I do not own Yu-gi -oh GX

A man must eat a peck of salt with his friend before he knows her

Sparks flew as both Zane's and Jo's monsters flew at each other in their finally attack. Smoke filled the deserted underground arena and a look of pure pleasure could be seen on each of their faces as electric shocks engulfed their bodies and both life-point meters dropped down to zero.

"Well Zane," Jo smiled as she took off her electric coaler and bracelets and started putting them back in the case, "did that terminate your thirst for a duel?"

"For tonight anyway," Zane shrugged as he too took off his coaler and bracelets.

"For tonight anyway," Jo mocked, "geez' Truesdale you really are hardcore. Top student at duel and now one of the most feared underground duelists; haven't you ever heard of doing anything lightly? I bet you never even got a B once did you?"

"No, I got a B once, although it was a stuffed bubble bee that my grandfather gave my on the day I was born," Zane teased.

"Shut-up bubble boy," Jo said as she started fettling around in her pocket and pulled out a cigarette. "So how about we get out of here and grab some coffee or something?"

Zane, however, did not even hear her question as all he could concentrate on was the cigarette in her mouth. The small, petite role of paper that in the past had stolen someone very dear to his heart. Zane continued to start at the cigarette with such hatred that Jo hardly need the lighter to light the cigarette.

"Hello, Truesdale is any body home?" Jo asked as she waved her hand in front of his face.

"I didn't know you smoked," Zane faltered.

"Yeah, so what? It's no big deal."

"It is a big deal. Smoking is horrible for you," Zane snapped.

"So is just about everything else that is fun to do," Jo teased.

"I'm serious Jo; it's not anything to joke about. My grandfather died from smoke!" Zane barked.

"Oh," Jo murmured as she took the cigarette out of her mouth. "Were you two close or something?"

"Very close," Zane sighed as his face suddenly glazed over in memories. "After my father died in the accident we got really close. Syrus, was still really young at the time and mom, now as a single parent, was to busy to have much time to spend with me. He uses to take me to the beach and we would just sit and watch the waves and spend time together. About a year after dad, he died too. Syrus never really got to know either of them. I think that has a lot to do with why he was always so desperate to get my approval, and always took absolutely everything I said so seriously."

"That must have been hard," Jo, sighed. "To have someone look up to you so much, and have so much of what they think of themselves based on what you think. Talk about pressure."

Zane just turned and stared at her.

"What," Jo asked as she turned and stared back at him.

"Nothing, it's just most people always say how 'sad that must have been for Syrus never getting to no his dad' they don't really say anything about me."

"Well, when my mom died most people didn't really say anything to me either. See when people aren't expressive about their feelings, like we are, other people tend to forget that they have them. Only the ones who whine and throw a fit get their feelings considered. Then again, those are also the ones who what a lot of attention. I'm not expressive because I don't what a lot of attention, and most of the time, because of that, I'm seen as 'the big bad wolf, who has no feelings.' I'm guessing that it is pretty much the same way for you?"

"Two peas in a pod aren't we," Zane signed. "So how did your mom die, if you don't mind me asking?"

Jo signed and looked down. "She was a firefighter; she died trying to save some kids from a fire. The building was about to fall and everyone was told to stay back, but she couldn't just leave people, so she ran in there too."

"Well, that's pretty….mmm-noble of her," Zane rather stammered not sure of what to say.

"Noble,"Jo spat, "Selfish is more like it! She had a kid at home who needed her and she was the only one I had! Did she even think for a minuet about what would happen to me if something happened to her? No! The only thing going thought her mind was-----

"Jo!!!," Zane shouted as he grabbed her shoulders and cut her off mind rant. There eyes meet and for the first time Zane could see just how mush pain Jo had in her soul. They continued to stare at each other and every-so-slowly, they started to lean into each other. Then both- realizing how not only what they were about to do, but their whole conversion as well, had been total out of character,-jerked away from each other.

"How vain and egocentric can you be, Jo?" Zane asked trying to restore their more usual bantering relationship. "I mean being mad at your mom for doing something that most would consider her a hero for; how childish are your?"

"Oh, I don't know about as childish as someone who throws a fight because his friends forgot him," Jo replied relived that the usual repartee atmosphere had returned. "Listen how about we go get that coffee and on the way I'll get some of those nicotine patches?"

"Whatever," Zane said as he stood up and started to walk towards town.

Jo stored up too, and after stepping on the cigarette that had fallen, forgotten, to the ground a while ago, raced up to Zane. She caught up to him quickly and both seemed to fall into a steady, even pace as they walked out into the moonlight.

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Well, here's the second chapter in The Sweetest Thing is Salt, I hope you like it. Thanks to Beautyheart18 for the review and I hope to get a few more.