[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

[masokaiser]

[It's for his own good. It's what he needs. Kaiser reminds himself of this, silently, for the rest of the drive. If he gave him false hope, it would be worse. They might die, both of them.

He can sacrifice love for someone's safety. He's done it with Shou. He can do it again.

When the car stops, it's in front of what looks like a normal tailor's. There's a sign in the window reading "By Reservation Only". A middle-aged man in a sharp-edged suit is waiting in a chair behind the glass.

Kaiser gets out immediately, and motions silently for Juudai to follow.]

[sternitfortem]

[ Juudai is glad he's mad right now, because being mad is way better than being terrified. ]

EAGLE command center it is, then.

[ He mutters this darkly under his breath, kicking the door open on his side and glaring at the tailor's. So they're gonna make him some kind of crazy underground uniform? Great. Sounds like a party. A party Juudai didn't want to be invited to.

Oh great, and he's still starving, too. One sheet of nori's not cutting the mustard.


The interior of the tailor's is warm, Western decor, with nice wood paneling on the walls. Juudai glares at a tasteful gilt-framed painting of a pond and egrets. ]

[shockthemonkey]

[The tailor approaches as Kaiser takes his seat in the corner of the room and Saruyama enters, locking the door behind him.

"So, you're the new face..."

He adjusts his glasses and tucks a few loose strands of dull brown hair behind his ear, retrieving a tape measure from the breast pocket of his suit.

"Arms out, please."]

[sternitfortem]

[ Juudai hates things like doctor appointments at the best of times. Having people poking him and making him hold out his arms or legs or whatever makes him nervous and aggravated. Add in the fact that he's still not entirely sure what all this is specifically for, and this whole creepy situation, and he's already glancing at the windows and door.

Maybe he could make a run for it...


He hasn't moved, eyes still flickering from the tailor to Saruyama to the door. The only person he's not looking at is Kaiser. ]

[shockthemonkey]

[Saruyama approaches (as Kaiser shakes his head minutely and the tailor sighs) and places a hand on Juudai's shoulder that he knows will be unwanted.]

Now, Juudai-kun. Cooperate.

[There's a hint of a warning in his voice, even though his smile hasn't slackened a bit.]

[sternitfortem]

[ Juudai fails to hide a flinch at Saruyama's touch. His eyes make the rounds one more time: the tailor, the door, Saruyama - and then Kaiser.

If Juudai made a break for it, he could handle getting hurt if he got caught. (Or at least, he was prepared to do his best to handle it.) It would be a way to show he wasn't going to play their games.

But...

What if they punished Kaiser instead?


(Juudai doesn't see anything like fairness or humanity in that smile of Saruyama's.) ]


Tch.

[ He steps forward and holds his arms out for the tailor. (And tries not to hate himself for it.) ]

[shockthemonkey]

[Saruyama nods, seemingly satisfied, when Juudai steps forward. (He's not aware what was going through Juudai's mind, but of course, Juudai was right. Kaiser would be the first one to pay for any offense of Juudai's. He was his teacher, after all.)

The tailor looks relieved (it didn't escalate this time, thank god), and immediately sets about taking measurements as quickly as he can. He lingers, though, on the upper arms and the neck.

Kaiser is just watching, looking utterly miserable. He's answering a string of questions from Saruyama in monotone.]

[When the measuring is finished, a few minutes later, the tailor steps into an adjacent room for a moment and returns with a neatly folded dark red garment of suspiciously thin fabric. (When unfolded, it'll turn out to be a shirt.) He gestures to a booth covered by a curtain in the far corner of the room.

"You'll need to try this on."]

[sternitfortem]

[ Juudai takes the clothing and enters the booth, drawing the curtain behind him. Once out of sight, he lets himself raise his hands to his head and grip his hair. Breathe once, twice, get out the shakes. He felt the way the tape measure had lingered around his upper arms and neck - he'd shivered in pain when the tailor's hands brushed the angry red marks where the electrodes touched last night. (He grips harder. Breathe. Keep breathing.)

After he gets ahold of himself again, he shrugs his jacket off and tosses it over the side wall of the booth. He does the same with his black T-shirt. He unfolds the shirt he has in his hands. The material is cool, kind of like skin-tight athletic wear that's supposed to keep out the cold or keep the runner cool or something. Temperature-equalizing stuff. The color isn't quite Obelisk Red. It's a lot darker, between something like wine and something like blood. ]

Tch.

[ He mutters again, pulling it on. There's no mirror in here. The sleeves come almost down to his elbows, not quite long-sleeved but longer than a T-shirt, and skin-tight. Now he knows why Kaiser always looks like his shirt is painted on. This material stretches, but it also clings.

He walks out of the booth, feeling awkward, like a bride going shopping for a wedding dress. Except Juudai's pretty sure most brides don't shock themselves to death when they get married. ]

1/2

[masokaiser]

[When Juudai walks out, he can't keep himself from staring.

He knows this shouldn't be his first thought -- he should be feeling guilty about this, shouldn't he? -- but Juudai is carrying himself like he's got a grudge against the world, and the shirt is clinging to a body that Kaiser didn't realize was as strong as it is, and...god, he's going to be a good heel. A great heel.]

...

2/2

[shockthemonkey]

[Saruyama glances over at Kaiser's face, and he seems immediately pleased in an entirely different way.]

Perfect! Excellent!

[Then, almost conspiratorially:]

I look forward to your designs for the boy, Saito.

[The tailor -- Saito? -- nods, looking somewhat pleased, and the two begin conversing more quietly, discussing the costume. The discussion is audible, but it's laden with terms that Juudai wouldn't yet understand.

Kaiser, however, seems suddenly to be none too pleased.]

[sternitfortem]

[ See, that's another thing, Kaiser, Juudai is still kind of upset with you, but you're making it hard when you... when you... when you look like that, okay? When you look... stunned and sort of impressed and maybe even a little - you know what, Juudai's going to just look in a totally different direction for a while now. This is serious, for crying out loud.

(And he's totally not blushing a little. Damn, what does he look like in this shirt?)


Also, Juudai's starting to get sick of not understanding anything Saruyama ever says that involves the underground - something about faces and feet (no, ankles? heels?) and whatever body parts, and turning, and storylines, and - yeah, Juudai's not following this. At all, pretty much. And it's scary. ]


So, what exactly am I here for, anyway?

[ This is addressed to Saruyama. Juudai's not dumb; he's picked up on the fact that they're going to keep making him duel in that cage. (that cage (the thought makes him want to grip his head again for a while but obviously that's not happening)) But if Saruyama says anything else that's useful, well... that would be useful. And maybe Juudai can figure out some of this darn lingo. ]

[shockthemonkey]

[He takes his time responding to Juudai, but after a moment Saito walks off to the back room and Saruyama turns to Juudai, tapping his cane on the ground.]

You're here to duel, of course. And if Mr. Ryo is as excellent an instructor as he makes himself out to be, you'll be turning heel too, yes?

[Kaiser is staring out the window, trying to avoid this whole conversation.]

I do hope that entrusting your education to him was the right choice.

[There's another veiled threat there.]

[sternitfortem]

[ Juudai shakes his head, spreads his hands. ]

Look, I like a good duel as much as the next guy, but -

[ He rethinks this line of conversation as he's saying it, and bites down on that sentence. ]

- I. I don't know what that means. What is "turning heel?" You want me to run away?

1/2

[shockthemonkey]

Mm...if that's still occurring to you, perhaps Mr. Ryo hasn't been performing as well as I thought.

[It's hard to tell whether that's another threat, or just Saruyama's idea of a joke.]

Perhaps he should explain it to you, yes?

[A meaningful look in Kaiser's direction.]

2/2

[masokaiser]

[...this is absolutely the last thing he needs right now. But he takes a deep breath and turns back to face them.]

It's...becoming a "villain". While you're dueling, at least. Not acting like someone from...the normal world.

[It's the best he can do. "Heel" isn't something that's easy for him to define. You have to see it to really know what it is.

Of course, Juudai's already seen it in him.]

[sternitfortem]

[ Juudai looks from Saruyama to Kaiser, back and forth.

Becoming a "villain" - is that what they wanted? Juudai, the kid who wanted to be a hero, because heroes don't let their friends down when they need them. (But he's let Kaiser down - no. No, Kaiser let himself down.) Becoming a villain is exactly the opposite of everything Juudai stands for. He believes in dueling for fun, for enjoyment, for connecting with other people. Not -

not this.


He folds his arms. ]

Look.

You can do whatever. You can keep me here. You can make me duel. You can hook me up to your collars. But dueling is about honesty. And if you want me to duel, you can't make me lie.

[ His eyes flicker to Kaiser for a second as he says that last. ]

I'm me when I duel. And you can't make me be anything else.

1/2

[masokaiser]

[...It's too much for him. No, Juudai, you won't be lying. That's the worst of it.

He stands up abruptly to head for the door.]

I'll be in the car.

[The door swings shut and locks behind him.]

2/2

[shockthemonkey]

[...Well. That's very interesting.]

Is he always this way with you, Juudai-kun?

[At that moment, the tailor re-enters the room, sketchbook in hand.

"I'll need that shirt back, if you don't mind."]

[sternitfortem]

[ Kaiser's sudden departure surprises Juudai a little, enough that he forgets not to be too open with Saruyama when he suddenly asks a personal question. ]

No. [ Pause. ] Yeah. [ He flushes, looks down. ] He was different.

[ A couple seconds' pregnant pause, before he realizes the tailor guy - Saito? - asked for the shirt back. ]

- Oh! Sorry. [ Juudai ducks back behind the curtain to take the shirt off, and pull his other clothes back on. Are we done? He hopes they're done. ]

[shockthemonkey]

[...Hmm~. Suspicions confirmed. He shrugs nonchalantly, as if it doesn't matter to him.]

You'll have to excuse him. Hell Kaiser can be...touchy about these things. Respect is a hard thing to lose, hmm~?

[He walks over to open the door as the tailor collects the shirt from Juudai with a nod of thanks.]

After you, Juudai-kun.

[sternitfortem]

[ Respect is a hard thing to lose, hmm?

No, Juudai thinks, as he walks out and sees the car, as he pulls his jacket close around him again, his last reminder of Duel Academy. No, respect isn't such a hard thing to lose. Sometimes it's easy.

He doesn't say one word for the entire ride back. ]

[masokaiser]

[After a long, painful car ride and an elevator ride that seemed even worse, he finally shuts the door to his apartment behind them.

Then he realizes that being back home doesn't help in the slightest, because Juudai is still there with him and he's not going to stop being angry.]

...you still need food.

[He leaves to the kitchen, trying (although he knows it's not going to help) to delay the inevitable.]

[sternitfortem]

Don't bother.

[ Juudai tries to make it sound like not a big deal, even a little bit. He fails miserably. His hands tremble a little as he pulls off his jacket. Then he thinks better of it, and puts it back on. Grips either flap and pulls it close, as if he is cold.

His voice is shaking even when he concentrates on keeping it steady. ]

I've lost my appetite.

[masokaiser]

[He glances back at him over his shoulder -- he hopes he's prepared for whatever Juudai is going to do -- and turns back to the rice cooker.]

Don't be an idiot. You need to eat.

[His voice sounds more like it did in Duel Academy than it has since Juudai made the call.]

[sternitfortem]

[ It hurts how much that sounds like the old Kaiser. It hurts. ]


Why are you here?

[ It's out, harsh, challenging, before Juudai can stop himself. He means, how did you get here, when you were in the Pros, when you had Shou, when you had me? Why and how did you end up in a place like this when you once stood on top of the world? When did you fall into hell? ]