JC: Hi to all my readers! JcZala here with a brand new chapter! I had to rewrite the duel part so many times. There were a lot of times I wanted to include, but couldn't. I got confused here and there, but I still managed to get things done. Phew! This really stressed me out. I've already decided on what to draw for Valentines Day. That fanart would be another promotional art for this fic. We'll be having a bit of Mac in this chapter. There's also a little scene with Zane and David too. The Duel is the major highlight here. I hope you enjoy it.

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX, people, or its characters, but the plot is mine. All rights belong to Kazuki Takahashi.

White Vow

Turn 23: Braving the Ice

As Reggie Mackenzie raised a hand to the door, just then emerging from the dining hall, a maid called out to her, "Lady Reggie, you cannot go!"

"Oh, yes, I can," Mac replied. "This is my brother we're dealing with here."

The maid looked at her with pleading eyes. "But Lady Reggie…y-you could get hurt. Young Master David is rather—"

"Unstable?" Mac sighed, turning to face her maid. "Can't say I blame him…"

"He hurt you. I saw it with my own two eyes. He knocked you out, then made his escape." The maid grasped her apron tightly. "I only care for your safety, Lady Reggie, so please…"

The maid was quite the worrywart for someone in her mid-twenties. She had been a personal maid for seven years and they've grown very close to one another. "Don't worry…I won't let it happen again," Mac assured her with a smile.

"Lady Reggie, perhaps we should inform your father about the Young Master," the maid suggested.

Once again Mac sighed. "No…I don't want father to know. Besides, David's my responsibility. It's my job to knock some sense into him." She slightly raised a clenched fist. "And believe me…I so want to punch his face right now for what he did." It made her blood boil just by thinking about it.

David had challenged her to a sparring match to past the time. Mac couldn't say no to the challenge. The match started off with a good exchange of blows. They were even in terms of strength, speed and technique. Mac didn't sense anything suspicious about the spar. But after a quick break and a drink of water Mac started to feel woozy. She then realized that someone had placed sleeping drug in her drink. Of course, her initial suspect was immediately David, and she wasn't wrong about that. David had admitted it himself.

"Playing dirty just to beat me… The spar was all an act just to get my guard down." Mac spun on her heel and pulled out her cellphone from her pocket. "I have to stop him from whatever it is he's planning."

"If you insist…then I have no right to stop you," the maid said, bowing her head. "Please be careful, Lady Reggie."

"Thanks…and please keep this from father," Reggie said, reaching for the knob.

"Um…Lady Reggie….do you know where the Young Master went?"

"I called the airport a little while ago. Seems like David took one of our private jets."

"Oh, my…"

"I can pretty much guess where he's headed."

"How can you be so sure, Lady Reggie?"

Mac tightened her grip on the knob. "He's got this bad habit of letting his anger out during sparring matches. It just slipped out of his mouth."

"I see…"

"Judging from the time, David's probably got him by now. I need to let Atticus and Alexis know," Mac said, pulling the door open and rushing out to her limo.

Nothing was colder than Alexis' attacks. Her Ice-themed Deck was a blast from the past, which took Jaden by surprise. Although he wanted to know why Alexis was using an Ice Deck against him, he was more anxious to see what other moves she was going to make. A Duel with Alexis was always full of surprises. No other female Duelist would be able to excite him like this.

"My move!" Jaden declared, drawing his card. Alexis' Ice Deck focused on increasing field advantage, using powerful effects to seal an opponent's moves. Jaden figured that the placement of Ice Counters on monsters would trigger various support effects to immobilize him further. Cards like Cold Wave and Anti-Spell Fragrance sure kept him from playing Traps and Spells instantly. But he did manage to save himself with Negate Attack. Next thing he needed to do was to destroy her Anti-Spell Fragrance. "Okay, say buh-bye to your trap cuz a typhoon's about to blow it away, Mystical Space Typhoon that is." He flipped over one of his facedowns, which was a Quick Spell.

Alexis remained unimpressed.

"And now here's another Polymerization!" he exclaimed happily, revealing the said card along with another Hero. "By fusing Elemental Hero Neos from my hand and Woodsman, I can summon the one and only…"

Elemental Hero Neos was Jaden's ace in his deck. A Light Attribute Hero with 2500 ATK, Neos was very versatile and powerful, as it can combine with other heroes to form a new and much stronger one. It had helped Jaden out in many of his duels.

"Elemental Hero Neos Knight!" Jaden finished up when Neos and Woodsman combined in the air. With a flash of light, the newly formed hero emerged before Jaden. Like the very image of chivalry and justice, Neos Knight (ATK: 2500) held a sword and shield in his hands. "And get this! He gains attack points equal to half the ATK of Woodsman." (ATK: 2500+ (1000/2) = 3000)

"I wonder how you do it…Changing the tide just like that…" Alexis muttered, keeping her calm. "Even when you're in a pinch you still manage to…"

"Oh, and another thing…Neos Knight can attack twice," Jaden said, pointing a finger at Alexis' monsters. "Strut your stuff, Neos Knight! Take those two down!" And the knight did as he was commanded.

However, Alexis' LP remained at 4000. "Seems like I take no battle damage whenever Neos Knight attacks," she said, and Jaden grinned. "And I'm right, aren't I?"

"Well, that's what it says on the card," he said. "Anyway, I'm done for now."

Alexis drew her card and summoned Reese the Ice Mistress (ATK: 800/DEF: 800) to the field in DEF mode. This Ice Mistress was a Sea Serpent of the Water Attribute, garbed in a beautiful armor. She then set one Trap Card and ended her turn.

"No attack this time?" Jaden questioned, and quickly noticed her eyebrow twitched in annoyance. He simply smirked and drew his card. "Alright then, I'm gonna summon this guy! Elemental Hero Stratos!"

The new hero he revealed was clad in armor, with the top being blue while the bottom was silver. He had glider-like wings on his back and his face was covered with a helmet. He had 1800 ATK points and 300 DEF points.

"Now that he's out, I can add 1 Hero from my deck to my hand," Jaden continued, taking his deck out of his disk. "Let's see…I think I'll choose this guy here." He pulled the card out and showed it to Alexis, which happened to be a Hero she had never seen him play before. The card was Elemental Hero Ice Edge, a Level 3 Water-Attribute Warrior. "Okay, time for an attack! Stratos, strike down her Ice Mistress now with Wind Burst!"

Stratos flew into the air and unleashed a powerful hurricane at Reese the Ice Mistress. The mistress simply put out a hand and stopped the hurricane's progress until the attack was rendered useless. This took Jaden completely by surprise.

Alexis smirked. "Sorry, but you can't destroy her unless your Hero is Level 3 or Lower," she explained.

"For real? Oh, man," Jaden said, scratching the back of his head. "Well, I'll just call it a turn then."

"Stop treating this like a game, Jaden," Alexis said, drawing her card. "If you're not serious enough, it's better if you quit now."

Jaden raised a brow. "Uh…Hello? Duel Monsters…is still a game, you know." He crossed his arms. "Some people just take it too seriously."

"In case you've forgotten, we're not playing for fun here. This is about the bet."

"I don't care about the bet," Jaden replied, his brown gaze lowering to the floor. "The real reason why I accepted this challenge…the reason why I wanted to duel you was…" He raised his head and looked straight into her eyes. "…because I want to prove something to you."

Alexis' heart skipped a beat. "What's there to prove?" she said, masking her emotions competently. "I'm already aware that you're strong, so—"

"That's not what I meant, Lex."

"Then what is it?"

"It's better if I show it than say it," Jaden said sincerely.

Alexis rolled her eyes. "Whatever…" She then revealed her Trap. "I activate Call of the Haunted to bring Ice Master back from the grave."

Ice Master (ATK: 2500) reappeared on the field, bathed in a calming, blue aura, yet her dagger-like stare toward Jaden was unpleasantly cold for him.

"Now I activate Ice Master's effect to place one Ice Counter on Neos Knight," Alexis stated, pointing at the said Hero with natural poise. "Next, I'll have Ice Master attack Elemental Hero Stratos. Go! Eternal Blizzard!"

Ice Master's staff glowed brightly in blue as a cold, harsh blizzard overwhelmed the poor Stratos until he got frozen and broken.

"I'm freezing here," Jaden (LP: 1400) said, shivering.

"I throw a facedown and end my turn," Alexis said, inserting a Trap Card into the designated zone.

Jaden lifted a hand to the top of his deck. "Hmm…Here goes something," he said, drawing a card. Sadly, no card in his hand was much of a use at the moment. "No choice. Neos Knight, go attack Ice Master!"

Neos Knight thrust forward, lifting his sword above his head, preparing to slash Ice Master.

"Hold it right there!" Alexis exclaimed, revealing her set card. "I activate Negate Attack!"

Jaden bit back a gasp. "Negate Attack…?" He had just used that card a while ago.

"You can't touch my Ice Master now and you've no choice but to end your Battle Phase," Alexis said.

Jaden lightly chuckled and showed her a thumb up. "Nice play, Lex. I thought I had you this turn."

"Flattery won't get you anywhere, Jaden," Alexis retorted.

"Rrrriiiigghhhttt…" Jaden gave off a little laugh. "Your turn now. Show me more moves, Lex."

"Oh, I'll show them alright," she muttered.

At the moment David didn't mind being half drunk. His stagger had steadied to a swagger and even that being robbed of its usual poise by exhaustion and stress. He ran a hand through his messy blond hair. Perhaps he shouldn't have been so animated to force his sister to tell him about Seto Kaiba's relation to Alexis Rhodes. The CEO of KaibaCorp had been the secret fiancé candidate all along. David shook his head at a certain unforgettable memory of the past. He had been very unlucky with Seto Kaiba. He already had enough trouble handling Zane Truesdale before. To face Kaiba head on would be as close to suicide. There was Jaden Yuki to worry about as well.

Had circumstances had gone his way, Alexis would have been his girl, David thought ruefully. Alexis was the first girl to ever catch his attention, the first girl to ever stand up to him other than his sister. He still remembered the first time he fell for her. It was the time when he first dueled her, when he suffered his first loss, his first humiliation. He didn't realize it at first. The emotions he had felt back then were blinded with anger and resentment. He hated losing, especially in a duel. He wanted to win against her. Hence, he followed her to Duel Prep School, where he became known as a bully and her self-proclaimed rival.

Winning had been a priority whenever he'd duel her. Later on, he realized that one of the reasons why he'd always challenge her wasn't just because he kept on losing to her. It was because he wanted her attention, he wanted to be close to her, and he'd feel this strange bliss every time he would see her.

"Truesdale…Kaiba…Yuki…" David grumbled the names of his rivals, leaning against the door to his room. "I won't let you have Alexis." Pressing his back against the door, David pulled out a Duel Monster Card from the breast pocket of his white collared shirt. "With this…Maybe I can finally…"

He inserted the card back into the pocket and opened the door to his room. A malicious grin curved his lips the moment he set his eyes on Zane, who was currently chained to the couch and still weak from the drug.

"How are you holding up, Zane?" David asked mockingly.

Zane looked very, very pale. He could barely move his head. "Don't…don't do this…to Alexis, David…" he managed to say.

"Worry about yourself a little more," David told him, sitting down on his king-sized bed. "You're sweating a lot just by talking."

"No thanks…to you…"

"You get what you deserve, Truesdale."

"You're heartless…"

David laughed maniacally. "Heartless, you say? I wouldn't be doing this in the first place if I was heartless. I have a heart right here," he said, tapping his chest with his finger. "And it's calling out her name."

Zane clenched his teeth, keeping himself from screaming in pain. "You're one…messed up guy…" he breathed out.

Sighing, David took out a syringe and a medicine from his bedside drawer. "It's gonna be a while before she gets here," he said, filling the syringe with the liquid medicine. "Why don't you sleep until then?"

Zane narrowed his gaze at the syringe. "What…what are you gonna—"

A smirk for a smile, David injected the medicine through his bicep or the deltoid muscle. "There…That should make you really sleepy. Sweet dreams, Truesdale."

"Erm…This is…" Zane's eyesight was failing. Everything around him was spinning. "You bastard…" Then his world completely became black.

Torturing Zane proved to be more enjoyable than he had initially thought. However, the physical strain on Zane's body and the mental stress David had given him were still not enough. He wanted to cause more damage to another person to satisfy his wounded heart. "Jaden Yuki…" He walked up to the terrace door, clenching the syringe in his right hand. "I'm gonna make you regret for crossing paths with me."

"I activate Ice Master's special effect to place another Ice Counter on Neos Knight," Alexis said, and Ice Master's wand glowed. In a flash of light, Neos Knight was branded with another snowflake symbol on the shield. "I can finally beat him with the help of this Spell!" Alexis revealed a Continuous Spell from her hand. "Absolute Zero Barrier!"

Jaden made an involuntary step backward. "That can't be good…"

"Now Monsters with Ice Counters can't declare an attack," Alexis said confidently. "And their ATK points decrease by 500 for every counter on them."

"W-What? That means Neos Knight…." Jaden swallowed hard. Neos Knight ATK points decreased to 2000.

Alexis swung her arm forward, urging her Ice Master to attack. "Overpower Neos Knight with Eternal Blizzard!" The blizzard destroyed Elemental Hero Neos Knight and reduced Jaden's life points (LP: 900). "I'm not done yet. I still have Reese the Ice Mistress! Attack!"

Jaden's life points were further reduced to a mere 100. "Looks like I'm on thin ice," he muttered under his breath.

"Only a hundred life points left. What are you gonna do, Jaden?" Alexis questioned.

"I know what I'm gonna do…" Jaden smirked, drawing his card with vigor. "I'm gonna keep on playing!"

"You're seriously enjoying this, aren't you?" Alexis raised a brow, crossing her arms.

"Why wouldn't I? It's so exciting."

"I think you're having a little too much fun. You're gonna lose if you don't watch out."

Jaden gave her a warm smile. "Alexis…Thanks a bunch…"

Her hazel eyes grew wide in surprise. "Why use words of gratitude in this conversation?" she asked.

"Well, it's because I'm really grateful," Jaden answered her. "Not only for this duel…but for everything…"

Alexis turned her head away. She couldn't stop herself from blushing a bit after seeing the sincere look on his face. "What's with you? Why say that?"

Jaden giggled and picked out a Hero from his hand cards. "Alexis, I'm glad I met you, glad that we became friends and good rivals …" He breathed in deeply and gazed upon his card. …And I'm glad to have fallen in love with you… He slapped the card onto the Monster Card Zone. "Okay, buddy, you're up!" Elemental Hero Ice Edge (ATK: 800) emerged on the field.

"Trying to level the playing field by using ice?" she asked, regaining composure.

"This guy's gonna be a big help. You see, once per turn, by discarding 1 card, Ice Edge can attack you directly," he explained, discard one card from his hand to the graveyard. "Ice Edge, Glacial Punch!"

Ice Edge charged in, passing Ice Master in a blink of an eye, and punched Alexis in the gut.

"Finally touched your life points," Jaden said, snapping his fingers. "Sorry about the punch though."

Alexis simply shot him a glare.

"I'm gonna set this card down," Jaden announced, setting a Spell Card, "and that's it for my turn."

Alexis drew a card from her deck and immediately entered Battle Phase. "Ice Master, Eternal Blizzard!" she commanded. The blizzard attack was successful in destroying Ice Edge, but Jaden was able to save his life by activating the Quick Spell called Residual Reflection. "Just as I thought…Taking you out is never easy."

Jaden chuckled. "By removing 2 monsters from my grave, I take no damage. I'm sticking around till the next turn."

"Unfortunately…"

"Come on…Don't tell me you're not enjoying this, Lex."

"Why would I?"

"You're lying to yourself, you know."

"Just stop, okay? Besides, you should start worrying. You've got no monsters left. You don't even have any hand cards."

"Oh, yeah…I'm in serious trouble, huh?" Jaden let out a light laugh. "But I'm not gonna give up. I'll keep on fighting."

And there it was…His confident smile. She also felt his cheerful aura—something that always made him stand out as a Duelist. She couldn't help but be more and more impressed. No matter how much she tried to deny it, she admired the Jaden before her. The determination, the joy he showed, his style, his moves—everything about him made her ecstatic, even though she hid those emotions well under a mask. The pain she experienced was still fresh in her heart. She couldn't bring herself to show how much he meant to her, knowing that Jaden was only forced to date her because of Seto Kaiba.

"Alexis, I'm glad I met you, that we became friends and good rivals…"

His voice seemed to echo in her head. But you lied to me, Jaden…

"Sis, I know you heard him shout out those three beautiful words a while ago," Atticus said with a small smile.

Yes, she did hear Jaden say those words out loud. Honestly, she felt quite happy about it. She just didn't want to admit it to Atticus.

"How much of it were lies? How much of it were the truth?" Jaden asked with amusement as Alexis walked around the table to pat Pharaoh on the head. "Alexis, do you seriously think it was all pretend?"

Alexis let those words sink in. She was confused. "Jaden…" She lowered her arms to her side and stared down at the floor. "Hey, listen…"

Jaden raised a brow. "Hmmm? What is it?"

"I…I won't forgive you…" Alexis said icily, and her words felt like a stab for Jaden. She felt like stabbing herself for spurting out such words. She meant to speak of something else. "I won't forgive you if…you don't come at me…" But she figured there was no stopping it. She raised her head and smiled proudly at him. "…with everything you've got."

Jaden returned a smile. "Alexis, you're not angry with me anymore?"

"I'm not sure. I'm probably mad at what you did…I don't like being played around, obviously, but you got involved in the bet."

Jaden let out an exasperated sigh. "Tell me about it…That MAN can really force people into signing anything," he said. "But let's not ruin the moment here. The Duel has finally reached its climax."

"You're right. The next move is yours and it'll be probably be your last." Alexis folded her arms in front of her chest. "…Unless you've got something up your sleeve?"

Atticus cupped his chin with a hand. "Is this for real? My little sis is actually enjoying herself now. Jaden, my good man, you've done it again." He clapped once in glee. "He managed to melt the ice with his enthusiasm." He glanced at man beside him, taking quick note of his expression. Seto seemed more interested than ever. That was quite a rare sight.

It was Jaden's turn. The card he was about to draw would be the card to determine his fate. "Okay, Alexis, this is my DRAW!" he exclaimed.

To be continued…

JC: That's the end of Chapter 23. The Duel will reach its end in the next chapter. I really love their decks from the Manga. Please be reminded that I've also included cards they've used from the video games as well. I know David's got issues and Kaiba's still got his reasons…But everything will be clear soon. I swear! Poor Zane though… I'm gonna add a little bit of romance in the next chapter. I have the scenes in my head now. Okay, let me see the reviews. I'm gonna be busy the following days, but I'll try to update soon. Remember, no flaming!