A/N: The first chapter of the sequel is here! I know I said I wouldn't upload until week, but I am in a great mood and I felt like putting it up. That being said, this is the only chapter I have written down for this story so I can't guarantee the upload schedule. I will do my best but please be patient.
Disclaimer: I do not own any part of Yu-Gi-Oh GX nor the song with which this story shares a title.
Chapter 1
General POV
It had been four years since Dana Gordon walked into the lives of the students at Duel Academy. Those events that took place during those first few months changed the lives of everyone involved.
Dana stayed in Domino City. She enrolled at the university there to study professional dance. She had participated in ballet for twelve years before that and when she gave up her claim to the family business, she didn't have much else she liked to do. Over the years she was home schooled it provided something for her to do when she was stressed and she loved it.
Her brothers also went on to the rest of their lives. Jason finished his education in London and he decided to move to Domino City to keep an eye on Dana. She insisted that she didn't need him to keep such a close eye on her, but after what happened, he said it would make him happy to stay there. He had just finished an education in social work and was working with the Domino foster care system. About a year after moving to Domino City, he got married to a woman named Jenna Freemont.
Matthew started working directly underneath his parents at the headquarters of Gordon Gaming in London. He called Dana and Jason every so often to make sure they didn't lose touch. When the company made trips out to Domino City, he always made sure he went in order to see his siblings.
Kenzan finished his last year at Duel Academy and during that time he discovered a liking for archaeology and fossils. He enrolled at the same school as Dana to study the science. In the last few months he's started an internship at the Domino City Museum of Natural Science with a curator of fossils for exhibits.
Jaden followed his passion and went into pro dueling once he finished his schooling. It was no surprise to any of them that he'd made a name for himself right away and after four years he was ranked among the top five pro duelists. He does take various classes at the university to keep himself well rounded and so that he can support himself without the Academy to provide his room and board. He's become a wonderful cook and his work ethic has increased immensely.
Jesse reevaluated his future plans after what happened. After what he and Dana had been through in that warehouse, he knew that if he could help it, that would not happen to anyone else. He enrolled at the university to study social work. During his first year in school, he had a part time job at a daycare and decided he wanted to focus on working with children. Through Jason he got an internship.
Bastion's love for math and science led him to enroll in the university to become a higher level math teacher. He hoped to someday teach future scientists and spend time talking with scholars about the subjects he couldn't really talk about with his friends. He and Atticus had become close friends and they got an apartment together.
Atticus wasn't finding anything fit for him at Duel Academy and moved to the city. He worked in various jobs to pay for an apartment until he and Bastion got one together so they could pay the rent together and actually afford a place to live. After two and half years of different jobs, he met the owner of a men's wear shop and Atticus' knowledge of the area got him a well paying job as a consultant for men buying suits for various occasions.
Syrus and Alexis began a relationship after he enrolled at her school. Once the both of them graduated, they got married. Neither of them wanted to stay in Domino City. Alexis wanted to teach at a university in America so they both moved to California and Syrus joined the American pro dueling league. Syrus still kept in touch with his brother.
Zane continued to climb the ranks in pro dueling, and, like Jaden, is ranked among the top five pro duelists. He let Aster move into his apartment while Aster reestablished his dueling career after his break. He and Atticus restarted their friendship after it had been too long since they'd actually been best friends at Duel Academy.
Aster joined the pro leagues again. In no time he gained his previous rank as the number 1 pro duelist, undefeated. He'd not been faced against Jaden yet, who'd been the only person who ever beat him, so they were both dying for their rematch.
Aster POV
Wow, we'd come a long way. In only four years we'd all started the rest of our lives. A lot of us were only twenty-one. We had so much of our lives ahead of us, and I looked forward to every moment of it.
I was sitting at my desk doing some paper work when the door opened. Zane had gotten home from his meeting with his manager. "Hey, Aster."
He took his jacket off and walked over to me and kissed the top of my head. "Any suggestions for dinner." He walked over to the kitchen and looked through the fridge. "I'm in the mood to cook."
I set down the papers I was reading through and stood up, glancing at the clock. "Surprise me. I have to go meet Henry for a meeting. He said it's urgent."
"Oh that's right. You'd mentioned that. Okay, don't take too long. I'll make us dinner."
"It shouldn't take too long." I gave Zane a kiss before grabbing my jacket. "Love you."
He looked at me and smiled. He seemed to never get tired of hearing that. "Love you."
I closed the door to our apartment and slipped my jacket on.
Yes, I was in love with that man in there. And after we first met, who would have believed it could happen? He hated me after our first duel, but somewhere along the way, we actually became friends, and then discovered how much we really cared about each other. He brought out the good in me and I the good in him.
Where our relationship would take us next, I had no idea, but I wasn't worried. It was exciting. We didn't know what life would throw at us next, but at least we knew that we'd always have each other.
I made my way down to my car in the apartment complex garage. I drove down to my managers office, which wasn't too long a drive. I walked through the building to his office and knocked. I heard a faint, "Come in" and opened the door.
My manager, Henry Long, was on the other side. He smiled upon seeing me and stood up to greet me. "Aster. I was expected you."
He shook my hand happily and I took my seat on one side of his desk while her returned to his chair. He was an older man. He was in his seventies and he was going strong. People told him he was getting too old to keep running all over the world with young pro duelists, but he kept going.
"So what did you need to see me about?"
"Ah, yes." He paused for a moment. "Aster, you know I have enjoyed being your manager. You are my favorite client, by far." I did not like where this was going. "But I'm seventy five and as much as I like to deny it, I am getting tired of all the plane trips and so is my wife. I'm too tired to keep running around like this. So I've decided that I am going to retire before the start of the season." That was only a few weeks from now.
I didn't know how to feel. Henry had been my manager since my first pro duel. He's been by my side for six years. I didn't want to work with anyone other than him. I wanted to say something, anything that would get him to stay. He was the only person I was comfortable working with. There was no one who knew me quite as he did, except maybe Zane.
But at the same time, he was right. Seventy five was too old to continue a career, no matter what he was doing. He was right. He needed to stop going all over the world, settle down, spend the rest of his time with his wife.
"You okay, Aster?" I looked up at him.
I sighed. "Yeah, just surprised I guess. Well, I guess I'll need to find myself a new manager."
He chuckled. "Aster, you think I'd leave you completely on your own?" He reached into his desk and pulled out a file. "This is my recommendation to you. His name is Loren Callahan. He's relatively new to the business, but he is incredibly knowledgeable. He is a genius when it comes to publicity and organization. He'll have your next five years planned out in rigorous detail in an hour."
I skimmed through his file. He did seem promising. "He is being requested by various pro duelists from rookies to the top ranks, but he had said that he wants to work with you."
"Really? Why me?"
"Well in case you forgot, you are the number one ranked duelist in the leagues. I announce my retirement and you'd have a line down the block all vying for to be your new manager. Avoid the trouble. Take Loren. I can set a meeting up with him for you so you can get a first impression. You don't need to make a decision right now."
I nodded. "Well, I'd better go see my wife. I promised her I'd on time for dinner. You should probably get back to that strapping young man of yours as well."
I blushed. "Zane is not that young. He's four years older than me."
"Son, when you're seventy five, everyone is young." He smiled. "But you are quite lucky with you such as your Zane," he added with a wink.
"Henry, that's enough." We both laughed. But what he said gave me a nice mental picture. It was of Zane and me sitting on the countryside well into our own retirement. He held my hand as we smiled at each other. Our careers may have run their course, but our life together was still going. In this picture in my brain, we'd lived a great life together.
That would be a great future to live.
I said a goodbye to him and walked out. It wasn't a sad good bye. He may not be my manger very much longer, but this was hardly the last time I was going to see him.
I made my way back to my apartment and Zane was just finishing up dinner. "Hey, Aster. What did Henry want to talk about?"
I didn't beat around the bush. "He's retiring." Zane looked just as surprised as I had been. "And he was giving me a recommendation for a new manager." I looked through the file again.
"Well I guess he is getting old. He could use the retirement. Well, don't think about that anymore." He came over and pulled the file from my hand. He put his face close to mine. "The season is coming soon and that means I won't be seeing so much of you in the coming weeks."
He kissed the side of my head and I smiled. wrapping my arms around his shoulders. "Now, Zane, don't we have a dinner to eat."
He pulled away, remembering. "You're right, but after dinner, we'll continue."
I smiled and walked to the kitchen with Zane to get some dinner, leaving the file on my desk to go through tomorrow.
