No matter how many times he replayed the scene he had just witnessed a few hours earlier, Atticus was still having a hard time wrapping his brain around it. Spinning around lazily in his desk chair at the Obelisk Blue dorm, he tried to find a possible reason as to just what had possessed his own sister to fall for the biggest playboy (well, aside from himself, maybe) on the island. Alexis was many things, but being shallow was definitely not one of her traits. Okay, so maybe he didn't really know that much about Aster. But Atticus had heard enough gossip circulated from the Pro Leagues' insider information to believe that the kid got around when it came to giving girls a good time where it counted for him: in bed. As far as he knew, Aster had never been in a formal relationship with a girl. The media would have gotten wind of that in a heartbeat. And there was certainly no news of his so-called "relationship" with Alexis either. To Atticus, this could mean only one thing: His sister was nothing but a fling to Aster. Oh, he had no doubt that Aster was pretending to make Alexis believe otherwise, leading her on with pretty words and such. But if Atticus knew anything about guys with a popularity level as high as Aster's, it was that they almost never held interest in one girl for too long. With a pretty boy face like that and enough charm and practice, Aster could get away with just about anything and still be guaranteed to have plenty more girls lined up waiting for him. As it was now, he got to have his cake and eat it too without even having to leave the island and risk being noticed by the media. And unlike other girls at school, Alexis would be content with keeping quiet and not feel tempted to tell everyone that she was dating the most sought-after boy in Duel Academy and the entire celebrity world. It was the perfect set-up for Aster to go unnoticed while getting his fix on the island.

To Atticus, just the knowledge that his sister was sleeping with Aster Phoenix made his stomach turn. How he had achieved that so quickly with her, Atticus had no idea. But one thing he was certain of was that he was disappointed in Alexis. He had thought that she was smarter than that. He had thought that she would take her time before deciding on making such a big step in a relationship. Hell, since when did his sister even want to date a guy at all!?

Atticus tried to remember if there had been any other signs in the past that Alexis had shown that she had been seeing Aster, but he couldn't. The only thing that had pointed to them knowing each other was the incident about a month ago when Aster had forced her out of her duel with Chazz. But Alexis sure hadn't acted like she had liked Aster back then. Not with the way they had argued. Atticus tried to take the fact that Aster had protected her from the duel as a possible sign that just maybe he did genuinely care for her. But in the end, who was to say that that couldn't all have been an act as well? Aster was used to being on camera all the time, so he was more than good at faking emotions when he wanted to.

Whatever was going on here, Atticus knew that he had to confront Alexis about this. She had been lying to him all this time to keep her relationship with Aster a secret from him and Atticus was going to give her a piece of his mind about it. And more than anything, he had to at least try to convince her to break things off with Aster. As far as he could see, this could only end in disaster and he didn't want his little sister getting her heart broken.

Xxx

The next day after school, Atticus returned to the girls' dorm to talk to Alexis. Luckily, he didn't have to wait long. Not long after classes had ended for the day, he saw his sister making her way down the hall towards her bedroom, no doubt to prepare for another night adventure with Aster.

"Atti! What are you doing here?" Alexis asked in surprise when she saw her brother leaning casually against her doorway.

"We need to talk." Atticus said seriously. Without even waiting for Alexis' response, he opened the door to her room and walked inside, waiting for her to follow him.

Feeling a growing sense of dread, Alexis wordlessly followed her brother into her room, shutting the door softly behind them. She knew better than to try arguing or avoidance tactics whenever Atticus went into full Big Brother Mode like this.

Once they were alone, Atticus wasted no time in starting on the main subject.

"Just when were you going to tell me about you and dear old Mr. Phoenix, huh Sis!?" Atticus asked accusingly.

Alexis blushed slightly, giving away any chance she might have had to bluff her way out of this. But despite that, she still tried anyway.

"What about Aster? We're working on the school project together, and we sometimes end up studying together, too. That's all." Alexis lied yet again, even if it was at least partially true.

Atticus quickly found Alexis' backpack and rummaged through it until he found the lingerie set. He thrust it out in front of her to see.

"Oh, really? And I suppose you need this to study!? And this!? Just what are you!? His sex slave!?" Atticus asked accusingly, also revealing the bottle of birth control pills.

At this point, Alexis' face was as red as a tomato. She had been caught big time and she knew it. But she was too embarrassed now to say anything to defend herself.

"Looks like Aster's been giving you a little hands-on course in sex education, otherwise, I can't see how these things help make your studying any easier! The jig is up, Sis! I was here yesterday and saw everything already, and I saw you with Aster last night when you went to meet him on his yacht!" Atticus rushed on.

"First of all, this is not any of your business! You broke into my room and went through my personal things! And then you start following me!?" Alexis said furiously.

"Oh, believe me! I am making it my business! You have been lying to me all this time whenever I asked you about where you were going or if anything else was going on in your life! I'm your brother and I was worried about you! And since I could tell that you were hiding something from me, I had to take matters into my own hands and find out what was going on! You may be able to fool other people, but I know that something is up once I see my own sister wearing dresses and perfume and acting like…well, a girl for once!" Atticus said accusingly.

"Look, Atticus. I'm sorry that I lied to you. I really am. I swear that I was going to tell you everything, eventually. I just needed some more time because I knew that you were going to react like this." Alexis apologized somewhat wearily.

"What's done is done and we can't change how we handled it then. But you're going to start talking now, Sis. I want to know the whole story, everything, from the beginning to now. And no more damn lies." Atticus said seriously.

Alexis took a deep, slow breath. Then she started talking. She told the whole story to Atticus, without leaving anything out. Starting from her first meeting with Aster at the lighthouse and how she had ended up sleeping with him on the spot. Then continuing to their brief two-week platonic period before their mutual agreement to start dating and being lovers. Finally, Alexis explained the present state of her relationship with how she had been staying over at Aster's yacht, as well the weekend trip to his penthouse and their first dates. Throughout her whole story, Atticus listened quietly, save for a few angry noises and knuckle cracking during the parts pertaining to their physical relationship.

After Alexis was done, Atticus remained silent for a few moments. Then, he looked her straight in the eyes and finally said something.

"Look, I hate to be so blunt about all this, but from everything you just told me there's no other way to say this. You're on a sinking ship and you need to abandon it as soon as you can." (AN: No, I will not abandon this ship. XD) Atticus advised Alexis grimly.

"Wha- What do you mean?" Alexis asked somewhat nervously.

"I mean that you're being used. Why else do you think Aster rushed you into everything so fast!? It's barely even been a month and he's already showering you with gifts and sleeping with you. And now you're practically living with him. You are moving way too fast here. Don't you see what's wrong with that? Face it, Sis! You're his regular." Atticus said.

"His regular!? Are you trying to say that Aster only wants me for sex!? If that's what you think, you're wrong. If he really only wanted that, he could have easily found someone else who would be down for that with no strings attached. What would be the point of pretending to date someone?" Alexis argued.

"Simple. Because he knew right from the start that you were one girl who would keep it a secret, and that's what he wants." Atticus answered simply.

"Except you're wrong. Aster and I have already started going out in public together. We're just starting out small because he knows what is going to happen once everybody finds out about this. He's explained all of this to me already and that's why we're in a gradual process when it comes to our relationship. He's doing this because he cares about me. I will admit that we got started a bit quickly. But that's just the way it happened." Alexis explained.

"Well, if he does decide to go public with you, that does have advantages of its own for him. After all, if a guy in his position goes too long being single, people might start to wonder what's stopping him from doing otherwise. They might even start questioning his…preferences. If you get what I mean." Atticus said with a deliberate nonchalant edge in his voice.

"I can't believe what I'm hearing! I don't know what has made you jump to these conclusions, but I'm going to tell you right now that you're wrong about Aster. You're judging him just because he's famous when you don't even know anything about him as a real person!" Alexis insisted.

"I know enough to know that he's nothing but trouble for you. You may not have heard, but your boy Phoenix has built something of a reputation for himself in the Pro Leagues. It's not enough for widespread news, but let's just say he's been with enough girls to show that the dueling ring isn't the only place where he's a pro." Atticus said.

"I already could tell that he's slept with other girls before me. So what? Just because he wasn't completely pure doesn't mean that he isn't serious about me." Alexis countered.

"Even if he is, I still don't want you with him." Atticus said stubbornly.

"Funny how you say that. Because you were always begging for me to get interested in guys. Like how you pushed me about Jaden and Chazz, or even Zane. I thought you wanted me to start acting more like a normal teenage girl, and now when I actually do have a boyfriend, you're throwing a fit about it! Why should Aster be any different for you!?" Alexis said frustratedly.

"Because he's too mature for you, that's why. You're better off starting out with someone who's just as innocent as you when it comes to all of that. I have no problem with them because I know that they aren't the type of guys who would hurt you. I'm only looking out for you, Sis." Atticus said softly.

"But Aster's not like that! He's always trying so hard to help others, and it breaks his heart when he feels like he hasn't done enough. He's gentle and kind and always trying to make sure that I'm happy when I'm with him, no matter what we're doing. And its not just that. He's been alone for a while now, and that's made him just appreciate every moment we have together even more. He puts on a brave face in public, but he's really more vulnerable than anyone knows." Alexis explained quietly. And she knew it was true. She saw it every time she was with Aster. How he treasured even the simplest things they did together, like having tea over homework or simple walks along the beach together. How he never seemed to want her to go home for the day. Behind the confident exterior he put up during his duels was a boy who simply wanted to feel a sense of belonging with someone. The boy she loved…

"I can see that Aster's definitely worked his magic act on you. I admit that I was surprised at first because I didn't think you were one to fall for the lady killer type. But now that I really think of it, I guess it would take someone as good at what he does as him just to have a chance of being able to win you over." Atticus said thoughtfully.

"I wish you'd stop talking about him like that. Aster is the only guy I've met who actually realized I was a girl AND never put me up on some pedestal for superficial reasons like almost everyone else here. Because he already knows how it feels to be valued for all the wrong reasons." Alexis said.

"Of course, you're no different from any other girl for him. He's seen way more girls than most other guys here, so it's not that hard for him to make you believe that." Atticus said with an exasperated roll of his eyes.

"You're not going to let up, are you?" Alexis asked in annoyance.

"No. So, tell me. When's his birthday?" Atticus asked.

"Oh, no… We are so not going there." Alexis complained, knowing full well what Atticus was getting at.

"Yes, we are. Come on. When is his birthday?" Atticus pressed.

"December 19th." Alexis answered grudgingly.

"Just great; he's a Sagittarius. The eternal wanderer. The eternal player. All the more reason why you should stay away from this guy. And it helps even less that you're a Taurus, and that is not a compatible match for you, dear sister." Atticus advised. He took his "Master of Love" duties quite seriously.

"You're seriously going by pseudo junk science like astrology to make an argument against my boyfriend!? This is stupid!" Alexis said in exasperation.

"You know what? You're right. It doesn't matter what argument I make. Because it's already too late. I can see that you've fallen for him, so it looks like you're just going to have to find out the hard way…" Atticus said wearily.

"I'm glad that you at least realized that. Aster and I really like each other and I'm not going to stop seeing him no matter what you say! So, the sooner you start accepting that he is an important part of my life, the easier it will be for all of us. But since you've made it clear that you're not willing to even give him a chance, we have nothing more to discuss right now, Atticus! Now, if you'll excuse me, I'd like some time in here alone right now!" Alexis said angrily. With that, she practically pushed Atticus out the doorway, slamming the door in his face.

Atticus stood in the hallway, silently fuming to himself. Deep down, he hadn't expected Alexis to listen to him. But did she have to be this stubborn? But more than anything, this was Aster's fault. He had lured his sister in like using bait on a fishing line, and now she was totally hypnotized by his charm. Alexis was too far gone to listen to sense. He had seen the way she had looked at Aster last night to know that she was in love with him. After all, he had seen that type of look directed at him far too many times already by girls. The difference was that unlike Aster, Atticus knew when he had to cut the ties sooner before it got too bad like Alexis' case. Unlike Aster, he always did his best to make it exactly clear to girls just what they were signing up for whenever they got involved with him. He liked to have fun, but he wasn't a scumbag.

Atticus may have failed when it came to trying to save his sister, but he wasn't going to give up just yet. It was time he had a little talk with Aster…

AN: And now we have only one more chapter left of Atticus' Adventures. XD I gotta admit that I've been having way more fun with this than I thought that I would. I like writing Atticus POV. So, there may even be another situation for him in a future chapter. Next time, he will confront Aster about his relationship with Alexis. Let's just say that they will settle it like people usually do in Yugioh. If you get what I mean... XD BTW, the horoscope stuff was from Aster and Alexis' birthdates listed in the GX manga.