Quick author's note before we continue with our regularly scheduled fiction, this world is a mixture of both the anime, and manga, Chazz's deck will still change up, a lot. And it will mostly focus on the VXXYZ, Ojama, and of course, Armed Dragon cards, but it will include Light and Darkness in it for a secret last resort.
There will be dueling in this fic, in a few chapters, if not the next one. And, I'm curious if I should include the songs they'll be playing, or just skip over them, leave your thoughts for the next chapter!
I do not own Yugioh GX, or any of it's characters, please no sue!
Anyways, without further ado, let's get back to Past Grief, makes Present Music.
"Hey, uh, Boss, we got a problem"
Chazz's head was spinning as he turned to the floating spirit above him. Sweat forming on his forehead as he began to panic.
"What do you mean, 'a problem'? We have enough of those already, people have heard me in the forest, and are probably going to go check out what's going on" He was fearful and enraged all in the moment, hoping it wasn't anything to do with what had happened today.
"Well, uh….you see boss, You know how a few days ago, Winged Kuriboh showed up at the well?" Chazz's eyes widened with fear as he spun to look at Ojama Yellow. "He was there tonight?! We had a deal, he wasn't gonna tell anybody, especially not Jaden!" "Boss, calm down, or everyone is gonna know. And that's the thing, he didn't tell Jaden, but he overheard that Alexis, Jaden, and the rest of the gang are gonna try and find the 'musical monster' in the woods, and they're starting by the well"
"Fuck, fuck, fuck, this is bad. Alright, tomorrow we go to the well before them, and….. we get everything bad to before today, we hide the sax, and the boxes, everything that happened today will never have happened!" He was pacing back and forth, his palms sweating as he began to panic more and more. "Boss, we'll let everyone know what's going on, you get some rest, you're gonna need it" "Well then, get moving you idiot, there's plenty of work to do, and we'll have minimal time to do it in you overgrown pitstain!"
Yellow just nodded and disappeared as he left. Chazz simply ran his head through his hair and fell onto his pillow, screaming into it to muffle the noise.
"Why, the hell, can't I ever hold on to one good thing?!" he just pounded his hands against the bed, tears beginning to form in his eyes. "I mean, it was perfect, nobody ever went to that stupid hole in the ground, why now, do people get curious?!" "Because it is something they do not know, and wish to learn about, hence, they want to investigate the source of the disturbance to their day-to-day lives" "Why are you always so insightful and helpful you contrasting bookmark?!" Because you always need insight and help" "Just…..stop being so damn smart!"
The dual colored giant settled beside him to look into his eyes, "Chazz, you knew this was bound to happen sooner or later, but now is not the time to panic, now is the time to prepare, if you wish to keep hiding this talent, you will go to the well tomorrow morning, scatter the cards in the boxes, and hide the sax at the far end of the cave. Am I clear?" Chazz rolled his eyes as he looked into the heterochromatic eyes of his contrasting companion.
"Crystal clear" he muttered as he rolled off the bed. He slid off his black jacket, hanging it by the door, and pulled off his outer clothing. Shaking his head, he climbed under the covers, his last thought before the sleep pulled his eyes down was: 'How am I gonna get out of this one?'
Chazz was awoken by the screechy voice of an Ojama, and the squeaks of a particularly furry flying furball.
"Boss, time to wake up, now! Jaden is itching to check out the forest, and you still got to get everything set up!" Chazz's eyes sprung open as he jumped out of bed, throwing on his trademark black pants, dark purple shirt, he was running out the door as he grabbed his trench coat and threw it on.
"Shit, shit, shit! I've got to beat those slackers to the well, pronto!" As he picked up the pace, the three Ojama brothers popped up by him.
"Boss, I think you got a bit more time, but I'd still hurry if I was you, Jaden doesn't take long to get breakfast down" "Thank you, for that bit of insight, look, Green, Black, you two go and watch those idiots, and me and Yellow will get to the well to make sure everything is ready, if you have to, try and stall them!" He inhaled as he leaned forward to try and pick up his pace.
'Gotta reach the well, fast!" He gritted his teeth together as he jumped over a fallen branch, following the old beaten path, so familiar under his feet. 'How many times have I walked down here in the past few weeks?' He wondered to himself as he shook loose the thoughts cluttering his mind. 'No time for that! Gotta focus'.
"Boss, the Reject Well, dead ahead!" Ojama Yellow exclaimed as they reached the hole in the ground, just as Ojama Green appeared in front of them. "Just in time, the rest of the gangs on their way, and Black still doesn't know that magic trick yet, hurry!" They nodded as Chazz grabbed the ladder of the well and slid down. Hitting the ground, he turned to the boxes lines against the cave wall.
"Sorry guys, I can't have anyone knowing what happens in here, I'll come back and clean you all up again later, I promise" tears forming in his eyes as he picked up the boxes, one by one, dumping them near the ladder of the well, as to avoid suspicion. Chazz finally turned to the chest holding the sax, soft sobs coming getting caught in his throat as he picked it up with a groan.
"Have to finish before they get here, have to, can't let them know…." Chazz mumbled as he carefully laid the chest in the far end of the cave, heading back to the ladder, he carefully walked around the cards on the ground. "I'll be back to clean you guys up" He whispered as he began the long climb up the ladder, reaching the top, he stretched his tired limbs and aching joints.
Realizing in his haste, he had forgotten he was extremely hungry. Shaking the fatigue and anxiety from his head, he began the long walk back to the Slifer dorm, whistling to himself as he took a slow pace back. As he reached the Slifer dorm, he saw a group of people banging on a door, he just shook his head.
'Who are those scrubs trying to wake up this early anyway? It's barely past six in the morning' then it hit him.
That was Jaden, Alexis, Syrus, Hasselberry, and Atticus. And it was his door they were trying to get into.
"What are you idiots doing?!" He shouted up at them as they turned to see him standing on the ground below them. Jaden being the first to speak up "Chazz?! What are you doing down there? We thought you were still in bed!" "It's just past six. By all accounts I should still be in bed" Hasselberry was the next to call him out. "So how come you're out on patrol, and not in your barracks soldier? It's pretty AWOL of you to go out to check the perimeter" He just rolled his eyes. "Let's just say a certain someone came to me this morning, and said I should check something out, and leave it at that"
Chazz was almost to the cafeteria when he was stopped by two Obelisk Blue students of their group.
"Chazz, c'mon, something's up, and we want to know what it is, you know something, don't you?" Syrus getting closer as he tried to pry into someone else's business. "You're right, I know you're in my way to getting breakfast short-stack!" Seeing Syrus' face almost made up for the fact he was now face to face with the one person he really didn't want to talk to, or be around.
Alexis Rhodes.
She glared daggers at him as she stepped directly in his way.
"Talk. Now Chazz. You clearly know something's going on, you don't go for walks, hell, you can barely get out of bed before noon! So, spill it, now!" Chazz's face went from tired frown, to angry glare in about a second. "Look, you want to know what happened, as him!" He pulled out his deck and ruffled through it a moment before pulling out a white and black dragon card. "He knows everything that happened this morning, he sent me on the mission, so ask. Him." After that, Chazz walked around Alexis into the cafeteria and grabbed a tray, hoping the trouble would end there.
It did not.
The group stormed in after him, Alexis, and Hassleberry looking significantly pissed as Chazz sat down at the table, barely taking a bite of toast before Alexis glared into his eyes. Before the society, he would have given anything to this close to her, now, he wished nothing more than to be in the well, far away from her.
"Look, what do you want from me?" "The truth dumbass, now talk". Chazz almost growled at the glares he was receiving from the crew, all except Syrus and Jaden were drilling holes into his soul by their eyes.
"Alright, fine. Jaden was talking about the weird rumor going around about some weird ghost, or, whatever the hell it is, in the forest, and Light and Darkness wanted to go check it out, see what it was, we didn't find anything while we were out, and I got hungry, so now, I want my breakfast" he glared back as he took a bite from his toast. Everybody but Alexis seemed content with his answer, but she backed down.
"So you didn't find anything? Not, a single shred of anything?" He just shook his head, "No, but I did hear the music. I followed it for, what seemed like an hour, but it just seemed to go in one single direction." Jaden leaned in. "So you actually heard it? The Music? What did it sound like?" Chazz, realizing he made a mistake, but, had to follow through, or else definitely get found out, continued.
"I'm not certain, it almost sounded like jazz, but changed pretty frequently. I couldn't really determine where it came from" Jaden then pipes up, "Well, let's go to where you heard it last and see if we can't find it!" Almost choking on the toast, Chazz sputters out, "We…we can't go out there again, I was out for for like an hour, there's nothing out there!" Alexis then gets in close, almost as if to taunt him. "Well then you'll know the way, now move it buster!" "Okay, okay, c'mon, I know the way".
They begin the long walk into the forest, ways to try and lead everyone from the well beginning to form in his mind as they trekked through the trees and mud.
"Uh, boss, I thought we were trying to keep them away from the…." "Shut it you pipsqeak! Jaden can see, and hear you, remember? Keep a low profile, and don't worry, I have a plan" "Hey, Chazz, who you talking to up there bud?" "No one, Jaden, just, no one".
They reach the well, and decide to look around, splitting into groups. Syrus, Hassleberry, and Atticus, search the nearby bushes and trees, while Jaden, Alexis, and Chazz look into the well.
"I can't believe a place like this exists, it's so, depressing, people just throwing all these cards into the well. I mean, even low attack monsters have good effects sometimes, right?" "Yeah, unless you're an Ojama" Chazz stated as he dropped down, landing beside Jaden and Alexis.
"Man, it feels like, well, years since we've been down here, and, there's still cards everywhere" As he stooped down to look at some of them, Alexis began to walk throughout the cave. Chazz just breathed as he placed his hand on a damp cave wall. 'I can't lose this place, this…..sanctuary, it's all I have left, my pride, friends. The society…made me lose them all, not to mention any respect Alexis had for me' He sighed as he began walking in the direction of his sax, hoping no one would go the way he went.
"Hey, Jaden, you find anything?" "Nothing, just duel spirits, but they're all saying they can't wait for that Jazz guy to come back, he really knew how to make things swing down here." Chazz's face paled when he heard Jaden say that phrase, jazz. 'Those fools, if they're not careful, this secret is gonna get out everywhere!' "Jazz, isn't that a kind of music Lex?" she wanders over to see what they can get, but is just as lost as Jaden.
"Well, yes, it is, but, who would come down here to play jazz? It doesn't make any sense, unless it's some kind of duel spirit" "Well, I mean maybe they come here because, no one else does? For privacy?" Alexis and Jaden both look at Chazz with looks of shock on their faces. "Since when do you know, let alone give a crap about other's feelings?" his face turned a shade of red only seen when mad. "Look, I took a guess, what's the problem with that?"
"Alright, look, I think we got enough info here to try and figure something out about this, Jazz guy" Jaden quickly intervening between the two of them, stopping the upcoming argument. "Let's just, head back to the dorm, and figure something out, alright?" "Yeah, alright". Chazz just glared at them both as they headed for the ladder. "Aren't you coming Chazz?" "Yeah, in a minute, I just, saw some Ojama cards I want to check out" "Ah, no sweat, just meet up with us when you're done, okay?" "Whatever, you two go have fun".
As they left, Chazz could just barely hear Alexis say to Jaden, "I wonder what kind of introverted weirdo would go and play jazz in front of cards? That's just, so dumb." "Hey, come on, the kid's probably just shy, no need to poke fun of him" "I guess, but still, it's gotta be someone who's pretty terrible at music to want to just, hide it away like that"
Tears forming in his eyes as he heard them walk way, Chazz took a deep breath, and began to once again, sort through all the cards, wiping the dirt off of them. Carefully placing them in the boxes again.
"I just….I can't believe this, I knew she didn't like me, but that's just, overly harsh." He sat next to the boxes, trying to organize his thoughts, a dull ache in his chest signifying another heartbreak. "Hey, boss, it's probably because she hasn't heard you play, she can't make that call. And, I'm sure she thinks of you as a friend" Chazz just laughed, it held no mirth, and there was no smile as it left his lips.
"No, she doesn't. She tolerates me because of Jaden, not because she likes me" "You should learn to be less harsh on yourself, the rest of this school is already doing a well enough job of that already" "Oh, you're no help"
He walks over to the far end of the cave, dragging back the chest, he pulls out the sax, and breaths.
"Boss, you sure you want to do this?" "No, but I need to get rid of all this stress and….heartache I'm feeling right now" "Then play, and forget the worries you hold in your mind, and release the pain in your heart once again"
Beginning to play a few notes, tears slowly flowing down his face as the music flowed from his Sax. The pain, and hurt on his face showing just how much he took to heart. Taking deep breaths to steady himself, he finished the tune to see many duel spirits around him, tears forming in the eyes of those that had them. A small smile on his face as he put his instrument away, and began climbing up the ladder to return to the dorm. This time taking long, slow steps.
'It's not like they're on the edge of their seats waiting for me' he smiled slightly as he continued walking, hoping that he could maybe fix his past mistakes, and right the wrongs he'd committed.
Or maybe he'd just try and leave everyone alone.
They seemed better off without him around anyway.