Okay, so before ANYONE asks? No, it's not a trick!

I know it's stupidly long overdue as always, but I want to thank everyone for the continued support and encouragement I get via the reviews / DM's and that I still have many of you cheering me on. That means more to me than I could try and put into words, so... thank you everyone~

Also, to KhaosOmega for pointing out the little Easter Egg from the last chapter: yes, it's the Yoshizawa sisters from Persona 5 indeed~ There's a reason that ONE DAY I'll sit down and work on a Persona fic but that'll probably be an idea shelved until I'm doing better mentally!

I'll explain a little more at the end of this one but keep me from keeping you waiting any longer!

Chapter Four, Part One: GO! :3

~Enter The King: Redux!~
~Feathers On The Upswell'd Winds!~
(~Part I: Chain Reactions!~)

(Ra Yellow Dorms: Jaden and Jenny's Room)

7:30 am.

The not-so-magic number.

The piercing sounds of the newly-bought alarm clock blared throughout the room; going completely unnoticed as Jaden continued to sleep through the piercing cries of attention it gave. Despite being Saturday, it was one of the few exceptions in which classes were still on schedule for the students of Duel Academy.

Even so, poor Alarm-kun.

It had been roughly a month after the events between both Alexis and Jenny yet, (to Jenny's secret embarrassment and Jaden's teasing delight), it was still one of the most talked-about duels in Duel Academy, up to this point: alongside the likes of Jaden's entrance duel against Crowler, and even one of Zane's recent victories over a fellow Obelisk student.

Unfortunately, just because you were one of the upcoming talked-about duelists; it didn't mean you were exempt from any coursework! And so, after an incredibly long night of studying, the pair of Ra students buried their heads into the books until it was well past midnight.

Which led to a pair of book-worn students sneaking into the main kitchen for something to eat before settling down for the night.

Jaden soon discovered that Jenny was a pretty decent cook, which made sense given how the two of them lived by themselves; you either learn a thing or two with cooking, or you end up spending ridiculous amounts of money on takeouts!

Half an hour later, the clock cried out for attention once more. However, finally having enough of the noise disturbing him from his sleep, Jaden grabbed one of his pillows and carelessly threw it at the alarm clock; shutting it up with a large thud as it smacked against the wall and fell behind the dresser beside the main bed.

No alarm clocks were harmed during this scene, and Alarm-kun will be fine~

"S'too early," he mumbled half-consciously as his body willed itself to sit up, as if in reflex. Letting loose a long yawn as he stretched his body, his hand scratched his scalp while trying to smooth down some of his errant locks of hair that stuck up comically in a few places. After sitting there for two minutes, allowing a few moments to get his cognitive process and bodily functions working to enough of a degree, he finally heaved himself onto his feet before hobbling over to the bathroom.

Of course, as I'm sure many of my readers will agree, the mind isn't quite all there first thing in the morning. In Jaden's case, he completely forgot that he was sharing a room. Also, it wasn't his apartment, and he was sharing a room with a female.

Jaden was used to having his female spirits around him, especially when he showered; so it wasn't as much of an issue for him as he grew accustomed to this. Yet, he didn't realise it would not be the case for his redhead roommate.

Said bathroom was currently being occupied by said redhead.

"Kyaaaaaaaa!"

Jaden's attention turned to find the source of the noise, and his eyes soon locked on the only other occupant of the room. However, it took a moment for his mind to kick-start and soon found himself blushing as his eyes refused to turn away from hers.

As it were, his eyes unknowingly roamed the frames of water that poured down from the shower and moved to soak her luscious crimson hair; idly noting that it reached down to just above the small of her back. His eyes darted back to her amber orbs that widened in shock and contrasted nicely against the hair and the scarlet blush on her face as his eyes caught the movement of one errant droplet as it moved to travel down her creamy neck.

He watched, spellbound, as the droplet moved in between the valley of her breasts and under the arm that rested across to prevent her modesty from being ruined further; yet found himself admiring the evident swell and firmness of them as her arms pressed further against them.

From there, the droplet continued to travel downward over her taught and flawless skin and over the firm abs that were beginning to show a little bit of shape as it danced between the forming muscles… before finally diving between the crossed thighs, and into uncharted territory that soon had his mind short-circuit from the mental image alone.

Jenny, on the other hand, didn't know what to think. She knew the natural response would be to kick up a fuss and kick him out of the room and, naturally, the thought crossed her mind. After all, despite him being someone she was comfortable around, it didn't give him a free pass to see her naked!

However, she had to stop for three particular reasons:

First, she hadn't locked the door behind her.

Major mistake on her part, and one she mentally chided herself for, harshly. Who the fuck would leave the bathroom door unlocked when you're sharing a sleeping space with someone of the opposite sex!? Her!

Second, she could've left a note when she got up, the first time the alarm clock went off. She allowed Jaden an extra half an hour's sleep since he was up later than she was; so a note telling him she intended to take the first shower would've been sufficient, and this could have been avoided. Another mental smack of the head for her mistake.

Lastly, she did not expect Jaden to waltz in the bathroom while taking a shower but soon remembered that she decided to share a room with someone of the opposite sex. That last thought shut down any protests she would've given him, inwardly sighing instead for her carelessness, and recognizing one of the inevitabilities that came with sharing a room with him.

It had caused a major ruckus with Sheppard, the moment he found out that she had offered to share her room with him, due to the sudden change of switching dorms. He had been far from happy knowing that a male and female student of his; fame aside, were sharing a room and breaking several protocols and breaches of conduct from this one act.

He had gotten so furious that Seto Kaiba, himself, was involved in this breach of conduct. Kaiba himself initially lost his cool until he saw the familiar brown mane of hair that belonged to one of the few people he could admit to himself, that he truly cared about. Yet true to her word, Jenny took over and claimed full responsibility for the issue; professing that she was the one to offer him her room and that it was her doing that the two shared the room. Despite the numerous reasons for his fame and mental/emotional vulnerability aside; she was concerned for his safety.

Having her room at the far end of the hallway meant no one had reason to make their way towards her room, for fear of the repercussions they were facing now. It gave him a place to stay, away from the rest of the students who could potentially hound him for his celebrity status.

To Jack's complete surprise, Kaiba simply waved the matter off as unimportant, the moment he realised Jaden was a part of the issue. Knowing Jaden as well as he does, Kaiba knew that Jaden wouldn't be as frivolous to go out of his way to share a room with a female, just for the sake of breaking protocols. Kaiba knew Jaden was better than that, given his prior history and being one of the joint-three legal guardians of the brown-haired troublemaker.

Also, hearing the confirmation from Jenny's mouth, Kaiba was impressed by her dedication to sticking to her words and taking the full blame for her admission. Despite this, he couldn't let this matter go scot-free; so he permitted for the two to continue as it were, under the stipulation that they would report every two weeks to Sheppard to prove nothing scandalous was going on behind closed doors.

Failure to comply with this would result in the two of them being split apart, if not expelled outright. He would not play favourites, not even with Jaden involved, without him risking a major breach of the code of conduct. A condition both of them seriously agreed to.

Now stood there, embarrassingly aware of how Jaden's eyes were fixed on her body, and how he slowly took her nude form like he was dying of thirst. Her blush deepened even further since she noted he was only wearing boxers and a white t-shirt as his nightwear.

Hormones were still a thing and Jaden was no exception to the morning problem that men struggle with. Her eyes glanced downward and soon discovered the obvious tent that formed in his boxers and (much like he had, to her greatest embarrassment,) also found herself unable to tear her gaze away.

"..." Jaden was speechless as his blush reached new levels after finally understanding where her eyes were situated and how his body reacted to the sight of his naked female roommate. As soon as his mind finally processed once more, his eyes shot open as he shot out of the bathroom and loudly shut the door behind him. He leaned back against the door while he panted for breath, sliding down to the floor as his heart raced unlike anything before.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I-I didn't know you were in here!" Jaden apologised quickly as he buried his face in his tucked knees, trying and failing to remove the image that was now burned into his memory.

If anything, it woke him up.

No? Okay. Worth a try.

"It's my fault, Jay. I got careless and I could've done several things to avoid this. I'm the one in the wrong here, okay?" she replied, quietly. Sighing, she also fell to the shower floor and tucked her knees up in a position similar to Jaden's (not that she knew) as she let the water try and burn her blush away.

She knew she would be kidding herself if she didn't expect this to happen, thanks to her history of watching anime and all the clichés therein. A small whisper in the back of her mind admitted that a part of her was happy that he responded so strongly to the sight of her naked.

Despite that positive, she shuddered violently from past memories resurfacing, and taking over her; a sharp wince came from the side of her head as she let out a groan, noting the sudden pain pulsing inside her head growing in its intensity.

"Nnnngh…" Jenny groaned from her place on the shower floor, still clutching her head as the throbbing refused to ease up any. Gritting her teeth, she waited for a moment between the fresh waves of pain and took a breath. "Jay? G-Get one of the girls, please? I-I need help!"

Jaden's eyes widened, mind kicking into overdrive as his eyes flared from chocolate to amber; Darkness flaring around him as both Burstinatrix and Ayumi materialised before him, and watching as the two rushed off immediately into the bathroom. Both of them took in the scene before them, seeing Jenny curled up on the shower flooring as the water began cooling to a lukewarm and hitting her frame right now.

"Jen? What's happening, sweetie?" Trix near-ordered whilst reaching in and shutting the shower off, allowing Ayumi to kneel before the nude redhead and watch on in discomfort as Jenny continued to grit her teeth and hold the side of her head. She lifted her head, amber eyes unfocused and glazed over as a wave of dizziness overcame her at that moment.

"...don't… feel…" Jenny slurred, her body swaying before her eyes rolled up into the back of her head and fell near-lifelessly against the glass door of the shower. Ayumi shrieked in response to the sudden turn of events, grabbing the redhead and pulling her wet frame against her for support and better positioning. Two fingers immediately moved to her neck, Ayumi's stiffened shoulders relaxing as she felt a slowing but steady pulse.

"Jaden!" Trix ordered, stepping into the doorway and blocking passage for anyone else getting into the bathroom once she watched the redhead fall unconscious. "I want Yubel, Danny, and Wolf here right now for her - and I want you to at least have Kiyomi and Steph if you can manage it!"

Jaden nodded seriously, hearing the urgency in her voice and reaching out to said spirits one by one and drawing them into the room with them all: one more brief spike of Darkness energy had said individuals in the room, all of which moved to their respective tasks. Trix, meanwhile, moved to the wardrobe to grab a few pieces of clothing before jogging back and shutting the door behind her.

"Forgive the intrusion!" a voice interrupted before the front door opened to reveal Bastion rushing in a plain white tee and blue-boxers combo. Sensing and seeing several of the duel spirits, and Jaden's current lack of attire, his mind whirled into action. "What's happening? I heard shouting and then a loud thud!"

"I-I dunno…" Jaden stammered, swaying slightly before Kiyomi took hold of him and gently moved him to sit down on his mattress on the floor. Jaden tried speaking again but words began choking him and he only managed to get some strangled noises out as his mind began overloading.

His usage of his powers of Darkness didn't help matters but it was a necessary evil right now given the current state of affairs. It had been drilled into him that the one key factor needed for controlling said power was emotional and mental stability. Both of which he currently did not possess.

"We can explain this further AFTER we get Jen some emergency treatment," Stephanie, Jaden's Elemental Hero Bladedge, ordered with a firm tone. Bastion snapped and straightened up at the command, nodding in seriousness and dropping the matter for now until things settled down a touch more.

She turned to face Jaden and kneeled in front of him, bringing both of her hands up to his cheeks and feeling him shaking from the contact. Her eyes softened, knowing exactly what was going through his mind right now and what he was feeling: a sensation felt across the bond with all of his Heroes.

They were concerned for him, very much so. Yet they knew that he wouldn't hesitate to throw himself onto the backburner if it meant he could help someone else who needed it, sometimes wrongly assuming so to the point that they needed it more than him.

"Jay? Look at me," she spoke gently, rubbing his cheeks with her thumbs while Kiyomi rubbed his back. "Look at meeeee. You did nothing wrong, okay?"

Jaden shook his head furiously, not believing her words as his thoughts began to spiral downwards and take him into a downward spiral. Stephanie continued to rub his cheeks, resting her head against his and closing her eyes. Her tongue ran along the back of her upper teeth, knowing that this was gonna be a bad episode.

"Jay, please come back…" she whispered, feeling him trembling even more. "We knew this could happen, didn't we?"

A shaky nod, followed by a choked sob.

"Jenny said that WE would cross the bridge when we came to it, right? Not just you and Jen, but all of us together. We won't leave you alone and we're here to help you through this. Yeah?"

Another nod, as tears fell from his face, and began crying silently in front of the two Duel Spirits and Bastion. Kiyomi, bless her, rested her head on his shoulder wrapped her arms around his midsection, and hugged him tightly. She was feeling the emotions badly since she was in physical contact with him, and used what she could of her powers to spread her loving warmth through him and help Jaden through this…

All while holding back her choked sobs… but failing to do the same for her tears.

"So take some deep breaths for your Big-Sis Steph and come back to us, Jay~ She wouldn't blame you, and I know you wouldn't do what your thoughts are telling you… you're not to blame, okay~? C'mon, take some biiiiiig breaths for me~"

Jaden nodded weakly before he began his breathing exercises, slowly working himself back into a more stable state mentally and emotionally. As he did, the bathroom door opened up: Trix walking out with the rest of the Heroes, Yubel, and an unconscious Jenny dressed and currently being carried bridal-style in the latter's arms.

Her emerald eyes immediately took in the state of her dear Jaden and had to bite back the urge to rush over and make sure he was okay. She wished she could comfort him right now but he was in good hands already, not to mention she was responsible for his roommate's wellbeing.

There was more to this than what it seemed on the surface; hence her request to both Danny and Wolf also be there with her since they both handled more of the traumatic aspects of mental issues and illness. They hadn't seen any fresh injuries and no sign of blood…

They spotted something… but it would be best to keep this knowledge to themselves and not pry too much into the uncharted and unauthorised territory. That bridge would be crossed once Jenny was back up and if she was willing to talk.

Giving a nod towards her fellow Spirits, Trix signalled to the door as she, Yubel, Danny, and Wolf all trailed behind her out of the room and headed straight for the on-site infirmary. Yubel flapped her wings and flew out of the door, with the rest of the accompanying Spirits keeping pace and getting the Ra-redhead where she needed to be.

Bastion sighed seeing what was going on, his mind racing to make sense of what he saw before giving up once his brain hit a mental roadblock. The overall mood in the room wasn't helping him in any way, and there was a good chance that the three of them would be giving today's lessons a miss.

"Let me get dressed, and I shall see if Professor Sartyr would be willing to provide us all with breakfast. I feel like we, at the very least, can do with some form of caffeine," he lightly jokes, earning a few snorts in return for the attempt at levity. "Ayumi? Would you be willing to accompany me? If not, I fully understand."

Said Spirit paused for a moment, turning her head over her shoulder to see both the Spirits take care of Jaden right now and bring him back to the surface. Giving a sad smile, she turned back to Bastion and nodded in agreement; a thankful look in her eyes towards him as he regarded her desire to stay with Jaden and make sure he was doing okay.

Bastion smiled back lightly, resting his hand on the small of her back for comfort and gently leading her out of the door with him, as both of them took the opportunity to leave the room and get started on their end of things.

"Kiki," Steph gently spoke, seeing as Jaden had fallen back asleep from the stress of it all and had curled himself up in his Lady Heat's frame on the mattress. Said Spirit gently raising her head to look at the older Spirit as she heard his Bladedge call her by one of her old nicknames. "We… we might need to have Jay bunk with Bastion for a little while. This… this is gonna set him back. Badly."

Kiyomi's eyes widened before she looked down at the still-shivering Jaden in her arms, her thoughts coming to the same realization that Steph had drawn. Jaden was an incredibly vulnerable person, despite his outward appearance and mannerisms that might dictate otherwise. But something like this, as unintentional as it might have seemed…

"... we'll ask him once he comes back with Ayumi. For now, what else can we do?" Kiyomi asked quietly, doing her best not to disturb Jaden as he slept in her arms. Steph turned her head, hearing a vibrating sound coming from somewhere, and began moving around the room to pinpoint the source.

She noted Jaden's Ra blazer tossed onto the corner near the wardrobe, and that the buzzing was coming from his personal PDF inside his inner pocket. She noted there were already two missed calls, but immediately rang them back once she saw who it was that tried contacting him.

She immediately pressed a few buttons on the screen, making her way into the empty bathroom and closing the door gently behind her as she did so: she didn't want to wake Jaden up prematurely if she could help it but she knew the world wouldn't wait for him as he recovered, sadly…

"Jaden? Are you there?"

"Not quite," Steph replied, "There's been an incident this morning and… TL:DR; Jenny Andrews is currently being taken to the infirmary by some of his Spirits, while Jaden himself has recently fallen back to sleep from mental exhaustion. You're speaking to Stephanie, his Elemental Hero Bladedge."

"... this is why I was against letting the two of them share a room…" the other voice sighed exasperatedly, though for completely different reasons. "Stephanie? Thank you for bringing this to my attention, and for taking the necessary steps in making sure that Miss Andrews is on her way to seeking medical help. What of Jaden, however? You mentioned he had fallen back asleep?"

"Major depressive spike, anxiety has been amped up to full, and several of his reactions lead us to believe he might have had a small relapse mentally and emotionally. We don't currently know how much damage has been done but there has been SOME damage nonetheless," Steph explained pinching the bridge of her nose while she did so.

"I had hoped to speak with Jaden about a small proposition but… current affairs might complicate issues now. This is… rather aggravating and extremely inconvenient, to say the least…"

"Say the proposition anyways, we can all sit down and work on the finer details once things have settled down a little more and everyone is feeling more themselves. Well, for the most part, I guess?" Steph shrugged in response, not exactly empathetic towards the Chancellor who was speaking to her right now.

"It'll have to do. I'll have to ask everyone involved to come to the infirmary where Miss Andrews will be resting, at once, when she wakes up and is willing to talk about what happened," Jack Sheppard ordered, earning a hum of confirmation from her. "I shall excuse both Mister Yuki and Miss Andrews from today's classes, and I'm going to assume that Mister Misawa is also aware of the situation?"

"Yes, sir."

"Very well, he shall be excused also but I expect him to return and be ready for tomorrow's seminars. Please contact me once the situation develops."

Stephanie sighed, closing the PDF once Sheppard hung up on her, and ran her fingers through her hair in exasperation. She was aware of the stipulations placed with the two Ra roommates and without knowing the full story, could be taken in a very bad misinterpretation. Clicking her teeth, she walked back out of the bathroom and gently tossed Jaden's PDF onto Jenny's bed.

"Everything okay?" Kiyomi hummed, eyes furrowed seeing the concerned look on Steph's face. She watched as Spirit reached over to grab Jay's phone and began scrolling through his contacts for a certain Kaiba brother to call.

"Here's hoping," Steph retorted, pressing the call button and making her way back into the bathroom: so occupied with her current task that she failed to see the main door open up to reveal both Bastion, Ayumi, and Trix coming back into the room with a silver service cart being pushed by the male of the three. "We got a situation."

"Speak."

The door closed fully just as the new occupants heard the unmistakable voice belonging to Seto Kaiba speaking on the other end of the phone, cutting off any further attempts to listen in. Trix, sensing what the conversation would be about, pried herself away from the others and quietly entered the bathroom with Steph to help fill in some missing details.

"Professor Sartyr will bring us all something within the hour but has given us enough in terms of hot drinks to tie us over until then," Bastion informed, gesturing to the cart containing said hot drinks for them all. "He was rather worried but Trix and Ayumi both had given me all a brief rundown of what's going on."

"What happened?" Kiyomi asked seriously, her eyes narrowing in seriousness as she wanted to piece everything together while filling in the blanks.

"Jay's alarm went off half an hour before when he woke up fully; the first alarm being what woke Jenny up and prompted her the chance to use the shower before him," Ayumi took charge while Bastion began pouring the drinks for everyone. "Jenny forgot to lock the door behind her, and we know how absent-minded Jaden can be first thing in the morning. So he walked in on her without meaning to, and forgot that he was sharing a dorm with her."

"... that explains why Jay's mental state has gone to shit at least," Kiyomi groaned, running her fingers through said brunette's hair as a comforting gesture. "But what caused Jen to faint like that? It couldn't be from embarrassment, right?"

Ayumi and Bastion looked at one another; a spoken conversation between the two as they decided on who would break the news. Earning a sigh in response, Jaden's Supernova broke the eye contact and turned back to his Lady Heat.

"It's too soon to tell, and we're running on fumes with this theory," she began carefully and quietly, "... but we noticed a scar on Jen's head where she was gripping it once Trix and I entered the bathroom. It's an old scar, possibly a year old if not longer. Danny and Wolf both think there's something that triggered her episode, linked to that scar, that caused her brain to shut itself down to protect her."

Kiyomi let loose a shuddered breath, just as the bathroom door opened up once more; both Trix and Stephanie came out with Seto still on the call. Trix reached over and pressed something on the screen, bringing up a small holographic form of the elder Kaiba to be seen by them all.

"I've just been filled in on what has happened, thanks to both Stephanie and Burstinatrix. This was the last thing we needed," Seto sighed tiredly, his hand rubbing his face and groaning in response to the news. "This is going to cause a lot of issues for the two of them, though more so for Jaden since I'm aware of what happened that night."

Those in the know shuddered, a knowingly dark look entering their eyes that had those unaware of what was being talked about a step back slightly in reflex.

"... I'm gonna have to step in and play Devil's Advocate here, much as I know it's going to make things more difficult. Burstintrix? You are to ring me the moment both Jaden and Jennifer are awake and willing to talk. Depending on what happens then, there is a very good chance I'll be rescinding the chance for them both to share a dorm room and have them sleep in separate rooms until both of them have been medically cleared by one of MY psychologists."

"I'm assuming they'll both be requiring mandatory sessions regardless?" Stephanie spoke up once more, earning a short nod in response.

"Yes. I'll have them monitored over the next three months; within that time frame, I can have my guys write more comprehensive updates on both of them. Jaden's file, as most of you are already aware, will also be sent to both Pegasus and Yugi; given how the two of them are legally required to be informed as well for differing reasons."

"That's fine, we can take care of the recovery efforts and also of Sheppard's request in the meantime. Are you willing to agree to our alternative?" Trix responded in turn, confirming if he would be willing to work with them on the initial problem brought up to them by the Chancellor.

"... I'll get in touch with that 'Third-Rate Mutt' and see if he can direct me to where she is. But you better believe that it's only because you're asking that I'm even considering this."

"Consider it an IOU I'll personally repay later down the line," Trix responded swiftly, not missing a beat in her reply. Giving a tired nod, Seto cut off the link ended the call from his end, and brought the room into a disturbed silence once more.

"Think they'd mind if I spiked one of the coffees? I really need a drink right now…" Stephanie moaned, taking a seat on the nearby chair and slumping into it. Trix snorted in amusement from her standing spot before making her way over to join the growing pile of bodies surrounding Jaden right now, given how Ayumi had broken away from the call to snuggle in behind Jaden.

"Only if you let me join you, Steph. Fuck knows I could do with one myself…"

~ETK:R~

(Unknown Location)

"... you fucking dumb bitch…!"

Flashes of scenes changed rapidly for anyone but her to follow, a figure blotched out in her mind so nothing but a silhouette remained. Phantom sensations fired up in places over her body, along with the flinching of something similar to a vase being smashed behind her in the figure's fit of rage.

She tried running as fast as she could, yet felt that the amount of effort she put in did nothing to make her run faster from the figure stomping over to her–

"Yubel! What's going on!?"

The momentary lapse in her judgment forced her to slam into the doorframe, giving the figure enough of a chance to grab the back of her halter top and yank her towards them. A sinister, wet chuckle was her reward for her failed attempts at flailing out of his grip–

"OH NO, YOU FUCKING DON'T!"

A swoosh of misplaced air was the last thing that registered before the blinding pain erupted from the side of her head–

~ETK:R~

"NOOOOO!"

A bloodcurdling scream was her wake-up call back to reality, her body shooting upright as she began to thrash from the blankets covering her lower half. She didn't know where she was, she didn't know who the people in front of her were; all that mattered was getting away.

"Jenny!"

Jenny… Jennifer… She was Jennifer. Her name is Jennifer. Eyes slowly blinking whilst the rest of her cognitive prowess kicked in bit by bit, albeit slower than usual. The scenes have changed in front of her–

Gone was the acrid smell of dense musk and faded tobacco, and so were the tacky beige and mahogany walls. She was here, in a near-white space, in a bed of some kind, and someone was holding her…?

She looked around, her body slowly coming down from her hysteria-filled episode, and beginning to recognize the faces looking at her with major concern flashing in their eyes. She saw a familiar mix of ashen-grey-tipped hair that belonged to only one person she knew…

"... Trix…?"

Burstinatrix choked a sob, hearing such a broken and confused voice coming from the spunky woman she had come to care a great deal for who currently sat trapped in her embrace. She held her tighter, burying their face into her bosom similar to a maternal bond so that the redhead wouldn't dare see her anguish right now.

"Y-You're safe…" Trix shuddered, her voice wavering as she spoke while combing the undone mane of crimson hair that fell down her back through her fingers. "No one's gonna hurt you…"

… and in that moment, Jenny truly believed her.

Weak arms moved on autopilot around the Hero's waist, giving into the embrace and listening to the silent tears that seemed to escape the woman holding her so fiercely.

"... wher'm I…?"

"You're at the Ra Infirmary, Jen," Yubel softly spoke, gliding over to her and taking a seat on the opposite side of Trix and her. "I know it's so sudden, but how much do you remember from this morning?"

"... I… Jay…" she slurred for a moment before her body gave her another boost of sudden energy. "Jay! Is he alright!?"

"We should be asking you that, Jen…" Wolf spoke softly, keeping his distance from the redhead by leaning against the doorframe leading into the room. "But he's… well… he's not doing good right now but he's in safe hands if anything."

Jenny winced slightly at the blunt response but he gave a weak, thankful smile towards the Wildheart for his honesty in answering her question; knowing he could've easily told her that he was fine in the means to make her feel better. Squeezing Trix once more, she let her arms drop just as Trix let the redhead go from the embrace.

"It's… difficult…" Jenny slowly began, taking a deep breath to center herself. "I remember a bit more now about what happened this morning, and how Jay accidentally walked in on me showering. It was my fault for not giving him a heads-up, nor any warning, so the blame lies on me for that one," she spoke firmly, earning a lack of response in return.

"After that? Well…" Jenny trailed off, shifting uncomfortably in place as she tried to curl in on herself. "... I was reminded of something that happened, and then nothing else after that. Only the flare of pain from the side of my head, and vaguely something about Trix…?"

"You had asked Jay to summon someone, and both Ayumi and I were the first to respond to the call. We rushed in to find you curled up on the shower floor while holding the side of your head, before you fell unconscious on us," Trix filled in the blanks, her turn to speak and respond to Jenny. "After that, everything kinda flurried into action but our main priority was getting you here."

"Our issue now," Yubel interjected softly, "is that Chancellor Sheppard AND Seto Kaiba are aware of the situation. We've been asked to speak with them once you come round again, and work out what's gonna happen from here."

"What about Jay…?" Jenny softly asked, a knotting feeling in her stomach as she looked at the Heroes (and Yubel) looking towards one another briefly before Yubel nodded subtly towards Trix in affirmation. Said Spirit exhaling heavily before turning–

– to the door that suddenly sprung open, giving way to Miss Fontaine as she strode into the room. Seeing all the extra bodies in the room gave her pause before she saw exactly who they were and who they belonged to.

"I shouldn't be surprised to know Jaden has something to do with this situation," she joked lightly and brought a few smiles to the rest of the room's occupants. "One of the nurses notified me the moment they heard you shriek, so I came over as fast as I could from the Academy courts. Was… Am I interrupting a conversation?"

"It's a delicate subject regarding something that happened in Jaden's past-"

"Say no more."

A pair of eyes blinked in confusion as Trix tilted her head. Fonda shook her head and smiled sadly in response to the unanswered question, which forced said Heroes' eyes to snap open in alarm.

"I'm already aware; Mr. Kaiba wouldn't have filled me in on the situation if he didn't think I couldn't be trusted, so it should go to show how much faith he's placing in me to tell me that tidbit of Jaden's past," she explained, earning some shocked looks from the others. "Plus, I know all of the students here in Duel Academy; including the details on the issue at hand regarding Miss Andrews here."

"Heh… kinda makes sense since you're also the one responsible for our physical classes, Miss Fontaine," Jenny joked lamely, earning a small peal of laughter in response from the older woman.

"You can just call me Fonda while we're not in classes," she waved off lightly, finding the informality better in the current situation. "But I should also mention that all information I have on my students is completely confidential and I will not breach that for any reason aside from the risk of potential harm to themselves or others. So while I'm aware of the situation, it's not my place to say. Only that I've been informed that I should let the parties involved know you're awake again."

"... alright, I'll be willing to explain everything from this morning," Jenny started strongly before wilting slightly once more, "b-but I would like to not delve into what the memory is. I… I-I'm not ready to talk about it yet…"

"That's perfectly fine," Fonda smiled warmly and reassuringly, nodding her agreement in the matter. "I'll want a moment to give Miss Andrews a quick once-over, so I'll ask all of you to leave for now and return to Mister Yuki and update him that his favourite non-spirit redhead is awake~"

Earning a few snorts of laughter, and a giggle from Trix, the Spirits all nodded a quick farewell before leaving Jenny alone with the nurse. Once they all stepped outside, they allowed themselves to relinquish their corporeal forms and return to their Spirit forms to continue the conversation in private.

"What do you think, Wolf?"

"... some form of trauma, possibly PTSD," Wolf began seriously, as all of them made their way down the halls and back towards the shared dorm room. "Without knowing the specifics, I have one thing in mind that it could be but… given what Jaden went through, I don't want to assume it's a similar fate."

"... though that would explain so much why the two would be drawn together if it were," Danny spoke up for the first time, happy to have let the others take the lead and simply meld into the background. It wasn't that he didn't want to, he just knew he wasn't as close with Jenny and the others were.

Plus, given how her eyes kept darting between him and Wolf it did nothing to help matters with Wildheart's theory.

"I'd dread to think that two promising young youths would've had to grow up too quickly because of the actions and twisted desires of others, especially in similar manners…" Yubel spoke softly and with emotion in her voice, her mind flashing back to an era long forgotten and memories only known to her flickering in pieces behind her eyes.

"Well for now? Let's just get the upcoming shitstorm over with first. We can worry about the rest later on and go from there," Trix spoke up once more, giving a sad smile to the others before they all made their way back into the shared dorm room once more; noting that Jaden was now awake but not in a mood to move from his spot on the mattress.

They noted that Ayumi continued to sleep into his side, her unbound, cascading blonde hair trying its best to drape over him like a second blanket; while Kiyomi was up and about looking to get herself and him something to drink. Said Spirit turned her head to spot the others and gave a small smile.

"Welcome back, you lot~ I guess she's awake?"

"Mhm~ There's a lot more to it right now but it's a bridge we'll cross when the time is right," Trix smiled, moving forward to hug her fellow Spirit and briefly getting one in kind. The two broke off before the fire-based Hero moved over to Jaden and Ayumi, slowly kneeling beside him before letting herself sit down fully. "How're you feeling, sweetheart~?"

Jaden turned his head to face her, showing Trix just how tired he was given the bags underneath his eyes, but gave a small smile in response to her worries.

"Been better, yanno? Just tired really," he shrugged slightly, his voice showcasing the exhaustion he felt as he continued to rest in bed. "Don't wanna sleep any more than I have to."

Trix nodded softly and sadly, leaning down to press her head against his and steal a soft kiss from him before nuzzling her nose against his. "I understand. Just make sure you get plenty of rest while trying not to fight your body too much if it needs the sleep okay?"

A soft hum and nod was his response, smiling a little more after the kiss and affectionate gesture. "So when's the call happening?"

*Bzzzzzt!*

"... huh. Couldn't have timed that better, eh?" Jaden mused off-handedly, looking up at the ceiling with a knowing look.

It's four in the morning, and I wanna advance the plot a little more so we get some more character development! Plus, I'm mixing things up so be prepared for a surprise~

All of them blinked for a moment before Jaden let loose a small chuckle, recognizing the new voice. Shaking his head from the slight Fourth-Wall break, he turned back to the situation at hand as Kiyomi accepted the call and changed it to loudspeaker.

"Are we all connected?"

"I can hear clearly on my end," Jack Sheppard's voice cut through clearly, the firm tone in his voice not doing much favour for either of the teens on the call right now.

"We hear you fine over here," Fonda hummed in a lighter tone, accompanied by a brief confirmation from Jenny.

"You're all sounding good on my end too," Jaden piped up, deciding to take the reins for now for everyone in the room. Ayumi stirred slightly at the sudden noise but remained curled up into Jaden to provide him comfort.

"Good. Just so you know, this conversation is going to be recorded by my younger brother, Mokuba, for the sake of passing the decisions made in this call towards two external parties," Seto Kaiba spoke up, after making sure the tech was working fine on all ends. "I'll spare some of the formalities, given who is involved in the call; this conversation will be passed onto Pegasus Crawford and both Yugi and Solomon Moto. Just giving a heads up."

"With that out the way…" Seto Kaiba exhaled, linking his fingers together to hide his mouth from the view of one Mokuba Kaiba who was also sitting nearby, who was typing away on his laptop to record and manuscript said conversation…

"What in the blue fuck happened?"

~ETK:R~

(Time skip)

Now despite common belief: Seto Kaiba wasn't a complete asshole.

Granted, he has a natural hard-ass attitude. That? He'll admit. Along with business acumen, a cold exterior, and lives to be the one with all the cards held in his hands. Pun is very much intended. No matter whether it be in dueling, making business deals, or just having control of his fate.

It was the biggest reason why he defied Ishizu Ishtar and her clairvoyance many years ago with the Battle City Tournament - he never believed that things were simply meant to be because of some hogwash prophecy, he believed in forging his fate by his own hands and making destiny work for him.

But he wouldn't be stupid enough to dismiss the fact that there was something there. Learning about some of the old practices that used to take place back over five thousand years ago: discovering how he, in his past life, grew close to a blue-eyed woman who had become the very same Blue-Eyes White Dragon that has become his signature card. Not to mention how his long-time rival was that of a Pharaoh that had existed over five thousand years ago, thanks to his soul being housed within the Millenium Puzzle.

He'd imagine Ishizu laughing at him if he ever admitted the fact though.

So yeah, he can be a bastard at the best of times. But it doesn't mean he's heartless: rather, it takes something special or important to push past that hardened exterior and burrow itself into the elder Kaiba's heart.

It was rare for him to be fired up about anyone outside of Mokuba (and dare he admit the fact, the same could also be said for Yugi Moto but for different reasons). So when Yugi Moto, several years ago, begged him for help?

He couldn't refuse him.

Despite their history and rivalry, the two of them had become a staple to each other and had become one of the things sustaining them both to keep going further and up their game. And after… well…

Duellist Kingdom. Battle City. The Pyramid of Light. The Seal of Orichalcos. Kaiba Corps' Grand Champion Tournament…

… and the mistake he made trying to recombine the Millennium Puzzle for the sake of his damn pride, and the fiasco that surrounded that Diva kid.

He digressed.

Tangent aside, he gave in to the request from Yugi, and what he found enraged him unlike anything else he had experienced until that moment. And he vowed that he would do all in his power to aid that young boy he saw that night…

A young boy named Jaden Hoshiryu Yuki.

Now? All the facts were laid bare, all sides of the stories told, and now he sat in quiet contemplation. Everyone waited in bated silence for his next words, knowing that his decision would influence much more than deciding if Jaden would keep sharing a room with his female roommate.

He had to agree with Jack on one thing: this never should have happened. But seeing how Jaden was sabotaged, and the culprit having his plan backfire, it was the only means he had to stay at the Ra Yellow Dorms. Female or not, she was the only one willing to open her door to him.

He knew Jaden. He wouldn't do something like this on purpose, and wouldn't give in to baser instincts. He wasn't like that. The issue here is the episode that this one mistake made on Jennifer. And how that in turn affected his episode. That's the main concern Seto has right now.

"... why is nothing simple with you, Jaden?" Seto groaned, rubbing his temple with his finger and thumb. "Would it kill me to just have one simple, plain, boring thing to deal with when it comes to you… rather than a complete clusterfuck of chained events?"

"For what it's worth, I'm gonna get you something nice as a thank you," Jaden sheepishly jokes, earning a few snorts from over the combined call.

"Count me in on that too. I know I'm mostly to blame for this mess so I wanna give something as an apology for causing more work for ya," Jenny softly spoke afterward, once more curling into herself and feeling that heavy feeling in her tummy.

"Kids…" Seto huffed in amusement, though a sincere tone entered his voice for that sole word. "Alright, I'm just gonna ask one thing. Jennifer. You're gonna make sure this doesn't happen again, right?"

"No, sir."

"Cause so help me, if I find out something else happened and I have to have another call like this with you again? I am going to come down, drag you into a duel, and sic all three of my Blue-Eyes on you. Repeatedly. Am I understood?"

"Y-Yes, sir!" Jenny squeaked in healthy fear, already knowing the power that a Blue-Eyes White Dragon holds by itself. But given there are three of them and ones under the command of Seto Motherfucking Kaiba of all people?

Yeaaaaah, no. She's a fool, not an idiot.

"M-Mister Kaiba…!" Jack protested, or at least tried to before he was cut off.

"Shut it, I don't wanna hear it. Consider this a consequence of failure not doing everything in our power regarding the wilful sabotage of one of our students, and let this matter drop. Things are being put in place as precautionary measures, which we have already discussed; so we'll be circling the same bullshit if we continue any further."

"... very well," Jack sighed sufferingly, knowing he would be fighting a losing battle if he continued. He didn't have anything against the two students, he genuinely liked them both! He did not approve that a male student should have to share a room with a female student for this exact reason!

"Also, consider it a punishment for failing to notify me that Dr. Crowler was given leave for a one-month sabbatical. One with both immediate effect, and one meaning you would be down a teacher for the entire month. Let it be known…

I. Am. Not. Amused."

Seto Kaiba's tone turned arctic towards the Chancellor, who began spluttering in response to being called out in such a manner.

"Be thankful that despite this mess, a few members of this current call already had made plans to remedy the situation and bring it to my attention. As such, your temporary replacement will be arriving with you two days from now," Seto continued, taking charge of the situation and now closing the previous issue down.

"Jenny. You are to meet them and give them a brief tour of the faculty and all the bells and whistles that come with it. You will then accompany them to lessons, and aid them as a personal tour guide and aide for the following three days after. If they say jump? You better damn well jump! Be glad I'm not making you double down as a janitor as punishment," he ordered, though the tell-tale sounds of a smirk came through towards the end that did wonders in settling her nerves.

"Consider it done! Thank you for going easy on me," Jenny thanked him, giving a bow that he couldn't see. A soft hum was the given response before Seto turned his attention to the last occupant of the call.

"Jaden. Just… knock next time, for fuck sake…" Seto groaned, exasperation clear in his voice that turned into a groan hearing the brunet's soft chuckling in response. "Also, the sessions are mandatory. So I WILL sic Yugi on you if you try skipping them!"

"I'll go, Uncle Seto, I promise!" Jaden teased, though the agreement went unspoken between the two of them. Seeing Seto flipping Jaden the middle finger before cutting the call off, the two groups remained on call with Jack.

"... I still don't like the decision, but this would indeed've been avoided if we acted sooner," he admitted with a defeated tone. "Regardless, I will expect you both back in classes in two days once lessons resume once more."

"Yessir!" / "Gotcha!"

Nodding in agreement, Jack also cut off his end of the call and allowed the two teens to be left between themselves.

"I'm sorry."

Both of them spoke at the same time, startling the other before both broke out into light laughter with one another.

"Jay, I'm so sorry for all I did this morning," Jenny apologized deeply, having turned off the loudspeaker and now holding her phone to her ear. Fonda, sensing that she didn't need to be here any longer, left the room to give the young woman a chance to speak to Jaden freely and without censorship.

"It's okay, Jen. I'm not mad at you, I was at fault too," Jaden smiled softly; melting into the mattress beneath him and feeling a trio of bodies snuggling into him, in addition to the one resting lightly on top of him.

"Nu-uh, this one's on me and I'll take full responsibility for this," Jenny disagreed, shaking her head in the negative. "I'm super lucky that Seto didn't go harsher on me, and there's a lot more I could have done to prevent it yanno? So… I can't let you take the blame when it's mine."

"I just… wish I didn't hurt you like I did…"

Jaden paused, hearing the guilt in the redhead's voice and his eyes watered. Equal parts empathy for the guilt-ridden woman who is beginning to become a crucial part of his day-to-day life, and awe for how far she's willing to go for his benefit and well-being.

"Then… come home and I can hug the living daylights outta you, and tell you something," he replied honestly, stunning her into silence from the sincerity in his words.

"What's that?"

"I forgive you."

Jenny wouldn't have been able to hold back the tears, even if she tried. A beatific smile blossomed on her face, as watery amber orbs simmered into a perfect gold that held such tender warmth for this wonderful man. She closed her eyes - allowing the comfortable silence to continue a little longer while giving her time to absorb all of her feelings and thoughts, and her body shuddered wonderfully as she imagined what that hug would be like.

"Wait for me, Jay. I'll be home soon~"

Those words whispered fervently and with reverence, brought a true smile back to Jaden's face as both of them hung up the call. Looking down, he saw the combined faces of Kiyomi, Trix, Ayumi, and to his pleasant surprise? Yubel.

"Grab some sleep, Jay. You're gonna be okay~" Yubel smiled softly, admiring the content and peaceful look he wore right now, absorbing the warmth coming from him that was absent for most of the morning and early afternoon. Seeing his nod, all four of them decided to just take another small nap together like this…

'You're a rather special woman, Jenny… so why do you feel familiar to me?

~ETK:R~

(Time skip)

"Colour me surprised that Seto Kaiba himself decided to give me the red carpet treatment~"

That thought continued to mull about in their head whilst sipping their drink a little more and letting the slight buzz dance about in their system. Private luxury jet, being waited on hand by staff and masseurs alike (though only female ones thank you!), and enjoying the free food and drinks that were stocked up on said luxury jet!

It wasn't the first thing that came to mind when they're told they have a call from Seto Kaiba, and it certainly wouldn't have expected him to ask them about a potential temporary teaching stint for a bunch of snot-ridden brats who all think they're hotshots at duel monsters!

But… they'd admit that it's not an opportunity to turn down, regardless of who and what this was. And they were getting a little bored being a freelancer these days~

So, they figured: 'Why the hell not?'

They had seen some of the folders of some of the more promising students here at Duel Academy, and were pleasantly surprised when a familiar mop of brown hair made it across their lap! They knew the kid anywhere, and it couldn't be a coincidence that they'd end up here at some point.

Say what you want, but they knew that Seto would easily play favorites~

Regardless, there were several folders strewn across the small side table beside them, all having been skimmed through and proven to have caught their attention from the contents within. Some figures of note that they picked out, others were… subtle nudges from their new employer.

"We will be landing momentarily; please prepare yourself to disembark."

'Huh, that was quicker than I thought,' they mused, humming and stretching slightly to get the small cricks out of their back and neck. Waving one of the staff members over, a young woman in her twenties they believed, a small little upward turn of a smirk appeared on their face.

"D'you think our esteemed host would mind if I took one of those bottles for myself?"

The young woman paused for a moment, the slight widening of her eyes contemplating the request given to her. She shrugged a minute after, a small smile on her face as mirth entered her voice in response.

"Well, Mister Kaiba did say that you are free to help yourself to whatever we currently have so I suppose it wouldn't be too far-fetched to do so when you're not flying with us?"

"I knew I liked you for a reason~ Best make sure to stock up for the stay then, hmmm~?"

The response followed a small bark of laughter, a pleased smirk resting on their face while they held up a full outstretched hand. The young hostess shook her head in amusement before moving away to prepare the five bottles of champagne for their guest to take with them.

Not even fifteen minutes, and five bottles of bubbly better off: the new figure took in the scenery that would be the norm for the next few weeks. They admitted it was certainly a good view of the ocean and a very exotic tang in the air for a secluded island in the middle of the damn sea–

'Oh well, beggars and choosers I s'pose~'

A quick descent down the stairs landed on a private runway, not caring for most of the staff running about… but they did make a small tilt of their designer sunglasses towards the stewardess that seemed to match their vibe as a sign of respect.

"So! This is Duel Academy, huh?"

"Yup~ It's a weird feeling looking at it for the first time but it's scarily like home after a while!"

The first figure turned to the new figure, tilting her head seeing a young redhead gazing out at the sea next to her like she was an old friend. Which… was weird given how they've never met this woman before.

"Jay's said a lot of good things about you before, and he said to just be myself around you rather than putting up a professional front," Jenny grinned, a pair of eyes widening before a small chuckle left their lips.

"... of course, that little twerp had something to do with all this," they responded but with a hint of fondness in their tone. "Wonder if I bribe him enough to keep talking the good shit about me, how much would it cost~?"

The two of them shared a laugh before turning to regard the other properly. Both of them simply take stock of the other and get a better feel for them. The two were pleased since a shared smile passed on both their faces after a couple of moments.

"So, according to the info I got from our mutual Mister Stick-Up-The-Ass… you're my little pet for the next couple of days, hmmm~?"

"Rather than scrubbing toilets with a toothbrush. And Seto threatened he would make it happen, believe me!" Jenny joked back, earning an appraising smile from the other. Lowering their sunglasses and tucking them into the top of their shirt, they swiftly hefted the bag of drinks before they regarded the redhead with their violet orbs.

"Well then, given how our dear troublemaker has already spoiled one surprise… seems like I'm at your tender mercies, Ms. Andrews~" they smirked, waving the folder with all the young woman's details inside.

"I'm not that dumb, despite the stereotypes of blondes and whatnot: I've been in the scene for too long not to do my research. Especially if I see a young woman like you rocking the same authority in duels, similar to ol' Seto himself. Good on ya, girl~"

Jenny's eyes widened in slight shock, not expecting the praise so suddenly and from another figurehead she idolised growing up: given how this person was the one to redefine duel monsters by showing that anyone can play...

Not just the boys~

"So! First order of business! Please tell me they have a decent bar here…" they pleaded, as they took the initiative and started walking towards the center of the grounds itself. They didn't need to look to know their 'pet' was keeping up, hearing two sets of footsteps walking.

"Jay's filled me in on what to show you and what order, don't worry~ Yes, there's a bar for the teachers and such - if not, then a lot of the adults usually have their stashes somewhere hidden. We have spas, hot springs, saunas, salons, clothing shops, gyms, pretty much any kinda food stall for whatever takes your fancy… and they do stay open until four in the morning, give or take!"

"Hmmmm~ Jay has taught you well~ I can tell there's a bit of him in you, personality-wise! Though, between the two of us? I'm pretty sure you'd not mind something else of him inside of you~"

The scarlet blush that broke on Jenny's face was all the confirmation needed, as the elder of the two burst out into open peaks of laughter. Waving the oncoming protests off, they simply smiled as they continued in step.

"Don't worry, this is our little 'Girl Talk'~ Rules are rules after all~"

Jenny conceded the point and allowed a soft giggle to escape her lips. Sure, she had a tomboy streak in her but she was still a female and a creature of habit! Girl talk has unspoken rules, just like guy talk did as well~

"But I do have to say this: thank you for showing that us girls can kick it just like the guys can, and showing that we can take to the stage in dueling just as well as anyone else~ You're an inspiration in that regard and…

It's an honour to meet you in person, Ms. Valentine~"

~End of Part I~

And there we go~ I know a lot has happened in this chapter, and a huge change from the original chapter four of the original version of this story: I did say I wanted to go down a more serious route and make the characters more life-like in a way. I'm aware not everyone might like the new changes or the reasonings for their backstories but it was a theme I (sadly) could personally relate to.

But I'm both glad and a little relieved that, I can finally finish this part and have it ready for you all to sit and read through~ Goodness knows it's overdue and you've all waited patiently for it; so again, thank you, everyone~

(Quick update: there were SO MANY ERRORS! So I've combed through and tweaked the chapter to look much tidier and sound more free-flowing!)

So I'll leave it there for now, and wish you all a good one~ Kitsune, out~