Hey everyone! I'm so sorry for the long delay. There has been difficulties here at fanfiction for over a week and the support (after about seven emails) finally got it fixed. Again, sorry about the delay; I've been trying for over a week. Anyway, here's the next chapter! Enjoy!

Disclaimer: If my name was Kazuki Takahashi then I wouldn't even be on this site, so, yes, I don't own YuGiOh GX.

Claimer: My series, my plots, my titles, my original characters…go get your own.

xXx

Jaden's POV

I ducked around Chazz's rubber ball, rubbing my ear when it bounced back to him. "Geez that almost hit me."

Winged Kuriboh flew back from his place in Jesse's lap to sit down on my shoulder. "It wouldn't have hit you, you know that right?"

I shoved him from my shoulder. "Yeah, I know that," I said, picking him back up with one hand.

He rolled around in my hand, a fuzzy brown ball with claws and wings, until he was standing in my palm, looking up at me. He stared at me as he was trying to compel me to say something more, but when I kept quiet, he sighed and kind of lay down on my palm, curling tight and drifting to sleep.

I smiled and scratched him just between his wings, looking up when I heard people arguing – Chazz and Zane to be specific. "You honestly think the slacker would want us here all the time?"

I groaned, dropping my head against the wall behind me. "This again? How many times are they going to argue about this? The argument only works for the day before everyone's back and they're arguing again."

"What do you want us to say, Chazz?" Jim snapped.

He stood up and dusted off the back of his pants. "I want you all to admit that I'm right. Us wasting our vacation here is pointless."

"Have you always been this unlicious?" Chumley asked.

"Not unlicious, Chum, just smart," I said, struggling to kinda-sorta stand up without using my hands and without touching the floor or walls, which, mind you, is NOT easy. When I was finally standing up, I looked to see Chazz screaming at everyone.

"This has absolutely nothing to do with any of that, you dino-brained wingbat!" Chazz snarled. "I'm just as worried about the slacker as you are and don't any of you think otherwise for one freaking second!"

I stared at him, slightly in awe, before I smiled. But it was short lived when Chazz – still fuming – looked around the room and said, "I never thought for one second that I knew the slacker better than any of you, but that appears to be the case."

When no one said anything, Chazz shook his head and placed his ball in his pocket. "You guys are really funny, thinking you know him so well when anyone could see that Jaden would be furious with us, spending each and every day here waiting for something that may never change."

I flinched as Atticus said; "Now that's going too far, Chazz."

"No, it's not going far enough!" Chazz snapped. "You guys are all dancing around the subject, because none of you want to accept the fact that that guy lying in that room may never wake up!" He pointed at Alexis but kept his gaze on Atticus. "And none of you want to hurt Alexis, so you guys all try to tell her that everything is going to be okay!"

"Chazz, shut up!" Zane snapped.

"No, I won't shut up!" Chazz picked up a plastic bottle and threw it at Zane, who smacked it away. "Alexis isn't an idiot! You guys all are! She knows that the love of her love may never wake up again! Stop tip-toeing around the subject!"

"God, Chazz," I whispered, staring at him in shock. I quickly shook it off when Atticus and Zane began to stand up, seething anger. "Oh crap!" I set Winged Kuriboh down on the table before jumping between them and Chazz. "Chill, guys! Chill!" I pushed against their chests, half expecting to go through them. Instead, they stumbled back into their seats.

I stared at my hands, thinking I did it, when I looked to my right and saw Alexis standing next to me. "Alexis?"

She didn't say anything, only raised her hands and smacked both Zane and Atticus on the back of their heads. Everyone grew silent and stared at her in shock. I just looked between her and the pair who were rubbing their heads.

"What was that for?" Zane demanded.

"For being wrong," she answered.

"Wrong about what?" I asked, lightly touching the top of her arm.

"This whole situation." She shook her head, eyes closing. "I never thought I'd say this, but Chazz is right."

I looked away from her and at Chazz, who honestly looked surprised that Alexis was agreeing with him; I chuckled. "Don't look so surprised."

"Alexis," Zane began, making me look back at them. Alexis just raised her hand up, silencing him.

"Chazz is also right that you shouldn't be spending your vacation here."

"He said we!" Zane snapped suddenly. "That means you, too!"

"You don't think I know that!" she yelled back. "But the situation is different for me!"

I looked at her confused. "How is it different for you?"

"Because I love him!" Alexis shoved Zane back down, as he had stood up. "You can't possibly understand my need to be here, Zane, because you're not me!"

I flinched, almost like I'd just been kicked in the chest; it felt like I had been. I stumbled back until I was lying on my back, staring up at the ceiling. I rubbed my hands over my face, eyes closed as I tried to fight down the guilt consuming me.

"Why? Why? WHY!" I yelled. "Why am I hurting everyone I love? Why am I making all of my friends argue like wild dogs? Why is this happening to me? WHY!" I threw a punch in the air, letting my hands fall to my side as I panted for breath. When I could finally hear something other than my breathing, I sat up. Winged Kuriboh was perched on the edge of the table, looking at me with big, worried eyes. I couldn't even muster up the strength to smile; I just rested my elbow on my knee and rubbed my eyes.

"What's happened to me and Jaden is low," Alexis whispered suddenly, making me look up at her. "I need to be here, Zane, but none of you do."

"Alexis," I said, my voice cracking, "You don't need to be here."

"Maybe you should have been listening," Winged Kuriboh said, flying over to sit down in my lap.

I looked down at him. "What do you mean?"

He looked up at me. "Alexis was just yelling at Zane about how if it were Sam in your place, no one could keep him away."

I nodded. "Because we wouldn't be able to."

Winged Kuriboh nodded in return. "Right, so switch places with Alexis."

My heart froze, if that were possible in my current state. "I would never switch places with Alexis, never in a million years," I whispered, voice rough with the sudden thought of being where Alexis was and her where I am.

Winged Kuriboh poked my cheek. "You see my point? You would never be able to leave Alexis if she were in ICU."

I nodded slowly, looking away from the fuzz ball in my lap to stare at the girl in blue and red before me. "Right," I said softly. "You're right." I forced myself to my feet again, catching Winged Kuriboh with one hand; I placed him on my shoulder.

"We understand, Lexi," Atticus said.

I looked to see him holding her hand between both of his. Alexis drew her hand back and let it fall to her side, looking around the room before looking away and down the hall. I was close enough to her to hear the sudden catch in her breathing. "Lex?" I looked at her, seeing her pupils dilate for a second before returning to normal.

She pressed one hand to her mouth and the other to her stomach. "I…I don't feel so good." She ran out of the room before anything else could be said.

"Alexis!" I hurried after her, following her into the girl's bathroom that was just a few doors down from the waiting room. I stood next to her, useless, as she collapsed to her knees, hands curling around the porcelain of the toilet as she lost everything inside her stomach. "Oh, Alexis." I reached out, wishing I could do something, but I dropped my hand when I realized I couldn't do anything.

"Alexis?" Jesse asked, coming in just a second after Alexis and I did. I looked up; saw him looking around the bathroom before spotting her. "Oh, Alexis," he whispered before rushing over. He dropped to his knees at her side, pulling her hair back from her face to hold it one hand while the other rubbed her back.

I buried my face in my hands, sitting there in the stall with my best friend as my girlfriend puked her guts out, feeling more useless than ever. "If I don't wake up soon, I don't know what I'll do," I whispered.

"It'll be okay, Jaden," Winged Kuriboh said. "Just be patient."

I looked up at him, as he was flying a few feet away from me. "No, I'm through with being patient." I looked away from him. I knew he wanted to say more, but he didn't. Instead, he sat down on my shoulder and did nothing. I sighed and looked back at Jesse and Alexis.

"Jesse, I…I don't feel very good," Alexis croaked when she was finally done.

He smiled softly. "Really? I hadn't noticed."

She didn't even smile, only turning back to the toilet to throw up more. Jesse frowned and tied her hair back with a tie that was on his wrist. When her hair was secured, Jesse stood up and ran out of the bathroom, returning only a few seconds later with a bottled water. He tore some paper towels from the dispenser by the sinks before kneeling next to Alexis again.

"Do you have everything settled?" he asked softly. Alexis nodded slightly, moving back from the bowl and more toward me. I reached up and started to rub her shoulders slightly, my hairs standing on end when she shuddered. Jesse pressed the paper towel into Alexis' hand, and she turned away from him to whip her mouth before tossing it in the toilet. Jesse reached up and flushed it, handing Alexis the water.

"Thank you," she whispered, taking a large drink. He just sat there, watching her. She set the water on the ground and pressed the back of her hand to her mouth. "I hate that."

"Good to know you're not bulimic." Jesse screwed the lid back on the water, reaching up to press the back of his hand to Alexis' forehead and cheek when he was done. "You're warm."

"Can you take me home?" she pleaded.

Jesse nodded, smiling softly. "Of course." He stood up slightly, enough so he could take Alexis in his arms before he completely stood up. When they were standing, Alexis dropped her head on his shoulder, arms around his neck, before she fell asleep.

"Poor, Alexis," Winged Kuriboh whispered.

I nodded, watching silently as Jesse ran a paper towel under some cold water, pressing the rung out rag against Alexis' face while cradling her with one arm.

"I was wondering when the stress would finally get to you," he whispered, sighing as he tossed the towel in the wastebasket.

I stood up, dusting off the back of my pants out of reflex; there was nothing on them. I moved to stand next to Jesse before, who was running a new towel under the water. "Take care of her, Jesse, please," I whispered, meaning more than just for tonight.

Jesse looked up after ringing the towel out and stared at the mirror in front of him. I could see myself and him in the mirror, which was good news I suppose. At least I'm not a vampire. Jesse suddenly gasped, eyes growing wide as the towel slipped from his hands. He whirled around, eyes scanning the area behind him, mainly where I was standing.

"Jess?" I asked, looking at him confused. He took a deep breath through his nose before slowly shaking his head. He didn't say anything as he left; only looking over his shoulder once. I didn't follow him, standing in the bathroom for another minute. "Winged Kuriboh…he didn't…he couldn't…"

"Jaden, you're re-writing all of the rules." Winged Kuriboh looked at me. "Nothing about your coma situation is the same as those before you."

I swallowed and looked at him. "So, does that mean that…" I couldn't finish, fearing to hope.

Winged Kuriboh understood, and nodded. "Yeah, maybe he did see you."

I shook my head slowly, absorbing the news as I wondered if it was good…or bad.

xXx

"If Jesse saw me then how did he see me? He's never seen me before." I looked at Winged Kuriboh. "He can't even see you."

The fuzz ball just raised his wings and dropped them quickly; a shrug. "Like I said, Jaden, you're changing everything."

I frowned and looked away from him. "Is that good or bad?"

"I don't know; could be both."

"Maybe," I murmured before sighing and entering my room. When I looked up, I noticed someone standing at my bedside; my stomach sank. "Atticus."

The elder Rhodes was standing at my left, looking like was mustering up the strength to say something important. "And I've been wanting to come and see you, but…but I've never known what to say to you," he finally said before looking away at the pale, white walls above the bed. "But…but I think I just figured it out."

"Is that good or bad?" I asked.

Winged Kuriboh looked at me. "Why do you always assume it's or the other?"

I didn't look at him, eyes still on Atticus. "Because it always is."

"Thank you," Atticus said.

"What?" I moved closer, standing at his side. "What do you mean, Atticus? Thank you for what?"

"I'm sure if you heard that you're wondering what I mean," he said, smiling softly.

"A little bit," I said, using index finger and thumb to show what I meant.

He cleared his throat. "There are just so many things that I want – no – need to say thank you for." He ran his fingers through his hair, shaking his head slowly. "I should probably thank you for the obvious, saving my life."

"Your life?" I moved to stare at his face. "When did I save your life?"

"When I was possessed by Nightshroud, I was completely lost to myself. You brought me back, Jaden. You helped me save myself from…well, myself. You gave me back me, and everyone important to me."

"Oh. Then." I turned away from him, remembering our duel my freshmen year before shaking my head when I heard him sigh.

"I got my mom back, I got my dad back, I got my best friend back, but most importantly I got my sister back." He smiled softly. "I got my life back, Jaden, all because of you."

"Atticus, you got your life back because of you. All I did was defeat the darkness that consumed you," I said.

"Jaden, Atticus couldn't have beaten his darkness without your help," Winged Kuriboh said.

I frowned but kept quiet.

"Saving people's lives seems to be his specialty," Aster said, shoulders propped against the doorframe.

I spun around to look at him as Atticus turned slowly, giving Aster a blank look before nodding and looking back at my body. "You're right."

"Say what?" I looked back at him.

Aster entered the room, closing the door and walking over to stand on the opposite side of my body. He stared at my face before saying, "He saved my life, too."

"Quit making me sound like Superman!"

"But I thought you were Jadenman," Winged Kuriboh said.

"Just because I call myself Jadenman doesn't mean I think I'm a super hero," I whispered.

He looked at me. "Just because you don't think you're a super hero doesn't mean your friends don't."

I closed my eyes, shaking my head.

"I thought everyone on this planet was only here to serve me, to cater to me. Everything revolved around me," Aster said. I opened my eyes to see him looking at his hands.

"I noticed," Atticus commented.

Aster snorted, eyes still on his hands. "I was a bastard, in every meaning of the word."

"You weren't a bastard, Aster," I said. "You were just…misunderstood."

"And yet, this boy clad in red saw beyond my selfish exterior and reached…me, as crazy as that sounds," Aster continued, eyes now on my body's face.

"That's not crazy," Atticus answered in a whisper. "Everyone Jaden has ever met knows what you're talking about."

"Don't be ridiculous." I looked between them.

"Jaden, you don't seem to understand how good of a friend you are to your friends." Winged Kuriboh sat on my body's chest, looking up at me.

"I'm just being me!"

"Exactly."

I opened and closed my mouth a few times before just keeping it shut.

"And now I wish there was something in me as good as him, so I could find just some way to save him now," Aster said softly.

"Aster," I whispered, touched.

Atticus nodded. "I know, me too." He sighed and looked at my body. "But, I wasn't done with my thank you's."

I looked at him. "What else is there to thank me for?"

Atticus stared at my physical face as he spoke, "Jaden, no matter what happens, I want you to know that there are no real words to express how grateful I am to you for loving my sister. You changed her, you. She's better, even if she hurts like hell right now. I know that her pain is because you loved her and she loves you."

My jaw fell slack and I stared at Atticus in shock. He reached down and grabbed my hand, squeezing it fiercely; I didn't feel it. "I will be forever thankful to you, Jaden. Nothing will change that, nothing."

"Atticus, loving your sister wasn't an obligation or a job or anything you need to thank me for. If anyone should be saying thank you it should be me to her. She's the best thing that ever happened to me," I whispered.

Winged Kuriboh looked at me. "And you're going to let the best thing that ever happened to you go?"

I closed my eyes, feeling the burning of tears I didn't want to shed, keeping quiet. What could I say? He was right but in the end there was nothing I could do. Unless things changed, I was going to lose her, and I didn't know how to change them.

xXx

It seriously just occurred to me that I am making Jaden seriously OOC. Which, ya know, kinda makes sense because he has every right to be depressed! But if you guys don't like that, sorry, there really isn't anything I can do to fix it. :(

Anyway, I think that's all! Review!

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