[UAU: the first day under]

[masokaiser]

[Kaiser wakes up far later than usual. He prefers to rise early, normally -- sleep is for the weak and the dead -- but the events of last night were so draining that he slept straight through his alarm.

He doesn't remember them, when he's first waking up. They don't hit him until he glances around his room, still drowsy and blinking sleep out of his eyes, and sees the briefcase -- still missing one cuff -- lying open on the floor.

He sits up and takes inventory.

- Juudai is in the underground as of last night.
- He's a face.
- He passes out at 800 AP.
- Kaiser is responsible for training this out of him.
- He's staying in Kaiser's apartment.

...wait. Right. This means he has...some kind of host duties, doesn't it...?

He slides out of bed, and rubs his eyes as he walks out of the room in last night's clothing to see just what state Juudai's in.]

Comments

[sternitfortem]

[ Juudai is still completely out, lying face down on the couch. His mouth is open and a little spittle is hanging off the corner and soaking into the cushions. Sure enough, they'd forgotten to take the last cuff off Juudai's left arm, which is splayed above him against the back of the couch.

Kaiser can't see it, of course, but there's a little brown ball of fluff with wings hovering protectively over Juudai's shoulder while he sleeps. ]

that's an awfully dramatic icon for being conked out drooling on the couch juudai

[masokaiser]

[...he's not particularly surprised (although he might roll his eyes, just a little). Juudai had a reputation for falling asleep in class, he seems to recall.

After last night, he'd need the sleep anyway.

Ah, and there's his cuff. It can't have been particularly comfortable to sleep in that. Or healthy. He catches himself wondering whether it would cut off circulation and wonders what's gotten into him.

Carefully, he kneels down to try to remove the cuff.]

i wanted one with kuriboh ok

[sternitfortem]

[ The problem with that being that Juudai's left arm is pushed up against the back of the couch, and his right arm is dangling down towards the floor as he lies on his stomach, so in order to reach his arm, Kaiser must reach across Juudai's back.

Kuriboh notices this and tries to wake Juudai up to help Kaiser out (that cuff can't be healthy!), but Juudai just grunts and shifts a little. Kuriboh tries one more time - and then Kaiser's hand makes contact with Juudai's arm. Startled, Juudai rolls over - and on top of Kaiser into a heap on the floor.

Oops. ]

Good... morning?

[masokaiser]

[...Well. This is. Uh.

He stares up at Juudai, obviously having been caught a little off guard.]

...Good morning, Juudai.

[His face looks a little red, but that's probably just a trick of the light...]

You. Went to sleep with your cuff on.

[sternitfortem]

[ Juudai blinks a few times. Waking up in an unfamiliar place by falling on top of Kaiser is one of those things that makes it hard to process information immediately. ]

I went... to sleep- ah! [ He looks down, at the hateful metal bar encircling his arm, and the events of the previous day all rush back in, like waking up from a nightmare in reverse. Waking up into the same nightmare. ]

I - sorry. [ Maybe Juudai's face is a little red now, too. He hurriedly gets up and sits back down onto the couch. ]

[masokaiser]

[He sits up, clearly a little flushed now. Well, he's definitely awake now.

It's more obvious in the well-lit apartment during daytime just what Kaiser's outfit is like under the heavy coat. Mainly, "what it's like" is "practically painted on".

He looks up at Juudai from the floor, not bothering to get up.]

...You're probably hungry.

[Juudai skipping meals was historically something to avoid.]

[sternitfortem]

[ Juudai is in a minor state of panic right now because while it was one thing to occasionally interact with Kaiser in freshman year, it wasn't like they ever spent a lot of actual, extended time with each other. Kaiser was distant, unapproachable and perfect, like a god. Shou hardly ever talked about him even after it came out that they were related.

And now Kaiser's still sitting on the floor and the less said about Juudai's... feelings on that shirt, the better.


Luckily, just like the last time they were dueling and it was awkward between them, Juudai's stomach saves the day with a long, extended gurgle. He laughs. ]


Uh, yeah, now you mention it!

[masokaiser]

[Kaiser's a little more used to the disconnected feeling than Juudai: this is how it is with him and pretty much everyone. Except Fubuki.

He's still grateful when another subject comes up, though. He doesn't usually have to deal with...this kind of feeling, even if it is sort of a variety of awkwardness.]

I probably don't have anything you'd want...and we won't be able to leave without a guard.

[That sounds like a dare, Kaiser.]

[sternitfortem]

[ That does sound like a dare. ]

Aw, you know me, Kaiser, I'll eat whatever. It's no big deal.

[ Right now, Juudai is hungry enough (and eager enough to not be a burden) that he would eat raw rice if he needed to. Meanwhile, he's looking anywhere in the room but directly at Kaiser's ches--er, shirt. At his shirt. The apartment is nice, big, and clean. The furniture is actually pretty nice and stuff, although there's not a lot in it in terms of "stuff Kaiser actually owns." You'd never walk into this apartment thinking it was where they kept people captive to the underground. (Juudai doesn't like thinking about that right now; he wrenches his thoughts away.) ]

[masokaiser]

[He nods, looking contemplative. What do Juudais eat? (Or, really, what don't Juudais eat? But Kaiser is determined not to be a shitty host. Juudai's situation is already bad enough.)]

...I'll go put rice on, then.

[He stands up and turns to head into the kitchen.

kaiser has a nice butt]

[sternitfortem]

Sounds good!

[ Juudai can't help but watch Kaiser leave kind of... closely. ]

Can - Do you need me to help with anything?

1/3

[masokaiser]

[He measures out the rice as he talks.]

Look through the fridge to see if there's anything--

2/3

[masokaiser]

[The phone rings in Kaiser's bedroom.

He freezes, grimaces, then stalks into the other room to retrieve it. His demeanor is very different now.

He knows who this call is going to be from, and can't believe he forgot that this happened with him. The morning after is...eventful for an underground duelist. Measurements are taken, plans are made. It's the beginning, for his promoter, of a new creation.]

3/3

[masokaiser]

[There are a few words audible from the other room. "Hello? ... Yes. ... Yes. I understand. ... No, he's not." and then Kaiser walks out of his room looking, already, very tired.]

Breakfast might need to wait. He wants us down in five minutes.

[Who "he" is, Kaiser assumes, doesn't need to be explained.]

[sternitfortem]

[ Juudai, who had found a few squares of nori in the fridge and was quietly chewing on one with nothing else, swallows, and it has nothing to do with food. He can tell by Kaiser's expression and the tension in the room exactly who he's talking about.

Except.... he never did get the name of that guy in the phone. ]

Your... suit guy?

[ Hane Kuriboh shrinks against Juudai's elbow and trills uncertainly. Juudai glances at him and pets him (as much as he can with Kuriboh being an immaterial spirit and all). ]

Why five minutes?

[masokaiser]

[He nods curtly. It doesn't even occur to him to correct "suit guy" to "promoter" -- underground slang, it seems, is sometimes fairly intuitive.]

Saruyama.

[He retreats into his room for a moment to drag out the briefcase, still open, and approaches to unfasten the one cuff remaining on Juudai's arm.]

He said you have an "appointment". For a fitting. He's already waiting in the car.

[And then he notices the...petting.

He would be skeptical, but he had seen plenty of children at the dojo who spoke to things that weren't there, who seemed to have something immaterial by their side as they dueled. They stayed close to one another, but by sitting nearby, eavesdropping in the way he always had tended to do, he had learned something about what they saw.]

...A duel spirit?

[sternitfortem]

[ Juudai startles when Kaiser mentions it; he hadn't really registered what he was doing, just comforting Kuriboh by instinct. Kuriboh squeaks and vanishes out of shock. Then Juudai realizes Kaiser can't see Kuriboh - he'd just noticed Juudai petting empty air. ]

Ah! - yeah, Hane Kuriboh.

[ He doesn't have time to wonder how Kaiser knows about duel spirits - well, the Seven Stars thing was sort of in the realm of the supernatural, but Kaiser had mostly been focused on dueling and his senior year stuff so Juudai wasn't sure if he had even been aware of duel spirits - anyway, Juudai doesn't have time to wonder because Kaiser finally takes his other cuff off and Saruyama (who is Suit Guy) is waiting in the car.

They're ushered out by the guard to the elevator and down to the street where a car is waiting. Juudai pulls his jacket around himself more closely, glancing at the car with apprehension. ]

[shockthemonkey]

[The window on the front passenger seat rolls down, and suddenly Juudai is face-to-face (in a manner of speaking) with Saruyama for the first time.]

Ah, Juudai-kun. You slept well? Kaiser tried nothing with you, I hope.

[Beside Juudai, Ryo stiffens. Saruyama smiles in a way that would seem benevolent if the words behind it weren't so wrong.]

Today is the beginning of a wonderful transformation.

fyi i haven't seen that show either

[sternitfortem]

[ So this is suit guy. Saruyama. Juudai recognizes his smug jerk voice from the phone. He thinks about asking something about Jessica just to annoy him, but even Juudai knows when mouthing off might be a bad idea. And that thing about trying nothing, what is that supposed to mean? ]

Transformation? Where are we going, EAGLE command center?

[ Yes, Juudai is making a reference to the seminal super sentai show Himitsu Sentai Gorenger, Saruyama, you uncultured swine. ]

[masokaiser]

[Juudai. Juudai, no. It doesn't matter how funny that was, this is not the time.

Kaiser shoots Juudai a look out of the corner of his eye, and moves to usher him into the car before Saruyama can stop being confused and start planning a way to make his new acquisition respect his authority a little more. Sassing your promoter isn't an effective use of your energy, Kaiser has learned. Not that he's particularly sassily inclined in the first place, but you can learn from observation as well as experience.

For some reason, it seems that Kaiser has brought the briefcase. He takes it with him by second nature already.]

[sternitfortem]

[ The look is received; Juudai gets into the car with no more protest or sentai show references.

He glances at the briefcase somewhat nervously. ]

But seriously, where are we going?

[shockthemonkey]

[He'll gloss over that impudence. Just this once~.

The car starts as soon as Kaiser shuts the door, and Saruyama turns his head to look over his shoulder at the two duelists.]

You'll need a better uniform when you turn, Juudai-kun. And I intend to make sure it is the best of the best.

Your electrodes are ill-fitting as well, yes? You'll get a better set. A gift from me to you.

[He smiles that oily smile again, and turns back to face the front.]

[sternitfortem]

[ Most of that flew over Juudai's head - turning, what is he, a vampire? - and whatever didn't fly over his head only serves to make him more nervous. Electrodes. Uniforms. Gifts from Saruyama. It's really only now sinking in, the whole reality of what's going on.

Juudai is now trapped in the underground.

All of his witty retorts and wise-ass comments have left him. Wordlessly, he turns to Kaiser, his eyes pleading:

Help. ]

[masokaiser]

[When Juudai looks at him, something twists in his gut, and it's all he can do not to throw open the door of the moving car and pull them both out--

No. No, he wishes he had to restrain himself, wishes it was an effort, but it's not. He's too far in for that kind of instinct. He's a heel. He's a part of the underground now, not some trapped outside element. All he can do is help Juudai turn, quickly, before he's ground down. Help him live in ignominy rather than die with honor.

Slowly, he shakes his head.]

[sternitfortem]

[ Kaiser shakes his head.

Kaiser shakes his head no, no there's no help. Juudai can see it in his eyes, the way he looks at Saruyama first and then back, the way he doesn't look angry or defiant, the way he knows all these things now like they're second nature - the way... The way he looks like he belongs here. With these people. Kaiser, who once stood above every student at Duel Academy. Kaiser, who once asked Juudai to duel him over every other student in every other class. Kaiser who stood closest to the sun.

Not anymore. He's not standing anymore. He's crawling, down here in the underground. Juudai had put all that stuff Kaiser was doing and saying during the duel before out of his mind, thinking it's just because he needs to survive when the collars are on, thinking he can't mean that. But what if he did? What if these are his people now?

And Juudai is trapped here. Because he'd tried to save him.


Juudai turns away before Kaiser can see what's in his expression: hurt, disillusionment, disappointment, disgust. He looks out the window of the car instead. ]