Chapter II: The Mist Flower
Soon, word of the Obelisk Blue festival had spread throughout the school, and nearly everyone was waiting for an invitation. Apparently, though, only few were invited from other dorms. Jaden and Bastion were one of them, while Syrus and Chumley were not. Chazz Princeton was probably the most excited out of everyone, however, he was the only person in the school who did not know who Sakura was, or who had planted all the flowers. He had probably seen the girl around the school, but had never talked to her or meet her. He was excited, mainly because this would give him the chance to dance with Alexis, but he was very much interested in who this "Sakura Mitokaza" was.
Sakura had other things on her mind rather than the upcoming festival. She had heard many stories from Jasmine and Mindy about how Jaden went to an extent and length to save Alexis from danger. They told her about the Shadow Riders, about how Alexis was kidnapped twice by Titan, and how Jaden came to her each time. They told her that it was he who had found Alexis' brother, and how he was always there to cheer her on. The more they told her, the more she began to plot. Not in an evil and horrible way, and she shared her plan with Jasmine and Mindy, but it a nice, sensible way. Like them, she now believed, more than anyone, that Alexis and Jaden had hidden feelings for each other, and it was the job of their friends to make the two of them be together.
However, like Alexis, Sakura had obtained a nickname for the deed she had done around the island of planting flowers. This nickname was the "Flower of Blue." Sakura didn't care so much for nicknames, as long as everyone would be happy this Spring, and all their wishes would come true. She would make sure of that. One day, she decided to put her plan into action, and try to set up Alexis and Jaden. She told Mindy about how she would lightly dabble information and auras whenever the two were around, try to play match-maker as much as she could without being too obvious. This day happened three days before the festival.
She found Jaden and Alexis together on the beach, having a practice duel. They were both smiling when she approached, her pink hair tied up by a maroon ribbon. She smiled down at them, and sat on the sand with them.
"Who's winning?" she asked them.
"Jaden is, but he has the lowest life points," Alexis told her.
"Not for long. My Flame Wingman attacks your Cyber Blader, and you lose the duel," Jaden cried out. "Good duel, Lex."
"Same here," Alexis spoke to him, then gathered up her cards and placed them back in her deck. She then turned to Sakura. "What's up?"
"Nothing, but I was wondering if I could talk to you for a moment." Alexis approached the other girl, and Sakura began talking about the festival. "It's traditional for the hostesses to bring a date along for the party. You don't have to dance with them or anything, but you need to bring one to it with you."
"Alright. Well, it's only three days away. How long could it take to find a date?" Alexis asked.
"Pretty long, seeing as how most people are coming as dates. It probably would be best to bring someone as a date who's your friend. Like someone you know that won't mind going with you," Sakura explained to her.
"Who are you going with?" Alexis asked.
"Zane asked me at the last second. I'm going with him, but he had just barely asked me when I was coming to talk to you," she told her.
"Do you like Zane?" Alexis asked.
"He's alright," Sakura said this casually, and it was enough to prove that she did like Zane, but didn't have feelings for him.
"Okay, cool. Well, I guess I need to find a date," Alexis spoke. Sakura nodded and started walking away, but as she left, a flower was dropped from her hand, and she walked on, not noticing. Alexis went to go pick up the flower, to find it was a light lavender blossom with several petals on it. Alexis recognized this flower as the Mist Flower.
She placed it in her pocket of her blazer and went back to talk to Jaden.
"So? What did Sakura have to say?" he asked her.
"She was telling me about how the hostesses of the festival have to bring a date," Alexis explained to him.
"Cool. Does she have one?" Jaden asked her.
"Yeah, she says she's going with Zane," Alexis responded.
"Does she like him?"
"I don't think so."
Alexis turned towards the ocean, and her hand subconsciously reached into her pocket where the flower had been placed, and her fingers gently stroked against the petals. It was so cold and soft, like snow. Exactly like the mist of the sea. As she stood there, staring at the ocean, thoughts of who she would take to the festival with her came to mind. She couldn't go with Zane, seeing as how he was already going with Sakura. She couldn't go with Chazz, because then he would freak out and think it was an actual date. Bastion wasn't exactly someone she would consider a close enough friend to go to a festival with. Syrus was cute, but it would be really awkward to stand next to him. The only other option was….
"Jaden?" she called to him. He looked up from his deck and smiled at her.
"What's up, Lex?" he asked.
"I don't have a date for the festival. Want to come?" she asked him. "As a friend?"
"Sure, Lex," he answered, and he turned to the ocean. He may have been a little light in the head, but he was innocent at heart. So innocent, he didn't see this sudden arrangement of accompanying one of the most popular girls in the school to a festival as a date.
"Oh, Alexis, that's a beautiful dress!" Jasmine cried as Alexis pulled out a flowing, blue kimono. It was a Japanese, traditional dress that most people wore to festivals. Alexis and Sakura were encouraged to wear one, seeing as how they were the hostesses. Jasmine and Mindy stood beside Alexis' three-way mirror, while she continuously pulled out dresses to see which one would be more appropriate for the occasion. She didn't understand why, but she was very occupied with how she would look for the festival than she had in her life.
"Yeah, it's nice, but it's not something that would look good on me," Alexis spoke, tossing the kimono to the floor, and then pulling out a light maroon kimono. Mindy and Jasmine both shook their heads at it.
"I wouldn't dress in anything purple, pink, or red," Mindy spoke.
"Why not? Those are the colors of the season," Alexis responded.
"Because…we've also seen Sakura's dress, and it's pink. You don't want to be matching hostesses, do you?" Jasmine asked. Alexis sighed, deciding not to argue with them. She could really care less if she and Sakura matched, because it was just a stupid festival. It wasn't like a prom or a wedding. It meant near nothing to her.
Then he came to her mind…for some strange reason, she suddenly felt that it did matter, now. She didn't want to be looking like a complete idiot in front of him. She didn't want to be some kind of girl who could care less about him. She did care about him, and that's what made things far more complicated than she could imagine. She had even gone to Mindy to help her with…make-up!
"I can't believe I'm doing this!" she muttered to herself, and tossed the kimono to the pile of others on the floor. It was then that she saw the perfect one hanging in the darkest corner of her closet. She pulled it out, and in a wave of silk, pulled it in front of her body before the mirrors.
"Oh, my God! Alexis, that's gorgeous!" Mindy cried.
"There's no way any guy could pass you up in that!" Jasmine cheered.
Alexis smiled as she held up the satin and silk white kimono. Along the kimono were beautiful, light lavender flowers with several petals. As she stared at the reflection of the kimono, it was then she began to recognize the flowers. She dropped the kimono by accident, and reached into her pocket, only to pull out the torn flower. As she stared at it, she realized it was the exact same flower that was on the kimono. Mindy and Jasmine saw what she had in her hand, and approached, staring at the flower.
"Oh! That's a Mist Flower. Sakura told me a story about them earlier today!" she cried.
"Really? What was it about?" Jasmine asked.
"It was about this ship that was out at sea and aboard it was a woman. The ship was destroyed by a typhoon, and the woman was washed up upon a shore of an uncharted island. There, a man came to her and placed a flower by her side, and as she laid in the sand of the sun, the flower began to bloom. For each petal that bloomed from the flower, a day would pass, and the man soon thought of the woman to be dead, until on fiftieth day, he returned to her side, and she rose to meet him. From what Sakura told me, that man was supposed to have been the woman's husband, awaiting her return home," Mindy told them.
"That's such a pretty story. Just like the one she told us yesterday," Alexis spoke. "The one about the Lily of the Valley. What is with this girl and flowers?"
"Don't you remember? Her mother told her everything," Jasmine answered.
Alexis turned from her friends to the flower in her hands. It still looked fresh and new, even though it had been in her pocket almost all day. Apparently, this was a wonderful time of year, like Sakura had said. The flowers were blooming everywhere, happiness was spreading to everyone, and the least likely people were already starting to fall in love….
"Hey, you're Sakura, right?"
At once, Sakura looked up at the sound of her name to a familiar boy with dark hair, dark eyes, and a yellow blazer. She smiled charmingly at him.
"Yes, I am. How may I help you?" she asked. She sat in the grass, bathing in the warm sunlight.
"You've made quite a name for yourself around the school. All because you planted flowers in front of each dorm," the boy spoke. "Mind if I sit with you?"
"No, I don't mind," she said, moving over. The boy sat next to her.
"I'm Bastion, by the way. Bastion Misawa," he introduced himself.
"It's nice to meet you, Bastion," Sakura's voice was so light and carefree, it reminded Bastion of Jaden's voice. Except this time, there was more than just kindness and a lack of sensibility to her voice. There was something else there. Kind of like the voice you would hear in dreams. "So, what's my nickname around the school?"
"Oh, it's the 'Flower of Blue.' Quite a lovely name, yet it isn't your name, now, is it?" Bastion asked sarcastically. Sakura didn't answer, but that warm, charming smile was still on her face. She fell back into the grass and laid there, enjoying the sunlight.
"I love the Spring, don't you?" she asked him. He nodded, looking down at her. She was such an unusual girl. Carefree, innocent, kind and gentle, exactly like the petals of a flower. Her pink hair was almost unnatural, and her green eyes seemed to take in every bit of detail of the world. He could understand why Syrus would like her. She was almost exactly like him, except for being timid. She always had a smile on her face.
He didn't know what else to talk to her about. He shut his eyes, and felt the cool, relaxing wind of the ocean against his face. He then opened his eyes, as if the topic had come to him like magic.
"Your name means 'cherry blossom,' does it not?" he asked.
"Yes, it does. My mother named me after the traditional flower of Japan. I remember where we used to live in Kyoto, the trees surrounding our house would literally turn pink during the spring, and we would throw this huge party in honor of the cherry blossoms. Almost everyone came to it in Kyoto," she explained.
"Was it your idea to have the parties and festivals here?" he asked her.
"Kind of. I wanted hard to celebrate the traditional Sakura no Fiesta here, but Chancellor Shepherd rejected it, claiming that students need to focus more on their grades rather than on parties," she explained. Bastion couldn't help but smile. This girl seemed to be well-adapted to the Japanese culture, and, more importantly, seemed to be fond of her ancient culture. Even now, when she talked about the different festivals and traditions of her hometown, Kyoto, there was that warm, remembrance smile on her face. A smile that brought back memories to himself.
"Well, I've got to go get ready for the festival tonight. I'll catch you later, Bastion!" she called as she stood up and hurried back towards the Obelisk Blue Girls' dormitory. He watched after her, suddenly seeing a resemblance, physical resemblance, between her, and the cherry blossoms soon to be blooming in the trees. This girl was far to evangelic to even be human.
The setting sun was cast across the island, illuminating almost every bit of the newly springed trees and land. As Jaden stood there, before the Obelisk Blue Girls' dorm, awaiting Alexis, he noticed that almost three-quarters of the boys in the school that passed by had dates for the festival. He remembered how much Syrus had reacted when he had informed him that the girl he was madly in love with was going with someone else, and he freaked out when he heard that she was going with Zane, his older brother.
"No! This can't be happening! My brother has betrayed me!" was Syrus' reaction to this news.
"Well, Sy, she doesn't really like Zane that much, from what Alexis told me. She just has to have a date because she's the hostess," Jaden had told him over and over again. Syrus still didn't take it too well, but was forced to come, anyways. Even Chazz and Bastion were coming, and, from what Jaden was hearing, Bastion had a date to go with him. That was both surprising and unusual, because, like Syrus, Bastion was shy of anything having to do with girls. He was bashful when he dueled Toniya, and when he had informed them about his date, he was still blushing.
So, here Jaden was, standing before the Girls' dorm, waiting for Alexis to come down, when he heard a familiar voice.
"Jaden."
He turned to see Zane approaching him, his dark blue hair brushing against his broad shoulders, while his dark eyes held no emotion, just like his face. As he approached, Jaden noticed that he was still wearing his traditional blazer, like Jaden. Only his was blue.
"What's up, Zane?" Jaden asked.
"I'm waiting for my date, Sakura," Zane answered. Still no expression of emotion in his voice.
"Cool, I'm waiting for Alexis," Jaden replied back. Zane didn't answer back, but looked up at the dorm. Jaden then spoke again. "Do you like her, Zane?"
Zane turned back to him, a confused look on his face.
"Sakura. Do you like Sakura?" Jaden asked again.
"No, not really. Me and her dueled three days ago, and I told her if she won, I'd take her to the festival," Zane answered.
"Did she win?" Jaden asked. Stupid question, huh?
"No, she didn't. She lost, but she dueled hard and well for someone like her. So, I offered to take her, anyway," Zane shrugged.
"So, you do like her!" Jaden yelled.
"No, I don't," there was no emotion in his face, but a startle in his eyes from Jaden's actions. He then shut his eyes, knowing anything he said to the boy would just be twisted and thrown right back at him. He turned from him, and looked up at the dorm to see a girl climbing down the steps. The girl had pink hair held up on her head in a bun with a string of pink flowers around it, and green, sparkling eyes. She wore a light pink kimono with blue flowers as she climbed down the stairs to him, holding a package.
"Hey, Zane!" she called to him as she approached. Both he and Jaden were thrown off by how pretty she looked.
"Hey, you're looking nice," Zane responded to her call.
"Thanks!" she chirped, and then she turned to Jaden. "Are you waiting for Alexis?"
"Yeah, how'd you know?" Jaden asked.
"Lucky guess. Hey, can you give this to her?" Sakura approached him and handed him the small package. He realized that it was wrapped in colorful blue paper. "Don't tell her it's from me, okay?"
Jaden nodded, and watched as the two of them headed off towards the festival. He stood there, waiting for Alexis, who came down only a few minutes later. Jaden was immediately thrown into awe by how she appeared. She wore a beautiful, pure white silk kimono with light, lavender flowers all over. As she appeared, her blond hair was held on top of her head like a bun by a white ribbon, and she was wearing light, lavender make-up. As she approached, Jaden at once mistaken her for a traditional Japanese girl.
"Hey, did you wait long?" she asked him.
"No, not really. Um…here," he held out the package to her. She took it, and opened it to reveal a black hair-comb with a beautiful lily upon it. Alexis stared down at it with eyes full of wonder.
"Oh, Jaden, it's lovely. Thank you," she said, looking up at him.
"Here, let me help you with that," he said this almost too casually as he took the comb and placed the teeth of it within the base of her bun. It sunk in fully to where only the flower could be seen alongside her hair. She looked absolutely beautiful now.
"Shall we go?" Alexis asked. Jaden nodded, and the two of them walked together to the festival.
FD: Alright, that's all for now. I hope you guys liked it. The festival was partly inspired by the episode of GX when they threw a huge party and Dark Magician girl appeared, but not completely like that. Anyway, please review, and I'll work on the next chapter A.S.A.P.