Selene Amada did not, in fact, ask Zane about the happenings of the night before the next morning. Nor the morning after that. Or the many mornings after that. The thought continuously slipped in and out of her mind. Always slipping out around him and slipping in when she was not.
Nibbling away at some strawberry bread, she intently stared at the slip of paper they had stuck outside of classroom 3-B a few days prior. She knew that no matter how long she looked at it, the results would be the same. However, that didn't stop her from being fixated on that sheet of paper.
Oliver Kim - Selene Amada
He really pulled it off, she thought to herself, tearing away at the horrifically sweet bread with increasing aggression. I wonder how.
"Your collar is crooked."
A hand reached over, tugging her white blazer collar straight. She pouted her lips in a childish manner. She didn't have to bother looking up to see who had reached over. She already knew. With a hefty sigh, she lightly brushed his hand away.
"Thanks," she huffed, clicking the heel of her boot against the floor in slight annoyance.
"You weren't at breakfast," he said, pulling at the corner of her collar once more as it still was a bit bent.
"I woke up late," she replied, continuing to chew at the bread.
"Figures."
She scoffed, pretending to be annoyed at his comment.
"I ran into the cafeteria and all they had was this stuff left."
Selene held out the still warm bread, sections of strawberry jam swirled throughout. Nudging it towards him, she said, "Want the rest? Way too sweet for me."
Zane looked at her and rolled his eyes. She smiled as he took the pale pink loaf from her. She knew he couldn't resist sweets, which was great anytime there were sweets that she needed to dump on him.
"You really should start going to sleep earlier," he scolded, tearing off a section of the bread and popping it into his mouth.
"Oh like you're one to talk," she replied, placing a hand on her hip. "At least I'm not dueling at some unholy hour of the morning."
"What are you talking about…?"
He side-eyed her, the way you would a child telling a story of how they saw a dragon. She was no child though, and she knew what she saw was real.
"I saw you, the other night by the docks." She waved her hand in the air as if it would jog his memory. "Cyber End Dragon is pretty unmistakable, you know."
"Ah, yes. That," he quietly replied, looking back at the bulletin board.
"Mind telling me what 'that' is?"
"That first year," Zane said, ice laced through his tone. "The boy, Jaden."
"What about him?"
"He ran up to me," Zane said, monotonous. "Challenged me to a duel."
"He really did?" Selene raised her eyebrows, curious and a bit dumbfounded. "You're kidding."
"That is what I said."
"Well, no, no. I mean… Jaden came up to me going off on something about… I dunno- an 'off limits' card?" Selene stammered, remembering she did think it was something like a spur-of-the-moment thing he would get over. She put her finger to her lips. "Then he went on about your brother having no confidence? Then he was all like, 'I gotta duel him! Help me!'"
"Is that so?"
"Yeah. Have an idea what half that stuff means?" Selene folded her arms, sighing. "I swear, Jaden was barely speaking a human language."
"I-"
"Kaiser! Empress!" came a rather unnaturally chipper voice, especially for that time of the morning.
"Oh no," Selene muttered, fearing the sight she would see the moment she turned around.
"Oh no?" Zane replied inquisitively, raising and eyebrow.
Selene turned on her heel, plastering a fake smile across her face. She placed a hand on her hip, shifting her weight to her right leg. She hardly had the energy to deal with other people in that moment.
"Hey, Oliver," she said, echoing his overly enthusiastic tone. The same kind of voice she used to greet customers back at her grandfather's shop. A sweetness as fake as an artificial sweetener.
"Oh. Hello Oliver," Zane responded, eyeing Selene curiously. Wondering why she was using that tone on him.
"Good morning to you both." Oliver placed his hands behind his back, grinning. "Why the faces? Are you not thrilled about class duels today? I am, for one."
"Of course," the Kaiser said, not taking his glance off Selene. "You and Selene are matched up this week."
"That's right!" the Student Council President exclaimed, clapping his hands together excitedly. "I'm so excited to finally be able to evaluate the Empress herself."
"I heard you're not so bad yourself, Oliver," she replied with a voice pitched above her normal tone. "I am so looking forward to it."
"Yes, yes." Oliver nodded before turning towards Zane. "Kaiser, if you don't mind, I would like to speak to Selene privately for a minute?"
Zane looked over towards Selene. Meeting his glance, she closed her eyes. Shaking her head a bit. He slightly tilted his head, to which she began to shake her head a bit more aggressively. Shrugging, he looked back towards Oliver.
"Of course," Zane nodded.
He turned towards Selene, making a quick side glance towards Oliver before looking back at her questioningly. She rolled her eyes in response, her way of saying that it didn't matter. He shook his head. Reaching his hand towards her, he tugged at her collar again, which now seemed to have been crooked all over again. She brushed his hand away, pursing her lips together.
"I'll see you in class," he simply said, walking away.
"See you," she replied with a wave.
She sharply turned her focus back to Oliver. Huffing, she crossed her arms. To which he only smiled, placing a hand in his pocket.
"You and the Kaiser are close," he said.
"So what is it?" she grumbled, straightening her posture.
"Don't think I forgot about our little deal."
"I can't. It's listed right here," she muttered, motioning towards the board behind her.
"You're quite funny, Miss Amada," Oliver laughed softly. "Nevertheless, that's not what I'm here to talk about."
"What then?"
"I found something interesting about you." He crossed his arms. "Multiple accounts of you entering the woods."
"It's not like they're off limits."
"No. But consistently being seen in entering the same area where the old cobblestone path is does sound a bit odd, doesn't it?"
"Coincidence, maybe."
"Maybe so. But if I recall correctly, you were close with many of the people who went missing. A few of them in particular…" Oliver tapped his finger against his chin, his lips pressed into a small shape. "It wouldn't be unreasonable to assume you decided to take up an investigation yourself."
"So what if I did?"
"All of us lost someone close last year." He stepped closer to her, lowering his voice. "That's why there are rules in place, to stop something like that from happening again."
Selene looked down, pressing herself against the wall as if to shy away from him. He was right, but…
"So what're you gonna do? Tell Shepard?"
"Not yet, maybe. Or maybe I can drop it, if you win this duel. It is up to you, though."
Oliver walked off, a bit too smug for Selene's tastes. As soon as he was out of sight, she stood back up straight. Swinging her leg back and forth, her heel clicked against the hard tile floor. She had no intention to lose in the first place, but now she had to be careful about who was around when she took her little rendezvous. She let out a frustrated grunt, cracking her knuckles.
Zane: 3000
Rika: 0
The holograms on the field faded, leaving only the two figures facing one another across the field.
"Mister Truesdale is the winner!" Crowler declared, holding his arm out towards Zane.
The two figures walked towards each other, stopping in the middle to shake hands.
"Good duel," the blonde girl said with a smile.
"Good game," Zane responded quietly as they shook hands.
"Wonderful job, Mister Truesdale!" Crowler warmly exclaimed, turning towards the class audience. "Everyone should learn from you."
Zane quietly thanked the professor before turning back to his place in the stands. As he climbed up the stairs, he saw Selene looking down twiddling her thumbs. Shaking her head, she deeply exhaled. He took his seat beside her, watching her fidgeting hands from his peripherals.
"Next! Mister Oliver Kim and Miss Selene Amada!" Crowler announced, rapidly tapping his clipboard with a pen. "Please come down to the dueling arena to play your class duel!"
Selene slowly rose from her seat. Stepping right onto the steps, she brushed by Zane.
"He's a good duelist. Don't underestimate him."
"I know," she replied, not looking up from the ground.
You'll do fine.
"So you made it happen," she said, switching her duel disk on.
"Of course not," Oliver mused, sliding his deck into his disk. "Do you take me for the kind of person to back out on my word?"
"Never even dream of it." That was true, at least. Oliver did seem like an honest and genuine person. "So let's stop talking and let's get on with it."
"Hasty are we?" he replied with a crocodile's pout. "Well, I suppose I have been waiting to see how good you actually are, Empress."
Selene: 4000
Oliver: 4000
"Ladies first," he offered, reaching his hand out as if to take her coat or carry her bag.
"First, I'll summon Lunalight Emerald Bird in defense mode."
A green-skinned monster with an appearance like a young woman appeared on the field. She looked like a dancer, almost. Dressed in bright colors which clashed with one another. Crossing her arms, she knelt down atop an enlarged version of her card.
Lunalight Emerald Bird
Beast-Warrior/Effect
1200 ATK/ 1000 DEF
"And I activate her special effect." Selene plucked a card from her hand, holding it faced away from Oliver before placing it in her graveyard. "By sending a Lunalight monster from my hand to the grave, I can draw."
Please let it be the card I need, she silently prayed, her fingers trembling ever so slightly.
"Next, I'll put down a facedown and end my turn."
"My turn?" he quipped, clearly enjoying this. "Alright then. I summon Gem-Armadillo in attack position."
A cartoonish armadillo formed on the field. Unfurling, it revealed orange eyes glowing like gemstones. Rocket-like contractions were strapped to its glimmering shell and sharp class protruded forth from its paws.
Gem-Armadillo
Rock/Effect
1700 ATK /500 DEF
"And because I Normal Summoned him, I can add a Gem-Knight monster from my deck to my hand." Oliver held his arm up, smiling. "Next, I think I'll have him clip your bird's wings."
The armadillo pounced from its spot. Its claws seemingly more terrifying now that it was barreling towards her at fifty miles an hour, slicing through through her Emerald Bird. With a cry, the hologram shattered into a million pieces.
"Thanks Oliver. Because of you, I can activate my trap, Lunalight Reincarnation Dance! Because you destroyed a monster on my field I can add two Lunalight monsters from my deck to my hand."
Oliver smiled, sending a jolt down Selene's spine. Had she made a mistake? Oh there she went, being careless again.
"As expected," he said, picking one of cards in his hand up between his middle and index finger. "Well, I'll set down a facedown and end then."
"You're quite infuriating, you know?" she muttered indignantly.
"And you're predictable."
"First, I summon Lunalight White Rabbit in attack position."
The hologram on the field formed the appearance of a young girl wielding a large mallet. Cascading white hair and long rabbit ears protruding from her head, a golden crescent decoration covered her face as she stood seven feet in the air, imposing as she gripped her mallet tightly.
Lunalight White Rabbit
Beast-Warrior/Effect
800ATK /800DEF
"Your rabbit has nowhere near enough attack points to destroy my Armadillo," Oliver remarked. Cocking his head, he grinned. "But you have a trick up your sleeve, no?"
He was right, she did. Though something about his expression, the playful way he said it, sounded like he was teasing her. She felt the slightest bit of blood rush to her cheeks. Hoping the distance between her and the audience would maybe be enough to cover up the pink in her cheeks.
"Next I discard Lunalight Black Sheep from my hand." She placed the card in the graveyard slot, letting the duel disk swallow it up. "And using my Black Sheep's effect, I can now take Polymerization from my deck and add it to my hand."
She pulled Polymerization after a brief search of her deck. Though as she straightened her deck, her hands shook, Nearly dropping the deck as she attempted to insert to back into her duel disk.
Concentrate, Selene. Stop being such a screw-up.
"Then- I'll activate my White Rabbit's effect. Because I Normal Summoned her, I can summon another card from my Grave in defense position. And I choose Lunalight Black Sheep!"
Lunalight Black Sheep
Beast-Warrior/Effect
100ATK/ 600DEF
"Next I'll use Polymerization and fuse them into Lunalight Cat Dancer!"
The two holograms on the field faded. In their place formed a tall, looming figure resembling a woman with purple skin in a flowing teal dress. The top half of her face was covered by a gold mask resembling a cat.
Lunalight Cat Dancer
Beast-Warrior/Fusion/Effect
2400ATK /2000DEF
"Alright kitty, destroy his Armadillo."
Cat Dancer pounced from her spot. She appeared to stretch her leg out, "kicking" Gem-Armadillo into the air before the hologram shattered into millions of shards.
Selene: 4000
Oliver: 3300
"And because she attacked monster this turn, she can inflict an extra 100 points of damage directly to you."
Selene: 4000
Oliver: 3200
Oliver chuckled, watching Cat Dancer bounce back towards Selene's side of the field. She grit her teeth. Why was he laughing? Was he mocking her?
"Lucky for you I have a facedown," he said with a smile. "Brilliant Spark."
The card on Oliver's field flipped over, revealing a purple surface with a glowing illustration atop.
"If a Gem-Knight monster is destroyed I can inflict damage on your Life Points the same amount as its attack points."
Selene: 2300
Oliver: 3200
I should've seen that one coming!
Selene grinded her teeth together. There wasn't much she could do now, after all it wasn't like there was a card on the field that could contradict its effect.
"I end," she managed to croak. Though the words felt as if they were not coming from her mouth.
Oliver stood there, seeming to observe her expression. Cocking his head a bit to the side, blinking slowly before bringing his arm up. Pulling a card from his deck, he hardly took his eyes off of her.
"From my hand I use Polymerization to fuse Gem-Knight Lapis and Gem-Knight Lazuli to form Gem-Knight Lady Lapis Lazuli."
A stout figure formed on Oliver's side of the field. A robotic looking humanoid figure, with knob-like joints and wide eyes like blue gems which stared intently towards Selene's side of the field. It was quite cute, Selene had to admit.
Gem-Knight Lady Lapis Lazuli
Rock/Fusion/Effect
2400ATK /1000DEF
"And using her effect, I can discard a Gem-Knight monster from my deck to inflict 500 points of damage on your life points per Special Summoned monster on the field. And because I have one on my field and you have one on yours, you get-"
"One-thousand points of damage," Selene murmured, shaking slightly.
Selene: 1300
Oliver: 3200
"I think that's enough for one turn," he plainly stated, lowering his arm. "Are you taking this seriously yet, Empress?"
Careless.
"Now I am," she replied.
Selene looked down at her hand. She had one of the cards she needed to enact her scheme. But if she didn't make the right draw, she would be finished the next turn.
Come on. Please spirits, let me draw what I need to draw.
Closing her eyes, she quickly plucked out the top card from her deck. Slowly opening them, her heart leapt for joy upon seeing the ever so recognizable image on the card.
"First, I use De-Fusion to get White Rabbit and Black Sheep back. Next, I use the Spell Card Lunalight Fusion. And because you Special Summoned your Gem-Knight I can use a monster from my Extra Deck as fusion material. So I fuse Lunalight Panther Dancer with White Rabbit and Black Sheep to get Lunalight Leo Dancer!"
A hologram appeared standing alone on her side of the field. A tall woman with a mischievous fanged grin on her face. Her wild blue hair reminiscent of a wild animal, shimmering blades in her arms.
Lunalight Leo Dancer
Beast-Warrior/Fusion/Effect
3500 ATK /3000 DEF
Oliver placed a hand on his hip, seemingly somewhat impressed.
"You finally brought out you trump card, I see."
The boy smirked, tilting his head to the side. Selene only found herself grinning in response.
"You sound surprised." The girl laughed, brushing her bangs from her face. "So first, I'll have her destroy your Lady Lapis Lazuli."
The wild woman pounced from where she stood, slashing the small robotic figure with her blades. The robotic figure seemed to screech before it had shattered into millions of fragments which rained down upon Oliver as his life point meter dropped.
Selene: 1300
Oliver: 2100
"And because of her Special Effect, she can attack twice. So I think I'll have her attack you directly."
Leo Dancer ran towards Oliver, seeming to slash at his figure. Her holographic blade passing through him seamlessly, he smiled.
Selene: 1300
Oliver: 0
For a moment, the air in the arena was still as the holograms faded from sight. The second only broken by Crowler's shrill voice.
"And the winner is Miss Selene Amada!"
Polite applause came from around the stadium. The tightness in her chest gave way, and if felt as if her heart had begun beating again.
Closing her duel disk, Selene took slow strides to Oliver's side of the field. The hard soles of her boots clicking loudly against the stage. Standing right before the student council president, she held out her hand.
Oliver, with a bit of a smile and a sigh closed his own duel disk. He grabbed her hand firmly, giving it a loose shake.
"I suppose I should not have expected anything less from you, Empress."
"You didn't do so bad yourself," she mused, finding herself grinning. "I really did think you had me for a while."
"It seems you'll be keeping your near undefeated streak for now."
Her grin fell, albeit rather jokingly.
"Did you have to add 'near'?" she asked, half in jest.
"I wasn't really going to report you to the Chancellor," he admitted a bit sheepish. Scratching the back of his head. "Honestly, you're far too interesting to have go away."
"I'll take that as a compliment," she replied, laughing. "You're not a bad person either, Oliver."
"This is the most fun I've had in a duel for a long while," the council president said, letting go of her hand.
"We should do this again sometime."
"I agree."
"You were careless again."
That was the first thing he said to her the moment class was let out. He folded his arms, narrowing his eyes at the girl.
"I know, I know," she muttered, fiddling with her long hair. "You told me not to underestimate him and I did."
"People would've talked."
"They already talk, don't they?" She shook her head, continuing to tug her dark hair into a long braid. "I know not to care, don't worry."
"But-"
"I'm fine, Zane." She stepped a bit ahead of him, slightly turning back. "I'm not a child."
"You can't even fix your own crooked uniform properly and next you're getting in trouble with the student council," he stated plainly.
"I didn't say I was in trouble. Oliver was just being a bit stuffy."
Zane sighed, shaking his head in what could only be described as mild disappointment.
"Your dorm window in no way faces the docks," he began, "How did you know I was dueling that night?"
"I snuck out to buy a snack from the vending machine outside the girl's dorm," she said, recalling the cool air of that night. She couldn't even remember if she got what she was looking for now, all she could remember was Oliver's placid expression. "Now, will you please explain to me, why were you dueling my cousin at one in the morning?"
Zane dropped his arms down to his sides. With a sigh, he said, "I told you before my brother doesn't belong at Duel Academy, yes?"
"Yeah?" Selene replied, raising an eyebrow.
"There was a particular incident when I was in seventh grade." He looked upwards toward the ceiling as they strode down the hall. "I happened upon him with one of his classmates who had been picking on him."
"You defended your brother, right?" she said, with quite an emphasis on the last word. When he didn't respond, she turned back towards him, walking backwards.
Selene leaned forward, trying to meet Zane's eyes. Silence.
"Right?" she repeated, her voice heavy.
"Yes..." Zane replied, though a bit quietly. "He was dueling him. I saw his hand, and he was about to use the Power Bond I gifted him."
"And? You use it all the time, what's the problem?"
"He forgot his opponent had a trap on the field. He was acting rashly, and went to activate Power Bond." Zane crossed his arms, looking down towards the floor. "But the trap combined with Power Bond's drawback would make it so he lost the duel. Before that could happen, I intervened and gave the kid a rare card to not speak of the duel again.
"Oh, I see where this is going." Selene stopped walking, placing her hands on her hips. "You did one of those weird 'tough love' things you do and told Syrus he could never use that card again right?"
"I told him not to use it until he became a proper duelist," her friend said, shaking his head.
Selene scoffed, as if that was much better.
"Losing is a part of life, Kaiser. He was in, what? Fifth grade at the time? We all do stupid things in the fifth grade. That was the year I decided to give myself bangs." She shuddered, thinking of the uneven hair that went across her forehead that year. She was an absolute disaster child, she wondered how her grandfather handled it. "Then again my grandfather did put a ban on scissors after that…"
"He wasn't respecting his opponent, Selene. That's absolutely crucial in being a duelist. And because they have that tag duel coming up-"
"Oh, it's tomorrow! We have the morning off to watch it!" she exclaimed, pressing her hands together excitedly. "Er- sorry. Continue."
"I suppose…." Zane paused before releasing a hefty sigh. "My words left a bigger impact than I had anticipated on my brother."
"You think?"
"You can lecture me on the importance of thinking before I speak later," Zane grumbled, "But from what I inferred, my words caused my brother to freeze-up during a duel when he drew Power Bond. And so… I decided to use the duel to send a message to Syrus. Hopefully one that will help him tomorrow."
"So that's it." Laughing, she slapped his shoulder a couple of times. "Well, it's nice and rather uncommon to see your human side, Zane."
He rolled his eyes at her last comment.
"You're impossible."
"Still~" she quipped, quickly stepping a few paces ahead. "Strange to think how you didn't realize you had such a big impact on your little brother!"
