Warnings: Slapshipping hints? Oh, and to Crime Scene Fairy: Yes, that song is TOTALLY Slapshipping!

Disclaimer: I don't own Yugioh GX


Year Three Part One: Journeys


It was several seconds before anyone managed to say anything.

" You have got to be kidding me."

Unsurprisingly, it was Jaden who broke the silence.

Unsurprisingly, he looked like he'd taken a baseball to the back of the head.

Surprisingly, the shock of seeing Bastian again seemed to have unlocked the depth of sarcasm within him, hither to unplumbed.

" This is turning into a really bad high school reunion." He said, gesturing to where his friend lay on the bed. " What, is Akimi-chan gonna show up next? Maybe Shin-kun?" He went pale and started looking around frantically. " Fuyubi-chan isn't here, right?"

" Who?" Jim asked, a little lost,

" Don' know 'bout th' other two, but uh...Ah've heard o' this 'Akimi' befo'."

Jaden shot him a sharp look.

" It's not pronounced like that and you're making me ashamed to know you."

" What is it with you an' mah accent, Jay?"

" It makes you pronounce words like that terribly, and the Japanese in me cringes every time."

" Ah'm...sorry?"

" Apology accepted. And for the record, Fuyubi-chan is my cousin." He shuddered. "My crazy, crazy cousin."

" Worse 'an that girl who demands payment?"

Jaden went still.

" Oh god, I'd never even thought of what they'd be like if they started combining forces!"

Then he turned to look sky ward, brought his hands together, and started speaking very rapidly in Japanese. Jim and Jesse observed him, exchanged a look and decided that it was probably better not to ask.

" Noice ta see ya lucid ag'in, mate." Jim said once Jaden had finished. The Slifer turned to him.

" Whaddya mean?"

" You were out of it. Wouldn't response to a thin' 'assleberry or Oi did. Just sat there, not sayin' a word." Jim paused in thought. " Was actually a li'l creepy, come to think of it."

He walked over and gave a resounding slap to the younger boy's back, grinning all the way.

" Glad to 'ave you back."

" That's nice." Jaden coughed. " Could you be happy a little more gently?"

Jim laughed and didn't go any easier on him with the next slap. Jaden fell right off the bed and onto his face.

" Ow." Came the deadpanned response.

There was a muffled snort from somewhere above him as Jesse tried to keeping from snickering.

" I can hear you laughing at me, Jess, and I want you to know: I don't appreciate it." Jaden said, still not hauling himself off of the floor. Winged Kuriboh materialized out of thin air to hover over him, worriedly. Of course, that only lasted a few seconds, as Ruby Carbuncle appeared too, hopped down off of Jesse's shoulder, and started poking Jaden's with her paw. Winged Kuriboh bristled, puffed out, and dove. Jesse and Jim watched the two monsters tussle with blank expressions.

" An' on th' list o' thahngs Ah never saw befo' comin' ta Duel Academy..." Jesse said snarkily. Jaden pulled his face off of the floor and fell back into a sitting position, rubbing his back.

" Weird shit happens. Get used to it."

" There's weird an' then there's weird, mate."

While the boys argued over what constituted 'weird' after spending several months at Duel Academy (and wondering if Jim had gotten the full experience yet, which led to the older boy calmly stating that if getting transported to an alien world due to a psychopathic teacher's plan to harness enough energy to allow for a demonic arm to resurrect his dead son gone awry wasn't the full experience, then count him out of the long haul.),Lia carefully crept over towards Bastian's bed for a better look.

His hair had grown, that was the first thing she noticed. Sweeping down to his shoulders, her friend was long overdue for a haircut. There was also the curious five o'clock shadow of stubble on his chin when, as far as Lia had known, Bastian had never had to shave in his life. His usual yellow jacket was missing, leaving him in the long-sleeved green shirt he generally wore under it, not unlike the one she herself was sporting (although she seriously doubted that Bastian had ever considered the jeans shorts she was wearing as a part of his ensemble), and around his shoulders was draped a worn brown cloak. He looked haggard and lost, like he'd been in the desert for a long time.

Though judging from the lack of contact, he may well have been.

Lia was surprised by her lack of reaction. Her joy at seeing her friend and her simultaneous shock at his sudden appearance aside, there was nothing. Of course she was curious and of course she was glad he was alright, but the usually fluttering of her stomach and tightness of her chest that she'd come to associate with Bastian were nowhere to be found. She supposed she could chalk some of it up to their bitter parting the year before, but her crush on him, on his kindness and his gentleman manners, had faded into the annals of time. Perhaps it was because he'd broken her heart, but Lia didn't want to believe that her lack of feelings was based on something so petty.

She wanted to believe that she'd simply out grown her feelings for him. That time had marched onwards and she'd matured with it, putting aside her childish fancy of him in favour of marking her place in the world. The end of the last year had changed everything. There had been no time to think about Bastian and how he made her feel. There had been fear, and anxiety, and that terrible gap in her memory where Syrus told her she'd spoken to him, but she couldn't really recall it. There had been relief and triumph and carefully hobbling away from the White Dorm, exhaustion bleeding from every pore.

And after that, after it was all over, there was a wedding to think about, and a guest to entertain, and then the idea that she had a father again, that Gauvin was happy to take that roll, and love her in a way she didn't know she could be loved. There had been decisions to make, there had been clothes to pack, there had been step-sisters to get into yelling matches with over what they muttered under their breath about their father's new wife.

There was coming back to Duel Academy.

There was hoping for the best, but preparing for the worst, which, looking around her, she felt justified in.

There was Viper to worry about.

There was Adrian Gecko to avoid.

There was Aster, and she wasn't going to think about him while she was examining why she didn't have feelings for Bastian anymore.

There was more fear, and more doubt, and more gaps in her memory where there were fuzzy impressions of things she'd seen and not much else.

There was a storm breaking all around her, threatening to lift her up off the ground with its winds and its rain and its awful, crashing thunder.

There were her friends who needed her, Jaden who'd suddenly gotten tactical and Alexis who'd started to take initiative and Chazz who was all of a sudden yet somehow not surprisingly Jaden's most faithful companion.

There was everything, a world about to spin off of its axis, and she'd never had time to think about the soft-spoken, well-mannered boy who'd unintentionally and utterly broken her heart the previous year.

(But there was time to think about Aster Phoenix; to think about how he'd looked at her and how he'd hugged her and how deep his eyes had been when she'd promised to give him a kiss every time he did something heroic. There was time to think about how much he'd given up, how much of his life he'd spent on a lie, how much she wanted to go out and bring The D back to life just so she could kill him again. There was time to think about whether or not he was enjoying himself with Sartorius and Sarina, whether or not he was thinking of her too, not that she cared of course. There was time to think about the fact that he must have been, when she'd received the present on her birthday. There was time to think about him every time she touched the necklace. There was time to think about his perfect, winning smile when he waved to her before she got on the helicopter to go home the previous June. There'd been time to think of Aster almost every day, and she really didn't want to think about what that meant.)

So, with him lying there and her standing over him, Lia paused, in all the chaos, to think about what it was that she saw when she looked down at the infirmary bed.

She saw someone who was brilliant, but also arrogant in a way that tended to get the better of him. She saw someone who had never met a problem he couldn't crack until he'd met Jaden. She saw someone who had clearly been through hell and back, and had taken the journey alone, which someone Lia had never had to do since first year. She saw someone she was happy to see, someone she wanted to help and take care of and make sure was alright. She saw someone who would probably be able to help them get out of the predicament they'd managed to throw themselves into, because if Bastian was in the desert world, then there was a very good chance he got there by grace of some scientific method, and not magic like them.

When she looked at him, she saw the precious friend she wasn't sure she'd ever see again.

She saw the boy who'd kissed her hand at the opening dinner, and while the memory made her smile, no butterflies exploded into being in her stomach and her heart remained at a steady pace.

She saw her friend Bastian, and realized that she'd missed him.

Lia frowned as she realized, also, that he wasn't waking up.

So, determinedly and deliberately, she poked him.

And when that failed to produce a desired reaction, she did it again.

And again.

And again.

Huffing when all he did was lay there, she reached out a hand to force his eye open and see if that wouldn't jolt him awake. Right before she could touch him though, he groaned suddenly and rolled over, startling her. Lia fell backwards with a shriek, landing on her back, her arms flailing. The three other boys in the room, interrupted from their arguments, looked down.

" Uh, Koneko-chan?"

" Say anything," she growled, " and I will kill you."

Silence.

" Yeah, that's what I thought." She pulled herself up, rubbing the back of her head. One thing was for sure, she'd started taking a lot more falling damage since coming to Duel Academy. She was surprised she didn't take more, given the amount of dangerous obstacles she went through on what was becoming a daily basis.

Something warm and dry bumped against her shoulder. She turned to look.

And met with green scales and yellow eyes.

There was a moment of suspended silence. Lia stared at Shirley, her eyes like dinner plates and all the colour draining from her face. Shirley stared back, impassive except for a sparkle of mischief in her eyes. The three boys winced as once, recognizing immediately where the scenario was headed. Shirley bumped her snout against Lia's shoulder a second time in a friendly gesture. Lia's mouth began to wobble, her breathing hitching. A whimper could be heard.

" Now, Sheila, don't go screamin', alroight?" Jim said in his most pacifying voice. He slowly knelt. Lia hadn't taken her eyes off of Shirley. " You'll end up scarin' Shirley."

The girl broke out of her terrified trance long enough to give the Australian a scathing glare.

" Oh yes, heaven forbid we make the 500 pound crocodile feel uncomfortable!" She hissed.

" Well, she's th' one wit' the teeth, yeah?"

It was the wrong thing to say, because Lia's gaze focused in on said teeth without a second thought. She slowly started to back away, clearly hoping that Jim would scoop Shirley up like he was wont to do, but the reptile was faster than his grabbing hands.

In a flash of green, Shirley followed Lia, backing her up against the wall. Lia squeaked in terror, but said nothing as the crocodile approached her, lumbering forward on stubby legs.

Shirley finally stopped when she was eye to eye with Lia. For along moment, she held the girl's gaze, seemingly judging her. After a minute or two, it became apparent that Lia was not found wanting, because Shirley lay her head down on Lia's lap, making herself comfortable. Lia stared down, not breathing, as the reptile happily flopped the rest of her body onto the floor, ready to go to sleep.

" ...Help." She whispered, anything else being lost as her shoulders started to shake. " Help me." Her chest heaved.

" Okay, Sheila, now just take it easy an'-"

" Get it off, please get it off I won't scream I won't do anything just get it off get it off getitoff-" Lia half sobbed, starting to hyperventilate as the seconds ticked by. Jim swooped down, hauling a disgruntled Shirley, who'd been drifting off into sleep, off of the petrified girl. The moment she was free, Lia leapt up and behind the nearest person to hide.

Jesse looked over his shoulder at her.

" Do ya wanna leave th' room, darlin'?"

Lia shook her head, her eyes squeezed shut.

" Can't walk." She said. True enough, her knees were knocking together so loudly that the entire room could hear it.

" Do ya want Jim ta leave?"

" I just don't wanna see it." She whispered. " Make it go under a bed, or around a corner, but please, please I don't wanna see it."

Jim carefully placed Shirley under one of the beds.

" Okay, Kitty-Cat, it's safe t' look now."

Gingerly, Lia opened her eyes, and peeked out from over Jesse shoulder. Sure enough, there was no sign of Shirley, and her grip on Jesse's back loosened a bit. She missed the way he winced and looked at his abused shoulders, certain that there were going to be bruises on them later.

Lia fell back to sit on the bed, breathing very hard. Jaden carefully reached out to pat her on the head, and looked up to ask Jesse were Alexis, Chazz, and the others had gotten to.

" Hey Jesse?"

" Mmm?"

" Where is everybody?"

" In th' gym." Jesse nodded his head in the general direction. " We figured it was a good idea ta get everybody in one place."

Jaden looked down at his feet.

" How many?"

" Jay?"

His hands fisted.

" How many people got dragged along with us?"

" Lex said high eighties, but Ah think mo'. 'Bout a hundred or so." Jesse looked away. " Chazz an' Lexi were explaining th' situation when Ah left. Sahrus an' Hassleberry were lookin' 'round fo' others."

" One hundred..." Jaden whispered to himself. He was still patting Lia on the head, though he wasn't aware of it.

Jesse gave him a sharp look.

" Ah know what yo' thinkin', an' it wasn't yo' fault, Jay. Vahper's the one tha' did this."

" And Voiper's already paid the proice." Jim said, making his way over. He made sure Shirley stayed under the bed. " What we need now's a way back."

" I believe I could help with that."

The entire room jumped.

Sitting up, looking at Jaden and Lia was a gaze full of warm affection, was Bastian Misawa.


After several paragraphs worth of techno babble that no one really understood (though they caught ideas like 'living duel monsters' and 'twelve dimensions') and even more time insisting that his mentor's name was pronounced Eisensteen, not Eisenstine, Bastian was introduced to the new members of the group and ready to go. No one really comprehended how he had gotten to the world in the first place, and no one particularly cared. He was there, that was the end of it. And he possibly had a way to get them back, provided they gave him room to write his equations and left him in peace.

They could do that.

Organizing the students fell to Alexis and Jaden. Chazz had opted out, citing the fact that he wasn't as good with people as Jaden was. He'd naturally chalked that up to Jaden being too stupid to be mean to someone (a fact that Jaden had very much disproved in his duel with Prince Ojin the previous year, but Chazz was allowed to get a point here and there), of course, but it didn't take away from the fact that people listened to Jaden and his charisma. And Alexis was a powerful figure at their school. That, and she had a mean right hook and a short fuse. If people didn't listen to Jaden, they'd listen when Alexis stood behind him and started cracking her knuckles.

Mindy and Jasmine had already volunteered for kitchen duty, Jasmine knowing how to cook and Mindy not wanting to be out in the crowds. The restlessness made her nervous, and she didn't like the way some of her fellow students were already starting to look like they had cabin fever.

For the most part, their lives were about to consist of waiting around, wandering aimlessly, and hoping that Bastian could find a way to save them all before the week was up and food ran out.

They had a vague plan, but it was a plan nonetheless. They just needed to be able to stave off the inevitable cracking some of the students looked ready to do until they could get home.

And no one was saying it, but there was the faintest idea that, if the food ran out and it was possible, there was fresh game waiting them out in the desert. Of course, no one could look at their monster spirits for long once that thought had crossed their mind.

" Are they...like you?" Jaden asked Neos, determined to get answer.

" Yes and no." The monster crossed his arms. " They were once like us, but banishment has drained them of their intelligence. They are little more than animals, now."

" Banishment?" Jaden looked puzzled, but Neos refused to answer.

" You will know before the end." Was all he said, fading back into the deck, leaving behind a confused Slifer.

It wasn't much, but it was a plan.

Of course something would come along to wreck it.

Blair walked with Marcel, flushed.

" Uh, thanks for...um, coming with me." She flushed. She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. It was amazing that the boy was the same height as her. She'd be turning 11 in March, and Marcel was just a week away from his 15th birthday, but they look to be about the same age. Then again, Blair always got mistaken for being older than she really was because her body had developed quickly.

" Eet's okay. I alzo 'ad to use zee facilitiez." His voice slurred over the words. " At least zere won't be a line, n'est pas?"

Blair giggled, more from nerves than actually finding the weak joke funny.

" That's true." She threw a look around. " Sure is gloomy here when the lights go out. You ever been in the school after dark?"

" Non. I am...'ow you say, nut a fan of zee dark." He looked embarrassed.

" That's okay." Blair leaned in close to whisper conspiratorially in his ear. " Neither am I."

" Zen we shall be frightened togezzer, yes?"

" Sounds good to me."

They kept laughing softly, forcing out jokes and funny scenarios, trying to ignore the growing sense of dread around them. At one point Blair swore she heard footsteps and turned around quickly, but there was nothing there. She put a hand on her chest to try and calm her heart. The dark night and the stories that were circulating around about the injured Harpy Lady were starting to get to her.

" Blair?" Marcel asked, looking over her shoulder with her.

" No. It's nothing." She turned to smile at him.

And screamed as something scaly and dark reached around Marcel's back to grab him over his mouth.

" Marcel!" She shrieked as he was being dragged back. She flung herself on him, catching him around the waist with one arm and trying to pull the scaly thing on his mouth off with her free hand. Something orange and softly glowing made itself apparent around his back, empty eye sockets staring into Blair's face until she felt sick. Still, her hold on her friend didn't let up.

" Let him go!" She shouted, tugging. The thing tilted its head to the side, as if studying her. She pulled harder, trying to get Marcel loose. " You can't have him!"

The thing righted its head. The scaly hand left Marcel's pale face and was replaced by a hand made out of the same, glowing substance as the rest of the body. The boy tried to choke out a scream, but was cut off as the orange hand clamped over his mouth and nose. Blair saw his eyes dim a little as he struggled for breath.

" Leave him alone!" She sobbed, unsure of what to do. To her horror, the thing slowly shook its head from side to side. Then it raised the scaly hand high above its head, and lunged.

Blair fell back with a scream. Pain raced up and down her arm, something warm oozing down it. Her back hit the wall and she slipped down. She felt like she was on fire, like her arm was burning up in front of her. Words rose her mind but died in her mouth. She groped for her arm, and when her hand became wet and sticky, she looked at it.

Blood was splattered across her palm, and the shock finally caught up to her.

The last thing Blair saw before darkness over took her were Marcel's eyes, wide with horror and helplessness as he was dragged off down the hall.


I actually like the Blair/Marcel dynamic. They so obviously care about each other and are socially awkward together. They're like those two kids that can't figure out how to interact with other people so they interact with each other. The friendship is adorable and I love it.

And I think that I kinda destroyed it a little with that last section. Sorry 'bout that.

So, the triumphant return of Bastian. Yay! Should I try and hide before the Academicshippers come out of the woodworks and try to hurt me? And by hurt, I mean maim. And by maim, I mean kill. Maybe. ...Depends on how you guys are feeling today.

Remember how I told you that, as they were, Bastian and Lia were well suited for each other? Well, they aren't who they were, are they? Lia has changed since Bastian left. I direct you to the 'Let me fight for you' scene in Year Two. Instead of wanting Aster to immediately understand what she's feeling, Lia instead puts Aster's desires and hopes in front of her own. She KNEW she was doomed if she tried to duel Sartorius, but she did it anyway because she knew that Aster needed it. Has Lia ever been that self-sacrificing for Bastian? She's liked him and tried to help him and stood beside him, but has she ever offered to fight his battle for him when he was losing faith, knowing that it would most likely kill her? She asked him, ' Isn't what you have enough?' when he was leaving for the Society. She didn't drag him back, sit him down, and force him to talk about his issues. She didn't really fight for him, did she? She could barely find it within herself to put her heart on the line with that onbe little question.

Bastian has always been untouchable to Lia. She had him up on a pedestal, and she always felt inadequate, not helped by the fact that he never saw her in that light. He was beyond her, in every possible way. She couldn't fight for him because she didn't see them as standing on equal ground. She couldn't sacrifice herself for him because they were measured differently. One Lia didn't equal one Bastian. Lia, though she cared about him and wanted him to care about her the same way, couldn't bring herself to put everything on the line for Bastian because there was just too much of a gpa between them. It was all in her mind, of course, but for her, it was still there.

There is no such distance between her and Aster. Early on in their friendship, Aster shared the rain with her, and so put they both on equal footing. There is no pedestal. There is no 'You are so much better than me.', or 'You could do better.' Neither or them have self-esteem issues when they're with the other. Any and all doubts come from the outside. Lia's avoidance of her feelings for Aster aren't because she thinks Aster thinks he can do better. They come from other sources, malicious gossip, deep-seated things that go on in Lia's mind. And yes, lovelies, things that go on in Lia's mind can count as outside sources. Take from that what you will.

But Lia and Aster are equal in a way Lia never was with Bastian. She knows all the bad parts of him, and she still finds him charming (though she'll never admit it), still wants to hang out with him, and still plays with the necklace he gave her at every given opportunity, sometimes unaware of what she's doing. She, despite being so entrenched in denial that it isn't even funny anymore, knows where she stands with Aster. Maybe she's scared fo where she stands, but in her heart of hearts, she knows exactly where it is.

Remember, Aster makes Lia want to be strong. Bastian made her wish she was pretty enough to catch his eye. With Aster, that isn't even an option. She might tell herself that it is, but the truth of the matter is that Lia knows she doesn't have to be anyone but herself to catch Aster's eye. He never looks at anyone but her.

So that's why I think Lia outgrew her feelings for Bastian. She's too much of a hero (and yes, people, she will have her chance to shine this Year. In fact, Year Three, especially Part Two and late Part One, is one long Crowning Moment of Awesome for Lia Shanner) to be able to be happy with someone who a) isn't going to be at her back in the middle of the fray and b) she still can't find within herself to see as being on equal standing in terms of romantic feelings.

Put simply: Bastian made Lia want to be better for him. Aster makes her want to be better for her.

Well, I think that's enough ranting for today. I'm going on a trip tomorrow, and I probably won't be able to post until later. I'm staying with a friend until the end of this week, so I'll update when I can during the day, but I expect I'll be hanging out with my friend. Also, this coming weekend we are going to be going out to see another friend, so I might not be able to update this Friday through Saturday. We'll see. Maybe Friday, depending on when we leave, and Sunday, depending on when I get back. Saturday is almost definitely out, though.

See you tomorrow for a little heart-to-heart that should please all the Goldshippers.

MoS