Author's note: First of all, this is an AU fic so don't expect seeing anything about Duel monsters. In this fic, they're all 18, (except Zane, Atticus and Hassleberry) and all of them have their own set of problems. I'll try to approach the typical dilemmas teens tend to go through, and for the sake of this, add some reality to the story.
Pairings: Mostly ChazzJaden, one-sided JadenAster, but there'll be other pairings as well (suggestions are always welcome)
I know this whole part looks a bit out of place, but it has a powerful meaning in the story. It's my description of how I like to imagine Chazz's relationships with his family.
The main plot starts after the first division (the one with x's)
Disclaimer: I don't own YGO GX.
Enjoy!
Chazz's P.O.V.
Click...click...click...
The constant sound of a lighter being triggered echoed through the entire living room as we shared what my parents liked to call "Family time", and to be honest, it was killing the tiny amount of sanity I still had left. Naturally, I was the first one to snap. I placed my hand on top of my brother's, the one holding the damned lighter quite forcefully. "Stop it, moron! You're annoying tic is driving me crazy" I hissed angrily at him, but all I got in response was a deep glare and a faint 'Whatever'. As you would expect, I glared back twice as strong. Just when I was about to punch the living daylights out of him, my mother decided to interrupt our amusing challenge, and as usually I was the one scold was directed to.
"Darling, calm down please. You're brother's just obviously anxious" A tender smile appeared on her lips when she stood up and approached me. My anger melted almost right away, and I looked up at her, more composed now.
"Well, he wouldn't be anxious if we didn't spend the Sunday's night just sitting here in silence, mother" She frowned sadly after I finished, and I couldn't understand why I didn't think about it much longer, however, because her frown morphed into a grin, her features lighted up considerably. She clapped her hands together, successfully gaining everyone's attention. It wouldn't take a genius such as me to know an idea had just popped into her mind.
"Why don't we go out and eat something? There's a new restaurant in downtown, I think it's called 'The seascape'. I've heard the food is delicious, especially the salmon mousse" I thought the room couldn't grow quieter...
I was so wrong...
Much to my dismay, Slade was the first one to snap out of his stupid daze. He glanced at Jagger expectantly and the other idiot actually understood the unspoken request. He slid his hand inside his pocket discreetly and soon after, Slade's mobile phone rang. He placed the receiver on his ear and pretended to be talking with someone, most likely his personal assistant. "Slade Princeton speaking...Is it really important? I'm in the middle of a family reunion..." I've seen those fools do it countless times before and I never fell for it. My parents, on the other hand, would buy it every single time.
"Don't worry about it darling, we understand you're a very busy man" She said as she reached up to tighten his tie, smiling fondly at him. I scoffed bitterly, only to get a disapproving scowl from my mother and a mocking sneer from both my brothers. The only one who held a neutral face was my father. He's always the one to support me when it comes to my brothers. Sometimes I feel like he's the only sane mind in the family besides me. I looked at my brothers resentfully, really wishing I was only child. And that's when I noticed it... Glancing around the room frenetically, I spotted it lying isolated on the floor. I bent down and took it with a flick of my wrist, fast enough so no one would see.
"Slade..." I spat out the name quite venomously, and he leered nastily. "Where is your assistant you calling from, exactly?" Suspicious, he raised an eyebrow and cocked his head a little, but answered the question anyway. Lying, of course.
"She's in France, Chazz. Why do you ask, little brother?" Fool...
"Oh...nothing. It's just that I didn't know you were allowed to make international calls without a mobile antenna, let alone even use the phone if it has no battery" I dug into my coat's pocket and showed him the small white device he dropped earlier clutched between my fingers. "And if my memory serves me right, you were ranting on about how your antenna wasn't working right" I was fully smirking now; extremely satisfied with the stupefied look he was sporting. I finally had him where I wanted him! My mother turned slightly shocked at him, and Jagger merely faked a disappointed face. Pathetic...
"It's...the newest technology. This phone has an emergency battery. Pretty cool, huh? I just bought it." WHAT?!...
"If that's so, I should really get one too" Those two are completely DEAD!
"I think you owe an apology to your brother, honey" WHAT THE…?
"OVER MY DEAD BODY!" I screamed at the top of my lungs, still my mother, obviously unimpressed didn't even flinch. My brothers were practically cracking in laugher and my father was nowhere to be seen. Then, unexpectedly, the last person I would imagine spoke out for me.
"And what about the antenna?" My father's coarse voice cut off their laugher immediately as he stood right behind me. He was pretty strict; his intimidating personality demanded respect, no one ever messed with him. And those two morons certainly didn't either.
"That's another amazing feature of the phone, it has an advanced, inner one" He smirked smugly, yet Dad's stern face wiped it out of his dull face instantly.
"You know, that phone kind of looks like the one you had with you last week..." Jackpot!
The blissful moment (for me at last) was interrupted when the phone rang loudly. I got up as fast as I could and answered it perhaps a little too eagerly. "Hello?" "Chazz? Hi, it's me, is Slade in there? I've been trying to communicate with him, but he won't pick up his phone..." "Sure…"I muttered darkly; who did she think I was? His fucking secretary? I hesitated critically, but motioned for said moron to come closer nevertheless. He did, reluctantly, and I shoved the phone in his hands. "Slade Princeton speaking...Where?...Alright, I'm on my way" I seriously wondered which gods hated me, and why.
"Well, you know what they say, Duty calls" A really fake sad smile appeared on his face as he grabbed his suitcase and made his way out. Then, as if he'd just forgotten something, he turned back dashed across the room to where Jagger was sitting and pulled him up. "It seems I'll need your help." Both twits ran off quite hurriedly, leaving me alone with my parents. Again...
"So, The Seascape, you say? Hmm...It's been a while since I ate some real seafood. What about you, Chazz? " Oh joy...
"It sounds like fun, but I don't really feel good at the moment. Maybe another time" I started to walk toward the stairs when I felt something warm yanking my arm. I turned around only to find my mother had her fingers curled around my wrist, keeping me from getting away. Obviously, I knew what she wanted even without asking, but I didn't felt like going out tonight.
"I want you to come with us, darling" She looked at me hopefully, that alone almost convinced me. Almost. I hated it when she did that, because she knew it always worked with me. I sighed tiredly, merely waiting for her to give up. I couldn't jerk my arm back; I didn't have the heart to do so... As expected, she let out a sigh and released me slowly as she realized her pleading wasn't having the anticipated effect. Once free I paced away, never looking back. I was far too disappointed with myself to do so. Disappointed for being so mean with the person I was supposed to love and cherish the most.
While I was carelessly walking toward my room I collided with something, or rather someone. Peering down, I found Beatrix our domestic servant sprawled on the floor along with several previously folded towels scattered beside her. "I'm sorry, I wasn't paying attention" I stretched my hand out to help her and pulled her up effortlessly. She's a petite elder lady, probably on her late forties; still she's even more energetic than me. In the seven years I've known her, she has NEVER complained about weariness or anything for that matter. She's like an aunt to me... The crazy and cheerful one everyone has.
"Don't worry about it, I wasn't looking either" She declared sheepishly as we gathered the towels from the ground. She opened her mouth to speak, but before she could even have a word, I already knew what she sought out. "Oh...thanks, dear" She stated gratefully when I handed her the keys she dropped earlier. Just when I was about to turn the door handle and get inside my room, Beatrix's joyful tone stopped me. "You look...upset. May I ask why?" Although her voice had a genuinely concerned note on it, I didn't felt compelled to answer her honestly.
"I'm all right" That's all she heard of me before I slammed the door behind me. After the dreadful echoes of the pound stopped, I just stood there, truly admiring my room for the first time since we moved in, barely a month ago. There was only one word I could use to describe my room: perfect. It was suitably large, slightly bigger than the one I had in the other house, but more importantly, it would always offer me the peace and calm I could not find in my heart and mind. There's a balcony at the farthest end right in front of my bed, so it grants me the best illumination I could possibly ask for, the whitish moonlight. I also painted it myself; it was black, but not just any black. It was an opaque, eternal black.
Even though I wasn't really tired, I felt the sudden need to lie down. With a long leap, I flied across the room and dived into my bed, extremely pleased with the feeling of the silky dark sheets against my skin. In my state of serenity and harmony I almost didn't hear the faint knock on my door. "Come in..." Without taking my eyes off the ceiling, I responded coldly to whoever was standing behind it. After a long pause, the door opened to reveal my mother's slightly disturbed expression. I grimaced inwardly.
"Can we talk with you?" She requested gently and I couldn't stop gaping at her. I was, to say least, at a loss of words. Wait...we? As I was about to ask, my father's imposing figure crossed through the doorframe. Both looked at me, their faces contained different mixed emotions. Sadness, misery, and the worse of all: guilt. Why in the hell would they be guilty?!
"I...err...sure" I sat up hurriedly, waiting for them to begin. They came in and walked closer, my dad leaned against the wall, next to the headboard, and my mom sat in my bed. "What is it?" I tried to sound self-assured and composed, but her potent stare knocked all the confidence out of me. Now I now who I got the strong gaze from...Unsure of what to say, she stole a quick glance at my father for support. "Son, your mother and I are aware of your attitude toward Jagger and Slade and-"
"ME? What did I do? They made up that entire racket so they could get away. They do exactly the same thing every time they want to escape from something, and now you two come to my room to rub it in?!"
"Don't make wrong assumptions, yet son" God, I was about to fly into rag but those words certainly crushed my anger...So I just sat there, speechless. "We didn't come here for that"
"Chazz, don't think we didn't know that already" I couldn't retort to that, mainly because she called me by my name rather than some corny pet name. "We do, but we won't force them to stay with us if they don't want to. They have their own lives and houses. Besides, it hurts more to know they're here against their own will. We'd be happy to wait until the day they come here to visit their family even without us calling them"
"But it's all different with you, Chazz. You're not like your brothers at all. Don't get me wrong, we love them wholeheartedly, but let's face it, they'll forget all about us soon. It's just a matter of time before they become too absorbed with greed to stop..." A lost look took place on his face, so he looked down at the ground and just stood there. I searched hard for any coherent thought within my mind, but found none. It was mom's turn to speak again.
"You, on the other hand, are such a compassionated and caring person, you're truly one of a kind. We have a strong faith in you, because we know that in the end you'll be the one to take care of us, the one who will always be there to help us. And we have absolutely no doubt about it." Somewhere in the middle of her statement, she began to cry; fresh and sincere tears emanated from her eyes as she carried on. "You think we scold you all the time because we love to torment you, but we do it because we care. And let me tell you, we wouldn't be here if we didn't love you heartily" Even at that time, I didn't really feel like crying, since my pride wouldn't allow it and I was thankful for that. Then, unexpectedly, she threw her arms around me and embraced me in a loving motherly way.
"I...Y-you have no idea of how long I lived thinking you didn't love me." I managed to choke out once I found my voice, and pulled away a little to be able to look at her directly. I was actually surprised by the way I was able to hold back the overwhelming feelings inside me. I'm not exactly an emotional type, anyway.
"You always keep everything to yourself; you hardly ever talked to us. At first we blamed it on the adolescence, but as you got older we realized we were completely mistaken. But we do love you, more than you could ever imagine, don't you doubt that. " I felt her as her hold on me loosened gradually, until she was no longer grasping me. Ever so slowly, she rose to her feet to stand next to my father, they're expressions were totally different than the ones they wore when they came in. "So, do you want to come with us, sweetheart? We can go wherever you want" I have to admit the offer was pretty tempting; still I wasn't really in mood to go out.
Smiling weakly, I sat on the edge of the mattress and faced them. "I'm not really feeling good tonight, but I have a better idea…Why don't you two go and have dinner together? You can kiss and flirt all you want without me bothering you" They chuckled slightly at my comment. When we were young, my brothers and I would make loud sick noises every time they kissed, so they avoided kissing while we were around. Annoying human affections... "Besides, I'll need all the rest I can get for tomorrow" I had to face my last year of high school in ten hours and thanks to my parents decision of moving out, I had to face a new school as well. Excited? I don't think so...
"I like the idea, how about you?" When he got an eager nod from my mother, he smiled lovingly at her and motioned for her to go and fetch her coat. As she was walking out, unpredictable as ever, she came back, placed a tender kiss on my forehead and left. After she disappeared through the corridor, my father turned to face me and rested his hands on my shoulders. "I just wanted you to know that we couldn't have asked for a better son. I couldn't be more proud of you...Good night" That said, he ruffled my hair and followed my mom; soon after, I heard the muffled sound of the car taking off and fading away. Alone in my room again, I collapsed into my bed and waited for sleep to take over. For the first time in years, I breathed deeply and actually felt a great relief. There was no doubt within myself anymore, which was amazing. Should I take my coat off…? Later….. I didn't need a mirror to know an insanely retarded grin was plastered all over my face, and as weird as it sounds, I couldn't care less.
Maybe everything will be better from now on. I drifted off and into a profound serene sleep with those silly happy thoughts in mind...
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The distant sound of the phone ringing noisily dragged me out of my pleasant slumber. Glancing at my alarm clock, I found I only slept for evidently more than an hour, seeing as it read accurately 11:00 pm. I bounced out of bed and ran through the hallway, getting to the phone in less than ten seconds due to my sluggishness. "Hello?" The voice on the other end was slightly hushed, but I ignored that. "Yes? Is that the Princeton residence?" I don't know why, but I had an awful feeling, something bad. "Yes. Can I help you?" There was a brief pause and the voice continued. "Listen carefully, umm…what's you're name?" I raised an eyebrow reflexively, quite bothered now. "Who wants to know?" "Look, I'm sorry to have to be the one to tell you this, but an accident just happened. We found some IDs that lead us to this phone, so please cooperate with us and give me your name" My blood froze immediately, as well as my brain and any possible trail of thought crossing my mind at the moment. "Ch-Chazz Princeton..." "You're age?" "...17" "Are you, by any chance a familiar of Slade Princeton?" "He's my brother..." Fear pricked at my heart when horrible mental images blurred my sight. Now what did those two stupid twits got themselves into this time? "Look, Chazz, I'm calling because it's my responsibility to inform you that your parents' vehicle was crushed against a crash barrier by a silver Mustang GT, according to the witnesses. Unfortunately, both passed away before any medic assistance could be given. I'm so sorry..."
The distant sound of the phone smacking against the floor hardly reached my ears as I stood there, without seeing, hearing or feeling anything. I was just...not there. Everything around me seemed to constantly shift in wild waves of foggy haziness, and time abruptly stopped. All of a sudden, my shaky legs decided to move on their own; at first it at a fairly swift pace, then I broke into a full sprint. I was out of the house within ten seconds, and stopping wasn't exactly between my plans at the moment. Despite the fact that I was running blindly and with no specific direction, the numbness that plagued my entire being didn't allow my body to feel any tiredness at all.
Later on, the lack of air caught up with me, along with the exhaustion from expending my energy that quickly, so I fell down to my knees, my chest met the same fate afterward. When my lungs were filled again, I turned onto my back to take in my surroundings. I was in the woods on the outskirts of the city. In some way I was somewhat thankful of having nothing more than complete isolation surrounding me. The soft and sweet moon was my only company, my confidante and the only one who saw the forbidden tears that flowed freely down my cheeks like tiny rivers of immense sorrow.
I couldn't understand how those minuscule drops could hold such grief, such misery...
I cried harder than I thought possible; my broken sobs soon became wretched screams as I shouted my heart out. I thought that would bring some release, but in the end it just left me breathless and probably even hollower than before. So, this is what true pain feels like...Lying pitifully on the cold earth, with the endless chain of stars peeking curiously down at me, I couldn't help but to notice how petty humans really are. The buzzing waving echo of the civilization activity, the beaming glow the city exuded merely served as a reminder that the life in the world won't stop when we cease existing, that the death of someone would never alter the cycle of life. That's how insignificant we are.
After having been there for at last half an hour, I eventually got sick of the awful feeling of vulnerability and tried to stand up, still unsure if my wobbly legs would support me. Once I regained my steadiness, I glanced ahead, immediately spotting a wan-looking bridge not too far away. As I paced toward the bridge, the flimsy breeze that stroked my face and hair suddenly seemed to carry an eerily clear message; it whispered the inevitable question I knew I had to answer sooner or later... 'What am I gonna do now...?' I started to go over the alternatives I had. I could always return to my house, face the horrible loss and my brothers, or...
I often wondered why I was even born, but now I think I know the answer for that dreadful query...to die again. The malicious voices inside my head rejoiced and snickered with wicked delight; I could feel them smirking, laughing at me, daring me to do something to prove them wrong. Hysterically, I searched deep within me, hoping against hope I could find a worthy reason, anything I could hold onto and live for. Just give up...you have nothing to lose anymore... A powerful feeling of hollowness washed over me as I realized I was alone, that these voices probably were right.
Prying my eyes from the floor, I forced myself to look down at the murky water dashing steadily and calmly, about 10 meters below the bridge. Do it...you'll feel better. Anger rushed through me like lighting and before I knew it, I was staring at the thick dark crimson as it slide from between my fingers and dripped from my hand, staining the pallid stone. Unconsciously, I became deeply fascinated with the way the moonlight gave the blood a fairly innocent and pure look, so I rested my elbows on the cold handrail to take a closer look.
I was mesmerized to say the least...
Suddenly, I felt the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. It was a peculiar feeling, and I knew very well I was being watched. All at once, I turned my head to the other side of the bridge, spotting the intruder right away and judging by the surprised look on his face, I can tell he wasn't expecting that. I was nearly as surprised though. It was a guy, probably my age, with shoulder-length auburn hair and wide chocolate eyes. However, what stunned me the most about him was the fact that he was still holding my gaze, not even blinking. An invisible smirk danced on my lips as I realized he wasn't as normal as he looked...Not many have the guts to act that nonchalant while I stare at them, let alone return the look. I had to admit I was impressed.
In some way I felt like I could already tell he would be a worthy friend, a rival perhaps...
Wait...What the hell am I thinking? I don't even know him... I frowned. Why in the world would I think that? I didn't have an answer to that, but what I did know was that I had to wait until that guy left to finish with this for once and all. Shock plagued my senses once I found that my body was paralyzed, as if in some sort of enchantment. I couldn't just look away from those brown eyes. Wearing the same old fake mask I wore every day, I turned away from him, trying to look as calm and collected as always. When he was finally out of my sight, I struggled recklessly to keep my focus on the sky, acting as if the moon and stars were calling me. I had the annoying feeling this wouldn't end just with that.
No...
I knew this was far from over.
"How can you stay so calm? School starts in nine hours!"1 A small blue haired teen whined loudly, however his friend, who had previously placed himself in front of the computer, didn't seem to be aware of him at all. "Jaden…?" A frown crept its way over his childish face as he assumed he was being boorishly ignored. Inquisitively, he leaned closer to the other and peered over the brunette's shoulder in order to see the reason.
Jaden's P.O.V.
Dunno why, but I have the maddening feeling this will be a long night. Maybe it's the excitement of going back to school?...Nah...I've never been too fond of school anyway, so I might as well count that one out...Damn. The clock on Syrus' computer says its 11:44 pm and much to my surprise I'm not a bit tired. I wonder why...I mean, I don't really think Mrs. Truesdale was serious about what she said of chocolates. At least, that's what I'm hoping...Hmm…I could check on my mail while I'm still here. I leaned heavily on the comfy chair and started typing.
Just as I was contentedly zoning out, I heard Sy's voice address me softly, but remained silent and unmoving nonetheless. I felt sick just thinking how long he had been talking without me noticing. I had totally forgotten about him, even though I spent the whole day with the little guy. Soon after, I sensed him shifting closer as he glanced over the screen. I guess he was just looking for an explanation to my rude disregards, so I turned around to face him. That's when I noticed the lack of light in the room, the computer screen acted as the only source of illumination in the whole place.
"Sorry, pal...I kinda lost it for a minute..." Despite my odd sour mood, I put on one of my brightest smiles and stood up. I had to get out of there, mostly because of my sudden need to find a quiet, calm place to think and chill by myself. I faked what I hoped was a convincing yawn and stretched out "Well I guess I better get going. I'll need some good rest to put up with class, y'know. See ya tomorrow, buddy" I patted him on the back friendly, and by the time he reacted I was already gone. I dashed all the way down the stairs and through the front entrance, closing the door gently behind me. Finally!
Once out and a few blocks away, I decided to head over to the park. Syrus and I used to hang out there nearly everyday when we were kids. That's also the place I first saw him, twelve years ago. I had just moved in, and my parents were busy unloading, so they told me to go around and make some new friends. He was on the seesaw with his big brother, Zane; I walked closer to where they were and greeted them. I don't remember it all too clearly, but it doesn't take a photographic memory to recall Syrus timid smile and Zane's bored face. Even at that age, they've never been too close to each other as brothers should be.
My thoughts were interrupted when I realized I had arrived to my destiny. I like it better during daylight, but I could still see where I was footing, so the street lights were enough. My favorite place in the entire park was at the farthest end, but it was worth it. There's a large waterway with equally large yet narrow stone bridge. I like it 'cause it leads to an amazing viewpoint, not many meters uphill; you can see the whole city from there. I love to go there, but Syrus and Chumley would never come since the last time I persuaded them, both ended up fainting from exhaustion. I had a pretty hard time dragging them, so I never suggested it or even thought about it again. Until now...
As I was making my way through the park, a few meters from the waterway, I gasped noisily and nearly jumped out of my skin when I noticed there was a lone dark figure standing in the middle of the bridge, clearly male, with his arms rested on the stone handrail. From where I was I couldn't really make out most of his features, I could barely catch a glimpse of his profile, but I didn't need to look at his face to distinguish his strongest attribute: his long spiky midnight hair. His face wasn't any less enthralling, though; he had elegant high cheekbones and a delicately chiseled nose. He was...God I can't believe I'm saying this...good-looking. I had to give him that much.
Suddenly, he averted his formerly lost gaze in my direction. I guess he sensed my intense stare lingering on him. When our eyes finally met, I couldn't help but shudder as what felt like pure electricity crawled all the way up my spine. His gaze was far more powerful than mine, so fierce, but it didn't intimidate me enough as to break eye contact. I don't know why, but I couldn't stop looking at him and just turn away, it was like my body was acting on its own and it seemed as if my eyes were glued to his. A weak smile appeared on his lips, but vanished as fast as it came. Somehow I could feel there was something hidden behind that apparently solemn face. I could easily tell he was really sad by the way he looked absently back at me. After what felt like hours, he turned away uninterested and resumed looking sorrowfully at the dark sky.
My curiosity was now officially triggered...
End of Chapter 1
(1) I don't actually know the exact time the high school students are supposed to be in school, we'll just pretend they go in at 9 a.m.
I hope you noticed the writing style changed according to the narrator (it was choppy with Jaden and slightly more eloquent with Chazz). That's because I'm uncertain whether some of the words I planned to use are in Jaden's vocabulary at all. I love him, so don't get the wrong idea.
It'll take at last 10 reviews to get my lazy ass to write the next chapter, so pleeaseee read and review!