Osiris Red Dorm, Duel Academy

September 10, 2027

6:11 PM

"Alright everybody, listen up! I have an important announcement to make." Professor Dean slapped one of the wooden dining tables with his leather gloves, the resounding crack grabbing everyone's attention. "Thank you. Now, I want you all to say hello to a new transfer student— Blair Flannigan."

Only now that their headmaster called attention to him did the Osiris students notice the petite boy, with a cap pulled low over his eyes, standing at the front of the dining hall. Blair— what kind of name was that for a boy, anyway?— ducked his head down even lower as all eyes in the room suddenly focused on him.

"Hey, Jaden," Syrus whispered, "Haven't we seen him somewhere before?"

Jaden squinted at the new arrival. "I don't think so."

"Now," Professor Dean continued, "I want you all to do your best to welcome Blair, even though—"

"Sure thing, teach!" Jaden sprung up leapt on top of his chair, spreading his arms wide and narrowly avoiding breaking his hand against the wall. "Blair, welcome to O-S-I…R-something… Osiris Red!" Syrus slapped his forehead. Peeking through his fingers, he saw that the new transfer student was now trying to hide behind Professor Dean, looking somewhat horrified.

Jaden, oblivious as always, got down off his chair and strolled to the front of the room, grabbing Blair's hand and shaking it vigorously before slapping the smaller boy on the back. "We're the best dorm on campus. See, here we're not a bunch of stuffy, egg-headed, straight-A getting brainiacs—" Jaden was grinning widely, but Syrus thought Blair looked just about ready to jump out a window.

"Hold up, Jaden. You don't understand—"

"What's not to understand?" Jaden asked, looking cheerfully up at Professor Dean, his arm still draped over Blair's thin shoulders. "I'm just trying to help Blair…feel at… home?" He trailed off questioningly as the new student ducked out from his grip and dove back behind the Osiris headmaster.

"That's just it— this isn't going to be Blair's home, at least not for long. You see, it's the Academy's policy to start out all transfer students at Osiris, but Blair here scored nearly perfectly on all his entrance exams. With those kinds of marks, he'll move up to Ra within a few days."

For a moment Jaden looked completely lost (not really that uncommon for him), but then he burst out laughing. "Ha! Yeah, right. And next you'll be saying he's gonna move into our room because we have an extra bunk! I just love this guy!"

"Yeah, good one," Syrus said, laughing nervously.

"An excellent idea, Jaden— so kind of you to offer." Professor Dean smiled approvingly (showing just a few too many teeth. Syrus resisted the urge to slap his forehead again.) "Blair, you can room with Jaden and Syrus while you're staying here. Go on— say 'hello' to your new roommates."

"Uh…" Blair shrank back even further, his head ducked low. "Professor?" He gestured for Professor Dean to lower his head and then whispered into his ear.

"Ah, I see." The Osiris headmaster straightened up. "Very well. Blair appreciates your offer Jaden, but he's already mostly unpacked, and we all know what hassle it is moving all those boxes. Looks like you're off the hook… for now." He gave another shark-like grin. Syrus really hoped Jaden took the hint— adjusting to a new roommate, even one who wasn't a complete stranger, wasn't something he felt ready for yet.

A complete stranger… He glanced back over at the new student, who seemed slightly more relaxed with more space between him and Jaden, and furrowed his brow. Most of Blair's face was still covered by his large hat, but despite that, Syrus couldn't shake the feeling that he'd seen the boy somewhere before…

Main Building, Duel Academy

September 11, 2027

9:21 AM

By the time the next morning arrived— along with the special mandatory assembly that came with it— Syrus still hadn't figured out why Blair looked so familiar. His attention was temporarily diverted from the matter, however, by the beginning of Chancellor Sheppard's speech.

"Settle down, people; attention please— Jaden! Wake up, this is important! Good. Now, the big matchup with our rival school, Northern Academy, is coming up. Last year, Zane, our student rep, whooped 'em good, and this year, I want to win the school duel again!"

Oh, was that all this was about? Never mind, then. Tuning the Chancellor out, Syrus turned back to Blair who… was staring fixedly at Zane? Maybe he's a fan? Is that why he looks familiar?

"Hey, Blair, did you know Zane's my brother?"

The other boy turned to him in shock. "Really?" What did he mean, 'really'? Was it that unbelievable?

"Yeah. He's pretty cool, I guess— though Mom says I got the looks. Speaking of Zane, I was wondering—"

"Ssh! Keep it down, Syrus, this is important!" Jaden hissed, poking his head in between his two dormmates. Syrus frowned at him.

"Now, we still haven't decided on who's going to represent us this year, so, if you keep hitting those books and dueling hard, you may be the one who gets the honor!" Chancellor Sheppard beamed at them all— before his bald head disappeared from the viewing screen and left only the Duel Academy logo in his place.

They had to have a mandatory assembly for that? Syrus thought. We all know who's going to—

"Alright! Did you hear what he said!? It could be me in this match!"

Well, all of us except Yuki, apparently. Out loud he said, "We might as well face it, Jay; it'll probably be Zane who gets the spot again."

"How come?" Jaden asked, looking genuinely baffled.

"Because he's amazing!" Blair declared.

Yeah, definitely a fan.

Jaden just blinked at them.

…

"'Amazing'? What's that got to do with it?" Yuki complained later as he and Syrus headed back to the Osiris dorm. "It should be about who's best."

"Zane did beat you in a duel, Jaden," Syrus pointed out.

"Yeah, but it was a really close match. If I got another shot at him, things could turn out differently!"

"Maybe…" Syrus said uncertainly.

"Blair?" the younger Wheeler brother glanced over in time to see that it was, in fact, Blair— running across the green in the opposite direction from their dorm. "Hmm…" Yuki stared after the new boy thoughtfully, before breaking into a sprint and following him.

"Uh, Jaden?"

"Gotta check something out!"

Syrus sighed. Oh, well; more time for him to work out where he'd seen Blair before, he supposed.

[Following The Maiden in Love 3:35-5:15]

Anubis Blue Dorm, Duel Academy

September 11, 2027

9:54 AM

"You're not going anywhere, buddy boy!"

"'Cept to Dr. Crowler's office!"

"No, anyone but him!"

"Okay, we'll just deal with you ourselves then."

"Dr. Crowler, help! Help!"

Zane ignored the hullabaloo in the background as he studied the mess in his room. His cards were scattered all over the floor, which was irritating, but he seriously doubted Yuki had snuck into his room to peak at his deck, since he already knew what cards Zane used; the two of them had grown up practically next door to each other.

Which meant there had to be some other explanation for why Yuki was in his room. At first, Zane had suspected it was to challenge him to another duel over Syrus, but then he spotted the hairclip on the floor by his bed. Curious, he knelt to pick it up.

I know this hair clip. Mother picked it out herself, for—

"I'm telling you, this is all just one giant misunderstanding!"

"Yeah? Then let's see if we can knock some sense into the situation!" Since Yuki was now being dragged across the floor by his ankles, Zane decided it was a good time to step in.

"Let him go."

"What?"

"What?" If Zane had been the type to, he would've slapped his forehead. Honestly, Yuki could be so clueless sometimes…

"Do you want me to reconsider, Jaden?" Zane carefully kept his face turned away, not wanting anyone to see that he found the situation funny. "Or do you want to leave?"

"'Leave' is good!" Jaden made a dash for the door. "Take care, guys. Let's not do this again sometime, ok? Later!"

Zane's companions protested, but he shut them down quickly, making it clear that no one was to seek Jaden out for retaliation, and no, he wouldn't tell them why, either. Feeling a headache building behind his eyes, he requested to be left alone, shutting the door after them in relief.

Once Zane was sure his hangers-on had left, he took his student notebook out of his pocket and sent a quick message. This is one challenge I can't face on my own.

The Lighthouse Pier, Duel Academy

September 11, 2027

8:25 PM

"Wow," Alexis commented when she arrived at their scheduled rendezvous several hours later, "a cold, wet dock in the middle of the night. You sure know how to show a girl a good time."

"Lex… I caught Yuki sneaking around in my room today."

She raised an eyebrow. "Yuki? What on earth would he be doing in your room?"

"I don't know for sure, but I have my suspicions. I found this." He showed her the hairclip.

"Uh, that's a girl's hairclip."

"Yeah. And I think I know which girl it belongs to— which is why I need your help, cuz. How do you let a young girl with a crush down gently?"

Osiris Red Dorm, Duel Academy

September 11, 2027

8:27 PM

"Alright, Jaden, the bathroom is all your—" Syrus cut himself off when he noticed he was only talking to himself. "Aw, man. Where's he wandered off to this time?!" Hastily Syrus threw on a clean uniform and bolted out the door, hoping Yuki hadn't done something dumb like challenge Zane again.

Fortunately, it didn't take him long to find his roommate— he was down on the rocky beach, below the cliff their dorm was situated on, about to duel… Blair?

I guess that makes sense. Yuki's already dueled every other student in our dorm, so taking on the new kid will provide him with a new challenge. It's exactly the type of thing he'd do. Actually, I'm surprised it even took this long. Syrus dropped to his stomach, peering over the cliff top in order to watch the action, already sure of the duel's outcome. Blair might've gotten almost perfect scores, but that didn't mean he could beat Yuki. Now if only I could remember where I've seen him before…

The moment Blair's first monster appeared on the field, it clicked. That's it! Blair's not a guy, she's a girl! Blair Flannigan— I can't believe I didn't figure it out sooner!

…

"Thanks for the sweet duel, Blair!" Jaden said, giving his signature two-fingered salute. "That was fun!"

Blair climbed back to her feet, resigned. "Alright. Guess I have to tell you my secret now."

"Nah, I learned more than enough— from our duel, Blair. And I think our spectators learned a few things as well." He made a sweeping motion to indicate Syrus— who was scrambling down from the cliff— as well as Zane and Alexis, who were approaching on the beach from the opposite direction.

Blair turned to face Zane, her face pink. "Zane, you're here! Well, then… I guess you know. I'm the one who snuck into your dorm room, not him." She pointed at Yuki. "I've been in love with you ever since I met you."

"At Nationals," Zane said quietly.

"Yeah, that's right! We met right after you won the championship match!"

"Actually, Blair, that's when you met me," Zane corrected. "I met you a few years earlier, when my family came to visit yours." He pulled the hairclip out of his pocket and handed it to her. "I recognized this, because my mother picked it out for you in Italy. She was excited to be able to shop for a girl, since she only has two boys."

"Really? I don't remember that." Blair fingered the barrette, running her fingers over the carved wood. "But I remember Nationals, and the day we spent together afterwards, because it was then I made a pledge— that I would do anything to be with you. You said that if I trained really, really hard I could get into Duel Academy like you! So I did! And now that I'm here, we can get married!"

Zane Wheeler, for once in his life, looked totally flabbergasted. Yuki, on the other hand, burst out laughing.

"Ha! Get married— that's a good one! Your honeymoon can be in the cafeteria! Dr. Crowler can give you away!"

Blair looked at him in confusion. "I'm not joking…"

"Blair, sweetie," Alexis spoke up, "Love doesn't work like that. You and Zane have only met each other three times— you hardly know each other. It takes time to be able to truly fall in love with someone."

"Yeah, right!" Blair retorted. "You just want Zane for yourself! You're trying to get rid of me!"

"I don't think that's it, Blair," Syrus finally spoke up, looking torn between being amused and disgusted. "After all, Zane and Alexis can't be together, not like that. They're cousins!"

"Syrus!" Yuki hissed. "What are you doing telling her that? No one's supposed to know, remember?"

"No one's supposed to know…?" Blair glanced to Zane, Alexis, then Yuki, and then back again. She pointed at the brunet. "Is that why everyone calls you 'Jaden'? Because they're not supposed to know who you really are?"

"Uh… I don't know what you're—"

"Yuki, this is Blair Flannigan Taylor," Syrus said pointedly, willing his friend to remember. "Don't you recognize her? She and her family came to that barbeque my parents had— Zane wasn't there because he'd already enrolled in the Academy. Remember? Uncle Tristan and Aunt Melody?"

Yuki scrunched up his face, thinking hard, before his face lit up in recognition. "Oh, yeah! Tristan Taylor! He was friends with our dads in high school! And so was his wife, I think."

"Melody Flannigan[1] went to Domino High for her freshman year, but then she moved away and had to transfer. She and Uncle Tristan connected again years later, after his break-up with Aunt Serenity," Zane informed them. "We only ever went to visit them once— when I was eight and Syrus was five— and that was when my mother gave the hair clip to Blair."

"Our families met— again, I guess— during Nationals, since we were all in the same city at the same time," Blair jumped in. She looked at the older Wheeler brother with shining eyes. "Zane and I spent the day together while our parents talked."

"Hey, I was there, too!" Syrus exclaimed. He was ignored.

"Man, I can't believe I didn't recognize you," Yuki exclaimed, looking Blair up and down. "You used to come over all the time back when our family was still living above the game shop. Our moms were like, best friends once, right?"

Syrus snapped his fingers. "That was why you looked so nervous when Yuki came up to greet you, wasn't it? And also why you didn't want to room with us— uh, aside from the fact that you're a girl and we're boys, I mean. You were afraid we'd recognize you." Blair nodded.

"Oh, is that all?" Yuki clutched his chest and sighed in exaggerated relief. "Thank goodness. I thought it was me!"

"And that's probably also why you acted so surprised when I told you Zane was my brother, right? You couldn't let me know that you knew!" Syrus looked back at Blair. "I had the feeling I'd seen you somewhere before; I just couldn't figure out where."

"I didn't," Yuki announced, sounding far too proud of the fact. "I thought you were a complete stranger."

"There's a big surprise," Blair retorted with a huff. "You can't even spell 'Osiris'— the name of one of your Dad's most famous cards."

Yuki looked offended. "I can so! O-s-i-r-i-s, see?"

Blair still looked doubtful. "Then how come you messed it up back there?" She jerked her chin toward the cliff and the Osiris Red Dorm.

Yuki laughed. "Because, who would ever believe the kid who doesn't know how to spell the names of the Egyptian deities was the son of the King of Games?"

"She did," Syrus reminded him, nodding at Blair.

"Oh, yeah. Er… I must be a really great actor then, huh?"

"Now that we've sorted all this out," Zane said pointedly, "I think it's time for Blair to go home."

"Wait, why does she have to go home?" Yuki demanded, whirling on the older teen. "'Cause you say so?"

"Zane—" Blair began to protest. Zane rested a hand lightly on her shoulder, dropping to one knee to look her in the eye.

"Blair, as flattered as I am by your affections, right now I'm only in love with one thing— dueling."

"Dueling?"

"Yeah. I'm sorry, but it's best if you go home now."

"Hello!" Yuki waved his arms above his head, "She doesn't have to leave; she's a student here at Duel Academy, and a good one!"

"Yuki, she has to go home—"

"Oh, I see what you're doing here, Zane. You're pushing her out because she's a good student. Ha, because she might dethrone you!"

"She has to go home because she's still in middle school," Zane informed him.

"Uh, say what?"

"Yeah, Yuki," Syrus rolled his eyes, "Did you forget already? Blair's a year younger than us."

"Oh, yeah…"

"I'll be out of middle school in a year, though!" Blair said defiantly. "I'll be going into ninth grade next September!"

"Wait, so then why didn't you just wait a year and enroll like a normal student?" Syrus asked.

Blair scowled at him. "Because, Zane would've been gone by then. He's graduating this year. I thought… I thought this was my last chance." She looked back down at the hairclip in her hands.

"Oh, Blair, of course this isn't your last chance," Alexis said encouragingly. "You're only thirteen. You have a long, long time to fall in love— and for a guy to fall in love with you. And when that happens, it'll be way better than just a crush, because it will be mutual."

Blair scuffed her boot on the rocky sand. "Yeah, I guess…"

Alexis didn't bother continuing to try and convince her— she would find out one day. Or at least, she hoped she would, because that was the same advice Alexis's mother always gave her whenever she was pining particularly badly for her crush.

She glanced back over at her cousin (very pointedly avoiding looking elsewhere) and tried to read his expression. He'd taken her advice when dealing with Blair— he'd been gentle but honest, no dragging it out or making up stupid excuses. Blair was actually pretty lucky, that her first crush had been on a guy like Zane.

I don't understand it at all, Alexis thought. He's so good with a younger kid whom he's not even related to, but when it comes to his own brother, he has all the emotional sensitivity of a rock.

Academy Pier, Academy Island

September 12, 2017

8:52 AM

The next morning, the four of them watched and waved as Blair sailed away, accompanied by a chaperone from the Academy.

"Goodbye! I'll be back in a year! Be prepared to lose next time, Jaden!"

"Right back at ya!" Jaden yelled to her. "Ah. It's great that she's still intending on coming back, even if you won't be here anymore, Zane. Looks like there won't be any wedding bells at Duel Academy in the near future."

"I wouldn't be so sure," Zane said dryly.

"Goodbye, Jaden! My sweet prince— I love you!"

"WHHHAAA… Wait, she's supposed to like you!"

"She does like Zane," Alexis said tersely, scowling after the boat, "but apparently she loves you."

"Good luck," Zane said— though to whom he was speaking, it wasn't entirely clear— and walked off, but not before Blair called out one last time,

"I'll see you soon! Write me every day! I love you, Jaden sweetie!"

"Uhhh…" Jaden raised his hand and waved awkwardly at her one last time. "Wish they made cards… to counter this."

"Tell me about it," Alexis muttered. Syrus looked back and forth between them, his eyes narrowed in suspicion.

No… it can't be…. can it?

1. Miho Nosaka

I made Blair older in this episode so that it makes more sense when she comes back in a year as an actual student, a detail the original creators apparently didn't pay any attention to, since she was originally 8 years old