I personally like the Monk deck. It's a fun one. And writing roll? Me? Nah. –Looks around, and then slowly slinks away after leaving chapter up-
Chapter Ten: Rescue
Brandi arrived in the forest with no idea of where to go next. Mana popped up a second later and instantly began to whine. "Brandi, I'm stuck! I've been in some weird area and it's so boring and there's nothing to do and…" She trailed off as she saw Brandi's expression. "Hey, what's wrong?"
"It's Max. He looks like he's dying." Brandi shook her head. "I haven't seen him in real life for some time… I've been too busy. But now that I have…"
"Can you think of anything that might be making him ill?" Mana asked.
"Well… all I can think of is when Max was dying from losing Olympion… Max said Hope saved him then, with a soul transfer of sorts," Brandi recalled.
"Hope gave up part of her soul?" Mana inquired.
"Yeah, remember what I told you earlier, about Tenma? That's what I'm referring to," Brandi said.
Mana snapped her fingers. "Oh! Then all we need is Hope! Just have her heal Max again! She may not have to give up her soul again, but maybe having her nearby would… renew their link, or something."
"It's better than nothing," Brandi replied. "Let's find her then. Can you teleport?"
"Sorry, but after healing you, I lost my ability to do so for some time," Mana lamented.
Brandi sighed. "Oh well. Let's search on foot then, to find Max. Hope is probably gone already, but maybe she stayed in like he did. We have to at least try to find them."
…
"They know our weaknesses and will play off them. Their goal was to capture our friends to make us surrender. If we are split up like that again, it may be the end for us."
Will's words echoed in Hope's head as she stared at the scroll in disbelief.
Gaston gazed at her in concern. "Hope? What does it say?"
Hope read the message out loud. "I know who is reading this. Come to the place where you achieved your first victory if you wish to save your loved one."
"Then that means…" Gaston drew a card from the deck in the Duel Disk and winced before showing her it.
"Soul Line…" Hope said softly, recognizing the card she had given him at once. "Whoever did this has Max…"
Gaston slid the card back in. "And that person knew of your love for him."
That disturbed Hope in more ways than one. Their enemy had much knowledge on them, for one thing. But another factor that made Hope despise this person was that he or she was prying into matters that they had no right to use. Now she knew how Zack had felt when Larka had been captured.
Hope let go of one end of the scroll, which caused it to snap back into place and vanish. "My first victory. That was against Zenith. I remember where we dueled. Let's go there."
"Yeah. We've got to help Max," Gaston agreed. He shifted the Duel Disk to his left arm and kept his right hand near his sword.
"If this is like what we feared from the Judges… then we have to deal with it quickly," Hope said as they left. "Or we'll be split away from the group too."
Gaston did not have to respond. His expression told Hope that he knew she was right.
Their trip to the cave did not take long. Hope paused outside of it, recalling the last time she had been there. Back then, she had been hopelessly lost. She still felt off balance, but not as much as she had back then. Not with friends for support.
Gaston noticed her hesitation. "Ready?"
"As much as I'll ever be," Hope answered. They went in.
The cave was lit by a few torches, which gave enough light to see despite the flickering shadows produced. The cave was devoid of anything else except for the three people located at the back of it. One was a woman, which Hope assumed was the Judge. Then there was her Soul Monster, who stood beside her calmly. The third was the only one she recognized. He was unconscious and chained to the wall from what Hope recognized as the card Curse of Darkness.
"Max!" Hope exclaimed, unable to stay silent after seeing him.
Her voice brought Max out of his knocked out state. He blinked a few times, and then stared at Hope in amazement. "Hope? What are you doing here?"
"Saving you! Why else would I be here?" Hope faced the woman. "Let him go!"
"He lost in a duel to me," she replied. "Therefore, I have full right to keep him."
"Then why call me out here? Who are you?" Hope demanded.
"A Judge, as you probably assumed. Ouka. And I left that note to request a duel from you," Ouka said. "A duel to the death."
"If that's what it takes to save Max, I will!" Hope turned on her Duel Disk.
"Then I believe no more words need to be said." Ouka copied her.
Max was silent as he watched them prepare. Hope… you shouldn't have come. The result will be the same. Either way… I will die.
Hope: 8000
Ouka: 8000
"I'm going to go first!" Hope told Ouka.
"That is fine. I was the one to challenge you, after all. And Max did lose," Ouka said.
Hope ignored the comments. "I summon Blade Knight (1600/1000) and end my turn!"
"Your emotions are blinding you," Ouka commented.
"That was actually the best I could do for this turn," Hope stated.
Ouka shrugged. "Whatever you say. I summon Hand-to-Hand Rat Chuusuke. (1200/0) Then I play Shrink on your Blade Knight. This cuts his attack in half. (800/1000) Chuusuke destroys Blade Knight."
A few quick blows shattered the weakened Blade Knight's armor easily.
Hope: 7600
Ouka: 8000
"I lay one card down and end my turn," Ouka said.
"That won't stop me!" Hope retorted. "I summon The Magnificent Infiltrator!" (1300/1200)
"I will activate a trap, Sticky Pit Trap, in response to your summoning," Ouka stated.
"Sorry, but you can't," Hope informed her. "When Magnificent Infiltrator is summoned successfully, you are not allowed to activate trap cards."
"Ah. All right." Ouka flipped her card back down. "Going to attack?"
"Yes! Magnificent Infiltrator destroys Chuusuke!" Hope said.
The Chuusuke sped forward and grabbed one of the Magnificent Infiltrator's arms. He used his other hand to bring up a pistol and shoot the Chuusuke through the head, destroying him instantly.
"My Deck Master, Kyonshi, has just used his ability," Ouka explained when she saw Hope's confused look. "Damage you inflict to me is cut in half, and we each suffer from that amount."
Hope: 7550
Ouka: 7950
"We had best be careful, Hope. That is not an ability to be taken lightly," Gaston warned her.
"Yeah… I'm done," Hope said to Ouka.
"I summon Monk Fighter (1300/1000) and lay a card down," Ouka stated. "Go ahead."
Hope placed a monster on her Duel Disk. "I'll take him down by summoning Twilight Zone Female Warrior!" (1500/1600)
"Now I activate Sticky Pit Trap," Ouka said. (750/1600)
"Then I'll end my turn," Hope decided.
"I lay one card down and activate The Lone Martial Artist. This permanent trap can only be used when I have a sole Hand-to-Hand Chuusuke, Monk Fighter, or Master Monk out. It prevents that monster from being effected by monster effects," Ouka explained. "Monk Fighter attacks Twilight Zone Female Warrior."
Hope regretfully watched her monster get punched to death. She had been hoping to use her effect to remove Monk Fighter, but that seemed to be out of the question now.
Hope: 7000
Ouka: 7950
Hope glanced at Gaston, who shook his head. "I pass," Hope said uneasily.
Ouka thought for a moment. "I summon Karate Man." (1000/1000)
This caused a surprising reaction from Hope. She instantly glared at the new monster. "ARGH! THAT KARATE MAN IS GOING DOWN! HATE KARATE MAN SO MUCH!"
Ouka blinked a few times. "Um…"
"She pulled five Karate Men in a row from Magic Ruler boosters," Gaston told Ouka. "That is why she… doesn't like them much."
"…Ah. Anyway. Monk Fighter attacks your Magnificent Infiltrator," Ouka continued.
"But that's suicide!" Hope protested as her monster shot his pistol. The Monk Fighter amazingly punched the bullet off course, causing it to go flying away. Then he punched the Magnificent Infiltrator until he faded away.
"Not with Lone Martial Artist," Ouka told her. "It makes it impossible for my monster to die in battle. Karate Man attacks you directly."
Hope braced herself for the punch and managed to stand her ground.
Hope: 6000
Ouka: 7950
"I lay one card down and end my turn," Ouka concluded.
Hope was determined to destroy the Karate Man at least. However, she was also mindful of Ouka's face-down cards, especially since Ouka seemed to like reducing her monsters' attack. "I summon Goblin Strike Team." (2300/0)
Sure enough, Ouka was ready. "In response, I activate Shrink." (1150/0)
"Another?" Gaston said.
"It's all right, I wanted her to waste it," Hope assured. "I play a magic card, Hammer Shoot. It destroys the monster on the field with the highest attack. Your Monk Fighter is the victim. Then I attack your Karate Man with Goblin Strike Team!"
Although her Goblins were weakened and she took damage from it, Hope was satisfied to see the Karate Man be beaten to death.
Hope: 5925
Ouka: 7875
"That was not wise," Ouka said. "I summon Master Kyonshi (1750/0) and activate my trap card, Meteor Rain. Now you will take damage from being attacked while in defense mode. Master Kyonshi destroys your Goblins."
The Kyonshi sliced right through Hope's Goblins like paper. It was so effortless that he cut into Hope with the same movement.
Hope: 4175
Ouka: 7875
Despite what had just happened, Hope said, "I lay a monster in defense mode and end my turn."
"I summon Giant Rat. (1400/1450) Kyonshi attacks your defense monster," Ouka stated.
"You hit my Command Knight. (1200/1900) She increases all of my Warrior Sub-Types' attacks by 400," Hope said. (1600/1900)
Hope: 4175
Ouka: 7725
"I assume it's my turn now," Hope continued. "I summon Retrained Elven Swordsman. (1800/1200) He attacks your Kyonshi."
The two monsters had a brief sword duel that had Retrained Elven Swordsman emerging as the victor.
Hope: 4150
Ouka: 7700
Although Hope was much lower on Life Points than Ouka, she seemed to be handling the duel well. Ouka was aware of this too. "I shift Giant Rat to defense and lay a card down. That is all."
"I place a monster face-down and attack Giant Rat with Retrained Elven Swordsman!" Hope said.
"When destroyed in battle, Giant Rat allows me to special summon an Earth Main-Type from my deck with 1500 attack or less," Ouka informed her. "I bring out another Monk Fighter."
Hope shrugged helplessly. "Fine. I can't do anything else."
"You have played well until this point," Ouka said as she drew. "Considering the heavy damage you have taken, you made it pretty far. But now I have a monster to end it. I sacrifice my Monk Fighter to special summon Master Monk." (1900/1000)
Max recognized the monster as the most deadly one he had faced. His thoughts about his own fate were diminished for a moment to be replaced by concern for Hope.
"Why do you call him that strong?" Hope asked.
"It is his effect, which you shall witness in a minute. I play a magic card first, Godhand Smash. Any Hand-to-Hand Rat Chuusukes, Monk Fighters, or Master Monks on my field destroy any monster they fight," Ouka explained. "My Master Monk can also attack twice. He attacks Retrained Elven Swordsman and then Command Knight."
Hope watched in awe as the Master Monk delivered two solid punches, tearing a hole through each of his victims.
Hope: 4050
Ouka: 7700
"It is your turn," Ouka prompted when Hope did not react at first.
"Right…" Hope glanced at her hand before looking at Ouka again. "If the duel is about to be over… then let me at least ask this. Why do you want Max?"
Ouka considered the question, and then answered, "I had a childhood friend who was also my rival. We always fought and dueled each other… until she died." For the first time, Ouka's controlled appearance cracked. Her eyes glistened for a brief moment, and then she was collected again. "It was the Black Snake Sickness that killed her."
"So you have an agenda against Teknisk Wereld…" Gaston realized.
Hope was unsatisfied by the explanation. "That doesn't explain how Max factors in."
"Ever since I lost her, I have felt incomplete," Ouka said. "I need someone strong to fight. Max fits that criteria."
The truth being told only made things worse. Hope flared up at once. "That's it? You want to replace your friend with someone else? It's like you're betraying her! And you're using Max to do that! You disgust me!"
Ouka's calm façade vanished briefly as she looked doubtful. Then she had the same smooth expression as before. "Take your turn."
"You know what? I will. Maybe that will knock some sense into you," Hope spat. "I lay a monster in defense mode. Go."
"I equip my Master Monk with The Legendary Black Belt," Ouka said. "When he destroys monsters in battle now, you take Life Point damage equal to the destroyed monster's defense. He attacks your new set."
"Surprising Matasa…" (1300/800)
"And then he attacks your second one."
The Master Monk tore through this one too. "My Female Warrior of the Wilderness. (1100/1200) When destroyed in battle, I am allowed to special summon an Earth Main-Type Warrior Sub-Type monster with 1500 attack or less. I choose Initiate Troops." (1000/1000)
Hope: 2050
Ouka: 7700
"It is your turn," Ouka finished.
"I activate my Initiate Troop's effect," Hope said. "By sacrificing them, your Master Monk is destroyed!"
"Not so. I activate another Lone Martial Artist," Ouka replied. "So your effect does nothing to him."
Hope seemed unfazed by the counter. "That doesn't matter. I summon Goblin Strike Team. (2300/0) Since I can't destroy your Master Monk in battle now… I'll go around him! I activate Gaston's Deck Master ability!"
"All right! I finally get to help!" Gaston commented as he tossed his sword to the leader of the Goblins.
"By paying 1000 Life Points, my monster attacks directly!" Hope said.
The Goblins swarmed past the Master Monk and struck Ouka. She stumbled back but recovered swiftly.
Hope: 1050
Ouka: 5400
"My Life Points may be low… but that is my best chance of winning!" Hope declared as she shifted her Goblins to defense mode. "I lay two cards down and end my turn."
Ouka was aware that Hope probably had a way to stop her attack, but she tried anyway. "Master Monk attacks your Goblins."
"I counter with Magic Cylinder! That negates your attack and deals 1900 damage," Hope said.
Hope: 1050
Ouka: 3500
"Master Monk attacks again, this time to destroy the Goblins," Ouka stated. This time he was successful in punching the Goblins to death. "That is all."
"Yeah, it is," Hope agreed. "Because now I win. I activate Cry of the Living Dead to special summon Surprising Matasa! Then I equip him with The Fused Weapon, Murasame Blade! This raises his attack by 800! (2100/800) I pay 1000 Life Points for Gaston's ability!"
Matasa caught Gaston's sword and zipped forward, appearing in front of Ouka without a sound. Two swift slashes ended the duel.
Hope: 50
Ouka: 0
…
Brandi paused a short distance from the cave, listening. "Those sounds…"
"A duel!" Mana said excitedly. "That was a sword slash!"
"Quick, let's find them!" Brandi exclaimed, running towards the noises.
…
"So… you have won," Ouka said as Gaston's sword went back to his hand.
"Yes," Hope confirmed.
Ouka strode forward until she was in front of Hope. "Then carry out my sentence."
Hope gave her a confused look. "What?"
"This was a duel to the death," Ouka reminded her. "That means you must kill me."
Hope stepped back, horrified at what she was saying. "N-no… I can't do that…" Despite hating her for what she had done to Max, Hope did not want to be the one to kill her.
Ouka was not going to tolerate her hesitation though. "If you do not, I will kill Max. I am sure you would hate that alternative even more."
"B-but…" Hope trailed off, knowing that Ouka had her there.
"Take your Soul Monster's sword and pierce me through the heart," Ouka stated. "Do it now. If you wait too long, I will carry through with my threat."
Hope was silent for a long moment, and then she held out her hand to the side. "Gaston…"
"…Right…" Gaston gave her his sword.
"Yes… this is how it should be," Ouka whispered, closing her eyes with a small smile. "Hope… Max cannot fight for himself. Take care of him."
Hope tried to respond, but found it impossible to speak. Without a word, she forced herself to thrust forward with the sword. It went through Ouka with startling easiness. Her smile did not fade as she fell back, her corpse hitting the floor with a soft thud.
Mortified by what she had done, the sword dropped from Hope's limp grip. A line of blood flew through the air as it clanged on the ground near Ouka's corpse. Hope soon followed it, landing on her knees nearby the shining metal. "I… I just…"
"…You had to," Gaston said softly, trying to reassure her. He could see that she was still shocked though, so he took it upon himself to take the Curse of Darkness card from Ouka and tear it apart. The chains vanished at once, leaving Max to slowly walk to them.
"Max…" Hope said, looking away, ashamed at her actions.
"…There is nothing that can be done now…" Max took his Duel Disk from Gaston. "Hope… I am grateful for your actions, but… I am sorry… it was all in vain… Goodbye…" He brought up his Duel Disk's menu and vanished before Hope could react.
"Wow. That was abrupt," Gaston said as he lifted his sword and wiped it twice across Ouka's chest, cleaning away the blood. "Why did he leave so suddenly?"
Hope had no answer for that. She had thought that Max would at least try to comfort her somehow, but instead he had fled. Had her actions disgusted him? Or had he simply not known what to say?
Her thoughts were dispelled when Brandi suddenly came running into the room and halted, looking around wildly as Mana entered after her. "Max! Where is he?"
Gaston sheathed his sword before facing her. "He just left."
That caused Brandi to panic. "No! I was too late!"
"Brandi… what do you mean?" Hope asked, rising. The distress in Brandi's voice had pushed aside her concerns about Ouka's death temporarily.
"Max… Max is dying!" Brandi cried.
This sent a jolt through Hope. "What? He's dying?"
Seeing that Brandi was in too much of a fright to speak clearly, Mana said, "Brandi hadn't seen Max recently. Today was the first day in a while. But he looked very ill… Brandi thinks he's about to die."
"That can't be… there has to be a way to save him!" Hope protested. After seven years of waiting, that unbearable amount of time, she could not stand the thought of losing the one she loved already. Not like this.
"I think there might be!" Mana said encouragingly. "Hope, you have to come to South Carolina. That soul transfer… I think Max needs you to be there. Maybe having you around will help him heal…"
Before she could say anything else, Hope had logged out. Mana blinked. "Well, that was quick. But that's good. The faster the better."
"I had best join her," Gaston said. "Until we arrive, keep Max alive."
"Right," Mana agreed.
Once Gaston vanished, she said to Brandi, "Come on. We have to do our part."
"…Y-yes…" Brandi managed to say. They left as well.
…
Gaston arrived back in the real world to find that Hope had flung her Envoyant Machine and Duel Disk into her backpack. She tossed in a couple of other random items that were lying around in her room before zipping it shut and flinging it over her back. "We have to hurry! No time to pack!"
"I concur. To make things faster, I'm going into the Soul Card for a while," Gaston said. "Good luck, Hope."
"Thanks." She waited a second for Gaston to enter the Soul Card, and then she bolted out of the door.
She ran down to where her car was parked. It was very old, which was probably why Hope's mother had not minded giving it to her permanently. She threw herself into the front seat and barely spared herself enough time to buckle up before turning on the car. She sped through the parking lot at a speed that would have made a cheetah on steroids jealous and went flying onto the road.
…
Brandi sat up and tore the Envoyant Machine off herself, tossing it to the side as she did. She went next to Max and found him laying there, his eyes barely open.
"Max! Please, hold on!" Brandi begged as she detached his Envoyant Machine too. "Hope's coming. Just hold on until she's here! Please!"
Max's eyes opened a bit more, but not much. "Hope…?"
"She can save you! So hang in there!" Brandi pleaded.
"I'll… try…" Max mumbled.
Before Brandi could say anything else, she heard the door open. Hime entered the living room a moment later and halted, surprised. "Brandi? What-"
"It's Max! I'm trying to keep him alive!" Brandi said desperately. "Hime, Hope's coming. She's the only one who can save him."
"Oh no…" Hime said softly. "Two incidents in one day…"
"What do you mean?" Brandi asked.
Hime looked at the ground as she spoke. "Chasity… I noticed, when she was in Teknisk Wereld, that she had stopped breathing. I called an ambulance and they still have her at the hospital. She is… in a coma."
Brandi stared at her in disbelief. "That can't be…"
"What I don't understand is why," Hime said sadly. "If only we knew, maybe we could bring her around…"
"…I think I know why, and I can tell you later, but… I have to keep watch over Max now," Brandi said.
"Very well. I will return to Abby-she is at the hospital," Hime decided. "So is Randall." She turned to leave.
"Wait! Before you go, can you retrieve Mana?" Brandi requested. "She is alive now."
Hime started. "What? She is?"
"Just returned today," Brandi confirmed.
After all that had happened, it was remarkable to see that Hime was able to smile. "That is excellent! I will go right away."
"Thanks," Brandi said as Hime walked away. Then she turned her attention back to keeping Max awake.
…
"I need a ticket to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, and I need one now! I have to get there as soon as possible!"
Hope had made it to the airport in record time, probably breaking every speed limit in existence in the process. That was quite remarkable, seeing as she usually drove far too slow for other drivers' likings. But with things the way they were, she thought she had the liberty to use this as her first speeding, and hopefully her last.
"Well, this flight is not booked, and will be leaving in ten minutes, but making it there will be hard…" the woman behind the counter began.
"That's fine! I'll take it!" Hope said.
The woman skeptically handed her the ticket after she was done paying. "Better hurry."
"Believe me, I will!" She ran for it.
…
Mana jumped in surprise when Hime suddenly appeared. "Hime!"
"Mana. It's great to see that you're alive," Hime greeted with a smile.
Mana glared at her. "What's the big idea, leaving me in such a stark place? It's so boring!"
"It is better than burying you, no?" Hime said.
That shut Mana up promptly.
"Anyway, we had best leave." Hime offered her hand, which Mana took. "Brandi is waiting."
…
Hope looked out of the window she sat next to impatiently. This was the infuriating part. There was nothing she could do to make the plane go faster, so she was forced to wait as it went at its oh-so-slow pace.
She did count herself fortunate to make it though. They had been just about to close the door when she ran in. It had taken a lot of time for her breathing to return to its normal rate, but it had, and now she had nothing to do but wait.
And as usual, waiting hurt.
…
"Here she is," Hime said to Brandi as they entered the room.
"Brandi!" Mana embraced her, which Brandi briefly returned. Despite the graveness of the situation, they were both happy to see each other in real life again.
"Now I will return to the hospital," Hime said. "One of us will call you later, all right?"
"Yeah, thanks…" Brandi watched her leave before turning back to Max. To her horror, she saw that his eyes were even closer to closing. "Max! You can't give up!"
"If he falls asleep… he will probably die…" Mana said grimly.
"Max! Come on, stay with us! Max!" Brandi said.
"…I am… trying…" Max muttered.
…
"Please, can we go any faster?" Hope begged the taxi driver.
"For the love of God, I'm already breaking the speed limit by twenty! How much faster do you want me to go?" he exclaimed.
Hope had been fortunate enough to flag down a taxi shortly after she left the airport, but it still seemed as though she would not get there in time. Fidgeting nervously, Hope brought out her Soul Card and summoned Gaston.
"ARGH! WHY DO MY CUSTOMERS NEVER READ THE SIGN?" the taxi driver shouted.
"Sign?" Hope looked at the back of the seat closely for the first time. It said, Please do not summon Soul Monsters, for it can break concentration, which can be fatal.
"Oops. Sorry." Hope looked away sheepishly as the taxi driver sighed impatiently.
"…I think I'll ask later," Gaston said, blinking a few times.
…
Brandi was deeply worried by Max's condition now. Each moment seemed to sap more of his life force, push him closer to the brink of death, and she was the only thing holding him back from falling. She could keep it up a while longer. But what if Hope had been delayed? Max would not stay alive for much longer…
As if to confirm her worst fears, Max's eyes shut.
"Max! Please, open your eyes! Max!" Brandi said, shaking his shoulder. He did not respond.
A sudden crash came from the front of the house, and Hope ran into the living room. Apparently, Hime had forgotten to lock the front door. "Max!"
"…It's too late…" Brandi moaned, sliding back. "Max is… Max is…"
"No… he can't die!" Hope knelt beside him and put a hand to his heart. She felt nothing. "Max!"
"Oh no…" Gaston said as he saw what was happening. "We tried, but…"
"If only it were like a fairy tale and a kiss would wake up the sleeping loved one," Mana sighed.
Hope heard Mana's comment. She hesitated, and then kissed Max without warning.
"Oh my God, I can't believe you did that," Mana said, slapping herself over the forehead.
Hope broke away after a moment, and shook her head. "I didn't really expect it to work… but… I wanted to at least… say goodbye…"
But Brandi had noticed something. Afterwards, Max's skin did not seem quite as pale, nor his body as frail…
"…No need…" To their amazement, Max's eyes opened again. "I won't be leaving any time soon."
"Max?" Hope said, hardly daring to believe her eyes.
"Yep…" He sat up. "Looks like… you made it in time…"
"Max!" Hope threw her arms around him, which he gladly returned. "I'm so relieved…"
"I'm sorry," Max said quietly. "I should have told you about this earlier, so I wouldn't cause this many problems…"
"You're alive, that's all that matters," Hope said.
"And I'm sorry for not helping you after what happened with Ouka," Max said. "Your hand was forced… you should not blame yourself for her death. It's just like when you fought other enemies who set the death condition… even though you had to do the final blow, it was because of their actions that you did. So don't worry over it."
"…All right…" Hope said, closing her eyes to keep her unshed tears at bay.
"Thank everything," Brandi whispered.
"Sis… thanks for keeping me here," Max said to her.
"I am just happy that I could help," Brandi answered as she stood. "I'll… leave you two be…" She went towards her parents' room, being too tired to go back to Matt's place. Mana winked at Hope and Max before following.
"Don't let me get in the way either," Gaston said. He went to a corner and sat in it, his eyes closed.
Hope and Max were content to stay where they were. After such panic, Hope was grateful for the moments of silence, where she could simply relax in the arms of the one she loved.
…
"Too much has happened in one day…" Brandi said as she lay down in bed. "We can check on Chasity tomorrow morning…"
"That would be good," Mana agreed. "You get some rest. I'm sure Romeo and Juliet can take care of themselves. Seriously, that's who they are, except they haven't died yet. At this rate, who knows when that'll happen."
Brandi smiled slightly before closing her eyes. She was soon asleep.
Mana quietly got up and began to examine Brandi. She wanted to make sure that her healing had been completely successful. After the strange sensation she had gotten, she was unsure if it had been.
A quick examination of her upper body showed no wounds. But when Mana ran her hand over Brandi's stomach, she stopped, frowning.
She's rounder than before… but she would never let that happen. Brandi is very conscious of her weight. Then it clicked. Brandi! You already… are going to… good gosh, what have I missed?
Not knowing what to think of this new development, Mana got onto the other side of Brandi's bed. There was little she could do but possibly ask later. Although her mind was filled with questions, she quickly fell asleep as well.
To be continued…