her. It meant so many things to her, some of which she hadn’t realized at that moment, but the feelings were just as strong now as they were then. And the timeline of it all, it meant that her dreadful, horrid mistake had either gone unnoticed or had been wiped clean after that single act.

She turned her phone off and poked her head out from under the covers, though she didn’t take her hand from her cheek just yet. No, she liked holding onto that memory for as long as possible. And even when Melissa closed her eyes and her consciousness drifted away, she dreamed of herself and Gabby, dancing under the stars.

---

Have mercy on me, Oh Lord, a sinner
Wipe away my transgressions,
    and let me be reborn anew in your glory
Help me turn away from sin
    and move towards your eternal light.

Oh Lord, how loving you are!
You give and you forgive in equal measure
    though I always feel like I am asking for too much
Even now, I dare not ask for anything for myself
    out of fear of being too wanting
    when all I have is because of you
Instead, I thank you, again, for all you have given me
    and pray that you continue to be my guide.

In the name of The Father, and of The Son, and of The Holy Spirit,
Amen

---

September 25, 909 PD
Feast of Saint Ceolfrid

“My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.”
-John 15:12 (NIV)

---

Monday arrived, and with it the lack of Kickoff magic that Melissa had never thought she’d ever experience, yet somehow had. She even took a longer route to class, just to walk by her spot again. As she suspected, it was different in the morning light, and not just because, well, not just because it was morning. It was that little extra indescribable something, too, that could have only come from that night. She still could smile remembering it.

But she couldn’t linger for too long. Her first class was sooner than she’d like to admit, and the alternative path she’d taken was already longer than her normal one by a not-insignificant amount. Melissa allowed herself one final look at her perfectly-normal-yet-secretly-wondrous surroundings before she adjusted her backpack on her back and hurried off down the path.

She opened up her phone along the way and scrolled through the Community Service Club group chat, as was her wont. All they did really was share unfunny image macros and only the occasional meaningless club update, though. In one instance, there was a picture of someone Melissa didn’t recognize shunning the words “Community Service Club Group Chat” while in another frame they were smiling and pointing to “Community Service Power Hour”, and that was when Melissa realized someone -- probably Connor -- had changed the name of the group chat.

The other group chat -- the Entertainment Duelist’s Club -- seemed to have the opposite problem. Not much had happened since before Kickoff, and some of the participants, especially Akari, didn’t seem to post much at all. Still, rereading messages that involved her directly not only felt better than whatever was going on in the other group chat but also was probably a good idea in general. Especially when it caused her to remember she hadn’t actually met up with any of them like she’d told Gabby she would. It probably wouldn’t hurt to send out a message now, would it?

It took a few rewrites, but she ended up with:

To: Souji, Sai, Kyouko, Hoshiko, Akari
From: Melissa
Sorry! I meant to look for all of you at Kickoff but it slipped my mind. Hope you all had a great time.

After that, well, there wasn’t much else worth looking at on her phone, so she put it away and kept going. She had History first thing, and unless she wanted to be history, she had to get a move -

Oh?

Sitting on a bench just off the pathway was someone that Melissa a) had never seen before, on-campus or off, and b) was looking rather sullen, or sullen enough for her to notice while simply walking by (though that was something she liked to think she was good at). And now she was already approaching him. It was an instinct, she realized, and she was more than willing to let it take its course. The first few minutes of class were probably just going to be attendance, anyway.

“Excuse me,” Melissa said once she was sure she was in earshot. “I don’t mean to presume, but, um, you look like you need someone to talk to? I’m sorry if I’m wrong, but um…”

And just like that, she sat down next to him. “I’m not the best talker, but I like to think I’m a good listener, at least.”
 

[LordCowCow 839]

When she woke Gabriela wondered if perhaps she had dreamed all of that. It seemed farfetched. Something out of a story. She had been putting up this fictitious mask so would it not make sense that she'd concoct a fairy tale story in her mind? There was no way something so pleasant and perfect had happened.

Yet the memory was so strong. How could it be anything but real?

One thing she was sure of. The alarm at her bedside was certainly real. She got up and realized she had slept in her costume, her royal dress as she told others, and she let out a sigh. She would have to be sure that it remained in good condition. She still had the rest of the year and if it got ruined she would have to come up with some reason that she suddenly stopped wearing her signature outfit. An outfit she had claimed to multiple people she had many copies of.

Thankfully for now she had to go to class. Which meant a school uniform. So she set the dress aside for now and set out.

On her way to class, striding confidently and lightly, she noticed something odd. A few people were glancing her way. True, she usually made a big entrance, and true, she intentionally tried to make herself noticed. But she hadn't done anything yet to stand out and she didn't look unusual while wearing the school uniform.

As she passed by one such student, who seemed amused by her for some reason, she noticed something in their hand. A school newspaper.

And on the front page, above the fold, was a headline. "The Kickoff Dance: Where Duelists Clash and Love Blooms." And the picture was of her. Her and Melissa. After leaving the dance.

In black and white, for all to see, her impulsive kiss.

Face red, Gabriela ran the rest of her way towards her first class. A confused mixture of feelings ran through her mind. She felt a happiness at the proof that the night had happened. But at the forefront was guilt. Would people be cruel to Melissa because of this? Because of her?

She nervously pulled her phone out and sent the girl a simple message. "How are you?"

[Zai 26]

 

“Excuse me. I don’t mean to presume, but, um, you look like you need someone to talk to? I’m sorry if I’m wrong, but um…”

Kazu relaxed a bit. He'd never seen this girl before, but she was just about the least threatening individual he had ever come across. Small, conservatively dressed. In some ways she even reminded him of... nah, it was best not to think about such things at present. Just as he finished that thought process, she sat down next to him. Intriguing.

“I’m not the best talker, but I like to think I’m a good listener, at least.”

"I do not think you could be of much use to me, I'm afraid." He said, with a polite sort of sadness in his tone. "My current conundrum is rather complicated,  you see, and I-"

He stopped. Kazu felt as though something was... prodding him? The feeling was certainly not physical, but that was the word for it. Prodding. A moment of thought longer and he figured out what it was. Most intriguing. Perhaps he was not as far behind as he thought. "Actually miss, while I do not need someone to vent my frustrations to, I could use another person's insight into how I might best solve my problem. Do you have a few minutes to spare, perhaps?"

 

[Chaos Sonic 442]



Souji ended up making it back to his dorm room after the Kickoff, delivering the design of Kyouko's outfit to Sai, who was actually elated to receive something of such high quality and with some vision...so much so that Souji thought Sai had found the love of his life...of course, with his general people's skills, that was obvious a negative. Though when he delivered the design, he immediately went off to his own desk in the dorm room and began to yet again rewatch the Kickoff Duel. Once he sat down, he pulled out a pencil and a notebook and began to write a few things down. He needed to get some sort of topic and general thoughts about this Duel ready for the club to talk about, since only him, Kyouko and he believed Melissa was there as well...so the others would need to see this Duel in action.

It was a good few hours and Souji never did find time to sleep...and rather than just falling asleep for a couple of hours, he stayed up. Luckily for him, "The Endgame" was playing on TV. He had watched that movie before, but he wanted to watch it again...and that there would keep him satiated for the next couple of hours. ...especially contemplating the possible paradox in time where Colonel Star went back in time in order to drop whatever McGuffins that was needed in order to beat the big bad at the end...and only appear again in the present time, but this time sitting on a park bench as an old man. Such thoughts about this possible paradox plagued his mind for a bit, but eventually he got over thinking this and continued on.



He wasn't sure how long he was passed out, buuuuuut he was fairly certain he missed his first class by a wide margin. With a yawn, Souji rubbed his eye, noticing his phone blinking to alert him about a new message.

"...someone messaging me?" he tiredly grabbed his phone and glanced at it.

To: Souji, Sai, Kyouko, Hoshiko, Akari
From: Melissa
Sorry! I meant to look for all of you at Kickoff but it slipped my mind. Hope you all had a great time.

So Melissa was there last night...that's good. So she probably got a good check at the Duel...hopefully. Souji thought, finally getting out from his bed, proceeding to respond to the group message.

To: Sai, Kyouko, Hoshiko, Akari, Melissa
From: Souji
Well at the present time, all I knew was me and Kyouko were at the Kickoff. Good to know you were there as well, Melissa. Regardless, I have the Duel recorded. Plan to show it during the next club meeting so we can talk about the differing Duel Styles and what we can gleam from them in order to apply them to ourselves and our own Duel Styles.

With that sent off, Souji yawned once more and went off to get himself ready for the day.

[radio414 903]

“I do not think you could be of much use to me, I’m afraid,” the boy said. He seemed polite about it, but Melissa still felt her cheeks flush from embarrassment. And after putting herself out there like she had, too… Really, this was her worst fear, wasn’t it? She’d been shut down at the start and now had to go through the process of distancing herself again, a process made all the worse by the fact that this wasn’t exactly a setting she could disappear from. The boy’s eyes would follow her until she was far into the distance -- she could be certain of that.

“Oh, alright. Sorry again,” Melissa said. She stood up, a little unsure of what else to do, but she felt she had to do something.

And then, just as Melissa had accepted that things could not get any worse, her phone sounded off not once, but twice. A veritable storm of audible vibrations, it was, and Melissa scrambled for her phone.

Her first message -- that was to say, the most recent -- was something Souji had posted to the group chat. It was almost at skimming length on her first pass, though reading it closer at least gave her the opportunity to relax a little bit. She could pretend the messages were calling her off somewhere and she could slink away. What could be a better excuse than that?

Even better, her other message (though saying “other” implied it was the lesser of the two, which it certainly was not) was from Gabby. How are you? it said. Simple enough, though over text it required a bit more thought than the standard answers of “Fine” and “Alright.”

She did settle on I’m doing rather well. which was still a social lie, but typing out “just a notch or two above mortified” felt like it wasn’t worth the additional explanation that she imagined Gabby asking about. Melissa did want to continue the text conversation, though -- there had to be a reason Gabby had started one besides inquiring about her health, after all -- so she added in How have you been? Did you sleep okay? and turned away from the park bench, ready to head down the path.

“Actually-”

If she’d been any other person observing the scene, Melissa probably would have found it scary how quickly Melissa had returned to her seat on the park bench. Reflexes and desire to please, those were her twin explanations if she ever thought about it, though the blink-of-an-eye action seldomly drew more of her attention in the moment than whatever she was moving to. This was no exception; all of her, from her posture and body language to her concern and thought, was directed right at the boy sitting with her on the bench.

“- While I do not need someone to vent my frustrations to, I could use another person's insight into how I might best solve my problem. Do you have a few minutes to spare, perhaps?”

“Of course,” Melissa said as soon as she could. “How can I help?”

---

“But as for you, be strong and do not give up, for your work will be rewarded.”
-2 Chronicles 15:7
 

[LordCowCow 839]

It felt like she was waiting for hours for the response to her message. Gabriela was heading for her classes but she couldn't, despite walking, stop herself from glancing down at her phone every other second to see if Melissa had responded yet. Given she didn't have the modern superpower of doing things while checking her phone this meant that she stumbled more than once and ran into several people on her way to class.

But all that was forgotten when the message came in. She almost fumbled her phone in her haste to answer and, stopping in the middle of the walkway, stared down.

She smiled to see that Melissa was doing well. She accepted it fully that, if she had sent that, she must have meant it. Why respond at all otherwise right?

How have you been? Did you sleep okay?

Gabby hastily went to answer.

"I"

The first message she accidentally sent long before it was finished. Blushing she stared at it for a solid three seconds before hastily. "accident." she sent. "One moment." she sent again.

Taking a deep breath she tried again. "I am doing perfectly well. The darkness is my domain and thus sleep came easy. Though I did spend much time thinking of you before I could sleep."

After sending she realized how awkward that sounded and immediately followed it up with "I don't mean that strangely."

Then "Not that there's anything strange about it."

And another "I simply meant that I was thinking about the night and it kept me up later than normal."

And finally one more text followed a few moments after "I should keep walking to class."

[Cappuccijoe 17]

BZZZT! BZZZT! BZZZT! Good morning, Elizabeth. Your local time is currently 6:35AM. The weather today is expected to be slightly cloudy with a light chance of precipitation in the afternoon. In daily news, star Anchor for Andover had another stellar perfor-

Elizabeth halted the sound of her chattering alarm clock with a firm slap onto the screen. She rolled out of bed lazily, and got up to begin making her bed. It was the first thing she did.

Good morning Elizabeth, shall I start your teapot? You have 3 Earl Gray teabags still in the chamber.

"Yes please. Not too hot. Could you also preheat the oven to 175 in twenty minutes? I'll be making breakfast for two this morning."

Yes Elizabeth. Your oven will begin preheating to 175° Celcius in twenty minutes. Anything else I can do for you this morning? Please do remember you have Calculus class with Dr. Roberts at 830 AM.

"I remember. Warm the shower up, then go back to sleep mode. I'll just be preparing for my morning."

The request was met with the sound of water shooting out of the showerhead and nothing else. After Beth was finished making her bed, she turned her attention to the wardrobe, and thus, her uniform. There were various pieces of school spirit wear in her closet that she had collected over the years, and a majority of them passed the school's sniff test on uniform code. The problem was simple: she had to continue to impress Yushiro! Sweats were her usual move for Calculus; being comfortable meant she was relaxed and could think more clearly, if she cared to focus.  Earlier this week she had considered taking another mark of delinquency, but she certainly was not going to go to the effort of walking to the school with Yushiro just to walk back.

After much hemming and hawing, she settled on light blue high waisted pants that matched the school's primary color, and a white, sleeveless blouse with the school tie. It was a variation on the traditional female uniform, but Blue Yonder was rather sensitive to the idea that not all girls may feel very comfortable walking around in a short pleated skirt in the colder months. This, of course, suited Elizabeth best, who was not much of a fan of skirts in the first place unless it was part of a dress.

After taking a lengthy shower, at least long enough that her home automation program barked at her for leaving the oven unattended, she made her way to the kitchen, sliding a small tray of scones and ramekins filled with eggs into the oven.

Because the computer that ran most of her appliances was much better at scheduling than she could ever be, her tea pot went off at approximately the same her oven rang, meaning she could have everything nice and hot and in her sectioned travel containers just in time for...

*Ding dong DING dong.... ding dong DING dong.... dong..... dong.... dong.... dong*

"Oh! That must be Yushiro at the door." Beth quickly grabbed the containers in one hand and her travel mug of tea in the other and made her way towards the door, where she could grab her backpack she packed the night before.

She opened the door with a illuminating smile, correctly assuming the guest to be her escort to class for the morning, "Hey Yushiro, I was nervous you had forgotten about our little morning rendezvous! I wasn't quite sure if you fancy a breakfast on your way to class, but I erred on the side of caution and prepared you one if you'd like." she handed him a container as they made their way out of the door, Beth locking it behind them both with somewhat of a dextrous performance with her keys and travel mug in hand, clearly rehearsed, "I made a poppyseed scone, an oven baked egg and some fresh fruit, but if you don't want it give it to one of your friends or something, I've no use for another breakfast. I just want the container back." she snickered and leaned into him to give him a peck on the cheek,

"Shall we, then? I'm in Moto Hall first today."

[yui 573]

Kickoff was a night. A difficult one to describe, at that. Kyouko would be lying if she enjoyed it, but saying she didn't have a good time also seem right. Mostly, she was just glad it was over now. Now she could have other things to not look forward to. Things like classes. And things like...

Sorry! I meant to look for all of you at Kickoff but it slipped my mind. Hope you all had a great time.

Well at the present time, all I knew was me and Kyouko were at the Kickoff. Good to know you were there as well, Melissa. Regardless, I have the Duel recorded. Plan to show it during the next club meeting so we can talk about the differing Duel Styles and what we can gleam from them in order to apply them to ourselves and our own Duel Styles.

Like that, for example. The entertainment duel club. As much as she didn't want to duel in front of a crowd and all that, Kyouko had to admit - albeit reluctantly - she was getting a bit excited over the costume. Was it done yet? Would she get to try it on? How did it look? Kyouko wasn't all that impressed by what she'd come up with on the day of Kickoff, but even if her drawing skills were crap, the ideas behind it had grown on Kyouko pretty quickly over the weekend. This was her last year here, but it was almost starting to feel like she'd make this one count.

Kyouko looked at the time on her phone. She wasn't all that concerned about being late for classes, but if possible, she would have preferred to avoid it. Though maybe I should just skip today and sleep in. I haven't been sleeping all that well over the weekend. ...nah. I can at least get through classes and a club meeting.

That all for today's agenda?

Quick and to the point. That would work. Kyouko sent her reply to the Duel Team's group message.

[Saikazo 241]

The day of the Kickoff was a productive day for Sai, as evident by the mountain of waded papers by his desk. He had went through a mountain of ideas for Melissa's costume, but some of them weren't right. Sadly, he only got about half a notebook worth's of ideas before Souji came home from the Kickoff. It seemed Kyouko had some ideas for her costume. It was actually much more detailed than he expected, but, still, it awoke something in him.

He was inspired.

So he worked through the night, sketching out some more ideas, before deciding to work on a prototype headpiece for the costume itself. It took most of the night, but he finished it. He wasn't sure if it would fit on Kyouko though, as he didn't have her exact measurements. He would also have to make adjustments to make sure she could see and the like. Still, he had finished it.

But the creative beast inside him was not quelled. He needed to do more, create more, to...

He needed to improve Souji's costume. And he had just an idea of how it could work. He would need to get a working prototype running though, since this idea was a difficult one. It was probably the most elaborate idea he had yet. He kept working... until the next thing he knew, he woke up to the noises of Souji getting ready for the day. without hesitation, he rushed over to his friend, wide eyed and hyped up despite just waking up.

"Souji Souji Souji!!" Sai called out as he dashed to his room mate, skidding to a stop behind him and grabbing him by the shoulders, spinning him around and looking him dead in the eye. The next three words were a warning to Souji, as they were always followed by Sai's best, and worst ideas.

"I was inspired!"

---

The man Akira was not happy. Worst part was that it was all his own damn fault. Yesterday, he had been running super late. He couldn't find Katsu anywhere, and frankly, he understood why. She was probably very busy. So he was late for the exhibition duel, but he did see it, and by God it was beautiful. Yushiro finished it off beautifully.

Akira would have went to congratulate him, but it seemed Yushiro wanted to celebrate with Elizabeth. That was fine, the Man was patient, he could wait... well, he would, but something would prevent that. The man was hit by a wave of nausea and threw up in a trash can, away from others. He couldn't believe it. He was sick, he, the Man Akira! He wasn't one to get sick, so he was dropped like a ton of bricks by this. He went home, laying down and hoping to sleep it off.

Sleeping it off did work, and he woke up in a sweat covered bed, feeling much better. He went through his morning routine of exercise, jogging down the path to school. As he did, he texted his friend.

From: AkiraTHEMAN

To: THEMANYUSHIRO

Vigorous Right Fist Fukuryu is a kickass name. The Man Akira is proud.

[Chaos Sonic 442]



Souji finished getting himself dressed and was in the midst of brushing his teeth, when he got a message. With one hand holding his toothbrush, he pulled out his phone and looked down to see what the message had on it and it was from Kyouko: That all for today's agenda? To be truthful, Souji figured that was what was going to take most of the time of the club meeting, but then again he also thought of something else. He then proceeded to type a response message to the group chat, but he stopped. Why tell the whole group about this? It would be a surprise to others and she'd be excited. So instead, he sent Kyouko a solo message.

A good question there, Kyouko. I believe that might take up a good portion of our time, but I'm also fairly certain you'll want to see what the Sorcerer Supreme has. Keeps saying it's a prototype, but it might just be what you need. I'll probably see if I can coax him into bringing it. Also this stays between us, but Sai was like a giddy school girl when I handed him that design, so it really was that great apparently.

With that being sent, Souji slid his phone back into his pocket and resumed the teeth-brushing...that was until...

"Souji Souji Souji!!"

Souji immediately felt hands on his shoulders and was forcefully spun around to now face the wide eyed Sai, who did just wake up...but this was pretty impressive to him. He still had the toothbrush in his mouth, it currently just hanging in there as he was about to say something, but then heard the next words from his roommate.

"I was inspired!"

He held up a finger, to turn back around and spit what he had in his mouth out and rinse before putting the toothbrush down. Wiping his mouth off, he looked at Sai with a eyebrow raised. "Sai...every time you say that, I get worried. The first time you said that, the idea you had was great. I mean hell, the idea of utilizing pyrotechnics in the manner you had for a grand opening in your one Duel last year was amazing." Souji then began to sigh, before rubbing the bridge of his nose. "...the last time you said you were inspired, it was just bad...terrible even. I mean, technicolor dream coat for the headmaster, when you can tell they happen to be colorblind?"

With a slight shake of his head, Souji sighed again. "...however, I am your friend, so I'll indulge you...since you seemed to be on a roll after you got Kyouko's design. So, what's the idea this time?"