Chapter Nine

Jack and Yusei were just turning the corner to get to Carly's room when there was a loud boom and crashing sound of a monster's attack. Jack and Yusei had to brace themselves as the attack blew them backwards. They shielded their eyes from the blinding light and were sent slamming into the wall behind them. Jack's heart was racing with worry.

"CARLY!" He screamed.

The screams of pain which seemed to reply Jack were not those of Carly's, he realised. But those of her enemy. Yusei and Jack managed to just make out the figure being blasted through the hospital and entering the shadows, before the attack stopped. They both heard what he said, but either paid attention to him.

"Carly!" Jack cried out again as he got to his feet.

The room was destroyed. Yusei and Jack looked around in horror as they saw everything had been destroyed from that blasted and Carly wasn't in sight.

"Carly!" Cried Jack again.

"JACK!" Cried out Carly.

Jack and Yusei looked towards the smashed windows where the noise had come from.

"JACK, HELP ME!" Carly screamed in terror. "PLEASE JACK HELP ME!"

Jack ran to the edge of the windows just as Carly lost her grip on the edge of the window ledge. Jack's reactions were faster as he flung himself forwards and grasped hold of Carly's hand. He would not lose her again! Even if it meant he would die with her!

Jack was about to fall out the window too, if it hadn't have been for Yusei grabbing hold of Jack's ankle just in time. It was a struggle as Jack and Carly dangled out the window with only Yusei supporting them.

"Jack." Carly called up as she felt her hand taken hold of by a tight grip.

"I'm here Carly. Just hold on!" Jack yelled

"I'm sorry, I didn't realise Fortune Queen's attack would be so powerful!" Carly was shaking from having been blasted out of a window; AGAIN!

"Don't worry about that now! Let's get you to saftey. Yusei, pull us up now!"

"I'm trying Jack! But your too heavy!" Yusei called out, growning as his muscles were streached to unreal abilities.

Carly sucked in a breath. Yusei couldn't support them both. They were all going to die. The danger was gone now. Jack and Yusei was safe if she died. She was scared, but cared more about their saftey than her life.

"Jack, let me go."

"What! NO!" JAck screamed.

"Jack I'm weighing you down! Let me go so I can fall and Yusei can pull you up!-"

"Don't listen to him! Yusei's just being a brat! He can pull us up. We'll be fine Carly. Just hold on-"

"Jack!" Cried out Yusei.

Carly felt them dip further down. Yusei was losing his grip quickly and they were going to die if she didn't let go. Carly released her hold from Jack's hand and began twisting her hand in Jack's to try and break free.

"What are you doing!" Jack yelled.

"Jack, you have to let me go, please. I can't let you die!"

"And I can't let you die either! Just hold on Carly! We'll think of something."

"Jack-" Carly started, but Yusei interrupted as he cried out "JACK!" too.

Yusei had lost his grip on Jack's ankle and now he and Carly were falling. They were falling from the top floor of the hospital to to ground and their was no way they would survive this. Visions of Carly having fallen before that haunted her and gave her nightmares revisited her again in that one instant. But this time it was worse because Jack, the one person she loved and didn't want to die, was falling with her and it was all her fault.

Carly moved to wrap her arms around Jack to shield his fall and the blow, but it seemed like Jack had the same idea. He was faster and stronger than Carly and had his arms around her before she could even move hers from under his arms. His arms had hers trapped. He was bigger and stronger than she was and she knew she couldn't overpower him. They were both going to die, so instead, in those last final moments, Carly wrapped her arms tightly around Jack's waist and breathed in his scent deeply. If she was going to die, dieing in the arms of the man she loved didn't seem like the worse fate.

They're death was stopped though. There was a forceful impact, but not of hitting the ground. It was of Akiza's Rose Dragon catching them on it's back and bringing them up, flying with them into the sky. It was an automatic reaction as Jack and Carly reached out and grabbed hold of the feathers to stop them from rolling off. They were saved by Akiza who had just arrived with Misty on the back of her duel Runner. They were going to be OK.

Jack still never let go of Carly. His arm was around her waist, pinning her to the dragon, his chest pressed up tight against her back and side. She was sure if she could see now then this moment would be the most beautiful and nicest moment of her life with her and Jack flying through the stars on the back of a powerful beast cuddling up together. What could be better than that?

"I'm sorry Carly."

"Huh." Carly said, coming out of her daydream of imagining them flying.

"I wasn't there for you when you needed me. I should have been there to help you duel that creep-"

"Hey, you were there to catch me when I feel Jack. That's all that matters."

"Carly." Said Jack softley.

Carly couldn't see his face. She didn't know what he was thinking, if he was going to kiss her or what. She readied her lips, hoping this time one of her fantacies would come true.

But instead, the air became thicker and a thub from Akiza's Rose Dragon indicated they had landed. And Jack loosened his hold on Carly. The moment was over.

From that point on, Jack guided Carly off the back of the dragon and got her checked out at an ambulance. Carly told her story to Jack, Yusei, Akiza and Misty of how she defeated her rival and Misty told hers. Akiza and Misty stayed with her when she was placed in a hospital room on the ground floor and they agreed to stay in New Domino too for a while to help train Carly to live with her new (advanced) powers everyday as it seemed that her astral projection was her new sight and way of life. Yusei left to assist Crow. As for Jack, Carly had no idea where he had disapeared to.