The very next morning proved to be the most exciting morning for him. The sun rose, and his body told him that the older boy was just beginning to get up as well. He opened his eyes to the newfound daylight, and almost immediately jumped up at the chance to get to see him.
Jaden sat up in his bed, smiling and looking about him, tearing the sheets off of him and setting his feet down upon the floor, gazing at the older boy who was stirring only a little bit. He bit his lip in anticipation.
Gathering some other clothing he had in his drawers, he ran to put on the shower, stripping himself and jumping in, wanting to make himself clean for Yusei. He had never bothered to do this for anyone else, but for Yusei… well he would do just about anything.
Last night had meant so much to him, as their hands intertwined and their bodies embraced. He shivered as the warm water ran over him, reminding him of that strong chest that was placed against his head. He sighed, closing his eyes and letting the memory live in his head for as long as he could. He never knew his heart could beat so fast.
He heard the little one get up, and as he pulled the sheets back he yawned, cracking his back and smiling at himself. The thoughts from last night drifted in his head, and his fingers trembled; remember the very feel of silk. It was so warm to him, so pleasantly warm. Yusei felt like it was the first time that he could honestly just think to himself and let go of all the burdens he had carried on his shoulders.
Planting his feet upon the cold ground, he stood up, gazing out into the sun that shone through the window. It signaled a new day for them both… a new day that would bring about some changes. They were aware of each other's feelings now, and they were sure that the warmth between them was only going to increase.
Closing his eyes momentarily he heard footsteps coming from the bathroom. Quickly opening his eyes turning around, Yusei spied Jaden in a regular black shirt with a pair of jeans. Jaden had changed just for him. Yusei smiled a bit, his eyes softening when the latter came in and closed the door behind him. Jaden was red, but a smile crossed his face.
"Your turn."
Walking over to him casually, Yusei embraced Jaden gently, holding him against his body. Jaden froze for a second, but then returned the embrace, that smile getting wider on his face. Fingers ran through Jaden's hair as the older boy spoke softly, almost whispering into his ear.
"Good morning."
Letting go of him almost reluctantly, Yusei grabbed his clothes and headed towards the bathroom, closing the door behind him softly. Jaden couldn't help but turn and smile at him when Yusei shut the door, giddily getting ready and adjusting his hair properly. He was just so happy, the feelings inside of him buzzing and twirling around in his body. It was like something inside of him just wanted to scream and proclaim its joy to the world.
It took a few minutes for Yusei to get out of the shower, but when he did he didn't see anybody in Jaden's room. He tilted his head, walking barefoot around the dorm until he found Jaden stirring up some breakfast in the kitchen. A smile spread across Yusei's face as he came closer to the youth, tapping him lightly on the shoulder.
Jaden turned around and smiled at him, holding up a spatula. The blue eyes traced Jaden as the boy began to speak, pots and pans littering the kitchen and a speck of spice upon his face.
"I thought we could eat in today! I wanted to take you somewhere special!"
Licking his lips and nodding, Yusei flicked the spice off of Jaden's cheek, making him blush just a little bit. "What did you have in mind?"
Yusei was only in his towel, but he seemed to have no problem approaching Jaden as such. It was Jaden who had the problem with seeing the slim and tight body of Yusei's. It was like he was out of a Calvin Klein magazine or something. It was just a little bit ridiculous. But then again, he had a feeling Yusei didn't act this way around just anyone.
"It's a surprise!" Jaden replied, turning back around and flipping over some eggs he had on the pan. Before he could grab the salt he felt arms wrap around his neck and stop his movements. A nose was planted inside of his neck and a sultry voice spoke to him.
"You're not going to tell me?"
Jaden's cheeks flared; his heart beginning to pound madly. Yusei was comfortable hugging him like that, and yet it was Jaden who seemed to be having the most problems with all of this. They had gotten past the awkward stage yes, but it seemed as though Yusei was having fun with all of this.
Laughing lightly Yusei released him and went back into the bedroom, stopping for a second to speak.
"I'll be out in a minute."
The door was closed and his hands went to work on making more food for Yusei. He was set on his task, the eggs cooking rather nicely and the bacon smelling up the room. It wasn't like he had ever cooked before, but being out on his own for a while showed him a few things or two. Even as a child his parents weren't really around, so he had to fend for himself. Jaden had learned that certain things were not to be taken for granted. Yusei for example.
Yusei was the type of person to hide things, but it seemed as if when he was with Jaden, he could open up into another world that made him want to share things and explore the innards of his heart. He could be comfortable.
Yusei… what do you think of me?
The beast roared, struggling to release itself. The dark aura that surrounded it could not penetrate the cage which contained it. Its wings were almost broken and beaten from the times it tried to escape. It roared again, smashing itself against the cage. In rebuttal, the cage shocked the beast, sending it howling and roaring again.
The purple walls were dripping with slime and ooze, the cavern wet and damp as it was without the needless dripping of the dragon's blood. It wished to be set free, to wreak havoc on the world that so cruelly imprisoned it within this tiny cage. All he wanted was to eat a few continents, that was all! And yet the people seemed to think of this as a bad thing, and insisted that he stop and be imprisoned. How cruel!
He roared again, calling upon the one human who understood him the best. The man appeared slowly from the darkness, holding up two things in his hand. The blond hair swayed back and forth as the servant knelt down humbly to his master, throwing the cards to the dragon's mouth.
Engulfing it whole and roaring in approval, the dragon could feel its energy come back more and more, the crystal ball inside of the man's pocket glowing with more light now.
When will I be free?
The dragon demanded, glaring at the man who was his little slave. Heresy had to almost lay down to see straight up into its eyes, but he remained calm and collected even in this situation.
"My lord, you will be set free in just a few days… be patient. Soul energy is hard to find."
Get it quickly! I wish to be set free from my imprisonment!
The dragon tilted its head back and roared again, bashing against the cage that only shocked it more. Its life was based on the three cavern walls that surrounded it and the electrical cage that was the only opening to the outside world. Here in this damp cavern he lay, waiting for the day that he could once again regain his strength and rule over the planet.
The man lowered his head, bowing to his master and setting out a card. A dragon appeared before him, tying them together with that silver light. It growled, bowing to Heresy and allowing him to get on before riding off.
"I shall be back master… with more soul energy to suffice your hunger."
In a flash of darkness he was gone, leaving the dragon to his roaring. The beast flicked its tail against the wall, crumbling a good portion of it. It reared its fangs and howled, awaiting his servants return.
"Can I open my eyes?"
"Not yet!"
"Jaden, c'mon!"
"No! It's a surprise I said!"
Yusei held onto Jaden for support, not knowing exactly where he was going. He could feel the sun on him, as they were outside and walking towards the surprise that Jaden had in mind. He took little baby steps as not to trip, but Jaden held his arm the entire way, making him feel more comfortable about everything.
They had been walking for a few minutes now, and only when Jaden stopped in his tracks did Yusei dare to ask again. "Can I open them now?"
"Yeah."
Opening his eyes and blinking twice, Yusei gasped at what he saw before him. Jaden smiled, laughing. He had found this place overnight, their little hugging session warming his heart and wanting to do something special for Yusei. It wasn't like they were going out or anything, but he had a feeling that they were getting somewhere close to the middle.
"Surprise."
Yusei only barely heard Jaden's voice as he approached the building, his eyes wide in awe. He swallowed dryly, his eyes trembling. "This is…"
"The future Ener-D building… it's the prototype building for now." Jaden's head rose to the silver building that stood before them, towering over much of the city. Birds perched outside of the building, pecking at the glass windows and flying above. It was a good day to give him a surprise.
"This is where it all started…" Yusei murmured, taking a look inside. "They've even got those… energy modules…" he was nearly speechless, but Jaden walked up behind him with confidence and strength. "I wanted to give you a little taste of your home, since you're so far away from it right now…"
His voice trailed off, but he knew he had just made Yusei's day. The older boy turned around, a grateful and yet sad smile upon his tan face. "Thank you… Jaden… you don't know… what this means to me."
With a sudden movement, Jaden could feel his hand being tugged towards the door, his friend dragging him nearer to him and nearly dragging him inwards. He blinked a few times, his heart warming and a sudden light going through him.
He had made Yusei's heart light.
"Look at all this stuff! The prototype for the Duel Runners… the engine gears… everything we ever did is right here in front of us!" Jaden was too busy looking at another part to really be paying attention, but he could hear the enthusiasm in Yusei's voice.
The building was full of people, and the hustle made Yusei even more excited. It was rare to see him like this, but Jaden was happy just to be there with him. They had made their way inside and towards the more interesting part of the building, where they kept the prototypes for the future. This was knowledge that New Domino had lost, and Domino City still had. It was valuable for Yusei to know where his roots stemmed from.
Before long they both got hungry and decided to stop for lunch, Yusei offering to buy Jaden something since he had treated him so nicely. They stepped outside, Jaden arguing with Yusei over the food issue.
"But I don't mind paying Yusei!" he retorted, gazing at his friend. Yusei shook his head, grabbing Jaden's hand and tugging him towards a noodle cart. "It'll be my treat. I owe you for breakfast anyways."
Jaden smiled warily but complied with Yusei's demands. Stepping beside him, he noticed that Yusei hadn't let go of his hand, and that they were beginning to get strange looks from passerby's. Jaden's cheeks flushed again, a sweat forming on his brow. He wasn't exactly comfortable with putting their unknown status out to the world, especially since he didn't know where he stood with the whole relationship thing.
"Yusei…" he began, trying to tug away from the older boy. "We… we're attracting attention…"
The taller boy looked around, seeing a few stares from people. He gazed at them for a few seconds before taking Jaden in for a strong embrace. Jaden cried out in surprise when he did this, but Yusei would not be swayed. His face was stern as ever, and even a little protective as the people continued to stare.
"Let them see." He murmured, bringing Jaden closer to him. The younger boy's eyes dimmed with happiness as he snuggled into Yusei's grip, embracing him back. The man at the noodle cart had his eyebrows raised at the sudden movement, but made no attempt to break them up. Love was love after all.
After a few seconds the people passed, getting bored of the scene. Yusei finally broke off, Jaden turning red with both excitement and embarrassment. He felt so lucky, so lucky to have Yusei in his life. If it wasn't love that he felt towards Yusei, then he wasn't even sure what love was. He would do anything for him, anything. He wondered if Yusei felt the same way.
"I'd like…"
His words were drowned out by the sounds of a scream, followed by another scream, which then in turn followed another scream. Jaden gazed up into the sky, his eyes turning with rage. "That sounds familiar."
"Yeah, it looks like our friend is back."
Yusei's eyes began to light up with anticipation as the sky darkened, the clouds whisking into the sun and blocking it. The wind picked up as well, and a familiar face greeted them. Jaden growled, clenching his fist.
"Heresy!"
The man chuckled, nodding at both boys. "Good afternoon! How goes the little adventurous two?"
"What do you want Heresy?" Yusei demanded, getting straight to the point. Heresy seemed to sigh, his dragon setting very gently upon the ground and letting him off. "Oh poo. You're no fun. I was planning on having a little bit more fun time with you two!"
"Where is the dragon?" Yusei asked, glaring at him. "We know you have a beast you're going to resurrect, so where is it?"
"He is everywhere, yet nowhere. Do you understand that?" Jaden blinked, scratching his head. "Run that by me again?"
Heresy giggled, putting a hand into his pocket and fetching out a card. "Do you see this?" he asked the boys, holding it up for them. Yusei peered at it, growling.
"What is that?"
The card was nothing but blank, much like previous ones. The only thing about this card was that it was slightly glowing. Jaden sighed, shaking his head.
"Don't tell me you're gonna start trapping people in cards too!"
"Are you mad? why would I do that? Only a fool would do that!" Heresy spat, clearly infuriated by the comment. Yusei pursed his lips.
"Then why do you have a blank card?"
"This is a gateway between the times."
"A gateway?"
"Yes. With spiritual energy comes a great deal of power, and with power one can do many things with that!"
"Like opening gates to other universes." Finished Jaden, who was exasperated at this point. There was just simply too much terminology for him to remember.
The dragon before them began to holler now, awaiting its chance at some action. Yusei backed up into Jaden, holding out an arm to protect him. Jaden gasped slightly, staring at Yusei. The older boy's eyes were set upon the dragon, his body ready at any point to summon his own sparkling dragon.
With a flick the card was tossed into the air, a blinding light seething from it and threatening to rip a hole into the space it occupied. It broke into a thousand shards, sounds of glass falling upon pavement ringing through the air. Out of the hole in the space came a claw, followed by a plated arm, which then was followed by another dragon of some sorts, although this dragon was familiar to Yusei.
His eyes widened as his body froze, shock overcoming his face. "It's…"
A large red and black dragon appeared before them, growling and hissing terribly and making the wind shake. The horns on its head were sharp with anger, and its body was writhing with some unknown pain.
"Yes, very good Yusei. It's the dragon your friend holds so dear to his heart. Jack is it not?" asked Heresy, chuckling at his comment. "Red Dragon Archfiend… lovely dragon isn't he?"
Archfiend raised its head and blasted an air wave, sending a few buildings to crumble before them. Yusei tackled Jaden to the ground, avoiding a falling tree. The two boys crumpled in a heap, coughing from the dust of the sand.
The man laughed at them, jumping back onto his immense dragon and leaving them as is, his hand waving to them in the distance. "See you in the finale boys!"
Pushing himself up and growling, Jaden began to feel the tingle of energy ride through him, Neos making itself present. Yusei narrowed his eyes, the tingle running down his body as well and a growl escaping his lips.
They stood up together, side by side, and let out a cry that echoed towards the heavens above. They were one, they protected each other, and they were going to save the world.
"Let's go!"
