Warnings: Zane. That is all. Zane.
Disclaimer: I don't own Yugioh GX.
Year Two: Descending Light
If he hadn't been sure of it before, he was now. While he'd been off winning duels and collecting medals in order to not only place high in the GX Tournament, but also score a good final grade, three of his friends had ended up in the hospital. And if that wasn't a sign that things had gone wrong, then Atticus didn't know what was.
It had started, apparently, with Lia going to Miss Fontaine about bruises on her neck. While he hadn't seen them himself, Jasmine had, and from he'd been able to gather from in between her inarticulate noises of rage, they were quite bad, and worse, the girl had no idea how she'd gotten them. She'd refused to go the hospital for a whole day, before Jaden had gotten to her and made her .Apparently, she'd spent the night in the care of a very worried Aster Phoenix, who'd looked after her as best he could. Atticus had dismissed Jasmine's claims that Aster'd had a hand in the marks on Lia's neck, because Atticus could never imagine the boy laying a finger on Lia if she didn't want it. He couldn't imagine anyone even getting close to Lia if she didn't want it.
So the idea of the marks on Lia's throat was doubly disturbing, because it meant that someone had overpowered her and done it to her. That was the only way it could've happened. And Lia must've put up a fight, because there was no way she'd take that kind of abuse lying down. Atticus never once thought he'd have to worry about Lia getting into an abusive relationship because Lia simply did not take shit from anybody. And that meant she'd been helpless, probably pinned down or up against a wall (Jasmine said she had a wicked bump on the back of her head), kicking and fighting and trying to scream.
It made Atticus' stomach turn just to think about it.
He'd promised to protect her. Yasmin had clearly seen something in the girl that was worth dying for, and as the Assailant's lover, it was his duty to complete whatever task she'd left unfinished in the wake of her death. That was partly why he'd sworn to protect Lia. The other reasons included the fact that she was his little sister's best friend, and the fact that he was actually very fond of the younger girl, and wanted to look after her.
But Lia wasn't the only one he'd failed.
A few hours after she'd been admitted into the infirmary, both Jaden and Chazz had ended up in the beds one either side of her, Jaden from exhaustion and Chazz for...well, that was actually a bit of a mystery.
Anyone with two eyes could see that Jaden was tired. Atticus had visited the boy earlier, and Jaden had been sound asleep. That hadn't been the problem. The scratch marks on his face, however, had been. They streaked from where his lips met his chin all the way up to just under his eye. They criss-crossed on his cheeks, dried blood clotting at the edges. He'd had bandages over his face most of the time, but when Atticus had visited, Miss Fontaine had peeled them back to wash the cuts again, and then applied fresh ones. Atticus remembered flinching at the sight because they had looked so red and raw against Jaden's skin.
Chazz was another matter entirely.
He hadn't been awake either, but Miss Fontaine had said that he had been, and that was a good sign. He hadn't been quite so pale anymore, either. The colour had started to flood back into his face, his cheek flushing as he slept and his lips a shade of coral pink. He'd shifted around, as if uncomfortable in his white clothes, and kicked at the blankets until they'd been tangled around his legs. And Atticus' jaw had dropped at the sight.
Burned through Chazz's jacket and shirt was s hole, the fabric darkened and singed around it. On the skin that the hole bared there had been a pinkish burn, no bigger than a fist. What had made Atticus' breath catch was the fact that both the hole and the burn were directly over Chazz's heart.
Atticus shook his head, trying to keep the buzzing thoughts from making him dizzy.
In the end, it all boiled down to one thing:
He'd failed.
He'd failed to protect Lia, and now she was hurt.
He'd failed to protect Jaden, and now the boy was fast asleep, having been like that for days.
He'd failed to protect Chazz, and now the boy had clearly undergone some kind of trial that had left him weak and confused.
He'd even failed to protect his own sister, and now she was in the clutches of an evil entity bent on brainwashing all his friends.
He had one last shot at redeeming himself, and that was why he was standing on the cliff overlooking the lighthouse, waiting for Zane to notice his presence and look up.
Zane had always been aloof, even back when Atticus had first met him. He'd had a sort of quiet dignity about him, a regalness that held all other people at bay and made sure no one dared to enter his bubble. It had gotten him through his first year relatively unscathed, after he'd proven to be more than a challenge in a duel, even to most of the fourth years. Unfortunately for Zane, Atticus had never been one to be put off by aloofness.
" Hiya!" Atticus bounded up to the older boy. Zane spared him a glance, looking up from his cards, one eyebrow raised in a clear 'who the hell are you and what the hell do you want?' gesture. Atticus found it very impressive that the boy was able to convey all that with just one look.
" I'm Atticus." He stuck his hand out. Zane looked at it with the same look someone might give a poisonous snake, if that someone were a robot and therefore did not possess the ability to feel fear. He looked back down at his cards. Atticus kept grinning at him, fixing him the mega-watt smile that would, if nothing else, make the other boy feel so uncomfortable, he'd have to say something.
" Zane." He said at length, and Atticus did a little mental victory dance.
" So Zane," he made sure to emphasize the name, " what'cha doin'?"
There was another silence, a deliberating one, as if Zane was debating with himself whether or not to answer again. Then,
" Restructuring my deck."
" Cool." Atticus leaned forward more. " Why?"
Zane looked at him again, one brow still raised.
" Don't you have anyone else to annoy?" It sounded less like a question and more like 'get the hell away from me.'
Atticus waved it off.
" Nah, my sister isn't coming until next year. So I'm sorta short on victims right now. Say," He leaned forward again, looking at Zane's eyes under his bangs. " You're even better looking up close."
That got a reaction.
A red blush flooded Zane's cheeks as he scooted back, staring at Atticus with wide eyes. His cards were still clutched in his fingers, Atticus noticed, but under the blush Zane was pale. The younger boy put on his best innocent grin, even as, through his sputtering, Zane managed to string a few words together.
" But...how...what?"
Atticus crouched on the ground, still smiling at Zane like he was a toddler.
" I said you're even better looking up close. Just take the compliment without freaking, okay?" Atticus said in a calm voice. Zane scowled at him, but, from the angle Atticus was looking at, it resembled a pout.
" You do know I'm a guy, right?"
" With those arms, baby, I'd hope so." Atticus winked roguishly, and Zane scurried even farther back. " Take it easy, I'm just messing with you."
" So you aren't hitting on me?" Zane eased himself back into a sitting position.
" Oh no, I'm hitting on you." He stiffened again. " I'm just not serious about it."
" But I thought you said you knew I was a guy."
" Hey, I don't discriminate." Atticus shrugged. " Hot is hot, and you, my friend, are hot."
" I'm not your friend." Zane said automatically. He gathered his cards again, and made to go back to studying them, but Atticus was quicker.
" Yeah, I noticed. You never seem to hang out with anyone, so I thought, hey, why not talk to you."
" So this is a pity conversation?"
" I couldn't help myself." Atticus sighed dramatically. " Brooding older men make me go weak at the knees."
" You're doing it again."
" I can't help it. I'm a flirt by nature. It's who I am."
" Bet your boyfriends love that."
" Eh, the guys are actually more okay with it than the girls."
" I was being sarcastic."
" I know. I was just messing with you."
" Why?"
" Well, because." Atticus let just the right amount of sensuality seep into his tone, and leaned forward, staring into Zane's eyes. " You're really cute when you're flustered."
" Stop it." Zane's voice was clipped. " You're starting to get on my nerves, freshman."
" Oooh, so it's gonna be like that, is it?" Atticus pouted. " Well, two can play at that game, Mr. Kaiser."
Zane snorted.
" Was that supposed to be an insult?"
" You tell me."
" You're not very good at this whole, back and forth thing, are you?"
" I told you, I'm a natural flirt. And let me tell you, I am really having to repress my natural urges right now."
" You know you could always go away. Solve both our problems."
" What's your problem?"
" There's this annoying little first-year sitting next to me, and he won't shut up so I can focus on my cards."
" You forgot to mention how pretty I am."
" You just like the sound of your own voice, don't you?"
" Well, it is fabulous."
" You know, if I hadn't known you liked guys before, the way you said that last word would've tipped me off."
" Really? I usually rely on my gaydar. It's pretty accurate."
" And you zeroed in on me because...?"
" Oh, I know you're not gay. But like I said. Brooding older men. Makes my brain go to mush."
" And here I thought it was mush already."
" That's cold."
" I generally am."
" Bet I could warm you up."
" Okay, seriously, if you aren't going to leave, can you at least stay on your side?"
" Ow! You don't have to shove, Zaney!"
" Call me that again, and you and I will settle this the old fashioned way."
" Why do I get the feeling cards will not be involved."
" Fists will. Blood might."
" Okay, okay, I'll back off. Spoilsport."
" Instead of complaining, how about you go away?"
" No way."
" Why not?"
" You're way too interesting. I think this is the start of a beautiful friendship!"
" Touch me again, and I will beat you with my duel disk."
" Okay, sheesh!"
It hadn't been the best of starts, but it had been theirs, and Atticus had kept at it until Zane had let him in, as much as Zane could let anyone in. They talked card strategies over lunch and Zane let Atticus borrow his notes from the previous year, and warned about how to avoid getting on certain teacher's bad sides. Atticus had cheered Zane on in the School Duel that year, and Zane had gone to karaoke night with Atticus, insisting the entire night that he was there under protest. They'd gotten drunk together at the end-of-the-year party, and Zane, who'd been more sober than Atticus, but that wasn't saying much, had let the younger boy crash in his room for the night. Zane had spent almost as much time hauling Atticus down off of tables before he could start singing as he did fiddling around with his deck. Atticus spent more money on Zane's birthday presents that he did on hair care products, and that was saying something.
When Atticus had finished his motorcycle, he'd shown Zane first.
When Zane had gotten the top mark in all his classes, he'd let Atticus buy him a double scoop cotton candy ice cream (his secret guilty pleasure) sundae.
When Alexis had come to Duel Academy, Atticus had entrusted his little sister's livelihood to Zane. And in his absence, the older boy had taken to the task like a fish to water. Of course, Atticus had his own plans; thoughts about Alexis, sighing dreamily over a boy, of Zane, slightly flushed and smiling a little smile at some girl, maybe even the two of them, his best friend and his sister, standing together, not saying anything, but threading their fingers together when their hands brushed.
Atticus had his own plans, and Zane becoming dark just threw one big wrench into them.
Not to mention the fact that, having gone through the same thing, Atticus knew he wouldn't wish the experience on anyone, not even his worst enemy.
Down below, Zane's eyes drifted upwards, and Atticus took a deep breath, arranging his face into a friendly smile. As soon as Zane's eyes met his, Atticus started waving like he used when he called a greeting to Zane from across the cafeteria. Zane scoffed, but glanced to the clearing they both knew rested by the base of the volcano. They'd found it towards the end of Atticus' first year, and it had become their sanctuary, where they'd go to unwind and talk and sometimes, just duel for fun.
Atticus nodded, smile still on his face, and turned around to hurry to the clearing. The second he did, the smile dropped, and an expression of grim determination overtook it.
" Nice threads." Atticus whistled in appreciation.
Zane rolled his eyes, still preparing his duel disk.
" No, I mean it." Atticus pressed on, forcing his voice to take on the playful, flirty tone it usually had. " That colour does wonders for your hair and makes you eyes stand out so much more."
" Did you come here to flirt, or duel?" Zane snapped, and glared at him. Atticus felt a shiver go down his spine at the cold look in the green orbs.
He didn't let the smile slip.
" You're still so broody. Honestly, you know what that does to me." He pretended to swoon. " Zaney, you are such a tease."
" I'm going to annihilate you." He hissed, letting his duel disk activate with a sharp click.
" Promises, promises." Atticus let his own disk activate. " You know, I never took you for the sadomasochistic type. I always figured you'd be a little dominating, but this is going beyond that."
" Shut up." Zane glared at him from across the field. " Hurry up and make a move."
" Alright, alright. Don't get so pushy." Atticus slapped a card down onto the disk. " I'll start with Red Eyes Black Chick."
" How cute." Zane looked like he was ready to spit acid.
" Hey, I'm not done yet. By sending my chick to the Graveyard, I get to summon my Red Eyes Black Dragon right off the bat."
" You're starting to bore me."
" So cold." Atticus pouted. In a flash of golden light, his chick morphed into his dragon, its jaws open in a roar. " Didja hear about what happened?"
" Are you done yet?" Zane sounded so distant, and Atticus bit the inside of his cheek, a feeling of helplessness sweeping through him. Zane was so far gone, how was he supposed to...
" I'll play Inferno Fire Blast. So, if I attack you directly, you take Red Eyes' attack points as damage." He slapped the card down. " So, have you heard?"
" Heard what?" Zane's voice was almost as the explosion of Red Eyes' attack ripped through the air.
" Heard about what's been goin' on around here." Atticus put a card face down as the dust settled.
Zane scoffed, drawing a card.
" I couldn't care less."
" That's cold, Zaney."
" I haven't even started yet." Zane slapped a card down. " I'll play my Cyber Dark Horn."
Atticus blinked at the dark brown/black creature, it's pale, wicked green eyes looking at him.
" That's a new one."
" Just wait. It gets better. Now I get to take a Level 4 or below dragon from either of our Graveyards and add it to my Cyber Dark Horn to drain its attack points. And I choose your Chick." Zane gave him a sadistic smile.
Atticus didn't let himself flinch as a bolt of golden light shot from his disk over to the thing on Zane's side of the field, slowly taking form and darkening as it became his Red Eyes Black Chick. The thing closed its claws around the scared little monster, who gave a whimper and tried to pull away. Four tentacles attached themselves to the monster, and they started to glow gold.
And the little monster screamed.
This time, Atticus didn't bother to hide his flinch, his eyes screwing shut as his monster wailed in pain.
" Stop it, Zane!" He shouted, still not looking. " What's wrong with you, this isn't like you!"
" You mean it isn't like the old me." Zane said coldly, over the sound of the screams. He cast a cold eye at the writhing monster. " You mean it isn't like that weak person I was before."
" Since did caring about something make you weak?" Atticus demanded.
" I care about things. I care about winning. I care about being the best. I care about not losing, ever again, to anyone." Zane's voice dropped to a growl. " If Cyber Dark Horn's target is in defence mode, and has fewer points than it, then the difference comes out of your life points." He pulled up a card. " And I'll play this. Mega-Morph. If I have fewer lifepoints than you, this card will double my monster's attack points, making it just as strong as your dragon."
Atticus winced.
" Zane..."
" You pulled off a very impressive combo attack for your first move. Tell me," Zane's eyes lit up with no friendly light, " do you think you could do it on your own?"
" What?" Atticus felt his stomach drop.
" You and I both recognize that deck, Atty." Zane's laugh was short and cruel. " I was just wondering if you could've made that move all by yourself."
" Nightshroud will always be a part of me." Atticus said through gritted teeth.
" That so?" Zane seemed unimpressed.
" I'm the one in control now. I'm the one who calls the shots. I'm-"
" That's a lie and you know it." Zane cut him off. Atticus blanched, his heart stopping for a moment. " You're dependent on him. You need him. You think I don't know that? You think I don't know you?" Zane gave him a malicious smile, and Atticus had to force himself to remember how to breathe.
" You're my best friend, Atticus." The words cut like knives. " You think I don't know about the nightmares? About the way you still cry yourself to sleep at night? About the way you hear Talia and Devon screaming in the dark corners of your room?
" You think I don't know about how you would give anything to take it all back? I know you, Atty. I know what you'd do. You'd take it all on yourself. You'd take all that darkness and stuff it inside if you thought it would help. But it won't, because I also know you're too weak to do that. You couldn't handle it. You'd buckle under the weight of it all and you'd die begging for mercy as your soul was ripped apart. That's why you need Nightshroud. He can do what you can't. He can hold the weight you would be crushed under. You need him so bad it makes you sick, doesn't it? I know about that, Atticus; you told me. You always told me everything. Because we're friends. Because we trust each other. Let me ask you something, Atticus, from one friend to another."
Zane's eyes were lit up with hellfire, and Atticus had to swallow a wail of despair.
" Do you still think I'm interesting?"
And he sent his Cyber Horn to attack.
Hey, sorry for being late. I had a hectic weekend. But the good news is, I have now an apartment for next year! Woo-hoo, living off campus with my friends!
Anywho, here is the true introduction of the Hell Kaiser. And the beginning of the Zane/Atty friendship. I love how Atty just flirts with him! So, yay! And now, I need to go. Sorry for the short note, but I have essays to worry about, so, see you all on Friday.
MoS