Hey guys! Sorry for the wait! I've kind of hit writer's block but I think I know where I want to go with this story! Here is another chapter of CFOP! Please remember to fav/follow and review!
A Closed Fist to An Open Palm
Chapter 16: Unspoken Words and Unneeded Tensions
Alexis's eyes fluttered open to the ceiling of the Duel Academy Infirmary, her body resting underneath a thick blanket, around her were protective curtains, blocking the view of the rest of the room. Out of instinct, Alexis attempted to get out of the bed, wanting to know how she got here. While her mind was keen on leaving, her body had other ideas. As soon as she attempted to sit-up, a sharp tinge of pain coursed all over her body, urging Alexis to give-up and rest with their painful protest.
The girl gave up, letting herself slump back under the sheets. She checked her body to see she was ridden with patches of gauze and bandages, all covering her unknown wounds.
"W-What...Happened?" She asked aloud through a wince, placing a hand against her throbbing temples. Her mind was foggy, unsure of the events that led to her bed-ridden state.
She looked to her wrist to see that a transparent tube made their way through her veins, pumping a stream of crimson liquid through a bloated blood pack.
"Thank goodness your awake! Your little friend was deathly worried!" A vigorous voice chimed, Alexis looked to see the Duel Academy Nurse. The older woman bore a pleasant, motherly smile as she peppily walked up to the ailing girl, thrilled to see Alexis making a swift recovery.
"Your little friend carried you here, he told me you fell into a pond, it must've been shallow and muddy! Because you have leech bites all over you!" The Nurse explained. Alexis cocked her head, little friend? Does she mean Syrus? Alexis didn't know Zane's Little Brother had the strength to pull her out of a pond, let alone carry her back to the academy.
"What do you mean by 'little friend'?" Alexis asked. The short, chubby Nurse lightly chuckled in reply before she walked up to one of the curtains surrounding Alexis's bed.
"This little friend right here!" With a showy flourish, the Nurse pulled the blue curtain away, revealing whatever it was behind it.
There, sitting on a separate bedroom was a boy that, while as short as Syrus, was Ra Yellow instead of Slifer Red, and instead of a shade of blue, the boy's hair was a striking, olive green.
Brier would press his fingers against a piece of plastic wrapped around the socket of his ear, wincing as he tapped it several times, feeling the sting of crunched sound through the earpiece.
"Poor thing, when he dived into the rescue you, it seemed to damage his hearing, I hope it'll heal as the school year goes by, but for now..." The Nurse's kind smile soon deflated into a look of concern as she watched as Brier removed the device out of his ear.
"He'll have to use a hearing aid..." The Nurse concluded in a dour tone. As soon as Brier took off the machine, his face darkened with worry. All sounds, once bright and concise, now dampened to a never-ending chorus of buzzing, as if one of Kanoki's cicada's snuck into his ear and planted colonies of newborns into his eardrums.
Brier closed his eyes as his face warped into a frustrated wince, his hands clenched upon the device as he gritted his teeth. He did the right thing. He defeated Kanoki. He saved someone in need, and what does he get for his act of selflessness? A pair of near-deaf ears, another hurdle in his life that he has to overcome now. As if he wasn't facing enough obstacles already.
Brier let out a somber sigh, feeling the puff of air escape from his lips but not hearing it. The boy placed the hearing aid back on, little by little, the sounds of the world came back, but in an unnatural, mechanical filter.
"H-Hey," Brier heard, he turned to see an exhausted, but grateful Alexis Rhodes. Her eyes, once a dull grey, now sparkled a brilliant hue of gold.
"Thank you...Brier was it?" The Blonde whispered softly. While she spoke very little, her words had a massive weight to it. Moved, Brier nodded in return as he bore a small, warm smile on his otherwise dour face.
"Brier, Brier Kohara." He replied in a polite bow.
"I'll leave you two alone!" The Nurse said as she left the room, a playful giggle escaping from her lips. As soon as the plucky nurse left the room, an awkward silence befell between the two students, unsure of what to say to each other besides a greeting and thanks.
Brier knew that Alexis was feeling the same insecurities as he was facing now, she had to be, she entered into that Makai's realm for a reason, and from what Kanoki had said, it was her doubt about her not being good enough to save her brother.
'She had a brother?' Brier asked himself, was that true? Or is it a mere fabrication that Kanoki made in order to make Alexis feel worthless?
Brier sighed remorsefully, whether or not if it was one of Kanoki's doubt-inducing lies, he needed to say something to Alexis, her self-doubt will only continue to dwell and fester if someone doesn't do something.
The thought of the perfect Alexis Rhodes being insecure about herself brought a little pensive chuckle from the boy. Despite the two being worlds apart...They were similar in a way.
His mind was set, he was going to cheer Alexis up. Preparing himself, Brier took a deep breath, steeling his mind and collecting his thoughts as he began to speak to the demoralized blonde.
"I-I know what you're feeling right now..." Brier began shakily.
Brier nervously paused, his collected thoughts chaotically spilling out as he realized he was about to give encouragement to one of the most popular girls in the academy.
"Uh...The feeling that you aren't good enough for someone...For me it's Blair...And for you, it's your brother...Right?" Brier was met with silence, he took it as a sign to continue. Hitting the right mark, Brier continued, his mumbling lessening for each word that came out of his mouth.
"I know that feeling because I've felt that throughout my entire life...I never believed in myself, I feel like I always drag my friends down...That I'm the load, the millstone around their necks..." Brier explained, his face starting to flare up in a shade of red. He and Alexis don't really know each other, yet he's opening up to her with his deepest secret, a secret that he had yet to tell his close friends about.
"But, if there is someone that shouldn't experience such a feeling...It's you." Brier finally felt Alexis's eyes on him, fully garnering her attention. Brier looked away, lacking the courage to face Alexis.
"I mean, I'm just a run-of-the-mill Ra Yellow Student whose unfortunately cursed with dwarfism and a mop of algae for hair..." Brier received a little giggle from the silent Alexis.
"But...You're Alexis Rhodes! You're incredibly smart! You're super talented! You can duel circles around everyone! And unlike the rest of Obelisk Blue, you lack the over-inflated ego to brag about it!" Brier declared.
"Someone like you shouldn't have to worry about having to meet someone else's expectations because you've already exceeded them!" Brier stopped himself, he was getting way too into it.
"W-What I'm trying to say, is that...You're a lot better than you think you are...So don't put yourself down..." Brier finished.
"I h-hope that helps..." Brier added weakly, seemingly running out of things to say. Mustering enough courage, Brier turned to see a Teary-eyed Alexis, despite her watering eyes, she bore a small, light, and hopeful smile.
"It did...Thank you." She replied in a heartfelt whisper. If Brier's cheeks were already shaded in red then this genuinely thankful response made his face redden like a blooming sunrise. While being repeatedly ignored by Blair brought frustration to the boy, having Alexis's Rhodes full attention made him feel a hot sensation burn inside of him.
"Erm, yeah! It's no problem...Let's get some rest. We both need it" Brier said as he shuffled underneath the sheets, turning to the other side so he can hide his blushing face. Alexis silently agreed, giving Brier a light smile before she drifted off to a well-deserved sleep.
Students of all dorms clamored impatiently as they rustled around Chancellor Sheppard's door, demanding answers after the cloud of bugs incident that happened hours ago.
Surrounding the door in a make-shift barricade of dark green academy uniforms and berets were a squad Duel Academy Security Guards, their hands locked in a reverse arm fold as they willfully ignored the rowdy students around them, barring them from entering into the Chancellors officers.
In the middle of this gate of School Staff Members was a slouching, baggy-eyed Chairman Claire, she let out a tired yawn before placing a megaphone in front of her mouth.
"The Chancellor is currently in a meeting discussing the incident that occurred earlier today and won't be seeing students until further notice." Chairman Claire tried to calm the crowd, her boorish voice booming through the resounding megaphone.
The crowd reacted in kind, sprouting out profanities and curses at Claire's apathetic platitudes. The woman rolled her eyes before trying again, placing a hand on her hip as she spoke again.
"There is a sale at the card shop, all packs are fifty percent off!" That seemed to do the trick, the crowd, now distracted by the promise of better cards at a cheaper price, quickly dispersed, leaving the area to Chairman Claire and her fellow security members.
"Finally I can go back on my break," She lamented, tossing the megaphone to one of her subordinates. As the Lazy Chairmen walked off, murmurs of a heated discussion took place in the Chancellor's office.
Hosted between the Chancellor and his office desk were two groups that distanced themselves from each other, not wanting to merge into a united front. Except for one.
"Oh, Jaden! My Sweet Prince! Thank you for saving me!" Blair repeatedly said, her arms wrapped him in a perpetual hug.
"Yeah, it's no problem, but can you stop, please? This is getting kind of weird..." Jaden asked.
"C'mon here Blair! This is no time to glomp!" Mindy scolded, pulling the young girl away from Jaden by her ear.
One on the side were the keepers of the spirit gate keys. The people he entrusted to defend the academy from the evil that is the Shadow Riders.
And on the other side were a group of unplanned variables that the Chancellor didn't know of, a handful of hidden students that got lost in the student body, only to rise to the occasion after the insect cloud incident.
Despite the two group's shared goal of defending the academy from a common enemy, there was no hint of camaraderie or harmony between the two. Tensions between the two groups of students rose as they fired at each other with
"What is HE! Doing here!?" Jasmine barked as she pointed at a bewildered Jaden Yuki. When Jasmine and her friends were called down to the Headmaster's office by Chairman Claire and her squad of security guards after defeating Ikanok, she didn't know she had to share Sheppard's audience with someone she absolutely detested.
"Because I'm a pretty good duelist! That's why!" Jaden replied with a friendly chuckle, not able to sense Jasmine's resentment.
"You say that, as you ignore your loss against me." Zenn swiftly replied, staring a pair of cold daggers at him.
"Wait, this Slifer beat Jaden?!" Chazz Princeton exclaimed, bewildered by the Blonde's claim.
"It was a close match, Chazz; but it wasn't anything noteworthy about it, Zenn only got lucky, that's all." Bastion said to the former Obelisk Blue in a dismissive scoff.
"That's a lot of talk coming from a pair of clowns who couldn't beat Jaden in the first place!" Jasmine responded in a venomous shout, frustrated by their lack of respect for her, and their lack of respect for Zenn.
"Jazz...For the love of Ra, calm down..." Mindy sighed, a palm pressed against her tired face.
"Students! Students! Infighting is not the answer! We got bigger things to worry about! Like what happened in the duel arena!" Chancellor Sheppard announced, trying to be a mediator to the two clashing sides.
"A cloud of mosquitos and Ra knows what else appeared out of thin air! And it turned Alexis Rhodes into a giant mosquito demon-thing! This must be the work of the shadow riders! And with Alexis missing, we've already lost one of the spirit keys!" Chancellor Sheppard declared as he dramatically slammed his hands onto his desk.
"Close, but not quite Master Sheppard, this is the work of the Makai," Zenn answered as he respectfully bowed to the headmaster.
"At first, we thought that we shouldn't tell you of this encroaching evil...But after Jasmine's duel with The Servant of The Makai, I fear that they are becoming braver, more willing to step out of their shadows to feast upon the innocent." Zenn explained, his prose earning some raised eyebrows from one half of the room.
"Ah, I heard about the Makai, I suppose I should've known they were going to pop up once the Shadow Riders start showing themselves." Chancellor Sheppard replied. Zenn's head perked up, intrigued by the Headmaster's knowledge.
"You venerate the ways of Gendai Reiki?" The boy asked, hiddenly excited to meet another practitioner. Chancellor Sheppard belted out a laugh in a reply, waving off
"I heard of that dueling style, but no, I am a master of the Cyber Art! In fact, my successor is right here in this very room; Zane Truesdale!" The Chancellor declared. He then directed the group's attention to his aforementioned successor with a sense of pride.
In contrast to the squabbling group of heroes, the quiet and stoic Zane leaned against the wall, his face locked into a stony expression. He glanced at Zenn and his group of friends, seemingly sizing them up within seconds.
"We need all the help we can get Chancellor," Zane said with an indifferent shrug.
Zenn narrowed his eyes to the Senior, "Successor?" The Martial Artist wondered as he walked in front of Zane's steely gaze.
The two exchanged unflinchingly stares, both deep in thought. As Zane and Zenn locked themselves in a battle of never-ending gazes, the rest of the room looked at the two in confusion.
"Okay, what's happening?" Jaden asked, trying to get the feel of the room.
"Your Cyber Style is no match for Gendai Reiki, the true style," Zenn claimed boldly, unintimidated by Zane's cold glare. Zane replied with a smirk.
"Do you want to prove that right now?" Zane beckoned, ready to dispute Zenn's claim.
"Why can't we just get along?" Chancellor Sheppard lamented with a sigh.
"Tell me about it..." Mindy agreed, pressing her palm against her face.
Zenn took note of Mindy's disappointment. He shook his head before turning back to Zane.
"...We will duel later," Zenn solemnly declined, swallowing his pride for Gendai Reiki. Zane scoffed in reply, indifferent.
"Now Master Sheppard, what should be the best plan forward?" Zenn asked, bowing to the Chancellor. The headmaster would contemplate for a moment before giving an answer.
"Simple! Since we seem to be building walls, not bridges, I propose this! We'll have your group, fend off the Makai, while we deal with the Shadow Riders! It'll be best if we keep to our corners for now," Sheppard declared.
"So pretty much what we were doing before..." Jasmine pointed out, unimpressed.
"Perhaps it's for the best...They've been wounds between us, perhaps time will heal it." Zenn agreed, looking back to his friends and then to Chancellor Sheppard's assigned group of spirit key holders.
In the depths of the abandoned dorm, the Herald would let out an overjoyed cackle as he watched his twin-headed master feast upon a newly-collected wave of negative energy, their meal seeping through the cracks of the damaged walls and shattered windows in inky river-like streams.
"Yes, master! Feast as if there is no tomorrow!" The Herald encouraged.
"With your two servants causing so much chaos! These children are quivering! Their fear is exploding! It will only be a matter of time before they blame each other Allowing Hatred to make its welcomed return!" The Herald declared.
And with this in our grasp!" In the speaker's hands was a piece of black-marked gold, strapped onto a necklace.
"We can unleash your pets upon this world for your inevitable return!" He dangled it in front of the feasting demon, the demon ignored it, to gluttonous to put their mind off of their food.
"Why settle for the seven assassins when you can unleash a horde of your servants to garner these keys?" The Herald advised. In a rare moment of temperance, the twin-headed Demon would pause in its meal to growl at its Herald, offended by their minion's suggestion.
"Oh...I see what you are planning now Master...Then forgive me for my intrusion." The Herald bowed in apology. The Demon would then cough out a pulsing, veiny orb, creating another servant-bearing cocoon.
"Your Riders of the Shadows shall pave the way for your pets, while your servants shall rebuild your body...Your reign will return, it is inevitable!" The Herald announced, bringing his arms out in a laughing celebration.
