Well, hi! This is my very first 'Yu-Gi-Oh! GX' story, so I decided to do my take on it, and I hope you'll like it! I only own my OC's!
Slowly opening my eyes, I sat up. I usually had a good eyesight, but mist around me was so thick I couldn't see a thing. The only thing I knew was that I somehow ended up here. But, the question was how.
I slowly stood up while looking around. Still, there was nothing to be seen, or heard. That was until I heard a crack behind me. I quickly turned around in a bit of panic. Usually, small noises like this didn't surprise me at all. However, I was at disadvantage here. I couldn't see anything, which was what made me a bit afraid. That noise could be anyone, or anything!
"Serena…" A deep, male voice asked calmly. Suddenly, a dark figure came out of the mist, right in front of me. I let out a yelp and jumped away from it in panic. Then I decided to take a good look at it from head to toe. The only thing I could see was it was way taller than me. "Who are you?!" I demanded. "That's not important to you." The unknown person responded.
I folded my arms with a frown. "The question is, who are you?" He then demanded. My eyes widened a bit in surprise. "And why would you want to know that?" I demanded suspiciously.
"I'd like to know that too." Another male voice suddenly said those words from behind me. I quickly turned around yet again. The new figure, standing right in front of me, was about my height. His voice was younger than the previous one. In fact, it sounded like he could be around my age…
"None of your business." I replied harshly. Other two figures suddenly came out. All four of them were coming closer towards me, and I couldn't help feeling a bit scared.
"Who are you?" All of them chorused.
"BEEP! BEEP!" My alarm's beeping woke me up. I let out a sneeze before turning around in the opposite direction of the alarm. I grabbed my bed sheets even more tightly, trying to just ignore the beeping. Unfortunately, it wasn't working.
Deciding it was no use, I sat up and turned off the alarm. "What a way to ruin my morning." I grunted at it with a frown. My gaze then moved to an herbarium on the night table.
I quickly grabbed it and started looking through the object. It was already filled with some plants. In fact, I had only few pages left. That meant I might as well buy a new one. Finally, I came to the last page. Crocuses I found yesterday were completely dried! I smirked. Mission accomplished!
Yes… I had this weird obsession with collecting plants. For some reason, only that mattered to me. Other things were important too, but not as important as my hobby. I also liked collecting different kinds of rocks, or observing animals and fungus. Everything about nature fascinated me, whether it was living or unliving. In fact, I wanted to become a geologist or a biologist!
"I might as well go looking for some jasmines today…" I mused while standing up. I walked up to the mirror and started brushing my hair. No matter how many times I brushed it though, my long, red hair always looked rather messy. I really had no idea how that happened, this hair literally defied every possible logic!
And yes, it was messy yet again. Dad never had such problems with his hair… No matter how short it was, it never looked so untidy! "I might as well give up." I sighed and put the hairbrush on the table. I then ran to get dressed.
Five minutes later, I came out of the bathroom, dressed in a simple blue shirt with short sleeves and pants. I grabbed my herbarium and ran downstairs.
"Good morning." My father greeted once I came into the dining room. Right now, he was sitting on a chair by the table and reading newspapers. "Good morning." I greeted back and put the herbarium on the table.
Roberto Giuseppe Accardi was my father's full name. Dad had red hair and piercing amber eyes which would usually scare anyone who angered him. He could be so scary sometimes, even though he was usually collected and calm. Having turned 40 recently, he had a lot of experience as a lawyer.
My mother, Chiara Anna Accardi, worked as a doctor. Just like Dad, she was rarely home. She had dirty blonde hair, and light blue eyes (just like me). She rarely lost it, but when she did, she could be incredibly scary too.
Both of my parents were Italian. Even though they grew up in Italy, they actually met in Japan when they were young adults. Both of them decided to pursue their careers there, finding the conditions for work better. I believe the name of the city was… Domino City? I wasn't sure.
I was born in that city, I knew that… However, I couldn't remember anything else about our life there. We moved away from the city when I was about seven, this time to Rome. I never knew why though. It just… Didn't make any sense. They never said why we had moved away. Whenever I mentioned Japan, they would speak of it with such fond memories…
We then moved away again, this time back to Japan. However, instead of Domino City, we moved to a city near it. Again, it made no sense to me…
And even though I did care about my parents, I couldn't deny they were… Quite overprotective. They would always watch my every single move, as if they were afraid something bad could happen to me at any moment. They would even question my relationships with some people I knew. I appreciated they looked after me, considering they were rarely home. However, I felt like they were exaggerating with the whole thing. I was 15 after all, I wasn't so small anymore!
"Where are you going?" Dad looked up from his newspaper, his amber eyes watching as I took the herbarium in my hands. "I'm going outside to collect some flowers." I said simply. "Then I'll go with you." He said, standing up immediately.
I shook my head with a frown. "Look, Dad, you have to go to work soon, and I'll be gone for at least a few hours." I reminded him sharply. "Then wait for Luca to go with you." He said in tone which told me not to argue with him. "But Dad, I can go outside just for a few hours! It's not like something bad will happen!" I argued back. "Out of the question." Dad shook his head and stood up. "Do not talk back!" He then added and walked out.
Letting out a groan, I sat on a nearby chair. If only I knew why Dad and Mum were always so afraid about me being completely alone… Actually, this wasn't even fear anymore. This was paranoia!
But I took out my phone and dialed my uncle. "Hello?" A male voice answered. "Uncle, it's me." I replied. "Please don't tell me he wants me to look after you again." My uncle Luca asked in disbelief. "Yes, he does." I rolled my eyes. "Look, I can't come, but Benjamin can accompany you. He'll be ready in fifteen minutes." He explained. "That works for me too." I said truthfully. "Good. He'll be at your house in half an hour." "Grazie mille." I smiled. "Prego, s'immagini!" Uncle Luca responded playfully and hung up.
I hung up as well with the smile still on my face. I just loved using Italian in conversations with the rest of my family… Benjamin, or 'Ben', as he preferred to be called, was my cousin. He was the only one without an Italian name in our family, as Uncle Luca decided to break that tradition and give his son another name. Aunt Maria agreed with the decision though.
Ben was a bit younger than me. He was quite cheerful, and he loved doing all sorts of sports, with basketball being his favorite. However, his biggest obsession was my biggest hate… Duel Monsters.
I hated them more than anything. Seriously, I just couldn't understand why everyone was so obsessed with a children's card game! There was even a company making those cards and some disks for playing with them… Honestly, people had better things to do with their lives, not spend them playing with silly games!
Aunt Maria worked in the field of creating Duel Monsters cards, and Ben probably learned everything about it from her. Whenever I saw him, he couldn't stop going on and on about how much he liked those cards. I had a feeling he was doing it on purpose, because he knew how much I hated it.
However, I didn't get to see him or his family often, seeing how they lived in California. They were here for a week, actually.
After thirty minutes of waiting, I could hear knocking on the door. I raced to the entrance and opened them. "Serena, long time no see." My cousin greeted with his arms spread out. "Ben." I grinned and hugged him tightly.
Even though I didn't get to see him often, I appreciated every moment with Ben. I didn't have any friends, and he wasn't exactly my friend either; he was my cousin. However, when he didn't talk about Duel Monsters, he was the best cousin anyone could ever ask for!
"So, how's it going?" I asked with the grin still on my face once we pulled away from the hug. "Apart from preparing for Duel Academy entrance exams, nothing special, really." He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.
My eyebrows furrowed. "What entrance exams? Ben, it's the middle of July!" I reminded. "I applicated for Duel Academy, so I have to prepare for entrance exams. It's at the very end of August." He explained. I let out a groan. I knew where this was going…
"And I'll guess that academy is for Duel Monsters, judging by the 'duel' word?" I guessed sarcastically. "Actually, yes." Ben was the one to grin this time. "What do you see in those cards?" I questioned in disbelief. "They're fun." He shrugged his shoulders. "Besides, I can finally get to learn how to become a professional duelist!" He then added excitedly. "Or, what did you call yourself, next 'King of Games'?" I guessed, my voice dripping with sarcasm.
He nodded. "Wait, that title does exist?" I gaped. "Yup!" He grinned. "How stupid…" I trailed off while shaking my head in disbelief. My cousin frowned. "It may be stupid for you, but not for me!" He pointed out. "I know." I sighed.
"Fine, I'll change the touchy subject. How about we go see Sartorius once you finish with collecting flowers?" Ben suggested. I frowned for a moment. "As long as you don't tell my parents we've been at his place." I said firmly.
Sartorius was this man who could see the future, so he was basically like a fortune-teller. My aunt met him and his sister Sarina in the Domino City about fifteen years ago. They've been good friends since then. I've known them ever since I was small because they would look after me whenever my parents were absent from home. Aunt actually recommended them to my mother. She agreed to do so, knowing there was no other option or else I'd be all alone.
In all honesty, sometimes, both Sartorius and Sarina felt more like parents to me than my actual ones. I spent more time with them when I was younger, and they weren't so overprotective all the time… They understood when I needed my personal space, or when I needed to be alone. I could tell them anything.
However, my parents didn't approve of me being with them so often. I didn't know why; they just didn't like the siblings. Aunt Maria noticed that as well, but she would always tell me not to listen to them and that Sartorius and Sarina were good people. And I believed her. I could see they were good.
"Since when did I tell them that?" Ben asked as if he were offended. "You accidentally told them the last time, which earned me a ton of scolding!" I narrowed my eyes at him. "You're overreacting, it wasn't that bad!" "Says you. They waited for you to leave so they could start scolding me!"
I then lifted my hands up dramatically. "'Serena Elena Accardi, how many times have we told you not to hang out with crazy sibling frauds who are fooling you they can see the future so they could take your money!'" I imitated my father's voice and hand gestures. "Okay, okay, it won't happen again!" Ben exclaimed, finally seeing my point. "I guess we are on the same wavelength after all." I smirked and walked past him towards the exit.
I was carrying a few jasmines in my hands while Ben and I were walking towards Sartorius' place. "Is this the street?" Ben asked. I nodded while looking at the flowers. I then took out my phone, dialing a phone number.
"Hello?" A male voice asked. "Do you and your sister have time for a certain girl and her cousin to come over so you could see what their future holds?" I asked playfully. "I could never say 'no' to you, Serena. You should know that by now." "I do, but you should know I like joking." I reminded, pretending to be a bit upset.
I heard a chuckle at the end of the line. "Fine. I'll have finished meeting in ten minutes." "Deal." I grinned and hung up.
"What did he say?" Ben asked me curiously. "He said he'll finish the meeting in ten minutes." I explained. "Then we'd better wait inside." He suggested. I simply nodded in agreement before we made our way to the entrance of the house.
After he closed the gate, I opened the door. The house wasn't exactly big, but it wasn't so small either. Sarina and Sartorius usually spent their time at the ground level, while their house was on the upper floor.
We sat down in the waiting room, seeing ten minutes haven't passed yet. "So… Duel Academy, huh?" I asked a bit nervously while playing with strands of my hair. "I will hopefully end up there if I pass my exams." Ben reminded. "I still don't understand why you should have an exam about playing silly card games." I let out a groan.
"Those are not silly card games. Duel Monsters are more than just a game." Ben's green eyes suddenly landed on me. I could tell he was a bit offended. However, before I could respond to that determined statement, the door opened.
A guy came out of the room. My eyebrows furrowed in surprise since it looked like he was our age. He had this long, silver hair, and blue eyes, and was dressed in silver formal wear. The guy had an incredibly calm look on his face. He looked at Ben and me as he passed next to us, his blue eyes scanning us from head to toe before he made his way towards the exit.
I began playing with my hair strands again in confusion. That was one weird guy… "I… I can't believe it!" Ben suddenly cried in what seemed to be excitement. "What?" I turned over to look at my cousin, still not understanding a single thing. "Serena, please don't tell me you don't know who that was." He looked at me seriously. "No, I don't know who he was." I shook my head.
Ben fell to the floor in utter disbelief. However, he then quickly stood up, his eyes not leaving me at all. "Are you really that uninformed about everything?!" He demanded a bit angrily. "If that 'everything' is things that I'm not interested in, then yes." I glared.
"That was the Aster Phoenix!" I rolled my eyes at those words. "I still don't know who that is, but his name does sound kind of wicked with the 'Phoenix' surname." I chuckled in amusement. Ben looked like he wanted to try to strangle me at any moment, when…
"There you are." A familiar voice said, making me look towards the source of the of the voice. A man was standing at the entrance of the room. He was dressed in a dark blue suit. One part of his long hair was blue, while the upper, shorter part was grey. The man wore earrings. His purple eyes were watching both Ben and me.
I stood up from the bench with a grin. However, before I could say anything, Ben decided to jump in. "Sartorius! Was that guy over there Aster Phoenix or my eyes are fooling me?!" He asked enthusiastically. "No, your eyes are fooling you." I commented sarcastically, making him glare at me. He was literally preparing to jump on me, only for Sartorius to pull him away.
"Yes, it was Aster Phoenix." He said simply. Ben looked at him in amazement. "How do you know him?" He demanded, his mouth wide open. "Come in, and I'll explain everything." The man promised. I followed them inside a huge room. Light was coming from candles on walls, and green curtains were over every door in the room.
Ben sat in a nearby chair. I sat next to him. "Sarina's not back yet?" I asked, seeing she wasn't here. "No. She should be back in an hour." Sartorius shook his head, sitting by the table, right across us. "How are you doing?" He then asked.
"I'm preparing for Duel Academy entrance exams, so I'm feeling quite well." Ben smiled. "You decided to go there after all?" Sartorius asked. My cousin nodded. The man's eyes then landed on me. "What about you?" "I've been better." I sighed while folding my arms.
He looked at me in confusion. "Her parents didn't allow her to go out of the house without someone accompanying her." Ben quickly explained. "Again?" Sartorius looked from my cousin back to me. "I just wish they could stop treating me like a child." I frowned. "You are a child." He reminded. "Yes, but I'm not a five-year-old one, if you know what I mean!" I retorted in a bit of annoyance.
It was silent for a few moments. "Maybe your parents would feel more relaxed if you had friends." Sartorius suggested. "So I can go off playing Duel Monsters with them? No chance!" I shook my head. "Besides, I don't need them."
He shook his head with a sigh. "Serena, you can't just count on Ben, Sarina or me to be there for you all the time. One day, we won't be able to help you. Something could happen to either you, or me. You need more people around you. A person can't function properly if he's always by himself." "You're sounding as if something bad could happen. You haven't even started looking through your cards." I pointed out a bit annoyed.
"I'm saying there's always a possibility. And I'm telling you this for your own good." I sighed with a frown. However, my phone then started ringing. "Shoot, I forgot to turn it off." I growled. "Answer it, it's your dad!" Ben urged me to answer the call.
I glared at him but did as I was told. "Hello?" I asked, not bothering to hide how annoyed I was. "Serena, I want you and Ben to come home immediately." "Dad, can't it wait for at least an hour?" I questioned. "No, it can't. I'm going to work soon, and I need you to be home." He replied firmly. "Fine." I groaned and hung up.
"Dad wants you and me to be home right away." I told Ben who groaned as well. "So much for hearing about Aster Phoenix…" "You'll hear about him the next time we're here." I reminded, standing up from the chair. "Promise?" Ben asked the man who simply nodded. "I'm really sorry, I didn't expect from Dad to call me." I apologized. "No. Go see your father, it's important." Sartorius urged.
I let out a sigh but quickly hugged the man I looked up to so much. We then ran out of the house.
"What could be so important?" I rolled my eyes in annoyance once we were in front of my house. "Beats me." Ben shrugged his shoulders. We walked into the living room.
Mum, Dad, and Uncle were inside, talking to each other about something. However, they stopped as soon as they saw us. "Good, you're here." Mum said. "What was so important we had to come here immediately?" I asked. "Actually, that's what we wanted to talk about." Dad said seriously, his arms folded.
I still had no idea what was going on… They sounded so serious… "Your father and I were talking about it until we finally agreed." Mum started. "But we decided it would be good for you, and your uncle agreed with us." Dad continued. It was so tense in the room at that moment… "Which is why we're sending you to Duel Academy."
Everything around me stopped. I couldn't even process those words properly. I couldn't believe I heard them coming out of my parents' mouth. I couldn't believe they actually agreed to this. And I still couldn't believe it was true! Ben and I exchanged looks of shock.
"WHAT?!" I finally screamed.
That's the prologue. Should I continue this? I'd love to hear what you think! Until next time!