Warnings: Zane being emo. That's about it.

Disclaimer: I don't own Yugioh GX.

Year One: The Academic

Zane stared in horror at the empty space where his little brother had just disappeared into.

He shook his head.

This wasn't happening. There was no way this could be happening. There was no way that Syrus had just vanished into that blinding abyss. He was back in the nurse's office. Zane was sure of it. He would walk out of the castle, down the red carpet and back to the school. And he'd walk into the campus hospital, and everyone would look up and demand to know where he'd been. Alexis would forget the awkwardness between them and poke him in the chest, screaming at him for disappearing on them. Chazz would roll his eyes and call him a show off, huffing with all his bravado. Bastian would laugh and ask if their bat problem had been solved. Lia would glare at him from over the portable DVD player, and he would ignore her, and she would bristle and get ready to yell at him, and Jaden would lay a hand on her arm to calm her down. And then Jaden would give him a brilliant smile, and that two fingered salute of his, exclaiming about how he wanted the next duel. And then the other key keepers would pounce on him, telling him to stay in bed, while Chumley would try to calm everyone down.

And there, in the corner, sulking and looking away from him, would be Syrus. His arms would be crossed and his face would be angry, and his eyes would be sparking, but he'd be there, and Zane would pull him out and into the hall, and Syrus would ask why Zane had bothered to come back. And he would be hurt and broken and angry, but it meant he cared, and it meant that he hadn't meant all those things he'd said to his brother, and Zane still had a chance to make everything right.

And they would talk. Zane and Syrus would sit down and talk and talk and talk until their tongues hurt and their lips started to bleed. They'd talk about their childhood, and Duel Monsters, and their favourite cards, and their classes, and Syrus' friends and his dorm and his life and how he was doing in the world Zane was so sure would annihilate him. And then, maybe, if they had time, they would talk about them.

And if they did have time, and they did get to them, they'd talk about the promise Zane's made to the newborn reaching out of the cloth towards him. They'd talk about the way Zane saw the world, and why he though Syrus wasn't ready for it. They'd talk about why Zane had said those things and why Zane had broken his heart and why Zane thought it was the right thing to do. And then they'd talk about how much it had hurt, and how much Zane wanted to take it all back, and how much he wished he could redo that day so long ago. And then, maybe, if they did have the time, and they did talk about them, Zane would get down on his knees and beg for Syrus' forgiveness.

And maybe, if Syrus had the beautiful heart Zane had always known him to have, and Zane had accurately portrayed just how much it had hurt him to hurt Syrus, and if Zane eyes were filled with tears, then maybe, just maybe, Syrus would forgive him.

And then Zane would say the words Syrus had been waiting his whole life to hear, and Zane had been waiting for 15 years to say.

If they had the time, and they got to talking about them, and if Zane told Syrus everything, and if Syrus understood, and Zane begged for forgiveness, and Syrus granted it, if all that happened, Zane was going to tell his little brother that he loved him.

And it was all going to happen, because Syrus was waiting back at the campus hospital, feeling hurt and lousy, probably sitting dejectedly in a corner. He wasn't trapped in some dark, dank hole, surrounded on all sides by black and the monstrous roars of the Sacred Beasts echoing in his ears. He wasn't in that place because he hadn't come to save Zane, because he was mad at Zane and he was back in the hospital because if he wasn't…

If he wasn't…

(He'd made a promise; he'd taken an oath; he'd sworn a vow. He loved his little brother more than anything in the world –more than dueling and winning and his dragons- and come Hell or high water he would protect that boy.)

" How fitting." Camulla whispered to the still air.

Zane turned, very slowly, to look at her.

" In the place vhere my sorrow began, yours is complete." She too, was staring at the space the Illusion Gate had occupied, her face blank and a strange look in her eyes.

The Illusion Gate…

The card that had ripped Syrus from him…

The card Camulla had played.

With a speed that he hadn't known he possessed, he marched up to where Camulla stood, and grabbed her forcibly by the shoulders. Leaning back so that she was forced to stare into his livid eyes, he said, very calmly,

" Bring my brother back."

Camulla gave him a searching look.

" I can't." She said simply.

" Bring him back." Zane repeated, his grip on her shoulder tightening.

" I can't. It's not vithin my power." She shook her head.

" I didn't ask you if it was something you could do." An edge crept into his voice. " I told you to bring my baby brother back. Now do it."

" That," Camulla said slowly, " is completely impossible."

" I don't care!" Zane roared, shaking the vampire in his grasp back and forth. " You played the card, you knew the consequences, and it's your fault my little brother is now gone!"

He threw her back against the wall. She landed with a yelp, arching back against the hard landing. Zane marched up to her and hauled her up, his hand enclosed around her neck.

" Bring him back." His voice was deadly.

" His soul has already been offered to the Sacred Beasts!" Camulla spat, wrenching her neck free with one pull of her hand. For having such slim arms and delicate features, there was a surprising amount of strength to be found in her muscles. It might have been a vampire thing, or she might just have resented being manhandled. But she shook off Zane's grip like a wet dog shaking off water, and fixed him with a glare.

" Vonce a soul has been offered, it is impossible to simply call it back!" She snapped at him. " It has gone to the Beasts, who vill devour it to try and sate their immense hunger!"

" Devour?" Zane stepped back, as if physical struck. He staggered back, bringing his hand up to press over his pulsating heart. A dull ache spread through it, originating from where the fragmented remains of his heart hung. Numb from the shock of it all, Zane leaned against the wall. Trying vainly to wrap his mind around what the vampire was telling him.

" The Beasts are insatiably hungry. They vill consume any soul that is offered to them."

" Syrus." Zane said softly, tears gathering in his eyes. Across the room from him, Camulla's look softened, and she stepped around the fallen pieces of wood and made her way to him. As she approached, Zane didn't seem to notice. He was staring out into space, a glazed look in his eyes, his hand fisted in his shirt.

He jumped when the draculina placed a tentative hand on his shoulder.

" Darling." He glared at her, and she sighed. " Listen to me: Your brother gave his soul to the Sacred Beasts in exchange for yours-"

" You think I don't know that?!" Zane threw her hand away. " You think I don't understand?! Syrus threw his soul away for me! You think I don't feel bad enough already?!"

" Vould you keep quiet for even one minute!" Camulla snapped at him, smacking him across the face with her clawed hand. Her talon-like nails drew four parallel lines of blood in Zane's cheek. He blinked, touching his cheek with his hand. His fingers came back red, wet, and sticky.

" You are vorse than a child sometimes." Camulla huffed. " A great duelist, but a trifle…emotionally stunted."

" Get on with it!" Zane growled dangerously at her.

" A soul taken from its body and offered to the Beasts has no hope of return." Camulla elaborated, ignoring Zane's horrified look. " But a soul that is given freely…especially von given in place of another…"

" What?" Zane looked at her. Camulla looked at him.

" Your brother gave his soul in place of yours. He sacrificed it so that you vould be safe. The Shadows are not accustom to such bravery and strength. An innocent is a powerful thing. But a martyred innocent…" Camulla looked directly into Zane's eyes.

" There is a chance that the Beasts vill not be able to feast on his soul. He gave his soul to them so that you vould be spared. That kind of love is powerful. Perhaps powerful enough to hold the Sacred Beasts at bay long enough for you to recover him."

" So he can be brought back?!" Zane leapt up, grabbing Camulla's shoulders." How?! Tell me! I'll do anything, you understand?! Anything!"

" It isn't something vithin my power." Camulla said softly. " Nor is it vithin yours."

Zane stopped shaking her.

" What do you mean?"

Camulla gave him a pitying look.

" His soul vas, regardless of the circumstances, given to the Sacred Beasts. He is in their possession now. If you vish to have your brother back, you must vin him from the Beasts."

**_**

" In a duel?!"

The room was silent, except for the sound of the machine carefully monitoring the steady rise and fall of Atticus' chest. Any other time, Alexis would be at her brother's side, staring at the machine, watching for any signs of a change in his state. So far, there had been none. But at the moment of Jaden's incredulous shout, she was sitting by a very distraught Zane, who had wandered in, proclaimed that 'it' was all his fault, and then collapsed into a chair, crying.

Out of respect, and possibly awkwardness, Jaden, Chumley, and Chazz had all turned their heads away and looked at the opposite wall, trying desperately to strike up some conversation to drown out small, but distinct sounds of Zane's tears. Alexis had shot from her brother's bedside and was beside Zane in a matter of seconds, kneeling down to look in his eyes and continually pleading for him to tell her what was wrong. But Zane had merely shook his head back and forth, tears dripping down off his nose.

It wasn't until Jaden asked where Syrus had gone off to, and Zane's head shot up, giving the other boy a painful, apologizing look, that the Slifer understood the depth of the situation.

" What happened to Syrus, Zane?"

In Jaden's voice there had been steel, and where Alexis had failed to coax the story out of him, Jaden succeeded, possibly because Zane thought that he owed it to the boy.

" It…it was all my fault…if I hadn't…if I had just ended the duel before she played it…none of this would've happened…Syrus wouldn't…he wouldn't have…"

And the whole story had come spilling out.

With Alexis holding him tightly around his shoulders. Zane had explained, in as much possible detail as he could, what had happened when he and Syrus had walked out the door to go and find Camulla. If Jaden was disgusted with his behaviour toward his brother, even with his pitiful explanation as to why he had done it, the Slifer gave no indication; only motioned for the older boy to continue.

But by the time Zane managed to get to the part where Syrus had pushed Zane out of the way and offered his soul in his brother's place, Zane had broken down again, cursing himself and letting the tears drip out from his eyes. Suddenly, there was a warm hand on his shoulder, and he looked up into Jaden's concerned, gentle eyes.

" I know this is hurting you, bro." He said softly, standing almost perfectly straight (he was slightly bent at the waist), and still on eye level with Zane. " I know this must be hard." He gave the shoulder a squeeze. " But I'll promise you this much." The eyes went hard. " We are not gonna let Syrus just rot with those Sacred Beasts. We are gonna find a way to get him back, even if we have to take all our keys, unlock those gates, and unleash the Beasts themselves to get Syrus back!"

There was a conviction in his tone, a belief that made the cloud of hopelessness that had settled over Zane's heart lift, if only for an instant. In Jaden's eyes was a will that refused to be broken, no matter what the odds. It struck Zane, suddenly, that Syrus was probably going to go far in the world, if these were the kinds of people he'd managed to befriend.

" Yeah, Sy's out pal!" Chumley chimed in.

" We'll get him back, no matter what." Alexis reached over and wiped the tears away from Zane's eyes. " Just you wait and see."

" Well, if you're all going to walk through Hell for the midget, I might as well walk you to the gate." Chazz rolled his eyes.

" I knew you cared, Chazz!" Jaden gave him a bright grin. The older boy blushed pink and looked away.

" It's not like I like the twerp or anything! I just don't want you trying to get ahead of me!"

" Sure, right."

" It's got nothing to do with wanting to help Syrus!"

" You see?" Alexis leaned close to his ear, so he could hear her over the ruckus of Chazz and Jaden squabbling (most of it was Chazz; Jaden was smiling and egging him on with a few well placed jibes) " Syrus is in good hands. Jaden'll get him back. We all will."

" How…" Zane trailed off, trying to find the right words to properly expressing his thoughts. " How did Syrus ever end up with friends like you guys?"

" Sy's a good kid." Alexis looked over at where Jaden was ducking the pillow Chazz had chucked at him. " And Jaden's not the type to overlook someone in need."

" Yeah." Zane murmured.

" Atty would try to get your brother back too, you know that, right?" Alexis asked, shooting a look at her comatose brother. " If he could get up right now, he would be racing out there to convince Sheppard to let him duel the Sacred Beasts."

" Yeah, I know."

" You're his best friend. He'd do anything for you."

" Mmh."

Chumley looked over at the two Obelisks, taking in Zane's puffy eyes and slumping posture.

" I think Zane should lie down for a while. He's had a rough night." The large boy advised.

" He can have my bed!" Jaden offered, jumping off the mattress. Carefully, Alexis helped Zane up and moved him over the offered bed, where Zane sank down onto the sheet, staring into nothingness.

" One of us should go tell Chancellor Sheppard what happened."

" Speaking of teachers, does this mean Crowler's alright?" Chazz asked, looking down at Zane. The older boy blinked, and tried to focus his thoughts.

" Yeah, I saw her release the spell right before she left. She sent the key back too. To the box Sheppard has it in. She said now that it's been used, it's nothing more than a trinket."

" Close your eyes." Alexis instructed soothingly. " Try to get some sleep."

" So, I'll tell Sheppard." Chazz said, brushing past the rest of the group.

" Someone should tell Bastian and Lia what happened." Chumley said.

" I will." Alexis offered, getting up.

" But what about your brother, Lex?" Jaden asked. Alexis paused at the door, and looked over her shoulder at the boy, smiling.

" Zane is Atticus' best friend in the world. He'd want me to do everything I can to get his brother back."

" Okay." Jaden waved to her. " Tell them to come here. And try not to let Lia scream at Zane. I think he feels bad enough as it is."

" I'll make sure she gets all the anger out before we leave." Alexis darted out, and then stuck her head back in.

" You'll let me know if there's any change with my brother, right?"

Jaden waved her out the door.

" I'll let you know immediately."

The grin sighed in relief.

" Thanks." And then she ran off, headed for the Ra dorms.

Chumley stood up and followed Alexis' path towards the door.

" Where're you going, Chum?" Jaden called after him.

" To the kitchen to get some food."

Jaden sweat dropped.

"Chumley, this really isn't the time…"

" People like to do something when they're upset. Might as well eat and keep our strength up. And I get the feeling that we're gonna have to force some food down Zane's throat before he eats anything."

Jaden could see the logic in that.

" Then we'd better do it before Lia gets here." Jaden shot a look at the sleeping boy occupying his hospital bed. " She's not gonna be happy about this."

" None of us are."

" Yeah, but none of us quite hate Zane the same way Lia does."

" So we should keep her away from him?"

" Something like that."

" 'Kay." Chumley nodded. " I'll go get us some snacks." He headed out the door. " Don't get into any duels where your soul is on the line while I'm gone, okay?"

" I promise." Jaden called out the door.

In the empty room, Jaden let out a sigh, listening to it bounce off the walls. Beside him, still sprawled atop the sheets was the pale Zane, his cheeks glistening with dried tear tracks and his face troubled. Across the room was the still unconscious Atticus, breathing deeply in the blue tinted mask on his face, his chest falling up and down. Heaving another sigh, Jaden sat down next to his fellow brunet, running a hand messily through his hair.

" Well, isn't this just perfect?" He mumbled to himself. " The shit's really hit the fan this time, hasn't it?"

He leaned back on the chair, staring at the ceiling.

" How the Hell are we gonna fix this?"

" You might try not falling backwards and cracking your skull open. That isn't going to help this kid."

The voice startled Jaden so much that he lost his balance on the chair and went flying backwards, bouncing onto the bed behind his and cracking the back of his head off the wall the bed was pushed up against. Muttering several choice phrases under his breath in Japanese, Jaden sat up, rubbing his sore head, and looked around to see where the voice had come from.

Lying in his bed, smirking at the boy's display, was a very awake, very amused, Atticus Rhodes, who, when he noticed Jaden's attention, pointed to the breathing mask still strapped on his face.

" You mind removing this thing?"

He-llo everbody! How has your week been? Agonized about Syrus' fate yet? My week has been awesome. I moved into my residence on Monday, and cried half the night (the other half of which I did NOT sleep. Stupid adjusting to differences!), and then on Tuesday I got up, told myself to stop crying, and made a whole bunch of new friends, one of whom is a fellow author on this lovely site! Her story was the one that eventually spawned Lia and spurred me into writing this story! Small world. And tomorrow, I'm going to do a fun charity thing called 'Shineorama', and raise money for a disease I can't pronounce the name of.

The food at my college (we live in colleges at Trent University, because our university is actually quite small. Well, compare to Guelph and York and Queens it is, but I like it).

I've had a bit of hectic time, trying to change some of my courses, but I finally know what I'm taking: Anthropology (my major), second year Spanish, Introductary German, Linguistics, and Sociology. And I really what to be a socio-cultural anthropologist, which has some linguistics in it. AND next year, I'm taking upper year French. I wanted to this year, but there was a conflict, so I had to drop it. Government job, I'm on my way!

I hope you all had a good first week of school, to my high school readers, and for those of you in university, I am in your ranks now! Frosh Week is officially over after Sunday, and then I have my first class: A German lecture at nine. My schedule has a lot of stuff in the morning, but it's interspersed throughout the day, so I think I'll be good. I'm trying to find a job on-campus, so everybody, wish me luck!

Let's look at some translations, shall we?

Syrus: Yes, I've decided that he was taken Body AND Soul, partly because it gets him out of the way for a while, and partly because I think the Beasts would eat the physical as well as the spiritual.

There's really not much to translate, because it's all pretty straightforward for this chapter. But notice that Lia isn't there. This is a Duelist moment, and she would be really alienated here, because she could never understand how dueling is the only way to get Syrus back.

Or is it?

See you next week,

MoS