(This fic is taken from the dub version of GX, and not the original Japanese version. The characters are not mine. Though I wish I did own Syrus. I'd love to take care of him. Mariena is mine, as is Kali.)

Zane Truesdale was not an agreeable person. He was certainly not an agreeable person when you called him while he was in the middle of an important project. He grudgingly picked up the phone in his room, and answered. "Truesdale. What is it?" He listened to the person on the phone introduce themselves. "Seeing as I am not going to remember your name after I drop the receiver, I suggest you just tell me what it is you want. I am a very busy man."

"Y-yes…I see. Well, I am calling on behalf of Durham County Child Services. Your aunt and uncle have filed a request for you to take custody of their daughter Mariena Ushida."

Zane narrowed his eyes. "Is this some kind of a joke? I haven't got time to take care of any children. It's bad enough that I got saddled with my useless younger brother. Find yourself another sap, because there is no way I will take her." He almost hung up, but then the individual on the other end started talking again.

"Please, Mr. Truesdale. Your Aunt Carmen insists that you take her. She truly admires your ethics. The girl is nearly fourteen. She can almost take care of herself."

"If I say yes, will you shut up?" Zane asked now, irritated. The last thing he needed was another responsibility. He had enough trouble with Syrus' constant whining and complaining. He had no doubt that this cousin of his would be just the same.

"Y-yes sir! I will send the paper work first thing in the morning. You can pick her up anytime."

Zane almost asked if the twelfth of Never was a good time, but instead, he merely grunted. "Fine." He hung up, and went back to work as if nothing had happened. Why do I let myself get talked into such ridiculous things! Mariena is totally spineless. That's going to have to change if she's going to be living with me. I'll put her in the academy, and see how she fares. She won't last more than a week. If even that. Zane smirked to himself, and began to write up a list of things Mariena would need for school.

Syrus watched his brother from the doorway. He had been about to ask Zane about shopping for the new school year, when he overheard Zane's agitated voice insisting that he didn't want to take someone in. What was going on? The timid silver haired boy approached his elder brother cautiously. "Zane…?"

"What now!" Zane exploded, looking over his desk at Syrus. "Can't you see I'm busy, Syrus?"

"I...I just wanted to know what was going on…" Syrus stammered, backing up.

"That's not your concern right now. If you don't mind, I'm really busy. Please go find something to amuse yourself."

Syrus didn't bother to reply. He just walked out silently. He was used to his brother's tirades of infuriation. Usually, Syrus was the cause of them. It had become more apparent recently. When the younger of the two was picked to mentor along side of him the first day of school, Zane had been really annoyed. He felt that Syrus wasn't worthy enough to mentor new students. I just want my brother to love me for me. Why can't he treat me like an elder brother should…? Syrus' shoulders slumped, as he went to his room to call Jaden, to discuss this new development.

Mariena's arrival on Syrus' doorstep a couple of days later surprised the boy to say the least. She was accompanied by a social worker, who wanted to talk to Zane. Syrus gulped, and turned to get his brother. Zane was already there. He walked passed Syrus, and spoke gruffly to the social worker, before ushering Mariena in. He then turned to Syrus. "She's living with us now. This does not get out at school. Is that understood? I won't have my reputation ruined." He turned to go back to his office, where he was in the process of arranging for Mariena to take the entrance exams at the dueling academy. He half turned in the doorway, and looked at his younger cousin now. "I won't have any crying and moping. If you need anything, get it yourself. Syrus has things he should be doing that don't include catering to you, and I am very busy. Be prepared to leave the house tomorrow morning at 7am. We are going to get you set up for school." He said all this without warmth, or emotion. He wanted it understood that she was not a welcome presence in his household.

"You don't mean to actually put her in the academy, do you?" Syrus asked now. He bit her lower lip, glancing to Mariena. The girl hadn't uttered a word, and it didn't look like she was going to cry either. Syrus was impressed with how the girl had changed.

"I do, as a matter of fact. Where else can she go, if I am at school for nine months? Oh, and another thing, Mariena. You will not be traveling with us to the school on the first day. You will be on a different ferry." He turned and left the two younger children there now, and returned to his office.

"Well…" Syrus turned to his cousin now. "Don't let him get to you." He forced a smile. "I'm glad you're here. I've missed you."

Mariena merely nodded. "He hasn't changed a bit. He never did like me, and he never will. But, Sy, I have changed, and he will know it soon enough." She swallowed hard. "Mama was too sick to continue supporting us, and Daddy lost his job again. I offered to work, but they wouldn't have it. When I heard they were sending me away, I was afraid I was going to end up in foster care…but, Sy…this is much worse…" She was trying to be strong, remembering that she had promised herself not to show weakness anymore. It wouldn't make the situation better, and it wouldn't get her home any faster.

"I'm sure you will." Syrus encouraged her with a grin. "You're going to be at my school! Won't that be great?"

"I don't know anything about dueling though…I may not even pass the entrance exams…"

"Let's worry about that later, okay? How about we get you settled in first?" Syrus helped her carry her two bags upstairs to the room he now knew was prepared for her.

The room was painted a plain, boring white. It had drab curtains hanging on the windows, and a single small dresser. The bed was cot size, with barely enough length for her to fit. She looked over at Syrus, who looked horrified. "It's…not too bad…" She tried to sound optimistic. She knew Syrus hadn't had anything to do with the preparations, and she didn't want him to feel bad for his brother's heartless ways. "It's fine, really."

"No. it's not fine. You don't have to settle for this, and you won't have to." Syrus replied softly. He brushed a strand of her hair out of her face, as he studied his younger cousin. "I'll get you some better décor, and a different bed, somehow." He was burning with pent up anger. He didn't mind so much when Zane insulted and picked on him, but for him to treat their cousin, who was already going through so much, like this was inexcusable! He turned to the doorway. "Why don't you get settled in? I'll be back with some more blankets for your bed."

Mariena nodded slowly, understanding. It was going to take Syrus a lot of guts to do what he was about to do. "Sy…? Thank you."

"It's nothing. We're family, and it's time Zane found out what that meant." He went downstairs then, contemplating how he would deal with his brother. He had never been good at sticking up for himself, let alone anyone else. Well, it's now or never…

Zane looked up at Syrus in annoyance when his younger brother walked into his office. "What now?"

"It's not right, the way y you're treating Mariena. Especially with everything she's already going through. She was just given up by her parents. Can't you at least show some sort of compassion?"

"I'm very busy, Syrus. I don't have time to be compassionate. If you came down here to plead for something on her behalf, you can forget it. Now if you don't mind…" Zane turned back to his desktop, and began to type once more.

"I do mind, actually!" Syrus raised his voice slightly, feeling a little bit bolder. "How can you call yourself a human and treat your family the way you do?"

Zane whirled around, and glared at Syrus. "Get out of here, Sy. And I don't want to be bothered again. Understand?"

Syrus didn't need to be told twice. His nerve had just run out, and he was more than willing to flee. He raced back upstairs, and fetched the blankets he promised. Then he took them to his cousin. He put on a smile just for her when he walked into the girl's room. "Here you go."

"Thank you, Syrus." Mari studied her cousin. I don't think that confrontation went as well as Sy had hoped it would. Oh well. It doesn't really matter to me. Zane will soon see that I am not the same shy coquette I used to be. It unnerves me to see Zane treat Syrus like this. It wasn't this bad before. Well, then again. The last time I had seen them, they'd had parents too. "And I don't mean just for the blankets." With that, Mari excused herself to finish getting her room ready. It was well into the night now, and if she had to be up that early the next morning, she needed as much sleep as she could get.

The exam arena was loud. It was very loud. Mariena found herself hanging close to Syrus against her will. She had never seen so many duelists in one place before. Syrus gave her hand a squeeze for comfort. "I can't…I'll fail…" She whispered softly, as Syrus led the way to the sign in counter.

"No, you won't. I'm sure of it." Syrus replied. He glanced over at Zane. His elder brother was no longer paying them attention. He was talking to some of his classmates in Obelisk Blue. He frowned, shaking his head. "It will be alright." He signed her in. "She's ready to duel."

The girl at the counter was a Ra Yellow. She snorted, as she looked Mariena over. "She's got just as much chance of winning as I do of growing horns." She scoffed, and handed Mariena a number. "Take a seat in the stands until you number is called."

"Syrus! Hey, Sy!" The cousins turned at the sound of Jaden's voice. He hurried over to them. "Hey!"

"Jaden, this is my cousin, Mariena Ushida. She's….boarding at my house for a while." Syrus remembered that his brother hadn't wanted to let it out that he had taken in a charity case. He would tell Jaden the truth later, when not so many Obelisk students were around. "She's taking her entrance exams today. She just took her written one. She passed."

"That's great. I'm sure you'll do just as good in dueling as you do in Capsule Monsters Chess." Jaden offered kindly. He had met Mariena the previous winter when she was visiting Syrus over Christmas. " It's good to see you again, Mari. Alexis has seats for us over there, if you two want to watch the others."

"What do you think, Mariena?" Syrus asked. But his cousin wasn't listening. She looked like she was going to faint. "Mari?"

"S-Syrus…" Mariena pointed at the board that was showing the dueling proctors. "Zane didn't say anything about being an assistant proctor! Now he'll know how horrible I am…"

Syrus made a face at his brother's picture. He hated how unsure of herself that Mariena had become over the last couple of days. "Don't worry! I'm sure you'll do fine." He put an arm around her, and they went to sit with Jaden and Alexis.