Chapter One: The Decision

Disclaimer: I do not remotely own Yu-Gi-Oh. I only own my wild immagination I can't bottle in! c:

As a young boy, Johann had ability unlike no other ordinary children in Europe. He could see duel monsters' spirits frolicking around the street, which earned weird looks from everyone. They would wonder how hard exactly did Johann hit his head when he fell off from his bed. To their query, Johan would shake his head, brush their concerns off, and laugh in response.

"See, he is right there."

"What is?"

"A spirit!" Johan would declare, but the person would just stare at him, puzzled. He would just assume that it is derived from wild imaginations, like any other boys his age would, so he plays along with this strange boy's claim.

"Yeah, sure there is, kid. Now I see it. Thanks." That person would wave off, then make an excuse to go somewhere else that was better worth his time.

Johan's eyes would grow solemn, and whisper in the air after he leaves.

"Why won't anyone believe me?"

The invisible creature just shakes his head, and says nothing.

In the crevices of my early memories, I remembered that my home always resonated with the angry refutations from allegations of lawsuits, the shrieks when I got beaten by my own mother and the creaking sounds of bed that I didn't think of much back then. There would always be a male visitor with my mother, but for most of the time, my father visited almost daily. When he was over, I'd flinch at every raise of a voice that usually partakes in his and mother's arguments. On the first day when my windowsill was pelted with white snow, my dad came over to visit me. He was always kind and gentle in my bedroom. He was the one who got my first deck of Duel Monsters, and I used to treasure it everyday.

Every time he'd visit my room, he bids goodbye, then descends down the stairs again to argue. On one day, I peeked out of my bedroom, curious of my two bickering parents.

"You know you are so lucky that you don't have to take care of him! Do you realize how much crap I got from his fairy stories? The rumours of the neighbours that keep talking behind the odd child that I bore?"

She strutted over to father, and yanked his tie toward her petite, porcelain face.

"Our son?"

She breathed on his neck. I recognized the gaze in my father's eyes, like as if she was drowning him in her own nectar, like how she lured other men. My dad's eyes clouded darkly like mom's other friends. He felt high on her perfume – a gift from one of her lovers – dizzy from the heat of the tantalizing spices that was mixed with the odour of her skin. Now that I look back, I remembered his eyes that border-lined both lust and love. He probably remembered how he fell in love with her emerald eyes, her luscious blond hair, and her dulcet voice once a upon a time but then he also recalled many other men than who also fell to her honey trap. He snapped out, regained his logical sanity.

He shoved her roughly. "Stop that." She tugged his shirt again, but he resisted.

"God, woman. You cheated on me with god knows how many men when we married."

I was confused of what he said them back then. The conversation was too quick for my childish brain to catch up.

"That was because you were never here with me. It wasn't my fault that men throw themselves at me. I just couldn't bear the loneliness of sleeping alone. But I swear on my life that he is your son! He has your hair, your eyes, your lips…" she hovered over father's face dangerously.

"CUT THAT OUT!"

My father raised his arm to slap mother, but halted. He looked at my direction, finding out that he had a spectator. I squeaked, and immediately shut the door. I couldn't hear anything for a long time. The apartment grew deadly silent to the point where I started to convince myself that they could hear my heart beating a thousand miles per second.

My mind started to get bored, so my eyes wondered to the scenery outside. The snow gently cascaded down the pinecone tree that was right outside our apartment, the one that got cut down years later when I came back to revisit. I didn't move and waited. Just always waited.

Then it was mother's sob first that broke the silence, and then my father's heavy sigh. Their misery cracked my heart open, and I started to cry mutely against the door as well.

He clicked his tongue. "You know, if you are that tired of taking care of him, I will."

"So you are admitting that you are his father?" She inquired with her delicate, hopeful voice.

"I knew that he was our son a long time ago. I see myself and you in him." Her voice lit up with hope, but diminished swiftly with his next words.

"But I'm doing it to get him away from you!"

My body started to quiver, as I imagined my mother's all too familiar rage on the other side of the door.

"After all these times, I try to convince you that Johan is your son! You do that, then you are taking him away from me now?" My own mother's voice shook my bedroom door. I hugged myself in fear. This was the loudest I heard my mother scream.

"Do not antagonize me!"

"I am clearly the victim here! You are taking away my blood and soul."

I heard a scoff. "Do not play the role of a mother. It doesn't suit you."

"What did you say?" Her voice grew dangerously louder.

"I do not identify a woman who is busy using men to comfort herself, rather than nurturing her son, as a mother. You are a poison. You are wilting him."

"You have no say in this! You were never part of his upbringing."

"But I will from now on." I heard a shuffle of feet, a slam on a table, and click.

"Sign this."

"And this is…?"

"A contract I've worked with my attorneys. You are to give me a full custody of Johan. In repayment, I will grant you the renup that you wanted from the divorce."

Her voice lightened, but still maintained a dark, vengeful tone. "The one that you in the end didn't follow through with?"

"Because of your affairs, yes. This would considerably raise the standard of your living, and free you from looking after him."

Another slam. A click of a pen.

"The decision is yours."

It was around thirty minutes, until I heard the sound of wind, gushing, then a faint scribble, which I had no knowledge of what it signified at the time.

"I figured that you would do it, so I already transitioned the cash into your bank account. I'll pick him up tomorrow morning."

The sound of paper restacking, another click, and a shuffle of feet were heard. Before I came outside again, I heard my father's voice for the last time, until years later to come.

"Good bye, Julie."

SLAM.

I tentatively opened the door without creaking, and tiptoed over to my mom. As I descended down the stairs, I noticed my mother's crestfallen appearance. Her head was hung low, eyes darting just above her manicured feet. Even as an ignorant child, I figured that I would probably just get a beating at this timing, but my protective instinct took over my fear of my own mother.

"Mum, are you okay?" I softly patted her back. She twisted her head to look down with her piercing green eyes that were the same shade as mine. They were my eyes, but somehow they seemed much more frightening and cold on her. She lifted her arm, looking as if it was going to punch me, but instead caressed my face.

"Pack up your things. We are getting out of this place."

Her decision, that I had absolutely no clue about, irreversibly changed my life forever.

Because we don't have much back story behind Johann Anderssen / Jesse Anderssen ( I prefer to call Johann since I'm Japanese and prefer the Japanese version) I decided to write his life previous to Duel Academia, using my immagination of course. Maybe he had a perfectly normal family that cherished his unique ability, but I decided to twist it in a darker way to make it more interesting.

Please R&R to give me feedback, if you would like to see more of this.

- roastbale