Gold and Silver

Note: This story has a brother in Black and Red. The two follow different pairings (Idolshipping and Aster vs Rivalshipping and Bastion) by going through the show and focusing on a different class. Some parts of this masterpiece is actual dialogue from the dub (mostly taken from other fanfics where I can but also handfuls transcribed since I haven't yet found anywhere to actually give the show transcript including dialogue), others entirely my own work (ie anything involving my two characters Kieran and Sora), and a handful a mix of the two (such as Sora's eventual duel against Taniya). Updates will be rather slow as a result (due to the results of it being canon, it's already a pain to write, never mind that it's two different stories) and chapters will vary in length (though one chapter will equal one episode unless otherwise indicated). The entire first and second seasons will be explored (I don't like Dark World), so be prepared to deal with me for (roughly) 104 chapters (or 208 if you're being technical!) Between the stories, the chapters are titled similarly, and this is because the two are meant to contrast each other by having one as the literal translation of the Japanese name and the other as the given English name for the dub. In cases with the later episodes of the second season (ones that do not involve one party at all), I may include a filler chapter in the meantime or simply call it a day and not put up a companion update for the other story, in which case I will place both titles under the correct fic.

For this chapter, some of the dialogue comes from the story Chazz it up? Yeah, I Don't Think So by NightcrawlerXalpha. I attempted to fix any and all inconsistencies from the actual dub caused by the fact that it was both A) a fanfiction and B) also involved another character inserted into the scene, but I doubt I managed to find everything. I DIDN'T BORROW THE STUFF TO BE A JERK AND STEAL IDEAS, I DID IT BECAUSE I DIDN'T WANT TO HAVE TO TRANSCRIBE MOST OF AN EPISODE MYSELF!

This is the translation of the Japanese title for Episode 1. The English-dub instead uses "The Next King of Games".

I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX. Why? BECAUSE THERE'S NO GAY SEX OR RELATIONSHIPS, THAT'S WHY!

Chapter One: The One Who Succeeds Yugi

"Hey Zane," Kieran murmured softly, "can I talk to you for a moment?"

The teal-haired boy sighed, throwing a cold look with his blue eyes to the boy with the deep goldenrod Ra jacket and spotless white pants, the soft jade eyes and silky chin-length luteous blond hair. He should have been able to watch the entrance duels here with Alexis, but the subtle pleading of those eyes compelled him. Kieran had been a close friend since childhood, the pair both going to the same school and developing their decks alongside each other, so if the younger wanted to talk to him, he saw no reason to stop him. Kieran had proved many times over that, despite an age gap of almost two years, the blond would never hesitate to chase after the elder, and luckily enough, he had the intelligence and cards to keep up. "Of course, Kieran."

"I meant privately," he added, giving a pointed look to Alexis. It wasn't that he didn't trust the blonde, well it was partly that, but it was that he felt this was something meant for Zane's ears alone.

"Of course," the Truesdale replied diplomatically, letting the sixteen-year-old lead him through a maze of hallways, familiar with the layout only because he had explored it in his nervousness and pausing only when he felt certain they had walked far enough away to ensure they would not be overheard by any even in a passing chance. "Is this about your birthday being today, Kieran?" he asked softly.

"A little," his friend admitted softly, focusing his gaze on the wall, his hands, the edge of his jacket as he fiddled with it nervously. It was their last year at Duel Academy—Zane being able to graduate with his schooling completed while Kieran had entered school early because his parents had taken advantage of his birthday being only a day before the new school term (which meant if he had been born any later, he would have been forced into going to school the following year despite already being able to read simple words) by enrolling him in Kindergarten as one of the youngest students and then skipped third grade due in no small part to tutoring from Zane, an intelligent student himself; as a result of this studiousness, it was almost guaranteed that he would be allowed to complete his intended request of finishing out the remainder of his education online while he traveled with the elder—and they both wanted to make it count. "It's about… feeling left out."

"How so?" Zane asked. The pair had been isolated from many by Zane's status and Kieran's loyalty, but never before had the blond voiced any concerns about the situation. It was well known the pair were close, almost to the point where several students had called into question their sexual orientation. As a matter of fact, Zane had come out to Kieran a few years ago, admitting that he preferred the company of men to women, but the blond had yet to figure out his own preferences.

"I'm sixteen," he admitted, "and I've never had a girlfriend, or boyfriend," he added that last part in a very admittance of his bi-curious nature, "or been kissed. Hell, I've never so much as had a crush on anyone since Yusuke Fujiwara disappeared three years back!"

"Neither have I," the other duelist murmured self-consciously. "Not since…" He trailed off, unwilling to finish his sentence for the pain. He then turned his attention back to his friend, hoping for a distraction, and found Kieran biting his lip in a nervous habit he hadn't indulged in for quite a few years, fidgeting under the weight of the words dancing on the tip of his normally-sharp tongue. It was in that sudden flash, watching him nibble on pink flesh, that Zane realized what he wanted. He… he wants me to kiss him. But why me? Kieran told me more than a few times back when I'd first admitted my sexuality to him that we're too alike to pursue a relationship, mostly because of my dominating nature and his own hero-complex… Besides, all the boys he went for were the more feminine ones, and I'm about as far from that as you can get.

But hell if I'm going to be the one to deny him what I want just as much as he seems to. The Cyber duelist leaned forward, jerking the Magician duelist into his body and capturing his mouth with his own. He waited patiently through that period of time where his partner had frozen in surprise, trying not to take the lack of response to heart, but he didn't have long to wait before Kieran's lips shyly attempted to copy the movements bestowed upon himself. The two made an awkward couple, Zane's height forced the smaller to push up on his toes and even then he had to bend a little to connect their mouths, but for once, he did not mind. Kieran would take a while to hit puberty, but in the meantime, Zane could wait for him. He was worth it.

"What were you two talking about that took so long, Zane?" Alexis demanded when they finally made it back, the Obelisk looking as collected as ever even if there was a hint of a blush dusted across the Ra's cheekbones.

"It's nothing, Alexis," he assured her, already knowing his friend would only get tongue-tied if he tried to answer the question.

"Did Syrus win his duel?" Kieran asked, having already scanned the fields and deduced that the outcome of the younger Truesdale's duel had been decided while he was…

"That blue-haired boy with the Vehicroid monsters? Yeah, he won."

Kieran hid a smile, his eyes turning to the field where the boy he'd watched grow up had found his courage again (or so he hoped anyway). I'm glad Sy won, it's about time he and Zane made up. "So who's on now?"

"Bastion Misawa, the boy who apparently got the highest score on the written exam," Alexis answered.

Seeing Kieran's frown, Zane couldn't help but feel a tinge of pride that his friend had managed the same feat at the age of thirteen. He's nothing compared to us. Dueling's about more than knowing the cards to make a deck… it's about knowing how to use the ones in your own.

The two males stood side by side, settling in to watch their world change before their very eyes. For a brief moment, Kieran wondered exactly what his own importance was in the teal-haired duelist's eyes. After all, everyone knew he hadn't gotten over Atticus, it was obvious in the way the Obelisk would retreat to the lighthouse most days without fail, even if he did allow the other to accompany him. Forcibly pushing aside these feelings of negativity, he turned his mind back to the duel, right in time to hear the duel proctor mockingly ask "All right new guy, multiple choice. You got two monsters staring you down. Do you A) Throw in the towel? B) Beg for mercy ? Or C) Run home to mama?"

Kieran let out a soft growl at the man as he rested his head on the left elbow that was balancing on the railing he stood by, vaguely remembering this scumbag from his own test duel. You'd think he would have learned not to count his Life Points before the spell's activated, especially after my Silent Magician sent him packing. His right hand fell to the gold plastic duel case strapped to the front of his belt, the entirety of the cards all ones he'd chosen himself and only a few obtained since his first duel. He trusted his cards, so why bother changing them? He knew how the ones he had worked in conjunction with each other, and so long as he kept up with that, the exact point of adding a useless card into his deck was moot. It would only make his likelihood of drawing an actual useful card lower.

To Kieran's surprise, the boy didn't seem anxious about the challenge presented to him. "I'll go with D) None of the above."

His facedown card Ring of Destruction activated then, causing the proctor to gasp "A trap?"

"No duh moron," the blond muttered to himself. "Of course it's a trap. You should know by now that red cards are trap cards, especially since that's all you could use in our duel."

"Calm down, Kieran," Zane murmured to the Ra, their conversation overlaying the ravenet's explanation of what the card did. "Some people never learn."

The younger boy watched as, even after the explosion knocked the man's Life Points to zero, he still acted like an ass, saying "Clever move applicant, welcome to the academy." His hand fisted over the deck, longing to beat the asshole and teach him once again why even kids from humble origins could be powerful enough to deserve respect.

Zane noted this tension and subtly reached over to rub circles on the other's hand using his thumb. It was in Kieran's nature to stand up for such injustices, but Zane could see that the male Bastion already had things well in hand. Indeed, a sarcastic "Thank you, o wise proctor" was not long in coming.

"Settle down," he whispered into Kieran's ear, seeing that the smaller boy was still agitated. "You don't want to miss the next duel, do you?"

"Actually," the Ra stated with a wry laugh as he pulled away, his worn silver converses scuffing the floor beneath him, "I just remembered I still have a paper I need to finish before classes begin again. If I don't get back to the island now, I'll be up all night finishing it." Without turning around, his hand came up, two fingers raised as he sent them from right to left. "See you later Zane, it was nice meeting you, Alexis."

Zane: ... Why did you put this seperately again?

Because it's basically two different storylines!

Zane: I disagree.

NO ONE ASKED YOU!

Zane: They did. *points at audience*

... *glares at him* Review if you wanna spank Zane!

Zane: Wait, what?

Last edited: 9/25/2011