Author's Note: The events of this story take place between the events of Jaden's duel with Wheeler the Monkey and his duel with the Jinzo duel spirit.

Bastion looked around his room, taking in the clean, writing-free walls. They seemed to cry out to him, begging him to write his formulas all upon their surface, to crack a new dueling code. He shook his head, setting about to remove his duel disk and removed his blazer.

It had been an interesting morning. It was suppose to be his day off, to work on homework and prep his deck. Instead, he had dueled Chazz Princeton and accepted into Obelisk blue. He had declined, of course. He wasn't for sure why, though. He belonged in Obelisk Blue, and he knew that with what the dorm had to offer, he could do so much more then he could at Ra.

'Perhaps it's because Jaden did the same thing.' He reasoned. 'Jaden refused to join us Ras, remaining a Slifer. He is willing to stay in that miserable little dorm, instead of advancing to where he belongs.'

Bastion wouldn't admit it to himself, but he was still insulted that Jaden had turned down the offer to move up a dorm. IT was as if he were saying he was better then the Ras, and that he could wait till something better came along. OF course, if he had thought about this, he would have realized Jaden would never behave like that. But still, the action seemed strange.

He had seen in his duelist career people sacrifice everything to become the best. Family, friends…they would give it all up. They gave up their beliefs, their ideals, their honor…even their dreams.

And sometimes force others to give up theirs.

&&& 7 months ago &&&

Bastion shifted from side to side, trying to remain as calm as he could as his instructor went of his new deck. He had spent the last week going over every card, every combo…he had forgotten to sleep, to eat. Ruthlessly, he had removed and replaced cards, changing the decks theme a hundred times over before he had created what he believed to be a perfect deck.

This time he would pass.

For the last month, day after day, he came to his dueling lessons, only for his instructor to look him over and ask, "Where is your deck?". And when he handed it to her, all the instructor would do was shake her head and hand it back to him. "You are not ready." She would say. "Try it again." And so Bastion would return to his room, trying to improve his deck.

IT frustrated him to no end. For 3 years he had been tutored in the ways of dueling, and never had he had such trouble before. Each lesson, though hard, he had managed to pass with flying colors. Counter a deck type? Did it. Create a deck using only normal monsters? Done. Defeat an opponent in 4 turns? Been there and got the t-shirt. Nothing could challenge him.

Except this.

His previous tutor had in January of a heart attack, leaving Bastion without an instructor until his father had sent for a new one. This new instructor had given him only one task, and it had sounded simple. "Create the deck you will use for the Kaibacorp Duel Academy Tryouts.". He had already been planning for months what the deck would be. It was an impressive piece of work. It could beat a proctor in 10 turns, it worked well to counter combos, and it had good synergy. He had been so sure the tutor would look at it and let him pass. And with that pass, he could submit his application for the academy's entrance exam.

But the professor had turned him away. So, he had gone back and revamped the deck, buying better spells. Another rejection. So he went and cut the deck's size down and changed the ratio. Another rejection. He had tried changing the whole theme. This got a rejection and a laugh.

So, here he was once more, waiting to learn his fate. He had calculated everything in this deck…it was nearly perfect. IT could beat any proctor at the tryouts…it could beat any duelist…it was unstoppable…

"And yet again you disappoint me." The tutor said with a sigh, tossing the deck to the table. "Despite everything you have done, you still have learned not a single thing about this game."

Bastion's eyes went wide. "This…this…this deck is perfect! How can you say I am not ready?" He snatched it up and activated his duel disk. "If you don't believe me, I'll duel you right now, show you how powerful this deck is." He slipped his deck into his duel disk. "I draw…"

"Enough." The young woman said sternly. "Bastion, there is no such thing as a perfect deck."

Bastion closed his eyes. Yes, he had allowed his ego to show his feelings…he knew that there was no perfect deck. To believe that was to set one's self up for failure. "You are right…but I simply do not know what you wish for me to do differently. What am I not doing?"

The tutor sighed, standing up and taking Bastion's deck back. "When you first presented me your deck, I saw that while you had learned the advanced theories of dueling. You understood how to build a deck, how to play with it. You knew ratios, balancing attackers, defenders and effecters. You knew how to stick with a theme enough to make it work, but not to be enslaved to your theme. In all appearances, you ahd mastered everything when it came to dueling.

"But it wasn't special, Bastion. Your deck, it was like any other deck in the world. It felt as if you bought it from someone, or if you assembled it according to some manuel…or worse still, you netdecked it." She shock her head. "So I sent you off, hoping that you would try something original, something different. But no, you didn't Bastion. Instead of making the deck your own, you began to trade your cards, cards that had been with you when you first started this game, watching Pegasus and Bandit Keith duel on TV. You gave them away, for new cards you've never used before. You took strategies you loved when you were younger, themes you dreamed of using…and threw them away." She glared at his deck and threw it at him. "Look at your Bastion…there isn't a single card in there that you have owned for over 2 weeks. How can you expect to win if you do not put soul into your deck? If you do not make it with your sweat, your blood, your tears." She scoffed. "You are no better then a computer, programmed to duel. That….is why you fail."

Bastion picked up one of his cards and looked at it. "I do not understand…why rely on a fickle heart when you have steady thoughts and strong, skilled mind? It simply isn't logical."

The tutor sighed. "It doesn't matter…tell your father you pass." She shook her head and moved towards the door.

"I pass? But you just said that I failed."

"You have failed, and you will. You will never be a champion with your attitude." She took the door handle and twisted it. "But I will not stop you from trying…no one deserves that."

Bastion looked up at her, noticing the tears forming in her eyes. "you know I didn't…"

"Don't, Bastion, just don't."

"But I must!" he shouted, chasing after her as she headed out. "I never asked my father to convince your father to pull you from the Atlantic Girl's Duelist Academy, to become my tutor!"

"But you didn't stop it." She said softly, her head bowed. "One of us should be able to be a duelist…might as well be the family favorite." And with that, Candace Misawa walked out of Bastion's home.

&&&Current Day&&&

Candace sighed as she finished typing up her report on the Origins of Duel Alchemy for Professor Banner's class. Checking it over for spelling errors, she pressed printed and walked over to her bed, fingering the pink blazer she had brought with her to the academy.

'I wonder if the school realizes I kept this.' She thoughts with a smile, remembering how she had been asked to return the head student's jacket. Of course, remembering that the reason behind returning her jacket took the smile right off her face. 'They were going to demote me to Venus Green…not even the top Venus Green, but the bottom! And they must have been crazy, thinking I would go along with them making me repeat my entire freshman year over.' She sighed once more, carefully folding her jacket up and slipping it into the box she would be storing it in. 'All because I had to leave for a few months…I did all the work! I kept up with my studies!' She lashed out, kicking her chair across the room. "It wasn't my fault!" She shouted. "If Uncle Nigel had simply found someone else to teach Bastion…" She sat down on the floor, dejected. "Why do they all treat me like some doll to show off but never touch? I couldn't date, couldn't dress like the other girls…I had to argue with father for hours to convince him to let me go to the academy…"

Candace closed her eyes, trying to will away her tears. All her life, her family had kept her on a short leash. She couldn't have a normal life…oh no. She was 'made for greatness'. Except, the greatness her family had in mind was for her to marry some Duke and have great children. Like she was some sort of creature to be sold off. Her family acted like it was still the 1700s; even Bastion behaved that way, slowlybecoming like his father: A cold, emotionless machine.

And now, she had to go home for 2 weeks. It was Christmas Vacation, and everyone that wanted to were being allowed to leave the island and head home for the holidays. Her father and her uncle had requested her and Bastion to return, with news of their studies. 2 weeks stuck in London, locked in her room, having to pretend to be someone she hated. If only they knew…if only they knew what she was really like…what would her family say?

&&& 7 months ago &&&

"Thank ya, come again when ya can." Candace Misawa said, laying her cockney accent on thick. She gave a bored little wave to the bald girl with 20 piercings and a leather fetish as she left, carrying an antique music box covered in bubble wrap. She no longer asked questions about such things…she had learned long ago that people looked one way and acted another.

'If I ain't the bloody poster child for not bein' whats ya seem…' She thought. She had quickly learned that in order to keep herself in character, she had to think like a cockney as well as sound.

The pawn shop wasn't that busy. It was only a Wednesday afternoon, few tourists came by, and the big business was during lunch, when some of the bargain hunters would slum it. Now, it would be dead till about 5, when the first mass of drunkards would stumble in, trying to sell off their possessions for a round of booze and maybe some gambling money. They would be followed by some gophers for the less-than-law-abiding businessmen, looking to get their boss something expensive for their new office. The store's bread and butter was the black market, the London Underground. Without the criminals coming in to take the merchandise off their hands, the store would never have survived their first month.

Candace had learned quickly that the world working in ways that people didn't like to think about. But these systems, they were necessary for society to exist. The pawnshop took the items from the deadbeats. The criminals bought the goods. The criminals then turned around and gained their money from the same deadbeats that had just sold their goods to the pawnshop. All three benefited, like some twisted ecological system you saw on the Discovery Channel.

"Excuse me, miss." Candace blinked, looking up from the tabloid she was reading to the man standing before her. "do you happen to carry duel monster cards?" He asked, his accent a refined, clipped british. Not anything like the store's normal patrons, with their rough accents. He didn't look like a normal patron either. The man, who looked to be almost twenty, had silky blonde hair, a neatly trimmed van dyke beard, and clear bright eyes hidden behind a pair of bifocal glasses. He was dressed in a black turtleneck, with a cord blazer of the top; a pair of tan dress pants and brown leather shoes finishing his outfit.

Had they not met in this store, Candace would have just assumed that he was a neighbor of hers, some son of a rich doctor, away from college for the summer. Someone that would never be caught dead in a pawn shop in the poorest part of London, all by himself. But if he were here, there must be something more to the young man.

She nodded, moving over to several binders that were kept behind the counter. "What ya lookin' for, gov'nor?" She asked.

"Spell cards." The man said. "But I'll look through the other binders that you may have, if that is acceptable?" Candace nodded and handed him three of the binders. He flipped through them raising an eyebrow. "You certainly have some rare cards here. And they are very…very cheap. there isn't something wrong with them, is there? Water damage and the sort?"

Candace shrugged. "Nothin' wrong, just some guys, all 6s and 7s, come in here, wantin' to pawn their cards. Don't ask questions…work well for us."

The man nodded. "Are you a duelist as well?"

"Yea." She said. "I 'ave benn known to play that there game."

"Are you good?" The man asked, flipping through the pages. "Have you won some matches?"

Candace shrugged. "Pretty good…won quite a-few"

"Why aren't you training to be a duelist then, if I may ask? If youa re as well as you say you are…"

Candace's eyes grew dark. "I was in school…'ad to leave. Got called back 'ere, and the school, their just gonna depromote me." She didn't know why she was telling the man this, she just felt that after the day she had suffered through, she needed to release her anger.

The man nodded. "That's too bad…but you know…there are other opinions."

"Other options?"

"Well, of course. IF you are as well as you say you are, you should return to your old school."

"And allow those bloody wankers to send me down with the other rubbish players? I think not!"

"Heavens no, I didn't mean that…" The customer said, taking out a pocket watch. "Oh bollocks…"

"What?"

"This blasted thing…it has broken again. I'll be forced o take it to the repair shop again. I have given it to them several times, and it still ends up losing time. Constantly making me late…"

"Let me see it." Candace said. "I have a knack for machines." She carefully opened the watch's face up and began to fiddle with the gears. "You were sayin' that there are other options?"

"Ah yes." The man said, selecting a card from the binder, then moving the last. "I would say that you return to your old school this semester, and place a request in to transfer to another academy before they demote you. It would allow you a chance to start anew, with a fresh start."

Candace frowned. "It seems like I would still end up in some bloody reject dorm."

"Yes, I suppose so…don't suppose you know of anyone that could help you…a connection, pray chance?"

Candace paused in the middle of her work, thinking over what the man had said. 'IT could work…if I convinced Uncle Nigel to use 'is connections to get me to the Duel Academy…I could tell 'im it's for Bastion's concern…keep an eye on 'im and sort. It would be bloody well perfect! I could get a fresh start…might nto be at the top, but better then the bottom, and without the teachers already thinkin' I'm not worth nothin'.' She looked up at the customer. "I just might..." She handed him back his watch. "There ya go…and take those cards with yea, gov'nor. Free of charge."

"Are you well sure?" The man asked. "The Mystic Swordsman is a rare card…"

"Sir, you 'ave 'elped me greatly…least can do. Now 'ave a good day!"

The man nodded. "Good day madam."

Hurrying out of the pawn shop, the man picked up his pace, walking briskly through the back alleys. As he made his way back to his hotel, he removed his glasses and put them inside his jacket, before pulling out a cellphone.

"Hello?" He said. "Yes, I just saw her…and may I say, I think our plan is workin' out perfectly." His accent rapidly changed as he spoke, going from the cultured British to a southern accent of a man from Texas. "That's right brother…Candace Misawa is gonna make the best Rare Hunter." He paused. "Yes, I'll meet you later…bye Arlen, you have fun."

Snapping his cellphone off, Arliss Lockehart hurried through the streets of London.

&&& Current Day &&&

"Lord girl, do you really need that much!" Arliss said, looking at the 3 suitcases Nessa had filled up, already working on her forth. "We're only gonna be gone for 2 weeks…why are ya bringin' so much?"

Nessa poked her head in from the closet, loading up another bundle of clothing. "I need to be ready for anything, Arliss. That suitcase is all my regular day clothing." She pointed to another one. "This one is my carry on all my supplies and accessories…socks, shoes, makeup, duel disk, cards, magazines, dvds, laptop, purses…"

"What about your panties or bras?" Arliss asked.

"What panties and bras?" Nessa asked with mock anger "You've destroyed every pair I own!"

Arliss laughed. "And here I thought you liked it all rough."

"Of course I do." She pointed to the suitcase she was filling now. "This is all my special clothing…work clothing, heavy coats, pajamas, formal dresses, semi casual dresses, hats, high heels…"

Arliss shook his head. "amazin' that I packed all that in one suitcase and a carry-on."

"…And this last one is all you."

"All me?" Arliss asked, opening said suitcase up. A frown formed as he lifted up a flannel shirt. "Girl, are you packin' more clothin' for me?"

"It's cold in Wisconsin! Your from the south…you probably packed all short sleeves and shorts."

"I lived in Buffalo, New York for 5 years!" Arliss cried out. "I have seen snow Nessa…I know what to pack." Nessa glared at him. She knew there was no way he could resist her wishes when she did this. "Oh…alright, I'm sorry!" Arliss proclaimed, gathering her in his arms. "I'm a no good, yellow bellied, yankee jackass. I shouldn't have snapped at ya, darlin'. Forgive me?"

Nessa nuzzled his chest. "Maybe…I guess I shouldn't be mad…you are having to spend 2 weeks with my parents."

Arliss grinned. "It won't be that bad."

"You say now…wait till they make you milk the cows at 5 am."

The king of rare hunters grinned. "But on the plus side… Baby Nessa pictures!"

"NO!" She squealed. "NO BABY PICTURES!"

&&&

Alexander Milo shifted up a bit more, moving the pillow he as resting on firmly against his back. He was in bed, the covers drawn up around his nude form, reading a good book, just relaxing. Today had been a trying day. Many students had skipped class to get their last minute packing finished. The ones that remained were either already fair ahead in his class, or way behind. Jaden Yuki had slept through most of the lecture, and Bastion Misawa kept arguing with him about the pros and cons of remove-from-play-summoned-monsters.

And, of course, Arliss Lockehart and Nessa Lockehart had chosen not to show up for class either.

'How can I be expected to keep an eye on those two if they don't come to class!' he thought in frustration. 'Make my job so much easier if those two just behaved…of course, if they did…'

Alexander rubbed the bridge of his nose, before returning to his book. He had come back to his room, enjoyed an afternoon of…fun…and was now enjoying the evening by reading 'Fodor's Guide to The Da Vinci Code', the sound of a shower running making a nice white noise.

Turning the page and finishing the section about The Madonna of the Rocks, he moved on to the section about two John the Baptists that hung in Louvre. Professor Milo had always heard good things about Paris, and had always wanted to go there. Of course, he had never been assigned to Paris, so now he was waiting for his next vacation. He couldn't leave the island this time, as the 2 weeks off would be perfect for looking around while most of the students were gone. He could keep an eye on Prof. Banner and Prof Stilton…the other professor rubbing him the wrong way. Hopefully though, he would be able to go in the summer, take a few weeks off…it would look good for appearance sake, and he needed to keep his cover.

'Hmmm…this is a good book. Maybe if I had one when I was in London, things would have gone better…'

&&& 7 months ago &&&

"Excuse me." Candace said, pushing past several people as she raced home. A last minute buyer at the pawn shop had caused her to have to stay 10 minutes over, and unless she wanted her father to bitch at her, she knew she needed to get home as soon as humanly possible.

"Hey!" Alexander Milo shouted, being shoved down by Candace. He turned back to look at her retreating form "Watch it! I'm wakin' here! I'm walkin' here!" Wishing he had a car hood to beat on, Alexander continued on his way, focusing on his string of rotten luck.

He had been sent here to look for an apparent 'super-hero' who dueled criminals and then unleashed duel spirits upon them…though, if he released he was doing that was up in the air. Of course, it would help if he could remember the damn hero's name! It didn't help that it was some strange, almost foreign sounding name. As- something or other. Truthfully, he hadn't been paying attention. When he had heard the words 'travel' and 'london', he had realized that he was getting an instant vacation. Having also read "The Da Vinci Code" on the plane ride there also helped to insure the only thing Alexander was interested in was going to see if he could find that statue of Sir Isaac Newton that Langdon had seen.

He had found the statue's home, otherwise known as Westminster Abbey, and just like the American Tourist he was, had gotten some poor guard to take his picture next to Sir Newton and made some charcoal scribbles of some poor dead people's names. A stop at the gift shop to buy some souvenirs in the form of some books and a stuffed apple, and he was off to do his real job.

Finding Mr. As- was harder then finding Isaac.

Alexander had spent 5 hours walking around London's back alleys and darker streets, in hopes of finding the mysterious hero. All he had managed to do was draw the attention of some honest to goodness soccer thugs, half drunk and pissed that Manchester had lost. Armed with beer bottles, for the average tourist they might have appeared to be quite a fright. Luckily for Alexander, being who he was, he was armed with something much better:

A loaded gun.

'Speaking of guns, I need to buy more bullets.' He thought to himself. He knew he was going to be in trouble for killing the idiots and dumping their bodies, but he didn't care. He wasn't in a good mood, he had nearly lost his souvenirs, and he hadn't even got to see the guards that couldn't move!

"Hey!" Alexander blinked as his eyes were covered by delicate hands, a warm soft body pressing into his back. "Guess who?" A soft voice whispered, making him tremble slightly.

"Uh…Jesus?"

"Nice try." The voice said.

Alexander thought for a moment, his mood brightening in the presence of the woman. "Obi Wan?"

"Nope!" The voice said, finishing the p with a pop.

"The love of my life?"

The young woman grinned and twirled him around, wrapping her arms around his neck. "Correct…looks like Alex wins a prize."

Alexander Milo chuckles, stroking her cheek. "You sure, love? We are in public…and there is the age difference…and I'm suppose to be, you know, working. Won't do good be playing."

"Screw the public, I don't care that your older, and from the look of the bags you have, you haven't been working hard."

"Guilty." Alexander said, handing her the stuffed apple and kissing her softly, cupping her face. "God I love you."

"Say it again."

Alexander grinned, kissing her after each word. "I, Alexander Milo, love you, Samantha Ciro."

&&& Present Day&&&

"You have a nice shower Sammy?"

Samantha Ciro nodded, toweling her hair and looking down at Alexander. She wore a soft baby blue robe, a gold necklace poking out from the collar "Oh yea…so, a whole 2 weeks by ourselves…most of the school gone…no classes…" She grinned and let her robe drop to the ground, revealing her glorious tanned, nude form. Alexander's eyes roamed her body, a lusty smile that would give some of Hayden's looks a run for their money crossing his face.

"What a nice Christmas present." Alexander said. "No work, no reports…no bothering with Arliss and Nessa."

Samantha nodded. "Thank god…getting a bit tired of spying on them, personally." She slinking onto the bed, throwing his book aside. "The school thinks I'm home for the holidays, my father thinks I'm with friends. That means, Mr. Milo, that I get to spend the next two weeks only wearing one thing." She reached up and pulled her necklace off, retrieving the gold ring that hung from it and slipped it onto her finger. She took a hold of a similar ring Alexander wore and placed it on his finger. "Think you will enjoy playing with your secret lover?"

"What do you think, Mrs. Milo?" Alexander said with a grin, before pulling her under the covers.

Next Time of GX: Hunters:

It's been 4 months since she last saw her parents. 4 months since she left her little home town and went to the academy. She left that place a quiet, shy little girl, who was bullied and mistreated by her peers. Now, she has returned as a woman and a queen, with her king and lover at her side. How will her home town react when their prodigal daughter returns, ready to raise hell?

And can her lover survive in the land of Cheese Hats and Green Bay Packers?

Episode 23: you can't go home? Part One: Meet the Foxes

Arliss and Nessa are going to turn Christmas in a small town on it's head.

Author's Note; Dum Dum Dum! Arliss was the one that convinced Candace to come to the academy after Bastion's father cost her her education! Alexander Milo and Samantha Ciro are married! Samantha is spying on Arliss and Nessa! A lot of surprises in this chapter…and that's just the tip of the iceberg kids.

Also, I am currently working on several signature graphics that people can use to show that they like the story. So far, I have ARLISS, NESSA, ALEXANDER MILO, SAMANTHA, ARLISS+NESSA, and MILO+SAMANTHA.

If you are interested in any of these, let me know.