I'll Follow the Sun

Six Months Later

Judai didn't want to go back.

But eventually the money runs out.

The visas expire.

And reality slaps you in the face.

It was a difficult decision, but eventually, Judai decided he would return home.

The hardest part was arriving in Domino, with no one waiting for him.

Judai never told anyone he was going home, but a part of him hoped that somehow...some crazy miracle would appear and just one person that he knew would be waiting for him.

He knew it wasn't realistic, but the daydream helped pass the time.

Taxi's lined up the street waiting to greet all the lonely people. Judai sighed, brushing his hair out of his face and scampering towards the next available ride. He gave the driver his old address and scooched towards the farthest side of the car, staring out the window.

Home sweet home.

But there was nothing really sweet about it.

Although he had been gone for six months, the atmosphere remained as bitter as it was when he first left. Not a single new shop or restaurant to prove that time had passed. It felt as if he had woke up from a long dream and landed back in a frigid reality.

The thought of it made him sigh in loss.

The dark clouds closed in over the city until they let out their tears and cried. Shedding tears that Judai couldn't spare.

Eventually the taxi driver pulled up to 67 Oak Rd, slowly coming to a stop. He cleared his throat in confusion. "Are yah sure this is your home, kid?"

Judai's eyes widened twice the normal amount. His breath grew faster and he immediately began blinking to aid clearer vision.

"I'm...I'm sure," he stuttered.

The driver shrugged. "If you're sure." He got outside of the cab and went to the trunk to pull out Judai's bags. The rain was a progressive issue.

"That'll be 6000 yen."

Judai slipped out a groan, coughing up the money and mumbling his thanks.

The taxi gestured his hand in attempt to wave, though not giving it his full effort, as he pulled away.

Judai watched as he disappeared into the fog, waiting until he was completely gone before staring at his old house.

Old. It wasn't his anymore. If it ever were.

A for sale sign stood in the front yard. The pole was hidden with lanky, tall, weeded grass that appeared like an awful haircut. The paint on the front of the house was chipped off, and the windows were dusted with moss hugging the side of it. Wind shook the shutters in a creepily motion. The drive way was cracked and disoriented.

It was obvious that no one had lived there for a rather long time.

Judai never stopped by his house before his trip to Europe. He never told his family he was leaving. And evidently, neither did they.

Judai scavenged through his bag for his house key, breathing in relief when he found it. He lugged his baggage to the front porch and keyed the front door open.

Empty.

Utterly empty.

Not a single piece of furniture laid inside. Nothing on the walls. Nothing.

Judai dropped his luggage and ran to the kitchen.

Bare.

He rampaged through the cupboards, cabinets and drawers—breathing heavily as he did.

Nothing. Not a single appliance.

Quickly he ran upstairs to where his old room used to be. A part of him prayed that his bed would still be there. That his posters he couldn't take to duel academy would still be on the walls and that his old toy box from his younger days would still reside in the corner.

But there was nothing.

And seeing the bare walls and dust bunnies on the floor along with hearing the echoes from his heavy breath had made him realize that he had nothing to his name.

Judai had always known he didn't have much. He was always able to make the most of everything he did have. But seeing his childhood home left abandoned with no way to go back in time and appreciate it the way it was...

It caused tears to stream down his face for the first time in a long time.

The teen was never one for crying. He had promised himself he wouldn't cry after what happened his senior year at duel academy. He had made sure that he would never get that close to anyone again, so he would never have to experience those feelings...

But it had turned out that feeling completely alone in the world could stimulate those same tears, whether he had liked it or not.

And unfortunately, the tears didn't stop anytime soon. Because of course, when a person cries for the first time in a long time, they aren't just crying about the situation at hand, but rather everything they've held back until then.

All he could manage was to pull out a blanket from his suitcase and wrap it around his body. He laid on the floor and hugged his chest tightly, hoping that if he focused hard enough, he could pretend that all he was hearing was the sound of the rain instead of his own misery.