Black and Red

Double update today due to a short chapter. Remember to read Gold and Silver, the companion story!

... Still haven't stolen any lines from anything except the actual episode this time... Go figure.

This is the title of the English-dub for Episode 8. Its Japanese version translates to "The Strongest! Cyber End Dragon".

I have never, do not, and likely never will own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX. Thus said, I now encourage you to sell the rights for me, if only so that horrible things may happen!

Chapter 8: For the Sake of Syrus

Sora brushed his fingers over the skin of his arm, still unable to believe he could do so without running up against the barrier of gauze that had been there for so long. Bastion had kept his word, refusing to leave his side unless he was in a public setting where there was little to no chance of being able to slip away and cut himself again. Of course, that had meant that he'd had no interaction with Chazz over the past several days, but his twin was somehow okay with contenting himself with messages sent over the PDA rather than actually talking things out like they had all their lives. Actually, he'd only today wheedled the other Ra into letting him sneak over to the Obelisk dorm to see his twin, where Chazz had been delighted to see him, even if he showed that appreciation by grumbling out curses when he answered the door to his younger brother.

At the sound of the running water stopping—Chazz had to take a shower and Sora had been content to wait until he was done—he hurriedly yanked the sleeve of his yellow uniform jacket down, getting up off the bed and walking over to the window to look down at the courtyard. He saw a red-jacketed brunet by the gate and his silver eyes widened. "Chazz," he called over his shoulder as he opened the window so that the sound could waft up, his tone alerting the ravenet that something important was happening, "look."

"What's your problem?" Jaden cried as the pair of Obelisk students threw him to the ground, causing the elder Princeton twin to bristle.

"I ain't got no problem," one of the two stated cockily, "but you sure will if you don't beat it."

"Yeah," the other snickered, "Zane wouldn't waste his time with you, you're still probably wet behind the ears from pre-duel school."

"I am not!" Jaden protested sharply, getting to his feet, only to receive a bucket of what Sora knew firsthand to be ice water from the two cackling Obelisks.

"Now you are!" they proclaimed, walking away.

The fierceness of Chazz's silver eyes spoke for how much the Obelisk Princeton wanted to clobber the two within an inch of their lives for their past transgressions against Sora and their present ones against Jaden, a temptation exemplified by his fisting hands at his sides, only the knot of his towel keeping his modesty. "Relax Chazz," the redhead soothed, giving the elder twin a playful smile. "Jaden can take care of himself."

The ravenet made a choking sound, startled silver eyes finding their amused counterparts. "I- I'm not concerned about that Slifer slacker!" he protested, a fierce blush bellying his words. "I just don't want to lose the only other duelist at this school good enough to be my rival, that's all!"

"Yeah," Sora muttered, throwing himself down on the bed and bringing a finger up to idly trace out patterns on the ceiling, part of him wondering idly what it would feel like against his bare skin, "you always did defeat me when we were younger…"

"You used your cards expertly," the ravenet admitted as he got dressed in his uniform, "but the only card you ever played was Command Knight."

That's because it's the only card in my deck I ever really bonded with… Sora sighed. "Bastion's keeping a really close eye on me and I don't like it."

"Want me to duel him for you?" The Obelisk snatched up his deck without waiting for an answer.

"No!" Sora yelled, shooting up to grab a hold of his brother's arm. You're my brother, Chazz, but I know that one day, you won't be able to be there for me anymore… and Bastion, I think he might just be the one to be there at my side to catch me when that day comes… He gave an uneasy smile, spreading his hands now that he was assured of his twin's attention. "It's fine."

Chazz searched the redhead's eyes for a prolonged moment before he sighed, rubbing his temples. "All right, Sora, I'll let you handle this one, but if he starts harassing you, you tell me, okay?"

The younger nodded, looking down at his yellow Ra jacket, wrinkling his nose in distaste. "Yellow is not my color," he grouched, picking at the hem of his right sleeve with his left hand. "I wish I could wear something else instead, I just don't know what."

"I'll look into it for you," Chazz answered absently. "Now come on, I'm pretty sure you haven't started on that paper Crowler assigned that's due tomorrow, and you aren't going to get it done here with me." At his twin's pouting expression, he stated, "Come on, Sora, I don't want you getting yelled at just because you're failing Ra."

"Fine," he grouched, "but you'd better do something more productive than daydream about Jaden, Chazz." The blushing Obelisk threw the nearest pillow at the cackling form of his twin brother, not wanting to accidentally hurt his baby brother no matter how angry or embarrassed he was at the time.

Bastion didn't need to look up at his equation at the sound of his door opening, knowing only Sora would bother coming into the mathematician's private quarters without knocking first. And yet he did, unable to contain a hint of worry, that nagging sense of doubt that the redhead's mysterious older brother wouldn't protect him if he wasn't there to explicitly ensure as such. Lately, he hadn't been at ease unless Sora was at his side, something that had been rather awkward even if he had painted over the wall he'd once adorned with the other's deck. Instead, he'd moved it into a red notepad, along with the beginnings of another formula, this one something he was having to come up with from scratch.

Sora fought back a yawn, the notion of work already making him bored. "I've gotta go back to my room today," he stated, his fingers coming up beside him to trace the math of an equation he couldn't quite understand. "Crowler's essay will be easier to write with all those card lists at my disposal."

Bastion got up from his seat on the bed, knowing that the other could all too easily slip into his self-destructive habit otherwise. "Lead the way," he replied, his accent lending itself to the illusion that he was a valiant knight protecting a damsel.

Sora was rummaging through his drawers, searching for a particular handout the Obelisk Blue instructor had given him, and Bastion watching him impassively from the bed—he would have merely let the redhead borrow his own save for the fact that the two had been given different topics and had thus taken different notes—when the door opened, revealing a teal-haired fourth-year Obelisk and a blond third-year Ra, the pair of them appearing to be discussing something, the latter making some motion with their conjoined hands before he paused at the sight of the two younger students. Neither upperclassman said anything as the blond came in, the bluenet leaning against the doorjamb as he waited for the smaller to extract a thick binder from the drawer beside the bed that Sora had never seen used despite the neat crispness of the sheets. Dancing to the other's side with the binder tucked under his arm, the two left, hands twined together.

"I never knew Zane Truesdale was gay," Bastion commented from the bed.

Sora shrugged, finally extracting the sheet he wanted with a cry of triumph. "You'd be surprised how many are," he stated, mentally referring to both Chazz and himself. "Anyway, can I go for a walk tonight? I have something I need to think about."

"Sure," the ravenet agreed. "I trust you."

Sora was walking along the docks when he came across a duel between the uptight Obelisk from earlier, Zane, and none other than Jaden. Unfortunately, he came onto the scene just in time to see the former's Cyber End Dragon completely obliterate the E-Hero Mudballman on the field and the remainder of Jaden's Life Points. Jaden… lost? the redhead thought in shock, his silver eyes wide. In spite of his worry, he pulled his PDA from his pocket as he turned his back on the duel and strode back to his dorm.

Chazz's face came on in a matter of moments, ebony hair tousled more than usual due to the fact that he had been sleeping before the call had come. "What is it, Sora?" he asked brusquely, fighting back a yawn.

"Jaden dueled Zane Truesdale and lost," he stated blankly.

Chazz blinked in surprise, the words not quite making their way through his head. "Jaden… lost?" he parroted confusedly. "How? When? Why? How?"

"Zane got out his Cyber End Dragon," the redhead explained. That was all he needed to say; both Princeton boys knew the fearsome machine fusion monster delivered piercing damage and the only card in his deck that could have protected the brunet from it would have been Winged Kuriboh, the only thing to defeat it Winged Kuriboh Level 10. Even in their own decks, neither Princeton had a card powerful enough to take down the End Dragon alone—Sora would have been able to do it by boosting his highfliers with at least two Command Knights and Chazz gain the monster with his Chthonian Blast, but both solutions would have tentative at best.

"Thanks Sora," Chazz murmured, moving to shut off the devise, but the younger cut him off.

"I'm not done," the redhead added. "I saw my roommate today, and from the look of things, he and Zane are boyfriends."

"Thanks for the gossip, Sora," Chazz replied after a long moment, this time succeeding in his endeavor to disconnect, and leaned back in his chair thoughtfully. He knew firsthand that Zane Truesdale was a powerful duelist and by no means unattractive, but for some reason, he didn't care about the older boy. Sure, it could have been because he knew the upperclassman was out of his reach, taken by Sora's Ra roommate, but the fact that he might not be able to have the object of his affections hadn't stopped him when it came to Jaden Yuki.

He sighed, shaking his head. When it came right down to it, he couldn't deny that he was captivated by Jaden, not Zane. Zane was a fine catch, but… he wanted Jaden… right? Thoroughly regretting answering his PDA by this point, he dumped himself in his bed, figuring it an argument best considered at a later time.

Bastion: ... Did you just add in some ZanexChazz there?

... Um, yes?

Jaden: HOW COULD YOU? *slaps Chazz and Die*

...

Chazz: ...

Bastion: ... Review?

Last edited: 10/20/2011