Warnings: It's stil weird. And then Lexi is gonna be a badass.

Disclaimer: I don't own Yugioh GX


Year Two: Descending Light


Whether he would ever know it or not, Jaden's guess on what Lia's thoughts might have been was frighteningly close to the truth. The only reason he had not guessed her words exactly was because Lia was not truly thinking the moment she fled the duel arena.

She was mindless, the only thing guiding her being an instinct to flee whatever it was that was hurting her. Surrounded by faces she didn't recognize and hearing voices she didn't know, being held by arms that belonged to strangers, she shoved forward and ran, fearful and wild as a startled deer. The only thing that made any sense was the mad need to get away, to find somewhere safe where she could huddle up in a little ball and never be bothered by those unknown faces again.

Adrenaline made her blood pump faster, and before she knew it, she had climbed the stairs and was almost out the door when something made her turn back. Her eyes scanned the gathered company (and not one of them struck a chord in her, not one of them made her feel safe. They were a formless, flesh-coloured mass of eyes looking at her, seeing inside of her, judging her when they had no right. No one had the right to judge her, any of her, any of the million, million parts of her that were all screaming at once, a hundred thousand faces dancing in front of her eyes, none of them her own but all of them hers. How dare they judge her, she who had been through hell? She, who braved the depths of depravity for the sake of something precious? She, who alone – alone – knew the great power of love? Who were those grubby, faceless bastards to judge her in all her terrible and wondrous glory?), and rested, for a moment, on one figure.

There, at last, she found a familiar face, but why it was familiar she couldn't decide. The cut of the jaw, or the way his bangs fell into his face perhaps. There was something about the brown haired boy that calmed her, for a moment. She knew him, knew him with a deep, unerring part of her, one of the only parts that wasn't screaming and crying and telling her to run. That part, that vital, grounding part of her, knew the boy as she would have known her own hand.

Then he raised his face to her, and her calm vanished.

Because at the sight of his golden eyes, love and fear exploded into her with enough force to get her moving again, and then she was flying down the hall, colours and sounds blending together in one long, painful blur. The voice of the boy echoed in her mind, his lips forming the same word over and over again. She ran faster, desperate to get away, desperate to flee, terrified of what she would discover if the boy's words caught up to her. Running was the only option, because not knowing anything, she knew instinctively, was better than knowing what that boy was trying to tell her.

She was running faster now – how, she wasn't sure, because her legs were already moving so hard and fast, but still, she went faster. The creamy walls had changed to bright green leaves and endlessly blue skies, but still she ran. She ran without realizing how much she was running, how hard her legs were pumping or how deeply her chest was heaving. She ran until she felt light-headed, but she didn't stop, because she couldn't feel anything but the fear coursing through her, telling her to get as far away from that boy and his knowledge as she could. Nothing in the world would ever be as agonizing as knowing what that boy did.

But, even as she ran (intended to run until something gave out. Her lungs, her legs, even her heart, it didn't matter. Just so long as she ran until there was nothing left to run for her, until the land gave out and her feet were trapped on the very last grain of sand before the edge of the world. And then she didn't know what she would have done. She didn't know anything, beyond the need to get away), the sound and the colour and the whisper that boy had uttered in the dead silence of the room came back to her.

" Lia..."

Her eyes widened.

And Lia Shanner crashed head first into a tree.

The pain of it stunned her, and she fell backwards in a graceless heap. Yelping as she did so, the girl ended up sprawled on her back, staring up at the dark blue sky. Stars glimmered through the gaps in the leaves, and, for a moment or two, she was thoroughly distracted by trying to pick out certain constellations, her head buzzing and her face aching.

The ache made her aware. Her chest was heaving frantically, her lungs as starved for air as they would've been if she had been drowning. Her legs were burning, heavy as lead and she found that trying to make them moving, even to shift them, was even more painful. She was sweating too. She could feel the streaks the drops left as they fell off her brow. She lay there panting, staring up at the starry sky, trying to make sense of everything that had happened.

Lia. That was what he had said, that boy. He'd said a name. That name. Lia. A name. A name...

Her eyes flew open impossibly wide as she sat up, ignoring the protesting of her weary body.

Oh god.

" That's my name." She whispered to the night air. And at the words, the world rushed back to her.

Lia Shanner Otillia Margot daughter of Beline and Liam cousin of Magda no father he left he's gone all alone new father Gauvin good to mother loves me enough has three children mother doesn't care mother doesn't get it I'm alone but I'm not because there are people here and they love me they love me so so much and I love them and I want to be with them and everything hurts and I feel so weak but I need to be strong because they need me to be strong and it hurt to lose them and it hurt even more to get them back because I don't know where we go from here I don't know how to love them anymore I don't even know if I can love them anymore but I do I do I need them they make me strong I don't know how to be without them I never want to have to be without them I love them all so so so so so much please never leave me I need you all Alexis Chazz Atticus Syrus Jaden Jaden Jaden...

"Omigod." She brought fluttering fingers to her mouth. She could hear a bird give its last call somewhere overhead, and the wind whispered through the leaves of the tree. The calm of the night did nothing to soothing her racing heart. It beat so fast that Lia was sure it would burst from her chest. She looked at the stars without truly seeing them, registering only how far away they seemed. They were so remote, so untouchable despite her desire to do so. She wanted to reach up and grasp one in her hand, feeling the sparkling light of it between her fingers, understand its warmth with her skin. She wanted to hold it close to her chest, cradle it, protect it in a way that would make it love her. She wanted to possess one of those millions of tiny stars, wear it as a band of light on her wrist.

Her fingers were outstretched before she realized she'd raised her hand. Reaching upwards for the stars, her vision faded for a moment, and the glow of the distant lights suddenly engulfed her. She was lost in a swirl of soft silver light as it touched her, smoothed the worried furrows from her brow and soothed the ache of her chest and face. It surrounded her in a strange embrace, cradling her to it as she wanted to cradle it. Her fingers reached out to brush along the edge of the silvery substance.

And then, from the depths of his very being, called up a strength he didn't remember having from a part of him that he didn't know, and pushed at the not-white, burning, painful vastness in front of him. His skin scorched, his body stung, his vision swam in and out of blackness, but he pushed, harder and harder until the blaze of pain was dulled to nothing, and all that remained was the warmth of that slumbering thing deep inside of him. That thing, that glorious, powerful thing that had pulled him from the jaws of death, that terrible, angry thing that had yanked Chazz back from the edge of the abyss, that great, god-like thing that forced Jaden's eyes open and his body forward even as his mind screamed for rest...

Lia's eyes flew open. And before her, in the very centre of the silver mass that held her, were a set of golden eyes, looking at her. They were dark with a broken heart. They were filmed over with accusing tears.

And they were Jaden's bright, burnish gold eyes, the likes of which she had only seen in that brief, frightening encounter that had robbed her of everything that she was for a few moments.

Panicked, Lia shuffled back. The eyes continued to stare at her, asking her a question she couldn't bring herself to answer. The response was on her tongue for a moment, making it heavy, and then she was swallowing it back, more terrified by what she might say than anything else. With fearful eyes that reflected her own breaking heart, she shook her head from side to side. The eyes slowly seemed to sink into the silvery light around her, and she was struck with the insane urge to call them back. But it was too late. They had faded into the silver, which was growing brighter and brighter by the second. She threw her arms up to shield her from the blinding light, far too pale in her opinion, and felt one last caress on her, shapeless fingers pressing lightly against the mark beneath her collarbone before withdrawing quickly, as if burned. Her vision went to white for a split second, and then the sky was back, stars glittering and a moon high in the sky.

Lia looked at the moon for a moment, mystified.

" What the hell?" She muttered, finally lowering her head. It came to rest in her hands, her eyes closed. Every inch of her throbbed with pain. She felt like one gigantic bruise. Groaning, she let herself fall backwards again.

" God, I am so sick of this shit." She reached up to poke her nose. It hurt, to be certain, but it didn't seem to be broken or even bleeding, just extremely tender. The Ra girl laid an arm across her eyes, blocking out any sight of stars or light or trees. All there was was the blackness that stretched out before her, calm and soft and inviting. Lia whimpered.

" I'll just..." She whispered, not knowing who or even what she was talking to. She rolled onto her side, her left arm coming to cushion her head, her right casually falling over her stomach. She sighed deeply.

" Jus' gonna...close m'eyes...f'a bit..."

And as Lia drifted off to sleep, she twisted her body slightly, so that the moonlight fell upon the large, red stain that tarnished the pure white of her shirt.


Alexis was in a panic.

Which wasn't saying much, given that she had been in a panic for most of the time since she'd come back from the Society of Light. Danger lurked around every corner, things were quickly snowballing out of control, and Alexis wasn't even sure what was real anymore. Her nights were plagued with visions of duels she'd never had and during the day, those visions haunted her. She could see people she'd hurt, things she'd done, insults she'd directed, and the weight of it all made her fearful of sleep. She didn't want to know what ungodly thing she'd done while under the thrall of the Light. The fact that the dreams were only half-remembered, that they faded quickly the moment she woke up and left only vague images and a rising sense of dread, was even more worrying. While Alexis didn't want to know what had occurred in those lost months, she would rather be fully informed than half-informed. She'd rather know the full brunt of what she'd done, than be given hazy hints that left her open to hours of morbid speculation.

And it was speculation, because no one would talk about it. Jaden was tight-lipped and kept shaking his head when asked, pleading with his eyes to not make him tell her. Alexis, feeling guilty about the weight of the world again being on Jaden's shoulders (despite her promise and despite her attempts to help, things always seemed to fall to Jaden. It was always him that had to save everybody, and no matter how much Alexis tried to help, either by offering to duel in his place or be a friendly ear to his complaints, Jaden seemed determined to heap it all on himself. There was a cold determination in him that Alexis hadn't seen last year. A grim set to his mouth, a steely look in his eyes that hadn't been there until the Sacred Beasts had shown themselves. Sometimes, it was hard to look at Jaden, because he looked less and less like a teenager and more and more like a general commanding his troops.),agreed. Jaden would not be her source of information.

Her brother reacted almost the same. His face would go dark and he wouldn't meet her eyes. He'd turn away from her and say that she didn't need to know, because it was all over. It didn't feel over to Alexis, but Atticus wouldn't say anything else. He was remarkably good at making himself scarce when he didn't want to be found, and he had all but vanished for extended periods of time. It was a miracle he'd shown himself at their sleepover.

Everyone else was unfit to ask. Syrus had kept clear of her, Jasmine and Mindy didn't know anything but the minor-est of details, and Chazz was suffering from the same memory loss as she was. Aster Phoenix might have been helpful, having come into contact with her several times, but his silence, unlike Jaden's or Atticus', was hostile, and he glared at her every time they met. The reason was obvious, as obvious as why she would never ask Lia. Their friendship was strained, holding on by a thread, and to ask would only pour salt on those slowly healing wounds.

No, Alexis was never going to ask Lia what had happened with the Society of Light.

She was, however, determined to ask Lia what had happened to her.

It had all started out so simple. Chazz insisted that Jaden could help the catatonic girl. Alexis had been ready to protest (because Jaden was drifting farther and farther from them. The more he dueled, the more he fought, the greater the distance was between them. And every time the world was tinged with silver, Alexis felt her heart leap into her throat, because it wasn't Jaden making it happen. It was Jaden's face and Jaden's body and Jaden's skin, but it wasn't Jaden soul or his smile or his eyes. The only thing she truly remembered about coming back was the soft hand on her head and eyes as golden as the sun looking deep inside of her. Golden eyes that were appearing more and more as time went on.), but then Jaden had glided forward and was kneeling in front of Lia, puzzled but willing to try. The protest had died in her throat.

Then it had been strange. Jaden had touched Lia, played with her hair, and started smiling a smile Alexis didn't know he could. He looked almost besotted, but that wasn't the right word. There was nothing romantic about the way Jaden had looked at the younger girl, but it was still disturbing, because Alexis was sure Jaden had never looked at someone like they were his entire world before.

He'd sat there, combing her hair with his fingers and leaning his forehead against hers. When he'd finally forced her to look at him, Lia had opened eyes that were as fever bright as any Society member's, and Alexis had felt sick. The moment had hung, heavy with fearful silence, as every member of the group had sucked in their breath at the sight of Lia's dangerously burning eyes. Neither of the duo had noticed, too trapped in each other's gaze. Lia's fingers had kept flexing, like she wanted to reach out to Jaden and return his innocuous touches but was held back by something. Alexis had been irresistibly reminded of those early days in the hospital of last year, poised over her brother's bedside, afraid to take her eyes off of him lest her vanish into thin air again.

Then Jaden had seemed to see what they all saw, those horrible eyes, and it had all gone strange.

That same explosion from before, that power and charged air that had ripped through the stadium as Jaden had saved Prince Ojin (where was he? Where was that Linda woman? They'd been standing together after the duel, their heads pressed close as they'd talked in hushed tones, Linda carefully scanning the prince for injuries and the prince basking in her concern. Alexis had seen them out of the corner of her eye, but almost all of her attention had been on Lia) surged over her, over them all. Alexis found herself being flung back, pressed into the seat as the wave of energy broke over her, not painful or deadly, but knowing. Her entire being was once again filled with that mysterious power, its presence not intrusive like the Light, but warm and comforting and soft. It closed around her like an embrace, and as her vision was consumed by silver, she felt it, whatever it was, keen for her pain.

Because what happened next was pain. The silver shifted, and in her mind's eye, she could finally see what had eluded her for so long.

" What are you doing here?"

There, as though she'd always had the memory, was herself, decked out in white. Her face was twisted into a cruel look and her eyes were as dark with anger as the fervent brightness of the Light would allow. She looked gaunt and pale, her skin unhealthily pale, even more so against the white of her uniform. She did not look like Alexis Rhodes. She wasn't sure what looked like, but the sight of her own body made her sick.

Aster turned back towards the group, coming face to face with the girl herself. Alexis had crossed the space to stand right in front of him, but her gaze was fixed on Lia, who had dropped her head.

" I just..." She whispered, all the fight gone out of her. " I was...Lex, I was..."

So small, so broken. Alexis felt her heart clench at the sight. Lia was never supposed to look like that, like she'd given up. Not her Kitten, with claws and fire and fierce, protective love. As she watched the scene unfold, Alexis felt the silver mass wrapped tighter around her, somehow understanding the light pressure on her head to be a sign of comfort.

" We were looking for Jaden, is that a crime?" Aster cut in, shifting so that he was half blocking a very downtrodden Lia.

"This was a private function. You were not invited." Alexis continued, glaring at them.

Lia shuffled uncomfortably.

" The duel's over now, so I don't think your rules apply anymore." Aster argued back.

" That doesn't mean you can just come barging in here without an invitation when the Society is congregating. We won't tolerate it."

"This is a public place, honey."

So that was why Aster and Lia seemed to have formed a friendship. Alexis could suddenly understand the pro star's animosity towards her, if this was how she'd acted towards him. Still, it made her just the tiniest bit happy that Lia hadn't been alone. The younger girl had at least had someone to protect her.

" Lexi..." Lia whispered.

" What, you need to go cry to Jaden to make yourself feel wanted?"

Aster's jaw dropped at the tone the older girl took, Lia closed her eyes, wincing, and took a step backwards.

Alexis, the true, solid Alexis, mirrored both of their actions.

" Lexi, stop it."

" And I told you to stop calling me that. I only let my friends call me that, and you sure as hell are not my friend."

" Wait." Aster looked between the two girls. " What?"

" Oh, she didn't tell you?" Alexis flipped a lock of blonde hair over her shoulder. " I threw her out of the White Dorm a few hours ago. She kept trying to talk to me, like she thought she was important enough to come and see me." She let out a mocking bark of laughter.

" What?" She pressed her hands against her mouth, looking horrified. The thing around her rubbed her arms and the faint press of a kiss could be felt on her temple.

" Lexi. Stop it." Lia said, not looking at her.

" I'll say it one more time, you stupid bitch: Stop calling me that. I want nothing to do with a social reject like you. You honestly thought we were friends? That I'd ever lower myself to associate with the likes of you? You're even more pathetic than I thought. The Light has shown me the truth. Weak losers like you are of no use to me."

" No." Alexis whispered, shaking her head in denial. " No, I don't mean that. I could never mean it! She's my best friend!" Frantically, she turned to the memory Lia who was close to tears. " You know that, don't you? You know how much I love you, right? I'd never say anything like that! Never!"

" Alexis, stop it!" Lia yelled suddenly, forcing the other girl to step back in surprise. Down below, her shout caught the attention of Jaden and the two Ra's he was with. Lia walked forward until she was face to face with Alexis.

" Stop saying those horrible things! Stop talking like you don't care about me because I know you do! You're my best friend Alexis, and this isn't like you at all!" She punctuated her words with well-timed jabs at Alexis' ample chest. " You're not this mean and you're not acting like yourself and you would never, ever hurt me being saying things like that. You're my friend and I know you don't mean any of those things!"

" Like Hell I don't!" She snarled back. " You make me sick!"

" Shut up!" Alexis shrieked, swiping at the image of herself. Her hands passed through the figure as though it were made of smoke. " Shut up you bitch! Don't you ever talk to any one of my friends like that ever again!"

" No I don't."

" I can't stand to be around you!"

" I know you don't mean that."

" I've hated you ever since the first time I laid eyes on you."

" That isn't true! It's not!" Alexis screamed, her throat raw with sobs of fury. " I thought that you were cute and funny and nice the first time I saw you, Lia! That bitch is lying! She's not me!" She turned again to the memory Lia, who had started to shake. Aster was watching the back and forth from the wall, frowning. He was clearly trying to figure out if he should jump in or not. Alexis looked desperately at Lia. " It's not me! You know that! It's not me, I'd never, ever, hurt you like this! I'd never hurt anyone like this!"

" That's a lie and you know it!" There were tears in Lia's eyes now. " The first time you ever saw me I told Jaden that I was gonna make sure he stayed awake in class and you laughed and said you liked me! You protected me from Jasmine when she tried to take my camera and you and I made a bet about what was in the basement of the Abandoned Dorm! We've been friends ever since!" Lia reached out and gently touched Alexis' arm. " Wake up, please Lexi."

" Don't touch me!" Alexis slapped her hand away. " I've been blinded all this time by the darkness. It kept the truth hidden from me. But not, thanks to the Light, I can see clearly. And I know that I would never befriend someone as weak and pathetic as you! This is the true me, the one who's been bound and lost in the dark for so long, and I want nothing to do with you!"

Alexis lunged. She clawed viciously at her past counterpart, but fell through again. This only served to spur on her anger and she swiped again, kicking with her legs and trying desperately to land some sort of hit on the bitch who was hurting Lia and would hurt Jaden and threatened to tear down everything Alexis had worked so hard to achieve. The phantom mass around her allow her to wriggle and squirm as she tried to get closer, to hit harder, to just plain hurt the her in white.

" Alexis, control your temper."

Chazz's eerily calm voice broke through, and the vision shattered, falling to pieces before her eyes. As the silver gently pushed aside the hair that had fallen into her face in her struggles, a new picture started to take shape. A foggy, hazy image formed out of the silver, dark and green, sharp yet soft eyes looking at her with pity.

" I don't have to take this."

" Oh, I think you do." Zane gave her a look that wasn't quite as cold as all the others he'd given her since they'd met by the light house. It seemed almost warm, his gaze prickling her skin and making something twist uncomfortably in her head.

" In fact," his voice had dropped again, but it wasn't a growl this time, " I think you want to take it. I think you want to listen."

Her back against the light house, Alexis gasped.

" Excuse me?"

He was so close, Alexis could barely stand it. After showing her what had happened to Lia, dangling Zane, in all his Hell Kaiser glory, before seemed unbearably cruel. She wanted to reach out and touch him, to try and soothe him. She wanted to take that awful weight in his eyes away. He was her precious friend, and as much as she believed in Jaden, there was something in her that wanted to protect Zane from all the hurt. He'd always been there, a faithful shadow in her life, secretly guarding her. He'd promised Atticus that she'd be safe, and Alexis wanted to pay him back, but if she'd hurt him the way she'd hurt Lia, even this cold version of him, they she didn't know what she'd do. With a tight chest, she leaned back to watch the scene play.

" You want me to save you." He whispered, and the Light reared Its head in fury. Her own throbbed at the outburst.

" I don't want you." She insisted, mocking smirk on her face even as his face darkened and a flush crept up the back of her neck.

" Lexi, I'm warning you." Zane said, his teeth clenching. The heat in his eyes, the promise that she didn't dare ask him to voice, was almost unbearable, but Alexis wanted to run. Her heart was beating far too fast and the Light was clawing at her ribs, pushing at them like It wanted to get to the thundering organ beneath them. Each jab left her breathless and disoriented, and Zane's hand suddenly felt like a lead weight on her shoulder. It hung like a noose around her neck and for some reason she both wanted to throw it off and grab it with the intention of never letting go.

Alexis let her head fall back, low moan of pain coming from her mouth as another jab made her grit her teeth. Zane's other arm snapped up and trapped her between the light house and his body. Her every nerve ending sang with agony as the Light roughly shoved at her, making her lean back against the stone. He followed her with his own body, holding her up as her knees threatened to give way.

" Easy, Lexi. Take it easy. I'm right here." He dropped his head to whisper in her ear. Alexis leaned her head to the side, baring her neck.

" It hurts." She moaned, shaking. " Why does it hurt? It shouldn't want to hurt me. I've seen the Light. Go away." She shoved at his chest, but her legs felt very weak, and she wanted nothing more than to collapse into his arms and let him do something, anything, to help the ache that was starting to form in her chest.

" Of course it's hurting." Zane hissed in her ear. " Don't you know what that is inside you? A monster, Lex. A hideous, twisted form of life that's got no business living off of your spirit. It's a parasite, and it's sucking you dry, Alexis."

" Shut up." She whispered, almost completely undone by the feel of the iron spearing through her. Zane pressed himself closer, and she all but collapsed into him, hating herself. She moved her leg, trying to kick at him, and the sigh Zane gave her as he blocked it rankled her. Then his hand tightened on her leg, pushing it up to lay flat against the lighthouse. His rough hand dug into the skin of her knee where he held it, and she trembled at the rough treatment.

" I want to help you, Lex, I do. I want to save you. You're so important to me." his voice became strangled and he punctuated the words with sharp squeeze of the skin under his hand. "But I can't do it unless you want it."

Alexis' eyes nearly rolled back into her head. Tiny explosions were rippling out from the core of her body, and she could barely stand it. Her whole body trembled with pain. She was afraid to open her mouth, because the only sounds she could make at the moment would only confirm what he was saying. Her mind screamed that it was wrong, that she should push Zane away, that allowing herself to be spoken to like that by a lost one was going against everything the Society stood for.

For the first time, Zane looked like he was pleading.

" Please."

A sob tore its way from Alexis' throat. So here it was at last, the truth. Zane looking at her, trying to save her, hurt and cruel and reborn in Hell but still keeping his promise to Atticus. She wanted to touch him. She wanted to reach out and let him know that, somehow, he had saved her. She was alright again, and it hadn't all be Jaden. It had been Zane too; Zane looking into her eyes, Zane holding her close, Zane touching her like she would fall to pieces in his arms...

Before she was aware of what she was doing, her addled brain finally gave up fighting. Through the numbness that had spread through her body like wildfire, she found herself her dragging him down, maybe a little too sharply, to meet her eyes.

Alexis' eyes flew open in shock, because it wasn't happening, it couldn't be happening, not the thing she'd always wanted in her most secret of hearts, not the thing she'd dreamed humiliating dreams about, not the thing she'd given up on what Atticus disappeared and then given up on again when Zane had descended into madness, it couldn't be, it just couldn't...

She whined with pain, her back arching slightly, and flashes of things exploded behind her closed eyes.

Chazz, dressed in white and showing her his hand and she couldn't win, even though she knew every move he could make.

Sartorius, his hair fanning out behind him and a fanatical, fanged grin on his face, welcoming her into the fold, his white jacket seeming to glow as he congratulated her on seeing the Light.

Zane, dark and brooding and hot as a brand of iron against her, pulling down, his hair blowing in the chilled breeze wafting off the ocean, hauling her to him, holding her tight, lips on her brow, soothing and soft and not like him at all, his eyes looking at her with something that could've been love once upon a time and whispering nonsense words into her ear when she cried-

' Don't be afraid.' The voice was commanding and strong. Alexis leaned closer, trying to draw on the confidence that emanated from the body next to her. She felt fingers pressed more solidly against her heart. ' It feeds on fear and doubt. Believe that you cannot be taken and you won't be.'

' You are stronger than It.' The woman whispered in her ear. 'So It wants to break you.'

And Alexis, through all her pain and all the heat and all the messed up memories that were slowly seeping out of her and slipping through the tentative grasp she had on them, finally felt another feeling besides despair and helplessness.

She got angry.

" Get out." She snarled through gritted teeth. " You're done playing and you're done pulling the strings and I want you out!"

The heat tried to push back.

" I'm done with this crap! I won't let you hurt my friends anymore, and I won't let you use my body like your toy and I won't ever let you touch my spirit again, you understand me? Now you. Get. The hell! OUT!"

And then everything had been lost behind blazing light, colourless, not white or silver or anything.

The memories had stopped, and Lia had been shoving, scratching, wild-eyed and trying to get away from them all. Alexis had watched her go, had watch Jaden's shaking apathy to his own lack of knowledge, and run out after the brunette, scared for both Lia and herself.

Because Alexis understood now. She understood what had happened, all those months ago. She understood what she'd done and how badly Lia and the others had been hurt. She understood why Lia was scared of her and why Aster seemed to hate her and why Jaden didn't want to tell her anything.

And more than that, she finally, at long last, understood why Jaden looked at her with such distant eyes, why he wasn't jumping to protect her at every turn, why he was letting her stumble through this without guiding her anymore. It wasn't that he was heaping it all on himself, shutting her out of it. He was delegating, giving her a chance to step up and fight on her own terms, just as she had done in the creeping light of the dawn in front of the Red Dorms.

Jaden hadn't been cutting her off. He'd been respecting her power.

Her power. Her very own power, the one she'd used to push the Light of Destruction from her body with nothing but stubbornness and a desire to make it all right. Jaden had seen it, and in letting her go, he'd respect that victory. Alexis clenched her fist. She was going to find Lia, because Jaden was clearly too exhausted by whatever had happened to him to do so. She was going to find Lia because it was her turn to do something in this war they'd found themselves in. She was going to find Lia, and they were going to talk, really talk, about everything that had happened. And after they'd sifted through pain and sadness and betrayal, after all that was out of the way, then maybe they could have a real girl-talk. About clothes and school and boys- yes boys, because Aster was looking at Lia in ways that no one, not even Jaden, ever had and Alexis' lips were tingling from a memory that she'd had known existed.

" Cyber Tutu!" She cried. The monster shimmered into being, easily keeping pace with Alexis as she ran. " I need to find my friend, Lia. Can you help me?"

' Always.' The monster said in her whirring noises, and took off, floating above the trees as she went. Alexis smiled in relief, and then took a sharp turn, darting off the marble pathway and into the forest. She didn't know what guided her, only that she was certain Lia had done the same. Twisting to avoid the trees, Alexis set her lips in a grim line.

' It's about time I did something besides hide behind Jaden and cry.'

With that thought in mind, Alexis picked up the pace. She turned the corner at a tree, heading deeper into the forest. The day was starting to dawn grey and stormy (how long had she been up? How long had any of them been up? It seemed so long ago that Lia had gotten that phone call from Aster after her confession. The duel hadn't taken that long, had it? Or maybe Alexis had just been lost in those horrid memories for longer than she'd realized. Had Lia and Jaden been in their trance for hours on end? Alexis didn't know. Time had lost all meaning except for it racing towards the moment when the Light of Destruction revealed itself.) and through the early morning mist, Alexis searched.

Somewhere in the forest, Lia was slowly waking up, her nap having left her neck sore and her arms cold from the dew. It was very likely Alexis might have stumbled across her, looking like a birch nymph, had the helicopter not chosen that exact moment to crash into a tree outside the White Dormitories.


Yes, I went there.

Lia: What the fuck was that?

That, my dear, was a PLOT POINT.

Lia: So you do...THAT to me and now this?

Yeah, yeah, discussion later.

Lia: You said discussion this chapter, you bitch!

Technical difficulties ate up too much time. I'm on a schedule here.

Lia: Yes, because that worked out SO WELL last time.

...I deserved that.

Lia: You deserve a lot more than just that. I can't believe HeroSlayer is still reviewing this.

That's because HeroSlayer is awesome and forgiving beyond all reason. And now, if you'll excuse me, I have editing to do and drabbles to write.

Lia: Just don't get caught up in Fairy Tail fanfiction again!

No worries. I'm strictly off fanfiction for today. ...Be warned, withdrawals will probably start soon.

MoS