Chapter Ten
Misty and Akiza were with her when they brought her back to the flat. Someone (most likely the girls) had cleaned up the broken glass and the state the appartment had been in before. Misty sat Carly down on the sofa while Akiza set up Carly's laptop.
Yusei, Crow, Luna and Leo were on the other end and talking of the other Ex-Dark Signers defeating the Earthbound Immortal Spirits. An update on what everyone was doing was given. Leo was going back to his dueling group, Luna back to education, Devack and Greiger went back to their families and Crow was heading for a dueling tourdiment.
"Oh, which tordement?" Asked Akiza.
"Haven't you heard? Jack stepped down and gave up his title as Dueling King!"
"He what?" Akiza and Carly exclaimed together. Misty didn't seemed that fuzzed, only smiled.
"What's he thinking?" Asked Akiza.
"Better yet, what's he doing! Jack's always wanted to be King and now he's throwing it all away. He the bestist duelest in the world, why-"
"Hey!" cried out Crow. "You forgetting who your talking to? Besides, Yusei's beat his butt so many times before so your wrong."
"Am not!" Exclaimed Carly.
"Are too!" Cried out Crow.
"OK you two. Look, Jack most likely has his reasons for giving up his title and it's just like him not to tell any of us his reasons. He's left on a high, we should just accept that and support him on what he's planning to do next." Said Yusei, being the peace maker.
"Unless it's completely stupid." Said the reasonably rational Crow.
Carly sat back and was quiet for the rest of the conversation. Zooming out of Akiza asking after Yusei and he not telling her where he was dissapearing to. Carly began questioning why Jack would leave the dueling world and what he was going to do next. She was still hurt that Jack had just dissapeared one day when she was still recovering from her duel and the damage done to her eyes. He saw that Akiza and Misty were taking good care of her, but that was no reason to leave without word during the middle of her healing.
Besides, Misty and Akiza were only staying for two or three more days and then they had to get back to their jobs. They had lives to live too. There was going to be carers coming around in the mornings afternoons and evenings to help Carly work out her new life, but they still couldn't make the drowning empty feeling in her heart go away.
Carly hadn't said anything to anyone, but really she was in more pain than they realised. Her whole life had been based around her sight, seeing people happy and doing great things and then sharing those moments with the world by capturing that one single moment of joy in a photo. Her Fortune Ladies could hear her thoughts and tried to cheer her up by pointing out that she could still see things through astral projection, but Carly was struggling with it. Sometimes she could use it perfectly just as if seeing, but other times she was exsourced and couldn't consentrate. The problem with astral projection was that it was really tiresome doing it all the time, and Carly also had to be wary that each time she did go into this half world that her soul was partly leaving her body. Her Fortune Ladies may defend her against evil spirits that do come for her body when she's half left it, but there was still fear of one of them getting past them and into her body. Carly wasn't sure what she was going to do with her life either as she couldn't go back to being a reporter without sight (it would raise too many questions to have a blind person take good photographs often).
XXXXX
That evening, Misty and Akiza had gone over basic things just to help reconfirm things for Carly when she walked around. They organised the flat to Carly's liking so she could get to things easier and left her with her nightgown on the bed.
After Carly had gotten changed for bed, she turned on the tv which Akiza had changed the setting for her. Watching, or more listening, to the tv wasn't the same as it was. Having everything explained to her took away all the exciting moments. Carly put a stand up comeady on while she went to the kitchen. She was bored and decided to make herself something to eat.
Just as she was cutting off the crusts of her sandwitch there was a knock at her door. Well, more of an impationt banging.
"Who is it?" Carly called as she moved towards her door, finding it strange that someone was knocking on for her this late.
"The postman. Who do you think it bloody is?" Called out Jack Atlas.
Carly's hands stopped and she sucked in a breath. Jack was at her front door! She opened it as fast as she could to let him in.
"Jack?" Carly said smiling and looking directly at his chest (she'd forgotten how tall he was).
"The one and only. Have you been cooking? It smells like somethings- oh, bloody hell Carly! What've you done to the place?" Jack said.
She felt him push past her and stride straight into the flat. Carly closed the door and sniffed the air. "Is something burning?" Carly said as she spun around.
"Yeah, your bacon. Seriously Carly, couldn't you have just made pasta or something?" Jack said from the kitchen.
Carly slipped out of her body breifly and saw Jack picking up the frying pan and plating the bacon. She had to see that it was really him. And when she did she felt happier than she had been in a while. Then he had to start dising her cooking. "Seriously Carly, were you trying to poison yourself or set fire to the flat?"
"Hey! I'm blind remember. At least I have an excuse for being a bad cook. Your a terrible cook!"
"Are you doing that projection thing again? That's creepy as hell-"
"Oh I'm sorry if I'm freaking you out so much!" Carly said, nasty sacrasm rolling off her tongue. "Why don't you just leave again and go back to whatever posh mansion you came from and hang around girls who have perfect eye sight!"
"I don't have a posh mansion to go to. Only this dull place. We're gonna have to lighten this place up a little bit. Add some more white into the room. We'll have to start with getting rid of that uncomfortable thing and get a white sofa bed-"
"Whoa, wait, wait, wait. We? White? What?-"
"Didn't I tell you? I'm moving back in."
"Your what?!" Carly cried out. She heard Jack fall back into the sofa.
"Don't seem so suprized." He turned over the tv channel.
"But, Jack?..." Carly trailed off. She thought about the earlier news she had learned about Jack releasing his title. Was he homeless now that he'd given it up?
"C-crow said you'd given up your title."
"Yeah. So what?"
Carly moved forwards, feeling for the sofa as she came to sit down besides Jack. "Why?" She said.
Jack huffed. "There were no real challenges left. I proved I am our generations Dueling King. Anyone who things otherwise can come challenge me if they think their good enough. Didn't you listen to my anouchment?"
"No, actually. I only heard of it from Crow. He's going after your title."
"Ha, figures. That little weezel couldn't beat me so he goes after my title once I give it up."
"What are you going to do now Jack?"
"Right now? I'm gonna order takeaway and find a decent movie to watch."
"No, I mean what you going to do with yourself now that you don't have to duel."
"Never said I'd given up dueling Carly. I'm just not traveling all over the world to face other duelests. Their gonna come to me and duel me right here in New Domino City. I've already gotten eleven dueling requests. The challenges pay up front and pay if they lose."
"And what happens if they win?"
"Ha, fat chance of that happening. If they win, I'll pay them double what they paid me. But I won't lose."
"That...sounds just like what you did at the championship. But, I don't understand, why are you giving it up?"
"I told you, when I become King I'll return to New Domino City. Now, should we order chinse or Indian? I'm starved." Jack said getting up and looking through the DVD's. "We might have to borrow some better DVD's too. These are terrible. Seriously Carly, Bridget Jones?"
Carly smiled to herself. She had her own surspions for why Jack had given up the title and come back here. But he wasn't willing to admit it. She doubted she'd be watching Bridget Jones for a long time.
"I'll get the menus. You walking out to the DVD store while I order the usual?"
"Might as well. You know I want-"
"Cup Ramen. I know. I'll brew up your Blue Eyes Dragon tea as well. It'll be ready for when you get back."
"Thanks Carly, but no thanks. After the mess you left in the kitchen, I rather you not ruin a good brew. I'll be back soon. Leave the door open."
And Jack Atlas left the flat. But Carly felt easy and more happy than ever because she knew Jack Atlas was coming back to her and was here to stay.