nbj: Thank you for reviewing, here's the next chapter! :)

RokuxNami3: Thank you for reviewing, glad you like it! :)

Well, guys, here's the next chapter!

I only own my OC's!

"Hey, stop ruining my hair!" The girl's voice objected with a laugh. "But your hair is messy already, Serena." The boy's voice pointed out, trying to sound serious. "That's not a reason to ruin it even more!" The girl exclaimed.

It was silent for a few moments. "I've never seen hair as red as yours." The boy spoke up cheerfully. "And I've never seen hair as unruly as yours." The girl replied with a chuckle. "You mean, yours?" The boy corrected. "No, yours!" She argued. "Yours!" He argued back. "Oh, you asked for it!" The girl finally exclaimed. Tumbling over and laughter could be heard.

I took a small suitcase from under my bed, putting it on a table. After opening it, I looked around the room.

It was Sunday afternoon. Tomorrow was the day we would go to Domino City for that field trip. We were supposed to stay there for a few days, and then go back to the Academy. Just knowing we were actually going to my hometown filled me with excitement.

I wasn't sure whether I even remembered it… But that didn't matter. I was actually setting foot to a place my parents avoided talking about, and they knew nothing about it… Maybe I could remember something there, since I couldn't get answers from my family. It still kind of felt surreal…

Since I knew wandering around without guide was completely useless, I decided to look through my album. Some of pictures when I was young were taken somewhere outside. Hopefully, I would recognize some places from them… That was why I decided to carry pictures in my backpack, inside an envelope. Carrying an album would have been more reasonable… Except that it would break my back due to its heaviness. The same case was with my herbarium, which was why I decided to put both of those things in my suitcase.

Backpack would serve only for light things, such as water bottle and food.

Suddenly, I could hear knocking on the door. I looked up, my eyebrows furrowing in confusion. I walked up to the door.

Once I opened them, I was met with chocolate brown eyes looking into my light blue ones. "Serena." Jaden greeted with a smile. "Hey." I simply greeted back. "You're preparing for the field trip?" He guessed. "Actually, I've just taken out my suitcase." I replied honestly. "Well, there's not much to pack either way." He pointed out with a laugh.

I eyed him for a few seconds, before finally realizing what he was talking about. Since we were on a field trip, we had to wear our uniforms. Seeing we only wore those; we didn't have to pack many clothes. There were only essential things such as toothbrush, toothpaste, hairbrush… Plus my herbarium and album. There really wasn't much for packing…

"A good point there." I finally admitted. "Are you done packing?" I then asked. "Didn't even start." Jaden shrugged. "You do realize we're leaving tomorrow?" I raised an eyebrow. "I have a whole night for packing." He put arms behind his head with a sheepish smile.

I looked at him, not knowing what to say. At the same time, I couldn't help feeling this warmness inside me. While I did grow used to our conversations, this was the first time I actually felt like this, and it was so sudden… It was the same feeling I used to have while talking to people I used to be close to. I haven't felt that way since the day Ben went mad…

Whenever those few people were around me, I would feel so happy… But now I was feeling that way again.

It definitely wasn't the feeling of missing someone, like the one I had felt while he was gone. No. Jaden was right here in front of me, with a smile on his face. And him talking to me felt like pleasure… That was what that warm feeling was. I enjoyed spending some time with him. There was something about him that could immediately lift up your spirits… It definitely lifted up mine right now.

He was the only sane person here I felt comfortable with… I've come to respect Syrus, Bastion and Hassleberry, but being with them wasn't the same for some reason. The others, well…

"Keep that wench far away from me." Ben growled and strode towards the exit.

"Are you mocking me?" Sartorius asked in a deadly tone while holding me by my collar. "No, I really don't know." I whimpered in fear and quickly looked away.

NO. I promised to myself I'd try not to think about my cousin, nor that man. I didn't want those thoughts to spoil my Domino City trip. Besides, why would I bother thinking about people who only wanted to hurt me? No matter how much I wanted to deny that, it was a painful truth…

"So," Jaden's voice brought me back to reality. "Are you going to continue packing or not?" He asked curiously. I looked up at him. "Why?" I asked slowly. "If you won't pack, then we can just chill out." The brown-haired guy smiled. "That is, if you want." He quickly added.

If he had asked me this a month ago, I probably would have said 'no'. I probably would have even refused to talk to him longer than this! While one part of me kept telling me this was a bad idea, the stronger one won out. It told me to do what I pleased. If I enjoyed being around someone, then why would I torture myself with being lonely? That was a good question, indeed…

"Why not?" I quickly asked with a shrug, not wanting to ponder that subject anymore. "Great." Jaden grinned. "We can go to my room…" The moment he said those words, my eyes widened in alarm.

The last time I stepped inside that room, I saw Syrus and Hassleberry naked… And that ended with me running out with Jaden's blazer over my head. Even though I accepted his offer, did I really want to go into that room again? I was still feeling a bit nervous…

"We can go to my room instead." I quickly suggested. "Why?" Jaden gave me a confused look. I cleared my throat. I could literally feel my cheeks turning red from embarrassment… "The last time I went inside, I promised never to set foot in there again." I explained shortly.

Stupid of me to tell him that, really… But I had to give some sort of answer at that moment!

I got a questioning look from the brown-haired guy. "Syrus and Hassleberry…" I cleared my throat and trailed off. My cheeks must have been even redder by now.

"Oh… Don't worry, it won't happen again. Next time, just knock." Jaden grabbed my hand with a smile. Before I could object, he started pulling me towards his room. And what did I do? Nothing. I was feeling utterly panicked! Opening the door, he led us inside. "See? It wasn't so bad!" He then looked at me.

I stayed quiet for a few moments. Walking in here was way easier now, since naked guys weren't inside… Thank goodness!

I looked around the room, feeling a bit more confident. It wasn't so bad… That incident made me believe walking in here was bad… But it was just an incident! I shouldn't have let it influence me so much…

"As long as I don't see you naked in here, we're fine." I blurted out, turning to Jaden. While I felt a bit more comfortable here, walking in on two guys wasn't exactly a nice thing… I still couldn't forget it, which was why I would knock every time from now.

Jaden's eyes widened in surprise. "Wh… What?" I let out a sigh, feeling my cheeks turning red from embarrassment. Be… My cousin was right, I could really be tactless sometimes! "Just forget it." I quickly said.

"Fine." The guy smiled, taking off his red shoes. I did the same with my red boots. We put them next to the door. Jaden then sat on the floor. Not knowing what else to do, I sat there as well, right across him. But, honestly, I had no idea what to say… Avoiding socializing with people only added to my awkwardness sometimes. Look where that got me!

I started playing with one of my red strands out of pure nervousness. While I did grow used to our conversations, I guessed awkwardness came from me knowing I actually enjoyed it… Based on that feeling anyway. Besides, those conversations were brief, while I used to talk to my close ones more, and about many things… How was I going to start up a decent conversation? Jaden wasn't anyone I used to be close to, he wasn't family…

This was the first time I actually attempted to talk to someone else out of enjoyment. My brief talk with Syrus only cleared up some things, but this time, the desire for a conversation was genuine. And I had absolutely no idea how to behave!

"Does anyone else in your family have red hair?" The brown-haired guy suddenly asked with a smile, his eyes landing on my fingers. Right now, they were playing with a long strand on left side of my face (the one that always refused to calm down every time I brushed it).

Normal people would have reasonably replied to that question (if they were in my place). But me? "What?" I asked awkwardly, feeling even more embarrassed. "Does anyone else in your family have red hair?" He repeated the question. I was eyeing him for a few moments.

While I was still embarrassed… What was the point of being here if he did all the talk? What was the point if I wanted to talk to someone, but didn't say anything? At that moment, I cursed myself for previous lack of socialization. I must have looked like an idiot now!

"There's no need to be nervous. I won't bite!" Jaden let out a laugh. I looked up at him, my eyes widening slightly in surprise.

There was something about those words… Something familiar. I couldn't put my finger on it, but I was sure I had heard something similar before…

"Hey, I won't bite you, or something like that!" I laughed. However, I didn't get an answer. That's why I walked closer to the desk. "I'm Serena," I offered my hand with a smile. "What about you?" "What about me?" The boy's voice asked nervously. "What's your name?" I elaborated, my smile becoming bigger. "I'm… I'm…"

I put a hand on my head. What just flashed through my mind… It must have been another lost memory. I definitely didn't remember this up until now. Yet, now that I did, even though it was brief, I could even remember how I was feeling back then. I was in first grade, and was actually looking forward to meeting new people…

First grade of elementary school. I couldn't remember that up until now either. Jaden's words definitely triggered this, there was no doubt.

"Did I say something wrong?" His voice brought me out of my thoughts. "No, no," I quickly spoke up, looking up at the brown-haired guy. "My dad has same hair as me." I then added. "Well, it does match the color of your uniform." He pointed out in amusement.

I frowned. "I'd rather take anything yellow or blue. I look terrible in this." I replied while folding my arms. "I don't think so," Jaden shrugged. "But whatever you say." "What about you?" I quickly asked, wanting to change the subject. "What?" He questioned in confusion. "Does anybody in your family have hair like you?" I elaborated.

"Well, no one exactly," The brown-haired guy rubbed the back of his head. "My mum had had dark brown hair before she dyed it, and my dad has light brown hair." "So it's pretty much a mixture?" I presumed. "Probably. I don't know how the whole thing with genes works." He shrugged.

It was quiet for a few moments. Since I didn't want to feel awkward, I quickly looked around. Hopefully, I'd find something for starting up the conversation again… But, there wasn't anything around!

"You had said your parents know some things about Italy?" I blurted out. Stupid of me to mention that again, but I really didn't know what else to ask… "I've already told you about stereotypes…" Jaden mused. "They do know a bit about its culture too." He then added, folding his arms.

"Including some recipes." The brown-haired guy looked up with a thoughtful look. "Really?" I asked a bit excitedly. It's been quite some time since I ate anything Italian, and quite frankly, I missed it… "Yes?" He looked at me in surprise. "Which ones?" I quickly asked with a grin.

The fact that his parents, Japanese people, knew some Italian recipes excited me. I've grown up with Japanese cuisine more, so hearing some of them knew a bit about my native cuisine was great. I mean, not many Japanese people even paid attention to my culture, seeing Italy was far away from Japan…

"They cooked something called lasagna, I think…" Jaden trailed off. "Lasagna." I quickly corrected his pronunciation. "Sorry." I then apologized in embarrassment. "No, it's fine," He waved it off. "I always mess up the way they pronounce those dishes." He explained sheepishly. "I'm afraid I can't say the same, since that's my mother language you're talking about." I let out a laugh.

Jaden laughed as well. "Lasagnas." He corrected his pronunciation. "Then they cooked something known as risotto, and some pastas…" He counted on his fingers. "Have you tried Bottarga, or Carbonara?" I asked him.

"I don't know what Bottarga is," Jaden frowned. "But is the latter the one with bacon and eggs?" "That one." I nodded with a smile. "From Italian recipes my parents have cooked so far, that dish is my favorite." He admitted. "That means you have a good taste." I declared with a smirk.

"But what is that other thing you mentioned?" The brown-haired guy then asked in confusion. "It's salted and cured fish roe with pasta." I explained. "Similar to our Karasumi… What about you? What's your favorite food?" He then asked me.

I sighed. "A hard question, depending on which cuisine…" I explained. "And my parents told me I was bad when it came to food." Jaden started laughing. "Hush, you," I punched him in his right shoulder lightly with a smirk. "Blame it on my parents and aunt for cooking two cuisines in the same house!" I then exclaimed.

"That doesn't make much of difference, you know." The guy told me and burst into laughter again. He was right about that one… I started laughing as well. "But your parents cooked some recipes too!" I pointed out while trying to breathe from laughter. "I still know what my favorite dish is, and you don't." He laughed.

"Fine, fine, I pick sushi!" I finally exclaimed. "You said that only to prove me wrong." Jaden smirked. "No, I didn't!" I pointed my finger at him with a laugh. "Oh yeah?" He gave me a knowing look, as if he were daring me to deny it. "Then what's your favorite dish, Mister?" I demanded. "Fried shrimps." He replied immediately. "Good taste." I admitted with a nod.

"I know," Jaden smirked at me. "You had said it yourself." I was staring at him for a few moments… Before I burst in laughter yet again. "Fair enough!" I agreed.

I had to admit, I liked spending time with this guy more and more. Even though we've only talked about one thing so far, it filled me with so many positive feelings… Conversation with him really lifted up my spirits.

Once laughter finally stopped, it was quiet. Jaden suddenly took out his deck and started looking through it. "Since we're going to that field trip tomorrow, I might as well put those cards away not to lose them." He took out two, making my eyebrows furrow. "What's that?" I asked curiously.

He looked up at me. "Those are some cards." He said simply. I could see some sort of creatures drawn on them… Curiosity had to get better of me. "Can I see them?" I asked. Jaden looked between me and two cards in his hand back and forth for a few moments. Finally, he nodded. "Sure."

I took them with a frown. I was right, there were two creatures on the cards… Once I observed them better, I felt like I couldn't breathe for a few seconds.

One card was called 'Sacred Phoenix'. It showed a majestic, fiery phoenix in flight. The card had 2800/2500 points. A strong monster… The second card was with a small creature that resembled a hybrid of a stag and a bird. Its body resembled stag's but it had bird's wings… The monster had 700/400 points.

For some reason, I could have sworn I'd seen those cards somewhere before… But I couldn't remember from where! I wasn't crazy, I had seen them somewhere… That explained why they looked so familiar.

"Where did you get those cards?" I asked Jaden in surprise while giving the cards back to him. "From what I remember, I've always had them with me." He shrugged. "Why?" "It doesn't matter," I waved it off. "I just think they look nice." I then lied.

With a smile, Jaden nodded and put the cards in his drawer. I honestly didn't know why he didn't keep them with the rest of his deck… It didn't matter anyway, since those were his cards. He could do whatever he wanted with them.

Suddenly, knocking on the door could be heard. "Come in." Jaden said. The door opened… Showing Aster Phoenix. "Hey, Aster." The brown-haired guy greeted. The silver-haired guy simply nodded back. "When are we leaving tomorrow?" He then asked. "They said something about 8, I think…" Jaden trailed off.

With another nod, the guy's blue eyes landed on me. A frown appeared on his face. He then walked away without another word. "I'll be back soon." I told Jaden while standing up. Without waiting for an answer, I raced after Aster Phoenix.

I still hadn't forgot how he had lied to me… And I wanted to know why he was frowning at me like that!

"Aster Phoenix!" I shouted, just as he was going downstairs. The professional duelist turned around to look at me. The moment his eyes met mine, he frowned yet again. "Yes?" He asked shortly. "Care to explain why you lied to me about not being in contact with Sartorius?" I demanded with a glare, walking over to where he was.

"Why does that concern you?" He asked with a raised eyebrow. My blood started boiling immediately. First, he had audacity to lie to me, and now he was like 'why do you care'… "Because I hate being lied to. You just happened to lie about not being in contact with your manager." I replied icily. "Former manager." Aster Phoenix corrected me with a frown.

I briefly looked at him surprised before glaring yet again. I didn't care about what the heck was going on between those two, I just wanted to know why he had lied to me!

"You still lied." I reminded. "Why do you want to know that?" "I've already told you." I retorted. "I want to know the real reason." Aster Phoenix folded his arms, looking me in the eyes. "In fact, how do you know Sartorius?" He then questioned, raising an eyebrow.

I was completely caught by surprise. He busted me right there… But, then again, how wouldn't he? He's seen me with Ben in Sartorius' house a year ago, I was asking him about Sartorius, and was now angry about being lied to… It wasn't that hard to figure it out. I was so stupid!

On one side, I wasn't sure whether I should tell this to the person who had lied. But, on the other hand, he knew Sartorius too… The only thing we had in common, from what I could see. For some reason, I felt like I could trust him because of that…

"How about we get away from the dorm first?" I suggested with a frown. "As long as you tell me, I don't mind." Aster Phoenix shrugged. I started walking towards the forest. The duelist was next to me, with hands in pockets of his pants.

Once we were near the entrance to the forest, I stopped. "I didn't want anyone else to hear, that's why we're here." I spoke up. "I figured." The silver-haired guy commented. "Now, will you tell me?" He then raised an eyebrow.

Looking down, I took a deep breath. "Sartorius and his sister Sarina used to look after me when I was small," I looked up. "That's how I know him." I finished, looking right into the duelist's blue eyes. "That means you're friends?" He raised an eyebrow.

I shook my head immediately. "I've always considered him a surrogate father, not a friend. He's been in my life more than my own father has." I explained with a frown. It was quiet for a few moments. Aster Phoenix was looking at me with what seemed to be a look of realization. "So, you're that girl." He finally said.

"What?" I asked a bit surprised. "Sartorius used to mention you indirectly a few times." The silver-haired guy said curtly. "Really?" I raised an eyebrow. "In which circumstances?" I then asked. "Anyway," He spoke up, completely ignoring my question. "The reason why I wanted to duel you was because he told me so."

That sentence caught me by surprise. I had absolutely no idea why Sartorius had wanted that… First he wanted Aster Phoenix to duel me, and then he went around threatening me? What in the world was going on here?!

"Why?" I questioned with a frown. "I don't know." The professional duelist replied with a frown of his own. "But I do know you and Hassleberry didn't join the Society Of Light when you lost the duel against him. That usually doesn't happen." He then spoke up.

"Wait, you know about our duel?" My eyes widened. "You weren't exactly tactful about it once you were angry with Sartorius. I saw and heard everything." Aster Phoenix pointed out.

If that were the case, then I was so stupid…

"You never told me how you two know each other." I then reminded with a frown. The duelist remained quiet for a few moments. "He used to be my manager, that's how." He replied curtly. However, I could tell he was lying. There was more to that… Why didn't he want to tell me?! I already did the same thing…

"Why are you lying?" I demanded. "What makes you think I'm lying?" He raised an eyebrow at me. "It's obvious." Without another word, Aster Phoenix started walking away from me.

I was looking at his disappearing form with a frown. I've met someone else who knew Sartorius, sure… Except that he said so little!

He had a point though, I had to admit. For some reason, I didn't go insane like others have after I had lost that duel. I didn't know why… I didn't even know what Sartorius wanted with me. First he told someone to duel me, then threatened me, and didn't want to duel me until I forced him… This was all so confusing!

Wait, why was I even bothering with this in the first place?! I've already assured myself forgetting about everything was the best thing to do… No reason to worry and think about someone who would only hurt you!

'Serena, I'm not insane.' Words from few days ago were echoing in my head yet again. I grabbed my head and groaned in annoyance. How was I supposed to forget everything if those words kept appearing in my mind?!

I quickly raced to the Slifer Red dorm, hoping a conversation with Jaden would help me get my mind off the crazy sect, my cousin and Sartorius.

Third Person's POV

It was a warm afternoon in Domino City. Most of people were in center of the city, and enjoying the beautiful day. Its harbour, on the other hand, had ships, and barely any people. One exception was a woman.

She was standing near the edge of water. The woman wore red and white ceremonial clothes. Her dark purple eyes were looking over the horizon. Wind was blowing, moving her long, dark hair in process.

"We're here." A male voice spoke up, making the woman turn around. Two people were standing in front of her. Both of them wore long, white capes, to cover their appearance. "Everything is going according to the plan?" The man under the cape asked.

The dark-haired woman nodded. "He says they should be arriving at the Domino City tomorrow." She confirmed coldly. "That means it's only a matter of time until we attack…" A female voice spoke up. The woman's eyes widened slightly as they moved over to the white cape. "Yes… You're correct." She managed to keep her cold tone, despite her astonishment.

"He told me to remind you of your mission." The man under the cape then told the woman, handing her something. She looked at the knife in her hands. Then she quickly put it behind her back, trying to remain calm. She knew exactly what they wanted her to do with that knife…

"If it's a problem for you, I could do it instead." The woman under the cape spoke up, making the dark-haired woman's eyes widen in shock. However, she quickly managed to switch back to her cold expression. "No, Master said we should remain hidden until now. She should do it." The man under the cape reminded.

The woman under the cape sighed. "Too bad… I was really looking forward to a little reunion…" She trailed off sarcastically, playing with cards in her hand. The dark-haired woman could see some of them, including a monster called a Fire Salamander.

"Since you're going to do that already, can you at least promise me it will be suffering?" The woman under the cape asked the other woman. She didn't know what to say at those words, which was why she remained quiet. That was when the man and the woman under the cape started laughing. The dark-haired woman looked at both of them coldly before looking towards the horizon.

Well, finally done with this chapter! Next time, it's finally the Domino City trip, and I just can't wait! I hope you liked it and until next time! :)