Chapter 1: Darkness Rises
After duel with Aster...
"Where...where am I?" Jaden Yuki asked, rubbing his brown eyes. "And, why's it so bright?"
"Isn't it glorious?" A voice sounding slightly shrill asked. "I've freed your mind of the darkness that would normally inhabit it," The hypnotic voice said in a sick glee.
Jaden couldn't really explain it, but the voice fueled a sort of rage within his soul. "Who are you?!" He shouted in a blind rage. "What do you want!?"
"What do I want?" The voice asked with a low chuckle. " You, Jaden Yuki, to join my side and bring the glorious light to all of the world," it said in maniacal laughter.
"Never!" A voice similar to Jaden's, yet deeper and more gruff, barked. "I Banish thee from our mind!" It shouted in a voice that could command armies to victory. The voice and bright light vanished, with the shrill voice letting out a berated scream.
"W-who are you?" Jaden asked the man wearing a full suite of black and gold armor.
"I am Haou, The Supreme King of Darkness, I should have made my presence known long ago; I could have prevented something like this from happening," He said with a shake of his helmeted head. "Jaden, you and I are one, two sides of the same coin, if you will."
"What?" Jaden asked, his confusion written on his boy like face. Haou lifted his helmet, revealing something that made Jaden audibly gasp. In the darkness of his own mind, Jaden saw none other than himself. But, he was older, and had a slight scar running down the line of his jaw.
"I am you, and you are me; You are the chosen one who was to be reborn with my eternal power. You have already tapped into my power, being able to see your duel spirits and even stand up to my servants, the Sacred Beasts," Haou said, a small smirk coming to his face as he saw so much of his old self in Jaden.
"What does this mean, knowing that you're within me, how is that going to affect me?" Jaden asked, his confusion remaining.
"Since you have had the encounter with the Sacred beast, and you've even met our queen; I am here as nothing more than a barrier so that my power will only gradually expose itself to you," Haou said his golden eyes trained on the pair of brown. "At one time, my power was only triggered by your hate or pain, or when your existence was endangered. But, as of today, you and I will no longer be two sides of a coin. You will have full control of my powers of Gentle Darkness, but it comes at a price."
Jaden listened to all his mirror image had to say, processing it all. "What price is that?" He asked, slightly defensive.
"You must stop the Light of Ruin from endangering the balance," Haou said, his eyes showing nothing but seriousness.
"How do you know that it's happening now?" Jaden asked, his fear of what could happen playing at his mind.
"Because, not only was I reborn within you, but, my love Aeron, was reborn in the young girl that you harbor feelings for," Haou stated, a small smirk playing at his lips in the darkness. "And, I know you know who I speak of; your fiancé," He continued with a wry smirk. "I'm also aware you've known the meaning of the word since you were young. Yet, you chose to play dumb because you believed it was wrong to win a woman heart in such a way. Quite noble of you," The man praised.
"Um, thanks, but, really I don't love Lex," Jaden said, knowing he was lying through his teeth.
"Don't try to lie to me, we need their help in this fight; and, if Alexis and Aeron's souls aren't joined, we will lose them to the light," He warned, a slight glare coming to his face at the thought of losing his most beloved.
"Fine, but you swear to me this won't hurt her in anyway?" Jaden asked, slightly protective of his best friend and crush.
"She won't come to harm, I couldn't do that to Aeron; she's one of few weaknesses I posses," Haou replied sternly. "But, if we don't use our power to protect them, they'll be used against us," He warned.
"I won't let anything happen to Alexis, you have my word," Jaden said, his brown eyes turning to a determined gold for half a second.
"I know, and I know you hold your promises to a high standard, good luck, Jaden," Haou said turning and walking back into the black. But, before he was gone he looked back to his reincarnation, "If you ever need me, you need only call," He said before turning and leaving Jaden to awake in the real world.
DNR
When Jaden woke, he could recognize the whit ceilings of the infirmary, and a pressure on his hand. He slowly looked to his hand, and saw a tuft of blonde laying upon it. "Lex," He called drearily.
"Jaden!" She called, popping up in shock. As soon as she saw his warm brown eyes open, she pounced him with a hug. "You're okay," She said, her worry evident in her voice.
"Yeah, I'm okay," He said smiling into her hair as he returned the hug. "Lex, can I ask you something?" He asked after a moment of silence between the two.
"Sure," She replied, letting go of him and sitting on the edge of the bed.
"Lex, do you have feelings for me?" He asked, only a little hesitant.
"Wh-what?" She asked completely shocked. She'd thought she hid it so well, well not so much in the last moment but, that was because she was scared she'd lost him.
"Please Lex, it's important to me," He said, taking her manicured hand in his own.
She thought for a moment, "I'm not completely sure, I know I feel more for you than others. I'm not saying I don't it's just..." She paused trying to find the right words.
"...Something we'd have to figure out, together," He said, finishing her statement with a warm smile.
"Yeah," She said with a minor blush.
"Alexis, I'm willing to give use a try if you are," He said, rubbing his thumb on the back of her hand.
"You..you mean it?" She asked, her joy caught in her tone.
"I mean everything I say," He said with her favorite goofy grin.
"Kurri, Kurri," Winged Kuriboh said in a agreement as he appeared at Jaden's head.
"K-Kuriboh?!" Alexis half shouted in her shock. "You really can see duel spirits," She whispered, as the brown puffball floated towards her and nuzzled her cheek.
"Yeah, but, he's never been solid before," Jaden said, slightly bewildered. "Maybe, what Haou said was true."
"Ha-who? what are you talking about, Jaden?" Alexis asked, holding Kuriboh in her arms as she looked to her crush.
"Haou," Jaden said, with a small laugh. "When I passed out, I woke up in my mind with some hypnotic voice trying to take over. But, he appeared and stopped it with some sort of power that I apparently possess. He took off his helmet, and looked exactly like me. Turns out, I'm him, reborn with the powers of the Supreme King. He also said, that you have the same powers and that you...your past self was his queen," He said, telling her the occurrences in his mind.
Alexis blushed a bright red that would put Slifer to shame, "Y-you're saying that I was your queen," She rasped out, more than slightly embarrassed.
"Well, I guess, hey Haou," Jaden called looking to open space. "You said if I need anything to call you, mind coming out here and explaining so Lex doesn't think I'm crazy before we even have our first date," He asked, with a small nervous laugh.
"I am here," Haou said appearing in a astral form, his helmet already off. "What he says is true, Alexis, your past self was indeed my queen, Aeron. What my reincarnation failed to mention, is that she is within your soul, as I was within Jaden's before he accepted my powers of Gentle Darkness," He informed in a serious tone. "He needs you to be there for him and accept my wife's power, it's the only way he can hope to overcome the true power of the Light of Ruin."
"How can I accept her powers, it took Jaden passing out for it to happen to him," Alexis said, still not having the full story.
"Actually, I only made myself known because he was in danger of losing control of himself and my powers to the Light," Haou replied. "But, I have always been present, just masking my presence from Jaden. As I expect Aeron has done with you. In fact, if you allow me, rather Jaden with my guidance, I can bring her out and you may meet her," he finished, giving Alexis slight information overload. She faltered slightly, not sure if accepting this could somehow harm her in the long run.
"Alexis," Jaden called, softly taking her hand in his. "If this was going to hurt you in anyway, do you think I would let it happen?" He said, firming his grip on her hand slightly. "You know I could never let someone hurt you," He whispered, a deep emotion radiating from his brown eyes as he looked at the blonde.
"I trust you, Jaden," She said smiling slightly as she melted into his chocolate orbs.
"Actually, knowing my Aeron," Haou said, pausing slightly as a smirk came to his face. "And, how much of a hopeless romantic she can be, the way to draw out her powers is with a kiss that shines with true passion," He finished, a knowing smirk on his face.
"I don't know, what do you think Le-" Jaden started to ask, but was interrupted by a pair of soft lips covering his own. His eyes widened slightly, but as he finally realized what was happening, he melted into the kiss. After getting used to it, Jaden took it upon himself to deepen the kiss, as he used his tongue to silently ask her permission. Alexis allowed him entrance without a second thought, opening her mouth so that their tongues could intertwine. But, the need for oxygen is a thing that all young couples must come to grips with. Jaden pulled away first, his brown eyes showing a hidden lust as he met Alexis' hazel. "Yup, I've definitely got feelings for you," He chuckled, kissing her forehead.
"Good," She said, wearing one of the most beautiful smiles Jaden had ever seen.
"So," Jaden began, looking around the black room they were now laying in. "looks like Haou knows this Aeron pretty well," He finished with a smirk, recognizing the surroundings as similar to where he met Haou.
"Very perceptive, Handsome," A voice, sounding similar to Alexis' called out, the only difference being the new voice had a more mature edge. "I'm guessing Haou and you have finally become one?" Aeron asked, appearing in front of the couple. Jaden's eyes widening when he saw "Alexis" in armor similar to his own, but really showed the great legs she was gifted with.
"Yup, and you must be Aeron," Jaden said with his usual goofy grin, doing his best to not to think of Alexis in the armor.
"Correct again, Handsome," Aeron said, a smile on her elegantly built face. She looked to Alexis, "That must make you, Alexis," She said, already knowing her answer.
"Yeah," Alexis said, sounding as if she was thinking of a thousand different questions at the same time. "How exactly did we get here?" she asked, settling on her first of many.
"I thought I made that clear," The voice of Haou said, appearing a few yards away from the group. "She's a hopeless romantic, and proud of it," He said with a smile that made a certain spirit beyond happy.
"Haou!" Aeron shouted, forgetting about their reincarnations and charging her love of lifetimes. After hitting the ground, Aeron nuzzled as close as she could to the ruler of Darkness. "I've missed you dearly, my love," She said, looking up to Haou's honey colored eyes.
"And, I you," He said, cupping the queens cheek and kissing her softly. Jaden smiled softly after witnessing the reunited couple, Alexis gushing silently as she watched.
"Okay you two, I know it's been a while, but can we talk about what we came for?" Jaden asked, smiling slightly at Aeron's playful glare.
"Party pooper," Aeron sighed, picking herself up and dusting herself off.
"Don't worry, Aeron, we'll have our fun soon enough," Haou said, the hint of lust not lost to his queen's ears.
"Such a naughty boy," Aeron purred, wagging her finger towards her king. After toying with her King, she turned to her reincarnation with any hints of humor, or joking around void from her face. "As you know, Jaden and Haou are one, the Supreme King of Darkness. You and I are one as well, but I've hidden my powers from you as to give you a normal life until I was needed," Aeron began to explain, everyone else listening to her as she spoke with such poise. "Now, with the Light of Destruction returning, my power is needed and you and I can no longer be two entities. We must become one, to save the world and protect our true loves," She said, casting a side glance to the identical brunettes.
Alexis nodded, her eyes shining in determination. "I'll do whatever it takes to help Jay," She said, smiling at the brunette who'd caught her heart without even trying.
"Are you sure?" Aeron asked, though she couldn't hide her smile after hearing Alexis' first response.
"Positive," Alexis answered, looking to Aeron with that same determination. "Jaden's helped me in so many ways over the years; Saving Atti, saving me when my life and soul were at stake, and even saving me from becoming some jerk's fiancé," She said, again smiling at the brunette with such warmth.
"You forgot, playing dumb as to the meaning of fiancé, so you could choose who you ended up with," Haou threw out, smiling as Jaden gave him a "WTF" look.
"Y-you knew all along?" Alexis asked, her shock not hidden.
"Yeah," Jaden admitted after a moment's hesitation. "I didn't want to win you, I wanted to earn you," He admitted, becoming fascinated with his red shoes all of a sudden. He was slightly taken by surprise when Alexis lifted his chin and forcefully kissed him. He returned the kiss, their passion still burning so strong for one another. When the kiss broke, Alexis was looking into his eyes with a love he'd never experienced before.
"I love you, Jaden," She whispered, sounding so sure of herself.
"I-I love you, too, Lex," Jaden stuttered out, blushing like an idiot.
"That is SO sweet!" Aeron gushed, only proving Haou's earlier point further.
"Hopeless romantic," Haou mumbled under his breath.
"Want to say that a little louder, honey?" Aeron asked, her tone slightly threatening. She turned back to the teens, acting as if she didn't look to her king with a murderous edge. "Alexis, I'll be sending you and Jaden back now, my power is in your capable hands," She said with a smile.
"Thanks," Alexis said with a confident nod.
"Oh, and if your or Jaden's eyes turn to our gold, don't be surprised; that tends to happen," The former queen said with a smirk, before looking to her King. "Come on Haou, we've got a lot of catching up to do," Aeron said with a very flirtatious tone.
Before Jaden and Alexis awoke in the infirmary, they could have sworn they heard the Dark King gulp at his wife. Jaden looked around, before being pushed down onto the mattress by a familiar soft hand.
"So," Jaden began, as his head met the pillow. "i've got a queen," He finished, his smirk causing Alexis to blush ever so slightly.
"And, I've got a King," She replied with a loving smile.
"Come on," Jaden began, trying to sit up. "i could use some fresh air," He continued, trying his best to make it up.
"Oh no, mister," Alexis denied, pushing him back onto the cot. "You just woke up and still need your rest," She scolded, her tone slightly suggestive.
"Man Lex, you work fast," Jaden said shaking his head.
"What's that supposed to mean?" The new queen asked, slightly confused.
"We just started dating, and you're already trying to get me in bed," He laughed, earning the chest smack Alexis delivered.
"Maybe, but only to cuddle," She said, taking the room Jaden had made on the cot for her. "For now anyway," She whispered.
DNR