Youth is both the best time to be rich and the best time to be poor.
Jaden was showing Alexis a new game he downloaded onto his phone, and Syrus was reading a book, so none of Bastion's friends noticed his change of attire as he walked into English. Bastion was now wearing the blue jacket and white slacks associated with his new dorm.
"Well, everything seems to fit alright." He said to get their attention. Alexis looked up at him. "Looking good! I'm glad that you decided not to go with the coattails. Frankly, they look terrible." "You don't seem to mind when Zane wears them!" Syrus replied petulantly. "Well, that's Zane. That man could wear a garbage bag and still look sexy." Jaden replied airily. Alexis nodded in agreement. "He's dreamy."
Bastion huffed. "So, what are you chaps doing for Thanksgiving?" The American holiday was that very weekend. "I believe we're splurging on a Turkey at the Slifer Red dorm. Unfortunately, since we have to pay for it, we'll have to do our own homework this week. That is, unless you could do us a favor…?" Jaden pleaded, giving Bastion a strong puppy dog stare. Alexis nearly squealed at how cute it was. However, Bastion stared his friend down. "No. You can't have your turkey and your homework, I have a business to run." He stated with precise, cutting tone. "Ouch!" Jaden said with good humor.
Around 11 that evening, Alexis met Zane at the lighthouse, as she did every day. While she and Zane occasionally reaped the benefits of their relationship, their friendship was based on much more than sexual desire. Ever since they were kids, Alexis and Zane were able to trust and confide in one another, and they both were drawn closer to each other by the death of Atticus, Alexis' brother. Most of the time, they did not even speak with other at their nighttime trysts, simply enjoying each others' company.
"Chazz has disappeared." Zane said bluntly. "Yeah, ever since he was demoted to Ra Yellow. He probably ran away, although how he got off of the island, I have no idea." Alexis said, bemused. "Honor is very important to someone like him. In a rich family like the Princeton's, it is imperative to keep up appearances. I wouldn't be surprised if his own family excommunicated him. After all, a Princeton being anything less than the best is unthinkable."
Alexis shook her head. "It's a shame; he'd probably do a lot better if he wasn't so pressured. Still, that is no excuse for his bitchy attitude." Zane chuckled deeply. "Indeed, he was slightly abrasive. I can't say I miss him; Bastion is a much more positive influence around the dorm." He commented. The night mist curled slowly off of the water.
Thanksgiving came that Thursday (as it always did), and no one was more excited than Chumley, who ate the entire turkey before anyone else could have a bite. "Wow. You really aren't trying to disprove any stereotypes, aren't you, Chum?" Jaden laughed nervously. "God, I hate this dorm." Syrus muttered.
The rest of the Slifers then began to fish out the lukewarm sushi they had been eating every other day that year. Suddenly, Professor Banner flash stepped into the room, startling everyone. "You got me again! I would think you would get less creepy over time, but you still somehow still manage to give me the willies." Jaden said with obvious fear of the dorm's headmaster.
"Frankly, I'm amazed I can even go to sleep in this building, considering you're in it." Syrus forced out.
Banner's glasses gleamed. "You flatter me, boys. I hope you're ready for your Thanksgiving present!" Banner smiled in snake-like fashion. "I don't think you understand this holiday very well, Professor." Chumley mumbled with his mouth full of turkey. "Don't chew with your mouth open, Chumley. I have brought you three a gift in the form of a new roommate!" Banner smiled, then steeped back to reveal a small kid standing in the door.
This boy was about as tall as Syrus, and seemed to have slightly less self-esteem than Syrus as well. The boy had extremely feminine features, even for an anime character. He wore a newsboy cap that obscured his exquisite dark blue hair. "Hello, my name is Blair Flannigan."
Instead of greeting him like a polite human being, Jaden immediately turned to Professor Banner. "What the hell? We don't have enough space in our room for four people. Are we going to fight for who gets to sleep in the beds?" Banner's leer bored into Jaden's soul. "Blair will only be here for a few days. He is considered a prodigy, and scored highly on his written exams. He will be moved to Ra Yellow in a few days, so try to coexist until then. If you don't, you will wish you had never been born." Banner said pleasantly. "Yes sir I apologize for my insolence sir!" Jaden quickly attempted to avoid a fate worse than death. "Alright, follow us, Blair!" They hustled over to Jaden's room.
Jaden and Chumley quickly pulled out an air mattress from the janitor's closet. Blair did not speak to the boys at all, no matter what they said. Just as the new student was getting settled in, Professor Banner stopped by.
"Boys, we are supposed to rendezvous at the main academy building in 15 minutes. Principal Sheppard is holding an assembly." "I'm pretty sure that you can't do that. Today is a legal holiday." Jaden accurately pointed out. "We're not in America anymore, Jaden. Suck it." The Slifer boys begrudgingly went over to the assembly hall, Blair trailing behind them.
The entire student body was crowded into a set of bleachers, where a general white noise of conversation started. Unfortunately, the Slifer boys could not sit with Alexis or Bastion, as the dorms were segregated into different rows. On a large screen on the wall, Principal Sheppard's face appeared via Skype technology.
"Greetings, students of Duel Academy! I hope you're enjoying having classes off today! I realize many of our American students are celebrating Thanksgiving, so I will keep this meeting short. As many of you know, the end of the semester coincides with our holiday break. You will all be free to go home for two weeks, beginning on December 22nd. However, it is customary for Duel Academy to engage in a friendly competition with our rival school, North Academy, right before the break."
Syrus nodded, having heard about North Academy from his brother. North Academy is in Russia, whereas Duel academy is in the Southern Pacific Ocean, making their climates nearly opposites. North Academy is also known for their differing styles of training. Duel Academy is well-known for teaching finesse and honing Zanpakuto-related skills. At Duel Academy, a few students have even achieved Bankai, the highest level of power a Zanpakuto can attain. At North academy, more emphasis is placed on martial arts and punishing physical training. Few North Academy students even have Zanpakuto, much less Shikai or Bankai.
"We will be choosing a representative from our finest combatants to participate in this School Duel. Last year, Zane Truesdale won in about three minutes, with no effort whatsoever on his part. In order to maintain friendly relations and create an exciting match, we will be choosing someone else." Almost everyone in the room stared at the stoic Obelisk, who gave them no reaction in return.
"Ugh, once again everyone looks for an excuse to suck Zane's dick." Jaden said with mock resentment. "I wouldn't mind doing that…" Blair muttered. "Wait, what did you just say, Blair?" Jaden hoped his ears deceived him. "Nothing!" The diminutive child snapped.
"Zane is pretty strong. But mom says that I got the looks!" Syrus said pathetically. "Sure you did, Sy." Chumley chuckled. "As much as I hate representing this school in any way, shape, or form, I must admit, this seems like an exciting opportunity." Jaden said. "I don't know, they might not want a Slifer representing them. They're more likely to pick someone like Alexis or Bastion." Syrus said. Jaden smirked. "In that case, I'll just have to prove that I'm the best choice for the job!"
Bastion and Alexis were sitting in the Obelisk section of the bleachers, listening to Sheppard attentively. "Well, this is intriguing. You should consider going for it, Bastion! I'm sure it'll be fun!" Alexis said lightly. Bastion cocked an eyebrow. "I surely will. Aren't you going to be participating as well?" he inquired.
She shrugged. "I'm not interested. These types of competitions have never been very much more than petty excuses for fights anyway. For a newly promoted student like you though, it will be a great way to establish some prestige and authority around the dorm. Power is the only thing most Obelisks will respect." Bastion sat quietly, mulling it over.
The sleepy students lazed through the afternoon. While Syrus decided to join Chumley's afternoon napping session, Jaden walked aimlessly through the campus, a hollow feeling pervading. He thought back to previous Thanksgivings with his family, back in Los Angeles. Jaden tended not to think about his parents too much. He missed them, but the feeling of being completely in control of his fate was greatly appealing to him. Somehow, he didn't think they would be thinking of him too much either.
The Slifer was snapped out of his reverie as he walked by the Obelisk Blue dorm. The maple tree he was standing under rustled, despite the lack of wind. Jaden peeked into the branches to see Blair, balanced on the edge of a tree limb.
Jaden was confused; what was Blair doing near the Obelisk Blue dorm? He hid quietly behind the tree trunk, curious as to what his new roommate was doing. Blair jumped from the tree branch to a balcony on the buildings' second floor.
Unfortunately, the windows were open, allowing Blair free access to the room. Jaden frowned. He was not against Blair stealing from an Obelisk, but it was the middle of the day, and security cameras were no doubt working just fine. Jaden climbed up the tree, taking great care to stay out of Blair's sight.
Blair dug through a closet, grabbing a shirt, The Slifer Red then smelled the shirt, seeming to take pleasure in the scent. Jaden was becoming slightly disturbed. "OK, so Blair is gay. That's good to know, I guess." However, the rather awkward display was thankfully cut short by the sound of voices outside the door. "I'll see you guys later." Both Blair and Jaden heard the voice of Zane. Jaden very nearly fell out of the tree. "Oh shit! This is Zane's room! Blair, get out of there!" His cracking voice screamed at her.
Blair immediately ran towards the balcony, the newsboy cap falling to the floor in the process. Jaden caught sight of long, flowing dark blue hair. Along with the cap, a faded bronze hair clip clattered against the expensive linoleum. She hurdled the balcony falling ten feet to the ground with no sign of injury. Jaden realized something that really should have obvious; Blair was a girl.
"This is just like Syrus' harem anime!" Jaden observed in a rare instance of cultural awareness. Although calling what Syrus watched "culture" was pushing it. Jaden had no further time to think about it when he felt the cold steel of a Zanpakuto against his neck.
"If you stole any of my belongings, you're dead." Zane said. There was no malice in his voice, just a grave promise. Jaden quickly turned out his pockets, showing he had nothing. Zane's dead serious expression did not change.
"Jaden, we will forget this incident ever happened. However, if you ever enter my room again, under any circumstances, you will be dead before you gain any concept of your own foolishness. Every last atom of your being will be eradicated into nothingness. All traces of your existence will be erased. Is that clear?" Jaden managed a "yes." With that, Zane was gone in a flash. Jaden let out his breath, before scrambling from the premises. His need to leave was so great, he immediately released his Zanpakuto and used his Streaking Comet technique.
For the rest of the day, the tension between Jaden and Blair grew and festered. However, he doubted she would appreciate it if he ratted her out, so he stayed quiet. After dinner, he found an excuse to have a word with her, taking her to the pier. She took off her newsboy cap, which she managed to put back on before anyone noticed, showing her long and beautiful hair.
"I don't understand, Blair. Why do you care so much about concealing your gender? You know, the Academy would accept you if you were a boy or a girl." Jaden said, confused. "It's him…the Kaiser." "Who, Zane? Why were you in his room earlier?" He asked. She blushed heavily.
"How can you say his name so lightly? The Kaiser, he's my…idol. I met him at a local tournament in America. The way he fought….so graceful….so beautiful. I've been in love with him ever since I was a little kid. I thought that if I dressed as a boy, I would be able to get closer to him more easily." She stuttered out. Jaden began to laugh, much to her surprise. "It's not funny!" A new fire seemed to emerge from her. Jaden looked at her with derision.
"Oh, but it so is. I can't believe you lied about your gender, just to get close to a guy who couldn't give less of a care about you. I bet he's never even spoken to you!" Jaden mocked. She snarled, "No, he hasn't! But he will notice me!" She replied pathetically, only furthering Jaden's caustic laughter.
"Right, fangirl. You could get in trouble with both the school and the United States government for lying about your identity. And frankly, I don't want anything to do with that, so I'm going to Sheppard with this information." Jaden said with forced dramatic flair, so as to get a reaction out of the girl.
As Jaden expected, Blair got extremely angry. What he did not expect, however, was for her to pull out a Zanpakuto. She swung a short tanto sword at him, but he easily dodged. His shark-like grin deeply unnerved the young girl. She swung a telegraphed horizontal strike at him, but the Slifer ducked under her and grabbed her wrist.
"Now that's what I like to see! You have a little fire after all!" He let her go, and she sprung backwards, her eyes hard with determination. "I'm strong for my age!" She yelled. Jaden's grin immediately fell, replaced with a look of pure mortification. "Oh great…you're telling me you aren't even old enough to be here!?"
"That's right, I'm only twelve. But Sheppard made a special exception. He said I show remarkable prowess with a sword, and he permitted me a week's tour of the island. He just doesn't know I'm a girl!" Blair said, satisfied with herself. "You must have some sort of complexity addiction. Your story is ever-changing." Jaden snarked.
"It's probably too complicated for you to understand. You look like you'd have trouble reasoning your way out of a paper bag." She taunted. Jaden's confidence did not falter for one second. "In that case, why don't you show me how good you are. I'm sure I'll understand then!"
Just as Jaden was about to draw his sword, both his and Blair's attentions were drawn to two figures standing on the mast of a cargo ship above them. Zane stood on the very top of the sail, balancing on the tips of his toes, while Alexis lazed in the crow's nest.
Alexis jumped downwards. "Jaden, you can't be seriously considering fighting a middle school girl, can you?" "Of course not! But she was kinda asking for it!" Alexis giggled. Zane flash stepped in front of Blair, who was dumbstruck at his presence. "Z-Zane!" She almost yelled.
His glare alone was enough for her to spill. "I was the one who broke into your room today, Zane. Not Jaden." She admitted. Zane looked slightly more sympathetic. "Why did you do that, Blair?" he said patiently. "Because, I want to know you! You've been such an influence in my life! I want to be an influence in yours! I love you, Zane!" Her emotional outburst shocked Zane, who wasn't sure how to react.
Alexis smiled. "Blair, sweetie, you can't just sneak your way into someone's heart like that. The basis of every good relationship is open trust and communication. This situation could have been avoided if you had simply been honest." She summated. Blair pointed a finger in jealously. "You're just saying that because you want Zane all for yourself!" Alexis froze up, not sure what to say. Luckily for her, Zane stepped in.
"Listen, I'm flattered, but you're gonna have to go home. The ferry comes by tomorrow morning. We'll notify your parents, and you'll have to go. I'm sorry, but that's just how it is." She nodded sadly. "I understand, Zane."
Without incident, Blair was escorted to the ferry the very next morning, her bags completely packed. Jaden, Alexis, and Zane decided to see her off, although why, they did not know. Something in the child's tenacity, her absolute conviction in her goals, inspired them in different ways. As Blair was in seventh grade, Jaden and Alexis would be seeing her enter the academy for real in two years, a fact that they were somewhat in trepidation of.
A/N
Greetings, lovely readers, and I hope you enjoyed the ninth chapter of Kids With Swords!
This chapter was one of those where you kinda just want to get it out of the way so that you can get to the real meat of the story, which is also why this chapter is a little shorter than usual. I don't hate Blair or anything like that, but I do think that the story potential for her character is somewhat limited.
I personally counted this episode in canon as filler when I first saw it, so I was highly surprised when Blair appeared later on in the story. It was actually a good twist on the show's part. Unfortunately, this also meant I couldn't just disregard this episode in KWS, despite it having a rather silly filler plot. Otherwise, I would have no explanation for Blair showing up later down the road.
Next chapter will be the match between Jaden and Bastion, with the winner representing Duel Academy in the School Duel! See you next week!
