Yugioh: To hell and back.
Chapter four: the blue bird and the guardian.
Authors note: Fourth chapter and I still haven't introduced the entire main cast yet. Please review.
/School hallway/Normal pov/
Jaden was dragged from corridor to corridor while Jesse kept chattering about whatever. He marveled at the fact that the school while seemingly big on the outside was huge on the inside, very sterile and uninspiring and sometimes the corridors seemed longer then time allowed or maybe he just fell asleep while they were walking (god I'm tired) Jaded thought to himself.
Jesse seemed like an okay guy at least a bit of a drag but an okay guy. His family moved here when the city was founded and made a living as the oldest running convenient store in town. He and Jaden walked down the corridor and chit-chatting about various themes that always seemed to return to the following question.
"So what's the deal with blue bird anyway?" Jaden spoke while crossing his arms behind his head.
"What that again" Jesse sighed and wrinkled his forehead "I thought you'd give up by now if I kept you distracted." He humorously and stated to grin. "If you have to know it's a nickname I got from elementary school when I was nine it's been sticking with me since then" he continued flatly.
"Yeah but how did you get it?" Jaden asked.
"That's a story for another time" Jesse answered and smiled "Don't get me wrong I like you but I'm not certain I am willing to let you get that far into my life" he said and smiled to Jaden "most people have to buy me dinner before" he joked but Jaden twitched nervously.
"Right… eh he" Jaden nervously laughed in response (oh good god he's coming on to me) he thought and stared a Jesse as if he thought the guy was about to give birth to an alien. After several seconds of staring Jesse broke the silence.
"Uh Jaden my eyes are up here" he said and pointed towards his face. It took a second but then Jaden realized that he had been staring at Jesse chest the whole time "okayI see … haven't been with too many girls so you're checking your options" Jesse sarcastically teased while covering his chest.
"I did not stare at you like that… I was just thought uh!" Jaden exclaimed "I just thought that uh… never mind" he gave up and prepared to say something but Jesse cut him off.
"Thought what? Look It's okay to like me lots of people do but I think it's better if we just remain friends" He continued clearly hysterically amused at Jaden's expression.
"What!" Jaden raised his voice but his high pitch voice made him sound like a chipmunk on steroids. He quickly harkened his voice in order to make it deeper and more manly but the damage was done. Jesse was holding his stomach laughing without control.
"Oh Christ your face, I didn't know eyes could get that big!" he spat out while struggling to breathe.
"Ha ha" Jaden drawled back "if you're done I got things to take care off so if you don't mind I'll be leaving" Jaden said dryly.
"Oh don't be like that I was only joking" Jesse said apologetically.
"Yeah I know it's just… that I thought you were hitting on me" Jaden began and now it was Jesse's eyes that widened "what!" he shrieked.
"Well yeah when you mentioned dinner and all I thought you were hinting that I should ask you out." Jaden explained but it didn't seem any less dumb when he tried to explain it.
"You haven't been with many people at all have you?" Jesse raised his right brow.
"Am I that obvious" Jaden answered "No my best friend in France was a biker who my mom hated and his two friends" Continued and took a deep breath "In fact I've made just as many friends today as I did in all my time in Caen" Jaden stated with a moderate surprise at this sudden realization.
"Wow" Jesse said almost stunned with the new information his surprise as obvious as Jaden's "Really three people that's all hell I know half the school here if anyone need anything they come to me" he said with pride.
"Yeah but you'd probably avoid many close connection's if you move around as often as I" Jaden pointed.
"Sure probably… what does this mean that you won't be leaving anytime soon?" Jesse asked while scratching his spiky blue hair.
"I don't know mom didn't tell me much when she decided to leave" Jaden smirked. "To tell you the truth I wasn't planning on talking this long with anybody but I met this girl when I walked to school and from there it just rolled on" Jaden said while leaning against a nearby wall.
"Oh how romantic" Jesse said and made fake kiss noises "was is love on first sight?" he sarcastically asked prompting Jaden to punch him on the arm.
"It wasn't like that beside she's already with somebody" Jaden said and smiled as Jesse rubbed his arm.
"Ouch all right sorry I was only hoping you'd score with somebody" He said faking sadness "I guess that's what I'll get for trying to be nice" he lamented and pretended to wipe away tears.
They both had a good laugh at his antics and decided to head out. It was empty in the school mostly because most students were in class and the rest had gone home. When they reached outside to the schools front gate Jesse stopped and checked his cell for massages.
"Wait I got to read this real quick" he said.
"All right" Jaden stopped and looked around he noticed that the school lay next to a road and across that he saw a shop who's sign read "Heart in the cards" and he remembered the note Yusei left him (Yugi Moto) he thought.
"So Jaden you don't happen to know Alexis Rhodes do you?" Jesse asked suspiciously.
"Yeah she's the girl I mentioned earlier why?" Jaden answered and stared at the direction of the shop.
"Nothing she's just texted me to say see you soon to you when we got outside" he said and rubbed his forehead "How the hell she knows whatever I do is beyond me" he added.
"Ok nice of her" (so he doesn't know huh, does that mean he's not trustworthy?) Jaden thought.
"Sure is I usually never get messages from her let alone messages regarding other students" Jesse sad with a hint of suspicion and turned towards the direction of where Jaden was looking. "That's a game shop if you wonder they're good people. There is a smaller corner shop just down the streets it's a little longer and the shopkeeper isn't that nice but they also sell smokes and booze to the students" He said and turned towards Jaden.
"No thank you I just need that one" Jaden answered flatly and gestured at the game shop.
"All right listen I got to go but I'll find you tomorrow and help you get started" Jesse said quickly ran off to wherever he was going. Jaden stood there and waited for a sign of sorts. He hadn't met this Yugi Moto before but if he's instinct were right any friend of Yusei got to have something shady in the back pocket.
/Flashback/Vision/
Jaden sat around a table with Yusei and Jack and crow playing a game of hold em while listening to Jack ranting about one of his past exorcisms.
"And anyhow that day I learned that if you plan to exorcise a demon don't do it near a gas station the collateral damage caused attracts far too much attention" Jack stated "and the burn marks stings for weeks" he finished and rubbed his back to show off where he got burned.
"Yes we get it you've told that story over and over again" Crow complained while rubbing his templates.
"Jaden hasn't" Jack defended and nodded to Jaden.
"True but I don't really care" Jaden remarked.
"Oh you can all just go to hell" Jack spat and sat down moping "just deal me in" he muttered to Yusei.
"Well when you're all upset like that I'm not sure" Yusei mocked him.
"Yusei not now" Jack warned.
"I'm just saying that if you're that upset about Jaden's neglect of your story then I don't know how you'll react when I rob you of all your money" Yusei challenged and dealt a round of card.
"Oh really… Yusei you haven't won a single game since Vegas and that time we had to shoot our way to the border of Mexico" Jack countered with a smirk.
Now it was Yusei's turn to defend "True but I won sixteen million dollars" he pointed.
"Sixteen million dollars that we got mugged off by Mexican border guards" Jack answered "and then there's Kessler" He mournfully mentioned.
"Poor Kessler" Crow added and lowered his head in mourning.
"Poor Kessler" Yusei concurred and did the same.
Jack then pulled fourth a bottle of scotch and poured three small glasses and handed Yusei and Crow one. "To Kessler that brave son of a bitch" he said and raised his glass.
"To Kessler" Yusei and Crow answered raising their glasses.
"Who's Kessler?" Jaden asked completely lost in the conversation.
"No one anymore" Crow answered coldly but his eyes betrayed his sorrow.
No one mentioned anything about Kessler or Vegas after that but Yusei told him later that neither he or Jack or Crow could return to North America for a long time and that it was best for Jaden not to ask anything more.
/Flashback/Vision/End/
Drowning his suspicion Jaden took a couple of steps across the streets and stared at the wooden door entrance, nothing spectacular about it. It was an ordinary green door with a sign saying open on the outside.
"Hello… anyone here?" Jaden asked as he opened the door and stepped inside. The shop had many books of information regarding different role-playing games and other board games but there was also an occult feel to it when he entered it. He noticed the many dream catchers hanging from the ceiling and different pentagram painted on the walls. It was otherwise a largely empty place some shelf here and there dark boring colors and a door at the far end of the room with a window it looked like it was an office in there.
"Back here!" A soft yet pitched voice sounded in the background. A boy stepped fourth from the door, he was a little than Jaden but something told him that he was a lot older.
"Hi… Yugi I guess?" Jaden asked rather uncomfortable "A friend of mine and associate of yours told me to find you when I moved in" He continued as the boy analyzed what he said. He scratched his blond messy hair that was literally all over the place almost like he'd not showered in two weeks. He had a weird coloring of purple at the center of the bush. His clothes looked like something Ricky Martin would wear to a concert tight black leather pants, a black tank-top, and a blue Jacket over that. But what was most intriguing about him was the strange pyramid like object dangling from a chain on his neck. Even from across the room Jaden could feel the ominous presence radiating from that piece alone. If he didn't know better he'd say it was demonic in nature.
"It wouldn't be Yusei now would it?" He cheerfully asked and practically shined (How in the world can somebody look so happy) Jaden wondered as he stared at the boy.
"Yeah that's him… why did he tell you to expect me?" Jaden asked tensing up slightly as the boy took a few more steps towards him.
"He told me about you" He stated and smiled even more as he reached in to his pocket and pulled out a piece of paper and handed it to Jaden.
(What the…?) Jaden thought as he read the paper to himself. Sorry Yugi won't be able to repay you anytime soon, don't worry I'll send someone over to handle the debt his name is Jaden you'll like him brown hair dumb look…(The hell) slightly nervous easy to spot.
"What does this mean?" Jaden quizzed as he looked bewildered around the room for escape routes "I wasn't told that I was suppose to work off a dept" he continued.
"Don't worry about that" Yugi answered calmly. He reached in to his pocket again and this time pulled fourth an old key clearly made for a small casket or box. Jaden accepted the key and observed it was clear silver with a little tint of rust on it. "Yusei asked that I give you this token as a welcome gift" Yugi explained but Jaden gave him only a blank stare as an answer "It's for a box I have stored in my office" he explained further and sighed in relief as Jaden gave a enlightened "aha" in response (Oh god Yusei didn't lie he is dumb) an inner dark voice sounded in Yugi's mind. (No Atem don't be like that he's just confused) Yugi answered the voice with his thoughts.
"Yeah of course is it ok if I get it myself?" Jaden asked as he turned towards the office door.
"It's all right help yourself" Yugi responded and moved out of the way and gestured for Jaden to proceed.
Jaden wasted no time and proceeded in to the office opened the door. Yugi's office or offices were a great contrast to his store yet kept a similar felling to it. It had a retro look to it like a 1980th common office space and an odd vanilla smell to it. There were booths from where desks where separated from each other to give personal space. Every desk had a laptop on it and a phone some documents and pencil cases.
The box was a hand carved well decorated piece but since Jaden didn't have time or the interest to admire it he roughly shoved the key in and tore up the lid. In the box was a golden medallion with Celtic inscriptions carefully engraved on it. Jaden picked the Medallion up and observed it (Why would Yusei want me to have this?) he thought as he put it in his pocket and turned to Yugi.
"Hey Yugi why do you think Yusei gave me this?" Jaden asked as he waved the medallion in front of Yugi.
/Yugi's shop/Outside Garden/
After he retrieved it they had walked outside to a hidden café area behind the store apparently the store was part of a large building complex with an open center that Yugi turned into his own personal Garden of Eden. Yugi's store was a mix of game shop and weird deliveries drop off the less said about that the better Yugi stated.
"I have honestly no idea" Yugi answered and grabbed the piece. He carefully examined it and compared it to his own pyramid dangling on his neck. "It seems to be similar to my puzzle but it's too small to be serviceable" he concluded.
"Serviceable?" Jaden asked.
"Wait a minute" Yugi answered. He grabbed his piece and it began to shine Jaden looked stunned as a golden third eye opened on Yugi's forehead and light engulfed him. "It serves as a vessel for powerful guardian spirits" a dark remarkably masculine voice sounded that really threw Jaden off guard.
"Wait did you just hit puberty? What the hell did you just do?" Jaden questioned while he tried to absorb just what he'd seen.
He looked exactly the same but at the same time he was notoriously different it was almost as if he was more stoic in appearance despite in no increase in height the man looked like a giant in comparison to Yugi. Suddenly it struck Jaden that this man wasn't Yugi but someone entirely different. The man didn't say anything but seem to get from Jaden's expression that he understood just what was going on and simply nodded in response to Jaden's questioning look.
"Who are you?" Jaden finally asked when he'd established that this wasn't Yugi.
"My name is Atem and the puzzle on Yugi's neck is my vessel, I'm his guardian spirit" He stated while tapping on the puzzle.
"What's a guardian spirit?" Jaden asked.
"A guardian spirit to put it simply an alter ego nothing more nothing less" Atem answered.
"An alter ego… you mean like a schizophrenic?" Jaden asked and scratching his head.
"Close but not quite… schizophrenics aren't aware that the voices are not real and just imaginary and they cannot control what they say or when they speak". He explained and took a deep breath "My relationship with Yugi is a lot more symbiotic in nature he calls for my help and I do not impose myself on him if he desires silence then I'll respect that" he finished.
"All right cool but what do you mean with serviceable?" Jaden asked and reached to take his medallion back.
"I mean that it's too small to host a spirit or anything significant... it's almost like" Atem didn't finish the sentence until the medallion popped open and a flash of blasted fourth. Atem rubbed his eyes as the temporary blindness wore off, he looked around to find Jaden passed out on the ground
/Flashback/Vision/
Jaden looked round as he found himself in a tent on a hill with a campfire outside with several other tents in a circle around it. Feeling disoriented because of the bright flash he was dizzy and his eyes had not adjusted to the sudden dark of the night. When his eyes had adjusted he searched the tent for anyone else and found none so he stepped out. There were four men sitting around the campfire talking in a strange language. He contemplated approaching them but was too frightened considering the fact that they were all sharpening their axes and waving daggers around. Then suddenly one of the men rose up and headed for the tent that he was standing in front of (oh crap) Jaden panicked and froze into position to afraid to move.
But surprisingly the man simply walked to him without any qualms or concern. Jaden raised his hands in an attempt to apologize for his presence through erratic sign language why he did so he didn't know the more he thought about it the dumber it looked, how this man would know what his signs meant was beyond him. As he frantically debated communication skills in his head the man simply went further on and passed right through him without even looking at him.
(What?) Jaden asked himself as the man went in to the tent and began looking through the makeshift bed made of furs. He looked around him and despite his position his presence had not attracted any attention at all (so I'm invisible. well swell) Jaden thought.
Losing interest in the four men who apparently was to occupied with eating and beating each other over the head with the blunt end of their axes to notice him even without his apparent invisibility Jaden looked around and found similar circles of campfires and tent's around him and he realized that it was a military camp for an upcoming battle.
Deciding to head to higher ground for a better view he looked to a hill not too far away from the campfires. Walking up the hill he saw the many men in the camp beginning to move picking up their weapons and shields and began marching down to what appear to be a river with boats on the shore line.
Reaching the hill top he saw a man reaching his hands to the sky and chanting some form of hymn. On the ground around him there were circles of symbols and runes their design was different from the one that Jaden use but they were undoubtedly Seals of power. His chanting
Thunder crashed down and rain began to pour down mercilessly drowning out the campfires. A massive fog appeared and made it impossible to see anything of what occurred beneath the hill. Winds furiously tore through Jaden's hair and he could feel hails of eyes hitting his head.
The man turned around to walk down to the other's but only after he picked up a sword and fastened it to his belt. But then Jaden saw his face.
"Yusei!" Jaden practically shouted as he stared at the man.
"No… no no this can't be right" he stuttered in disbelief as he continued to stare. This was absurd the similarities were there but it couldn't be so. Yusei was not a Dark Age warrior and certainly this man could not be Yusei. He looked exactly like Yusei if he had been clawed over the face by an animal and his beard was a neatly combed goatee with braids in it but other than that he was identical to Yusei and the fact that he used the faith to bring down a storm wasn't something that was impossible to Yusei given Jaden's experience with the guy.
The man stooped and looked at him (Oh crap he can see me) Jaden thought as the man moved his lips to say something.
"Jaden!" the man said and lightning struck down around them. "Jaden!" the man repeated and once again lightning struck. It was strange cause it was like the sound came from him but it didn't sound like his voice or any voice that Jaden could identify as human it was more like a far off whisper.
"Hey wake up!" he thought the man said but then lightning came down striking Jaden in the face.
/Flashback/Vision/End/
"Jaden wake up!" Atem's voice brought him back to reality.
"What? What happened?" Jaden asked.
"I could ask you the same question" Atem answered and helped him off the ground. Brushing away some dust that had gather on Jaden's he noticed his disorientated face and shaky posture "are you all right?" he asked.
"No… not really" Jaden answered and rubbed his eyes as if to clear away the confusion. "It's all been so messed up the past two days" he added.
"How come? I'd figured a demon hunter would be used to abnormal circumstances" Atem rhetorically answered.
"Yeah so did I" Jaden smirked in response "but recently it's been so personally I don't know what to do" he continued and looked around "where's the amulet?" he asked.
Atem reached in to his pocket and pulled fourth some scrap metal "I'm sorry but after the flash it simply fell apart when It had fulfilled it's purpose" he said and dropped the metal on the ground.
The memories of the event began to return to Jaden. The flash, the vision and the…
"Yusei" Jaden whispered causing Atem to raise an eyebrow.
"What about him?" he asked.
"I think I saw him in this dream thing" Jaden began and later told him all about the strange vision from the men with the axes to Yusei standing on top of a hill calling down thunder.
"Strange it would seem that Yusei aimed for you to see the past of this island" Atem concluded from his story "Funny that he would show you the battle that would make warlord Jarak the most feared of his age" he added.
"Jarak" Jaden said and remembered the book he got from Banner. "I've heard of him what's so funny about it?" he asked.
"It is funny because the battle took place in Saxon Germany and it was only a decade later that Jarak would come to this island and build his fortress in what is now the upper district of domino city but I guess that you'd have to read his chronicles to understand it."Atem stated and Jaden's brain began to hurt.
"This is all so messed, up an island appearing out of nowhere, an unknown king that changed history and come to think of it if this nation has only existed for a decade why has it so many old Victorian buildings in it?" Jaden rambled on as he tried to get a fix on things "it just doesn't make sense" He concluded.
"Well maybe it was fate that drew you here to make sense of it" Atem reassured him "To be honest the mysteries of this island are what drew me here in the first place too".
'Atem paused and turned towards the back door that led to his shop "come with me we have work to do" He stated and turned towards Jaden with a wicked smile that made him gulp.
/Yugi's shop/office space/
"So what work did you have in mind?" Jaden asked getting increasingly concerned with the troubling silence from Atem.
"Information gathering paranormal investigation demonic exorcism that sort of work" Atem who had never stopped grinning since he got inside, answered while humming a lullaby for himself. He then pulled fourth a desk to the center of the room and cleared it of papers and other junk. Then he put a map on top of it and drew a circle around a specific area. "So ever heard of Domino city's 'medical campus'?" he asked.
/End of chapter 4/Authors note/
Alright I've screwed up real bad when it comes to updating it's mostly because I've had "national test's" these last two months making it almost impossible to get any writing done.
In the next chapter I will try to explain more about this island's mysteries without giving away to much. One of the topics will be the old Victorian buildings on an island discovered in the 90th and what shady business could Yugi be up to.
That said I'm also going to have take a little brake from writing and correcting some errors in my previous chapters wrong word, misspelling that sort of thing
Once again thank you all for reading this and special big thanks to anyone (or the only one :D) who bother to review. Please write more I need it.