Disclaimer: I own nothing involved in this story unless I invented it myself. This is written for fun, not for profit. All forms of feedback eagerly accepted. Concrit is loved the most, but everything is welcome.
Fandom: Yu-Gi-Oh GX
Title: Potential
Characters: Saiou, Shou
Word Count: 2,000||Status: One-shot
Genre: General||Rated: G
Written For: Diversity Writing Challenge, E15, write a fic with no dialogue; One Character Boot Camp, #21, society; Word Count Set Boot Camp, #17, 2,000 words
Summary: Saiou explores Duel Academia to find the one he is looking for to sow the seeds of the Society of Light. One person in particular catches his interest. But it's not Manjoume. Not yet, anyway.

Saiou moved easily throughout the school. No one gave him so much as a first glance, let alone a second one. He wished this could happen on a regular basis, but suppressing everyone's awareness of him wasn't his preferred style. He really only wanted to make certain people didn't swarm him wanting tips on how to be a pro duelist. Someone would be certain to recognize him as Edo's manager, sooner or later. He didn't think that Chronos or Napoleon could keep their mouths shut about him being there even if they tried.

But tonight he had other matters to deal with that didn't involve his job. At least not that job.

Tonight he searched for the person who would become the instigator of the Society of Light here at Duel Academia. He'd hoped that Yuuki Juudai would take up the task, but for reasons Saiou could not yet fathom, the power of the Light hadn't done the necessary task.

He knew that Juudai would leave the island soon, if he hadn't already, but if he managed to cross paths with the other duelist, he would try his best to find out what had happened to keep Juudai's soul from being dyed in white. For now, he searched for others who might have what he was looking for. The cards informed him already of who it was, in their own language. Somewhere was the Hanged Man, and while Saiou had his suspicions, he wanted to observe the others while on the island.

So he observed. It didn't take long to filter out most of the population. Even here, the ability to see and speak with Duel Spirits wasn't a common one. Saiou merely had to look at someone to know if they had the ability, or could have it.

One by one he ticked them all off on his mental list, finally coming down to a very particular handful who were busy searching the woods and beaches. He wasn't surprised to hear their calls of 'Juudai' echoing in the clear evening air.

I suspect no one will find him here tonight. He could've searched for Juudai himself, and probably stood a better chance of finding him than they did, but this task called more strongly.

It took little effort to find each of them and determine their fitness for his goals. Tenjoin Asuka ached to be taken seriously as a duelist and raged at how so many of those around her, even some of her closest friends, did not do so. She was also a spectacular duelist of just the quality that could do what he needed done. But without the gift for seeing spirits, she wasn't as suitable as she might have been. A brush through her mind also told him of a slowly growing distrust for all the supernatural points of the world. She would not even listen to him speak because of that.

He moved on.

He did not even give a thought to trying to recruit Tenjoin Fubuki. Despite the other's enormous gifts in dueling, he would not attempt it. A power slept inside of him, kept quiet and under control by Tenjoin's own will and nothing more. Strength of that sort could never be tamed by him. It was not worth the trouble.

Something vaguely similar ghosted around the one they called Kenzan. Saiou could not identify what it was and did not linger to search more, not with how the other sniffed the air and started to look toward him. He couldn't see Saiou, of course, but Saiou had too much to do to let himself be found in any way.

Misawa Daichi called and searched as well. Saiou watched him thoughtfully. The ability to see spirits slept within him, but would require much more effort to bring out. Dueling against someone like Juudai would help, or the power of the Light itself. Saiou wasn't going to completely rule him out as of yet. In point of fact, from the light prodding he did at Misawa's mind, he could see a powerful thirst to be recognized and deemed worthy of greatness, desires the Light could grant with ease.

A few quick prods told Saiou more of what he needed to know: that Misawa would be best lured into the fold by not being aware he was being lured in the first place, letting his own ego be the bait. Saiou would keep that in mind for the future.

Marufuji Shou called out from near the Osiris Red dorm, demanding that Yuuki Juudai, his dear aniki, show himself, that this sort of hiding wasn't funny, and Shou wanted him to come home right away. Of course, Juudai didn't respond.

Saiou stood hidden in the woods nearby, watching thoughtfully. Shou could be a very valuable asset, if he could be put to use in the right way. Saiou reached out to brush mental fingers across Shou's mind, seeking to learn more about him.

Oh, the things that he could see, even with just this brief touch. Shou worried about people, so very much. Along with that, his confidence quavered and shook, ready to fall apart with little more than a stern look turned toward him. It did have a good foundation, but Saiou did not doubt he could shred it in moments if he chose to do so.

Another, slightly deeper prod. Saiou wanted to know who Shou worried about. This could be so useful.

Images drifted up, of Juudai's defeat by Edo, of the horrified and pained look in his eyes. Of sitting near Juudai and watching a televised duel – ah, the Kaiser. That was correct; this was the Kaiser's little brother. Seeing both his siblings defeated by Edo had struck a deep blow to the boy's heart. Saiou almost felt sorry for him. There was far too much going on for him to indulge himself in sympathy, though.

A little more digging around showed another image, that of Tyranno Kenzan, and with that came a burning sense of jealousy and anger. How dare this big lummox come along and want to take his dear aniki away! Shou had worked so long and so hard to improve himself and Kenzan thought he could just come along and be Juudai's little brother figure without any effort at all? No, Shou wouldn't allow it!

Even if Kenzan had given him some good advice not all that long ago. Even if Kenzan wasn't really that bad… except for the part about trying to be the only younger brother figure in Juudai's life. If he'd just stop doing that, Shou might even tolerate him being around. Maybe.

Saiou pulled himself away, the sides of his mouth quirking upward into something that someone might've said was a smile, if they didn't know better.

One more taste, just to be certain. Shou hadn't noticed Saiou's touch on his mind, not that Saiou expected him to have. He was far too busy trying to find Juudai to notice anything else. Saiou could very well have stood next to him and attempted to carry on a conversation and been ignored.

Perhaps that was why when Saiou dipped in one more time, he noticed something else: almost all of Shou's thoughts centered on Juudai in some fashion. Most of the ones that didn't circled around the Kaiser and of the others, they either touched on commonplace thoughts such as unfinished homework or people connected to the other two.

Shou could not have been more dedicated to Juudai if he'd tried. That gave him so much potential for Saiou to use for his own causes. Surely if Shou bathed in the white light, Juudai would follow, and that was Saiou's true goal. Juudai could change destiny. If he bent his efforts toward doing so for Saiou, then what he'd known would come to pass all this time wouldn't.

Even without the ability to see spirits this could work. Saiou weighed his options. The commitment to Juudai could balance out the lack of spiritual sight. Shou's skills at dueling were far greater than he imagined, and with Saiou's support, he could easily convert the majority of the school.

Is he the one? Saiou could not be certain, even with the clue of the Hanged Man to guide him. He knew that fate would not allow him to make the wrong choice and he had to trust in that.

He re-examined everything he could sense from Shou. The complete and utter dedication to Juudai, to the exclusion of almost everything or everyone else. The worry he had about his brother the Kaiser. The seething fury at anyone who might try to take away what was his. The sensation that he wasn't good enough, that somehow he would be abandoned, and there wasn't anything that he could do about it.

Yes. Marufuji Shou could indeed do great things with Saiou to support him. But he still hesitated.

It was that dedication to Juudai that pulled him away from approaching Shou. Saiou knew well how his power and that of the Light worked, and it was best when there wasn't anyone else to cause divided allegiances. So for all that Shou had some of the best qualifications for the job, and Juudai would likely come racing to help his dear little brother figure, Saiou did not doubt at all that if it were offered, Shou would not only reject the Light and its blessings, but the moment he saw Juudai again, he would spill out everything.

And that would ruin all of the plans Saiou had, both the ones to attain his freedom from destiny and the ones that the Light slid through his veins and bubbled under his skin, reminding him at every turn that freedom or no freedom, there would always be those who hated him for what he was and what he could do, and why did he want to be free of fate, when what he was doing in its service would bring him what he needed?

He shoved his conflicting desires away. What mattered was getting the proverbial foot in the door, nothing else.

Saiou observed Shou for a few more moments. Shou stood now on the edge of the cliff near the Red building. Fear radiated off of him in waves; so many fears seethed through him, but he braved his terror of heights for the sake of his dear aniki; he braved his fear of falling in the hopes that he would find Juudai somewhere. He braved his fear of being left alone to call back the one who never left him.

Shou called out Juudai's name and there remained no answer. Saiou stayed where he was, more intrigued than he wished to admit by Shou's unwavering loyalty. Saiou could create dedication in anyone he chose, suppressing their devotion to any other, but never had anyone who wasn't his sister expressed such loyalty because they wanted to, for no other reason than because they genuinely cared that much.

In truth, he suspected that Mizuchi wasn't as loyal as she wished him to think she was, either. Loyal to Saiou Takuma, perhaps, but not to the Light.

At last Saiou turned away and began to move through the forest as silent as a sunbeam. Shou was not the one that he searched for. Shou's commitment to Juudai would keep the Light out of his mind as surely as whatever it was that was in Juudai did the same. He needed someone else, someone with fantastic skills in dueling and the ability to see Duel Spirits, and without any such defenses. Despite all the searching he'd done, he knew exactly who that was. Though it had done no harm to check on the others. They might not begin the Society, but he did not doubt that the day would come when some of them would join it.

One of them would find a way to lure Juudai in, and then destiny would finally change.

The End

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