Writer's block is evil. It has been blocking off this chapter until I finally managed to destroy it. –Hides dynamite- You saw nothing. Anyway, chapter up at long last, enjoy!
John: They keep going after Thanatos because if they stay where they are, they're as good as dead. –Is smashed by pumpkin- Ow… you didn't have to do that…
Captain Obvious: Because they have bigger problems at hand? Or they just can't see the obvious.
Demon Fan: Yes, we ALL know my threats MUST be literal. Yep.
Chapter 6: Warriors of Zera Clash! Archangel Zeraato vs. Devil Mazera!
"Again? Why won't he just leave us alone?" Hope asked despairingly. "He's already taken down Zack, Will, and Miles. Isn't that enough?!"
"Not for his standards," Rue said grimly. "And it suits me fine. I want to take him down."
"Don't be so rash," Perseus chastised. "It will be very difficult to defeat him. His deck is very strong, and his physical strength is even mightier."
"I know!" Rue snapped. "But I can't help it. I just want to tear the bastard apart!"
"So I guess we will be going to the meeting place?" Larka assumed.
"It seems that way…" Mana nodded. "But on the roof?"
"Thanatos is done playing around," Rue stated. "That suits me fine… I'm done too."
"No…" Hope shook her head. "He's been playing with us this entire time, and he won't stop. He knows he has the advantage over us… he could kill us all instantly if he wanted to. But he forces us to duel. Don't you see? He's toying with us, like a cat with a live mouse."
"The only problem is that the mouse dies eventually," Brandi said.
"But as long as it does live, it has a chance to escape," Hope pointed out. "It's a very small chance, but one nevertheless. That's why we must keep facing Thanatos… so we have a chance to live."
"Yeah. At least we still have him outnumbered," Gaston said.
"He keeps taking us out though, one by one," Larka shuddered.
"So who will be the unlucky one tonight?" Perseus wondered.
"We won't know until we go," Hope sighed. "In the meantime, we should rest and prepare ourselves for evening."
"Right," Perseus agreed. "But how will we get to the top of the condo?"
"There's a stair case we can use," Brandi explained. "By eight, everyone in that condo is likely to not be there, so there shouldn't be any interference."
"Alright then. Let's get some sleep," Claire suggested.
"In the middle of the day?" Rue asked.
"Why not? I'm really tired. That fire incident really took it out of me," Claire stated.
"I see your point," Hope responded.
"If you all want to rest, I can stay up," Daine offered. "I am not weary. I can wake you up at seven thirty, if you can sleep that long."
"Thanks," Brandi replied, glancing at the clock. "It's about five thirty now… two hours of sleep wouldn't be too bad. It will probably help us get over any side effects the smoke left."
They went to their designated places. Before Larka got into bed, she went over to Zack.
"Is he still unconscious?" Hope inquired.
"Yes. It's only a matter of time though," Larka sighed, getting into bed. Malon pounced onto her chest, causing her to gasp.
Hope laughed. "It looks like he's fully recovered, at least."
"Thankfully… or should I be unhappy about that?" Larka joked. She petted Malon until he crawled over to her side, lying down next to her.
Within minutes, everyone was fast asleep, except for Daine. He lay outside on the roof, staring at the sun, waiting for it to tell him it was seven thirty. Beside him, Fell leaned against the side of the roof, also sleeping.
-----
Lilian shook her head sadly as she looked at the thermometer. "He's getting worse."
Neo just stared at Will. "I wish I could do something."
"As do I. The good news is that this change is slow. He's showing signs of living longer than most. If that's the case, we might get a cure for it in time. Macina Corp is saying they are close to having one… maybe it will be ready before it is too late."
"I hope so," Neo said in a depressed tone.
"I'm going to see how your other friend is doing… Miles, is it?"
"Yeah," Neo nodded. "See you later."
She left, and Neo was allowed to go back to his thoughts. He tried not to think about what Will was going through, but puzzled over the things he had said. He had, in a way, predicted that Miles would be responsible for a fire. What he had said about Hope was puzzling too. Was he referring to the smoke inhalation, or something else?
Then the silence was broken by Will. He was muttering something frantically. Neo went over to him at once.
"No… leave me alone! I… I haven't… done anything to any of you! Please… don't…"
"Will! Calm down!" Neo commanded, grabbing his hand.
"Don't… please… I never…" Will broke off, still shaking.
"It's alright! Please Will, you'll be fine!" Neo tried to comfort him.
After a few seconds, Will suddenly relaxed, saying in a soft tone, "Neo… you're still there, aren't you? I can feel it…" Then he was still once more.
Neo sighed in relief. "Thank goodness that didn't last for long… But he acted as if he knew I was nearby. That's a slight improvement, isn't it?" He gently put his hand on Will's forehead, even though it was burning hot. "Hang in there Will… you can make it… please, you have to be able to make it…"
-----
Daine glanced up at the sun once more, and saw that it was almost below the horizon. It was time to wake the others up.
He went over to Fell. "Master."
Fell woke up instantly, and glanced over at Daine.
"It is time to get ready." Daine then left the roof, Fell following.
When he entered the room, he went over to Malon, licking him gently. Malon opened his adorable eyes, blinking a few times, before getting up and cocking his head at Daine.
"Will you please wake up the others?" Daine requested. Then he walked out of the room.
Malon's shrill barking was better than any alarm clock they could have gotten. Everyone was awoken instantly, most of them shocked. When he jumped on Hope, she leapt backwards in surprise, falling off of the bed and onto Rue.
"OUCH! I was awake dang it!" Rue growled.
"Sorry!" Hope apologized, getting off of him.
Larka glared at Daine as he walked in, looking quite innocent. "You asked him to do that, didn't you?"
"It worked, did it not?" Daine replied.
"Remind me to get you back for that later," Rue grumbled, rising as well. "So, what last minute preparations do we have to make?"
"We need to make sure our decks are ready," Brandi stated. "And that's about it, I guess."
They spent about twenty minutes to be properly awake, and check over their decks. When it was ten to eight, they left the condo.
By now, it was dark. They followed Brandi to the condo Thanatos had been referring to. When they got close to it, they were able to grasp just how big it was. It looked to be about twelve stories tall, at least.
"You're kidding me!" Rue exclaimed. "We're going to be on the roof of that thing?!"
"Looks like it," Claire shivered.
"I hate heights…" Rue muttered as they went to the staircase.
They swiftly ascended it, and were soon on the rooftop. To their surprise, they saw the one they were looking for already there.
"You're early," Thanatos said, turning to them with a smirk. "But all the better. I was getting tired of waiting."
His eyes connected with Hope's. Again, she felt a sick, overwhelming, painful sensation. She groaned, clasping her hands to her head.
"Are you alright?" Gaston asked her.
"It's not… as bad as it was… before…" Hope assured. But she tried to avoid looking at Thanatos.
"Let's get right to it," Rue snarled. "Who do you want to duel this time?"
"Why the rush?" Thanatos asked calmly.
"I don't want to have to look at you any longer than I have to," Rue growled.
"So, you do not like my appearance? I suppose that is reasonable," Thanatos shrugged. "Very well. You don't need to look at me like this. You can, if you want to, speak with someone in a more pleasing form."
"What do you mean?" Gaston demanded.
Thanatos closed his eyes. Hope decided to risk looking at him again, and when she did so, saw his aura. But she never got to see Thanatos' true aura. There was hardly any evil left now… it was fading away… becoming one that was much more familiar…
"Max!" Hope gasped.
Everyone stared at Thanatos as he opened his eyes. But it wasn't Thanatos that looked back at them. Now his eyes were normal as he viewed them.
"Yeah… it's me," he nodded. "Hi guys."
"But how?" was all Rue could say.
"I'm still here," Max shrugged. "Thanatos might keep saying I'm dead, but I'm not."
"Thank God for that," Hope sighed.
"So, are you ok sis?" he asked Brandi. "Did you recover from that fall?"
Brandi couldn't speak. She forced herself to nod.
"What about you?" Rue said. "You've been under the control of a psycho for the past few days! Are you going to be alright?"
Max remained silent for a few seconds, before finally saying what he had to. "No, I'm not. I'm killing all of you! I knew this would happen… I should have tried to stop it somehow… but I can't! It hurts… to be taken over… it hurts me to have to turn against you! Please, just kill me! End it all! I can't take it…"
Then he trailed off, closing his eyes. Hope instantly tore her gaze away before his eyes reopened.
"As heartwarming as that was, I'm afraid I'll have to break up your conversation there," Thanatos sneered.
Brandi fell onto her knees, sobbing into her hands. Larka went over to her, trying to reassure her. "It'll be ok… we'll get Max back somehow…"
Everyone else was pretty deeply shaken as well. They were relieved that Max was still there, but despaired as well. How could they possibly kill Thanatos, knowing that Max was inside of him?
"You sick bastard!" Rue growled.
"Insulting me will not get you anywhere," Thanatos told him. "You said you wanted to get on with the duel? Fine by me. I am tired of waiting." He indicated to Claire. "You are the opponent I wish to face now."
"What?" Claire said in shock.
"No way in hell!" Rue yelled.
"Would you prefer that I kill her before she has a chance to try to live?" Thanatos smirked.
"…Damn it all…" Rue said furiously.
Claire stared at Thanatos, shaking slightly. "But… but…"
Perseus stepped up. "We have to try Claire. You know this, don't you?"
Claire took a deep breath before activating her Duel Disk. "Yes. I do know. But it doesn't make me feel any better.
Claire: 8000
Thanatos: 8000
"I'll… go first," Claire said nervously. "I lay one monster in defense mode, and one card down. And I end."
"I shall start on the offense. I will first play my Lair of Ten Thousand Demon Lords."
Even though they had seen the gruesome field emerge two times already, it was still a sinister thing to view. Claire eyed the ground nervously before forcing herself to look back at Thanatos.
"And then I summon Shadow Knight Demon. (2000/1600) He attacks your defense monster."
"You've attacked my Marshmallon. (300/500) When you attack it in face down defense mode, you lose 1000 Life Points."
Claire: 8000
Thanatos: 7000
"Also, Marshmallon cannot be destroyed as a result of battle."
"How annoying. I'll end my turn."
"I was hoping you would play your Lair soon," Claire said. "Now I can play my Sanctuary of the Sky. That will destroy your Lair."
"Nice change in décor," Gaston commented as the temple replaced the golden field.
"Now I sacrifice Marshmallon to summon Agent of Judgment, Saturn. (2400/0) He attacks your Shadow Knight Demon. That's all for me."
Claire: 8000
Thanatos: 6600
Claire was beginning to grow a bit calmer, since she was in the lead. But she did not let down her guard, knowing it could all change in just one move.
"Blasted Sanctuary…" Thanatos muttered. "I place a monster in defense mode and end my turn."
Sensing an advantage, Claire was ready to seize a major lead. "I summon Warrior of Zera! (1600/1600) Then I sacrifice him to special summon Archangel Zeraato! (2800/2300) Then I activate my face down card, Ceasefire Treaty! It flips over all our face down monsters, and you lose 500 Life Points for each effect monster!"
"My Hell Pawn Demon… (1200/200)"
"Excellent! With three effect monsters, you lose 1500 Life Points!"
Claire: 8000
Thanatos: 5100
I will also have Perseus use his Deck Master ability on Zeraato. This gives him a trample ability for one turn. And if he does battle damage to you, I will be able to draw one card. Then I'll have Zeraato attack Hell Pawn Demon! Then Saturn attacks directly!"
Claire: 8000
Thanatos: 100
"She's doing great so far!" Mana said brightly. "It looks like she's going to win!"
"If she still has Saturn and her Sanctuary on her next turn… she wins for sure," Hope stated.
"What? How?" Larka inquired.
"With Sanctuary on the field, she can activate Saturn's effect," Hope explained. "By sacrificing him, she does damage that is the difference between their Life Points. She managed to use that against Brandi once."
"Good gosh," Larka breathed. "That means Thanatos would take 7900 damage! Is that right?"
"Yeah, your math is correct," Hope nodded. "Let's hope Claire can pull it off!"
"Excellent Claire!" Perseus said. "We've almost got him!"
Thanatos, however, had other plans. "First, I play Jar of Greed." He looked at his two new cards and smirked. "Well, I can't just let you win by using Saturn's ability, can I? I'm well aware of what it can do, and I won't give you the chance to do it. I play Terra Forming, putting another Lair into my hand. Then I play it, destroying your Sanctuary."
"Not good," Claire murmured as the temple vanished, being replaced by the gold battlefield.
"This is quite ironic, wouldn't you agree? I summon Warrior of Zera. (1600/1600) And I sacrifice him to special summon Devil Mazera. (2800/2300) Due to him being special summoned, you are forced to discard three cards from your hand."
"That means I lose my entire hand…" Claire realized. "My Mudora, Zolga, and Mysterious Chinese Nabe are gone…"
"Then I attack Saturn with Devil Mazera."
Claire: 7600
Thanatos: 100
"Then I lay one card down, and end my turn."
Claire slowly looked at her next card, and smiled slightly. "This may not be the best thing to have gotten in this situation, but it'll help. I play another Sanctuary!"
"I can't allow you to do that," Thanatos stated. "I activate Curse of Magic-Sealing. By discarding Degradation, your Sanctuary is negated and destroyed. You are also not allowed to play any more for the rest of the game."
"…I end…" Claire said.
"Lost your confidence?" Thanatos smirked. "You have a good reason to have though. I summon Demon Soldier. (1900/1500) Then I have Devil Mazera attack Archangel Zeraato."
Mazera leapt at Zeraato, who raised his hands, blasting his foe with light energy. Yet the Mazera kept going, right through the energy, until it reached Zeraato, slashing it to bits with its claws. Then, when Zeraato was gone, it collapsed, fading away.
"A clash of the two Warrior of Zera summons," Hope said. "Normally, I'd be much more interested, but I'm too nervous now…"
"Demon Soldier attacks directly."
Claire: 5700
Thanatos: 100
Claire shook her head. "I can't even play anything… I pass…"
"I summon Genocide King Demon. (2000/1500) Both of them attack directly."
Claire: 2800
Thanatos: 100
"I can at least do something this turn," Claire declared. "I lay one monster in defense mode and end my turn."
"But it will not help you," Thanatos stated. "I summon another Shadow Knight Demon. (2000/1600) He attacks your defense monster."
"My Kelbek… (1500/1800) Your Shadow Knight Demon is sent back to your hand."
"That does not matter. Demon Soldier attacks, and Genocide King Demon destroys you."
Claire: 0
Thanatos: 100
"How did this happen?" Larka exclaimed. "Claire was winning! But…"
Claire shook her head as the field vanished. "I should have been more careful… I should have thought things through…"
"But you didn't," Thanatos said, stepping towards her. "And you will pay for your mistake…"
Perseus went forward as well, ready to fight if necessary. But Claire was paralyzed, for she looked into his eyes.
Those blood shot eyes… she could not move, could not think anything but one thought: I'm going to die. And she only felt one emotion: a terrible fear that consumed her. She was too terrified to cry out, to defend herself, or to run. She could only stand there in terror.
"Claire!" Hope exclaimed.
Malon let out a shrill whine as Larka watched in horror. Brandi was still upset over Max, but was unable to tear her eyes from the scene that unfolded. Fell just watched silently.
Rue immediately sprung into action though. Without hesitation, he charged at Thanatos.
"STAY AWAY FROM HER!" he yelled, leaping at Thanatos.
Perfect, Thanatos thought. He did exactly what I wanted him to do.
He caught Rue by the arm, and then threw him off the left side of the condo.
This broke Claire out of her trance. "Rue!" she cried, running over to the edge of the roof.
The others were still in shock, and could not do anything. Except for one other person.
Although Brandi was still distressed, this action also seemed to snap her out of it. She leapt off after him, grabbing him as they fell. Then she tried to adjust herself midair, so that they would land on their feet. When training for speed, she had become skilled in altering the way she fell.
However, with so little planning time, Brandi was unable to do it exactly as she wanted. She managed to land successfully, but when Rue hit the ground, a sharp snap echoed through the area with a scream of pain.
Claire paled at the sound of the cry. She was too far up to see what was happening down there, especially since it was nighttime, and she feared the worst. Hope could only stare over the edge, horrified. Larka sank down to her knees, overwhelmed by how fast the terrifying events had happened. Fell turned to Thanatos, bracing himself in case he came closer to them.
Thanatos laughed coldly. "No need to worry. My work here is done. It's much more satisfying to pick you off one by one. Now that he is dealt with, I will leave the rest of you to deal with later, so that you have time to dread my return. That is how I live-fear is an appetizer, and death is my main course." Then he leapt off of the building.
Fell walked over to where he had been, kneeling down to look at the ground.
Daine went over to him. "Master? What is it?" Then he saw what he was staring at, and sniffed it. "Thanatos' blood? Or should I say Max's? What does this mean, master?"
"He never covered the wound Will gave him," Fell said quietly. "But why?"
"I see. Does that mean he does not care about blood loss? Is this Max's way of trying to kill himself? Or did he simply forget about it? He did not seem to be in pain when Will stabbed him… so is he unaffected?"
Meanwhile, the others were silent, thinking over what had happened, except for Ruecian. He ran over to the stairs instantly, going down them. Mana looked over the edge again.
"I'm going to see how they are," she said, breaking the silence. "You guys take the stairs."
"…Alright," Gaston replied. "We'll be right there."
Mana leapt off, floating down. The others stayed there for a few moments, before Claire suddenly ran to the stairs, and started going down them as fast as she could. Perseus went after her.
"Do you think… that Rue… and Brandi are…?" Hope said shakily.
"It could be, but we can't be sure," Gaston assured. "Let's not jump to conclusions." He walked over to the stairs, Hope following.
Larka picked up Malon, who was still whining frantically. "Fell, come on! We need to get down there!" And without waiting for his response, she went down as well.
Fell got up. Giving the blood one last look, he followed his sister, with Daine by his side.
-----
Claire looked around frantically as she left the building, and suddenly saw something. She ran over to the side of the building.
Brandi was kneeling next to Rue, looking over him. Mana was next to her, asking her something. Ruecian was there too, holding onto Rue's right hand, a gesture meant to reassure him.
For one heart-stopping second, she thought Rue was dead when she saw him lying on the ground, his eyes closed. But as she ran over to them, she saw that he was breathing painfully, and looked extremely pale and sick. Overall, he seemed uninjured, except for his left leg, which was bent in a sickening way.
"Rue!" she exclaimed, sitting down beside him as well. "What happened?! Are you ok?!" she asked anxiously, although she was pretty sure she knew the answer to her second question.
Rue opened his eyes at the sound of her talking. "Claire… are you hurt?" he managed to ask.
"No, I'm fine!" she assured. "Forget about me… what about you?"
"My leg… it hurts like hell… OUCH!" he snarled as Brandi lightly touched it.
By now, the rest of them had arrived. Normally, Rue would have been in more of a panic, but having Ruecian there had made him feel a lot calmer. Although his Soul Monster's quiet nature could often get on his nerves, it was a great comfort now.
"Judging by that snap, I'd say your leg is broken," Brandi stated grimly. Her face was still marked by the tears she had shed, but she was either ignoring it or was not aware of it. "We need to get you to the hospital."
"We should get a discount there, we go to it so often," Gaston joked, but in a half-hearted way.
Mana got up at once. "I'll go call them. You guys stay here. I'll also tell Hime what happened, and when we'll be back." Before anyone could respond, she was gone.
Rue was trying to ignore the pain as best as he could, but was not succeeding very well. But his thoughts on it were interrupted when he saw Claire's eyes, shining with tears that threatened to come any second.
"Claire… what's wrong?" Rue asked. "I thought you… weren't injured?"
"This is… all my fault…" Claire sobbed, trying to wipe her eyes with her sleeve. "If I had just finished off Thanatos when I had the chance, you wouldn't even be hurt… I wasn't even thinking! I didn't want you to be hurt, Rue, I really didn't…"
"It wasn't you," Rue managed to say. "You didn't manage to win… so what? We all lose some. Now you will hopefully learn from your mistakes and be a better player."
"But look at what happened to you!" Claire cried. "If I had just thought things through…"
"If, if, and more ifs," Rue interrupted. "What is the point in ifs? It doesn't matter what would happen if we had done something… because it's already done…"
"But…" she trailed off as he grabbed her other arm with his free hand.
"Why do you think I tried to stop Thanatos? I didn't want him to harm you. I don't care about what happens to me… as long as you're safe… ok? Don't make that error again… but for your sake, not mine…"
He was cut off when she embraced him, still crying. "It's alright… ouch… you can let go now… I'm still in pain you know…"
She released him at once, wiping away the rest of her tears. "I'm so sorry..."
"Don't stress over it," he told her. "At least I got away with only a broken leg… so far, I'm the luckiest out of anyone who's tangled with Thanatos, right?"
She nodded with a small smile. Even when in pain, he was still able to joke around-it was so like him.
Hope looked over at Brandi. "What about you? Are you ok?"
"I'm not even hurt," Brandi replied. "I was able to land perfectly, but Rue landed in an awkward position. That's why he has a broken bone. I'm sorry I couldn't prevent an injury in the first place," she said to Rue.
"Hey, you saved my life… I think that counts for something," Rue replied. "Thanks."
Mana suddenly came dashing back. "They'll be here any second. I called them first, and then told Hime about what was going on afterwards."
Coincidentally, the ambulance pulled up right after she spoke. And once more, the two men leapt out of it.
"We've pretty much memorized the route to your condo," the second one laughed as he helped get Rue on a stretcher. "You kids sure do get into a lot of problems, don't you?"
"To say the least," Gaston muttered.
All the Soul Monsters but Ruecian and Malon went into their Soul Cards while the others boarded the ambulance. Malon refused to stay inside his, and since the faster they got there, the better, Larka decided not to argue and just carried him.
Ruecian and Claire took places beside Rue while the others stayed at the other side. The ride to the hospital was silent, except for Rue's short, agonizing breaths.
When they arrived, the doctor who was to set Rue's leg went out to see the rest of the group briefly. "It would be better if you waited out here until I'm done. I'll allow one to come; that's it."
Everyone looked at Claire and Ruecian. Claire shook her head. "Ruecian would help him more at this point. So you go."
Ruecian nodded, and followed the doctor as he went back to the examining room.
Rue looked over at them as they entered. "So… shall we get this over with?" he suggested, wincing.
"Of course. I need to get some equipment-I'll be right back." The doctor went, leaving Rue and Ruecian in the room.
"Dang… I hate it when I feel so darn nervous," Rue sighed. "But I can't help it. I know it's just a broken bone, and that this won't hurt much… but that doesn't comfort me much…"
Ruecian simply took his hand again.
Rue smiled at the gesture. "It's times like this that I'm really glad you're with me, pal. You know exactly how to help when I need it, don't you? Even when I was killed by Satan… you gave me the courage I needed to accept that. I don't know where I'd be without you…"
Ruecian gave a small smile of his own in response to that.
-----
"How long do you think this will take?" Larka asked.
"I'm not sure," Hope replied, shaking her head. "I've never had a broken bone. While we're waiting, how about we see how Will and Miles are doing?"
"It's better than sitting around here," Larka agreed, trying to hold on to a squirming Malon. He wanted to explore the hospital, but Larka was afraid of what kind of chaos would ensue if she let him.
"Let's see how Miles is first, since he's closer," Hope suggested.
During the walk, Brandi still did not speak. She seemed absorbed in her own thoughts.
They found the door, but before they could approach it, it opened, and Lilian stepped out.
"Hi," Hope said.
"Oh, hi to you too," Lilian replied. "Coming to visit him?"
"Yeah. Is that alright?" Larka inquired.
"At this point, I don't see why not," Lilian shrugged. "Tell me when you're done though-I'll be in Will's room."
"Got it," Hope said.
They went inside, and looked over at Miles. He looked a little bit better than he had when they had last seen him, but not that much. Both of his arms were in casts, and that was all they could see from his injuries. The bed sheet covered his chest and legs, but they could guess what state those were in anyway.
"Poor Miles," Hope sighed. "I wonder why he agreed to help Thanatos?"
"We won't know until he wakes up," Larka said. "And even then, he might not tell us. Hopefully he will."
"Yeah…" Then something hit Hope. "Wait a minute. Why didn't Miles bring Gen?"
"What do you mean?" Larka inquired.
"Think about it! If Miles had brought Gen, he could have had Gen assist him when he was betraying us. But he said Gen had stayed at his home, right?"
"I think it was actually his apartment," Larka corrected.
"Yeah, you're right. Either way, why would Gen remain there? He'd either want to help Miles…"
"Or stop him from trying to betray us!" Larka realized.
"Miles would never try to harm Gen," Hope stated. "No matter what. But then… where would Gen be? Do you think Thanatos got him?"
"Maybe Miles sealed him back into his Soul Card?" Brandi suggested. She put aside her other feelings for the moment. There would be time to think over that later.
"If that's the case…" Hope walked slowly over to his bed, and pulled aside the sheet, revealing his right side. As she had suspected, his leg was in a cast as well, but she tried not to pay attention to that. She carefully slipped her hand into his pocket, bringing out a Soul Card, and then replaced the sheet. Then she held out the card.
Gen emerged instantly, and gave Hope a surprised glance. "Hope? What's going on? The last thing I can remember was… Miles! Where is he?" He looked over at the bed and paled. "What the…"
"Gen, what is the last thing you can remember?" Hope asked.
Gen walked over to the bed slowly, gazing down at his companion. In a few seconds, he managed to respond. "Thanatos came to us. He wanted to make a deal with Miles. In exchange for helping him, he would erase Miles' memory. Permanently."
"Erase his memory?!" Larka said in shock.
"And he agreed?" Brandi inferred.
"He seemed to be heading in that direction. I strongly disapproved, but he sealed me away… that's all I know," Gen said softly.
"He went through with it," Hope said. "He trapped us in a house that Thanatos tried to burn down. We all got away, but Ruecian found Miles like this. We assume Thanatos is behind it."
Gen shook his head. "It's all my fault. I should have told you all how Miles was acting…"
"What do you mean?" Hope inquired.
"Ever since he was in the church, he has been acting as though he doesn't want to go on. He wanted to die, saying he didn't deserve to live after all he had done, and things such as that… I didn't tell any of you, because he didn't want me to. But it would have been better if I had. When I couldn't find any of you in Teknisk Wereld, I told him that I was concerned. He did not seem to care though. It was then I realized that the next opportunity I had, I would have to tell you about his condition." He sighed. "But now it's too late…"
"It isn't too late," Hope disagreed. "When he wakes up, we can help him."
"Even after all he has done?"
Hope looked at his still figure. "He had to have had a reason. I want to hear why he did it before I choose whether to forgive him or not. I want to hear, in his own words, why. Then I'll make my choice."
Gen sat down in the one chair in the room. "Thanks for giving him a chance. If there's anything he really needs at this moment, it's friends."
Hope went over to the door. "We'll tell you about what else has happened to us, but not yet. You have enough to worry about. For now, look after Miles."
"Of course. Will you come back?"
"Occasionally," Hope replied. "By then, he'll hopefully have woken up."
"One question," Gen said. "Why are you here? Did you come just to see Miles?"
"No, we just went in because we have some time to spend while waiting for Rue," Larka replied. "He has a broken leg."
Gen winced. "That doesn't sound good."
"Yeah," Hope nodded. "Oh, by the way, Will is also here. He's infected with a virus. Neo's staying with him, so if you want details on what happened, ask him."
"Sure," Gen replied. "Thanks again."
"We'll see you later," Hope said, and they left the room, heading for Will's.
"Hey," Neo greeted as they stepped in.
"Are you done in Miles' room?" Lilian asked, getting up from the chair she had been sitting in.
"Yes. By the way, his Soul Monster will be staying with him from now on," Hope stated.
"That's fine," Lilian said. "I'll see you all later." Then she left the room.
"So how is he doing now?" Hope questioned.
"Worse," Neo sighed. "But Lilian thinks he'll live longer than most, which is good..." Then he looked over at them. "Wait. Did you say Gen was with Miles?"
"Yes. Ask him about it later," Hope told him.
"I'll be sure to."
While they were talking, Larka went over to Will, placing her hand gently on his own.
"He's so hot…" she murmured.
Malon gave a small whine.
Then she suddenly heard something. Will was whispering something.
"Don't cry… Fell's tough, isn't he? He'll be ok… stay strong for him, Larka…"
Then he was quiet once more.
Larka removed her hand, feeling somewhat disturbed by what she had heard. What had it meant?
"What's wrong Larka?" Hope asked.
"Oh, it's nothing…" She looked over at Fell, who merely gazed back.
"I wonder if we should go back?" Claire asked anxiously. She had not taken part in many of the conversations, worrying about Rue.
"Go back?" Neo asked.
"We're here because Rue broke his leg," Brandi stated.
"Ouch," Neo grimaced. "That's got to hurt."
"It could have been worse," Larka pointed out. "Either way, we'd better go see."
Neo nodded. "Later then."
They went back down the hall, and into the waiting room to wait.
After a while, the ones they had been waiting for finally arrived. Rue came over to them, leaning on two crutches. Ruecian was behind him, and the doctor behind him.
"Are you alright?" Hope asked.
"Not too bad considering," Rue stated.
"Make sure he remains off of that leg," the doctor ordered.
Rue sighed. "Geez, I can remember by myself."
"But will you follow those orders? Possibly not. Therefore, I'm going to make sure your friends are well aware."
"There wasn't any need to," Rue said. "Ruecian's going to make sure I stay in bed. He's so darn strict about my health that he'd make Ms. Gales envious."
Hope laughed. "Is that even possible?"
"Yes," Rue stated, rolling his eyes.
"Do you have a way to get home?" the doctor asked.
"We'll walk, but what about Rue?" Brandi asked.
"He can ride Perseus," Claire suggested.
"That should work," Hope agreed. "So let's get going."
"Oh, one last thing," the doctor said. "Rue, tomorrow you will have to go to the rehab clinic."
"What? I have to have rehab?" Rue asked in disgust.
"Yes, I'm afraid so. You may stay at your home for tonight, but tomorrow you need to go there. Alright?"
"Fine," Rue sighed. "If it's necessary."
"What's a rehab clinic?" Hope asked.
Rue shook his head. "You really need to take your vocabulary lessons more seriously."
"Ok, my variety of words sucks! I know that! Now can you please explain?"
"They basically teach you how to walk again," Rue explained. "Not much more to it. Brandi, do you know where this clinic is?"
"Yes, I do. I'll bring you to it tomorrow."
With a few difficulties, they managed to get Rue onto Perseus' back. After the other Soul Monsters emerged, they were off.
Along the way, Hope explained about what had happened with Gen.
"I thought it was kind of odd that he hadn't come with Miles," Gaston nodded. "I'm glad he's alright, at least."
"Yeah," Larka nodded.
Soon they reached the condo. Brandi opened the door, and after some trial and error, Perseus and Rue managed to get through the door. The others followed.
Hime came running up to them. "Thank goodness you're back!" she exclaimed.
"What's wrong?" Brandi inquired.
"It's Ender," she said. "He's missing!"
-----
Vlad pressed a few more buttons on the console.
"There. It's on," he smirked. "Now we'll see…"
To be continued…