A/N: Before we get to the good stuff, I'd like to address a couple of concerns. First, there's the concern that the Japanese that I put in my chapters is random. I would like to clarify that I put the Japanese in there as symbolism of when Jaden and Alexis are being romantic and mushy with each other; basically one of the unique quirks in their specific relationship. However, to make sure that my readers get the references in future chapters, I will be labeling each use of Japanese and putting an explanation index at the end of the chapter. Second, there was a concern that my style has been writing Jaden and Alexis out of character. I will be the first to admit that I'm not the best at successfully writing the characters of any franchise, as they were exemplified in their original medium. However, I would like to note that just because a character acts this way in many of the situations that were shown in the anime, it's not necessarily how they would act in every situation, so I believe that there's room for creative interpretation in the situations that we rarely see in the original medium. Finally, I admit that combining the two fictions is an interesting idea and one that I would be willing to explore, but I would preferably like to wait until this fiction is complete before that happens. I am keeping it in mind; I'm just not making an immediate decision yet. Thank you for your patience, and I hope you enjoy this chapter!
Chapter 2: Graduation
"Jaden Yuki!"
Everybody clapped as Jaden walked over to Chancellor Sheppard and gratefully accepted his diploma, a small smile on his face. Of all those who were applauding, Alexis was the most enthusiastic; a wide smile stretching across her face, and tears of joy streaming down her cheeks. I'm so proud of you…she thought as she watched Jaden walk out of the auditorium. She turned around and started to follow, first slowly walking, turning into a jog, until she was full on running towards him. Jaden stopped and started to turn around when Alexis tackled him in an embrace, both of them wrapping their arms around each other and laughing.
"Welcome home, Jay" Alexis murmured in his ear, squeezing him for all he was worth.
"It's good to be home…" Jaden replied, a smile on his face. "But…maybe we should continue this reunion somewhere a little more private. Wanna go to my old dorm?"
Alexis smiled, took his hand, and started to drag her boyfriend to the Slifer grounds. After a few minutes' walk, the couple came to the dorm. Alexis playfully hug-tackled him to the ground, a smile plastered on her face. With her grip still on Jaden, they rolled on the grass until she was on top of him, looking down at his chocolate orbs.
"I love you…" Alexis said lovingly.
"I love you too" Jaden replied, hugging her tighter to show how much she meant to him.
"Man, this place sure brings back some memories, huh Lex?" Jaden remarked, sitting them up straight and looking at his girlfriend with a smile.
"Yeah, sure does. So much has happened these past 3 years. The Shadow Riders, the Society of Light, the Nightshroud incident…"
"…You forgot the Viper and Yubel incidents" Jaden hesitantly mentioned.
"I…I didn't forget about them, Jaden. It's just…" Alexis rubbed her shoulder nervously, her eyes glancing down at the water. "It's just that I know that those were the hardest for you, and I didn't want to bring something up that was gonna cause you more pain."
"I appreciate that, Lex." He then looked up at her and embraced her, rubbing her back in the same comforting manner that she did for him. "But, as much as those events haunt me, and will continue to haunt me for the rest of my life, I don't let the guilt from those days rule my life anymore." He smiled at her and continued "It's like you said, I shouldn't feel so bad about something that was in the past."
She smiled at him and replied "I'm glad." She then leaned forward until their foreheads were touching. "But Jaden, if anything upsets you like that again, don't hesitate to come and talk to me. I'll listen."
Jaden squeezed Alexis tighter, and kissed her cheek. Alexis smiled and lay her head in the crook of his neck, enjoying the moment.
"So, now that we've both graduated, what now?" Alexis wondered out loud. Since I'm studying abroad and Jaden's going to go who knows where, what'll happen to us?
She didn't want to lose him, but with both of them going in separate directions, she was uncertain if they would be able to keep an active relationship with such a long distance between them.
"Well, I'm planning to travel the world and see who I can help along the way." He separated from her arms then, so that they were looking into each other's eyes. "And what about you; didn't you say that you were going to stay at Duel Academy as a researcher?"
She looked away for a moment, and then replied "Actually Jaden, I have a confession to make." Jaden raised an eyebrow in curiosity, but said nothing. "Chancellor Sheppard sent a recommendation for me to study in America, and I've decided to accept."
"I…I see…" Jaden looked away, his thoughts in another place.
"Jaden…" she grabbed his face and turned his head so that he was facing her before resuming "Are you okay? I never meant to upset you; it's just that with everything going on with Trueman and whatnot, there wasn't a lot of time to really have a discussion about our futures. But I know that's no excuse, and I'm sorry…"
Before she could continue her apologetic rant, Jaden placed a finger on her lips and reassured her "Don't be sorry Lex; I'm not angry at you by any means. You should go pursue your dreams; I'm just trying to adjust, is all."
"Jaden…I don't want to lose you; you're too important to me to lose contact with you after we leave Duel Academy."
"Alexis…" he embraced her then, holding her tight, until an idea flashed in his head. "Hey Lex, what would you say if I came to visit you at school every month? That way, we could both pursue our dreams, and we could still keep our relationship."
Alexis stared at him in awe; why didn't I think of that? Instead of saying what she thought, she kissed him. Jaden's brown orbs widened in shock, but returned the kiss until Alexis parted for air.
"You kissed me…"
"I know…I was there" teased Alexis, causing Jaden to smile.
He then embraced his girlfriend, who closed her eyes and returned the embrace with equal fervor.
"I promise to e-mail you every week."
"You'd better" mock threatened Alexis.
At first, Jaden thought Alexis was serious, due to the hard expression on her face, until it softened into a joking smile. She tightened her grip around his neck as she finished "I'm so proud of you, Jay! I know I'll hear all about the great things that you're going to do when I see you again!"
Jaden smiled and replied "And I expect to hear all about how you're helping the next generation of duelists, Rhodes-Sensei!"(1).
"Ha-Ha, very funny, Jaden."
She meant it to be sarcastic, but her heart secretly fluttered at being called by her future title, by Jaden no less, who seemed to embody the exact opposite of formality. She kissed him one last time, before letting go of him.
"Well, I guess this is good-bye for now. See you in a month, anata!" (2)
"Do your best, anata" (2), Jaden replied with a loving smile.
He then ran off, leaving Alexis on the grounds, watching her boyfriend go on his adventures. Yet even though they were separating for now, she knew that it wasn't truly goodbye. Chuckling, she turned to walk back to the Blue Dorm, to change into the dress that Atticus had gotten for her to wear during the Graduation Party. Alright Atti, I'll cave this once.
– Sensei is a title for teachers, which translates to "honorable master". Jaden is using it to refer to Alexis's dream of becoming a teacher.
- Anata is a personal pronoun that means "You", but husbands and wives also use it when speaking to each other, and can roughly translate to "beloved". Jaden and Alexis use it to show their affection for each other.
