Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX.
Author's Note: Hey, look at that title! Wait... didn't I namedrop Fiore in an Author's Note during Competing for Love? AH! Am I clever or what? ...No. Not in the least. I just lucked out. As for why that's the title, I'll explain at the end.
Anyone who saw my profile since Competing for Love finished will know I intended to release this "When Sleepless Nights Begin". This is a reference to Berserk. which is getting a new anime release starting July 1st. Why post it when Berserk starts? Go watch the first season or the movies, then just... get back to me about the Deja Vu. Actually, don't. Berserk is very adult and made me wanna vomit.
Anyway, I decided to post this a day early. I mean, it's probably July 1st somewhere. Also today marks 90 days since I uploaded Chapter 4 of Competing for Love, where I finally got my love of writing back. Plus, today's an anime characters birthday! Not one from GX, but whatever.
I actually considered posting this much earlier, on Jesse's birthday. Why? Because Jesse is a vital part of GX an- ...Okay, because the Future Trunks saga of DBS started on the same day. That has nothing to do with post Season 2 GX, but I'm psyched! He's my second favorite 90's anime time traveling kid of royalty. ...Okay, narrow category, but still! One of my favorite characters period!
Really, I should be holding off, since my keyboard is broken and I have to either borrow my Mom's laptop to write (with its glitchy keys) or use the On-Screen Keyboard. I also don't have any of the duels written... But hey, Chapter 1 is written, and Chapters 2 and 4 are halfway done. Oooooh, Chapter 4...
Anyway, I won't keep you waiting any longer. Here's how I make up for that horrible mistake 8 years ago.
You're really gonna read this? You know what I said last time, right? What kind of sadistic person are you, to want to know the absolute worst misery I've ever been put through?
Well, I'm not gonna judge you. Sure, it sounds like that, but I really just want to make something clear. This was not like the fun adventures I'd had at Duel Academy up to this point. I just want to make that clear now.
But if you really want something funny, I suppose I can tell you what happened before that fateful day. Ugh, that sounds so cliche. Still, there's not much else I can call it.
How did the worst experience of my life begin? Well, obviously, it started with my Bachelor Party.
...Okay, I should explain. This wasn't my actual bachelor party or anything like that. Alexis and I STILL hadn't discussed much about marriage. I'm pretty sure I made a joke about me wearing a red tux if she wore a blue dress, but that's it. It was really something Atticus threw together.
"A bachelor party?" I asked, after Atticus had stopped by my room. "Atticus, you know Alexis and I aren't actually engaged, right? Even if we were, don't those come closer to the wedding?"
Okay, Alexis and I HAD talked a bit about weddingS, but not our own. After nearly making a fool of myself again, I had asked her for some of the finer details, and she was kind enough to explain.
"Jaden, we're all graduating this year." Atticus said. "Well, everybody except for Hassleberry, Blair and Marcel. You get what I mean though. Who knows where we'll all be in the future? This may be your only chance to do something like this with your friends."
"What do you mean?" I asked, plopping down on my bed.
"Do you really think we'll all be together forever?" Atticus asked. "I mean, let's be real here. Even if you and my sister don't get married... we'll all probably be scattered across the world. I'll probably be too busy traveling throughout the world, singing sold out concerts and making guest appearances on the hottest talk shows to plan the actual parties. And that's not even counting for whatever the others are planning."
I only yawned. Most likely, a lot of us would go on to have careers in dueling. That's what I'd been thinking at least.
"Well, too bad." I said. "I'm sure Syrus and the others will be there."
Atticus just shook his head.
"Look, Jaden, I'm going to miss this place." Atticus confessed. "And I'm sure you will too. Graduation will be a hectic time, so I thought we could have one last great night before we leave this place."
"We will." I said. "Syrus, Chazz and I are planning a senior prank like nothing you've ever seen before."
"Crowler doesn't own a wig, so you can't swipe that." Atticus said.
"How'd you know?!" I shouted.
"I didn't." Atticus shrugged with a smug smirk. "Anyway, I already invited the others, and convinced Blair to let me borrow her room, so you can stay behind if you want, but the rest of us will be partying it up nearby."
"Chazz built his room to be soundproof." I said.
"Soundproof for the inside." Atticus pointed out. "The sound from within will be blasted out. You'll hear all the fun we're having."
"I could just tell Crowler and Bonaparte." I said.
"Go ahead." Atticus shot back. "I've already gotten their permission."
"You're lying." I said.
"Try me." Atticus said.
Eventually, I relented. Atticus did have a point. We didn't know when we would get to do something like this again, so I ran with it.
Unfortunately, I shouldn't have allowed it.
Everyone was there at my "bachelor" party. Syrus, Hassleberry, Chazz and Marcel were obvious, as was Atticus, but somehow Jesse, Jim, Axel, Aster and Sartorius were there too!
When I asked each of them, I got different answers.
"Chancellor Foster knows how closely connected this place is with Duel Monster Spirits." Jesse explained. "Since your Spirit Day is coming up, he agreed to let me come."
"Atticus apparently pulled some strings with my Chancellor." Jim said. Darn it! I should have known! "And I figured this would be more fun."
"I still haven't found the student responsible for Professor Viper's disappearance." Axel said. "That was enough reason to come back here." Okay, doesn't answer how you got permission, but I'll just pretend you were allowed here to investigate again.
"Sartorius forced me." Aster said bluntly.
"Atticus insisted I come." Sartorius explained. "According to him, I was the one who finally brought you two together, so I'm an important player." Sartorius chuckled nervously. "However, I couldn't possibly show my face here on my own. Not after everything I put you all through."
"Eh, don't worry about it." I said, patting Sartorius on the back. "We let Chazz in after all. You're like... twice as good as he is."
"HEY!" Chazz shouted.
"I also invited Adrian here." Atticus said, walking over. "And he doesn't have the excuse of being controlled by an evil alien light or whatever Jaden says happened to you."
"Adrian?" I asked. "Why isn't he here?"
"Something about going through punishment with his wife, and he couldn't possibly leave." Atticus said. After that, Atticus got a faraway look in his eyes and sighed dreamily, "I wish I could be as lucky as him."
Sartorius and I both stared at Duel Academy's resident pretty boy for a few seconds.
"That good, huh?" Atticus asked, with a chuckle. "Alright! I'll land a role in a movie for sure!"
Atticus pumped his fist, before looking at the clock.
"Oh, darn!" Atticus said. "I'm supposed to be at the bachelorette party by now!"
"Uh... What?" I asked. "Aren't those parties for the girls?"
"Yes, but there's gotta be a hot guy there for the single ladies, right?" Atticus asked. "And we wouldn't want the bride to be tempted away from her future husband, so as her brother, I will make this sacrifice!"
Before I could say anything snarky, Atticus was out of the room. Oh, well. As long as he didn't strip in front of Blair, and just flirted with Jasmine and Mindy, everything would be fine.
"So, speaking of careers..." Sartorius eventually broke the awkward silence. "Have you found any managers for your career as a Professional Duelist?"
Yes, I still had yet to tell anyone but Alexis of my worries about the Pro League. We were working through them, alright?!
"Nah." I said. "I'm thinking about taking it easy for a bit after I graduate. Move in with Alexis, get a small little job, just sort out my life for a bit. Being a hero here at Duel Academy is hard work."
Sartorius chuckled, before holding out a business card, "Well, if you're ever interested, Aster turns down many challenges."
I took the card and put it in my pocket.
"Thanks." I said. "I'll see what happens. Hey, speaking of future, do you still do fortunes?"
"I haven't been able to see the future since I lost to you and Alexis." Sartorius admitted. "But why are you asking? You are the one who defies destiny, after all."
"That's just it." I said. "If I can defy destiny, I wanna defy the bad stuff, not the good stuff. And if I know in advance what'll happen, I can go along with the good, and counter the bad."
"Well, I didn't bring my tarot cards, but..." Sartorius said, reaching into his pocket.
Sartorius pulled out his Duel Monsters deck instead. He quickly separated most of the Duel Monsters cards that were based on Tarot cards, from the rest of his deck, and handed it to me to shuffle. After returning the deck to him, Sartorius held out the deck and beckoned me to draw the top three cards.
I placed them face down on a table. Sartorius walked over and lifted them up one by one.
First, Arcana Force I - The Magician. However, it was upside down.
"The Magician." Sartorius said. "Tell me, Jaden, have you heard of the Journey of The Fool?"
"Not a word." I said, smiling dumbly.
"One interpretation of Tarot cards is that they tell the tale of The Fool, as it is the Zeroth Arcana." Sartorius explained. "In the case of The Magician, he is the one who first helps the Fool enter into adulthood. From the darkness into the light. As such, his relationship to The Sun is an important one.
"However, in this case, The Magician is Inverted. If The Magician is normally meant to lead The Fool to greatness, then Inverted, The Magician is meant to lead him astray. He will guide The Fool with wise advice, not for The Fool's sake, but his own. In a sense, The Inverted Magician will lead us to power, even if we grow drunk off of it."
I just stared at Sartorius for a second.
"There are other things associated with The Magician, like rising above duality, as it appears both genders at once, but I do not believe that is what this card is signifying." Sartorius went on.
"Uh huh..." I said, a dull glare on my face. "So, a magical guide who tries to lead me astray?"
"I assure you, Jaden, if this card referred to me, I would have lied." Sartorius said.
"Right..." I said. "And we're sure the Light of Destruction isn't trying harder to manipulate me?"
"The Light of Destruction was obliterated when you defeated me." Sartorius said. "I could feel all traces of it vanish."
I wanted to argue, but Neos' spirit appeared next to me and nodded to confirm Sartorius' statement.
"Alright." I said. "What's next?"
Sartorius lifted the next card. Tour of Doom.
"This card represents The Grim Reaper." Sartorius said.
"So, I'm gonna die?!" I shouted.
"No." Sartorius said, with a chuckle. "That is a mistake most people make their first time. I drew this card many times during the reign of the Society of Light, and yet, only once was I defeated."
I breathed a sigh of relief.
"However, it should not be taken lightly. The Reaper represents sacrifice. In the Journey of The Fool, The Fool has become The Hanged Man and once his life sentence has ended, The Fool moves on to the afterlife, learning more about the spiritual side of this world.
"The Reaper is associated with The Emperor, for the way to the throne is paved with countless sacrifices. Sacrifices of possessions, ideals and even of lives.
"Judging from your previous card, it signifies an end of the relationship with the deceiver. However, The Reaper is also a reminder that life is short. We have such limited time on this planet, we should appreciate what things we have, if we can not have eternity."
"That's some pretty heavy stuff." I said.
Sartorius nodded, "Yes. Now, on to the final card."
Sartorius picked up the card. Empress's Staff.
"So, that's The Empress then?" I asked.
"No." Sartorius said. "This card represents The High Priestess."
Yes! This had to mean Syrus would eventually hook up with the Dark Magician Girl and they'd have a daughter! ...What? When blond-haired magical girls give birth, the child has pink hair! That's what super hero shows taught me!
Unfortunately, Sartorius had a different interpretation.
"The High Priestess warns to seek paths outside of the obvious. What we see before us might not always be what we believe it to be. Decisions we once made may not be the best.
"Associated with The Justice and The Judgement, The High Priestess reminds us to temper our judgement with mercy, lest we fall from the path of justice ourselves."
Sartorius sighed in relief.
"Nothing about The Fool?" I asked.
"Oh, sorry." Sartorius said. "I was just caught up by the realization on your message."
"Then forget The Fool!" I shouted. "Tell me what it means!"
"But how can I tell you something if you want me to forget you?" Sartorius said with a chuckle. "Basically, the message I am taking from this is that a friend will betray you soon. You might cut ties with the friend, but you should remember to apply mercy in your judgement against that person."
"Alright!" I said. "So, keep my friends from stabbing me in the back, and if I fail at that, don't go nuts on them! Good warning!"
I crossed my arms and nodded. Man, I really was a fool.
"Hey, Jaden, what're ya doing?" Jesse asked, walking over and placing a hand on my shoulder.
"Oh, just having a bit of a laugh." I said.
Sartorius nodded, collecting his cards and walking off to talk with Aster about something or other.
"Dude, you need to see what Hassleberry did to Syrus." Jesse said, pointing to one corner.
Syrus was shaking up and down, like, super jittery.
"Gonna meet Dark Magician Girl tomorrow!" Syrus chanted over and over.
"What's gotten into him?" Jim asked, also looking at the sight.
"Super fizzy soda!" Hassleberry said, proudly.
"Fizzy soda?" I asked, not believing a word of it.
I immediately turned to Chazz. Chazz saw me staring at him, and only gave the most obviously fake shrug I've ever seen.
"Atticus asked me to order some refreshments." Chazz said, faking innocence. "I just ordered what he told me to order."
I could tell from Chazz's face that he wasn't lying. After you know someone for nearly three years, you pick up on these things.
"I told Hassleberry he and Syrus wouldn't be able to handle them, but he didn't believe me." Chazz said.
"WHOO!" Syrus shouted, pulling a lampshade off one of the lamps in the room. "Look at me!"
Syrus stuck the lampshade on his head.
"I'm the Dark Magician Guy!" Syrus said, mockingly. "Just because I taught the Dark Magician Girl everything she knows, people think we belong together, and not with her true love, Syrus Truesdale!"
...Okay, I admit, I laughed. I couldn't help it. Syrus making a fool of himself, on purpose, was a rare sight. Man, I miss him.
"Atticus really intends to make this like a real bachelor party, huh?" Jesse asked.
"Here." Jim said, holding out one of the "fizzy sodas" to me.
"Nah, thanks." I said, holding a hand up in refusal. "I know how this goes. I drink one of these, and the next day, I wake up in Crowler's office in nothing but my underwear, with a spray can in my hand, after someone ELSE sprayed 'Crowler is a loser' on his wall."
"I'll try some." Jesse said, before Jim tossed him the can.
Jesse and I stared at the can, cautiously.
"Here goes nothing." Jesse said, getting ready to pull the tab.
I quickly jumped out of the way, expecting it to explode everywhere. But, somehow, Jesse opened it without blasting everyone. Lucky son of a- Okay, I won't go that far. But you KNOW if that was me, I'd have gotten a face full of the can's contents!
As my friends began to make fools of themselves, I stepped out for a breath of fresh air. It's not that Blair's room stunk. She'd have killed us if we let that happen. I just felt the need to clear my head for a minute. Aster followed me out.
"Not trying to spy on the girls, are you?" Aster asked with a chuckle.
"Of course not." I said.
Aster looked at me for a second, before smiling.
"Hey, once you finally graduate, call me up." Aster said. "I'll be your first opponent as a Pro."
"Uh, didn't we prove who had the better Heroes?" I asked.
"I've talked with Pegasus." Aster said. "I've got a new Ace Monster waiting in the wings for you. And besides..."
Aster stopped and tried to find the right way to phrase the rest of his sentence.
"You seem different." Aster eventually settled on.
"Different?" I asked back.
"Yeah." Aster said. "Not in a bad way. You seem like yourself, just... more mature. I don't know. It's hard to explain. But you and the others have definitely grown since I first arrived. Sartorius thought so too."
I stared at Aster for a second, working up the nerve to tell him my concerns about the Pro League, before I gave up, "Sure. Just wait another month or so."
I put on a goofy smile and chuckled. Aster smiled back.
"Well, I'm not about to put up with Hassleberry's singing any longer, so I'll be in my jet." Aster said, walking away.
As Aster left, I looked over at Alexis' room, where her "bachelorette" party was being held. For a brief few seconds, I considered going to talk to her about all my worries. But then I reconsidered. After all, she was probably having the time of her life, hanging with Jasmine, Mindy and Blair, doing... whatever.
That's what I thought, at least. If I could do that night over, I'd bust down that door if I had to. Why didn't I go to see her?
Actually, if I'd known what the next day would bring, if those events couldn't be changed, I'd have done so many things differently, like stay in the room and party it up with my friends.
Once I went back into Blair's room, I found utter CHAOS waiting for me. Lamps were broken, Blair's bed was destroyed, cans had been spilled, and that was the small stuff. Okay, I'd understand if it was just Syrus, Chazz, Hassleberry, Jesse and Jim, but Sartorius was there! Hey, Sartorius, aren't you an adult?! Shouldn't you have done something about this? I mean, yeah, Axel left the party shortly after he arrived, but c'mon! And as for Marcel?
"HELP!" He cried, hanging from a chandelier by his underpants. Poor kid. I never did find out who put him up there.
Still, I relished having to clean up their mess for once. I mean, for one, I was usually the one to make the mess and have to rely on others to clean it up. For two, about a year ago, one of the graduating class told me that blackmail was the ultimate weapon! And finally, I knew that in a couple months, I wouldn't be able to spend time with these guys like this.
Well, at the time, I thought it would be months.
So, after helping Marcel down, and cleaning a bit, I got Syrus, Hassleberry and Jesse to my cabin. Then, as Sartorius took Jim to the Obelisk Dorms, I managed to get Chazz to his room... after he puked. Great... something else I had to clean up.
When I was finally done fixing what I could of the mess that was once Blair's room, I crashed on the floor in my cabin. Oh, the fun times.
All things considered, I slept relatively peacefully. Yeah, sure, I didn't even bother to get a sleeping bag, just an extra pillow, but after having to lug four guys around the Slifer Cabins, and cleaning up the mess that was Blair's room, I was exhausted.
Sorry if this was long. How long are prologues supposed to be anyway? But all this needs to be said. If for nothing else, then to set the stage for the difference in tone the next day would bring with it. But there was no way I could possibly have known that, as I slept like a baby.
Author's Note: Only the Prologue, and I already earned the M-rating, with the under-aged "fizzy soda" drinking! ...Yeah, I'm still trying to keep the spirit of the dub (for now), even if I made it BLATANTLY clear what the soda actually was. Also, a mention of stripping, but as Joey once said, there's no penalty for that.
I am not gonna be able to keep up that "spirit of the dub" thing for long. Heh... This is gonna be a rollercoaster ride, folks. We're gonna go into some more mature subjects in this one, guys. Don't worry, nothing dirty, just... not something I feel right putting in a T-Rated story. Oh, and I wanna keep as many kids away from Chapter 4 as possible. I realize that ratings don't mean much these days, but... yeah. I'm not ruining a 12-year old's life. If they read this, it's on them!
Now, before I get into the title, there's one thing I wanna address. Yes, I'm aware Sartorius didn't use Empress's Staff in GX, and the card appeared in 5D's. However, I feel justified in this, seeing as how it would likely be in his deck, and the only other way I could put in High Priestess would be to have Jaden have pulled two cards at once as the third one, Empress and Emperor's Staff, signifying the female equivalent of the Heirophant. Given those circumstances, I feel like this was the better option.
Okay, time to talk title!
Fiore is the name of the villain of Promise of the Rose, which, I swear, also inspired Season 3 alongside Eva and Berserk! Only, the relationship wasn't nearly as bungled as with ShinjiXKaworu. But that's not the only reason!
Fiore is Italian for Flower, which is the theme of a certain villain's deck. ...I'm really not helping the case of "Season 3 isn't a mangled mess of a crossover fic forced on another show", am I?
Okay, complaints about Season 3 aside, there IS a more important reason behind the title. I've been making slight changes to the names of all the original fanfics. Breaking the (Society's) Hold, Missing (You), Competition/Competing for Love... But there isn't exactly much that I can do with Fury. However, Fiore sounds like Fury. ...Okay, the CHARACTER'S NAME sounds like Fury. If you wanna get technical, Fiori (Flowers) is closer in pronunciation to Fury, but it doesn't have the reference.
So, in the end, the title has several means. A play on "Fury", a reference to Promise of the Rose, and referencing a villain! Yeah, I think I picked a good title.
Oh, and I always looked at Breaking the Hold, Missing and Competition, and thought Missing should have been changed to Missing You, so the original three fics would go down a word each title, since they were the original trilogy. Replicated here, with Fiore being one word, whereas the others are four, two and three (not exactly down one, but a different number of words in each title). Also replicating how it isn't a remake of the original trilogy, but one of the two add-ons, by not having "-ing" in the title.
Now, does this mean I definitely won't be doing a remake of the fifth fic, since we've had four words, two words, three words and now one word? Well...
And if nothing else, it's better than the other name I came up with for this fic. 50 Shades of Yu- ...Yeeeaah... People know where I'm going with that. Yeah, referencing a 90's Anime (even if it's gotten a remake in recent years) felt less like an attempt at being relevant than a New 10's best seller.
And seeing as how I made that joke, I now need to relocate to my secret underground bunker hidden somewhere in the Mojave Desert. ...Enjoy my jokes now, guys. They're not gonna last long in this one.
