Note: This is the sequel to my story 'Sickness And Love'. It's based on the second book, Petals In The Ashes, though I'll probably be twisting the storyline more than I did with the first story. Please read 'Sickness And Love' first, or this one won't make much sense.

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX or 'Petals In The Ashes'

Prologue

Planning

The carefully kept trees filled the orchard with the sweet scent of fruit and rich, glossy green leaves. The sun's yellow rays bathed the trees in a golden glow that could only ever be achieved at sunset. The sky above wasn't fully blue now; it was patched with pink, the colour of rose petals.

On the white fence surrounding the orchard, a single brunette sat with his eyes closed in near silence, his breathing quiet enough to be covered up by the sounds of the leaves rustling gently in the soft breeze of the wind.

Sunset was a wonderful time of day, when the sun departed for the day and allowed the moon to take on its role of shining brightly in the sky. The moon didn't have its own shine, but Jaden Yuki didn't know that, and if he had he wouldn't have cared.

Jaden had been living in Chertsey, his home town, for about five weeks since he had received the letter from the man he loved, Jesse Andersen, and he had been home there for just over four months.

Now that he had lived and relived the story of his and Aster's escape from the plague-filled city of London, telling the story to all who wanted to hear and re-telling it for those who were enthralled - well, now he was bored with it. Life in Chertsey had become the normality of his life again, the way it had been before he had ever gone to London. His regular duties were no longer making and selling bread and cakes in their bakery. Now, his duties were minding the sheep on the common and milking the family cow and other jobs that didn't interest him.

Now that everything was returning to normal, life in Chertsey was every bit as tedious as it had been before.

As the sun continued its path, disappearing on the horizon, Jaden got up and began the short journey from the family orchard to their home. At the moment, since Jaden's family was visiting a cousin who lived far away, he had the house to himself. Or at least he would have, had Aster not chosen to move in with him for good.

Aster's mother, they had discovered, was going to have another baby. Aster didn't want to be in the way when the new baby came - he had had enough of caring for babies when he and Jaden had looked after baby Vicky Truesdale - and so decided to help Jaden however he could.

Jaden wouldn't have minded, but Aster still bossed him around and took charge of any small situations or problems - and the problems, in Chertsey, were always small ones. There was certainly no major disaster like a deadly sickness.

Jaden was glad that the news had come from London - the cold weather, a great freeze, had vastly decreased the numbers dying of the plague, and everyone was relieved. It was estimated that, soon, the plague would have pretty much died down entirely.

It was now January, and people were beginning to return to London, but not in great numbers. The king and his court, too, had not returned, fearing that the illness may still take hold on them if they did.

Jaden himself wanted to return very soon.

Life in Chertsey, much as he had loved seeing his family again, was dull. He wanted the everyday adventure that came with a life in the big city. He longed for the walks around the many shops and the crowdedness of the busy London streets. He wanted to reopen their little bakery and see which of their neighbours had survived and which had perished. He wanted to visit that little tailor shop again, the one he liked, that sold the red clothing. He even wanted to see how Chazz Princeton was doing. That man was grumpy and opinionated, but Jaden liked him well enough. It could be fun to tease him, anyway.

Yes, there were many reasons why Jaden Yuki was eager to return to London. The city was once again becoming safe. When he had left, he had feared the city's very name but now - now he wanted to go back, to start again with a regular lifestyle. One that was free of the fear the sickness had brought with it.

The reasons he wanted to return were many, but one stood out boldly.

Jesse Andersen was in London. Jaden wanted to return to him so badly.

Jaden had written to him a few times since receiving Jesse's first letter, but letters could take such a long time to arrive, and then he had to wait for a reply. So far he had, including the first one, three letters from Jesse.

Jesse didn't actually say anything very much, just the little goings-on in his life, but for Jaden it was enough. That was all he every said to Jesse in his own letters, anyway.

The two still ended their letters with the word 'love' but there were no more long love-letters.

Sighing, Jaden reached the door of his house and pushed it open. He looked inside to find that Aster was sitting very close to the door, not doing anything.

"Aster, you okay?" Jaden asked.

"Yeah, fine" Aster said. "My mother sent a letter. It arrived today."

Aster's mother was sending him letters instead of just coming round? That was a new one on Jaden, but the brunette didn't let it show on his face.

"So what did she say?"

"Nothing really" Aster muttered, and he scrunched up the letter that Jaden hadn't even noticed he was holding. "She's doing well, baby's due around the end of summer, all that stuff."

"Good for her" Jaden murmured.

Aster nodded in agreement, but soon his calm features turned suspicious as he looked at Jaden's face. The brunette seemed to be in his own fantasy world, and Aster could make a pretty good guess of whom his cousin was daydreaming about.

"Jaden, I've been thinking" Aster started.

"About what?"

"Well, I don't want to be here when my new brother or sister gets here. Half brother or sister, that is. And I don't get on with my step-father, as you know."

Jaden nodded solemnly. Aster never had got along with his step-father very well, and he wasn't happy that he and his mother were having their own baby. Or maybe, in a way, he was. It meant that his mother had someone to love when Aster left.

Aster grinned at his cousin.

"The numbers of people dying are … almost gone, really. So, how about we give it a week or two - three tops - and then go back to London?"

Jaden sat in stunned silence.

Had he heard that right? Had Aster just suggested they go back soon?

That meant that they could start all over again. It meant he could see everyone he missed. It meant he could be back with Jesse.

"For real?" he grinned, practically bouncing up and down with excitement. He hadn't wanted to go on his own, he would never have managed in the bakery alone. "We can go in two weeks?"

"Sure. If nothing comes up that keeps us here, obviously."

Jaden pounced on his cousin, holding him in a tight hug before he released him when Aster protested loudly. Jaden's smile was enough that Aster didn't mind too badly, though. He hadn't seen Jaden that happy in a long time.

Pretty much since he'd gotten the letter that told him Jesse was alive.

Aster sighed, wondering what he had just started.

Jaden, on the other hand, was looking out of the small, glassless window with a huge grin on his features, making him look somehow slightly younger.

The sun was almost gone now, signalling the end of that day.

And the beginning of another.

Please R&R