"What? No greetings for your big brother?"
I don't panic. I don't stare back defiantly. I just take my deck out of it's holster, and mentally take many deep breaths.
"My big brother? He's in Shanghai at the moment I think. His name's Hunter, do you know him?" I try to act oblivious to his comments. Please say it's working.
"Shanghai eh? Oh he went on that trip around the world… good to hear Hunt's doing well." Thomas replies thoughtfully.
"Let's duel!"
"Here we go, I draw!" Thomas shouts. "I summon Armoured core (1300/2000) in attack mode!" Still using the same deck. Bad move with me.
"Since it's the first turn I'll just throw down three face-downs and end my turn."
"I draw." I say quietly. So far so good. I think. "I play light shadow hunter (1600/1600) in attack mode. Now, Light shadow hunter, attack armoured core!" My hunter draws a white arrow to her bow, and releases it to destroy the armoured core, taking Thomas' life points down to 3700.
"Mistake there little sis! I activate my trap alert! This allows me to activate a continuous spell, and I choose Boss rush spell card! This means whenever you destroy a B.E.S. or big core monster, I can summon one from my deck."
If he thinks I made a mistake he's wrong. A spell like that won't interfere with my battle strategy, especially since I know every combo he's ever played…
"I place two face downs and end my turn." I say calmly.
"Well, now I activate my trap, cyber summon blaster!" He says. Oh great. This irritating trap. "Every time I summon a machine type monster, you take 300 points of damage. And now using Boss Rush I summon B.E.S Tetran (1800/2300)! And since it's a machine type, my cyber summon blaster takes 300 of your life points!"
"Not so fast! I activate Shadow Block, my continuous trap. It allows makes me immune to one continuous spell or trap card on the field. I choose Cyber summon blaster." I say, and can't help but grin. I know Thomas loves that trap. It slowly takes away his opponents life points.
"Fine, but I still have my B.E.S. Tetran." Thomas growls. "And I activate Shield recovery! This adds three counters to my B.E.S Tetran. Now, B.E.S. Tetran, attack Light Shadow Hunter!"
Damn. Oh well, here we go.
"I activate Cowardice on B.E.S. Tetran. Since it's attacking, this allows me to change it to defence mode for the rest of your turn." I say. Not a card I would usually have in my deck, but I decided it was a good one for last minute changes.
"Damn! Why do you always have to meddle?!" Thomas growls. My stomach clenches. I have to meddle? He's the one who meddles! He made mum's ruined life even worse! How dare he-
"Azure. Be calm." Adynn's form comes up next to me, and I take a deep breath. He doesn't matter. Just need to stay calm.
"I end my turn." Thomas ends.
"I draw." I say curtly. B.E.S. Tetran changes back to attack mode. I need to get this duel rolling. With those counters I can't destroy his B.E.S. Tetran, but I can still deal him some damage.
"I summon Earth Shadow Hunter (1200/1800) and Dark Shadow Hunter (1600/1600). However they won't be staying for long, as I activate Polymerisation and fuse Dark Shadow Hunter, Earth Shadow Hunter and Light Shadow Hunter, to form, level 8 Shadow Queen Avis (3000/2500)!" Avis floats majestically in front of me, and I smile at her. Thank You. I tell her in my head, and she nods.
"You may have those counters to protect your Tetran, but they won't protect you, Avis, attack B.E.S. Tetran!"
Thomas has been staring at Avis in shock, probably wondering how I got such a strong monster. Huh, he knows nothing. Avis is in front of B.E.S. Tetran in a second, and swings her magnificent sword and destroys a shield counter, and Thomas' life points go down to 2500. I have one card left in my hand and I'm happy it's pot of greed. I seem to use this card quite a lot.
"I activate pot of greed and draw two more cards from my deck." Shadow spear and Draining Shield. The duel will be over by the end of my next turn. "I place one face down and end my turn."
"I draw. I summon armoured core (1300/2000) in attack mode. Now I activate Infected Mail! This lets me target a level 4 or below monster and let it attack you directly. However, it is sent to the grave afterwards. Armoured core, attack Azure directly!" Thomas says, smirking, thinking just because it's a direct attack I have no way out.
"I activate Shadow Queen Avis' ability, which allows me to remove one card from play every turn you have. Say goodbye to Infected mail." I say glumly. That wasn't what I wanted to use it on. I wanted to use it on B.E.S. Tetran, or use it on his Big Core if he manages to summon it during this duel. He should change his battle style, I knew he would try to use Boss Rush, so I just haven't destroyed many of his monsters.
"Argh! I end my turn. Why are you so defensive? Why won't you ever take a risk? You only ever think about defending yourself. You only ever think about you-" That was it. I just snapped. I haven't seen him for years. I never got to tell him how I felt about what he did. About how he betrayed us.
"That's right. I was only thinking about myself when I stayed with mum. I was only thinking about myself when I took the harder life to look after her. I was only thinking about myself when I chose to start again with nothing, instead of carrying on with him. You left with him. After what he did, you left us, took his name, so you could live with the riches. Well this is what I get, for thinking about myself!" I snarl sarcastically.
"I draw! I equip Shadow Queen Avis with Shadow spear, giving her 1000 extra attack points. This is the rage you left me to feel. Shadow Queen Avis, attack Armoured core!" I yell at him, losing all conscience, and I feel my heart burst with wrath. His Armoured core is destroyed easily with one clean strike from Avis, and the light from the blow flies across the stage and hits Thomas. He flies backwards and hits the wall behind him. He groans, and falls to the floor, unconscious.
No. What did I do? My eyes widen with fear, and I look around to find everyone cheering. I won! But I can't keep my eyes of Thomas. My breathing hitches as my heart beat cools down from the duel, and I run as fast as I can, out of the duel arena, out of the academy, and to the port. I grab onto the edge of the port, feeling the hard surface underneath me. Years come unexpectedly, but this time I know why they've come. How could I? I let my emotions run forward, I lost control! I hurt him! I can't even begin to think what's happening to him. I walk from the port into the jungle, where no one can see me and try to stop the tears.
"Adynn!" I manage to choke out, and his figure appears before me.
"I'm sorry Azure. We have not done well. I was not able to stop the emotions from getting through." He apologises, and I shake my head.
"They shouldn't have been there in the first place." I say, my tears slowly stopping but my heart filled with a heavy guilt.
"Azure, everyone feels something. If you didn't, you wouldn't be human. You know you've hated him since he left. And seeing your mother break down only added to your hate. Even I hate him, for what he did. I'm starting to believe it was unavoidable." He comforts me, but his head hanging with the same guilt that filled me.
"If being human caused me to do that… I'm not sure being human's a good thing." I mutter, and I hear footsteps behind me.
"Azure." I hear a strong, steady voice, and my mind doesn't hesitate identifying it as Zane.
"Zane." I don't know what to say. What can I say to him?
"Are you okay?" He asks calmly, approaching me with my face blotched with tears.
"You should be asking Thomas that." I say, almost coldly. "How is he? How bad is it?" I ask, terrified of the answer.
"Azure, there isn't anything to be afraid of. He's just unconscious. Nurse Fontaine says he'll be out for a day or so with some bruises on his back from where he hit the wall.
"There's a lot to be afraid of. You should be too. It's me Zane. I did it. I hurt him. I hated him, I wanted him to hurt. It happens every time I lose control of my emotions!" I say angrily at myself.
"Azure, I'm not afraid of you. You're just confused." He says, coming closer to me and putting a hand on my shoulder. "Having emotions isn't a bad thing, even I have them, though I hide them well like you. If I understood everything you said in the duel, it sounds like you had a good reason to dislike him."
"Dislike? I hate him Zane. My father left my mum, and since she didn't work he took all his money. It was cruel, she loved him, and he just left, because he was bored and selfish. He didn't ask me to come. He asked Hunter, and Thomas, but Hunter refused and stayed with me and mum. Mum could've dealt with my idiot father leaving, but Thomas broke her. She's till unstable, and I probably wouldn't have went to East Academy if she hadn't insisted."
"I'm sorry Azure. But you're strong. You got through that, and this power you have. I don't completely understand it, but you can control it. You don't have to suppress your emotions, you shouldn't stop being you. I haven't known you very long. And I don't know many people very well. But what I know about you is that you're a great person, you wouldn't hurt anyone like that purposely." Zane tells me, and I stifle my tears and turn to look at him shyly.
"I just don't want to be a monster." I whisper, and he engulfs me in a hug.
"You're not a monster. You're fine as you are." He whispers, and I feel a warm, tingly feeling in my stomach. I look up at him nervously and I smile at him, believing his words. Zane can't lie. He would find it illogical. I look into his teal coloured eyes timidly, and I see a light shade of pink flow onto his cheeks. I slowly realise that our faces are a few inches apart, and we're breathing the same air. I know a blush has found its way onto my cheeks, and I can feel my stomach churning and my heart beat rising. His head is slowly leaning down and I wonder in amazement if this was going to be my first kiss.
I feel my feet roll forward slowly onto my tip toes, my eyes suddenly close without my command and our lips meet lightly in the centre. I feel like an electric shock is flowing throughout my body, as I feel my lips tingle as if they're going to explode. He moves his lips slowly, and taking the cue I start to move mine, and we kiss properly. I don't want it to end. My heart is about to pound out of my chest but nervously I slowly pull away, as he does too. I feel awkward, but he just pulls me even closer towards him, and I place my hands on his chest and smile nervously.
"Thank you." I say as confidently as I possibly can. "I should go and see how Thomas is doing." I add nervously.
"And get ready for your duel with Jaden." He says smirking. Oh. Yeah I won didn't I?! I freeze on the spot. I have to duel Jaden. I won't hurt him. I can't, he has such a carefree nature. Oh my god, how am I gonna beat him? He's amazing, and definitely seems to have the heart of his cards with him, and-
"Azure, I can hear you thinking from here." I re-focus my eyes and smile sheepishly at his comment.
"I was just thinking up a battle strategy. Jaden's a good duel, and he depends on his monsters a lot. I should probably take that out somehow. Make him need to use more spells and traps. I could probably use my monster effects to my ad-" I say, thinking as quickly as possible and putting my deck together to defeat him in my head. I'll need to put Shadow Cloak back in my deck, that will be useful…
"Azure. Jaden's pure power. He has strong monsters, and power-ups. I haven't duelled him, and I'm guessing he'll come to me soon because of Syrus. But you need more power than him." Zane's back to battle mode immediately, just like me, thinking through battle strategies.
"Don't worry. I've saved my best card till last." I see Adynn standing next to me, and grin, happy about more than one thing.
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