I'm back! It's been a manic few months for me and I've had to deal with a lot in this past month alone; I've now moved out of my mom's home after a large and (rather petty) argument and am in the process of working more to get enough money to support myself and to save up money for my own place in the New Year. So things may be slow but I'm pulling my weight until then and will be treating all my loyal and amazing readers not one...

But TWO BRAND-SPANKING-NEW chapters for you all to sit down and enjoy reading! Now, originally it was going to be three chapters that I would be uploading but I decided to not leave you hanging any more! I'll be answering some reviews and questions on what you've been asking in your reviews on the next chapter. They may not be brilliant but I'm getting stuff out for you... and am starting to make tracks in the 'Shadow Arc' come chapter fifteen, so the plot will be progressing. The fifteenth chapter is underway but I've written over 21k words in a matter of four days... so I need a break! :P

So without further ado... here is the first of the double-chapter update! Hope you all enjoy! :)

"Talking!"

"Whispering!"

'Thoughts!'

"Loud Speaking!"

"Selected Position (ATK/DEF)/Multiple Voices!"

~ETK~

Chapter Thirteen: Trading Barbs, Blows and Balls!

It had been a week since the shocking outcry of Jaden wanting to step down from his position as Professor of Dueling Techniques, and much had happened in the meantime; Jaden had kept his uniform from when he was teaching and had decided to move back into the dorms of Ra Yellow, much to the Dorm's joy. Of course, no one could've been happier than Bastion and Jenny as the three of them decided to have a "Welcome Back" party for the young duelist. As they couldn't afford any explicit activities (plus the fact that Bastion was there in the room with them), the two limited themselves to nothing more than kissing...

... very hot and passionate french-kissing that left them both weak in the knees, but still kissing nonetheless.

The second thing was that because of the sudden vacancy in the staff, it had forced Sheppard's hand in closing the Academy for another two weeks. Of course, Jack made it clear that it would mean two less weeks for the Summer as it would be used to catch up on the missed curriculum. Parents were notified, students protested and Jaden simply hid himself away in the bedroom of one Eleanor Crowler while the entire campus were on a blood hunt for him and wouldn't stop for a total of three days until Jack prohibited their actions and threatened reprimanding any and all students who should attack another student on Academy grounds. She was irritated, yet slightly amused by her former teacher basing himself to use her as a shield against an angry mob of students looking to extract their pound of flesh from him... yet a promise of a duel in the next month, two new cards and another shot at humiliating the younger of the Truesdale brothers once again...

She weighed the pros and cons and found that the pros were more than worth the effort...

Plus, they were disturbing her peace. After coming up with a cunning plan (namely siccing Atlas on them) she sighed in relief as she dealt with the problem of Jaden hiding in her room for a few days. Of course, Alexis came over during the time... and so did Zane... as did Chazz...

... well, he did pay for takeout every single day so who was she to refuse such a kind gesture? Plus, she felt happy that she had a 'sleepover', having never taken part in one before. She admitted to him that it was her first time having a sleepover and she enjoyed the event and even promised to think about arranging another one for everyone...

Apart from Syrus. Not Syrus.

The last noticeable thing that had happened was that Central Academy had a surprise visit from Seto Kaiba himself, who had found Jaden and had shocked everyone by begging him on his hands and knees to stay on the job as it would be hard-pressed to find a replacement teacher to act as a full-time Professor for the students. However, Jaden seemed to have a plan for such a thing as he simply held up his cell phone and grinned an evil smile at Kaiba...

Which leads us up to where we are now!

~ETK~

Jaden grinned like the-cat-which-caught-the-canary as he decided to take a little wonder around the island with Zane. He was surprised about being asked by Zane if he could join him but Jaden preferred the company and could do with a bit of 'male-bonding' time. It was amazing spending time with Alexis and Jenny but he also needed time where he could hang around the guys. Chazz was... still iffy about the ice-shock wake-up call, Syrus didn't want to go, Bastion was working on 're-balancing his deck to incorporate a bang the next time they faced off'... whatever that meant.

Still, it was a part of the island that was the most popular walking routes for the students looking to get a bit of fresh air; it started just off the way from the Slifer Red dorm and opening up to a large stretch of forestry. It had the path which lead to the Abandoned Dorm but a large blockade had been set-up after the incident with Crowler and Titan and allowed no-one bar those involved to enter. Originally, it was restricted to all but Sheppard had explained that Alexis, Jaden and Jenny were allowed passage to pay their continued respects for their missing family members. Getting the go ahead from Kaiba, they were granted access.

Getting off track, the forest continued down to the beach; nicknamed 'The Golden Mile' for its golden coloured sand that seemed to stretch on for miles and miles. Of course, it was a lovely sunny day with a lingering winter breeze that kept them cool from the sun's luminous rays. Jaden was kinda gutted as he would've loved a day with the girls down here...

He had to hold a chuckle as he thought of a figure of speech that entered his head... before blushing at imaging said speech happening.

Jaden had made a quick detour to the Dorm to pay his respects, with Zane joining him to pay respects to Alexis' brother. Zane and Atticus were both good friends, despite Atticus' rather childish behavior around the 'Kaiser', and the two of them held a rivalry for their prowess in dueling skills. Jaden smiled as he remembered Alexis talking a little about her brother during one of the nights where they stayed together during the monsoon. It wasn't like the other times they hung out together... this was much more intimate as he got to see a side of Alexis that most men would die for. He found it only fair for him to return her trust by recalling times with him and Kamina during their childhood years.

All in all, the two had grown closer to one another and ended up with the two making out before they passed out wrapped in the same quilt that they sat in. Little did they know that Zane had taken a photo and decided to keep it for Atticus when... if he returned. Then, as soon as the warm smile appeared, it was quickly replaced with a mischievous grin that only spelled trouble for everyone. Zane, noticing the sudden change in his companion's demeanor, decided to sate his curiosity.

"Jaden." Zane spoke up as he stretched his arms out above him as the two continued to walk through the forested area, breaking the brunette Ra out of his thoughts, "Why are you smiling like that?"

"Huh?" Jaden paused, turning his glance to Zane, "Smiling like what?"

"I know that grin of yours." he deadpanned as he slipped his hands back into the pockets of his dark blue jeans. "That grins only appears when there's a prank going on. Judging the fact you've had that grin all morning and up until now means that it'll be one hell of a prank." Zane calmly spoke, betraying his slightly curious-slash-worried expression. Jaden chuckled briefly before he spun on his heel and started walking backwards, facing Zane with his hands behind his head. Having decided to go for the walk, Jaden kitted himself in a burnt orange short-sleeved shirt over a black top which held a weird spiraling design in orange on it. Finished with a pair of black jeans and a pair of wheat-coloured sneakers, he spun around and grinned similar to the person which his t-shirt's design originated from.

"Oh? I don't know what you mean, Zane!" he smirked slightly as he composed himself to not leak out what he's planning. "I want to shock everyone about what'll happen... including you!" he beamed in delight as he spun back around and walked off... leaving a very concerned Zane behind his back.

'I'm beginning to really hate that grin of his.' he thought before deciding to mentally pray for the sanity of him and his friends. He liked Jaden and he had a healthy amount of respect in his dueling prowess...

But he hated. That. Grin!

~ETK~

Jaden sighed as he found himself surprisingly free of things to do. He had taken a walk with Zane yesterday and had a nice talk with him about some dueling combos and a few questions the Obelisk had for Jaden. Zane also touched about the Pro Circuit and Jaden was more than happy to give his inout and give him his own experiences as a warning and a guide for Zane when he hit the Circuit. Still, he found himself in his and Jenny's dorm room with his laptop resting on his crossed leg as he leaned back on his mattress with a box or two of pizza next to him...

... similar to a certain fanfic author that also happened to be doing the same thing...

Eh? What can I say? Great minds think alike! :D

Baaaaaaaaaack on track... Jaden decided to work a little on a project he had coming along in regards to his performance a few days ago. With a set of Sades headphones resting on his head he had gotten from Kaiba as a Christmas present, he began working on a software which Pegasus had funded during the creation stages and released it free to users everywhere. He was working on a particular part before the screen turned blue, informing him he had an incoming video call from someone. He glanced down to see a username he immediately recognized as he hit the accept button.

"You know how to cause a lot of headaches, ya little twerp!" the distinctively haughty female voice blurted out as a semi-manicured hand ran through her messy locks in an attempt to hide her frustrations at the brunette she was facing. "D'you know how much hassle I got from that Brooklyn-born-goof about me taking up the offer?" she groaned. Jaden chuckled slightly as he smirked at her.

"Ah, you love me really! Anyway, I can name you three things that'll convince you to do this for me." he grinned evilly as he let loose a small chuckle. One dainty eyebrow rose up on her end as she was curious as to how he could persuade her into taking up a teaching role.

"I've known you for years, Jay. I've known in that time that when ya say something... it's generally gonna happen and you have your way yet again! So c'mon then... hit me with the facts." she sighed defeatedly as she took a mouthful of her morning latté.

"One," he started off, lifting a finger, "It'd look damn good on your CV if you say that you were a 'Professor in Dueling Techniques' at Kaiba's Dueling Academy. D'you know just how influence that'll get you in any and all future jobs revolving around dueling?" he explained. She tilted her head before shrugging in acceptance. She knew that the word 'Kaiba' was practically a 'golden key' into a lot of opportunities and any future jobs would be a matter of; apply, meet, start. No interviews, no showboating... straight up job and money.

"You have a point. Next?" she asked as she scratched her chest unabashedly, knowing that Jaden had seen her do much worse when she was drunk. Jaden rose his middle finger to join his index.

"Two, you seem to forget that we have facilities here which have been ran by handpicked by Kaiba himself to deal with all different cultures, creed and ethnicity. Same goes for social standings and for families with distinct pedigree heritage. So you can happily spend time here at the nail salon, getting pampered in the spas here and having everything you need to look as gorgeous as ever." he winked playfully. This earned a small chuckle and a snort of amusement from her as she smirked flirtatiously back at him.

"If I were a few years younger, Jaden, I'd make ya pay for that remark by taking me out on a date... before locking you away and having my dirty, sweaty way with you and wearing you out before doing it all over again in the morning... just cause I can and because you'd be lucky to have a shot at this body of mine. Just as well I don't date younger pups, huh?" she winked back in turn, revealing her pearly whites as she took in Jaden's blushing face and quickly screenshot'd it for future amusement purposes as she brought her drink back to her lips, closing her eyes to savour the sweeter taste it had suddenly developed.

"Joey." he pointed a finger straight at her, earning a startled choking noise as she almost spat out her latté at the screen. Jaden burst out into laughter at her outburst but quickly raised his third finger to interrupt her; "Lastly, I have a project I need to do. I'm still doing a favour for Jack but I need the go-ahead. It isn't something I can talk about openly but it's to do with the missing students and I have evidence it involves the Shadow Games." he explained, earning a startled look from her before her face turned serious.

"I heard from Kaiba and Yug that they were thinking along the same lines. I understand that the theory has merit but it can't be coincidence that they would have exposure to the Shadow Realm by mere 'accident'. The truth of the fact is that someone is operating behind the scenes and it has to be someone pretty high up on the totem pole to get away with his." she explained, earning a tired sigh from Jaden.

"I thought as much as well. Still, I may not have the teacher role but for this, it would look bad on record if this was allowed. So, thinking about it further, it would be best to do this in secret while you take the role of professor and deal with the position while I being training everyone into dealing with the threat we're no doubt about to face." he explained in a calm voice. The two remained silent as she digested his words.

He had a few good points that she couldn't refute; him asking Sheppard to approve this request was a big risk in itself. Fair enough to him, Jaden pulled it off in return of keeping an eye on their newest transfer student and considered it a fair trade-off and a potential scout for talent to take under his wing. Secondly, if she took the position, then the media's attention would be more focused on her status and would take the heat off Jaden and the rest of the team. Thirdly, Sheppard already knew that the group were much further than most of the students in the same class so she would likely be asked to pick up where he left off and slow down for everyone to grasp the fundamentals. She'd take his teaching style but not to such a hectic degree.

"Dammit Jaden! When you put it that way... it makes sense." she sighed as she decided to leaver her blonde locks fall over her shoulder as she blew it with a huff in hope it'd leave her face alone. Her amethyst eyes stared straight into his as she knew that he knew she was going to do this. "Even if I refused, you'd cash in on that favour I owe you. Wouldn't you, ya twerp?" she smirked. Jaden burst out into laughter at how easily he was found out if the persuasion tactic failed.

"Haha! could never figure how you managed to figure me out so quickly when I grew up." he complimented her as she stretched her back, giving him an impressive view of her bust. "Then again? You're probably the closest to a big-sister I could possibly ask for." he continued with warmth placed in his tone. She simply gave him one of her rare true smiles as she craned her neck, easing some of the knots out of her muscles.

"Isn't it a sister's job to look after her brother?" she rhetorically asked as she smiled in defeat. "Alright, I'll do it. On one condition..." she added.

"Oh? I'm sure I can acquiesce..." he playfully sighed, earning a chuckle from the woman on the screen, "What is it?"

"When I get there, I am expecting you over as soon as my feet land off the plane. I want you to escort me personally to my new living place and I'm making you treat me to your cooking every Saturday morning and one of those fabulous massages of yours! No ifs, ands or buts." she demanded before pausing on something... "Actually... 'ands' and 'buts' will most likely be involved if you play your cards right." she winked, mentally applauding herself on her wordplay.

"You jealous that two girls got to me before you did?" he smirked in retaliation. She was about to retort before an absolutely evil thought popped into her head as she leaned further from the screen, shocking Jaden as he finally noticed that the figure in front of him was currently sitting in a suit... of sorts.

"What's to say that I didn't take advantage of you when you tried hitting on me back on your sixteenth? You can't remember a single thing of that night and the rumours said that you were leading a very drunken me into a secluded room. What's to say we didn't do the 'tango'? I mean... I was limping for the next few days and I felt so warm and full..." she dreamily blushed as Jaden blushed atomic red and began choking on air. Her melodic laughter doing nothing to calm him down as she wiped a tear away from her eyes. She stretched her hands up above her heads once more before giving him another glance at her bust before she downed the last of her drink and stood up. She began to sway her hips as she walked away before looking over her shoulder with a saucy look in her eyes.

"Take what you can as only two men, now including you, gets this privilege. Just make sure to hide the video somewhere where your two girlfriends can't find it, perv~" she winked with a hand grabbing her firm derriere and squeezing it for emphasis before snapping her fingers, causing the video feed to cut out. Jaden sat there for a few moments before he pressed a button on his keyboard and saving the entire recording to a hidden, password-encrypted folder. He then closed the software and chuckled to himself as he could only blame himself for laying down the challenge. He chuckled to himself as he decided that he needed a very cold shower right then after seeing one of his closest people act so freely in front of him...

... then again, despite how or what he thought of her, she was sexy as hell. He cursed himself that in the presence of those she trusted completely, she had no sense of nudity taboos. The video was proof enough of that. "Still as sexy as ever." he whispered to himself as he decided a shower sounded really good right now.

~ETK~

Having not seen Jaden for the past few days, Eleanor ended up spending time with Alexis and Jenny and decided to take a few days away from the boys and spend some 'girl-time' with each other. It seemed to be a good thing that they all had two weeks off at first, but then after a few days, a lot of them ended up bored with what to do. Jenny overheard a conversation with Jaden about someone hoping to take the new open teaching slot available but they were all speculating who it could be. Jenny decided that it would be better to not let her boyfriend (or her girlfriend, as they were sharing him) that she had found the video he tried storing away and her eyes bulged out as she realized two things:

One; she knew exactly who it was he was talking to.

Two; she was naked the entire time!

She had to admit that she was jealous at the fact that Jaden was incredibly close to her and that he was one luck son-of-a-gun to have footage of her naked! She had to admit that she'd see about... bribing him if he could make a copy of the video for her own personal pleasure. She shrugged to herself as she noted that they were currently walking past the tennis courts, taking note as she felt like a bit of a workout. Quickly jogging up to the two girls, she slung her arms over their shoulders, startling Eleanor as she regained her balance.

"Hey! We're right by the tennis courts! How about we have a few sets?" she asked out of the blue.

"Why do you wanna play tennis?" Alexis asked in return, slightly confused to her... well... girlfriend's request of a game of tennis. "Of all the things we could do, why tennis?" she asked again. Jenny simply shrugged as she took her arms off their shoulders and walked in front of them.

"I dunno. I wanna move about a bit and get a little exercise in." she started as she subconsciously grabbed her stomach and squeezed a little. "I may have put a bit of weight on so I wanna do something to burn the calories I've probably stored up over the past few days of chowing down on take-outs." she sighed. Eleanor coughed politely as she turn her grey eyes over the redhead.

"I understand a little about why you would be conscious of your appearance, even though I will be honest in saying that you look as impeccable as ever, Jen," she smiled a little slyly, "but I would like to accompany you in a few sets if you still wish to do so." she offered, not expecting the sudden glomp she received from the redhead. She quickly tried wriggling free from her grasp as she decided to duck under her arms and out of the jacket Jenny was now holding. Brushing a hand through her blonde hair and regaining composure, Eleanor continued; "While the reaction was... unexpected, I take the response as a yes?"

"Of course!" Jenny beamed as she began dragging the two of them behind, heading towards the courts.

"Why am I being dragged along as well!?" she yelled, confused by the sudden turn of events. Jenny grinned as she pointed to the umpire's seat as Jenny and Eleanor made their way to the lockers to change into something fitting for the game. Alexis sighed as she wandered up to the umpire seat before climbing up it and crossing her leg over and pulling out her phone to text. A loud whistle pierced her texting as she watched her two companions arrive back on the courts; Jenny had tied her hair up into pigtails that seemed to cascade effortlessly behind her shoulders, further held in place by a open-top hat that shielded her eyes from the sun. She donned a plain white top-skirt combo and finished off with a pair of white ankle socks and her usual white trainers. Eleanor came out by her side with her hair tied into a ponytail which escaped the back of her cap, matching well with her similar outfit as she also wore a white top-skirt combo followed up with a pair of sky-blue trainers with neon orange motifs down the sides.

"I still dunno why she wanted a game of tennis..." Alexis sighed to herself as she locked her phone and placed it back down her top. "Okay you two, you know the rules. Standard three-sets, blah-de-blah, you both decide who goes first." she waved her hand dismissively as she prepared herself for the upcoming game.

Meanwhile, hidden just out of sight behind one of the storage buildings, a brown-haired figure watched on in apt interest in the match between the Ra and Obelisk duelists as the match went underway. He paid close attention to the skill of the two women and had to applaud their efforts in their play and couldn't help but admire the view he got when the skirts would lift up and reveal their underwear. He licked his lips as he decided to make a move on the three girls and see if he could snag one as a potential fiancé.

~ETK~

Jaden whistled to himself as he decided on making something to eat for himself before he found his phone buzzing on the counter next to him. Quickly grabbing a towel to wipe his hands, he opened it up to find a message had been sent to him. Quickly reading the text, his eyes narrowed slightly before sending a reply. Not even a minute after the text sent, he received another text and opened the attachment that came with it as he quickly put the food on to cook. It was just as he finished putting the food in that two familiar faces appeared on Jaden's bed; one sitting down and another deciding to laze about as her wings kept her afloat.

"Yo, J-Man! How ya doing, dawg?" Dwayne spoke up, giving a two fingered-salute to the brunette as he inhaled the scent that Jaden was making, drooling at the thought of Jaden's famous curry. "Awww man, what I wouldn't give to have a taste of that curry, J-Man!" he spoke up with a slur to his tone. the floating figure chuckled slightly as she stretched in mid-air, unconsciously showing off her figure to Jaden, who had turned around at that moment. Jaden couldn't hold back the blush as he quickly calmed himself down.

"What about you, Yube? You feeling hungry?" Jaden asked, watching as one of her heterochromian eyes peek over to him. She let loose a small grin as she corkscrewed in midair before finding herself in a sitting position. "I don't mind letting you guys loose for a bit; I'm near-enough recovered now from last time." he smiled warmly as she gave him a small nod. Jaden closed his eyes for a moment before revealing his amber eyes, letting his Aura of Darkness appear before the black wisps of smoke float over to Yubel and Dwayne, giving the two of them corporal form for a short while. Dwayne gave Jaden a grin while Yubel smiled warmly at her King's kindness as she hovered over his shoulder and tasted a bit of the curry.

"Mmmm... perfect as always, Jaden." she smirked as she reached out for another bit before she found her finger being licked clean by Jaden, who simply winked at her before turning the heat off and flicking the switch off. He had to withhold a chuckle at the adorable sight of Yubel pouting to him before he noticed something... different about her. He couldn't pinpoint what it was but she seemed... happier? He shook his head to dismiss the idea as he felt the rest of his heroes make an appearance behind him. He turned around and chuckled at the sight of his friends drooling over his curry like it was the end of the world or something. He flared his eyes as a much more prominent aura surrounded him before dispersing among his heroes. Soon as their bodies manifested, he was pounced upon by his Wroughtweiler, who was happily wagging his tail behind him as Jaden scratched behind his ear.

"Alright everyone!" Jaden spoke up, getting their attention, "I knew you'd all come running if I made this so I've made plenty of extras so everyone has their share, so I want no fighting," he started, raising his finger into the air, "No exchanging of favours for their meal," he continued, raising a finger for each point made, "No bribery, no sneaking fork fulls... nothing. This is a cordial mean between us all and I want everyone on their best behavior... okay?" he warned, his eyes flashing amber for a split second. Everyone quickly nodded as they made their way to some of the food, earning a chuckle from Jaden as he watched how his curry stills obedience in his friends.

"Jaden?"

Said person turned his head to find Yubel looking at him with a... weird look. Her eyes looked... needy for want of a better word. Still, out of everyone, she was the one who had always been with him as far back as he could remember. He always had her card on him; even when he didn't have anything that could carry her. He remembered the competition he had entered and that they were looking for a set of cards to launch into space to try and harness spacial energy... and they had wanted to take Yubel away from him and send her up as well...

==Flashback==

"No! I-I won't let you take her away from me!"

A thirteen year old Jaden stood defiantly in front of two of his carers; Pegasus Crawford and Seto Kaiba. They had just finished explaining to him that they were looking to send a deck of cards into space to try and harness the energy that surrounded and made up the cosmos themselves. In turn, they knew about a card that Jaden had that would also benefit being sent up but was shocked when he vehemently refused to let them take the card away from him.

"Jaden-boy, do you not realize how big this is? By harnessing the power of the cosmos and imbuing the energy into the duel monster spirits, it means that there is a vast and unlimited amount of potential energy waiting to be discovered!" Pegasus tried explaining to the young boy. He was proud that Jaden had become a man, despite his young age. He had been out of the ICU unit for a little under a year and already making tremendous progress with his recovery but was stunned to see him so angry... so passionate about this.

"I don't care! You can use the deck I drew if you want but I won't let you take Yubel away from me!" he shouted before he gripped said card firmly but lovingly. "I can't explain it but she has always been there from me since as far back as I could remember. Even as a baby, I remember holding the card and smiling at it as it had a sense of familiarity to me. Now I know why she's so familiar, I will not let my friend go for your ideas and your plans!" he passionately argued back, stunning the two into silence.

From within the card, Yubel had heard the entire conversation and she was frightened. She was scared that Jaden would abandon her and condemn her to years in space and under the taint of the Light of Destruction that she so willingly vowed to destroy. Yet, she could not hold back the tears when she heard how far Jaden was going for her to stay with him, and knew that despite her former King residing in his body; she could see how much Jaden cared for her with no influence from Haou anywhere in his actions. She let loose a shaky but loving smile as she knew in that moment that she was wanted. She was precious...

And she was loved.

With that running through her mind, giving her strength in her confidence, she made her presence known behind Jaden as the two men turned to her in shock as she took to flying behind him with a majestic posture that gave off an aura of royalty, loyalty and grace. Jaden turned around and was shocked to see the true form of his favorite card and as soon as they both locked eyes, he felt his heart sped up at the warm smile she gave him. She lowered herself down as she knelt down in front of him and placed her hands on his shoulders. She didn't say anything for the longest time; simply settling for gazing into his eyes.

"Thank you, Jaden." she smile beatifically, sending his face two different shades of pink and red, before bringing him into a close embrace. "Thank you for standing up for me, even though you didn't have to. I am forever in your debt." she promised him as she brushed her lips against his forehead. She rose back up with one of her hands brushing through his brown mane of hair before steeling her eyes at the two men. "It is as Jaden said; I refuse to go. I have remained with Jaden since the day he was born. I will not break my oath now." she firmly stated.

"Alas, so as it says..." Pegasus sighed with a smile on his face, "So shall it be."

==End Flashback==

Bringing himself back from his memories, he only vaguely noticed that he was being pulled by Yubel into the bathroom before she locked the door behind him. She turned around to face Jaden with a soft, yet true smile. She walked over to him and placed her hand on his chest and the other in his hair as she raked her fingers through that, still majestic mane of his.

"Y-Yubel?" Jaden stammered, confused why Yubel was acting this way, "Are you okay?"

"Jaden. Don't fool me." she softly chided as she stepped closer towards him, entering his 'bubble'. Her hand slipped up to caress his cheek as she stared into his chocolate orbs and he returned her gaze, noting how much emotion they held right now. "You've been worried for a long time because of the upcoming turn of events. I know you've held it strong for now and I know that you have been neglecting yourself emotionally because you blame yourself for not being with us." she explained, taking note of the slight widening of his eyes as a confirmatory action. "Oh Jaden... you shouldn't feel guilty because you haven't spoken too much to us as of late. We understand that you have matters to deal with and haven't had the time-"

"No, Yubel." Jaden interrupted in a low, soft tone, "I had plenty of chances to spend time with everyone but I neglected you all. I was being selfish and I was being rude-" he began explaining, shaking his head ferociously in turn, but his head was forced to look into her green/orange eyes as she examined his gaze.

"Jaden. I beg you to please listen to me." Yubel begged him, halting him in his tracks as Yubel has never begged for anything. "I know how you wanted to make it up to Burstinatrix and Kiyomi but you haven't found the time to do so because of you taking the role as Professor here. We all know you have been busy with the students, work, your two girlfriends and everything else... we understand you haven't spent time with us cause of all those things. Why do you think we're so happy to have this curry?" she asked.

"Because you guys love it?" he replied assuredly.

"Well, we do... but that's not the answer, Jaden." she giggled, "No. We're here because you have some free time and you secretly wanted your friends with you and you were thinking about us. We could hear your heart reach out to us, Jaden. We could hear how broken you felt concerning us and we appeared because you needed us... as much as we needed you." she smiled as she explained, noting Jaden had gone completely silent. "It doesn't matter how long it takes or how long life keeps you away from us;" she paused as she lowered his head and planted a soft kiss on his crown, leaving it linger for a few moments longer than necessary, she looked back into his eyes and smiled warmly once more.

"We will always be thinking of you and we know that you will always keep thinking of us."

That was the final straw as Jaden's tears began flowing down his cheeks and quickly embraced Yubel for support. She simply buried her face into his neck and inhaled his comforting scent as he did the same for hers. The two of them were more than content to stay in each other's arms as he cried out all his emotions to her, as she simply took his tears with her own as her smile glowed in happiness for him. She whispered into his neck, knowing he could hear her;

"We will keep busy with Jenny and Alexis this weekend, as well as everyone else. I can ask Jason to take your place for a few days for appearances' sake... but I want you to keep your promises to Trix and Kiyomi. You've not broken promises needlessly before so there's no need to start now. Okay?" she asked him, knowing that he was too choked up to say anything. Simply settling for nodding, the two simply decided that the food could wait...

They needed this more than anything right now.

Unfortunately for them, Jaden's PDF went off and the two loosened from each other just enough for Jaden to see the message he had received. He opened it and was shocked that she had made it here already. He beamed in delight before he continued reading the rest of the message, along with Yubel. To say they were sickened was a shock in itself as they separated and quickly headed into the room with all his dueling spirits. They could sense the anger rolling off Jaden and suddenly turned to him, wanting to know what pissed him off.

"Jaden? Is everything alright?!" Trix spoke up as she placed her plate on the side and walked up to him with Kiyomi, Johnny and Wroughtweiler in tow. Jaden didn't even say anything when he received the message and simply showed them. Their eyes widened before they looked at Jaden and nodded before he explained the situation to everyone and ordered them all to stay there while the six of them made their way to meet up with their new Professor and to deal with the problem that has risen from the tennis courts with the girls...

~ETK~

(Five Minutes Prior to the Message)

"Alright you two! The score is currently sitting at one set each, with Eleanor taking the lead with four games to three. It's now Jenny's serve." Alexis grinned, having lost the dullness of the game as she could honestly say that she had never seen a more interesting and edge-gripping game of tennis since... well... ever! The two girls have shown tremendous prowess in the sport as they were able to get some amazing shots in; including Jenny pulling off a last-ditch effort and returning a serve between her legs! Of course, eleanor showed that her backhand returns proved deceptive as it looked like it'd go one direction... only for it to go the opposite and score her the point!

While she was speculating, she noted that Jenny had hit the ball on the edge of the racket, sending it off-course and... straight for her. She prepared to duck but a figure jumped in front of her and smacked the ball away with a racket of his own. It was only she felt nothing impact her that she tentatively looked up to see a kneeling figure before them all.

"Lex! Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry! Are you alright!?" Jenny asked in rapid-succession, scared for injuring her friend. She and Eleanor both ran over to her as Alexis jumped down off her seat. "I didn't mean for the ball to go-"

"It's fine, Jen. Simple enough mistake and it happens to the best of us." the taller blonde smiled, placing a hand on the redhead's head and gently rubbing it. "Still, what an amazing match it was!" she beamed in delight.

"Indeed it was. I have never seen such talent for the game and I am thoroughly impressed!" the newcomer spoke up as he finally stood up. He was rather handsome but none of the girls cared for the fact. He had spiked brown hair that grew longer the further down it went down his back, some strands being hidden underneath the collar of his blue polo-shirt. Finished off with a pair of light shorts and white trainers, he ran a hand through his hair in an attempt to woo the girls. "The thrill of half the moves that the two of you had made is something I would only see world-class players use or even dare to attempt!" he applauded respectfully.

"Thank you!" Jenny smiled while Eleanor simply acknowledged his praise with a polite nod of her head.

"Oh! Where are my manners! My name is Harrington Rosewood; Obelisk third-Year and the Head of the Tennis Club here at Duel Academy! It is a pleasure to meet you all; Miss Rhodes, Miss Andrews and you... Miss Crowler." he bowed with a flourish. Eleanor's eyes suddenly hardened as she clicked on to what he was doing and she didn't like it.

"What are you doing here?" Eleanor asked bluntly, shocking them all who was present. "It does not strike me as a coincidence that you so happened to stumble across us playing a game of tennis." she deduced, subtly warning him to back off. He simply gave her a grin, which only she could see the smirk within it, and it made the hairs on her neck rise up in concern.

"Nothing. I just find myself entranced by your superb skills, Eleanor." he replied nonchalantly, earning a raised eyebrow off the two other girls there. "I could say the same for you, Jennifer. It is a shame that Miss Rhodes didn't participate as well. I'm sure many males would have loved to see such a match-up!" he smiled before he noticed Alexis standing in front of him.

"Look, I appreciate the praise but you're treading on dangerous grounds." she warned him coldly, clicking on to his actions. "You should know that both me and Jenny are already taken for and that Eleanor has no interest in pursuing a relationship at this time." she bluntly explained.

"I appreciate your concern but I do believe Eleanor has her own voice-" Harrington began before being interrupted by the topic of conversation.

"Alexis is right; I have no desire to seek a romantic relationship at this present time." she bowed slightly before giving him a blank stare. "Again, I thank you for the praise but I'm afraid I must decli-"

*Smack!*

The silence that followed was deafening that everything seemed to stand still for a matter of a minute as everyone was in shock at what just happened. Eleanor's eyes were as wide as saucers while her irises were as small as needles as she registered the slight stinging sensation in her right cheek. She turned to face him, noting his smile has turned sinister and all friendliness had disappeared from his eyes... as well as his outstretched left hand. Jenny and Alexis were left speechless at the sudden action before they regained their wits and glared violently at Harrington, who dismissed them without a thought.

"You should be thankful that I'm even offering you this opportunity!" he haughtily laughed, "Don't you know I am the head of the Rosewood Corporation; specialists in tennis equipment and supplies? I an the heir to the company and the next in line as CEO when my father hands the title over to me or passes away." he dismissed. "You should be grovelling before me to accept a request of-" he began before he sensed an incoming danger. He was too late as he opened his eyes to find Eleanor glaring with such hatred in her darkened-grey orbs of black ice that if looks could kill? He'd be dead ten times over right now.

*SMACK!*

"How. Dare. You." she growled out as she took a step back in repulsion of the person in front of her. She didn't need to say anything when her duel disk flared to life and her deck hummed in revenge against their master. "Pick up your deck." she ordered icily as she began drawing cards from her hand.

"Ha." be snorted before he burst out into laughter at the ferociousness of her words. "Such fire! Such passion! Such disgust! You will be a worthy accomplishment when I finally make you submit to me!" he grinned sickly. "Whatever makes you think that I would even deign myself to pick up my deck?" he taunted with a smirk. A new voice spoke up which halted everyone in their tracks as they couldn't recognize who the voice belonged to... all apart from Jenny who whipped her head around fast enough to almost give herself whiplash.

"What's this I hear about a male student physically attacking one of the female students?" the new feminine voice ground out in fury at the sudden turn of events. She was simply suppose to arrive, meet with her little twerp of a younger brother, have him show her around, give her a massage and then spend some time catching up with him...

Only to find him in a foul mood with several of his duel spirits surrounding him, explaining the situation to her and Sheppard, who had insisted they went down to deal with the event while Sheppard contacted his parents to explain what their son had just committed. Alexis' eyes were puzzled for a moment before widening to epic proportions as to who was standing in front of her, while Eleanor showed surprise on her face, whilst still being royally pissed off. Harrington simply dismissed her and mistook her for a new intern assistance at the Academy.

"I don't believe this concerns you, Miss...?" he trailed off, missing the incoming smack that landed on his other cheek from Eleanor's earlier slap.

"For your information, you brat, I believe that as the new Professor of Dueling Techniques... I have every right to be concerned when one of my students is being sexually harassed, physically abused and then have the gall to tell a member of staff that it doesn't concern them?" she pointed each one of her points with a step towards him, making him lean back slightly at the rage in her amethyst orbs. "Crowler may have dismissed such an action but I do not stand for bullies, nor do I stand for little boys who hits girls when he can't get what he wants." she raged.

"Uh... miss?"

"Yes?" the newcomer turned her head to the voice, only to raise her eyebrows at the familiarity from what she heard from many of her friends. "Oh..? Oh! You're the one Yugi and the goof were talking about!" she smiled as she walked up to her and shook her hand. "Pleasure to meet one of the girls who could finally stand the twerp long enough to fall in love with him." she grinned playfully. Jenny chuckled, knowing that despite her words, the blonde cared for Jaden like a younger brother.

"Never thought this year could get better but, yet again, I've been proven wrong." Jenny beamed in delight as she shook hands with the newcomer. "Who'd think that the one and only Mai Valentine would be Jay's replacement as our Professor?" she smirked, earning shocked reactions from Alexis, Eleanor and a paling look from Harrington for realizing who he just pissed off. Jaden simply chuckled as he added another one to his tally and imagining the look on Kaiba's face right now as he expected the file to be in his hands in three... two... one...

~ETK~

(Kaiba Corp. - Kaiba's Office)

Sitting behind his desk, signing the last of the paperwork that had been placed on his desk since this morning, he let loose a small sigh as he rubbed the side of his hand to relieve the stiffness in his hand. He reached over and took a mouthful of his cold coffee before downing the rest of it in one go, despite the bitterness it left in his mouth. Shuddering slightly, he took note of his office door opening, revealing his younger brother coming in with a file in his hand.

"Mokuba? What brings you here?" Kaiba asked, genuinely confused.

"Bro, I just received news that we have a replacement for Jay's position as Professor of Dueling Techniques." he grinned, having looked at the information inside already and mentally thanking Jaden for this amazing opportunity. "I think you'd wanna read this bro." he smirked, handing over the file to his older brother. Kaiba, who was now wary of his brother's grin, opened the file up and picked up the form of the person who had been accepted for the position. He glanced down and promptly froze; his face frozen in a state of shock, disbelief and pale fear. He didn't even notice the flash of the camera go off as Mokuba took a picture of his reaction on his phone and made copies of it to send to others. He burst out into hysterics when Kaiba picked up the file and threw it against the wall to the right of him and stormed over to the window and opened it up. Mokuba was go glad that he could take a photo and record a video at the same time, kniwng he'd get a treat off Jaden for this goldmine of a video...

"I WILL KILL YOU, JADEN HOSHIRYU YUKI!"

~ETK~

"While I can't believe you're standing in front of us, and what an honour it is to meet you in person, Miss Valentine... it's true." Eleanor began with a smile and a polite bow, interrupting Alexis as she was still gaping like a fish, composing herself for the seriousness of the matter. After quickly taking a few moments to process her words, she downright glared at him as her amethyst showed no mercy and showed him why she was known to many for her temper.

"Thank you Eleanor and a pleasure to meet a friend of Jaden's as well." she curtly nodded with a small smile before rounding her glare onto Harrington. "Know this; Sheppard is currently contacting your family to tell them of your impulsive behavior and you will be arrested and expelled after this duel, regardless-" she began before Eleanor interrupted her.

"I thank you for the concern but I must request that his expulsion is placed on the line in this duel... as well as the charges against him." she explained, earning shocked gasps from everyone there... all apart from Jaden and Mai who simply took a moment and smirked.

"I swear Jaden's already corrupted you." she smirked before chuckling out loud. Jaden rose an eyebrow at the remark but soon shrugged in defeat. "Very well then... this will be an expulsion duel. Should Eleanor win, then the charges will be pressed as normal and you will be arrested and expelled for gross misconduct and ABH. Yet, as Eleanor's requested, should 'Jerkwad' win, then all charges will be dropped." she declared before she stood at the one end of the net while Eleanor and Harrington took either side of the net. "Twerp! I want your eyes on the duel so nothing shady's going on."

"Yeah yeah, 'Miss Harpy!'" he smirked in response, knowing how much she hated that nickname. Jaden rose his hand into the air before letting it fall back down; signalling the four spirits to surround the duel in cardinal positions; Trix standing to the corner on Eleanor's right, Johnny taking his position to her left. Meanwhile, Yubel was suspending herself in midair to Harrington's left while Wroughtweiler sat on his hind legs to the right of him, growling lowly in disgust at hurting one of his friends. "Begin!"

Eleanor : 4000

Harrington : 4000

"I won't even waste my time with trash with you." Eleanor taunted as she drew a card from her deck and added it to her hand. "I'll start by placing a card face down in defence mode and then play two cards face down. Go." she coldly spoke as three cards appeared on her side of the court. He smirked as he licked his lips slightly as he drew his first card.

"I'll set a monster in defence mode as well as adding two of my own facedowns on the field. Your turn, Eleanor." he smirked, sending chills up her spine as she drew another card in the duel. Jaden grew concerned as he knew that Eleanor wasn't the kind to start in a defencive stance. His eyes widened as he realized why the sudden change of play and couldn't help but send his thoughts to the girl dueling right now. 'She's scared of him. Despite her mask, she's genuinely afraid of him after he smacked her.'

"I'll take things on the offensive then... I'll Gemini-summon my Ancient Gear Knight in attack mode." she spoke curtly as her face down flipped up, revealing her Knight in its glory as a metallic sheen appeared before fading away to normal.

(Ancient Gear Knight: Machine / Gemini / Earth / 4* / 1800 ATK/ 500 DEF)

"With this, I'll take out your facedown monster. Attack with Mechanical Pierce!" she ordered her knight, who viciously ripped through the face-down card of her opponent, showing no mercy to the man who dared assault its master. Once the card disappeared into pixels, he smirked back at Eleanor as he revealed a Spell Card of his own.

"A nice play to summon monsters which prevents me from using my spells and traps during the battle phases... as expected from the Ancient Gear Bitch!" he taunted her, smirking as her eyes narrowed dangerously. "However, I'll trigger activate my Spell Card, Smash Ace!" he explained by drawing the top card of his deck and flipping it around, revealing it to be his Mystical Shining Ball. "You see, I pull a card from the top of my deck. If it's a monster card, then I can deal one thousand points of damage straight to you!" he smirked as he threw the card up and pulled out his racket. The card transformed into a glowing ball of energy as Harrington smashed an Ace straight into Eleanor, causing smoke to appear around her form. The smoke cleared, revealing a shaking Eleanor as she tried to stand... only for her to collapse onto her knees, clutching her abdomen in pain as a dribble of blood escaped from her mouth.

"Eleanor!"

~ETK~

Chapter Fourteen up next...