Author's note: Thanks for the review. It could just be that this is an old fandom. The series ended in 2008... Not sure how many fans are still around.

/

He found Zane relatively easily enough. For all that the man gave off the impression of not needing or even wanting the presence of others around him, right now at least he did always seem to gravitate back to him. Loneliness and the prospect of being trapped like this for eternity, Aster imagined, could make even the coldest and bravest of souls shudder a little. Dare he say it, he actually got the feeling that the spirit was lonely.

For all that, he offered no apologies when it came to his nose. He might not have been aware of course and Aster didn't care to ask him one way or another. He knew better than to expect any expression of regret from Zane. In his mind, he'd been in the right. He hadn't pushed Aster into the wall. He'd walked into it unguided and unassisted. That made it his fault. It didn't matter that he'd been following mindlessly and trusting his companion subconsciously to lead them on a decent path that wouldn't result in physical injury.

One thing was for sure, he wasn't about to ask him what he'd seen in that nightmare world again.

They walked side by side along one of the cliffs looking out over the ocean. As always Zane was quiet. His gaze was longing. Aster had to remind himself that his companion couldn't feel the pleasantly warm breeze or smell the fresh salty ocean air or even the heat from the early morning sun. It was all something that he found himself cut off from. Still, he came along. It couldn't be to stretch his legs so much as to get a change of scenery. This early, things were relatively peaceful and as such, they were able to talk in a more relaxed manner; without fearing that someone might overhear their conversation or believe him to be speaking to himself.

"So…" Aster began, his hands in his pockets. "What are you going to do with yourself after next week?"
"I'm sure I'll think of something to do around this place." He huffed with irritation. "Haunt some classrooms or something."
"You're going to stay here?"
"What else can I do?"

It was a matter that Aster had actually given some thought to. Zane Truesdale was evidently going to spend a long time, perhaps all of time trapped like this, as a spirit. That in itself would have been almost unbearable but it was made all the more tortuous by the fact that as of yet, there was but a single soul who had been able to see and interact with him. Given the student body concerned, that surely must have meant that the chances of him ever coming across another capable of doing so was slim.

It was an unappealing prospect but one which Aster fancied that he could rival with his next suggestion:

"You could come with me."
"What? Very funny Aster..."
"You got something better to do?"

Zane's gaze detached itself from the ocean so as to focus on him once more, clearly dubious and trying to ascertain whether or not this was all some part of a joke. Aster ensured that there could be no room for misunderstandings: he was serious. His companion looked away a moment later, giving the notion more thought than he'd honestly thought that he would.

It wasn't something that Aster was offering carelessly either. He'd reflected on it a good deal. His conscience wouldn't allow him to leave Zane helpless and alone. He'd had some experience of cohabitation with the man and knew that whilst the two of them most certainly had their differences, they weren't insurmountable and that they could, if the situation called for it, live together. It would be different out there in the larger open world, he didn't even expect Zane to be a permanent resident. His current condition would doubtlessly allow him to roam if he so wished it. It might be nice however for him to have a base of sorts, someone to turn to if he wanted to talk.

"Can you imagine that? Me as your personal poltergeist for the rest of your life?"
"I repeat, you got anything better to do?" Zane was quiet once more, unable to argue. "In a couple of weeks everyone will be leaving. It'll just be strangers here, strangers who can't see you."
"You think I don't know that?" There it was, that constant slight irritation he was used to.
"No but I think you might want a way out. So here it is."

Yubel or Jaden's words - at this point he still wasn't entirely sure which one he'd been speaking with if not both - were fresh in his mind. He wouldn't have liked to guess just what the man was thinking. If he was actually considering the offer or had already dismissed it and was merely searching for the appropriate way to refuse. He found the latter possibility to be unlikely however. Perhaps one of the good things about dealing with Zane Truesdale was that the man was very frank. Had he been totally against it, for whatever reason, Aster was convinced that he would have said so by now.

Instead, he came to a stop abruptly his gaze focused elsewhere. For a moment, Aster cast his own eyes out to sea, assuming that something on the horizon must have caught his attention. All that he could see was the ocean. Yet a glance towards Zane confirmed that it was something far more meaningful that had caught his attention. He couldn't quite read the expression on his face. It wasn't anger, that was all he was really say for certain. Sorrow? Regret? Those seemed to be a little bit closer to what he was witnessing right now. The man let out what seemed to be something of a sigh, dissimulated to the best of his ability and made all the more difficult to make out because right now, his companion wasn't even that sure that the spirit was breathing, not properly at least. All the same, he was able to pick up on the chance.

Before he had any chance to question it, Zane turned away, abruptly altering his course so as to head away from the cliffs. He'd sped up to a degree that Aster knew he would have to break into a trot if he wanted to keep up with him.

"You concentrate on your future Aster. I don't have any place in it."

Naturally, Aster was inclined to give chase. He knew that if he didn't, Zane would walk off and roam around the island aimlessly for a few hours before inevitably finding his way back to either the yacht or the lighthouse. Then they could begin this whole thing once more. Anyone else, he would likely have given up on at this point, especially when he was on the receiving end of their ill-temper. For whatever reason, at this point he was chalking it down to compassion and a desire to help come what may, he was still putting up with it.

Rather than give chase immediately, the young man waited, casting his glance back down towards where Zane had been looking in the hopes of being able to locate the source of his the older pro-duellist's earlier distraction. His attention was spiked suddenly as he spotted a familiar figure down by the lighthouse. Ah, that explained things a little more... No doubt Zane had already noticed that his usual (and now somewhat literal) haunting spot was taken.

He paused for a moment, wondering just what the young woman could be doing down there by herself. He would have thought that given how close they were to the end of the year and leaving this place that she would have wanted to hang out with her friends. Out there like that, it wasn't even as if she could claim to be on her way to somewhere. Not unless she'd gotten severely lost… Slowly, his gaze flickered back towards Zane, now disappearing into some of the nearby trees, walking through those he couldn't be bothered avoiding. These days, he strongly doubted that Zane would notice him falling behind or leaving him for a short while, let alone care or ask any questions; that meant he could afford a little detour. After all… He mused to himself, it wasn't as if he wasn't being selfish.

He walked slowly and steadily, keeping his attention focused on his target. It was easy enough to find the path down from the cliffs and then to make his way along the pier towards the lighthouse. The young woman didn't seem to have even registered his presence. There was something melancholic about her entire demeanour as she stood there, arms folded seemingly holding herself close whilst her hazel eyes scanned the horizon for something which plainly wasn't there. Aster wasn't the best at reading others, it wasn't a skill he'd ever found the need or the particular desire to develop outside of duelling and yet even he could tell that something was weighing heavily on Alexis Rhodes' conscience.

It was only after she let out a deep and heavily sigh that he dared speak:

"Nice day, huh?"
"Aster?" She spun around on her heels to face him. "What are you doing here?"
"Me? I just wanted a breath of fresh air." He took in a deep breath so as to emphasise the point. "Then I saw you. What's up?"

Alexis shifted uncomfortably, in his eyes unwittingly dismissing any notion that this might somehow have been just her out to take advantage of the fresh morning air and what was undoubtedly a scenic spot. Whilst he might not know her particularly well, he would have bet money on there being something else troubling her. He kept his gaze focused upon her, silently daring her to contradict the unspoken assumption and assure him that everything was very much alright.

She just gawked at him; eyes wide and blinking rapidly. He offered her a smile, not quite friendly but not entirely smug either. After a few moments, her surprise gave way to more suspicion. She scanned him from head to foot, searching for… Something. An ulterior motive perhaps? After all, this wasn't exactly commonplace for them.

Instead, after a few moments, she turned away once more looking back towards the vastness of the ocean. She seemed to be lost there for some time causing the young pro-leaguer to cast his gaze back in the same direction to see if he could spot whatever seemed to have captivated her attention so much. There was nothing out there, it occurred to him that that might hold the source of its power: its limitlessness.

"I'm just thinking. You know… About things… A lot's happened."
"You can say that again..." He paused for a moment before deciding to take a chance. "Thinking about Zane?"
"Among other things..." She let out a sigh. "I miss him, you know? I know he'd changed but he was still my friend… It's… I don't know-"
"Like you've lost a piece of your life. I can relate."
"Your father..." Alexis guessed quietly.
"Yeah..."

He felt something pass between the two of them in that brief moment. An unspoken understanding… He didn't really know just how close Zane and Alexis had been. It wasn't a question that he'd ever though to ask and frankly, he doubted that the former would ever give him such an insight into the depth of his heart. He wasn't familiar enough with the latter to risk asking, aware that it would be as indelicate as it was intrusive. It did give him enough room to guess, to imagine that maybe they had been friends and that maybe the spirit might just have something resembling a lingering attachment to the woman, judging by his earlier reaction to seeing her.

"Alexis!"

The cry caused him to turn his head looking back towards the beginning of the pier. He raised his eyebrows, recognizing Chazz Princeton rushing towards them. His distraction was only brief, out of the corner of his eye, he made out Alexis tensing up as if she'd just been struck by lightning, the color draining from her face as she stood there. Perhaps subconsciously, she attempted to make herself smaller, taking shelter behind pretty much the only thing outside the lighthouse which offered even just some concealment. It was enough to cause Aster to chuckle.

"Uh Alexis, hate to break this to you but you've picked the wrong guy to hide behind."
"Sorry… It's just that I've had about seven duels in the past two days and I really can't face another." She let out a sigh, slipping her deck out from her pocket.
"Whoa… Is that really called for?"
"Seeing as I really don't want to go to the graduation ball with him? Yes, yes it is."

Now that Chazz had gotten a little closer, Aster could make out the duel disk around his wrist. Another day, he might have laughed. It wasn't exactly what he would have called "romantic". Maybe he was being insensitive and failing to see the bigger picture but if he was going to ask someone out, perhaps chasing them all over Academy island threatening to duel them wouldn't be the way that he would have gone about it.

It seemed to take a while for the duellist to register that Alexis wasn't alone out here. He cast Aster an uncertain glance, no doubt wondering just what he was doing with her. He just smirked, welcoming some of the uncertainty that such a gesture must have generated in the other's mind. He seemed to be perhaps more confused than he was concerned. Evidently the presence of another wasn't quite something that he'd factored in to all of this. He seemed to dismiss his being there however, as he was quick to turn his attention to focus once more on the object of his affections. His cheeks were a bright shade of pink as he attempted to address her:

"Alexis… Have you thought about what I said?"
"Yes and you'd better be ready for a duel." There was a certain reluctance, an exhaustion behind her words which wasn't lost on the pro-duellist.
"Sure. I mean..." Chazz seemed to be stuttering, struggling to find his words. "A duel always brings out people's true feelings, doesn't it?"
"Hey… No need for such extremes." Aster spoke up suddenly drawing their attention. "See just so happens that Lexi said she was going with me."

Alexis' face clouded over briefly. She fixed him indignantly, evidently struggling to get her head around just how it was that he felt confident enough to make such a claim. She might, he realized, have taken it to be something of a betrayal. Especially after their earlier discussion. There was enough anger behind her gaze to make him feel that it might just be he who found himself challenged to a duel if nothing changed. So he offered her a little knowing wink.

She must have spotted it because a second later she smiled knowingly, catching onto the ruse. She turned back to see her friend with a sweet and innocent grin:

"Yeah. Sorry Chazz." She paused for a moment perhaps feeling some guilt. "I'll still see you at the party though, okay?"

The teen grumbled and for a moment, Aster found himself wondering if a duel might be inevitable. He found himself faced with flashbacks of Echo. The things people did in the name of "love" never would cease to amaze or appal him. At this point in his life, his encounters with the emotion had, for the most part, being anything other than pleasant. As such, he was rather dreading that despite their best efforts, things might still turn ugly.

After a few moments however, Chazz nodded his head a couple of times. He didn't say another word, turning around. He placed his hands into his pockets and then began once more to walk back towards the main academy building.

Next to him, Alexis let out a sigh. There was some regret, perhaps less at not going with Chazz and more at the fact that they had tricked him. Again, it was drama and interpersonal relationships which Aster would really much rather not have found himself mixed up with. He wasn't too sure why he'd interfered in the first place. He could have just let the two of them duke it out for a bit and enjoyed the show. His best guess was that he'd felt a certain amount of sympathy for the woman, probably stemming from the few words they'd exchanged prior. He wouldn't question it any more than that. It was in the past now. Keen to move on, he turned back towards the blonde woman and asked:

"Time for the fastest break up ever?"
"Thank you." Alexis replied, letting out a relieved sigh. "Any other day, I'd have duelled him-"
"Don't sweat about it." He dismissed with a wave of the hand. "Pretty sure I'd get fed up if people were pestering me all the time."
"It's a pain..." She acknowledged, rubbing her arm as she stood there. "Some guys just can't take "no" for an answer."
"Oh, some girls too.." He assured her.

The look that she gave him told him that she might actually know more about that than he'd initially given her credit for. It was perhaps a more mundane concern than she'd had to deal with in a while. At least there were no shadow duels involved. A certain amount of peace settled in between them as both turned to look out to sea. Over the past few days, he'd been able to gradually understand just what it was which seemed to draw certain students to it so consistently. It was a break from reality and offered a chance to get his thoughts into order.

He looked down to see his reflection in the water, wondering how many times Zane had done the same standing here with his friend… What he imagined that young man's spirit would give to be able to take his place. Wait…

"Hey… I have an idea." He spoke up, drawing her attention. "Why don't you actually go with me?"
"Haven't you listened to a thing I just said?!" She questioned, frustrated.
"I did. Word for word. You want to go to this thing but not with someone who likes you and all these guys are hassling you, that's it, right?" She nodded, still a little uncertain. "Well, then seeing as I don't like you."
"Charming." Alexis noted folding her arms across her chest.
"…Not like that anyhow." He blushed slightly realizing that he could have phrased that a bit better. "You'd have someone to go with who wasn't expecting to be your next boyfriend."

She hesitated for a moment, once more scanning him head to foot, searching for some ulterior motive. As it happened, Aster had never once asked another out. He'd turned many down in the past and so, somewhat arrogantly assumed that it must have been a pretty easy to get a date. Alexis Rhodes, as far as he could gather, wasn't just anyone of course. Technically, it wouldn't even be a date so much as a fake-date for appearances. Still, he found himself wondering what she would say and how she would react.

"Just for appearance's sake?" She raised an eyebrow still a little dubious apparently. "Nothing else?"
"Nothing else." He promised truthfully. There was another moment's pause.
"Okay… I'll trust you."

He decided it was best to leave it at that, lest his attitude grate on her nerves too much and cause her to reconsider. She must have been at her wits end with all her pretenders. He felt somewhat guilty of taking advantage of her for a moment but ultimately convinced himself that he wasn't being selfish. They set a rendez-vous point and decided upon a time, in their opinions it was better to be neither early nor late. Then, they bid each other goodbye and until later on that evening.

As soon as he left the lighthouse, he set course for the yacht, reasoning that if Zane wasn't there already then he would be soon. For the first time in quite a while, he felt rather upbeat. It came as something of a release to have some good news for a change. It took more effort than he might have suspected for him to remain calm and composed as most people pictured him to be whilst he made his way through the docks, passing the occasional other student as he went. He boarded his boat without a second thought. He couldn't help but swing the door open triumphantly as he entered.

Zane was already inside.

He looked up, startled by the sudden and somewhat uncharacteristic entrance. His dark eyes narrowed slightly as that ever disapproving look of his returned to his face. To be fair, Aster reminded himself, it was comparatively rare for the guy to smile sincerely and not because he was busy inflicting pain on one of his enemies. Still, maybe this news and his plan would bring a proper one to his face.

"What's gotten into you?" He asked somewhat curious but mostly irritated.
"I just got you a date." He replied designating the spirit of his friend.
"Come again?" Zane blinked a couple of times, apparently struggling to grasp or believe what he'd just heard.
"Tonight's the Graduation ball remember? I got you a date for it."
"Okay, for starters I have no idea how you convinced someone to go with a ghost. Secondly, there's no way I'm going!" Ordinarily, if Zane had spoken to him like that he would have left the matter lie but he still had one card up his sleeve.
"Even with Alexis Rhodes?"

His head snapped up instantly at the mention of the name. Disbelief flashing across his face as he no doubt wondered if he might have misheard. For the briefest of moments, Aster managed to see past the shield that Zane had raised around himself. All that anger, that hatred and drive became transparent allowing the world to see the sadness which lay just underneath. He just stared at his friend for a moment, then once more man's eyes drifted away aware that right now he looked vulnerable and ashamed of the fact, keen to shut himself off as quickly as possible as a result.

"You told her…" He muttered quietly.
"No." The reply caused Zane to look back up confused. "She thinks she's going with me but she won't be once you take control of my body."

Seeing the puzzled look on the other duelist's face, Aster set about explaining his entire encounter with the queen of Obelisk blue. He told the entirety of the truth about their exchange. After all, if they were going to pull this off, he'd need to know all the facts. Confused and visibly a little surprised, Zane listened carefully throughout the entirety of his tale. Occasionally, he would look away in the direction of either the lighthouse or the obelisk blues' dorm. After he'd finished, there was a long pause as the spirit mulled over the other man's words.

Admittedly, this wasn't something they had ever discussed. It had been a spur of the moment decision. Aster had seen an opportunity and taken it. He had no doubt that it would be a controversial proposal for Zane who had, after all, been taking precautions to isolate himself from his former friends and ensure that they remained unaware of his current predicament. By no means was the pro-duellist expecting this to be an easy fight and, in part, he was already preparing himself for having to honour his end of the bargain without his friend's assistance.

"I can't…" He replied eventually. "It would be like lying to her… Besides, I'm dead."
"Just think about it Zane." Aster wasn't about to let it go without a fight. "You get to talk to someone other than me. Besides, you can say 'goodbye' to Alexis and the others if you want. It's not like you have to stick to her all night. I think it might be good… For everyone."

He looked back and instantly Aster knew that he had won. Despite their differences and they were legion, there was at time a strange understanding between the two of them. It allowed the pro-duellist to know full well that Zane never wanted to refuse his offer, indeed, he may never have intended to do so and had simply wanted to be convinced into doing it.

He got to his feet silently, re-evaluating the younger duellist. Inside, Aster allowed himself to smile triumphantly. It took a good deal to convince Zane of anything, especially to partake in something which, objectively, he probably knew he shouldn't have been doing. No doubt both of them would be given cause to regret it at some point. For the time being though, he was going to consider it to be a victory. He paused suddenly however, something suddenly occurring to him:

"You'll get sick again."
"Yeah..." Admittedly Aster hadn't thought about that. "No biggie. I'll get over it."
"You're sure?"
"Yes. Now come on, we've got to do some work to do."

Zane raised an eyebrow curiously. As it so happened, much of the work didn't need to be addressed until the afternoon. The morning however was dedicated to Aster informing him of the importance of not eating anything with peanuts in it for fear of triggering an allergic reaction. Also, he didn't like prawns. Why was this important? The spirit questioned. Well, he was reminded, that he would be in possession of his body and that included his taste buds and allergies. It was a small concession, it wasn't as if he would be borrowing his body in order to enjoy a picnic.

The rest was something which Aster dealt with closer to the time when he was due to be leaving. He disappeared in order to freshen up. Alexis might not know that it was Zane under the skin but that didn't mean that she would appreciate her date showing up unkempt (not that he was particularly prone to it). He showered before changing. It was a different suit that he put on, dark grey, for special events and all. Some aftershave… He was hoping to make this as easy as possible for the spirit who would be inhabiting his body. When he emerged into the lounge where he was waiting, he found the ghost to be pacing, shifting. A teasing smile made his way onto his lips:

"You're not… Nervous, are you?"
"No but this plan of yours! It's insane!"
"Come on Zane… Don't chicken out." He checked his watch, ignoring the glare that he got. "You'd better get ready. Don't want to keep her waiting."
"Wait..."
"Oh what now?!" Aster found himself to be growing impatient.
"What time are we meeting up and where? You'll want your body back."
"Well… Let's say midnight, back here. No way am I climbing back down that hill again!"

Zane nodded. They had an agreement. A quick tap later and Aster found himself torn out of his body.

He didn't like it. The coldness and absence would have been, he imagined, maddening in the long run. Just how it was that his companion was still sane was beyond him. He tried not let it show. Remembering what it was like not to feel. He shifted uncomfortably as he watched his body now under the control of another. Once more, it seemed as though Zane was rediscovering himself. To be fair, he could only assume that it felt strange for him. He looked at himself in the mirror, obviously struggling to recognize his reflection. Once more, he felt obliged to poke fun at him:

"Relax. That's the best you've ever looked."
"I'm going to regret this."
"Maybe, maybe not but for this is your night Cinderella. Time to make the most of it."