Can't Hide
Chapter 14: Returning and Confrontations
The anticipation in Zane was strong. His mind felt frozen and deadened but his blood was boiling - pumping his heart a mile a minute. It was a rather deceptive and paradoxical feeling. His body could not retain itself, but his mind was unbelievably calm.
The three of the had appeared in front of Duel Academia out of thin air just moments ago, Alexis to the right, Zane to the left, and Dark-Wing taking his place in the center.
"Rather strange dynamic, isn't it Truesdale?" Dark-Wing mocked, eyes glinting. "The things that go on in your head and the things that go on in your heart. Feels like a tug-of-war."
Zane didn't answer. He looked at Dark-Wing, not quite sure of what to make of his statement. Yes, it felt different. And he wasn't certain if the different was good or bad. The darkness should have felt good, but it felt like a contradiction. Darkness, good? It should have been logical to him, but…it wasn't.
Dark-Wing chuckled at chaos he saw in Zane's cold face. "You're just itching to do something aren't you?"
Again, Zane remained silent. He was itching to do something. He was itching to unleash his power…his darkness. Yet, a nagging feeling in the depths of his mind told him that this sensation to let loose the shadows was more of a desperate cry to get rid of such poisoned thoughts.
Dark-Wing clapped his hand on Zane's shoulder. "Go on, Truesdale," he encouraged. "Duel Academia is your oyster. Beat every student you come across. Help them see the greatness of the Shadow Riders."
With one last glance at Alexis, Zane walked off towards the entrance of Duel Academia.
Dark-Wing watched him go, a satisfied leer on his lips, before he directed his attention to Alexis.
"I believe your friends are gathered at the North Pier, my dear," he walked around her, looking her up and down. "And I know they are just anxious to see you."
Again, he'd used the word 'friends', and again, she'd felt a twinge in her heart and her supposedly forgotten memories.
"Why don't you go say hello?" Dark-Wing suggested. "I'm sure they would love to be reunited with you, now."
That triggered something in Alexis, and she paused for a moment, considering her master's words.
Dark-Wing noticed this, and snarled. "Go, now, Alexis. It's an order."
She cringed at the tone of his voice with its underlying menace and didn't think twice about it, heading the opposite direction of Zane, toward the North Pier.
Dark-Wing smiled as she walked away.
"Excellent."
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Atticus carefully placed all his cards back into the card holder of his duel disk. Four pairs of eyes observed him, all worn out but restless to know what he would do next.
"So, Att - um, Night - no, uh, Atti…er," Syrus groaned, stumbling over what he should call Atticus, and decided to skip the name altogether and get straight to the point. "How are you going to do this?"
Atticus glanced at all four of them, seeing the curious stares they all held him with.
He readjusted his duel disk and began to walk away.
"I know how to get to the Shadow Riders," he said. "I plan on getting Alexis and Zane back."
"Right," Chazz snorted. "But how?"
Bastion elbowed the elite duelist.
"Ow! What was that for?"
"Just let the man do what he needs to do, alright?"
"You're still in there, right Atticus?"
Jaden's question caused a heavy vacillation to hang in the air.
Atticus turned around, his line of vision coming into contact with that of the Slifer's.
"We're one in the same, Jaden," he said, little emotion emitted from his voice.
This produced a generous grin from Jaden. "I'll take that as a yes, then."
A rustle suddenly came from the woods off to the side and everyone froze.
And a pair of familiar boots walked out.
Astonished silence followed.
"…Alexis?"
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Michael, or Mike as he liked to be called, was a Ra Yellow student and was always considered by his classmates to be friendly and a hard worker. And within five minutes, all his prior thoughts and loyalties were diminished in a shadow duel with the legendary Kaiser.
He fell to ground, unconscious.
It was Zane's third victim.
And he couldn't help but feel a pang of regret.
Why, he wasn't sure. It wasn't like he knew the kid. He was just an harmless Duel Academia student.
Another guilty pang shot through his chest.
Harmless.
And yet there he was, on the ground, completely knocked out.
Zane shook his head in aggravation.
What were all these foreign sentiments? Were they even foreign? They felt…like they'd been in him before.
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Five pairs of eyes stared unabashedly, open mouthed, at the figure that stood before them.
"You're back!" came Jaden's cheerful exclamation.
Alexis allowed her gaze to travel to her former companion's face.
Listless brown eyes met lively brown ones, and Jaden's grin immediately disappeared.
"Lexi."
She diverted her interest to Atticus, and couldn't ignore the spark that his familiar nickname caused in her.
He stood before her, unmoving and unwilling to take his eyes off her.
"Lexi, you…" he paused, unsure. "What happened to you?"
She smirked, speaking up for the first time. "I saw the darkness."
And Atticus understood. He could see it in her eyes. He'd have to be blind not to notice the change.
All that was left of his little sister was a shell.
"Do you know who I am?" he asked her.
She merely stared blankly back at him, no emotion evident on her face.
Desperation taking over, Atticus took used all his might to pull of his mask. The sudden removal caused a light to fill his heart. And all of a sudden, the world appeared a bit brighter.
Ignoring the pure sensation, he looked his sister directly in the eye.
"It's me, Lexi," he said, taking a step toward her. "It's Atty, your big brother."
He took another step. "C'mon, Lexi. You know me."
Alexis looked at him, the nagging hunch in the back of her mind growing more annoying.
She frowned, not liking the reaction of warmth and friendliness, and thrust her arm out to keep him form getting any closer.
"Stop it," her voice was unbelievably strong and calm. "I didn't come here for a trip down memory lane. I came to duel."
"Duel?" Chazz echoed.
Her eyes flashed heatedly at the Ra Yellow. "Need a definition?"
Chazz suddenly felt himself growing small as he backed away from her, stepping behind Syrus. "N-No."
Syrus tossed an incredulous look at Chazz. "You pick the shortest to hide behind?"
Alexis unlocked her duel disk, disregarding the side raucous. "Who's my first victim?"
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Principal Sheppard could not believe it.
He stared at his TV screens in a combination of alarm and hope. Alexis' name was blinking on the tracker, giving away her location on the North Pier.
'But how?…'
He had to be sure, entering her name in a second time. Then a third. Followed by a fourth.
It was definitely her signal. And it was strong.
Taking out his P-V-P, Principal Sheppard sped dialed his head guard. "I need two of you with me right now," said urgently. "There's a signal at the North Pier."
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Zane tucked away his deck the moment his opponent's life points - an Obelisk Blue who had a big ego - dropped to zero. So far, he'd taken down nearly a dozen, beating them all within five turns.
He wasn't sure if it was the dark power within him or if he was simply running into mediocre duelists, but he'd never won so easily before.
And he found that he liked it. The feeling that came with winning. It was overriding his senses. There was an impression that he was unbeatable and that he could do anything. It was fierce and compelling and strong.
The evil that circulated through Zane was no longer mild. With each opponent, he found himself become darker and darker. He falling slowly into an abyss of power and it was becoming extremely difficult to crawl out.
No matter how hard he tried to think of anything good - light and hopeful, he became drained of energy. The temptation of the other side was too intense. And memories of faces and names were virtually gone. It seemed like absolutely nothing could trigger him out of his position.
All he served now was the darkness.
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Principal Sheppard froze in passing, guards in tow, when he saw the body of one his students lying in the middle of the entrance to the Ra Yellow dormitories.
He hastily ran to the poor boy and discovered it to be Michael, a very promising Ra Yellow student with dreams of going to the Pro Leagues. And yet there he was, unconscious, Duel Monster cards thrown about in every direction.
"Michael," Principal Sheppard shook his shoulders. "Michael, wake up."
Nothing.
He set Michael back down.
"What could have happened?" he wondered aloud.
"Principal Sheppard?" a shy and timid girl sneaked out from behind one of the columns of the entranceway.
He knew this girl as well. "Matilda?"
She nodded in confirmation. "I saw what happened."
Principal Sheppard frowned. "What is it, dear?"
She took a deep breath, and said in a shaky voice, "It was Zane."
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The moment Alexis uttered her challenges, five bodies took a giant step back.
"D-Did she say…victim?" though it came out as a whisper from Syrus, it was rather high pitched.
"Alexis, you need to calm down," Chazz suggested.
She stared deliberately at him. "I am calm," she said monotonously.
"Uh, right," Chazz agreed, nodding his head vigorously.
He elbowed Bastion randomly. "See?" his voice took a small rise in tone. "She's calm."
Bastion arched his eyebrow at the currently sniffling duelist. "Indeed," he said. "It's a shame we can't say the same for you."
"Enough playing around," Alexis narrowed her cold eyes slightly. "Who's first?"
"She may be under the control of the Shadow riders," Syrus murmured. "But she's still Alexis."
"Right," Jaden suddenly announced, taking everyone by surprise.
He smiled at her, and the familiar action caused yet another pain to shoot through her chest.
"I'll duel you."
(A/N): I updated, man. Cheyeah, boy-ooo.