A/N: Ok, I have no idea what to say. Except I don't understand my own fic after being away from it so long. And it's finally Ok to be kind of angsty here. I'm ready to step away from parodies…at least, I'll try. But I don't think I can stop for long.

Disclaimer: I do not own GX. And a BIG thanks to my bro, WhiteAsukaLover for writing the duel. Thanks a lot. I promise to try to write my own next time. : )

Chapter 5: Betrayal

Alexis lay awake, fretting. She tossed and turned, restless. Finding it impossible to sleep, she pulled on her white cover-up and plush slippers, then stepped quietly into the hall. As she walked to Chazz's room, she felt a strange sense of déjà vu. She felt as though they were only going in circles, however, he was the only one who truly understood her and her doubts.

Biting her lip, she knocked on the door. After a moment, it opened. Wordlessly, Chazz held the door open for her. She walked in, folding her arms in a protective manner over her chest.

"What's up?" Chazz asked softly as she seated herself on the edge of his bed.

"Chazz, I'm worried. There's a lot going on in my life now…but that's not really what I want to talk about first. Remember earlier when Master Sartorius asked you if you were up for the challenge?"

"Yes."

"Well, I don't understand why he did this, but…you're going to lose. And he knew it."

There was a long silence. Finally: "Perhaps he knows I won't leave the Society."

"That is a strong possibility; however, I can't help but wonder what he means to do by sending you out on a futile mission."

"It could be a test of my loyalty."

"But, Chazz," She protested, her brow furrowing in frustration, "All the other members who dueled Jaden lost. If you lose too…"

"Exactly my point," Chazz sighed, sitting next to her, "If I lose and still remain in the Society, then I've proven myself worthy. However, if I lose sight of the goal, then I will be as worthless as those others. Don't you understand? It's to see how strong the influence of the Light is on us."

"But why waste members away like that? It just seems so cruel." She told him, hugging herself tighter, "I mean, if he knows it will happen, if he knows their hearts already…why does he even recruit them? What's the point?"

"There is no point," he answered, "Sartorius only needs members to do his dirty work. When he's done with them, he sends them on missions he knows they can't fulfill. It's a death trap. Once he's done with you, he uses you to test an opponent's strength and learn their deck as well as their threat to the Society. It's that simple."

"If you know all this, then how come you stay?"

"I'm not sure. Maybe it's to keep an eye on you." He told her, placing a hand on her cheek.

She turned her head away. "Do not behave in that manner towards me," She murmured, blushing, "I don't like it."

"Yet it seems as though your words are the opposite of your true feelings." He pointed out.

Her eyes bore into him, burning him with a sort of icy fire that he could not describe. They spoke of two battles occurring simultaneously in her soul; however, he had not the time to know of them.

"I still do not like it." She told him, her tone regaining a formal edge to it. "And can we cease this talk of Master's intentions? I do not like that, either."

"You were the one who brought it up."

"True. But when you speak of it, you speak of it with great contempt and resentment, like you're angry. I don't like it. I want you to stop talking about my master like that." Her shoulders heaved, her body quivering from fury.

"I apologize. I never meant to hurt you."

"You don't understand. I care more for master than you ever could. He and I have a bond that you could never know of. It wouldn't make any sense to you."

"A bond?"

"Nevermind."

"Hey, wait, I know something's going on between you and Sartorius. What is it?"

"I don't wish to disclose that information." She muttered, rising to her feet, "Now, I think we've discussed the matter enough. If you'll excuse me…I bid you good night."

"Alexis…I'm sorry…I never meant--"

It was too late. She had stepped outside. Frowning disapprovingly, she slammed the door. Chazz sat on the bed, feeling numb. Something was wrong, of that he was sure. He just had to figure out what it was.

------------------------------------------------------

As Alexis tried to return to the peace of her room, a hand caught her arm. Rolling her eyes, she turned. Her mouth opened for a moment, then shut. "A-aster…where'd you come from so suddenly--"

Aster held a finger to his lips, then pulled her aside. "Alexis, I need to talk to you. It's very important."

"What's wrong?"

"It's about Sartorius. I know that you are a part of his Society and all, but I really, really need to talk to you about his behavior. And please bear with me. I only want to help him."

Alexis bristled. "Help him? I can do that well enough, thank you very much."

"You don't understand. This isn't just about the Society anymore. More or less, it is about the world, but it's also about his mental health, too."

She arched an eyebrow, her expression a mix of curiosity and distrust. "If it's against the Light--"

"Just listen to me. Alexis, he's been possessed. He wants out of this. Deep down inside, he knows he's hurting you and himself. He knows he's hurting everyone involved. The problem is that this entity has a hold on his mind. Please, you've got to help him."

"I don't understand what you're talking about." She muttered, furrowing her brow. "You're making no sense."

"Ok, I guess what I'm trying to say is, I know about you and Sartorius."

A slight gasp escaped her lips. "How do you--"

"Not now. That's not important. What is important is that, well…think of it this way, he has a split personality. He has another side to him, one that you haven't seen. And that's the real Sartorius. Right now, the Light is in control of him; therefore, he can't control his actions. Not to mention the Light is choking off his life force. Please save him before it's too late."

"How can I do anything?" She muttered bitterly, "Besides, what you're saying still makes no sense. That's not the way the Light works. The Light--"

"It's a fraud!" Aster insisted, growing frustrated, "Don't you see, Alexis? It's using him! It's using you! And once it's done with you, you'll become a soulless, empty shell. You need to stop before it gets dangerous. Right now, the Light is trying to possess you as well. As of this point, you're only brainwashed; however, if he lets the Light enter you, then you'll be screwed. There will be no means of escape if the Light starts to inhabit more than one person. Think about it, the only reason Sartorius is carrying on with you is so that you can become spiritually bonded, thereby enabling the Light access to your mind! You've GOT to stop."
She stared at Aster, uncertain of how to respond. "You're…lying."

"No, I'm not. If you really care about him like you say you do, then you'll take my advice. No matter what, do NOT let him have sex with you again. You don't want to become spiritually bonded with him. If you really want to save him, then leave him alone."

"I'm not going to do that!" She cried, horrified, "You don't abandon anyone! Especially if what you say is true."

"I can't make it come out right," Aster muttered, frustrated, "I'm sorry, Alexis, it's just not coming out the way I need it to. Please try to understand."

"I--"

"Aster, what are you doing here?"

Both froze. Alexis became aware of the fact that Aster had her pinned to the wall, his hands on her shoulders. Feeling insulted, she shoved him off.

"What the hell are you thinking?!"

"What were you trying to do to her?!" Sartorius snapped, his eyes growing cold.

"Look, I know you're not yourself."

"Ah, but, Aster, I've only seen the Light. You're not really yourself until you've seen the Light." Sartorius retorted icily.

"All right, that's it." Aster told him, "I can't have any of this anymore. I'm going to bring you back. And I won't let you hurt Alexis either. I say we duel right now."

Alexis opened her mouth in protest.

"That's fine with me," Sartorius hardened face gave way to a smirk.

"If I win, you get out of this crazy Society, got that?" Aster snapped.

"Very well," Sartorius agreed, "As for me, I do not wish for anything if I win."

"What?!"

"That's all up to you. I have no ill intentions, nothing to hide."

"You're even crazier than I thought!"

"I wouldn't be saying that if I were you."

"Well, whatever. Let's just duel."

"Fine by me."

Sartorius stepped into an adjacent room, gesturing for Aster to follow him. Once inside, he turned on the lights, which blinded the occupants momentarily. When their eyes finally adjusted, they recognized the area as the Society's meeting room. Sartorius outstretched his arms as he took his place at the far left of the room.

"You see, Aster, I have brought you here for a purpose. We have come here because it represents the very heart of the Society. If I did not have utmost trust in you, then we wouldn't be in here right now. And I do believe that you'll find the Society to be much more appealing than you'd expected." He gave a short laugh.

Aster frowned. "I don't think so. All I want is to protect a friend. Now, enough of this nonsense already."

"Very well. On with the duel."

Aster and Sartorius activated their duel disks.

"Duel!" They shouted.

"I'll go first." Aster calmly announced.

"Fine by me," Sartorius told him, "But I already know the outcome of this duel. Fate has already planned it out. Everything we do has been meticulously predetermined."

Just as he was speaking these last few words, another being entered his mind, sharing its space. "You must not lose."

Sartorius held his head in his hand as sharp pain overtook him. From deep within the recesses of his mind, he thought, "I cannot control it…how can I control destiny? Peace, leave me be. Leave me to duel on my own will so that I might be freed!"

"Silence you fool. I will do no such thing. I will remain a part of you and guide you to victory. You must win. You must control the world. Leave destiny to me."

"I want to be free!"

Just as he'd silently cried this out, he felt his sanity being stripped of him. He was merely a puppet now, having no free will whatsoever.

"Your insolence shows me that you have yet to learn the true meaning of destiny. I shall strip you of all self will until you learn."

As the spirit receded, he once more returned to the present, though he was stunned.

Aster drew a card, smirking at it. "Yeah, whatever. If you could see the future, then could you see this coming? I summon Destiny Hero Defender in defense mode! (100/2700) And then I'll place 2 cards facedown and end my turn."

Sartorius drew and smiled despite himself. "Well played, Aster. Right along with the pulls of Destiny. I summon Arcana Force VII – The Chariot (1700/1700) in attack mode. Its ability will be activated as soon as it stops upright."

However, inside, he once more thought. "How can I spew such lies out without the blink of an eye? I'm more of a fool than I could've ever imagined. This is not a good match. I can't win. I won't!"

"You will. You have no choice."

Another electric shock of pain forced him to comply. Quickly, he turned his attention back to his opponent as best he could. However, he was still greatly distracted.

Aster frowned skeptically as he watched the card rotate. "I don't buy it. I don't care how much you say--"

Before he could so much as finish his sentence, the card landed upright. Aster's sapphire eyes widened.

Sartorius grinned maliciously. "Ah! As predicted by destiny, it is upright! Therefore, when I destroy one of your monsters, it is summoned back to my side. I'll end my turn with that."

Aster drew, looking frustrated. "I'll summon Destiny Hero Captain Tenacious (800/800) in attack mode and end my turn."

Sartorius drew and placed 2 cards in his disk. "I place 2 cards facedown and end my turn."

"It's not enough you must do more! Use the power I gave you."

"That would be cheating…"

"No, it's destiny,"

"How can you say that? How can you be so corrupted? I refuse to play this game any longer…"

"You will!"

Once more, Aster drew. Then, looking at the card, he smirked confidently. "I activate Fiend's Sanctuary! This card allows me to summon a Metal Fiend Token (0/0) in attack mode. And next I'll sacrifice my 3 monsters to special summon Destiny Hero Bloo – D in attack mode. His special ability allows me to steal the attack points of your monster bringing Bloo – D to 3600! Now attack directly!"

Sartorius screamed as his life points decreased to 400 instantly. But it wasn't just due to the shock of the attack. Along with the impact, he also felt another streak of pain running up and down his spine. If this entity inhabiting him did not stop, he'd be dead for sure.

Aster smiled. "I end my turn."

Sartorius drew, but found he was unable to do anything. He couldn't force himself to continue. Rather, he'd have his will power allow him to throw the duel. "I'll pass."

"You idiot! What are you saying? What are you thinking? You'd better do something. Look, you can still salvage this. If you'd just place that card--"

However, it was far too late.

"Good. Now, Bloo – D attack!"

Before Aster could follow through with his attack, a cry pierced the air.

"Wait, don't do it!" Alexis leapt in front of her master, attempting to shield him from the oncoming attack.

"Alexis, get out of the way!" Aster yelled.

It was too late. Before Aster or Alexis had time to think, the beast within Sartorius had reacted.

"You fool! Don't interfere in the affairs of Destiny!"

As though in slow motion, he lifted his hand. Next thing Alexis became aware of was a sharp pain on her right cheek, followed by a clap of thunder. She gave a little yelp, then crumpled to the floor. Her heart shaped locket became entangled in her fingers and broke, falling to the ground.

Sartorius walked away, seemingly indifferent to his defeat or the far more bitter defeat that the young girl had just encountered. His inner self beseeched with the stronger entity for mercy. However, his cries were unheard, soon to be completely silenced by the shadows of the Light.

A/N: Well, that was a rather nasty occurrence. Sartorius, or rather, the Light has just turned his back on Alexis. How will she react to this?