Hey guys! I'm not feeling super wordy right now, but I'm so excited to finally be getting the first chapter of this story up; I've been at it for a few months, getting the draft out and then fine tuning details. But now I can share with you this idea that's been floating around in my head for a very long time. I'm very excited to write the next chapter already. I hope you're just as excited to read and follow along.

This will be a re-imagination of a certain character arc in the dub-verse, basically what I wanted to see.

Welcome to Hand of Sorrow.

DISCLAIMER: Yu-Gi-Oh! GX is (C) Kazuki Takahashi.

Chapter I

Long Distance

"Comin' through! Sorry!"

Jaden Yuki tore through the hall like an adrenalized Jack Russell Terrier. He could feel a few glares from other students firing in his direction, but his mind was too focused on the current situation to care. With the Society of Light and the Light of Destruction wreaking havoc at the Academy, Jaden hadn't had any room in his brain to consider the issue over the last few weeks. Now that both threats were abolished, though, this new predicament tumbled through his mind, invading every thought.

He had to get a hold of someone, fast. Oh, he couldn't believe he had let it go on for this long. Thankfully, he had an idea of how to solve this predicament. After speeding through two Obelisks (and ignoring the brusque insults that trailed him), Jaden skidded across the hard floor, barely managing to keep his footing, and practically tore through the door to the card shop as it opened. Stumbling across the threshold, Jaden took a few long, awkward steps inside before his feet left the floor. Just a second later, a crash resonated through the room, and he found himself face down on the floor, palms and calves erected.

"Ah man," Jaden mumbled to himself, propping himself up on his elbows.

"Jaden?"

He looked up. Hallelujah. Ms. Dorothy knelt above him, her hands on her knees as she eyed him. "Where did you run from, the edge of the island?"

"Nah, my dorm," Jaden wheezed. Then he thought about it. "Ah, close enough."

"Are you hurt?" she asked.

"I'll live." He scrambled to his feet. "Ms. Dorothy, is there a phone I can use here? Emergency."

The motherly card shop owner didn't even bat her eyes. "There sure is," she said, nodding. "It's just back beyond this door here." She gestured to an opening behind the counter - probably back to a store room - which was veiled with pale blue curtains. "Just go around."

"Thanks!" He jogged behind the counter and through the opening. The phone was stationed on the left side of the wall, not far from the counter. It was plain and black, and it could reach beyond the island. It was perfect.

Jaden ripped the phone off the set and dialed the number he needed. Just a few seconds later, he heard the drawling, monotonous ringing.

C'mon, pick up the phone, the young duelist thought frantically. ...Gah, pick up the freaking phone!

"You've reached Hanzo Yuki. Do I really need to tell you what to do?"

Darn it!

Beep.

"Dad, it's Jaden. I'm calling from the card shop. Sy needs help, I don't know what to do. Uh…" It then occurred to the teen that his father calling him back would be more complicated than he initially thought. "I dunno, I need to talk to you now."

Suddenly, a click.

"Yo."

"Dad?"

"Jaden?"

Jaden sighed in relief. "Oh thank goodness. I gotta talk to you - it's urgent."

"From the tone of your voice, it sounds like it," Hanzo replied. "What's going on, Jay Bug?"

"It's Syrus."

After much uncertainty and rest, Syrus Truesdale was finally on the road to recovery. Just four days earlier, Syrus had challenged his older brother, Zane, to a Duel, one that inflicted shock after shock with every life point lost. Needless to say, it was painful to watch. But it probably wasn't more excruciating than what Syrus was feeling. Jaden had heard that a serious electrocution was comparative to being cooked from the inside out, and with how close the voltage was to their skin - sure, they both were wearing long sleeves, but those were hardly insulation. Zane talked big; he had gotten used to pain or some nonsense and was now inflicting it on the weak.

All Jaden heard was "Flare Neos set my pants on fire, but I'm not gonna let you know it".

Everything between when Jaden started screaming for a doctor and when Fonda Fontaine finally managed to stabilize him was blurry; just streaks of memories and emotions, and no detail to the full picture. Hassleberry and Aster running to them. Red, yellow, and blue staring in their direction. Incoherent barking. Grief. Grief not just for Syrus, but for Zane, the former rival and lost friend. Rage. Rage towards the dark clad behemoth who dared to call himself a duelist. Primitivism. Oh, how badly Jaden wanted to give chase and rain his fists on the behemoth's face -

"Jaden? Jay? ...Jaaaaden."

Jaden blinked and was back.

"Huh?"

"You okay?" Syrus asked, tilting his head.

"Oh!" Jaden grinned sheepishly, putting a hand behind his head. "Yeah! Sorry. You had us all scared there, that's all."

"Do I want to know how scared?" Syrus queried nervously.

"Well, it doesn't matter at this point." Jaden had eased back into his usual, laid back self, putting his hand down. "You're okay, and that's all I care about."

Sure, the Ra had been mercilessly mocked for being short. But what he lacked in size, he made up for in will to live.

"You know, there's still a Society of Light that needs taking care of," Syrus said. "You didn't need to stay with me this whole time."

"Sy, you're my friend. It's what they do."

Suddenly, Jaden heard the mechanical door slide open. The boys quickly turned their heads. There in the doorway stood Chancellor Erik Sheppard. The Chancellor always managed to carry himself with poise - the kind that showed pride in his students. The poise was there, but there was a dark aura that surrounded him this time.

"Chancellor?" Jaden acknowledged him, fidgeting a little.

"Jaden," Sheppard said solemnly. "Miss Fontaine and I need to speak to Syrus. Alone."

Syrus' eyes widened in rising horror. "A-Am I in trouble?"

"No, honey, you're not," Miss Fontaine replied, walking to his bed. Jaden swore he felt the temperature of the room drop twenty degrees as she sat beside him.

"Jaden, I'm going to have to ask you to leave us for a minute," Sheppard said.

Agitation tumbled through Jaden's stomach. "Wait, why?"

"Please," Miss Fontaine pressed.

Syrus glanced at Jaden with a look that read I got it. Just do what he says.

"Okay…" Jaden stood up from the chair and walked to the door, throwing a glance at the nurse, the chancellor, and his best friend on the way out. The teenager only got a few steps out when he stopped in place, glancing at the closing door. As it secured itself, his low patience got the better of him. He pressed his ear against the wall, hoping to catch something. Even a shift in somebody's tone would have been satisfactory. But these walls were constructed to be soundproof; there was no way Jaden was going to hear anything.

After some deliberation, Jaden leaned against the wall, crossing his arms. He smiled to himself.

Now that I think about it, Sy really has come a long way. Jaden mused. ...Ah, this is probably nothing. Maybe he's getting some sort of cool prize! Wonder what it is?

Jaden had gone through a list several rare cards in his head when the door opened again. When he looked, Sheppard was stepping out, looking even more somber than when he came in. Jaden stood upright.

"Chancellor, is he-?"

"You can go back in now," Sheppard replied. "...Honestly, he probably needs you."

Jaden blinked. "Huh?"

The chancellor glanced back towards the infirmary. "You should talk to him. It's not my place."

Jaden didn't bother with more questions. He darted straight inside, ready to fight whatever battle had arisen for his best friend.

"Sy, what hap-" He was cut off by the sight of his best friend. He was still sitting up on the bed, but he was as still as stone. The color had completely drained from his face. His silver eyes had widened so far, his spectacles practically went invisible.

"Sy?"

"Jay…" The name was spoken distantly, but it carried a weight that made Jaden uncomfortable.

"What did they say?" he asked. "Are you okay?

Silence was Syrus' answer. Out of the corner of Jaden's eye, Miss Fontaine shot him a sober glance. She quickly went back to her clipboard though, letting them continue their conversation.

"I-It's my mom," Syrus said.

"Your mom?"

"Jay, she…"

"Sy, it's okay," Jaden reassured. "What happened?"

The aqua-haired, argent-eyed boy was quiet for what felt like an eternity. Jaden decided against pressing further. Still, he couldn't help but worry. Syrus looked like shotgun pellets had pierced him.

Finally, he opened his mouth.

"S-She…" he managed. "She… Sh-She had a heart attack. And..."

"She's in a coma!?" Hanzo exclaimed. "For how long? Do they know what happened?"

"I don't know," Jaden said. "Sy's been pretty tight lipped on the whole issue. She's been under for…" Jaden grimaced as he tried to count back how long ago Syrus had told him this. "Almost a week now."

"A week?"

"Yeah, I meant to talk to you, but…"

"But…?"

"Uh…" Jaden wasn't quite sure how to explain how he managed to save the world from being indoctrinated by an evil force. Hanzo and Amara Yuki were aware about the Shadow Riders and Jaden's successful efforts in bringing them down, so he knew they'd believe him, but this was all sorts of weird. "Things have been a little crazy over here."

"Crazy as in hectic or did you have to save the world again?"

"That second one."

"Oh man. You know Mom's gonna freak."

"I know." Jaden understood why his mother had screamed at him through tears and almost pulled him out of Duel Academy when she heard how many soul-risking Duels he put himself through last year. Frankly, it was only then he truly realized just how far he walked the razor's edge.

"I couldn't just sit back and let this happen though!" Jaden added.

"Hey, I'm not mad," Hanzo replied. "Neither has Mom been, ever. She just doesn't wanna lose you. So, what happened exactly?"

"It's a long story," Jaden said. "Easier to talk about at home. Anyways, Sy-"

"Yes! Syrus!" Hanzo exclaimed, snapping himself to the dilemma at hand.

"Dad, can he stay with us? Just until his mom gets better?"

"Uh, what about his brother?"

Jaden clenched his fist further at the words his brother. How was he supposed to describe what he saw a few days ago?

"Jaden?"

The boy pulled himself out of his thoughts. "His brother…" Jaden trailed off. "He's…not himself. I dunno if he'll be himself again." The thought of Zane being the only family Syrus would possibly have left ignited a flash of anger in his chest. Jaden smothered it before it could blaze.

"Is Syrus leaving the island today?"

"This Thursday," Jaden corrected. "Can't believe the teachers are still making him take his final exams!"

"Well, it's this close to finals. But I'm with you. This Thursday?"

"Yep."

"That gives us… Three days? Three days. Okay. I'll talk to Mom when she gets off work and then we'll make arrangements. Tell Syrus until his mom recovers, he can stay with us. We'll pick him up when he flies home."

"Sweet!" Jaden exhaled a sigh of relief. "Thanks, Dad!"

"But, don't think we're letting you leave this early as well," Hanzo replied. "Finish the year off, and when you get home, Syrus will be here. You've only got one week left. Cool?"

"Cool."

"I know how much Syrus means to you, Jay," Hanzo said warmly. "He's in good hands with us."

"Sweet, thanks. I'll talk to you soon."

"Love you, Jay Bug."

"Love you too."

Jaden set the phone on the receiver.

"Yes!" He pumped his fist and all but pounced his way out of the card shop, Dorothy managing to dodge him by a mere eighteenth of an inch.

"Well that emergency didn't take much to handle," Dorothy mused aloud.

"Hey Sy, I just talked to my dad and he said you can stay with us until your mom gets better," was the last thing Syrus Truesdale expected to hear from his best friend's mouth.

"Wait, what?" He stared at Jaden with wide eyes from the desk in their dorm room. Syrus had been reviewing for his Dueling History exam when Jaden practically bulldozed his way into the room with the news.

"I called home after you reminded me," Jaden replied. "Mom and Dad'll pick you up when you fly home."

"Jay, are you sure?" Syrus asked. "I'm going home in three days, you don't need to make room for me."

"Syrus, we really don't mind. Besides, they've always wanted to meet you."

Syrus looked at his best friend as if he just said his parents hatched from pineapple seeds. "They have?"

Jaden nodded. "Yep. I may have mentioned you a few times."

"Wow," Syrus whispered, turning to his Dueling History notes. He was quiet for what felt like the longest time, but then he turned back to face Jaden. "Okay. I'll be on the lookout for them."

"Sweet." Jaden walked over and flopped onto the lower most bunk, stretching his arms back behind his head.

"Jay?"

"Yeah?"

"...Thank you."

"No sweat, Syrus," Jaden said with a grin. "I've got your back."

Ahh. Feels good to finally get this up here on this corner of the Internet. I can't guarantee when I'll get the next chapter up; I don't want to give you guys a crappy chapter. But given how excited I am to get going, it could happen much sooner than I expect.

A quick shout out to Kristine Angela Booth for examining this chapter for grammatical mistakes and other errors. Be sure to read her fan fics! They're bound to make you smile.

And another shout out to my dear friend, whom we'll call Arwen, for the characterization review.

Thank you for reading and following Hand of Sorrow!