"Why are we here?" Nessa asked sullenly.
Arliss snickered. After her rebirth, the two of them had returned to the mortal world only to find her uniform had basically been shredded to pieces. Knowing that he had much work to do with her that couldn't be accomplished at the school, he had phoned his contact. After a few words, he had wrapped her in his blazer and taken her straight to the docks, where a speedboat had been waiting for them, piloted by a man he was paying good money to not ask questions.
Two hours later, they had arrived in Domino. Arliss had told their captain to wait for his call and then led Nessa to a town car his contact had rented out for just this occasion. A drive into the heart of the city got them to the Domino City Mall, where the two shadow duelists now stood, watching as regular people bustled around. Arliss watched this all with a calculating eye; ready for any danger that might come to him or his newly born queen.
Nessa was pouting.
"I don't like it here." She muttered as Arliss dragged her along. "There is no reason to go shopping."
"Is that so?" Arliss asked. "What, do you think you can walk around in torn garments and my blazer for the rest of your life?"
Nessa looked over at him, appreciating his blue jeans and tight purple t-shirt. "If I get to see that more often…"
The male duelist raised an eyebrow. He hadn't been sure how Nessa would react to her transformation, and it was only slightly unsettling to see her acting so out of character in such a short amount of time.
"Ok, that's all well and good for you Nessa." Arliss stated as he pulled her along. "But I doubt Alexis is gonna to find it intimidatin'." This caused Nessa to glower, thinking about Alexis laughing at her. Arliss watched her for a moment and nodded. "Now then, when they say that 'clothin' makes the man', they were also re-ferin' to women too. And I know just the place to get you some new gear."
Nessa nodded as Arliss practically dragged her past The Gap and other normal clothing stores. He could tell, despite her postering, that she was a bit frightened by the prospect of what he had in mind. Of course, this was just the remnants from her old self still peaking through. Once he was done with her, Vanessa would have nothing left to whine about, and Nessa would be able to play.
"Here we are." Arliss said. Nessa looked up to see that they were now standing next to a Hot Topic store.
"I didn't know they had these in Japan." She said.
"They have to cater to a certain crowd."
"and that would be?"
"Us." Arliss said with a grin, leading her inside. He watched as she moved about the racks, looking at different clothing, not quite sure what to get. "Take your time…I have to go run an errand." He looked up at a sale's clerk and tossed her a credit cad. "Put it all on my account."
"Yes sir."
Nessa grabbed his arm. "Promise you'll come back?" She asked, more of her old self leaking through.
"I swear it…now go get dressed up for daddy." Nessa nodded and went back to work, already pulling out several different pieces and hurrying to the dressing room. Arliss gave her one final look before he made his way out of the store. He had to meet his contact.
&&&
Nessa might be the first hunter I have created, but she isn't the first person to work beside me. Oh no, I already have two hunters that have been with me from the start. It has been with their help that I have been able to create my grand scheme.
One is a duelist with the code name Mayday. That hunter's also on the island, waitin' for my signal. Until then, my spy will remain anonymous from everyone, other then me and my second in command.
Though I have called Nessa my second, she is not my true second. She is my left hand; the person that keeps me grounded and will help me bring others into our little community. The other, my right hand, is my muscle, my strength…the man that arranges everythin' for me and takes out my enemies.
I assume by now that you heard about the explosion, the one that took out the Silfer boat. Probably think I rigged it with explosives and blew it up, dontcha? I say, I say sir, you have insulted my honor! Some much to the point that I must talk in this stupid old south accent and challenge you to a duel! I select pistols at dawn!
But once more, I digress.
No, I wasn't the one to blow the thing up, at least, I wasn't the one to do the actual deed. I merely helped shift the blame.
You see, when I was finished beatin' that liar Gibbs up, I set up a dummy detonator, purely to lead the authorities away from the real reason. That bein' my contact, bazooka in hand, waitin' for the boat to appear on the horizon. It was all my second's plan, a perfect one if I say so.
By blowin' up the ship near to port, I was able to send a message to the other captains, let them know that messin' with me would get them in the same situation. And they can't even pin it on me, because other then the detonator appearin' on the boat, there is no tie to me and the explosion. No remote, no c4 or anythin' like that brought to the island…a nice mystery.
Who is this second in command, you ask? The man that I trust with my life, the guardian of my rare hunters?
Who else?
My brother Arlen.
&&&
Arliss tried not to look through the darkness that hung under the hood his brother wore, accepting that Arlen could not show his face. His own plan said that the two could never be seen together until the time was right, and this meant that he could only talk to his brother like this.
"So she is one of us." Arlen asked, his hands thrust into the front pocket of the hoodie he wore.
"Yes. She was easy to turn, once I set a few things up."
"Meanin'?"
Arliss handed his brother a deck of cards. "This is her old deck, she won't be needin' it anymore. Sell it for whatever you can and transfer the money to one of the accounts. You will also have a crate shipped to our drop off point. Inside is everythin' I could get from that boat before you blew it out of the water. Anythin' of value to us should be saved, otherwise sell it all."
"No heart for the others, is there little brother?"
Arliss frowned. "They are idiots. They let you bring one bag with you on the helicopter, and they put important things in their bags. None of them were stupid enough to leave their decks, but important family heirlooms are fine?" he shook his head. "No, I have no heart for them."
"But you do for Vanessa." Arlen said, leaning against the wall. "Admit it…you love the woman."
"She is merely a means to an end."
Arlen shook his head. "Do not lie to me, boy. You can lie to the world, but I will always know what is in your dark heart. You care for this girl, plain and simple, and nothin' will change that." His hand went into his hood to stroke his chin. "Not that I am sayin' that that is a bad thing little brother. Far from it. We learned from Marik that it is better to rule by friendship, loyalty and love then it is to lead by fear and domination. That is why all of Marik's hunters failed, left him 'cept Odion."
"Do not give me a history lesson big Brother." Arliss whispered. "I know well enough the failin's of Master Marik."
"And you would be best to remember the failin's of other great men." Arlen countered. "While the love of a woman can bring you to true heights, if she has not been conditioned, if you push to soon or allow her space merely because she is special in your heart, you will loss everythin'."
"I know what I am doin'." Arliss answered hotly. "You would be wise to remember your place, big brother. I am the King, you are the guardian."
"Which is why I tell you this!" Arlen hissed, grabbing his little bother's arm and slamming him into a wall. "You need to treat her like every other hunter we will train. She needs to duel and win, and soon. The quicker she gets a taste of what the shadow magic can give her, the sooner she will be yours, forever. Wait to long, and she might begin to question what you have done. Only by havin' her enter the thrill of the hunt will she be bound to the rare hunters." Arlen paused, then let go, dustin' his brother off. "Besides…we can not have our queen sittin' around like a figure head. If we want power, we must show that our King, Queen, and Guardians are willin' and able to take on the best."
"Do you think so little of me big brother?" Arliss asked with a grin. "Fate has already provided me with such a chance. In a few days, the academy will be havin' it's first sanctioned duels. Students duel other duelists in their grade and dorm, gainin' points to move up in the ranks." He stuffed his hands in his pants pockets and grinned. "Now, what would happen if a certain duelist, one in good with Dr. Crowler, were to advocate a special duel for a student he had been tutorin'…one that Nessa duelin'…her idol Alexis?"
"Alexis?" Arlen asked. "Now…that would be interestin'. Not only would she get a taste of her true power…"
"But she would also be takin' on the last symbol of her old life. What better test for my queen?"
Arlen nodded. "None better."
"Good to hear that you agree. Now, I have 2 tasks for you to complete." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a crumpled envelope. "The first is the one we discussed." He passed it to Arlen. "I want the items found as soon as possible. The quicker they are brought to me, the better."
Arlen nodded and slipped the envelope into his shirt. "What is the second task little brother?"
To this, Arliss' grin grew. "In 2 weeks, the academy will be bringin' in new staff. They want to have more faculty members around to help prep them for the big interschool duel in a few months, so they are shippin' in the best and the brightest." Arliss leaned in closer, his voice dropping to a whisper. "I want you on the boat when it makes it's way to the academy."
"You are ready for phase two already?" Arlen whispered in shock.
"No." Arliss said quickly. "Not yet…but you've done all you can for me on the mainland. I have Mayday actin' as my spy in the student body, and I need you as my spy with the faculty. I can only get some much from Doc Crowler, and even that is not enough."
"Any suggestion for what I should go as?"
Arliss chuckled. "You sound like you are goin' to a costume party."
Arlen sighed in amusement. "Our whole lives are a costume part. The king of the rare hunters, a student at the duelist academy. A Hunter Guardian as one of their faculty members." He leaned in, placing a hand on his brother's shoulder. "When we take over, they will make movies about us. And I want to be played by Johnny Depp." Arliss burst into laughter. "Listen, I have to go now if I want to make the arrangements and get on the plane."
"Alright…remember, you have a week and a half before you need to infiltrate the organization. That gives you time to retrieve the items and set up fake documentation. Once you get to the island, you are to remain incognito until further instructions. Is that understood."
"Yes little brother, I get it. Get in, get set, and don't make a scene. I can handle that." He patted his brother on the back and walked away. "Stupid little brother, forgettin' I have been doin' this as long as he has…" He muttered, leaving Arliss to just smirk and shake his head.
&&&
"Nessa?" Arliss called out as he walked back into the Hot Topic. "You still here girl?"
"Just a minute Arliss!" She called out, her low and husky. "I want you to get a real good look at my new outfit. I bought it just for you!"
Arliss looked over at the sales girl, who had quite a few bags already piled up beside the cash register. 'Good thing I'm rich.' He thought. 'Or I would have to be gettin' a job to cover all the expenses she is building up for me."
"Ok Arliss, tell me the truth." Nessa said as she stepped out from the dressing room. "Does this say 'queen'?"
If it were possible for Arliss Lockehart to be left speechless, then this would be the time for it to happen. Little Vanessa, who had worn baggy shirts and blue jeans, had just grown up into a heart breaker.
Nessa wore a pair of skin tight black leather pants that showed off all of her new curves perfectly. Contrasting this was a baggy black t-shirt with the words, "Princess" done in blood gothic writing right over her breasts, with a few drops dripping from the ends of a few letters. Over this was a mock leather duster done up in a dark purple, with tons of straps and such hanging from it. Around her shapely neck was a collar with rubies studded all around it. Finishing off the clothing part of the look were a pair of thick heeled combat boots.
She had obviously gotten into the store's makeup supply, as her nails had been done up in a dark black with the very tips in crimson. Her lips had heavy black lip stick over them, and she wore the darkest eyeshadow she could find. Finally, her hair and been pulled back and hung down her back, with the bangs falling in her eyes if she tilted down just a bit.
"Well?" Nessa asked, spinning slightly.
Arliss gulped and tugged his shirt down. "I think I need to buy new pants.".
"Me too." The clerk said, blushing. Both duelists slowly turned and looked at her. The girl hurried off to the back to locate some the jewelry Nessa had asked for. They both shared a glance and laughed.
Nessa walked up to him and chuckled, walking her fingers up his chest. "You like?"
"I'd say when you get a sales clerk all hot and flustered that you've done a good job." He took a hold of one of her hand and kissed each finger. "I see you aren't so nervous anymore."
"Oh yea!" She said with a grin. "I didn't realize how much fun it was to shop for these kinds of clothing! I got this perfect outfit I want to wear for my first duel, and I also got some new casual stuff…" She looked over at Arliss as he took out his blazer. "OH!" She ran to her bags and selected one, heading back to him. "I found some stuff for you too!" He pulled out a few shirts, a pair of black jeans, and then her favorite purchase: A matching mock leather purple duster.
Arliss grinned like a school boy as he slipped the garment on, smoothing it out as his wrapped around his form. "How did you know Nessa?"
Nessa grinned. "I didn't. I just figured that if the queen was going to dress like this, her king deserved the same treatment." She paused for a moment, as if remembering herself. "But I still hate the mall."
"Of course, my queen. But I will still thank ya. Now then…" He looked over at the sales girl who had returned with the rest of Nessa's packages. "Miss, I was hopin' you might be able to do me a little ol' favor? My dear Nessa and I need to do a bit more shoppin', and I don't want to worry about the bags…is there anyway I could get them delievered?" He pulled a crisp $100 bill from his wallet and dangled it in front of her nose. The sales clerk nodded, and Arliss gave her the directions to the boat.
The two of them might quite a pair as they moved out into the mall. Both tall dark and beautiful, dressed to kill, the way they held themselves letting the world know that they were in charge.
Nessa had been self conscious when she had first entered the mall, trying to hide her fear behind pouting and rude comments. Even though she had finally been freed from that miserable prison called a conscious, she had been restricted so long that the new feelings she was suddenly experiencing were throwing her off. While part of her had worried walking in that she was walking around half naked, the other side had wanted to flaunt her body and let everyone know who was in charge. One side had been nervous about how she was behaving, demanding that she stop and think, take time, don't waste money on selfish purchases. Her new self argued back that they had allowed themselves to be at the bottom of the barrel for so long that now, they were merely getting back what was owed to them.
She was of two minds that were warring with each other. She was still Vanessa, after all. Only this Vanessa was one without such things as restraint, morals or care for cultural values. It went against everything she once had been, and Nessa was fighting to sort all this out in her mind.
'Maybe this is why Arliss brought me here.' She thought. 'By having me face this type of pressure, I won't have to worry about it when it comes to my first duel next week.' An evil smile crept along her face as she thought about what the school would think when little Vanessa Fox showed up as the new and improved Nessa. 'Jaden and Syrus will probably have a heart attack…Alexis will be soooo jealous!' She thought with an inner girlish squeal. 'And all the boys will want me. But no no boys, you can look but you can't touch.' She reached over and wrapped her arm around' Arliss'. 'Only one man can touch me.'
That was one thing both sides, Vanessa and Nessa, both agreed upon: With this new power, she was going to act on her most recent fantasy: Arliss. What woman couldn't dream of the charming and mysterious southern duelist?T hen, add in the fact that she now knew he was a shadow mage? Woof.
Nessa stopped her inner monologue about what Arliss looked like without a shirt when they reached the Mall's card shop. The massive 2 story shop, opened 24/7, was dedicated entirely to duelists . It providing them everything from starter decks to boosters, to dueling gloves and duel disks, to collector apparel like shirts, hats, posters and plushie dolls.
She looked over at a pile of plushies and sighed. Her new self might was unsure how to feel about the cute little things. On one hand, she was trying to build a reputation, to live up to the words Arliss had told her of becoming the Queen of the Hunters. A plushie sure didn't say, "all powerful queen."
On the other hand…they were so cute!"
"Go ahead darlin'." Arliss said, giving her a nudge. "Never said you couldn't have a bit of girlie girl in you." Nessa looked at him and smiled, silently thanking him for making this easy on her. He understood that this was a rough adjustment period, and by allowing her one or two minor items like the plushie only helped her better adapt to this new life.
Arliss grinned as she began to inspect the plushies, looking for the perfect one. 'I should be forcin' her to help me build her deck.' He thought. 'And I shouldn't be spoilin' her none. But…damn you Arlen, but you are right. I do love the girl, and if this will help make her happy, I am more then willin' to give it to her.'
"can I help you with something?" The clerk asked.
"Yes you may…Hojo." Arliss said, looking at the older teen's name tag. "I am interested in buildin' a deck for my girl over there."
The 24 year old clerk nodded. "Right…I got just the thing." He led Arliss over to counter and pulled out a binder, inside all sorts of cards. "This is our most popular binder for girl decks. Filled with Angelic…"
"No." Arliss said. "Her last deck was angelic. We want something different."
"Oh! Then what about Harpies, or Amazons…maybe a nice dragon…"
Arliss sighed. "No, my boy." He shut the binder. "We want fiends. Nasty ones."
Hojo looked at Arliss as if he had grown a third head. "Fiend cards…for the girl looking at the plushies?"
"Yes."
Hojo looked around, then leaned in close, whispering in a secretive tone. "No shame in admitting you are just starting the game. A lot of players start at your age and do well. I could show you a nice starter deck…"
Arliss leaned in close, his own voice lowering as if to tell the clerk a secret. "Ok Hobo…see that girl over there? This deck is for her. I don't care if you believe me or not…but if you don't get me my cards now, I am going to take that binder and, as The Rock says, "Turn it sideways and shove it straight up your candy…""
"ARLISS!" Nessa called out, hurrying towards him, a Kuriboh plushie clutched in her arms. "Did you get the cards?"
"Not yet darlin'. Me and Hojo here were just discussing what deck you would want. Any thoughts."
"Nightmares."
"Nightmares?" Hojo asked.
Nessa nodded. "I want a deck filled with cards that bring terror to all those that battle against them. I want cards featuring creatures that make grown men quiver in fear and lay in bed at night after our duel, hiding under the sheets. Spells those effects will cause other duelists to never trust what to do next, for it may unleash a new menace. Traps that are so wicked that only I can control them!" Nessa began to cackle in wicked glee, Arliss chuckling evilly.
Hojo looked at the two of them, his eyes wide, mouth opened. Arliss grinned and gave him a sheet of paper.
"How about these cards…oh, and ring up the plushie…those girls love their plushies don't they?"