I'm baaaaaaacccckkkk
A dark voice started moaning over the school's speaker system. It was more creepy than horrifying if that's what they were going for. "What is that?" Jaden asked.
Jesse cried out and sagged against Aurelia. His strength was waning. "Jesse!" Jaden gasped.
"I'm fine. Go Jaden, I'll watch over Yusuke," Jesse ordered.
"And I'll watch over both of them," Aurelia added.
"Alright, I'll be right back," Jaden promised and ran off.
Jesse and Aurelia watched him go. "You're really starting to feel it aren't you?" Aurelia asked out of the side of her mouth.
"Yeah," Jesse sighed. "I'm gonna disappear aren't I?"
Aurelia met his eyes, "Yes. You and Yusuke both lost a shadow duel. Your duel energy is enough to keep you both here for now but you're fading fast." In fact, Yusuke disappeared in a swirl of dark energy at that moment.
Jesse grabbed onto her. "Make sure you watch out for Jaden! Please, don't let this be a repeat of dark world," he begged.
"I won't. I promise you, I won't let Jaden fall again." Jesse started to fade. "He'll get you back. He will get all of you back."
Jesse smiled and disappeared from her arms. Aurelia sighed and clenched her fists. This whole thing needed to end. Now.
Jaden ran out from the school a few minutes later. Aurelia had composed herself and waited with baited breath at Jaden's reaction to finding her without the two men he had left her to look after. He paused, "Where's Jesse?" he asked hesitantly.
"He lost the duel Jaden. So did Yusuke. They're both in the shadow realm," she breathed. "It's just you and me left. I'm sorry."
Jaden grit his teeth. "There's nothing you could have done," he got out. He was intimately familiar with the rules of the shadow realm by now.
An orb of light floated around Jaden before stopping next to him. Professor Banner appeared as a spirit. He pointed up at the eclipse, "Look at that."
Both Aurelia and Jaden focused on what had appeared to be a solar eclipse but was now growing bigger. No, growing nearer. "What the hell?" Aurelia muttered.
"So it wasn't an eclipse?" Jaden added. The black orb grew nearer until it hovered large over the path. "Jaden," a voice from the orb washed over them like slime. "The time has come for the final showdown between you and I."
Banner turned back into an orb in fright and hid behind Jaden. "Who are you?" Jaden demanded.
"I am Darkness. The one you just defeated is merely a part of me." The feeling of sliminess increased along with shadow magic. Aurelia could fairly taste the magic in the air around them. Whatever this was, it was a being of immense darkness. She could almost feel the shadow realm at her fingertips.
"Did you mean Yusuke?" Jaden asked.
"You have not yet seen my true identity."
"Then show yourself!"
The orb of dark magic grew in size again. Shadow magic poured from the centre and coalesced into a skeletal form standing over ten feet tall in front of them. "I am Darkness. The other truth, the other world incarnate," the creature spoke with that same unsettling voice as before.
"Jaden, I can sense the souls of many people inside of that sphere," Banner whispered.
"Then…they're all in there!" Jaden exclaimed.
"Yes, the ones you seek are in my world."
"Your world? Darkness, what do you want? Are you trying to take over this world?"
"Desire? I have no desire," the creature mused. "I just follow the logic of this world. The truth of this world. It is the law."
"So you're saying it's natural for everyone to disappear and go to your world?" Jaden asked.
"Correct."
"That's a load of shit!" Aurelia cut in. "It's not natural for all humans to go to the shadow realm! Only those beings overcome by darkness end up there when they pass."
Aurelia just barely concealed a flinch as she felt Darkness' eyes upon her. "Ah, the child of two worlds. Is that what your mother told you?"
"No, that's what my grandfather told me." This being didn't look like it had eyes; she still felt him narrowing them at her.
"You do not know the pain of your friends," Darkness said, ignoring her and turning back to Jaden. "For many humans, my world is peace. Witness with your own eyes." Darkness held up a finger and shot shadow magic at Jaden. It hit him in his forehead. Its tendrils appeared around Jaden and his eyes were open but she knew he wasn't seeing this world. He was viewing whatever Darkness wanted to show him. "They have already thrown everything away. There is no hope or despair in my world. Where every human's consciousness fades into one another, they will live for all eternity and become one. They have chosen to repose."
"You're lying," Jaden spat.
"The beginning of the truth began far back in the past. In the darkness where nothing existed, one light was born. The opposites became determined and the world had begun. Eventually, stars and planets were born. And when this earth had been created, humans stood on top of all creations. It was inevitable that humans discovered duel monsters; another world created from that first event. This other world was pure and still contained the old magic from which the worlds were born."
"Therefore, duel monsters became a touchstone to test the souls of humans. A mirror which reflects their souls. For instance, if you were to compare the world you live in as the front of the card, my world would be the shadow, the darkness; the reverse. If light continued to reside in the duelists who used duel monsters, maybe peace on the front side of the card could have been guaranteed. But the souls of many duelists had been dyed in darkness, and that had flowed into my world."
Jaden's eyes glowed and he yanked the tendril of shadow magic away. "Then what? Are you saying you're here because the souls of every duelist have been fouled?"
"Exactly. I do not have an ambition. Many strong powers tainted in darkness had awakened me. It is natural for my world to replace yours, just like the way water flows from a high place to a low place. I am the saviour," Darkness explained.
"What saviour? You erased everyone's memories and dragged them to your world!" Jaden protested.
"You cannot stop a torrent which has started flowing. Just like a stream, all I did was remove the small obstacles in my way. Jaden, you are aware of why my world gained so much power. Ones with great power have been taken over by the darkness in their souls and misused the power of duel monsters. You are one of them. You are the ones who gave me power."
"You got one thing wrong. I didn't fall into darkness to awaken a freak like you!" Jaden replied. "It's the opposite. I gained dark power to defeat ones like you!"
"You are a foreign object which holds the soul of a human and the spirit of a duel monster." Darkness turned to Aurelia who shivered when those eyes that weren't eyes came back to her, "And you have the magic of the light gods running through your veins. Both of you are unsuited for living in my world."
"Call me whatever you want, but as long as I'm here I won't let you take this world!" Jaden declared.
"Then I shall eliminate you in a test of mettle against your soul: duel monsters!" Five wings appeared from Darkness' back. Aurelia retreated as Jaden readied his own duel disk. Banner retreated with Pharaoh behind a pillar. "Jaden, be careful! He's nothing like the people you've dueled before," Banner warned.
"I know, but if I don't defeat him, our world won't return to normal."
"You shall receive my judgement and wander in between the light and darkness for all eternity," Darkness stated.
"Bring it on."
Darkness began the duel by summoning Darkness Eye and then played the field spell Darkness. By the spell's effect, Darkness placed five chosen cards face down from either his hand or deck.
Jaden started his turn by playing Sparkman. Jaden had Sparkman attack Darkness Eye but Darkness revealed Zero and Infinity. When those two cards activated, Darkness could activate all of the set cards between the two. There was one card in between them and that was revealed to be Darkness 1. This allowed Darkness to destroy Sparkman.
"What kind of effect was that?" Jaden panted.
"Jaden Yuki, this duel will be your last. Carve into your soul, the duel against a god."
Jaden played Relationship which allowed him to summon a monster with the same attack points as Sparkman. Jaden summoned Necroshade in defense mode. He played one card face down and ended his turn.
Aurelia eyed Darkness and then the portal behind him. If that was a portal directly to the shadow realm that must mean Darkness still needed to be connected to his realm in order to act in theirs. That portal was a doorway to the shadow realm.
Doors open both ways.
"Jaden, don't let your guard down. Common sense won't work against this opponent," Banner counselled.
"I know. Who knows what could happen in this duel," Jaden replied.
Darkness started his turn by activating his field spell which randomly re-set the traps on his field. He then used Darkness Eye's effect to summon a monster without a sacrifice. He summoned Darkness Destroyer which could inflict piercing damage and could attack twice.
"This isn't good! If he uses the card destroying effect he did last turn, it will all end here!" Banner shrieked.
"But his cards have been randomly set. If he can't identify them there's still a chance he might miss."
"Let's see about that. Activate Zero and Infinity!" Zero and Infinity activated on either side of his spell/trap zone. Three cards activated in the middle. Darkness 2 raised Darkness Destroyer's attack by 3000 until the end of the turn because of the other Darkness cards that were activated. His Destroyer's attack became 5300. Jaden rebuffed the first attack with Hero Barrier but could not protect against the second attack. Jaden was sent flying backwards and Aurelia just managed to catch him before he hit the ground. His life points were down to 500.
"Give up. You are the only one left to fight in this world. There is no one who believes in your power," Darkness goaded.
"I don't care. Even if I'm alone, I'll keep fighting," Jaden replied.
"Jaden, I believe in you, but I need to go," Aurelia whispered. "Don't look at me!" she hissed when he went to turn his head. "Don't draw attention to me. I'm going to sneak around and jump into the portal. I'll find our friends."
"'kay," he muttered.
"And you're not alone," Yubel appeared. Aurelia backed away from them. "Even if you're still reckless, it's way too fast to fall."
"Can't you do something about your sass first?" Jaden quipped.
"It's because you forgot about me. You are not alone. I will always be with you." She disappeared back into Jaden.
"You're right. There's another soul inside of me who believes in me!" Jaden got back to his feet and glared at Darkness. Aurelia snuck further away from the duel.
"The other soul which lives in you," Darkness muttered as he mused. "Due to the effect of Darkness, the traps will randomly be reset and Darkness Destroyer's attack points return to 2300. I end my turn."
Jaden activated the effect of Necroshade in his graveyard to summon Neos without a sacrifice. He then played Effect Shut before Darkness Eye could use its effect, and destroyed it.
"You use a cheap strategy for a guy who claims to be a god," Yubel taunted. "Darkness Eye had the effect of letting you see your face down cards. That's why you knew where each one was when they were randomly set."
"But even without the effect of Darkness Eye, trap activate!" Darkness tried but he revealed Darkness 1 which couldn't be activated without Zero and Infinity.
"Too bad. It looks like you failed," Yubel smirked.
Neos destroyed Darkness Destroyer and dropped Darkness' life points to 3800. "Looks like the current is moving towards us now," Jaden said proudly. He played one card face down and ended his turn.
This was the perfect time to make her move. Darkness was distracted by Jaden and wasn't paying attention to her. Aurelia slipped behind Darkness' line of sight and ran as quietly as she could for the portal. Just as she was about to jump into it, Darkness turned and noticed her. He was too late though, and she knew by the growing malevolence towards her that he knew it too.
Aurelia jumped.
And landed ankle deep in what felt like water. She froze and concentrated on breathing for a minute. It was so dark she couldn't see and the water swirling around her feet was hiking her anxiety up to the max.
She could do this. She and Chazz had worked on this irrational fear of hers. He even taught her how to swim! She could be afraid later. She needed to find Chazz now. She could still feel him but he felt muted to her somehow. 'Chazz!' she called out but received no answer.
Gods dammit! She needed to focus. Think of him! Think of his smile, his eyes, his touch, his sass, his love. She pulled all of it into the forefront of her mind. Chazz, where are you?
Something glimmered in her mind's eye. When she opened her eyes she saw that same glimmer ahead. Aurelia ran and that glimmer became a light which became so bright that she had to cover her eyes. It was headache inducing after being in the pitch blackness.
The cause was stadium lights. She had appeared in the middle of a match it seemed. A faceless duelist stood on one end while Chazz was on his knees, head bowed, on the other. It seemed he had lost the duel.
"How could you have lost?" a shrill voice shrieked from the sidelines. A pissed off version of Aurelia appeared and stomped towards Chazz. "You've just lost any shot at staying a pro and all the money you were making! Now I have to support your sorry ass!"
Aurelia blinked. "What the hell?" she muttered.
"You're pathetic," her doppelganger continued. "I can't believe I mated you. I can't believe I'm stuck with you," she spat.
Chazz seemed to get lower to the ground with every word. Aurelia growled; no one hurt her mate, not even his own worst fears.
Aurelia charged and sliced through her doppelganger which turned into goo. She whirled and dropped to her knees in front of her mate, grasping his shoulders. "Chazz, that wasn't me!" she tried. "I've never thought that about you!"
"But you're right Aurelia," he said quietly. "I'm pathetic. I can't win this duel. I even tried cheating one time. I'm no good for you."
"I don't care about a duel! I don't care if you lose this duel and all the duels after that!" Chazz whimpered and she knew that wasn't the right path to take. "Chazz, listen to me, you're in the shadow realm. This duel isn't real. That version of me who yelled at you wasn't real. These are all your worst fears playing out in front of you. They're not real."
"But they could be," Chazz muttered. "If I lost and couldn't duel in the pro leagues then what use am I? I don't want to have to depend on you for everything for the rest of our lives."
"If something happened to Kaiba Corp tomorrow and my parents and I lost all our money, would you leave me? Would you abandon me because I'm not rich?"
"No!" Chazz shouted and finally met her eyes. "Never!"
"Then how is this any different?" she asked gently. "I will love you when you're a pro duelist and I will love you if you're not! Hell, start a cooking show if the pro thing doesn't work out, I don't care! I will be with you in whatever you decide to do because I love you," Aurelia surreptitiously wiped away tear tracks from his face. "Being with you is the only thing I need. I'm not worried about the future because I know you'll be in it."
Chazz stared up at her wondrously before sitting back on his heels and dragging her onto his lap. "Aurelia," he said in a daze.
"Hi honey," she purred. Aurelia cupped his face in her hands as she sat straddling him.
"I love you," he emphasised and dragged her into a starving, relieved kiss.
Aurelia hummed with happiness but sadly brought the kiss to an end. "I would love to continue this Chazz, but we're in the shadow realm and we need to find the others. Rain check."
Chazz nodded, still looking a little dazed, "Right, rain check." He looked around them, "How did you find me exactly?"
"I concentrated on memories of you and here you were," Aurelia replied. "I don't know if the same thing will work for the others because it might have been the bond." Aurelia helped Chazz to his feet.
"Um Aurelia, why is your forehead glowing?" Chazz asked as he stared at her.
Aurelia touched her forehead but couldn't feel anything. "I didn't realise it was," she said as she lowered her hand. "What is it?"
"It's an eye I think."
Aurelia nodded, "That makes sense. It's my parents' powers. It's probably what's keeping me from falling into a nightmare of my own."
"Okay, well if and when we do find the others, how do we get out of this realm?"
Aurelia bit her lip, "Um…"
"You have no idea do you?"
"I was thinking more about saving you than anything else!" Aurelia defended. "Darkness said that the reason all of you were here is because of the negative emotions that soaked into your cards; fear, doubt, and whatnot. Now that those emotions are gone there shouldn't be anything tying you to this realm. We should be able to leave whenever we want."
"Who told you this?" Chazz asked.
"You don't want to know," Aurelia shuddered.
Chazz glanced around at the empty arena. "So who should we try and help first?"
"I'm closest with Aster if that has any effect on this."
"Aster it is."
"Okay, focus on Aster in your mind. Let's see if we can reach him," Aurelia took a deep breath and clasped hands with Chazz. Focus on Aster…
When she opened her eyes again, she found herself in someone's home. She nudged Chazz to open his eyes and turned around them to try and figure out where they were. This place felt familiar to her but she didn't know how she knew it. "Where are we?" Chazz asked as he looked around as well.
"I think I've been here before," Aurelia said as her eyes glanced over everything.
"What are you doing here?" Aurelia and Chazz whirled around to see Aster sitting in a wheelchair. He was glaring at them from his seat with a few days stubble on his cheeks and wild eyes. "I thought I told you to leave me alone."
"Aster?" Aurelia breathed.
"What do you want Aurelia? I'm not exactly in the mood to host," Aster growled.
"Aster…what's…?" Chazz trailed.
"Oh now you care?" Aster seethed. "After I became paralyzed it didn't seem like you two would be spending any time around a cripple."
"You're paralyzed?" Chazz asked.
"I left you?" Aurelia added.
"I am not in the mood to humor your games guys. Just leave me alone," Aster ordered before wheeling himself over to a side table. There was a bottle of vodka on the table and he poured himself a generous glass.
"I know this place," Aurelia said finally. "This is D's place. You said you'd never come back here."
Aster snorted, "Had to after," he gestured to himself. "Can't exactly keep the penthouse loaned to me by Senrigan Group after they let me go. Only reason I'm here is because it's handicap friendly and you're paying my bills. One last thing off your conscious since you left me here years ago."
"Where's Zane?" Chazz questioned as he ducked his head to peek behind a door.
Aster slammed his glass down. Not hard enough to break it, but still. "Don't say his name!"
"He's not…" Aurelia trailed.
"He can barely look after himself let alone a crippled boyfriend. He abandoned me too." Aster took a long drink of vodka.
"That's your fear," Aurelia realised. "You're afraid of being helpless and alone."
"I'm not helpless!" Aster spat.
"No you're not!" Aurelia marched over to Aster and fell to her knees in front of him. "Aster you are the strongest person I know. You don't give up. Hell you beat our instinctual fear of water and live on a yacht just to wave your middle finger at it!"
"And look at me now," Aster replied sardonically and took another drink.
"Aster this isn't real! This house, your legs; none of it is real!"
"What are you talking about?"
"It's true," Chazz supplied. "Whatever versions of us you've seen aren't real. We're in your mind. Your worst fear to be exact."
"Bullshit."
"Aster, we're in your mind. What was the last thing you remember before all of this happened?" Aurelia questioned.
Aster blinked. "I was with…Zane…and there was something weird going on in the building. This guy showed up and asked to duel me. He threatened Zane so I dueled him but I lost and then I woke up on the floor of Zane's room. Zane told me the guy left for Domino so I took a helicopter after him but something went wrong and I crashed. The rest is history."
"Everything that happened after losing to that guy is fake. We're in the shadow realm. Right now we're in a hell designed specifically for you so you'd give up all hope and give in to the darkness," Aurelia explained.
"I lost to him too. We just came from my personal hell," Chazz stated.
"None of this is real?" Aster asked.
"None of it," Aurelia confirmed.
"Then you could just be illusions as well. How'd you get from his hell to mine?"
"Jaden is dueling the master of this realm in our world and I snuck into his to get as many people out as I could. This guy thrives on despair and nothingness. I gave Chazz hope again and we could escape. We came to find you since you were closest to me," Aurelia explained. "Aster, we need you to hope again."
Aster shook his head and snorted, "That's a tall order right now Aurelia."
"I know," she said and placed a hand on his knee, "but this world is simply not real. I would never abandon you after something like this. Especially to this place. How about when we get out of here we sell this place?" Aurelia ran her finger along the seam of his pant leg out of his sight, "Besides, if you ever became like this you know I'd find someone to give you your legs back." She continued the motion up and down on his leg.
"You can out-stubborn anyone," Aster chuckled.
"Except you, which is why we work so well together," Aurelia smiled. "I will never abandon you Aster. You're my best friend over anything else."
"Aurelia, stop that, you know I'm ticklish," Aster swiped at her.
"Are you?"
Aster stared down at his legs before looking back up at her, "None of this is real." It was a statement rather than a question.
Aurelia shook her head, "None of it. You're not paralyzed, I'm not a heartless bitch, and you're not alone."
Aster choked as he moved his toes. "I don't know about the heartless part but you're definitely still a bitch."
Aurelia threw herself into his lap and his arms with a cackle. "There he is!"
"Uh, guys?"
Aurelia and Aster both looked over at Chazz who was pointing at the doorway. Three Trueman stood there, smirking. "Found you," they taunted.
Aurelia growled and leapt from her place to attack. One of the Trueman simply waved a hand and she went flying into a wall. "You're in our world little girl."
"You managed to get to two of your friends," one of them started. "Unfortunately, they will be the only ones you get to," another finished.
Aurelia growled and charged again but Trueman held up a hand and she ended up jumping into a portal. She landed with a crouch in what looked like a wasteland. Buildings were crumbling and destroyed. The smell of sulphur permeated the air. Another portal appeared in front of her and both Chazz and Aster fell out of it.
"Aurelia, Chazz, Aster!" all three looked over to find Jaden staring at them in excitement. "You're alright!"
"I found the godling and her mate in my world before they could do more damage," Darkness rumbled. "Leave the denizens of my world to their peace."
"That wasn't peace that was hell!" Aurelia yelled.
"Enough!" Darkness shouted. Thunder rumbled in the distance. "You will return to my world shortly, but as a denizen not a thief." Darkness turned back to Jaden. Jaden was down to 2000 life points and Black Panther and a Neos form she wasn't familiar with on the field. Darkness had his traps and a large monster on his side of the field. Thankfully, it was Jaden's turn.
Jaden had Black Panther transform into a copy of what they now knew was Darkness Neosphere. Black Panther also copied their effect which let Jaden place Darkness' traps in whatever order he wanted and flip the field spell Darkness to the set position which de-activated it. If Darkness wanted to reactivate it, it would be at the cost of his traps. Jaden set one card and ended his turn. For Darkness' turn, he had Darkness Neosphere destroy Neos Wiseman which dropped Jaden's points to 1000. Jaden activated Neos Wiseman's effect which let him bring back Neos if he removed Yubel.
"Give up already. No matter how much you struggle, you cannot win!" Darkness taunted.
"Soon we'll leave this place. Certainly earlier on you said there were many things we couldn't pass through but we have no choice but to keep moving on," Jaden stated. "In order to open your own future."
"You just don't get it. You indeed have the strength to fight, but the others don't."
"No, you don't understand. I don't have the strength to fight," Jaden rebutted. Aurelia stared at him in confusion. What was he talking about? "To win, my heart was shrouded in darkness. My friends fell one by one. That is what you don't understand. All I can do is believe!"
"All you do is believe?"
"The belief in the cards will never leave us alone! Friends fighting and friends cheering, is a bond that can't be cut off by anything! Our precious cards hold the power of our bonds!" Jaden declared as he held up Neos.
"What exactly are you saying?" Darkness questioned.
"Guys! Can you hear me? Can my voice reach you?" Jaden yelled and Aurelia felt a power go through her. Judging by the way Aster and Chazz flinched, they felt the same. Jaden's voice was somehow amplified. "Look! The card you grasp. Just one is fine! You should have one! Using that card, grasp the memory of those you've fought against! At first it's just a plain card without anything special. Through there are those you've fought against. Sorrow and joy that was shared among people you've fought. Anger and hatred; those memories were absorbed by that card! It's the history of your efforts! That's what we call a bond, so believe in it! Remember your cards! The faces of those you've fought with those cards! Those are your true friends!" Chazz looked down at Ojama Yellow. Aster looked down on his Dogma. Aurelia reached out her mind and her heart to find Athena and Ruin. She could feel her connection to them and held it close.
"When tough times come, if we believe in those cards that support our future, we will have never been alone. Don't fret over the future! We haven't carried out anything yet, have we?" Jaden finished.
There was silence and then lights started flying from the portal. "This is…" Darkness trailed.
Lights rained down on them from the illuminated portal. The vision of a dying world disappeared and Duel Academy reappeared. "What in the world?" Darkness said, bewildered.
Those lights coalesced into people; specifically, everyone who had been taken from the island. Jesse knelt over Yusuke on the sidewalk, Syrus and Alexis stood blinking; students looked around them, bemused. "Impossible," Darkness muttered.
"Improbable," Aurelia said as she came to stand behind Jaden.
"Looks like everyone didn't like the darkness of your world," Jaden quipped. "You didn't just steal everyone's memories, you stole our irreplaceable bonds! That's why you can't be forgiven!"
Jaden drew for the beginning of his turn, "Thank you, my deck. You also built an irreplaceable bond with me." Jaden activated his trap Future Vision which let him remove Polymerization and all the Neospacians, along with Black Panther in order to summon God Neos. God Neos had 3000 attack points but added 500 points for every Neospacian removed to summon it and Flare Scarab's effect which added 400 points for every spell and trap on the field, leaving God Neos with 8400 attack points.
"Impossible!" Darkness gasped.
Aurelia grasped Jaden's shoulder and summoned every bit of light magic she had within her. She would make sure that this attack sent Darkness back where he belonged. The whole area lit up in a bright blast that destroyed the rest of Darkness' life points. When the smoke cleared and the spots disappeared from her eyes, Aurelia could see Darkness still standing.
"Jaden Yuki, though I lost to your cards, my soul itself is another matter. In any case, I have been defeated, but my true form is the darkness. I can easily be revived in this world!" Darkness threatened.
"Even if that's true, as long as I'm here. No, as long as we duelists are here, we can continue to believe in our possibility! Your turn will never come," Jaden promised.
Light started to pierce through Darkness' form and the portal behind him cracked. They both disappeared in an explosion that lifted the darkness away and revealed the sun after what felt like ages in that suffocating miasma.
Jaden's duel disk retracted and God Neos disappeared. "Seems like it all ended happily, I suppose."
"You suppose?" Aurelia wheeled him around to face her. "Jaden, you won against the strongest opponent you've ever faced and saved the world at the same time!"
"I did, didn't I?" he said sheepishly with a smile.
"You absolute dork," Aurelia laughed and dragged him into her embrace.
"Jaden!" Hassleberry and Syrus shouted as they ran towards him. Alexis ran as well from another direction while Chazz sauntered up to join them. In fact, everyone was running towards Jaden, shouting his name. Blair even ran up from somewhere and jump/tackled him into a hug. Everyone here knew who had saved them from the Darkness.
"Guys," Jaden sighed in bashful thanks.
"Party in the Obelisk dorm tonight!" Aurelia shouted gleefully. Hundreds of voices rang out in joy at her proclamation.
"W-What?" Jaden asked, bemused.
"We survived another end of the world event. I think we should party," Aurelia declared. She leaned in close to Jaden to whisper, "While they're all partying we'll have a small celebration of our own. I know how much you don't care for crowds now."
Jaden smiled his thanks while everyone else was still cheering about the party. "We'll meet at the Slifer dorm and have a bonfire. I'll let the others know and we'll all meet up after the party's in full swing," Aurelia explained quietly.
Syrus and Hassleberry took that moment to grab Jaden from her and bring him into their own celebratory hug. Aurelia let him go with a laugh and ran smack into Chazz. He dipped her and pulled her into a laughing kiss.
"Where's Aster?" she asked when they came up for air.
"Off to find Zane." He pulled her back up and crushed her to him, "I love you,"
"I love you too Chazz," she sighed and buried her face in the crook of his neck. Her mate was here, her family was safe, the world was back to normal; yeah she was right. It was definitely time for a party.
By the time Aurelia got back to their room after arranging everything for the party and assuring her worried parents and uncles that she was safe, it was almost time to get ready for tonight. Aurelia flopped face down on their bed and groaned. She could hear Chazz moving around the room, probably getting himself ready as well. "Why did I say we should have a party?" she whined.
"Probably because you have secret masochistic tendencies," Chazz quipped. The bed dipped next to her as he sat down.
"Not so secret if you know," she stated.
"I know all your secrets."
Aurelia rolled over so she could see him. "Yes you do," she replied softly. "I didn't think I would ever have someone who knew all my secrets."
Chazz leaned over her to press their lips together. At first, he just left sweet, chaste kisses until she moaned for more and then he deepened them, turning them deep and filthy. But just when she was about to grab onto him and pull their bodies together, he grasped her arms to free himself and stopped. Aurelia mewled a complaint but Chazz just chuckled and smacked her on the hip. "Come on, party's gonna start soon."
"Ugh, I hate you right now," she groaned and rolled off the bed.
Chazz snorted, "Uh-huh, now let's get going."
The up side was they only had to make an appearance at the party before they snuck off towards the Slifer dorm. Aurelia totted a surprise with her that she was sure would go off well with some of their friends.
"Hey, you brought Mr. Emo with you tonight!" Aurelia jested as Aster walked up pushing Zane along with him.
"You know, you think you're funny but you're not," Aster replied in exasperation.
"Fuck you, I'm hilarious."
Chazz choked on a laugh while Zane merely rolled his eyes. "Hey, what's your doctor's opinion about alcohol?" Aurelia asked.
"You did not," Aster deadpanned.
"Oh, she did," Chazz sighed.
"What have you got?" Zane inquired.
"Zane no," Aster chided.
Aurelia reached into the bag she carried and brought out a beer. "I figured everybody should start out small," she said and handed it to Zane. "Only one for you though."
Zane shrugged as he took the beer. Aster and Chazz both sighed.
"I'm surprised Syrus didn't come with you guys," Chazz said as they continued toward the Slifer dorm and the glow of a fire they could just see.
"He was already with Jaden. He visited earlier but I'm pretty sure he wants to hang out with Jaden as much as possible right now. He can see me anytime," Zane replied.
"Hey guys!" Atticus called out. He and his sister were on their way to the bonfire as well. They'd all decided to forgo uniforms for tonight so everyone was dressed casually…except Atticus. He was decked out in tight leather pants and what looked like a club shirt. In fact, he looked like he was going to a club rather than a small party.
"Uh, where are you going dressed like that?" Aurelia asked.
Atticus shrugged, unfazed, "I dressed up for the official party. I look fetch."
Aurelia was about to respond to that when Zane, of all people, piped up, "Stop trying to make fetch happen Atticus."
"Who showed you that movie?" Aster screeched, frozen in place behind Zane's chair.
Atticus raised and waved his hand proudly. "I taught him everything he knows," he grinned.
"You should be ashamed of yourself."
Alexis, unlike her brother, was decked out in sensible jeans and a long sleeved shirt. She rolled her eyes, "Can we just go to the party?"
When they got close enough they could see Jaden, Syrus, Jesse, and Hassleberry around the fire. Jesse was sitting next to two guitars and idly looking them over while the other three were roasting marshmallows already. "Just couldn't wait for us could you?" Aurelia accused.
"Not our fault you're late," Jaden replied cheekily.
"Says the kid who's always late."
"Whose guitar is this?" Jesse asked. "I recognise this one as Aurelia's but whose is this?"
"That's mine," Aster revealed as he pushed Zane closer to the fire and set the brakes.
"You play?" Zane and Jesse inquired at the same time.
Aster walked over and grabbed his guitar. "When I can," he said as he strummed the strings and then tuned it.
"Are we singing at this? I'm not a good singer," Syrus stated nervously.
Aurelia tossed him a can of beer. "That'll help," she quipped and then handed one to Aster.
"You brought alcohol?" Hassleberry cackled. He grabbed the can out of Syrus hands.
"Um, I don't think this is legal," Syrus stammered.
"You don't have to drink if you don't want to Syrus," Aurelia consoled. "But I'd rather you have your first drink in a safe space. I won't tell if you won't."
"Wow, when did you become our mother?" Atticus asked as he grabbed for his own can.
"When your mother dropped you off on my island."
Hassleberry scoffed, "This isn't my first drink."
"Somehow that doesn't surprise me," Aurelia said as she handed a can to Jaden. He handed it back sheepishly and whispered, "I can't get drunk." Hassleberry and Atticus began a debate on the best brand of beer.
Aurelia shrugged and pulled out a flask, "Thought this might happen. Beer can't get Aster or I drunk either. Try this."
Jaden gingerly took the flask and sniffed. He coughed, "What the hell is that?"
"Everclear," Aurelia smirked. "The only thing that gets Aster and I remotely drunk."
Jaden gestured to Aster who was contributing to Atticus and Hassleberry's conversation from his spot on the ground in front of Zane. He was still tuning his guitar and taking sips of beer. Aurelia nodded, "He likes the taste. Heathen."
"I heard that," Aster growled, not looking up from what he was doing.
Jaden chuckled and sipped from the flask. He grimaced and handed it back to Aurelia. She laughed and tousled his hair before joining Chazz.
"So is Aster going to be singing for us?" Atticus asked. He took a seat next to Alexis and handed her a beer.
Aster snorted, "Not likely. But I hear Jesse has a good voice," he said slyly, looking over at the man in question who turned bright red under the scrutiny.
Aurelia handed over her guitar. "We can do that rendition of Far Away that we did when we first met," she suggested.
Jesse fiddled with the strings of her guitar before starting to play. This time, Aster joined in and Aurelia began to sing.
When they finished Hassleberry shouted through the applause, "Do you know any classic rock?"
Aster started riffing through Smoke on the Water which got Jesse laughing and playing along. Aurelia leaned against Chazz and watched them play with a smile.
A few drinks and songs later, Aurelia laughed and crooked her finger at Jesse to get him to lean close. She whispered in his ear and he nodded and played a couple of the chords so she knew he understood which song. Aster perked up when she waved at him.
"Alright everyone, here's a song that has a stomp and clap beat to it. Watch me," she instructed. She stomped once, clapped once and repeated until she came to the eighth beat where she clapped twice. "Alright, now you guys follow."
It took a couple of tries before they got the hang of it but they did. Jesse waited until the right spot and then started the opening riff of Wild at Heart. Aster joined in when he could and Jesse started singing.
Down a back road
Long, hot summer
A couple kids runnin' loose and wild
He kissed her
She said mister,
Take an inch and I'll give you a mile
I ain't here to do anything half-way
Don't give a damn what anyone might say
I just wanna free fall for a while
Aurelia joined her voice into the chorus.
That rebel moon is shinin'
Those stars burn like diamonds
Hell bent on chasin' down that crazy slide
I'll follow you where you're leading
To the first sweet taste of freedom
You got me runnin' baby,
Wild at heart
About midnight, he tells her
I ain't got no come-on lines
Well I'll love you, or I'll try to
We got nothing to lose but time
Stick your hand into my back pocket
Light me up like a bottle rocket
I just wanna free fall for a while
That rebel moon is shinin'
Those stars burn like diamonds
Hell bent on chasin' down that crazy slide
I'll follow you where you're leading
To the first sweet taste of freedom
You got me runnin' baby,
Wild at heart
Oh, alright
The night is tellin' us we're way too young
Oh, that's alright
I've got forever on the tip of my tongue
That rebel moon is shinin'
Those stars burn like diamonds
Hell bent on chasin' down that crazy slide
I'll follow you where you're leading
To the first sweet taste of freedom
You got me runnin' baby,
Wild at heart
That rebel moon is shinin'
Those stars burn like diamonds
Hell bent on chasin' down that crazy slide
I'll follow you where you're leading
To the first sweet taste of freedom
You got me runnin' baby,
You got me runnin' baby,
Wild at heart
Oh, alright
Aurelia and Jesse held that last note amidst cheers and whistles from their audience. They all started laughing like maniacs when they caught their breath. Aurelia leaned into Chazz and sighed in happiness. Chazz's hand came up so his fingers could run through her hair.
"See that's still weird to me," Hassleberry said as he pointed at the two of them.
"Jealous?" Chazz scoffed.
"You've had a year to get used to it," Aurelia exaggerated.
"So! You two hated each other! Now I know it's always been a lie but still!"
"You should have seen them in first year. They definitely hated each other then," Syrus revealed before taking a sip from his beer. He was only part way through his second beer but he was already much looser than before. Enough so that he started actively engaging in their conversations rather than just observing.
Aurelia felt Chazz shrug, "Eh, I'll give you that."
"Trust me, that's definitely weirder," Atticus said as he pointed at Aster and Zane. Aster was leaning back against Zane's legs and idly picking at strings.
"Don't be hating," Aster replied. Zane snorted.
"Last I checked, Zane was asexual."
"You never actually asked," Zane reminded.
"Didn't think I had to. You had some kind of revulsion for anyone, male or female," Atticus alleged. "I tried to set you up with girls and guys and you sent them all away."
"I have to admit, I wasn't expecting this either," Alexis added.
"Things change," Zane stated.
"Wait, I only knew Zane as Hell Kaiser," Hassleberry stated, bemused, as he raised his hand. "What was he like before that?"
"Quiet, but polite. Only cared about dueling and his friends," Alexis surmised.
Hassleberry's eyes widened in drunken amazement. "Wow," was all he said.
Syrus snorted, "Yeah, and now sooner or later I'm gonna have a brother-in-law. How's that for change?"
Aster spit out his beer. Zane covered his face with his palm. Aurelia cackled and everyone else stared at the two boys like they had suddenly gown two heads. Syrus was definitely drunk if he was throwing out sass like that. "Syrus…" Zane sighed and shook his head in consternation.
"You didn't tell anyone did you?" Chazz asked with a smirk.
"I didn't think this was a conversation we needed to have as a group!" Aster floundered.
"You two are already getting hitched?!" Atticus screeched. "I need to know these things! I'm gonna plan the best wedding ever!"
"No!" Aster and Zane stressed.
"Does that mean Syrus is the ring bearer or flower girl?" Chazz mused. Aurelia elbowed him, "Be nice."
"Maybe I'll be the one marrying them," Syrus responded and stuck out his tongue at Chazz.
"Nobody's marrying anybody!" Aster shouted.
"Do I get bragging rights for being related to Aster Phoenix even if it's by marriage?" Syrus wondered aloud.
Aster reached for Aurelia's flask. "Gimme that, I need more alcohol for this conversation," he muttered.
"At least you can get drunk," Zane groused.
"I think you two should just elope," Aurelia giggled.
"Where's Jaden?" Alexis asked out of the blue. Come to think of it, Jesse was missing also.
Aurelia shrugged, "They're probably making out somewhere."
"Who's making out?" Jesse asked as he reappeared. Jaden was nowhere in sight.
"Where's Jaden?" Alexis asked him.
"He, uh…left," he fidgeted. "Probably went to bed or something. Whatever Jaden does nowadays." Jesse sat in the place he had vacated and picked up his beer. Aurelia's eyes met Alexis' over the fire and she knew the other girl understood what had just happened. Jaden had pushed Jesse away.
'That stupid kid' Chazz sent.
Aurelia hummed. Jaden was a complicated creature now. She used to know what was going through his head but nowadays…
"Did Aster tell you guys he and Zane first kissed in Dark World?" Aurelia continued. Throwing that out there served as a great distraction as the conversation swung back to Zane and Aster's relationship.
"While we were dead?!" Atticus shrieked, offended.
"We weren't dead Atticus," Alexis chided.
"People do bond closer in grief," Syrus chimed, nodding like that explained everything.
"Nobody's getting married!" Aster reiterated, looking redder and redder by the minute.
"I should have stayed dead," Zane muttered.
Gods she loved these crazy people.
Sorry I've been gone so long. Bet some of you thought I was dead didn't you? Nah, I was just lost in the MCU fandom where I found my ultimate OTP so my muses have been on Marvel topics and not yugioh topics. But I digress;
I did spend quite a lot of time on this chapter mostly because I wasn't happy originally with the battle scene between Jaden and Darkness and I tried to fit a smut scene in but that didn't quite work either. I definitely haven't forgotten this story and it has been on my mind for the whole span I wasn't writing. I have plans for this though. There's going to be 50 chapters overall, including an epilogue, so we're almost there. I'm also planning a couple of one-shots in this universe along with finishing Erased.
You guys have been on my mind and I haven't forgotten you. Thank you so much for being so patient with me.
