Chapters As Ice was about to open the door, he came to a startling realization. "Oh man! I forgot my uniform! Well, it wasn't like I had the best record of keeping dress code here anyway!" Ice opened the door and found that all the other students were wearing regular clothes. ".....Okay. Did I not get the memo for casual friday?"
"Hey Ice!", Indigo Zap called out. "Nice isn't it? We finally got to ditch those stuffy uniforms thanks to our new principal!"
"Well now I don't need to worry about stinking up that old pile fabric anymore. So who's the new principal?"
"Cadence! She's a lot nicer than Cinch that's for sure. Plus she's close with Principal Celestia and Vice Principal Luna from CHS. So now we don't have as much pressure about 'reputation' that Cinch pushed on everyone."
'The tyrant has been dethroned! ', Red Dragon said dramatically in Ice's mind.
"Gotta admit Zap. Things are looking a bit brighter here.", Ice said as he looked at the transformation Crystal Prep had undergone. "The hallways used to look so gloomy. Now things seem alive. Hey Zap? There's something important I want to talk with you about. Are you free after school today?"
"Sure Ice! I've got nothing planned."
"Great. See you then." Ice walked off to go to his class. Meanwhile Zap met up with her friends.
"Hey Indigo! Saw you talking with your boyfriend over there.", Lemon Zest said with a sly smile. "You two going over date plans?"
"Not exactly. He said there's something important he wanted to tell me after school today. No idea what he wants to tell me though."
"He probably wants to tell you it isn't going to work out.", Sugar Coat said flatly.
"Do you have no filter?", Sunny Flare asked with an annoyed expression on her face. "Maybe it's nothing."
"I'm sure it's nothing!", Sour Sweet said with a smile. "But if he breaks your heart I'm sending him to the hospital!"
"Uh...thanks for the support?", Indigo said with a mixture of shock and gratitude. "But I think I'll be able to handle this myself. See you girls around!" And with that Indigo was off to class.
"We're stalking them to find out what happens aren't we?", Sugar Coat asked.
"Isn't it obvious?", Sunny Flare said.
Chapter 4: The Past Revealed
'.....It's time. ', Ice thought to himself as he saw Indigo Zap waiting for him. "Hey Zap."
"Hi Ice. I'm here like you asked. So what is it that you wanted to tell me?"
"Zap....you know how I didn't have much of a past when I first came here?"
"Yeah. You seemed pretty touchy about it. Is that what this is about?"
"I did some things that I...wasn't too proud of." As Ice spoke, Zap's friends were watching and could hear everything clearly. "I wasn't nearly as nice as I am now."
"Ice...that doesn't matter. You couldn't have been that bad."
"No I was worse. In fact I was almost downright evil."
"Well...whatever you tried to do....at least you didn't hurt anyone. Right?"
"I caused my family pain no physical harm could ever deal. My parents had to hide away my brother Shadow. And when my brother Ace tried to save me, tried to bring me home, I tried to destroy him. And when he defeated me I stole one of his cards. This all started when a monster called Dark Mist forcibly bonded with me. I was overcome with a desire for power and stole the rare cards of any duelist I defeated. With each card I gained more power but my true self faded away each time. And this was my undoing. Ace's bond with the card I stole was so strong it gave him new strength and he managed to take it back from me. I was defeated, but Dark Mist still had control. And when I revived, there was pretty much nothing left of me. Dark Mist wanted vengeance and he kidnapped Ace's girlfriend. He used dark power to control her like a doll and made her duel against Ace. She broke free of his hold by Ace rekindling her memory. Ace and his friend, the new dueling champion Burst Stream challenged Dark Mist. He split himself in two. One half being his physical form and the other half controlling me. Dark Mist was destroyed by Burst, and Ace defeated me while I was still under Dark Mist's influence. But because we were so closely bound, I faded away with him. I was stuck in a void of shadows, and in there I forgot what made me hate my brother. And I realized soon that I never did. But with how many times he beat me, I wanted to try and beat him. Not with another power using me like a puppet, but with my own strength! Red Dragon Archfiend saw my resolve, and liked the fire that burned in me. With his help I escaped back here. I enrolled in Crystal Prep, and the rest is history." Ice noticed the shocked and pained look on Zap's face. Zap's friends were also in disbelief! "And at the tournament, my brother told me how much I had hurt my family. He told me how much he wanted to save me, and how many times I refused his help. And through it all, he and Shadow were willing to accept me back. So were my parents. I guess you could say I got a happy ending.", Ice said with a small smile. "And I'm telling you this because you deserve to know. I also wanted to know....that despite my past, all I've done....would you still love me all the same?" Indigo was silent for a couple of minutes. She then walked up and pulled Ice into a tight hug.
"I'm only wish that you told me sooner.", she said. "That way you didn't have to bear this all by yourself." Ice was in tears now.
"B-but I don't understand!", he sobbed. "The things I did, the horrible things I tried to do! I'm a monster!"
"No you're not Ice.", Zap said as she held him even tighter. "If you were, you wouldn't have gotten close to me or the others. You wouldn't have patched things up with your family, and you wouldn't have had me. Maybe you did some bad things. But that doesn't mean that's all there is to you. And you said it yourself that you weren't in control. And to answer your question, I don't love you the same. After hearing this, all you've been through, it makes me love you more." Ice cracked a smile and wiped away his tears. "Now shut up and kiss me!", Zap said with a smirk. Ice gladly obliged her.
"That...was ...beautiful!", Sour Sweet said as she blew her nose and the others came out of hiding.
"....How long were you all listening?", Ice asked.
"Long enough to hear every detail.", Sugar Coat replied. "And we don't care about what we heard."
"Yeah Ice! The you we know now is the only one we know!", Lemon Zest said with a smile. "And like you told Indigo, you literally weren't yourself back then! So why mope about it now?"
"You know what?", Ice said with a genuine smile on his face. "You're right. And Zap?"
"Yeah?"
"This Friday after school. The Mall. It's a date.", Ice said with a wink. Zap nearly fainted as her friends caught her.
"You gotta admit he's pretty forward.", Lemon Zest said as Zap recovered.
Friday had arrived sooner than anyone had expected, and Ice woke up in quite the blissful state. "Mornin' everyone.", Ice mumbled with a smile on his face as he ate breakfast.
"Someone's sure in a good mood.", Ice said with a smile. "I take it things went well with Zap?"
"More than you could imagine. I've got a date with her today after school. And I'm gonna make it great."
"Glad to see the advice the two of us and Burst gave you seems to have boosted your confidence.", Shadow said. "So do you have a good idea of where you're gonna take Zap?"
"I picked out the mall. We can grab a bite to eat, maybe even check out the new movie theater there."
"Good luck Ice.", Ace said as Ice got ready to leave. Ice arrived at Crystal Prep and went about his day. And before he knew it the day was over.
'That was quick. Well I guess that means I get to go on my date sooner. ' Zap met up with him at the front of the school
"So Ice. Were you planning on walking over to the mall?"
"Actually, I had something a bit more awesome in mind.", Ice said with a smile. "Come on out Red Dragon Archfiend!" In a swirl of flame, Red Dragon Archfiend was summoned to the human world.
"So you're the girl who's melting Ice's heart!", Red Dragon joked.
"You were waiting to make hat joke weren't you?", Ice asked.
"Been waiting all week! Hop on you two! And hold on tight!" Both Ice and Zap did so because Red Dragon took off like a rocket! Soon they arrived at the mall. "Hope that wasn't too rough a ride."
"You kidding? That was AWESOME!", Zap nearly screamed.
"Ah! Someone who appreciates risky flying!", Red Dragon said with a grin.
"Okay that's enough Red. Back to your world now." Red Dragon gave a mock-salute as he returned to the monster world.
"So what's first on the list?", Zap asked.
"I don't know about you, but Red's fancy flying built up my appetite. How about we grab something from the food court? Maybe after that we can hit the movie theater here."
"Sounds fine by me." Ice and Zap picked up some ice cream and checked to see if there was any good movies playing.
"Hm. The new Neos movie looks good. What are you interested in Zap?"
"I'm holding out for the next kaiju movie! So in the meantime Neos should fill the void until then." They bought their tickets and a good time was had. "Man. I wish Neos didn't have to return to Neos Space after each fusion. He looks so cool in his fused forms."
"Well, I've seen an episode or two of the tv show. Neos has to return because earth's energy can't maintain his fused forms as well as Neos Space's energy can."
"How did you wind up knowing so much?"
"My brothers and their friends introduced me to the show. Maybe I'll lend you the first season sometime.", Ice said with a smile. "Hey it looks like they've got a duel box. Wanna have a go at it?"
"You know it! Good thing we won't need our duel disks for this thing." Zap and Ice shuffled their decks and the duel was on!
Ice: 8000 Indigo Zap: 8000
"I'm up first!", Zap said. "I play Advanced Ritual Art to send Summoned Skull from the graveyard to ritual summon Dokurorider! Then I'll summon Diskblade Rider! Then I'll set two cards and end my turn. Your move Ice!"
"I draw! Perfect! I play Double Summon to bring out Delta Flyer and Lancer Dragonute! Now I'll use Delta's effect to raise Lancer's level by one! Now I tune them to synchro summon Red Dragon Archfiend! I'll also play Scarlet Security to destroy all spell and trap cards you control! Attack Dokurorider! Absolute Power Force!" In a flash of flame, Dokurorider was destroyed! "I'll then set a card and end my turn."
Ice: 8000 Indigo Zap: 6900
"Well my monster can't help me much now so I'll put him in defense mode and summon another in defense mode to end my turn."
"My turn. I discard a card to activate Lightning Vortex! This destroys all monsters on your field! Now I'll play Wave-Motion Cannon! And since it's my main phase, I can send it to the graveyard! I'll attack you directly and end my turn!"
"Time to light it up!", Red Dragon said as he wrapped his fist in flames and struck Zap directly!
Ice: 8000 Indigo Zap: 3900
"My turn! I summon a monster in defense mode and set a card. I end my turn."
"I draw! Since it's my standby phase, Wave-Motion Cannon's effect activates! I can inflict 1000 points of damage each standby phase that passes since its activation! Now I play Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy your face-down card and Dark World Lightning to destroy your set monster! The downside of the last one is that I need to discard a card. I'll attack you directly for game!" Red Dragon Archfiend unleashed a powerful blast of flame that wiped out the last of Zap's life points.
"Man! Now I know why you made it so far in the tournament!", Zap said with a smile. "Pretty fun duel though!"
"Yeah. It was.", Ice said. "I should probably get you home now. The two of them went outside where Ice called up his Mom to pick him and Zap up. She arrived and dropped off Zap at her house while Ice escorted her to the door. "Hope we can do this again soon Zap."
"Me too Ice. And one more thing." Zap pulled Ice in for a quick kiss before she pulled out of it. "Feel free to call me Indigo.", she said with a wink as she went inside. Ice's mom had watched the whole interaction.
"You certainly had a good time.", she said with a smile.
"Yeah...", Ice said as he thought fondly of Indigo on the way home.
Ice had just gotten home after his date with Indigo. And it showed how well it must have gone due to the big grin on his face as he walked in. "Looks like someone had fun.", Ace said as soon as he saw Ice. "Things must hove gone pretty good if you've got a smile that wide."
"It was amazing. I can't wait to go out with Indigo again!", Ice said in a blissful tone.
"Calling her by her first name now are we?", Shadow asked. "It must have been a good date if you're using her first name now."
"Is this how you two felt when you found your girlfriends?"
"Yup. And that feeling comes back every time we see them."
"In that case, I'm hitting the sack." As Ice fell asleep, he dreamed about Indigo. And as he dreamed one thought coursed through his mind. 'She really is the one who melted my heart. '
'It feels like its been forever since I've been here. ', Ice thought to himself as he sat with his family after he'd been freed from Dark Mist. 'Man this feels nice. Haven't had Mom's cooking in forever. Now I've got a family and a home again. And.... Ice's thought drifted to Indigo Zap. 'And I've got somebody to love now too. ' Ice went to his old room, and found that nothing had changed at all. 'But I wonder...would she still like me if she knew everything I did? And should I even tell her? ' These thoughts troubled Ice as he slept, and all through out the next morning. Ace and Shadow seemed to notice his gloomy state of mind.
"Everything alright Ice?", Ace asked. "You look kinda bummed out? Yesterday you looked so happy."
"I'm just thinking is all.", Ice said with a small smile.
"It's about Indigo isn't it?", Shadow asked with a smirk. "Come on man! You already asked her out and told her how you feel? Is that what you're stressing about?"
"It's about her yes. But that's not what's got me down."
"Well what's getting you down?", Ace asked.
"I was....thinking of telling her everything. EVERYTHING."
"......Oh.", Ace said with a solemn expression. "Well, I guess I can relate to you in one sense with Sonata. Her family didn't exactly leave a good first impression back at CHS. But people were willing to accept and forgive them. If we could do the same for you, I'm sure Indigo could do the same for you. If she really loves you she'll stay with you. No matter what."
"Thanks Ace. I've decided. I'll tell her today after school.", Ice said triumphantly. Then he looked at the time. "Oh man I'm gonna be late! Nice talk guys, but I've gotta summon Red Dragon Archfiend for a lift!" Ice rushed outside and summoned his dragon partner. "Floor it Red! I'm late!"
"Took your time dreaming about Zap didn't you?", Red Dragon said with a smirk.
"Less quips, more speed!", Ice scolded. Red Dragon Archfiend then flew over to Crystal Prep and Ice was ready to face his greatest challenge. 'Okay. I've got this! How hard can it be to tell her? '
Ice was bored out of his skull. Class seemed to be taking longer than usual that day, and the clock seemed to take forever to pass. He wasn't falling asleep, but he was getting a bit panicky. Specifically about how Zap would react to him telling her everything about him. 'She could take it well! She could accept me despite my past, and we go on with our relationship! Or she could freak out and want nothing to do with me ever again! She could see me as a horrible monster and I'll live alone for the rest of my life! ' Ice was snapped back to reality when he heard the tip of his pencil snap off because of his frantic state of mind he was writing like a madman. Ice took note of this and calmed himself as he went to sharpen his pencil. 'Calm down Ice! What's the worst thing that could happen? ' Visions of Indigo slapping him and calling him a freak and a monster soon flowed into his mind. 'Okay. That didn't help. ' The bell soon rang and Ice headed for lunch period. 'I swear I'm getting too worried about this! Class'll be out soon enough and I can tell Zap everything. ' Ice had gotten his meal and sat down to eat. He was about to dig-in when Sugar Coat almost came out of nowhere. Ice nearly jumped out of his seat! "Geez! How do you show up like that?"
"I'm happy for you and Indigo."
'Gee. You REALLY make it obvious don't you? ', Ice thought. "Um, thanks?"
"So what are you two talking about?"
"That info is for Zap only. No one likes nosy people."
"Zap is my friend. That makes you my business too."
"Since you're so determined to know, it's about my past. That's all. Now can I please eat in peace? You're making me uncomfortable with how emotionless you sound." Sugar Coat left and reported to the other girls.
"I failed in getting the specifics. But he plans on telling Indigo about his past."
"Maybe he's secretly royalty and wants to have Zap as his bride! Oh the wedding would be glorious!", Sunny speculated.
"Let's be a bit more realistic Sunny. Maybe Ice just wants Zap to know him better? I mean, he didn't exactly seem to have much of a story behind him when he showed up here.", Lemon suggested.
"We'll find out after school today for sure. That's when Zap said Ice was planning on telling her.", Sugar Coat said. "Our best move is to wait until then."