Can't Hide The Truth

That night, Jaden had yet another dream. But he couldn't really describe it as a dream. It was more like a memory that didn't belong to him. He awoke in a bed with red satin sheets on a rather luxurious bed in a large grand bedroom fit for royalty. He looked around confused because the scenery didn't look familiar to him at all. "Good morning my young prince." Said a sultry sounding voice. Jaden turned his head towards the voice and saw a beautiful woman standing by an open window, showing the moonlit sky with the wind blowing in her long golden wavy locks.

She turned to look at him and had a loving expression on her face as she stared at him. She looked almost like a goddess with the amount of beauty that she possessed. She started to walk towards him with his heart pounding in his chest the closer that she got. She crawled onto the bed with him and sat on his lap, cradling him between her thighs.

"Your beauty never ceases to amaze me every time I see you, Sephiria." Jaden said almost automatically as if someone was speaking through him. The woman known as Sephiria leaned down and placed a delicate kiss on his lips which he accepted without struggle, like her affection was something that he was used to. As they continued to kiss, she pulled back and pulled her dress down slightly to reveal the pale skin on her neck which made Jaden lust for her even more.

"Please, my lord. Indulge yourself on my blood." Jaden traced his fingers along her collar bone and up to her neck, his eyes staring hungrily as he could see the blood within her veins which were practically calling out to him to have a taste. He sat up and cupped his hand onto her lower back and pulled her in closer. He licked up and down her neck and made the mysterious women before him let out a quiet moan. He then gently bit into her taking in all of her taste which felt like fireworks on his tongue.

As he continued to drink, she wrapped her arms around his shoulders and nuzzled him, placing her hand on his head as she stroked his hair. "I love you my prince, I swear to give you my entire being. And I will stay with you until the day I die." Jaden pulled away with his breath becoming rapid, still under the spell of her delectable blood. "I love you too Sephiria. And until the day you die, I will protect you." Jaden said as he tucked a strand of hair back behind her ear. As he looked at her, he saw a vanity behind her and was able to get a look at his reflection. It was undoubtedly him except for that one feature that made a big difference. Instead of his brown eyes, what stared back at him were those soulless golden orbs that reflected the worst parts of himself.

"Jaden, if you don't wake up we're going to be late for class!" Said Syrus as he tried to nudge the other Slifer red student awake. Jaden slowly opened his eyes as he sat up holding his head. "I had the strangest dream Syrus" His best friend tilted his head in curiosity. "Oh yeah? Just what did you dream about?" As Jaden recalled his dream, a blush spread across his cheeks. "I saw a beautiful woman." Syrus started to chuckle with a mischievous smirk placing itself on his face. "So what you're saying is that you had a dirty dream about Alexis?"

Jaden immediately became flustered and threw his pillow again straight at Syrus's face who fell down with a thud. "Knock it off will you?! No, it wasn't about Alexis. It was like I was remembering something from a long time ago." He started to stare off into nothingness as he started to feel nostalgic for a time he couldn't even remember. He didn't know who that woman was to him but he knew that she was important to him at least in some part of his life.

"Why don't you ask Haou about her later? I'm sure he would know. But we don't have time to talk about pretty women right now! We have to leave now or we'll get another lecture!" Jaden jumped from his bed to immediately get dressed not forgetting to put on his hoodie and sunglasses and then headed with his best friend to school.

They made it to class with only a few minutes to spare and sat down at their seats, both out of breath from sprinting all the way from their dorms. "You guys really need to set alarms so you don't have to keep rushing to class every morning." Said Alexis who sat in the row right above them. "I have alarms but Jaden sleeps right through them!" Said Syrus as he sighed. If it wasn't for Syrus staying behind late to help wake Jaden up then he would be expelled from the all the times he would have been late to class. "I can't help it Sy! You know I'm not a morning guy. Nighttime is the only time I really feel awake." Said Jaden with a wide yawn.

The day went by rather smoothly as their professor's came and taught them their lectures and eventually it was lunch time. The gang had grouped up and met on the roof to eat their lunch together because the school was still swarming with brainwashed students. "It sucks that we have to hide away like this just to have lunch together. The Society Of Light is everywhere here on campus. I saw five more of our classmates challenged to a duel on the way to class today." Said Bastion who munched on his bento box lunch.

"Well I don't know about you guys but I won three battles against them myself this morning when they tried recruiting me! Maybe it's about time we start bringing the fight to them instead of waiting for them to come to us." Said Chazz who was also enjoying his lunch. Jaden sat there listening to his friend's inquiries about what was going on right now as he tried to formulate a battle plan of his own in his head.

"This is probably the first time I'm ever going to say this, but I agree with Chazz. We are the best duelists this school has to offer. We should start going on the offensive and take the fight to them." Jaden wasn't the one to have such serious thoughts in his mind, but with what was at risk for all of them it was all he could think about. Asking his friends for their help was a risk he wasn't willing to take because unlike him they weren't immune to the lights tempting calls but what other choice did he have? Hopefully Haou's power would keep them safe.

As they sat there continuing to talk about the Society Of Light, Jaden's stomach kept growling. He couldn't stop himself from thinking about the mystery woman from his dreams. "Are you hungry Jay? I can let you drink from me again if it's bothering you that much." Said Syrus as he pulled his sleeve up. Jaden's eyes glowed instinctively but he shook his head. "No I'm okay. I really don't want to ask more from you guys than I already am. You're my friends, not food." Syrus looked at his best friend concerned. "The last time you refused to drink blood you ended up losing control and missed out on school for an entire week. I hope you're not doing this because of what happened in Domino City." Jaden forced on a smile to deter his best friends worried feelings.

"It's true that I've been reluctant to drink blood again. But I'll be fine. It's not like I need it every day anyways." Said Jaden with his stomach still growling. "You know that you're lying to yourself. Our strength comes from blood. Without it, you'll only be a liability to your friends. Is that what you want?" Said Haou whose voice echoed in Jaden's mind but he chose to ignore him. He wasn't interested on the input his other half had to say to him. He wanted to stay strong regarding his decision.

"I finally found you Jaden. Think I could have a word with you?" Said Aster as he walked onto the roof from the staircase. "Aster? Is there something wrong?" Asked Jaden to the Champion Of Light who sat down with them so he could tell them about what he had learned from Sartorius. "I don't sense any of Sartorius's spies watching us right now, so I think it's safe for me to relay this information to you." They all leaned in eagerly to listen to what he was about to tell them. "I overheard my master talking about something called the White Devil Project. Apparently, it's such high clearance that he won't even tell me about it. And he tells me everything. I find this whole thing suspicious to say the least." Bastion crossed his arms, suspicious of the man who had only acted as their enemy up until recently. "And why are you telling us this exactly? You could be trying to set up a trap for Jaden. Why should we believe a thing you say?"

"I believe him. He can't lie to me because he's blood bonded to me." Everyone looked at Jaden confused because this was the first time they were hearing about this. "Blood bond? What do you mean by that?" Asked Bastion making Jaden rub the back of his neck. "Haou let Aster drink my blood. Now he's kind of bound to me by servitude I guess." Everyone looked at him shocked, but then looked at Aster equally as shocked. "He drank your blood? Wait, Aster you're a vampire too?! Then why have you been trying to kill Jaden this entire time?!" Said Syrus angrily.

Aster gritted his teeth. "So, just because we're both vampires mean we have to be buddies with each other? And for your information I was born a human. It was his people that forced this life onto me." Jaden stood up and glared at him. "And I think you forget that I was a human too up until about a month ago! So stop saying they're my people! I don't even know any other vampires like me!" The two started budding heads with each other.

Bastion came and stepped in between them to break up the fight. "Okay ladies let's calm down and start acting like adults. This is all besides point. We need to focus on the topic at hand. Whatever this White Devil Project sounds serious so we need to find out more about it." Said Bastion matter of factly. "Oh yeah? And just how are we supposed to do that brainiac? They won't even tell Aster about it." Said Chazz who had his arms crossed.

Alexis put a hand on her chin as she thought long and hard until she came up with an idea. "You guys remember Camula? She had the ability to control bats which she used to spy on us. Maybe you have the same ability Jaden." "I guess it's worth a try." Jaden closed his eyes and concentrated really hard but it didn't seem to be working. "I don't think it's working guys… I'm not feeling anything."

"Uh, jay? Why don't you open your eyes and take a look?" Said Syrus with a shaky voice. When Jaden opened his eyes a large flock of bats were swarming right above their heads and Jaden stood up excited. "No way! That's super awesome!" He stuck his arm out and one of the bats landed on his arm and he started petting it, scratching it underneath it's chin. "Hey cutie. We're going to be really good friends." Syrus also tried to pet the bat but as soon as his hand got close it instantly tried to bite him making Syrus yelp. "Sorry Sy. Guess they only like me. I think it's cause we're kindred spirits." Said Jaden between bouts of laughter.

"Okay little guy. I need you and your pals to watch those dudes wearing the white jackets and report back to me when you see something interesting." The bat nodded its little head as if it understood exactly what he was saying and flew back to its group that dispersed into the forest to start on their mission. "Any more powers that we don't know yet, slacker?" Said Chazz with a hint of jealousy in his voice. He hated seeing Jaden with all the cool powers instead of him. No wonder his beloved Alexis was all over him.

"I'm learning as I go. Who knows, I might discover I got some more tricks up my sleeve." Said Jaden with a cheeky grin. "By the way Aster? Why did you come and tell me? You didn't have to." Aster looked away trying to avoid eye contact. "I'm just repaying you back for inviting me to come to dinner with you guys. Don't think too much into it. It's not that deep." Jaden walked over and slung an arm across Aster's shoulders. "Aww you little softie! I knew you had a heart somewhere in there! Admit it, you like that we're friends now!" Aster pushed him off and fixed his wrinkled suit. "I told you not to think too deeply about it… There is no secret meaning at all." Everyone looked at him and rolled their eyes. "Right…" They all said in unison.

Aster's face turned a slight shade of pink because of the embarrassment and turned to leave. "Remember, I was never here. No one can know that I told you guys anything or we will all be in danger." After saying that last piece of advice he left.

The school bell rang signaling the end of their lunch period and they all stood up to head back to class when the intercom system went off. "Jaden Yuki, report to the headmaster's office immediately." Syrus looked at Jaden with worry in his eyes. "Are you in trouble again?" "No not this time. I told the headmaster about me breaking my holy lock so he's going to give me another one. I'll catch up with you guys later." He waved bye to them as they headed their separate ways and immediately headed towards Chancellor Sheppard's office. When he got there, the headmaster was sitting at his desk with a new holy lock already placed on the table in front of him.

"Thanks Chancellor Sheppard! These last few days have been pretty tough for me without this thing." Said Jaden as he walked up to the table and grabbed the chain to put it on himself. He sighed of relief and removed his glasses and jacket, feeling instantly better because of the holy lock. "Think you have any magical cure for these bad boys?" Asked Jaden to the headmaster as he pointed at his vampiric eyes.

"I'm sorry Jaden but that isn't something I can help you with. Your blood is too potent that even the holy lock is barely able to contain your powers. Eventually, even the lock won't be able to help you maintain your humanity. I wish you had shown me this sooner so I could have prepared you better, but expect your body to undergo more changes. Eventually, it will be impossible to hard your true nature." Said Chancellor Sheppard. Jaden's face fell into a solemn frown, that wasn't the answer he wanted to hear.

"Actually, this interests me even more about you. I did tell you I was going to come and see you and I'm glad I did. You are a specimen to behold Mister Yuki." Jaden turned around to locate the sound of the voice and standing behind him was none other than Seto Kaiba himself. Jaden stepped back in shock; the older man had caught him by surprise. "How long were you standing there?!" Seto walked over to him and grabbed Jaden by the face so he could get a better look at him and smirked. "I knew you weren't an ordinary vampire. Those eyes hide a monstrous energy behind them. Tell me Chancellor, is this the fabled Supreme King?"

Chancellor Sheppard fixed his tie and cleared his throat. "Yes, sir. I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner but I wanted to try and handle the situation myself." Seto glared at him making the headmasters soul leave his body. "And look how well you're handling it. Not only did you withhold the existence of the Supreme King from the Vatican, but my school is overrun by brainwashed teenagers. But you and I can talk about that later, I'm more interested in the boy right now."

Jaden started to sweat as Seto continued to stare at him intensely and he could feel murderous intent coming off of him. "It's becoming clear that you won't be able to keep up this human act up anymore, so don't. I want to see how you handle being in the spotlight as your fellow student's sneer at you." Said Seto with a blank expression. "W-why do you want me to do that?" Said Jaden with hid voice trembling. "Because it'll help me determine if you're truly an ally or should be considered an enemy. People's true intentions come to light when they can't hide behind their lies. If you can't handle the pressure and lose control, then I will kill you myself."

Jaden gulped in fear. "So you want me to be honest and tell people that I'm a vampire? Like anyone is going to believe me." Seto laughed when he said that. "How could they not? Sorry kid but you look anything but human. With those glowing red eyes and fangs I'd believe you right away if I didn't know already." Jaden looked at the floor and balled up his fists. "So all I have to do is accept what I am? Is that what you're telling me?"

Seto grabbed him by the collar making Chancellor Sheppard stand up. "Sir! Calm down!" Seto chuckled as he sized up the young vampire. "I hate liars. And I especially hate monsters who pretend to be something they're not. I want you to learn to be more comfortable with yourself. And you can't do that if you continue to live this lie. How can you ever learn to control those powers if you aren't honest with who you are? I plan on making you into an ultimate weapon. The Supreme King is dangerous but he's the best chance we have if the Light Of Destruction is truly dawning on humanity ." Seto then let go of Jaden's shirt as he headed towards the door. "Sheppard, report back to me if there are any major developments. If the boy loses control, I will handle him personally. I'd kill him right now but the Society Of Light is a more concerning matter. I want you to train him into a proper weapon." Said Seto right before he left.

Chancellor Sheppard stood up and walked to the still shaking Jaden. "I know this isn't ideal for you Jaden. But it's the best option you have. He might be right. You need to stop fearing these powers and embrace them otherwise, the darkness wins." Jaden could feel his hot tears streaming down his face even though his voice remained calm as he spoke. "I miss when things were simple. I miss when I came to school to learn and have fun. But ever since this school year started, everything has been anything but fun." Chancellor could see the pain Jaden's heart was screaming out and pulled his student into a hug. "I'm not talking to you as your headmaster right now, I speak to you as a friend and mentor. Everything will be alright."

Jaden didn't say anything and pulled away from the embrace and turned to head out the door. "Before you leave Mister Yuki, I will be sending you a new class schedule. I'm not changing your day classes but I am going to add combat training for after school activities. You will train with me like Mister Kaiba has asked. It is my duty now to prepare you for the road ahead." Jaden looked over his shoulder and nodded his head and left not saying another word.