Chapter Thirty-Nine
39
All Is Fair In Love And Dueling
Before Jaden and Connar could reach their dorm, Blair had caught up with them and pulled them to the cliff side for a quick chat.
"Listen...the fact that I'm a girl, has to stay a secret!"
"Okay...but how come?" Jaden asked
"I'd like to know that too." Connar said softly.
But the small girl couldn't say anything more. Or rather, she just wouldn't.
Jaden sighed.
"Look, I don't wanna blow your cover, but if I'm gonna keep a secret, I think I should at least know why it is one."
"Got that right." Connar stated,"I Had to plant a hot wet one on this thing in order to distract those guys and I think I deserve to know what I'm covering for and why I'm covering!"
"Thing?" Jaden blinked and gave an awkward chuckle,"Aw come on, my breath wasn't that bad, was it?"
"That's not the issue!" Connar huffed,"The issue is I didn't want to kiss you in the first place!"
"Okay, So why did you then!?"
"I panicked!" she huffed with a heated blush while Jaden and the small girl child joined each other in subtle snickering.
"Come on, Connie no need to work yourself up, it was just a little kiss." he said patting her on the back,"Think of it this way, you gave your first kiss to someone you can trust, so now it's outta the way!"
"What?" she blinked,"You're not my first kiss!"
"Huh!?" Jaden blinked and gulped awkwardly,"Uh...I'm not?"
"No! Thank goodness...er-" she twitched and turned to Jaden waving her arms apologeticly,"N-No offense!"
"Uh...some taken, Yeah! Ouch..." he sighed.
"Well anyway, You two don't need to know why!" Blair huffed,"Nobody does!"
Connar and Jaden stared at her in silence for a moment before exchanging glances with each other.
"Fine...if you're not gonna tell me,"Jaden shrugged,"Then you atleast have to duel me." he stated, both girls seemed exceptionally confused as he grabbed his duel disk and strapped it on," Get your game on!"
"A duel?" Blair blinked."How will that solve anything?"
"Because in a duel, the truth always comes out!" he gave Connar a quick glance and flashed Blair a grin.
"Fine!" she said,"But if I win, you keep quiet without me having to explain myself!"
"No worries about that." Jaden nodded,"This duel will tell me all I need to know."
xxxxx
Meanwhile from up above the rocks, Syrus and Chmley were creeping in and watching from the shadows. Though they couldn't quite make out the missing bits of conversation.
"Well...we found them." Chumley stated.
"But...what are they talking about down there?" asked Syrus.
"Dunno." said Chumley,"But it seems pretty serious."
"I knew this would happen!" Syrus sighed,"Jaden's found a new guy to pal around with..." he blinked and let out a soft gasp at it dawned on him that Connar was down there too,"Hey, wait!" Syrus exclaimed,"What if the new guy is in love with Connar!" he stated, and Jaden is in love with her too and now they're fighting over her!?"
"Uhh Sy-"
"Ahhhhh! I knew this would happen if I introduced Jaden to my friends! Especially my cute ones!" he huffed,"Now they're gonna start going steady and then they'll get married and it will just be so awkward-!"
Too late... he's too far gone...
Chumley chuckled to himself.
I better just let him roll with his wild stories and get it out of his system...
"...That's not it, Syrus." another male's voice broke into the pow wow causing Syrus and Chumley to turn and check out the situation.
"Zane!" Syrus gasped and the male continued the explanation of the situation.
"See...Blair isn't a guy." Zane stated,"She's really a girl. Obelisk Security Cameras showed her in our dorm earlier."
"But what they didn't show is why she's gone through all this trouble." stated Alexis who had arrived on the scene alongside Zane.
"Really?" Syrus blinked,"I wonder how Jaden plans to solve that mystery..."
"DUEL!"
"...Yeah that sounds like Jaden." Syrus stated as he shifted his gaze back to the cliff side action.
xxxxx
Connar kept a distance back close to the rocky terrain as she watched closely, focusing on any details that may give her any explanations that Jaden was trying to find. And after Blair's opening move, All was made clear to Connar in an instant.
"Get ready!" said Blair as she drew her first card,"To fall in love" she beamed and placed her first monster on the mat,"I summon, Maiden in Love!"
Wait...
Connar blinked.
Maiden in love...?
she gave a sudden gasp as she went through the events she had witnessed through out the day that led to this point.
First Blair gave that compliment about Zane...
Then we find her sneaking into the Obelisk Blue dorm...
And it turns out the room she snuck into...and that I had to bust Jaden out of...was Zane's!
She gulped as she could feel the heat in her cheeks flush.
Awe man...now it makes sense...
"Very well done, ~!" a familiar spirit's voice echoed within her,"You're getting better at reading a situation!"
Kaibaman!
She gasped softly.
Yeah...I think I'm starting to understand how Jaden can do it so well...
She thought.
Now the question remains...what will Jaden do?
xxxxx
"I'm dueling for Love~" was Blair's declaration as she wound up taking control of another one of Jaden's monsters.
"Dueling for love?" Zane blinked, "Doesn't she mean dueling with love?"
"You mean, you haven't figured it out yet, Zane?" Alexis chuckled. Though he usually was awkward with that sort of thing.
It wasn't hard to see that Jaden was having a hard time keeping on his feet. The duel was a cringey one that even gave Connar the chills, and not in a good way. While the two Slifers on the cliff tops enjoyed the show, each love and romance themed card played made Connar's theory more and more clear. And it didn't take long for the two Obelisk spectators watching from above to figure it out either. Well, Alexis anyway, who had to explain it to Zane.
Finally in the end, Jaden was able to make his final come back with the help of Burstinatrix and the fusion of a Jaden classic: Elemental Hero Flame WIngman. The remaining life points Blair had instantly dropped to zero and the peanut gallery quickly made their way to the main stage.
"Ah-Syrus! Chumley!" Connar beamed,"Er...Zane..." She gulped and Alexis shot a few daggers in the pinkette's direction and she gulped once again.
Uh Oh...Don't tell me Zane told her-
She let out a heavy sigh and face planted into her palm.
This is just not gonna be a good day for me...
She sighed.
"That's game!" Jaden beamed,"Thanks for the sweet duel, Blair! That was fun!"
"All right..." Blair sighed,"I guess I have to tell you my secret now..."
"Nah...I learned more than enough from our duel, Blair." Jaden chuckled,"And I think our spectators learned a few things as well." He motioned toward the approaching group of students, one among them being Zane which had been clarified was the reason Blair was doing what she did in the first place.
"Sure did~" Alexis snickered,"Love is on her mind Zane~"
"Zane...you're here...!" the small girl blushed and fidgeted shyly,"Then I guess I should let you know..." she said softly,"I'm the one that snuck into your dorm room...not Jaden." she blinked,"I've been in love with you, eversince I met you."
Zane nodded.
"At Nationals." he said softly.
So that's where I saw her!
Connar blinked.
She was at the Nationals of the last tournament my father spectated...
"That's right!" Blair giggled,"We met right after you won the Championship match! And since then I made a pledge...that I would do anything to be with you."
"Awww." Chumley and Syrus gave swooning sighs.
Meanwhile Connar tried the best she could to try and blend into the rocky terrain during the small girl's innocent confession.
Love...huh?
Connar blinked.
I kind of envy that she can say it so boldly like that...
So easily...
She sighed.
Meanwhile I can't even figure out my current emotions, let alone anything bold such as...'love'...
"I remember that you said if I trained hard enough I could get into Duel Academy! Like you! So I did!" she giggled,"And now that I'm here, we can get married!"
"Ha, get married! That's a good one!" Jaden laughed.
"But...I'm not joking..."
"Blair...sweetie..." Alexis said softly,"Love doesn't work like that...you can't sneak your way into somebody's heart."
"Yeah right!" Blair huffed,"You just want Zane all to yourself, so you're trying to get rid of me!" She pouted and puffed her cheeks putting Alexis into an awkward position.
"Uh, Zane...mind helping?" Alexis pleaded.
"Blair...as flattered as I am by your affections...I'm afraid I'm only in love with one thing right now, and that's dueling."
Alexis let out a sigh as she slipped over by Jaden and they exchanged an awkward but relieved smile.
"I'm really sorry." Zane said as he carefully placed the hair clip back into the small girl's hands,"But it's time for you to go home."
"Wait? Why does she have to go home?" Jaden stated,"She's a student here. And a good one!"
"Jaden...she has to go home."
"Oh, I get it, Zane." Jaden said,"You're pushing her out because she's a good student!"
"N-No wait, Jaden, you don't understand-" said Connar as she tried to find the right words to explain the situation.
"What's to understand!?" Jaden laughed,"Zane is afraid that she might de-throne him!"
Even Alexis couldn't hold in her laughter as Zane tried to explain himself to the naive red brunette.
"No..." he huffed,"She has to go home because she's in Fifth grade grade!"
"Wait...what!?" Jaden blinked, and Connar burst into a fit of giggles.
"So...you're saying that I almost got beat...by an 10 year old!?"
"I'm actually 11!" Blair giggled,"If it makes you feel any better~"
Jaden collapsed to the ground in shock which only made Connar roll even harder.
When morning came, they all gathered to the docks to put Blair on the next boat off the island, waving their farewells.
"Byyyye~!" The girl beamed waving happily,"I'll be back as soon as I finish both middle and grade school!" she giggled,"But I'll be back~!"
"HaHa, hear that Zane~?" Jaden teased.
"Oh please." Zane shrugged,"I'll be long gone by the time she gets here."
"Yeah, that's true." Jaden chuckled,"So I guess Blair's crush ends right here."
"I wouldn't be so sure~" Zane smirked and Jaden blinked with curious suspicion.
"Good bye Jaden~" chimed the girl,"My sweet Prince!~ I Looooove Yooouu~!"
"PFFFT HAHAHAHAHAHA~" Connar folded over her gut as she burst out into laughter.
"What!?" Jaden gasped,"I thought she liked Zane!?"
"She does like Zane~ But apparently she LOVES you!" Alexis giggled as well.
"Good luck." Zane shrugged and prepared to take his leave.
"And Connar~" Blair called out," I better not find out that you kissed my Jaden again! You got that!?"
"WHAT!?" Connar gasped and turned pale as a ghost as Alexis took her turn to roll in the laughter.
"Wait...what did she say!?" Syrus huffed and and shot glares at Connar who knew she was in big trouble this time-
"Wait-hold on SyRy...it's not what you think!" She let out a shriek when the small statured Slifer boy began to make chase.
"You better start explaing, Connar!" he huffed,"Best friends are off limits!"
"It was a fake out Make out!" She cried out as he chased her wildly around the dock,"A FAKE OUT MAKE OUT!"
"Zane explained the situation to me already..." Alexis chuckled as she watched the scene play out in front of her,"Still...this is pretty satisfying to watch!"
XXXXX
Finally having escaped the wrath of Syrus Truesdale, Connar found herself back on the beach once again, catching her breath as she gazed out to the distance where the sky meets the sea.
I see...I was finally able to come back here after all...
She thought to herself.
"So tell me, Connar...was kissing Jaden as good as your last boyrfriend?"
"Oh shut up, Zane!" Connar huffed as the older Obelisk male student approached her on the shore with a teasing smirk,"It was a panicked attempt to escape a desperate situation!" she huffed,"It's not like either of us were trying to put any effort into it we just wanted out!"
"You're a good friend, Connar." he said softly,"You did whatever you could think of to help out a friend in need..." he blinked,"That's admirable."
Connar blinked and hung her head in silence for a moment as she let that sink in. Somehow, it helped her feel a little better inside...
"Though...You could have done better."
And there it goes.
She huffed a sigh.
"Okay, we've clarified that I wasn't thinking straight and I haven't been myself lately, can we please drop it now?"
"There's a lot going on in your mind, isn't there Connar?" he asked gently, startling her into showing he was right on the money.
Zane blinked for a moment as he looked at her before gazing back out into the sea at her side.
"It's okay to open yourself up to people." he said softly,"I know you have a lot of pressure on you..."he blinked,"But if you continue keeping your guard up around the people who are trying to be your friends...all because of your fear of losing what you think you have..."he said as he turned toward her,"Then in the end you really might lose out on the real friends that you could have."
"But, Zane..." she said softly,"How do I know who I can trust?" she blinked,"How do I know if the friends I supposibly have, are really the friends I do have?" she blinked,"What if everything changes once they...know?"
What if everything breaks?
"...I can't tell you how you will know which people to trust." he said softly,"Sometimes, trusting means taking a risk, it' can be scary, and sometimes, it will end badly." he said,"But what I can tell you, is that the real friends who do mean well, will continue to see you in following days, the same way they saw you in the previous." he stated," The way they look at you will never change."he said softly,"But in order to find those people...you first need to look at yourself, and learn how you see you. The rest will fall into place from there."
A long silence hung between them as they stared out into the ocean.
"You know...I may not be able to grasp at my emotions and understand them as easily as Blair did..." she said softly as she blinked,"But I think I still learned something from her."
"Oh? And what's that?" Zane asked.
But Connar didn't respond any further, except with a gentle smile as she looked up at him while her pink hair feathered around her.
How to be more honest...with myself, so that I can be honest with everyone else.
To Be Continued