"You ok, Lex?" Jaden asked, kneeling beside the girl, his hand on her shoulder.

Alexis blinked, suddenly frozen in time as he mind screamed, 'He's touching my arm! EEEEE!' Resisting the urge to do her very own version of the happy dance, the Queen of Obelisk blue steeled her emotions. "I'll be fine…what are we doing about them?"

"Silly girl." Vera said. "The person with the gun asks such things, no?"

"What do you guys want?" Chumley asked, his voice quivering. "Your not going to rape us, are you?"

"What?" Marco asked, confused.

"Because I should tell you, I won't be good at all. All hard and bony…" Chumley rattled on. "Now Syrus, he would be great to rape. All small and girl like…"

"Please, just stop." Marco commanded.

"It is ok, Marco." Vera cooed.

Marco shivered. "I can taste my own vomit." He glared at Chumley. "Speak another word and I will personally beat you down."

"Girl like?" Syrus shouted.

"No wonder Camula won, these Americans, they are crazy." Marco muttered, pulling out his own handgun and firing off 3 shots. The gang grew quiet. "Now then, you have come for a rare card. And we have come to engage in a duel. I believe we may accommodate each other. Signor Truesdale, do you have a duel disk?"

"Wait…why Syrus?" Alexis asked.

Vera sneered, pointing her gut at the girl once more. "You have been hit for acting stupid, to not make me shoot you for it. We have our reasons to face Mr. Truesdale, that is all you may need to know."

Marco nodded, pulling out a second gun as Vera readied her duel disk. "No funny business, children. Signor Truesdale?"

"Uh…"

Alexis frowned. "You ran all the way here to duel…and forgot your duel disk?"

"Here Sy, borrow mine." Jaden gave his duel disk to his embarrassed friend. "Now, you go and give it your all." Looking up at the two Italians, Jaden couldn't help but frown. "How do we know you won't try and cheat?"

"You have our word and sacred honor." Marco said. "We will battle fairly. It would be a crime against the gods to do otherwise."

"Think we can really trust them?" Chumley asked.

"We have to…besides, I think for these two, honor is very important. Why cheat? They get nothing if we loss…and they could have just killed us."

Alexis looked over at her friend. "Jaden…whose side are you on?"

"Uh…ours?"

"Then act like it."

"I will begin, no? Ladies first and all that?" Vera said, drawing her cards. "I will first play Upstart Goblin, which allows me to draw one card for giving you 1000 lifepoints. I will then summon Kelbek, in attack mode." The machine like fairy appeared on the field in a blast of electricity. "Your move." (Syrus- 5000)

"Alright…this is for you, Zane. I will set this card, and summon Rescueroid in attack mode." On Syrus' side of the field, the green and white emergency vehicle appeared on the field, ready for battle. "Attack her Kelbek, Rescueroid!" The machine raced forward, brutally striking the fairy and shattering it. "Alright! Say goodbye…" The Rescueroid glowed, before turning back into a card. "…to my monster? Huh?"

"Did you not know Kelbek's special ability? It returns your monster to your hand when it is attacked." Vera shrugged. "But, perhaps you were unaware of this. A pity." She paused, looking over her hand. "Oh, is it my turn? Is that all you plan to do for this turn?" (Vera-3900)

"Make your move." Syrus muttered. Vera smirked, amused by the anger that had suddenly welled up in the boy. This was something she could work with…it was always so fun to crush those with righteous fury.

"I will summon a second Kelbek to the field, and have it attack you." Vera replied, waving off her monster as it rushed at Syrus. "What I give, I must take away. That is the expression you Americans use, no?" (Syrus-3500)

"It's ok Sy!" Jaden called out. "The match is still early. You can make it up this turn, no problem."

"Be on your guard, Vera." Marco ordered. "Do not allow him to win easily."

Syrus looked at Vera's side of the field, deep in thought. 'Ok, now I have to deal with her Kelbek. I could just use Rescueroid again…but she'd just resend it back to my hand after the attack. I need to build up a wall around my lifepoints…wait!' Syrus looked at the card he had just drawn. 'I think I know of a way to take Vera down a bit.' Setting another card onto the field, Syrus locked eyes with the Italian Duelist. "Alright Vera, your fairy likes playing with other monsters, huh? Well, let's see how it likes this: I summon Steamroid, in attack mode!" On Syrus' side to the field, the cartoony steam engine appeared, letting off a toot.

"Is that all?" Vera asked. "I am to fear a treno?"

"You should, especially when you see it's special effect! When Steamroid attacks a monster, it automatically gains an additional 500 attack points this turn! Steamroid, attack Kelbek!" The train nodded, lashing out with one of its wheel-fists and crushing the angel like it was glass. "And now, your Kelbek's effect activates, returning it to my hand." (Vera- 3100)

"Why is Syrus so excited about that?" Chumley asked. "He just got his monster sent back?"

"It's Steamroid's effect." Alexis replied. "While it is strong in battles you wage, when attacked itself, it losses 500 attack points. Syrus knew he was going to have his monster returned, so he chose to use one that gives him big payout now, but would normally cost him later on."

"oh…I guess that makes sense." Chumley said, not really getting the point.

"Don't worry Chumley, Syrus did a good thing…that's all that matters." Jaden said.

"Is it my turn?" Vera asked, obviously bored. "You Americans duel so strangely. Play, pause, play, pause…why do you wait so long to make a move?"

"I believe he was allowing his friends to talk, Vera." Marco called out.

"Foolishness. I do not wait for you to finish talking, Marco. Why should he?" Vera sighed, drawing a card from her deck. "but what is one to do, no? I summon Hysteric Fairy, in attack mode." The card flashed, the shorthaired female angel appearing with a book clutched tight to her breast. "Hysteric Fairy, attack Mr. Truesdale directly, would you not?"

"I don't think so!" Syrus exclaimed. "I activate my trap: Entry Forbidden! No Entry! This card will shift your monster to defense mode, blocking its attack, all for the price of discarding one card."

"Yes yes, I know how the card works. Would you please go?" Vera asked, ending her turn.

"Gladly! I'll summon Gyroid to the field, in attack mode!" Hovering above Syrus, the helicopter monster appeared, zeroing in on the Hysteric Fairy. "And now, attack Vera's monster!" The copter nodded, as best it could, before dive-bombing the female fairy and hacking it to bits.

"Hmm…" Vera looked at Syrus' side of the field. "Yes, I think everything is now ready to begin."

"To begin?" Syrus questioned.

"Yes…I think it is time I ended this practice and began the true duel."

"Wait a minute…" Jaden exclaimed. "Is she saying these past turns…she wasn't even trying?"

"Exactly!" Marco called out. "Vera, denominato avanti i dii!"

"Gladly. I summon The Agent of Creation – Venus to the field!" Above them, the stars seemed to fade as the 2nd planet from the Sun glowed brightly, enlarging and lowering towards the Earth. And from that light emerged the golden angel, her bright yellow wings and shiny tresses shined in the light, her green and white dress billowing slightly as she landed neatly upon the ground. "And I will then activate Terraforming, to bring this field spell to my hand, which I will now use! Descend, The Sanctuary in the Sky!" The sky cracked as clouds formed around them, a majestic temple lowering behind Vera and dominating playing area.

"Whoa…" Jaden said. "Now that is a field spell!"

"Jaden…remember that we're rooting for Syrus." Alexis stated.

"Oh yea…right." Jaden said sheepishly.

Vera chuckled as she looked upon her agent. "Now, I believe it is time I showed you the true power of Venus. I activate her special ability: Soul Birth!" Venus' eyes glowed, and the group gasped as golden flames surrounded Vera. "Goddess grande Venus, offro la parte della mia vita! Produca un simbolo della mia anima! Prego a, produco la sfera mystical di lustro!" Vera screamed a part of the flames was ripped from her form and gathered unto Venus. The agent held the energy in her hand, crafting an orb of pure life. "Behold…the Mystical Shine Ball." Vera managed to get out. "A part of my very soul, brought for to the field. Some may call it my child, born of my own essence." (Vera-2600)

"Seems like a pretty weak fairy." Alexis said. "Only 500 attack and defense points…hardly seems worth it."

"You shall see soon enough its power." Vera whispered. "Perdonilo, Venus grande. Ma i dii richiedono il sacrificio e deve venire dall'anima che avete contribuito a generare. Guidilo a cielo, di modo che può riposarsi nella pace. Attivi la parte della scheda di periodo il dolore!" Vera held up the spell card Share the Pain, watching in sadness as the Mystical Shine Ball shattered. "The greatest pain one can feel…is to take the life of something they created. And so, as my monster dies, so shall yours!" Syrus could only watch as Venus turned towards his Gyroid, lifting a sword from the earth and throwing it straight into the machine's body, causing it to explode. "And now…attack Agent of Creation! Colpo dei dii!"

The Agent lifted off, eyes closed, her wings spread as orbs of energy surrounded her, her body glowing with energy. Her eyes snapped open, the orbs rocketing past her and joining together into a energy blast that struck Syrus directly. The slifer duelist screamed in pain as he was sent flying, falling to the earth with a thud. (Syrus-1900)

"That was…" Jaden shook his head in shock. "That was an amazing turn."

"Jaden…" Alexis warned.

"I'll…set this monster…and end my turn…" Syrus gasped, weakly rising to her feet.

Vera nodded, drawing her next card. "Yes, I fear this match is drawing to a close…too soon, but none the less. I will set this monster on the field, and have my Venus attack your downface monster. Colpo dei dii!" Venus raised once more, gathering her energy.

"Not so fast!" Syrus called out. "Your attack trigger this trap: Super Charge! It allows me to draw two cards from my deck and add them to my hand."

"Do as you wish. My Venus still has an attack."

"Not for long. You see, as you attacked my monster, you flip summoned it. And my monster is Jetroid!"

"Alright!" Jaden called out, pumping his fist in the air. "Now Sy can play any trap card in his hand!"

"And the card I select is Cyber Repairer. By allowing you to draw one card, my monster isn't destroyed this turn!"

"Go Syrus!" Chumley shouted. "You can do it!"

"You are excited over that move?" Marco asked. "You Americans…well, I guess it is true, you do enjoy watching a car wreck."

"Hey, no one asked your opinion!" Alexis shouted.

"OF course. You Americans are too stupid to ask a real duelist what they think."

"Why you…"

Jaden grabbed Alexis' arm. "Just ignore him…probably just wants us to argue with him."

Alexis glared at the Italian duelist, who merely shrugged. They all turned back to the duel to find Vera ending her turn, Syrus drawing his next card. "Alright…I'll now activate this: Polymerization, fusing my Rescueroid and Ambulanceroid to summon Rescue Ambulanceroid!" On Sy's side of the field, the two emergency care vehicles spun together, merging together into the giant red rescue machine. "This vehicroid is designed to helped the injured…too bad there is nothing it can do to help your Venus. Rescue Ambulanceroid, attack Venus with Siren Screamer!" The machine locked eyes with Venus, firing off its sirens. The angelic being covered her ears before shattering, leaving Vera to glare at the offensive piece of steel. (Vera-1900)

"Syrus just tied it all up!" Chumley cheered.

"And he has the most powerful monster on the field." Alexis pointed out. "Vera is going to have to defend if she hopes to stay in the game."

"Are you kidding?" Jaden asked with a laugh. "Syrus just took out her key monster. There is no way Vera can come back now."

Chumley clapped his hands. "We'll get done and have time to go get some grilled cheese!"

"You stupid, fat Americans." Marco spat. "You really believe my Vera can be beaten so quickly? Huh…and here I at least assumed that you had some brains inside those thick skulls of yours. Apparently, you know nothing about dueling."

"Hey, cool it with the trash talking." Jaden scolded. "Not our fault Syrus is winning the duel."

Marco put a finger to his chin. "What is that saying you Americans use? Do not count

your babies before they are hatched?"

"Chicks." Alexis said. "And what's your point."

"My point is that you should shut your mouths and watch the duel. Nothing is over until it is so."

While they had been talking, Vera had been looking over her hand, a slight frown playing across her face. "I will set this card on the field, and end my turn." Vera said with a sigh, setting the card upon her duel disk as she looked up at the sky. "May we please move this along?"

"Sure…of course, this is going to be your last turn! I switch my Jetroid into attack mode, and will have it attack your downface card!" As the jet fired off, colliding with the defense monster, Syrus was already moving on to his next attack. "And now, Rescue Ambulanceroid, attack Vera…" Syrus stumbled on his own words as the dust settled, revealing his dazed Jetroid and a blue winged angel. "…'s fairy?"

"You should have paid attention to the sky above, dear boy." Vera said, pointing up. "You see, I was not looking towards it before out of sadness, but for confirmation. Confirmation that the next agent would protect me. And so he has." Syrus looked up to see a small planet looming above the Sanctuary in the Sky. "Behold, my Agent of Wisdom – Mercury. Just like the winged messenger of the gods, my Mercury does not attack, but uses his mind to protect me. There will be no damage to my lifepoints this turn, I am afraid." (Syrus- 1200)

"Well…I can still destroy your Agent! Rescue Ambulanceroid, attack!" The roid's sirens blasted again, shattering another of Vera's agents. "And next turn, Vera, I am going to take you out!" Syrus said smugly, throwing his head back and laughing.

"And….he's lost it." Jaden said dejectedly.

"Why does he always get so cocky?" Alexis asked, holding her head in her hands.

Chumley looked over at the group. "So…no grilled cheese?"

Vera merely watched on, an eyebrow raised as Syrus continued to cackle in glee. Marco checked his watch, then began to crack his knuckles. The two Italians were utterly and completely bored, but would allow the silly boy his moment to gloat before the hammer fell.

"Are you done at last?" Vera asked Syrus, the young man panting slightly after his journey into crazyland. "Or do you feel like laughing like a fool some more? If so, I would like to know so I could file my nails. I do not like to begin doing so, only to stop midway through to draw a card."

"Oh, I'm done!" Syrus called out. "Get ready to loss."

"Why does he do this?" Alexis mumbled, rubbing her temples.

"Come on Sy…that's just asking for a whoopin'." Jaden said with a facefault.

Chumley rubbed his stomach. "You know what I could go for…?"

"Grilled cheese?" Alexis asked, annoyed.

"You're like a psychic."

"And you are like an idiot." Marco snarled. "Vera, finished this child off so we may go. I have seen enough."

"Good, I was tired of stalling." Vera said, her entire demeanor shifting in an instant. Gone was the bored, vain prima dona that had begun the duel against Syrus, more concerned with her nails then her cards. Now, she stood tall and fierce, fire in her eyes as she held out her hand. "I must thank you for destroying my agent of wisdom. With him off the field, I can activate the card that shall be your undoing. I activate the trap card The Rise of Rome!" The trap card flipped up, and Syrus frowned at the image of two men on a plain, looking up towards the heavens.

The Sanctuary in the Sky rose up into the sky, the area around them transforming into a barren field. As Syrus looked around, he noticed that occasionally a phantom building would appear, flashing for a moment before disappearing like mist on the wind. Turning back to Vera, he was shocked to find her staring into the sky, light falling down upon her.

"Rome began as nothing, merely the dream of those that had no home. When all was lost, the gods took pity upon two brothers and gave them aid, and from this aid an empire arose. So will the gods now bring me out of despair and into greatness. Behold the power of The Rise of Rome trap card!" Vera removed her deck from her duel disk. "By having no monsters on my side of the field, I may select one monster and one spell card that are not already in my hand and add them to it."

"Any spell and monster?" Jaden exclaimed. "With that, she could set up almost any combo she wanted!"

"I've never even heard of that card." Alexis said in shock. "How could we have never heard of such a power card?"

"Because only three exist in the entire world." Marco said with a smirk. He reached into his deck box and pulled out a card. "And Vera and I each hold 1."

"Whoa…I will totally trade you for that card!" Jaden shouted, rushing over. "How about my Dark Catapulter? My Fusion Gate?"

"Away, you stupid child." Marco snapped, kicking Jaden away. "Vera, every moment I dream of the Holst."

"We shall return in moments. First, I will summon this monster to the field: The Mystical Shine Ball!" On Vera's side of the field, the small orb of light appeared, hovering several feet off the ground. "And now I will activate the spell card I just gained, thanks to my trap card. Behold, Ascension!" As Vera spoke, the spell card appeared, the image of a Mystical Sine Ball being distorted by hand that was pressing against it from the inside. "This card allows me to sacrifice one level 3 or lower fairy from my field to summon any fairy monster from my deck that has not been played this duel. So, behold my monster: The Wingweaver!"

The group watched on in amazement as the Shine Ball began to warp and twist, its form elongating as 11 offshoots budded from the body of the ball and began to take shape. Long legs stretched out, graceful hands took form, wings spread, her beautiful face finished its transformation, until the grand angelic woman stood on the field, her arms held out as she looked upon Syrus.

"She's…beautiful." Alexis whispered. "I've never seen something so…"

"I know…" Jaden replied quietly. The group trembled, falling to their knees, as if pulled by some force beyond them. Only Marco and Vera could manage to stand aside the angelic woman, golden flames dancing along their skin as they looked upon her.

"Wingweaver…destroy the impure macchina that dares to strike down an agent of the heavens. Eternal Radiance!"

The Wingweaver nodded, clasping her hands as he body began to glow. Above her, the Sanctuary in the Sky shone bright down upon them all, bathing them all within the holy power. Syrus, Jaden, Alexis and Chumley all adverted their gaze; for in the presence of such a being, one could not feel ashamed of their own ugliness.

As the power radiated into each of the duelists, they felt it pierce their hearts, revealing emotions and feelings they had never felt. It was as if they were someone else, learning about this strange being that was infact them.

&&&

Chumley felt the fear he held for his father, the constricting control the man had placed upon his son. It was why he sought comfort from food. It was why he was so lazy: He would never again allow someone to control him.

And yet…he saw that this only served to control him more. Instead of striving to be better, to break free of his mold, he settled down deeper.

He clawed his way out of the shell that held him, fighting against the words that told him to give up and give in. Instead, he focused upon his dreams, of the visions he held for a better life, and slowly, shattered the mold that had once been himself.

&&&

Alexis trembled as she watched her life play out. She saw how she allowed her own ego cause her pain. She saw how she focused too much upon others, and not on those that truly cared for her. She cried out silently as she watched a young girl her own age, who wanted nothing more then to be her friend, be turned away and into the arms of a dark monster. And as that girl looked back, her face changed to that of Nessa, the Rare Hunter's wicked smile burned forever in her mind. Again and again, she watched as others were thrown to the wolves due to her own ways. Friends that now resented her, teachers that mocked her behind her back…she watched Samantha Ciro laugh as dark energy poured into her…

And yet, in the next moment, all was calm. A quiet voice echoed in her mind, forgiving her for her sins…and warning that while she could change her path, allowing anger in her heart would only bring her to a life of pain. A final flash of her in a white coat, commanding a monster to viciously attack Jaden, while a mysterious man coaxed her on, appeared, only to vanish, leaving Alexis to ponder its meaning on her own.

&&&

"Hello Syrus."

Syrus blinked in confusion, looking around the darkened arena, until he focused in on the figure that stood before him.

"Z-Zane?" He whispered, before rushing into his brother's arms. "I thought…"

"I am still gone Syrus…another force has given me a moment to speak with you once more." Zane smiled, and Syrus looked at him. Zane rarely smiled, yet here he wore a happy grin. "Why are you dueling this woman, Syrus? She is too strong of an opponent."

"She…she said she had a way to help bring you back…"

"So why must you be the one to duel her?" Zane prodded.

"I have to save you Zane. It's my fault you are…"

"Listen to me now, Sy." Zane whispered. "For each of us…there is a light that brings us out of the darkness. For me, that will always be you. No matter how far I fall, I know that you will be there to help me." Zane held up a finger, forcing Syrus to stop his outburst. "But for you, there is also some that is your light, the person that will always aid you. I think you know who."

"Jaden." Syrus whispered.

Zane nodded. "Let your light drive back the darkness that now threats you as it has me…and you and I will see each other once more."

&&&

"What the…" Jaden looked around, confused that he was hovering in the night sky, looking down at the earth. "Oh…" He looked over at Winged Kuriboh. "Did you bring me here?"

"No he ain't." A voice said. Jaden turned, only to watch Kuriboh be batted away like a volleyball, squealing as it went tumbling. Standing before him was the last person Jaden expected to see…

"Arliss." He said with a frown. "What do you want."

"First off…I ain't Arliss." The figure said.

"You look like him, talk like him. If it looks like a duck and talks like a duck…you know what I mean." Jaden replied.

'Arliss' shook his head. "You really are an idiot, aren't you?" The figure shook his head. "I am you…I've merely taken the form of Arliss to prove a point."

"Ok Not-Arliss, what do you want?" Jaden snapped.

'Arliss' smirked. "Think of this as 'It's a Wonderful Life', and I am that stupid fat angel that whines through the whole thing. I'm here to let you in on some information: Nothing is as it seems."

"What are you talking about?"

"Everything is about to change, Jaden, and if you aren't ready, it could mean the end of you." 'Arliss' paused, letting the information seep in. "All of us have the potential for good and evil…and it all comes with a flip of a switch."

"What, you're saying that Arliss could be a hero or something?"

"Oh no…" The figure said, pulling a mirror forward. Jaden looked at in horror, looking upon his reflection.

IN the mirror stood an older Jaden, his long hair pulled back in a ponytail. His eyes were hard and menacing, his face cold. He wore a black slifer blazer with red trim, and a dark duel disk hung on his arm. But what was most horrifying was that his hands were dripping with blood.

"…I'm sayin' you could be the villain."

&&&

Far away, in the Ra Yellow Dorm, Hayden McGregor looked out through the window at the light that had just burst from the beach. A frown formed on his face as he moved towards his computer, flipping it on and bringing up a special program.

"Sorry laddie…need this more then you." He said, quickly using the school network to hack into Bastion Misawa's files, copying his Strategy Program onto his own computer. Shutting down the connection, Hayden began to work, uploading his deck into the system and opening a new connection…to the school's mainframe.

"Ok…time to see how this machine works when it has information on every deck in the school." Hayden said to himself, getting to work.

&&&

Jaden groaned, sitting up and rubbing his eyes. "Anyone else get the number of the bus that hit us?"

"Man…that hurt." Alexis muttered.

Syrus sat up, looking at the envelope he found taped to his forehead. "Hey Jaden…there is something for you."

Jaden got to his feet, his strength rapidly returning as he made his way to Syrus and opened the envelope…removing the contents and leaving the envelope taped to his friend's head. The note inside read:

'I have seen enough.

May this card aid you in your battle against the vampire.

Should you survive, I look forward to our next meeting.

Lavorare me raduno ancora.

- Marco Giovanni'

Along with the note was a card.

The Shining Flare Wingman.

Next Time On G/X: Hunters- As the number of Shadow Riders dwindle, Banner must make a move that will insure that his plans go as planned. This will force him to throw his two enemies together, and let them duke itout. Meanwhile, Prof. Stilton has had enough, and goes to confront Shepard about Prof. Milo.

Rome is Burning Part 1