235Okay, I don't think I have many notes for this story. Let's see? This takes place within a few weeks of the end of Shadow Rise and the main pairings are Fiancéshipping (Jaden/Alexis) and Cliffshipping (Chazz/Arina) as well as the introduction of my newest OC and two OCs that belong to JxA fan 2000.
This story is nineteen chapters long and I have decided that I am going to post one chapter of this story per week so it will take nineteen weeks to finish posting. This is also done so that I have more time to get as far into White Radiance as possible as I want to stay ahead so that I don't have to keep my readers waiting too long for the next chapter.
As usual, a huge thank you to EndlessNight025 for being an awesome beta-reader.
Uhh, I can't think of anything else to say about this story right now but if there is anything that I have to include at a later time then I will simply post it at the beginning of the chapter.
I hope that you like this chapter and this story as a whole, even though it will take a darker turn in the second half of the story, and reviews, as always, are much appreciated.
Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX and Imagine Dragons. I also don't own Arina Zharkov and Keith and Kyle Rhodes, EndlessNight025 and JxA fan 2000 do. I am only saying this once so I will not repeat it in later chapters.
. . .
Chained
. . .
"I wanna hide the truth,
I wanna shelter you.
But, with the beast inside,
there's nowhere we can hide."
—Demons by Imagine Dragons (Album: Night Visions)
. . .
1
Welcome to Honolulu
He remembered the face and eyes of the boy; the cute babyish face of a child, the demonic hate-filled golden eyes of a monster. He recalled gazing into those hypnotic demon eyes, terrified in a way that he has never experienced before, feeling the terror that he often saw in the eyes of his victims. He remembered the way the child glared at him, the chilling way he spoke, the fury that colored his voice and the way the blood that covered his body added to the sinister appearance.
He remembered the pain and falling to the cold, stone floor. He remembered the blood that dripped off the dagger the child still held in his hands and he recalled the child moving faster than he has ever seen anyone move before, like a shadow fleeing from sunlight. He was an incarnate of darkness and hatred and he was the last thing he saw before darkness claimed him.
It was the sensation of cold that pulled him from his deepest memories, breaking him free from the grasp of the darkest moment of his life, the memory that he could not forget no matter how hard he tried; the memory of darkness's incarnate seeking to claim his life in much the same way his brother sought to claim the boy's mother's.
That cold sensation twisted around him, coils of cold wind that swirled around him as if he was in the center of a cyclone and yet, at the same time, he somehow knew it was not natural. He was not outside, he was sure of it as he could hear, in the far distance, the faint beep, beep of what he assumed was a heart monitor, and yet the cold was still there. Perhaps a window had been left open?
'Wake up,' a voice whispered.
He wondered where the voice was coming from; it sounded everywhere at once like an echo from a far distant place.
'Wake up. I am here to help,' the voice whispered; it was soft, compelling and he found himself trying to obey before he realized what he was doing.
Who are you? he thought, somehow knowing the voice would be able to hear him.
'I am a friend,' the voice murmured softly. 'I am here to help you, help you gain vengeance.'
Vengeance?
'Yes, don't you desire to avenge the murder of your brother and your companions? Don't you desire to make the familywhois to blame for your predicament pay?' the voice said softly.
He had been wanting that ever since he first regained some semblance of consciousness; he had froze with terror at the sight of the demon-eyed child last time and everything had happened so suddenly that he had been unable to process it. In the quiet expanse of his mind, in the darkness he had been tossed into, the darkness he never thought he would escape, he had time to process everything; he had time to come to terms with his fear and push it aside, hide it deep within so that it would not hinder him again.
He could have avenged his brother right then and there had he not been stricken by the shock and terror of seeing a child change as rapidly as that child had; that golden-eyed child who had plagued his long sleep, a specter of his past who clung to his consciousness like a cobweb. At one time, it had succeeded in bringing up old feelings of fear; now, that fear had giving way to the overpowering feelings of hate and anger.
Yes, he thought. I want them to pay, especially that kid.
'Ah yes, the golden-eyed child of your nightmares,' the sinister voice whispered, startling him. Then the voice, chuckling, added, 'I have been present ever since you first started returning to the realm of the living.'
He frowned in his sleep. What is that supposed to mean? he demanded.
The voice didn't respond. 'I can help you get revenge,' it whispered.
How? I know nothing about the family who ruined my life other than their last name and the father's name, he thought. It had not been by random chance that he, his brother and their companions had targeted the wife and children of Kaede Yuki; he had a personal vendetta against the man who had sent him, his brother and their companions to prison for a crime in which there was no hardcore proof they committed, except the testimony of an unreliable witness, unreliable in Kaage Naka's opinion, at least. However, though he knew Kaede Yuki, he knew little to nothing about the man's wife and children, not even their names.
There was another chuckle. 'You should have done your homework, Kaage,' it murmured.
His frown deepened. How do you know my name?
'As I said, I have been here for a while, waiting until you regained some more of your strength before I approached you with my offer,' the voice murmured. 'I know the name of the child who murdered your brother, Kaage, the youngest son of the man you despise.'
You do? Who is he? And who are you?
'I am the one who also seeks revenge against this boy. You may call me Dark Shadow,' the voice whispered, 'and the name of the boy is Judai Jaden Yuki.'
. . .
"You have made it to the semifinals of the Duel Monsters U.S. Championship Tournament. How do you feel about making it this far into the competition,Ms.White?" The interviewer asked, facing a skinny girl with long wavy white hair and ice-blue eyes who was dressed in a short-sleeved white shirt with a purple vest over it and dark-blue jeans with a duel disk resting on her arm.
"Honestly, Mr. Park, I'm only a little surprised that I managed to make it this far," Celina White—one of the four semifinalists who were one step away from entering the final match in which the winner will be named U.S. Duel Champion—said calmly with a blank expression.
"I see, and we have all seen you claw your way through the ranks. Any words to say to your opponent this weekend?" Mr. Park said.
Celina nodded. "I wish him the best of luck. I know he's going to be a challenge, but I'm ready for him," she said.
"She is playing her part very well, Jagger," Slade Princeton commented from where he was sitting on a plush couch, watching the interview. The quarter-finals of the Duel Monsters U.S. Championship Tournament had just ended. Slade was looking forward to when his new pawn completed her part of the backup plan he and his brother were forced to implement after their last attempt to achieve control of the world of Duel Monsters failed with their former brother, Chazz.
Slade had discovered Celina White back in August when she won a small tournament being held in San Francisco. He had seen her potential and decided that she would be a good pawn in his and his brothers' plans to dominate the world. When Chazz dropped out of Duel Academy, Slade saw Celina as his chance to keep his plans in motion and took her under his and Jagger's wing, teaching her to be a better duelist, through using the best dueling tutors money could buy. After all, Slade and Jagger were too busy themselves.
After Chazz screwed up his second chance to dominate the world of Duel Monsters during the School Duel, Slade and Jagger decided that Chazz would just be a burden and pushed him aside to focus on molding Celina into taking Chazz's position in their plans, even going as far as to offer to adopt her into the Princeton family.
To their surprise, Celina had declined. She stated that she was happy that they were willing to help her become a better duelist, but she wasn't comfortable with the notion of having a family. Considering her history—Slade had done an extensive background check to make sure his new pawn wasn't a criminal—Slade figured that was because of her parents abandoning her in an orphanage when she was barely a year old.
And now, several months later, Celina was well on her way to being the best duelist in America and, after that, it would only be a matter of time before the Princetons achieved their goal.
"Once she wins, we'll be that much closer to ruling the world of Duel Monsters as well as finance and politics," Jagger commented as he sat beside his brother on the couch, sipping at a glass of wine in his hand.
Slade nodded in agreement. "Her opponent is a tough competitor, however, but, with the deck we have given her, she has no excuse to lose. At least she is actually using the cards we gave her," he said, thinking about his brother and scowling as he recalled his brother's words.
I thought I could win this duel by myself.
Slade snorted as he recalled his former brother's words before pushing the thought from his mind. He decided not to bother thinking about his former brother; Chazz was only a Princeton in name and Slade really couldn't care less about what happened to him. He had failed them, after all.
You'd better not fail us, Celina, he thought, observing Celina on the television screen before the screen changed to focus on the interviewer.
"The semifinals of the Duel Monsters U.S. Championship Tournament will be held this weekend," Mr. Park said to the camera. "The first match of the semifinals shall be on Saturday between current U.S. Duel Champion, Keith Rhodes, and the Gladiator Beast duelist, Marina Salazar, while the second shall be held on Sunday between Ally of Justice duelist, Celina White, and the Gem-Knight duelist, Nathan Callahan. Two interesting duels to come so keep watch."
The scene shifted to a commercial and Slade muted it before standing up and stretching. "Let's go speak with our new pawn," he said with a smirk.
Jagger drowned the last of his wine and stood up as well before the two brothers left the room.
. . .
Kaage slowly sat up as the door to the room opened. The doctor walked in and gasped in surprise, her eyes widening. "Mr. Naka, you…you're…" she began.
"Yes, yes, I'm awake," Kaage said dismissively before he looked at the IV in his hand. "Now, will you remove this?"
"I am unsure if that is a good idea, Mr. Naka."
"And why not?" Kaage growled, dark-green eyes fixed on the doctor and the doctor, with a swallow, did her best to not flinch from those wild eyes.
"I…We…need to do some…simple tests to…determine if you're well enough to really leave," she said, noticing her voice stuttered a little, but she couldn't help it. The young man in front of her, whom she and the other doctors thought would never wake up, was scary and it was just that look in his eyes, a look that suggested he was not entirely there mentally, as well as the tone of his voice.
"I don't need tests. Let me leave, now," Kaage growled.
"I…am afraid, sir, that we will need to confirm that you are well-enough to leave. You have been in a coma for nine years, sir," the doctor said. She knew that the only reason why they never pulled the plug was because they could only do so if they had permission from a member of the family, though it was mostly because Kaage Naka did show signs of waking during the last nine years.
'This grows tiresome.'
Kaage held up a hand and shadows coiled around it, caressing it before shooting forward and wrapping around the doctor and pushing her up against the wall. Kaage, his eyes shifting from dark-green to a deep blood red, smirked. "I do not have the patience to deal with this. Now let me leave now, or else," he hissed, his voice turning much colder than before.
The doctor swallowed, fear flooding her body before she decided that this guy looked like he would kill her without hesitation and the way he spoke further emphasized that mad look in his eyes. She didn't want to die over something like this; she had a husband and a daughter to take care of. "O…of course, sir. Just…let me remove that IV and get the paperwork for you to sign. It will only take a few minutes," she said.
"Hurry," was all Kaage said before he retracted his hand and the shadowy bands that had pinned the doctor to the wall vanished. She fell to the ground and quickly scrambled to her feet. After she removed the IV from Kaage's arm, she bolted out of the hospital room, trembles passing through her body as she ran.
While she was getting the paperwork together, Kaage was getting changed, Dark Shadow's consciousness fading to the back of his mind now that they had both gotten what they wanted. Being possessed was not what Kaage imagined it would be, he would admit. He thought that he would be unaware of everything Dark Shadow did, and yet Dark Shadow was, somehow, letting Kaage retain awareness whenever he took over. He had no idea how it worked as he was not that big of a supernatural fan, and knew nothing of possession, so he supposed it could work out that way.
'It only works this way if the person being possessed gives his body over willingly and desires the same thing the spirit desires,' Dark Shadow murmured in Kaage's mind.
Kaage nodded before glancing at the golden bracelet that was around his wrist. He had gotten the golden armband the day he woke up. Dark Shadow had explained that the golden bracelet was his secondary Shadow Charm that he had retrieved when he had briefly possessed one of the doctors at the hospital before he woke Kaage up.
'This Shadow Charm will allow you to use my powers. Otherwise, I would have to be in control of your body every time you want to challenge someone to a real Shadow Duel and that grows tiresome and boring for me,' Dark Shadow had explained when Kaage had asked about the bracelet.
He turned the bracelet over a few times before he finished getting changed.
It wasn't that simple though. Though the doctor, not wanting to die and leave her husband and daughter, was willing to let him leave, the other doctors and the security were not. Kaage didn't care about them and were not going to let them stop him from leaving; he proved that by killing anyone who tried to stop him.
One doctor, hiding behind her desk, watched as the psychopath left the hospital, leaving a bloody massacre in his wake. She swallowed and then glanced at her phone, hoping the police would catch up with this man before he got away.
Hearing the sirens wailing in the distance as he left the hospital, Kaage ignored them. "How are we going to find the Yukis as it is?" he asked as he allowed Dark Shadow to tale control.
'That is very easily solved, Kaage,' Dark Shadow murmured. 'I still maintain a small connection with my last host through one of his cards. So long as he has that card with him, I will be able to track him.'
"How?"
There was a chuckle. 'Oh, dear Kaage, do you honestly think I will spill all of my secrets to you? My last host didn't even know the full extent of my abilities,' Dark Shadow murmured as the two of them vanished into the shadows.
While this happened, Kaage began coming up with potential plots to gain vengeance against the Yukis who ruined his life.
. . .
Celina White ran her brush through her long wavy white hair as she sat on her bed, a towel wrapped around her skinny frame. The quarter-finals were over and Celina was one step closer to becoming the next U.S. Duel Champion; normally, she would have been excited at the thought of being that close and she was, but she was also very nervous.
I've managed to make it this far, but can I keep it up? No, I can't think like that. I've gotta win, she thought as she stood up, putting her brush on the nightstand before walking over to her suitcase and pulling out a new set of clothes since her old clothes were covered in sweat from the duel. She had just finishing changing into a purple tank top and another pair of dark-blue jeans when a knock sounded on the door.
"Come in," she called, tossing the towel she had used to dry off back into the bathroom where it landed in a crumpled heap.
The door opened and Slade and Jagger Princeton, the brothers who had taken Celina under their wing and had the best dueling tutors teach her, entered the room. Since she was going to the semifinals of a nationwide tournament and that would lead her to a shot at attending a worldwide tournament the following year if she won or, at least, took the runner-up spot, she could safely say what the tutors were teaching her was working.
"Mr. and Mr. Princeton," she greeted them as she walked over to her suitcase and began putting her dirty clothes away. "What can I do for you?"
"Just came to check up on you. You were very impressive in your duel, Celina," Jagger said.
Celina looked up, feeling pride go through her. "I was?" she asked.
"Yes, though it's obvious you still need some help in certain areas," Slade said.
Just like that, the pride Celina felt vanished and she sighed. "I know I made a few mistakes, but it won't happen again when I go against Nathan," she said.
"See that it doesn't. You are getting close to becoming U.S. Duel Champion. You cannot afford to make any more mistakes," Jagger said sternly.
"Yes, Mr. Princeton, I know. I will do better next time," Celina assured them, keeping her comment about how she didn't need this lecture again to herself.
"See that you do."
Celina, pulling out her planner from her suitcase, looked through it before saying, "Hey, since that semifinals duel isn't until Saturday, I'm going to go visit the Bishop Museum. I've always wanted to visit it. Do you mind?"
"Not today," Jagger said. "We need to go over some new strategies. Nathan Callahan is not an opponent to be underestimated."
Celina sighed as she tucked the planner away. "All right," she said. The day was almost over anyway, so she doubted she would have been able to make it to the museum before it closed. Besides, she was determined to win and the more she knew, the better chance she had of beating Nathan Callahan.
"When do we start?" she asked.
"Now," Slade replied before he led the way out of the room and his brother and Celina walked after him.
. . .
The Honolulu International Airport was busier than usual, but that was to be expected as Duel Monsters was as big in America as it was in Japan and quite a few people had traveled to Hawaii to watch the Semifinals and the Finals of the Duel Monsters U.S. Championship Tournament. There were more people there for the semifinals and the finals than for the tournament because the tournament had occurred when a large portion of fans were in school.
After being bumped into for the fifth time since he got off the plane, Jaden decided he hated crowded airports.
He followed his dad, who had insisted on going with them as a third chaperone, though he didn't have a ticket and, therefore, couldn't attend the actual semifinals or finals. Their mother couldn't take off work, though.
Keeping his dad in view was harder than it looked, with how many people were near the baggage carousel grabbing their luggage, but Jaden managed. He kept one hand on Kasumi's arm so that she didn't get lost and she did the same for Raiden as the three of them weaved through the crowd, struggling to escape the congested area.
Finally, they emerged from the airport and Jaden, relieved, breathed in that crisp warm Hawaiian air. "Much better," he said before yawning.
"Tell me about it," Kasumi agreed, also yawning. "So we're gonna meet Alexis, Atticus, Kyle and the others at the hotel?"
"Yeah." Jaden was glad that he would get to see his girlfriend again. He and Alexis had officially become a couple after Alexis's duel against Pierre.
Raiden smirked. "Geez, Judai, it's only been a few weeks since you last saw Alexis. You look like you haven't seen her in years," he said.
Jaden glowered at him. "I do not," he retorted.
Kaede, their father, joined them. "Taxi's here," he said, nodding to the taxi that had pulled up a few yards away from where the sibling were standing. "So, since the semifinals aren't starting until Saturday, I've come up with some things we could check out while we're here, though we should probably wait for a few days while we adjust."
"That'd be cool," Kasumi said as she and her brothers walked after Kaede toward the taxi. "It'll give us something to do."
"We gonna hit the beach, though. Atticus promised to teach me how to surf and we never got the chance last year," Raiden said.
"Because of that sabbatical you were on?" Kaede asked.
"Yeah, we ended up studying nowhere near the ocean," Raiden lied easily. It was decided that, to avoid the parents of the missing students learning about what really happened to the missing students who returned over the course of the year, those students would stick to the story that was in Duel Academy's database.
Kaede nodded. "Well, there are plenty of places to visit here. It's a beautiful city," he said.
"You've been here?" Kasumi asked.
"Back when Raiden and Jaden were real young, I had a business meeting that took place here, so I checked out some of the sights when I had the chance," Kaede replied. He and the Yuki siblings slipped into the taxi and Kaede gave the directions to the hotel to the driver before the taxi sped off.
Jaden watched as the tall skyscrapers passed by until they turned onto a street that drove past the ocean that sparkled under the light of the sun and headed toward one of the hotels that lay near a beach. It was only about a mile away from the stadium in which the semifinals and finals would be taking place.
From what Jaden learned, Seto Kaiba had helped fund the Duel Monsters U.S. Championship Tournament, but, considering his corporation was spread throughout the world, Jaden wasn't that surprised. However, as the U.S. Championship wasn't as big an event as the World Championship that would be taken place the following summer, the stadium that was used was not quite as grandiose as it would be for the World Championship.
However, rumors had it that Seto Kaiba and Yugi Mutou, along with several finalists of the first Battle City Tournament over ten years earlier, would be attending the semifinals and finals. Jaden didn't know if those rumors were true or not, but he wished that they were, even if it was doubtful Yugi and Kaiba and the others would duel.
"Do you think the first Battle City finalists will really make an appearance?" Jaden asked with another yawn.
"Oh, I really hope so. I'd love to get Yugi's and Kaiba's autograph as well as Mai's," Raiden said.
"Me, too, and Bakura's and Marik's," Kasumi said. "But they're just rumors, Jay. No one knows for sure if they're gonna show up."
"Still, that would be really sweet," Jaden said before peering at his brother who had pulled out a book and was now reading it. "What're you reading?"
"The book I got last week," Raiden replied.
"Still?"
"I just started it today."
"I would've thought you would start it the day you got it. That's what you usually do." Jaden was sure Raiden's love of reading came from their mother, who was just as much a bookworm as Raiden. He wished that his mother could have come with, but he understood why she couldn't.
Thinking about his mother, Jaden's thoughts went to the brief conversation he had overheard a few days after their last day of school.
"…believe he's alive. Wasn't he killed?" Kaede was saying when Jaden approached the kitchen door to ask his parents something and he frowned, wondering what his parents were talking about.
"No, he was only put into a coma. That's what the doctors said and they said that it was unlikely he would ever wake up, but then I overheard them talking about him when I went for my yearly check-up and I asked them. They said he forcefully left, killing anyone who tried to stop him and he didn't look entirely stable."
Kaede scoffed. "If he killed anyone who tried to stop him from leaving then yes, he is definitely crazy," he said.
"Do you think he'll come after us again?"
"I certainly hope not, Izumi."
"I'm just so worried. Both Raiden and Jaden had been injured the last time he approached us and I'm afraid of what he will do to them to get at you," Izumi said softly.
"I know, love, but Jaden and Raiden will be safe at Duel Academy and, besides, he can still be arrested for assault and attempted murder since the statute of limitations isn't up yet."
"I suppose so. I can call the police now and file charges now that I know he's awake. That'll keep him away from us, I hope. Maybe a restraining order is in order."
"Maybe, but we'll worry about that later, love. You have your meeting in Florence to worry about, and I know how important that meeting is for you."
"All right," Izumi said. "At least you won't be alone in keeping an eye on our children."
"Yeah." There was a moment of silence, then: "Don't worry, Izumi. We'll be fine. I'll call you ever day to assure you that we're fine if it'll ease your worry."
"Thank you," Izumi said softly.
Jaden still had no idea what his parents were talking about or who this 'he' person was. He just knew that this person scared his mother and that was hard to do. It wasn't fear for herself, Jaden knew, it was fear for him, his brother and his sister.
"Judai, you okay?" Raiden asked, waving a hand in front of Jaden's face and pulling him from his thoughts.
"Yeah, I'm okay," he assured his brother.
'Why haven't you told your brother and sister about this conversation?' Yubel asked curiously in Jaden's mind.
Raiden would lecture me on how bad it is to eavesdrop. I swear he's like a second mom sometimes, Jaden thought. I wasn't supposed to hear that conversation, Yubel, and if Dad wanted us to know then he would have told us himself.
'He could want to protect you by not telling you,' Yubel suggested.
I guess.
By the time they reached the hotel, however, the fatigue caused by the jetlag finally caught up with Jaden, Raiden and Kasumi and they were fast asleep in the back of the taxi when it came to a stop.
Kaede looked at them in amusement. He was used to traveling between time zones because of his job so he was better able to deal with jetlag. His children were not. "Come on, you three, time to wake up," he said.
All he got were three mumbles in response and he chuckled.
. . .
Chazz was thankful that he still had money in the account his brothers had set up for him back when he was younger. It was supposed to be to help him learn how to manage his money early on and so, while there was a limited amount in it, he could access it whenever he needed it. That was the only way he had been able to gain the money he needed to go to Hawaii for the Semifinals and Finals of the Duel Monsters U.S. Championship Tournament.
He hadn't wanted to go, but his girlfriend—Arina Zharkov—had convinced him that it would be fun and, frankly, he didn't have anything better to do. He was lucky his brothers were abroad when he got back to the mainland after the school year ended. He still wasn't sure exactly what would happen to him once his brothers returned to Japan; would he get kicked out of the house? He was already basically disowned in his brothers' eyes, but he didn't know if his brothers would make that legal or if they were just temporarily mad at him.
At the very least, he was able to get a room in the same hotel that his—acquaintances? He honestly didn't know if he considered them friends, even after all they have been through together—were staying. And the hotel was rather nice with a clear view of the ocean and ready access to the beach, and it was also walking distance from the stadium where the semifinals and finals were taking place later in the week.
The room Chazz had reserved for himself was also neat. It was large, complete with a four-poster bed covered by a comforter with a Hawaiian print on it and two large sliding glass doors that led into a balcony overlooking both the pool and the beach that lay beyond. It also came with a large private bathroom with white tiled floors, white-wash walls, and a hot-tub.
It has already been a few days since Chazz and his girlfriend had arrived in Honolulu along with the others. It took them that time to get over the jetlag since they all had flown through a few time zones to get there —with the exception of Keith, Matt, and Emily.
"Hi," Arina said.
Chazz jumped and whirled around. "Will you stop doing that?" he protested. He had been about to leave the room to get something to eat and hadn't noticed his girlfriend had join him.
Arina giggled. "Sorry," she said with a bright smile. Arina had become Chazz's girlfriend officially right after Jaden's and Kasumi's duel against Kagemaru during the school year and, while the relationship was not all 'lovey-dovey' and 'mushy', it worked for them.
"Jaden and the others are heading to the beach right now. You wanna come with?" Arina asked.
"I guess," Chazz said.
"Great. I'm gonna go get into my swimsuit. I'll meet you in the lobby," Arina said before she flipped forward and walked on her hands over to her room.
Show off, Chazz thought, somewhat fondly, as he walked back into his own room to change. He had packed enough to last him the almost two weeks they would be in Honolulu and so it took him a little while to search through everything to find his swim trunks and his beach towel.
It has been quite a few years since he's been to the beach and the last time, he and his brothers hadn't stayed long enough for him to be able to do anything other than swim. He was actually looking forward to doing more than that, like relax on the beach or, maybe, surf, as he never really got the chance to do that at Duel Academy. He did, a few times, but not often.
'Hey Boss, we're going with, right?' Ojama Yellow greeted as he appeared in spirit form in front of Chazz about fifteen minutes later after he changed into his black swim trunks and a short-sleeved shirt and was putting his clothes and stuff back into his suitcase.
"No, you aren't, so beat it," Chazz growled. He also had to deal with the annoying Ojama duel spirits who constantly bothered him, something he still wasn't entirely used to.
'But it's our vacation, too,' Ojama Yellow objected, floating around Chazz's head. 'Why can't we go with you?'
Chazz was about to tell him exactly why, but a knock on his door stopped him before he could.
"Come in," he called.
The door opened and Kyle poked his head into the room. "Hey, Chazz, everyone's ready to go," he said.
Chazz nodded curtly and Kyle said, "We're meeting in the lobby," before leaving the room.
After finishing closing his suitcase, Chazz put his towel over his shoulder and left, making sure he had the key card he needed to access his room in the pocket of his swim trunks, but also leaving his deck behind as he didn't want a few annoying duel spirits bothering him. He headed down the stairs before walking into the lobby where everyone was gathered.
Alexis was standing nearby, leaning against Jaden, dressed in a blue shirt and dark-blue shorts while Kyle was talking with his older brother, Keith—a lean tall young man with dark-brown hair that went down his neck and chocolate-brown eyes set in an oval-shaped face—nearby, Atticus was talking—flirting—with the receptionist and Raiden and Kasumi were standing near the door by their father.
Emily and Matt Rhodes, Kyle and Keith's parents, were standing nearby and they were the first to notice Chazz. "Okay, looks like everyone's here," she said.
"Oh, hiya Chazz, didn't see ya there," Jaden said brightly.
Chazz grunted.
Arina walked to Chazz's side before resting her hand on his. "C'mon, Chazz, don't be such a party dumper," she said.
"Don't you mean 'party pooper'?"
Arina giggled. "That, too," she said as she took Chazz's hand completely in hers.
"Shut it, Slacker," Chazz snapped when he saw the grin on Jaden's face.
"I didn't say anything," Jaden protested.
. . .
The beach was filled with people swimming in the ocean or relaxing on beach chairs while children were playing in the sand, building sand castles or digging moats around the castles they had already built. The ocean was lapping at the beach, darkening the sand, though the tide had not yet come in. Children with inflatable tubes around their waists were playing in the water while their parents watched either from in the water or from beach chairs nearby.
The gang found a somewhat empty spot near the middle of the beach, just far enough to avoid the tide should it come in. Arina, Kasumi and Alexis set up beach chairs before sitting down and beginning to rub sunscreen on their arms. Alexis smiled at Jaden before holding out the sunscreen bottle.
"Will you do my back for me?" she asked.
Jaden, forcing himself not to blush, nodded before taking the bottle and walking over to Alexis, who moved her hair out of the way, and he began rubbing the sunscreen on his girlfriend's back. He couldn't help but notice how soft his girlfriend's skin was as he capped the sunscreen and handed it back to her.
"Hey, Atticus, will ya teach me how to surf now?" Raiden asked Atticus, who was standing nearby with a surfboard in his arms.
"Sure," Atticus said with a grin.
Jaden smirked as he leaned over to where his sister had just finished putting on sunscreen. "Ten bucks says Raiden wipes out within the first five minutes," he said.
Kasumi chuckled. "That's my souvenir money, so no deal," she said.
Jaden chuckled as he stood up and stretched. "I'm going for a swim. Anyone coming with?"
Kyle also stood up, as did Keith while Arina sat down on her beach chair. Emily and Matt Rhodes were sitting down on a beach blanket nearby while Chazz was setting up his own beach chair next to Arina's.
Jaden, Kyle and Keith made their way into the ocean and were swimming around while their other friends relaxed and talked with each other on the beach. Chazz and Arina eventually joined them in the water, though Chazz seemed a little reluctant.
"You won't melt, Chazz," Jaden pointed out.
"Shut it, Slacker," Chazz snapped as he swam out of the shallows to where the others were.
"Hey, look, there're Atticus and Raiden," Kyle said, pointing and Jaden glanced in the direction Kyle was indicating just in time to see Raiden fall off the surfboard and land with a splash as the wave crashed down. Atticus swam back to where his friend was surfacing while Jaden grinned.
"Nice wipe-out, bro!" he shouted.
"Shut up, Judai! I'd like to see you do better for your first time," Raiden shouted back as he climbed back onto the surfboard.
"Seeing the slacker wipe-out like that would be a sight to see," Chazz mused.
Jaden responded by splashing him.
Chazz sputtered and wiped the water from his face before glaring at Jaden. "Oh that's it," he growled and splashed Jaden back.
The splash fight that followed ended up being Jaden and Kyle versus Chazz and Arina, with Keith watching from the sidelines, having decided not to get in the middle of that, though he did look amused.
Meanwhile, back on the beach, Kasumi was gazing up at the cloudless blue sky above her head. "I wonder what we'll do next or tomorrow," she said. "Dad said that he has some ideas of what to do until the semifinals and the finals, though."
Alexis turned to look at her. "Yeah, Aunt Em and Uncle Matt also have some ideas. I'm looking forward to it," she said.
"Me, too."
. . .
The Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum was a large museum dedicated to the history, arts, and culture of the Hawaiian people and was busy at this time of day. It was just after noon the day after the gang's trip to the beach and the first place that Kaede, Emily and Matt had suggested they go was the Bishop Museum. Now, they were currently standing in a group near the entrance, trying to decide what to do since the museum was large and it closed at five.
"Okay, there are six different exhibits in this museum that we can visit," Kaede said, glancing at the visitor's brochure he had picked up.
"Why don't we split up?" Kyle suggested. "I don't think we'll have enough time to visit all the exhibits in one group."
"There're six exhibits, so we can split into six groups," Kaede agreed. "What do you think, Matt? Emily?"
"I like that idea," Emily said.
In the end, the six groups were Chazz and Arina, Jaden and Alexis, Raiden and Atticus—"I'm not sure that's such a great idea," Jaden said—Keith and Kyle, Kasumi and Kaede, and Matt and Emily.
"We'll meet back here around four," Kaede said. "Be good and don't get into any trouble." He looked directly at Raiden.
"Yeah, Atticus," Alexis said, looking at Atticus.
"Why are they looking at us?" Atticus protested.
"I know, right?" Raiden said.
The groups split off, each heading to a different exhibit. Alexis was examining the map of the exhibits before she pointed to one of them. "Let's go see this one first," she suggested, glancing at her boyfriend.
Jaden peered at the exhibit Alexis was indicating. It was the Na Ulu Kaiwi'ula-Native Garden. "All right," he said and the two of them, after they figured out where it was located, headed toward it.
. . .
Meanwhile, Kyle and Keith had decided to visit the Hawaii Sports Hall of Fame. While they were walking, they were talking about the tournament. "I've watched the other semifinalists during the quarter finals and they're definitely strong," Keith said.
Kyle nodded. "Who do you think you'll be facing in the finals?" he asked.
"I don't know. Both Nathan and Celina are strong duelists and I wouldn't mind dueling either of them. Of course, I still have to beat Marina," Keith said.
"True. Gladiator Beasts, that'll be a challenge."
The two were still talking when Kyle, accidentally, ran into someone, knocking them both to the ground. "Oh, I'm sorry," Kyle said immediately as he quickly scrambled off the white-haired girl he had just knocked down.
"Nice one, bro," Keith said with a shake of his head and Kyle blushed before he held out a hand.
"It's okay," the girl said as she took his hand and let him pull her to her feet. "I wasn't paying attention to where I was going, either." She looked down at her feet as she released Kyle's hand.
"Celina?" Keith said suddenly, causing the girl to look up, surprised.
"You're Keith, right? Keith Rhodes?" the girl, Celina, said.
Keith nodded. "Yeah, I didn't recognize ya at first. Congrats on your win, by the way," he said.
"Thank you," Celina said quietly.
"This is my brother, Kyle," Keith added.
"Nice to meet you," Kyle said softly.
"Celina!" a call sounded before Celina could reply and the three of them looked toward it to find a very familiar black-haired young man in a suit walk toward them.
Kyle's jaw dropped. "Jagger Princeton!" he exclaimed as one of Chazz's older brothers came to a stop in front of them.
"You know him?" Keith said with a raised eyebrow.
"Yeah, I know this asshole. Jaden's fond of calling him that," Kyle said with a shrug. "He and his brother tried to buy out Duel Academy, but Chazz beat Jagger's brother Slade to stop that from happening."
"Oh."
Jagger glared at Kyle while Celina just looked confused before he looked at the white-haired girl. "C'mon, Celina, we've got some things to go over with you for the upcoming duel," he said.
Celina nodded. "It was nice meeting you, Kyle," she said before she walked after Jagger.
Kyle watched her go. He had to admit, she was pretty. He then looked at Keith who was watching him with amusement in his eyes. "What?" he asked.
"You think she's pretty, don't ya?" Keith said.
Kyle blushed, which was an answer all on its own.
Keith laughed before patting Kyle's shoulder.
"So what's the deal with her and the Princetons?" Kyle asked.
"I'm not entirely sure, but, from what I've heard, the Princetons took her under their wing sometime last year," his brother replied.
"Oh."
"Keith Rhodes! I saw your duel, well, the rerun of it, and you were awesome. Hey, can I have your autograph?" a girl around Kyle's age asked, walking over to join Keith and holding out a planner.
Keith sighed but nodded and took the pen the girl also handed him before signing the planner.
It wasn't long before other Duel Monster fans had noticed that the U.S. Duel Champion was there and Keith was suddenly swarmed with fans all asking for autographs and pictures.
Kyle, having been shoved out of the way by a few enthusiastic fans, stood near the entrance to the exhibit they had been about to see. He sighed, running a hand through his hair, not at all surprised that he had been brushed off to the side again. Keith was the famous one, after all; he was just the little brother.
. . .
In another part of the museum, Raiden and Atticus found themselves entering the Richard T. Mamiya Science Adventure Center, which was also filled with a lot of tourists snapping pictures of the exhibits or participating in some of them. There were exhibits on volcanology, oceanography and biodiversity—based on the brochure Raiden was reading—and all of them looked rather interesting.
"So where to first?" Raiden asked.
"I dunno," Atticus said.
The two decided to just wander around the three floors of the center, watching lava melt in one area, sliding down a lava tube in another and even controlling a deep-sea submersible for a little while in yet another area.
. . .
In the Hawaiian Hall, Kasumi and Kaede were walking along the first floor of the three-floor hall, called the realm of Kai Akea. This floor focused on the gods, legends, beliefs and the world of pre-contact Hawaii; that was what the pamphlet for the hall said, anyway.
"This is interesting," Kasumi said.
Kaede nodded. "So, are you enjoying this trip so far, Kasumi?" he asked.
Kasumi nodded. "Yeah, I am, Dad. I'm also looking forward to the semifinals," she said with a smile.
Kaede chuckled before his phone started vibrating and he frowned before pulling it out of his pocket. "I thought I shut this off," he said before he glanced at the caller-ID and his frown deepened.
"What is it?" Kasumi asked, uncertain about the look of alarm on her adopted father's face.
"It's your mother. She never calls when she's in a meeting, and especially not when we're both out of the country. International calls cost money," Kaede said. "She will only call if it's an emergency. I've gotta take this. Go ahead and enjoy the hall, Kasumi, and I'll find you when I'm done."
"All right. Tell Mom I say hi."
"Will do." Flipping open his phone, Kaede walked out of the hall and Kasumi, wondering what the emergency was, made her way through the first floor of the museum, occasionally asking questions of the staff whenever she didn't understand something.
She was halfway through looking at the items on the second floor, Wao Kanaka, when her adopted father joined her. She glanced at him, taking note of the alarmed look on his face, and frowned. "What's up, Dad?"
Kaede shook his head as if clearing his thoughts. "Nothing to worry about, Kasumi," he assured her.
She didn't believe him for an instant. "What's wrong?" she asked.
"Nothing, Kasumi," Kaede said in a tone that clearly told her she should drop the subject.
Though she was stubborn to a fault, even Kasumi could tell that her adopted father didn't want to talk about whatever it was that was worrying him, so she let it go, at least for now.
. . .
In the Native Garden, Jaden and Alexis were strolling through it along with several others, listening to a guide as he told them about the plants that were in it and how they were important to Hawaiian culture. There were plants that Jaden had never seen before, as well as some plants that he had seen before.
"This is nice," Alexis said as they wandered away from the group, who were still listening to the guide.
"It is," Jaden agreed, taking Alexis' hand in his as he walked.
'It's a bunch of plants,' Haou grunted. 'Who cares?'
'No one asked your opinion, Haou,' Yubel said.
We never ask his opinion, Jaden thought.
'True.'
"So, where do you want to go next?" Jaden asked aloud.
"I don't care," Alexis said with a shrug and faint blush. "I'm enjoying spending time with you, though."
Jaden smiled a little, a faint blush coloring his cheeks. "Yeah, me too," he agreed.
. . .
In the Abigail Kinoiki Kekaulike Kahili Room, Chazz—who could not pronounce the name of the room to save his life—was walking alongside Arina, looking at the various displays and listening to Arina talk.
"Some of these things are rather cool-looking," Arina said.
"I guess," Chazz said with a shrug.
'I think these things are cool,' Ojama Yellow said happily, appearing on Chazz's shoulder.
Chazz smacked the duel spirit off his shoulder. "Why did I bring my deck with me?" he grunted as Arina giggled at the action.
'Because you really like us, Boss,' Ojama Yellow said brightly.
Chazz growled. "Will ya beat it? I'm trying to enjoy some peace with my girlfriend," he snapped.
'I gotcha, Boss,' Ojama Yellow said before he vanished back into Chazz's deck box.
Chazz, relieved, looked at Arina. "Sorry," he began.
Arina giggled. "Quit apologizing for that," she said. "I don't mind it."
The people around him did, though, for they kept giving Chazz weird looks and murmured to themselves about how Chazz should get some help if that talking to himself thing kept happening. It was embarrassing and Chazz, wanting to get away from the whispers, took Arina's hand.
"Let's go over there," he said, pointing to an area of the room that they hadn't seen yet, and where there were less people to comment on Chazz's quirks, as Arina called them.
. . .
Around four, four of the six groups met up with each other near the entrance to the museum. Most of them had managed to see a good portion of the museum while others had only been able to see two or three of the exhibits. Kasumi looked around with a frown. "Where're Atticus and Raiden? And Jaden and Alexis?" she asked.
"Knowing the slacker, he got lost," Chazz grunted.
"I resent that," Jaden said with a pout as he and Alexis walked, hand in hand, over to the group.
"Have you seen Raiden or Atticus?" Kaede asked his son.
"They were entering the Pacific Hall, last I saw 'em," Jaden said, "but that was half an hour ago, so I dunno where they could be now."
It wasn't long until Raiden and Atticus joined them, coming from the gift shop with a bag in each of their hands. Atticus was happily strumming a ukulele that still had the price tag on it and Alexis sweat-dropped.
"Where'd you get that?" she asked.
"Gift shop. Only twenty bucks," said Atticus.
"I tried to talk him out of it," Raiden said with a sigh. "But that's like talking to a brick wall at times."
"Hey, I needed a new one since I lost my old one," Atticus protested.
"Well, let's go to dinner now and then we can figure out what to do tomorrow," Emily suggested. "I know a good Hawaiian restaurant nearby we could try out."
"Food?" Jaden perked up. "Sounds good to me!"
Kasumi, Raiden and Alexis chuckled.
. . .
A/n what do you think?
Blaze: and that was the first chapter of Chained. I hope that you enjoy it
Jesse: awesome
Jaden: I liked it
Blaze: yup
Chazz: what will happen next?
Blaze: a Duel Monsters convention and the first semifinals match
Chazz: oh okay
Blaze: yup. And no question this chapter, I can't think of any right now (pout)
Bakura: (blowing up random buildings) yeah, yeah, then end the chapter already
Blaze: stop blowing up random buildings
Bakura: no
Blaze: (lifts up flaming machete)
Bakura: (puts down bazooka) fine
Blaze: well, I hope you enjoyed the first chapter of Chained and the next one will be posted either next Sunday or next Monday. Reviews, as always, are much appreciated.
