"I hope we can come up with some real plan of action against the Society of Light today, even if it's just a way to gather more information. From what Jaden's told me so far about his duels, there appears to be some light at the end of the tunnel. But the question is how to deal with the sheer numbers against us…" Aster said seriously to Alexis as they walked to the designated meeting place that they had agreed to meet Jaden and the others at.

Alexis didn't really answer Aster, instead just choosing to respond with a vague, "mm-hm" sound. As concerning as the matter with the Society of Light was, she was more preoccupied with what else they had planned to tell the group.

Picking up on her mood, Aster turned to Alexis in concern and lightly placed his hand on her shoulder. "Hey, what's wrong?" He asked her softly.

"I'm fine. Just a little nervous about telling them about us." Alexis confessed.

"Why would you be? Even if it's unexpected, at least it's someone they're already familiar with and not a total stranger. That should help ease their minds a little at least, right?" Aster asked reasonably.

"It's not that. You don't understand. I'm worried that they'll think I've been purposely trying to hide this from them once they find out I've been seeing you for this long without telling them. We're used to being friends together in a group and none of us had been seeing anyone. So, I don't want them to get the wrong idea and think that I'm going to start forgetting about them just because I have a boyfriend now." Alexis explained.

"You're worried because this will be a new situation for all of you." Aster clarified.

"That about sums it up, I guess." Alexis agreed.

"I don't think you need to worry, though. They're your friends, so I don't think they will be upset with you over this. Not telling them would be worse. And I'll try to do everything I can to make this easier for you, Alexis. I'm always here for you." Aster said softly, giving Alexis' hand a reassuring squeeze.

Alexis smiled warmly in return at Aster's reassurance. It was at times like this that she was reminded again just how lucky she was to be with him.

Xxx

When Alexis and Aster arrived at small, grassy clearing where they had agreed to meet the others, they found Jaden, Syrus, Hassleberry, and Bastion already there. Thankfully, Chazz was not with them, but Alexis supposed that he wouldn't be now that he seemed to be glued to the Society of Light 24-7. Either way, she was glad to avoid him for the moment. Word that she was dating Aster was going to get out eventually and Chazz was not one of the persons whose reaction she was particularly looking forward to what with his unrequited crush on her.

"Hey, Aster! Good to see ya, buddy! Oh, and you too, Alexis. Glad you could make it." Jaden greeted cheerfully. The others followed the greeting casually.

Alexis noticed that not one of her friends seemed to have paid any attention to the fact that she had arrived with Aster. Inwardly, she sighed. Sure, sometimes Jaden and his other friends could be a bit…oblivious when it came to things like this, but this just made things even harder. Alexis had been hoping that someone would have said something to draw attention to them so that they would have an easy opening to tell them. But it looked like she would have to get the ball rolling herself by bringing up the topic herself.

"So, just what is the new development with the society that you wanted to tell me about, Jaden?" Aster asked.

"I dueled one of the society members the other day and noticed something pretty interesting. But it's kind of a long story, so I hope you're ready." Jaden answered.

Seizing the opportunity while it was still there, Alexis decided to speak up. She wanted to get this over with as soon as possible instead of having it loom over her during their entire conversation about the Society of Light.

"Um, before we go any further, I thought I'd bring up another um, new development first." Alexis announced nervously.

Five pairs of eyes turned to Alexis, suddenly making her the center of attention. Aster was wearing an amused smile while the others' expressions were of mild curiosity.

"Okay? Well, we're all ears, Lex. So, what is it?" Jaden asked.

"Well… Umm, that is to say… There's a reason why I came here with Aster." Alexis started awkwardly. God, just why was it so hard to get her mouth (not to mention her brain as well) to function properly!?

Jaden and his friends just continued to stare blankly at Alexis, still unable to even take a guess at what was really going on here.

"The reason is that Aster and I are, well…seeing each other. As a couple." Alexis revealed. There. She had finally said it.

A brief, awkward silence reigned among the group. It was probably less than a minute long, but to Alexis, it felt like it lasted an eternity.

Jaden was the first to respond to the news. "Wow, Alexis! You're dating a pro duelist! That is so cool! That means you could get an inside look at anything that goes on in the leagues if Aster tells you!" He said excitedly.

"As long as it doesn't give away any of my strategies, it's true that I don't mind sharing with her." Aster said amusedly.

"Have you gone to see any of his matches!?" Jaden asked.

"A few. But we've had to be careful about being seen together since we're trying to not be seen by the public until we're ready. That's why we haven't said anything to you guys until now. The best way to do this is to do it slowly. But I'm sorry for not telling you earlier." Alexis apologized.

"No need to apologize, Lex. We're all friends here. You're telling us now so that it will be easier for all us to take it in at the right time, not because you wanted to hide it from us." Jaden said reassuringly. The others nodded and murmured in agreement.

"And that is a very good idea. I imagine you two would cause quite a sensation in the media once word gets out that you are together. The Queen of Obelisk Blue and the Prince of the Pro Leagues, as you are sometimes referred to. You both draw enough attention as individuals as it is." Bastion commented thoughtfully.

"But for all the wrong reasons." Alexis complained.

"And that is why we have been trying to start out discretely with this by only starting with the people that we know best first. So, we would appreciate it if none of you says anything about us until everyone else finds out." Aster explained. Jaden and the others nodded in agreement.

"Man, situations like this sure can put a downer on celebrity life. But aren't there some other people who should know about this too, Private Lexi? What about your family? I'm sure Atticus would at least like to hear this news with how gung-ho he's been about you joining his whole singing idol team gig. Well, now you got someone who can net you more fame than that ever could, so he won't be able to get on your back about that anymore!" Hassleberry joked.

There was an uncomfortable, silent pause as Alexis and Aster exchanged looks.

"Atticus wasn't exactly thrilled when he found out about us." Alexis said uncomfortably.

"Really? But why!? I thought he'd be the most excited about this with how he's always trying to convince you to get into dating!" Syrus said in surprise.

"Atticus sees me as the dangerous celebrity bad boy who's just out to corrupt his little sister and toss her aside as a fling." Aster scoffed.

"But that's not true! I mean, okay, so maybe we haven't known each other that long yet. But I can still tell you're a pretty good guy, Aster. This doesn't sound like Atticus. Do you think that maybe the Society of Light got to him?" Jaden insisted, struggling to understand.

Aster sighed inwardly at Jaden's innocence. "You have yet to learn the complexity behind situations like this, I'm afraid. Either way, I do appreciate the vote of confidence, Jaden." He said somewhat tiredly.

"Atty isn't possessed by the Light. Trust me, I'd know if he was. He just doesn't like guys who are more popular than himself, especially if they have anything to do with me." Alexis said ruefully. What she had said was true, but they didn't need to know about the rest of the truth behind the matter either.

"Atticus isn't the only one you need to worry about. He might be in the society, but I reckon that Chazz won't be too happy once he finds out you've stolen his crush, soldier. Heck, it's probably even worse because of that, now that I think of it. He might just send his whole army of those nutjobs after you." Hassleberry warned Aster.

"Heh, too bad for that loser. Maybe he would have had a better chance if he had been able to talk to Alexis like a normal human being instead of just ogling her for no real reason beyond some mindless crush." Aster scoffed.

Aster had heard enough from Alexis about Chazz' ridiculous attempt last year to woo her in a duel along with carrying the torch for her since then like a common fanboy with holding up signs and other forms of shallow swooning. It was that type of over-the-top behavior displayed towards Alexis that annoyed Aster. Being a celebrity duelist himself, he knew all too well what it was like to be treated as more of an object than a person. Maybe Chazz was just in an awkward prepubescent stage that made it harder for him to figure out the real intentions behind his feelings for a girl and how he should go about properly expressing them. But Aster didn't have the patience to watch him grow up enough to figure it out for himself. As far as he was concerned, Chazz was nothing but a nuisance and he would have to get it through his head that Alexis was with him now. And he especially wasn't going to let Chazz pull anymore stunts like the one at the duel arena where he had tried to brainwash Alexis.

Alexis bristled a little bit at Aster's words. Sure, Chazz could be annoying sometimes, but he didn't deserve to be insulted like that. She was tempted to shake off Aster's arm-which was secured in what felt like an almost possessive gesture-from around her waist. But she didn't want to cause a scene in front of the others.

"Come to think of it, that must be why you flipped out at everyone and stopped Alexis' duel with him. You liked her even then, didn't you!?" Syrus teased gleefully.

"I did not "flip out". But yes, I did like her even though we weren't going out then yet. I care about Alexis a lot. If I didn't, I wouldn't be here with her right now telling you guys that we're together. And that makes stopping the Society of Light all the more important. For the people we care about to be safe as well." Aster explained. He couldn't stop his face from flushing a little in irritation and embarrassment from Syrus' teasing.

"Aster…" Alexis trailed off softly, genuinely touched by her boyfriend's words. If he looked embarrassed, it was nothing compared to how Alexis looked now with the bright, crimson flush her cheeks had taken on. She gave his hand a gentle squeeze, causing him to smile reassuringly at her.

"Ahh, young love. What a wonderful feeling indeed." Bastion mused almost to himself. No doubt that this was also reminding him of the feelings he had experienced for a certain Amazoness woman last year.

"Enough already. We need to get down to business already. So, Jaden. Tell me what happened the other day with that society duelist you mentioned when you called me earlier." Aster said, quickly changing.

Okay, but it's sort of a long story…" Jaden said.

Jaden began to tell his story. How Chazz had set up a duel for him with the arcade game expert and fellow society member, Lorenzo. Jaden had managed to defeat Lorenzo and end things on a good note despite the latter still being in the society. Until the Light somehow…came back?

"But how is that possible? You said that Lorenzo was already in the Society of Light to begin with. So, since you defeated him, wouldn't that have had the opposite effect instead?" Aster asked in confusion.

"I know, I was confused too at first. But the thing is, I don't think that Lorenzo was really even in the Society of Light to begin with. He didn't mention it near as much as the other guys that I've dueled, and he actually was having fun during our duel." Jaden explained.

"You mean to say that you think he was a member, but maybe not actually possessed by the Light itself?" Aster suggested.

"I dunno, maybe he joined up with it just because he thought it was cool or something, so he wasn't really brainwashed. That sure changed after the duel, though… But it got me thinking: what if there are others like Lorenzo was who just joined voluntarily?" Jaden speculated.

"Interesting. If there are more, than maybe we could be in a position to find out more from them about what Sartorious is planning." Aster said.

"That's right! If we can isolate the pretenders from the real members, then that could make things a whole lot easier for us if the latter isn't as large as we had thought. Maybe there's still time to convince more people to stay away from the Society of Light." Alexis said excitedly.

"It's a start, for sure. But now we have to figure out how to go about investigating this." Aster said.

"Dueling might just make more of the pretenders become real members, so I don't know. But maybe it would do the opposite and bring anyone possessed back out of their trance." Jaden suggested.

"I think we need to observe everybody more first before we start weeding out any possibilities. I think we should plan a way to sneak into the Blue dorm." Aster proposed.

"Ra also has more than a few society members these days, I'm afraid to say. So, I'll be able to get a good look into there myself." Bastion said. Aster couldn't help noticing that his voice had taken on a slightly bitter edge at the mention of his other dorm members.

"And we have Alexis for the Obelisk girls' dorm so that we won't have to risk getting in trouble for going in there!" Syrus announced cheerfully.

Alexis felt uncomfortable. As it was now, she was hardly at the dorm anymore since she started spending her nights on Aster's yacht.

"Alexis moved out of the dorms a little while ago. She's staying with me now." Aster announced simply, as if he had somehow read Alexis' thoughts.

The others looked at Aster in surprise, but there was also a slight understanding in Syrus', Bastion's, and Hassleberry's expressions. They weren't as clueless as Jaden when it came to relationships, so they at least could have an idea of what things a couple could be doing together when staying under the same roof.

Did he have to tell everyone like that!? Alexis thought to herself in agony. Her face felt like it could have fried an egg now with how hard she was blushing.

"Maybe that's a safer idea for now with how the practically the whole dorm has been taken over. This way you can still find out things since you're allowed there anyways, but you have somewhere to go if it looks like something might happen." Jaden reasoned, oblivious to any possible implications of Alexis' living arrangement.

Xxx

After a little while longer, the meeting broke up and everyone disbanded for the day. Alexis walked alongside Aster in silence, but once they were out of sight of anyone else, she turned on him.

"You didn't have to tell them that we're sleeping together, you know!" Alexis said resentfully.

"Well, it's not like I told them all the details, so what is wrong with them just knowing that we are staying together? You heard Jaden. It's not safe to live in a place filled with all those cultists full-time. You're better off with me." Aster insisted.

"It's not just about implying too much about our relationship. I was staying at the Slifer dorm before when this all first started happening, so I don't want them to think I was lying about when I was back in Obelisk for a little while after that before we got together. It might hurt their feelings." Alexis explained.

"Hurt their feelings? They should understand that you would want to stay with me instead of going back to their dorm. That dump is no place for a lady." Aster said scornfully.

"You don't need to talk about it like that, Aster! Just because it's not all big and fancy like your yacht or penthouse doesn't mean that anyone can't enjoy living there. We're all friends who have a lot of memories built from being there, and that's why we worked so hard to protect it from being torn down. And besides, the room where I was staying was redone, so it was nicer than most of the others." Alexis argued.

"You mean the room that Chazz built. Yeah, think I don't know about that? All the more reason for you not to be there. What if he decided to come back? I don't want to take anymore chances of the society getting to you, Alexis." Aster said seriously.

When Alexis didn't answer him, Aster walked directly in front of her and placed his hands on her shoulders, forcing her to look at him.

"Look, I'm sorry for being so blunt back there. I just feel like it's easier to say what's on my mind more whenever it comes to you because I don't want there to be any misunderstandings about my feelings. Atticus was bad enough, so I didn't want your friends also thinking this is all just some game for me. Because it's not." Aster explained. There was a look of intensity in his eyes that made Alexis feel a bit breathless.

"I know it's not…" Alexis agreed softly, her voice barely more than whisper.

Without further hesitation, Aster and Alexis leaned in closer to each other for a kiss. They took their time, their lips softly pressing against each other while their hands periodically wandered and caressed different areas of their bodies; up and down each other's arms, threading and stroking their hair. It was a priceless moment of quiet passion between them that they didn't want to end.

In that moment, Aster knew that he had almost let things get out of control between him and Alexis with their argument, even if it was brief. He needed to make things clear to her about just how much she meant to him so that there wouldn't be any more misunderstandings about his words or actions. A nice, long date for them somewhere that would break the ice and let them enjoy themselves and relax properly. And then he would tell her the truth afterwards. It was time and Aster didn't want to wait any longer to tell Alexis just how much he loved her.

AN: Long wait here and I'm sorry about that. As I'm sure you've noticed, there was some more relationship conflict here. Aster can be a bit possessive with Alexis, but that is because he's afraid of losing her like he has with other people if he doesn't hang on tight. Also, the whole Prince of the Pro Leagues thing is Aster's real Pro League nickname from the Japanese version. (Can't remember if it was in the dub.) I like using it because it fits so well with Alexis' whole Queen of Obelisk Blue thing. I know that Royalshipping is the name for ZanexAlexis (especially with Kaiser for emperor), but I feel like it would have suited AsterxAlexis too with their titles. Anyways, next time is a date at KaibaLand, so you will see some certain cameos.

Kias-That was actually a mistake that I typed that and I had meant to put that I was NOT upset about the changes to this story. But I guess you saw that before I edited the AN. XD And don't worry, I wasn't mad about your counter reviews. But since the arguments from the "guest" continued with another reviewer even more, I've set the guest reviews to moderation so that we don't need to see that again. I haven't heard from them since I left that last review, but I don't want to take any more chances. The reviews were disruptive to the people actually trying to enjoy the story, so you won't be seeing the "guest" anymore. And the same goes for anyone with an account if they pull something like that. It's really sad that I've had to do this, but messing with my reviewers is a no and I'm sick of the pairing hate rants.

Jen- Thanks so much! I'm honored that you like this that much! I'll try to update this a bit faster if I can.