Back at Grandma Jackie's House…
A tangible silence filled the living room as Jacqueline paused in her story. The children and the adults were all gazing intently at her, their expressions mixtures of shock and sorrow.
"That was really sad, Grandma," Hannah finally broke the silence, her soft voice thick with unshed tears. "Poor Papa Jack…"
"It wasn't all sad, sweetheart," said her father comfortingly. "I mean, Jack had some good memories: when he met Yusei, that Christmas Eve with Martha…"
"But he betrayed them all!" Charlie argued. "We all know the story, Uncle Evan, we know how Jack left Yusei and Martha and all them to become a duelist! And then Jessica…"
"I don't get it," murmured Amber. "I thought Papa Jack loved Grandma Carly?"
"He did, sweetheart," explained Granma Jackie, "but this happened before he met Carly Carmine. He hadn't fallen in love with her yet."
"I thought Christmas stories were supposed to be happy," grumbled Addy. "This isn't a very happy story."
"Now, hang on a minute," chuckled Jackie, "the story isn't over yet! In the true stories, a lot of sad stuff happens before the happy ending."
"So it does end happy?" asked Joseph hopefully.
"Of course!" exclaimed Jackie.
"Then tell more!" cried Piper. "Please, Grandma, get to the happy stuff!"
"Kaiba's ghost said there were three Spirits," piped up Addy. "If Yugi was the first, then who's the second?"
Grandma Jackie chuckled again. "Alright, alright, settle down children, I'm getting to that. Now let me see, where was I…"
STAVE THREE: THE SECOND OF THE SPIRITS
Part One: Get Your Game On!
Jack woke with a start. Strange… he couldn't remember going to bed when he got back. It took a moment for his eyes to adjust to the dark as he was still partially blinded by Yugi Muto's light. He sat up slowly, trying to gather his thoughts. The wound in his chest was still there, throbbing painfully as thoughts of Jessica rushed through his head. He took her pendent in his palm and gazed at it, lost in grief and regret. It had been a long time since he had thought of her. How could he have forgotten?
Maybe she had been right. His dream of fame and glory had blinded him to what was most important. Jack thought again about how he had betrayed Yusei and the others and felt a twinge of regret. Now not only was his first love gone forever, but his best friends, the people he had once thought family, would possibly never trust him again…
The champion glanced at the clock. Once again, it was almost one o'clock in the morning.
"Expect the second spirit on the next night at the same hour," Jack quoted. He climbed out of his bed, not wanting to be taken by surprise again; Yugi's sudden appearance had caught him off guard and made him nervous and vulnerable. This time, he was going to look this Spirit straight in the eye and speak with confidence. After seeing the power of the Ghost of Christmas Past, Jack was preparing himself for anything the next phantom might throw at him.
The clock struck one. Jack waited tensely, standing alert and ready in the middle of the room. No ghost appeared in a blazing light, but Jack thought he heard a noise out in the hall.
He unlocked his bedroom door and peeked out. The noise was still too far to be identifiable, but it had gotten slightly louder. Jack slipped back into his room and grabbed his boots and jacket before leaving in search of the noise.
When he got into the deserted, moonlit corridor, he thought he heard the noise coming from his left. It got louder as Jack walked cautiously down the hall, and he began recognizing sounds: loud, upbeat music, the pinging of a machine, bells dinging, an occasional random noise like the sound of applause, cannon fire, police sirens, or once there was even the moo of a cow.
Then Jack heard a voice: "C'mon, c'mon, go through the ring, go through the- Ah! No, not there! Come one you stupid ball, work with me here..." – the sound of a lottery jackpot – "Yeah! Bonus points! I'm so close to victory, I can taste it..."
Jack saw light shining through a crack in a closed door. It led to one of the many conference rooms in the Public Security building, and all the noise seemed to be coming from it. Jack took a deep, bracing breath as he grabbed the doorknob and yanked the door open.
Whatever Jack had been expecting, it sure wasn't what he saw before him. Rather than a boring conference room with a table and chairs, Jack was looking at a teen lounge. A big, comfy looking couch sat before a huge flat screen TV mounted on the wall. A popcorn machine, a soda fountain, and a juke box playing the old song "Get Your Game On" sat where there had before been a bunch of charts and presentation boards. Numerous arcade games lined the walls. There was a pool table, an air hockey table, a foosball table, and a ping-pong table. Jack couldn't believe so much stuff could be crammed into one room. This was every high school boy's dream!
Speaking of high school boys, Jack spotted one with two-toned brown hair clicking away at the pinball machine. "Oh, come ON, you dumb ball, get through the stupid barrier!" the boy muttered. "I'm only fifty points away from breaking the record... Hey, that's not what I wanted to happen!"
"Jaden Yuki?" Jack gasped.
The boy turned, saw Jack, and gave him a broad grin that filled his brown eyes with a warm light. "Oh, there you are, Jack! I was wondering when you were gonna show up. Come in and know me better, man!"
As Jack entered the room and shut the door, Jaden turned back to his game. "I'll be with you in just a sec. I'm almost done here."
Jack found himself more patient then he normal as he waited for Jaden to wrap up his game. This was probably due to the fact that he was still utterly flabbergasted by everything he was seeing around him and everything that had happened to him. First the Blue Eyes, then Seto Kaiba, then Yugi Muto, and now Jaden Yuki! What next?
Jack jumped when a sudden trill of bells and enormous cheers burst from the flashing pinball machine.
"YES!" Jaden exclaimed, pumping his fist in the air. "The high score is mine! That's how you play the game!"
As the game shut down, the boy turned to the still shell-shocked champion with a bright, slightly mischievous grin. He looked exactly like the famous Jaden Yuki, except for a slight alteration in clothes; this Spirit wore a Slifer red cloak with a white-rimmed collar around his shoulders rather than Jaden's Duel Academy jacket.
Jaden laughed at Jack's expression. "What's the matter, Atlas? Have you never seen anything like this before?"
Jack shook his head in amazement. "Not in this building, I haven't.
Jaden laughed again. It was a loud, infectious sound that made even Jack Atlas crack a smile.
"Well, Jack," Jaden chuckled, "how about a friendly game of foosball to start things off?"
"Wha- are you serious?"
"'Course I'm serious! I'm always serious when it comes to game time! Whaddya say, the first to get five points wins?"
"Uh... sure?" Jack replied uncertainly.
Jaden clapped his hands together and laughed, grinning and laughing mischievously as the two boys approached the foosball table. "Alrighty, Jack Atlas! Get your game on!"
Jaden started off the game, pushing the ball through the hole onto the table and spinning one of his rods to make a wooden player kick the ball across the board. Jack pulled his rod back and just managed to stop the ball from going into his goal, and then shot it back to Jaden's side. Jaden just barely caught it. Grinning over at Jack, he declared, "This is gonna be fun!"
Before Jack knew it, he was totally engaged in the game, spinning his rods like his life depended on it as the two of them bantered across the board. Each boy would laugh triumphantly as he made a goal as the other swore vengeance. Part of Jack's mind was still dazed by the face that he was playing foosball with Jaden Yuki at one o'clock in the morning. Life could be pretty strange sometimes.
In the end, it was Jaden who came out on top by one point. "That's game!" he said, pointing to fingers at Jack and winking. "Better luck next time, friend!"
"That last shot was lucky!" said Jack. "Your guy had an extra spin on him!"
"That's not luck, man, that was pure skill," replied Jaden cheekily. "Don't feel too bad about losing, though. It's not your fault I'm a total beast at foosball."
Jack chuckled. "A bit full of ourselves, now aren't we?"
Jaden raised an eyebrow at him. "Well, hark who's talkin', Mr. Champion! There is a reason I'm here, ya know, and it's wasn't to beat you in foosball."
Jack opened his mouth to retort, but then he dropped his gaze to the ground as he realized Jaden was right. Seeing that he had made his point, Jaden cleared his throat.
"Now then, I think an introduction is in order." With a sweep of his cloak, Jaden bowed dramatically to the champion. "I am the Ghost of Christmas Present, Mr. Atlas. You know why I'm here, I'm sure."
Jack nodded. "Yeah, I got it: life journeys and lessons and whatnot. Take me where you will, Spirit. I learned an important lesson from the last Spirit's visit, and I hope to profit from yours as well."
Jaden smiled with satisfaction as he straightened up and swung his cloak about his so it covered his whole body. "Touch my cloak!"
Resigning himself, Jack approached the spirit and gripped the folds of the cloak.
It's the spirit of the season
You can feel it in the air
You can hear it if you listen
Everywhere, so much care, like a prayer
Wherever it is you need to share it
It's the spirit of the season
~ "Spirit of the Season" from The Polar Express
A/N: Ok, so I thought of another disclaimer I should probably put on here: I do not own any of the song lyrics used in this story. I am mearly quoting them for a chapter summary type thingy. So don't sue me for using them either!
I seriously freaking love Jaden Yuki. He's one of the coolest guys ever to exist in Anime. The world needs more people like him! I thought he would make an excellent Ghost of Christmas Past XD What do you guys think? I would love to hear your opinions on this story; it encourages me to write more!
REVIEWS PLEASE!
In the name of the holidays, if for nothing else :)
Btw, a great big thank you to those who are reviewing! It really warms my heart to see people responding to my stories :) And an especially big thanks to my frequent reviewers! You guys make my day! Here's a cookie! :)
