Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters of Final Fantasy: Advent Children, Tidus, or any of the characters of Stargate: Atlantis. The Final Fantasy characters are owned by Square Enix and Stargate Atlantis is owned by MGM.
Atlantis' Strife, Chapter 3
In the Infirmary:
The nurses and Dr Keller ran into the room and saw what the noise was about. Tidus's eyes opened. He looked around and saw an unfamiliar place. He then looked and spotted Dr Keller. He tried to move but she came over and grabbed his arms to keep from getting up out of bed.
Dr Keller said, "No. Don't...stay put. You're in no danger."
Tidus looked around and said, "Where am I?"
Dr Keller smiled and said, "You're in the Infirmary. You've had quite a day...young man."
Tidus gave her a confused look and then realized what happened. He whimpered and looked away from her.
Tidus said, "Oh no...what have I done? Now they won't help me anymore."
Tidus closed his eyes and whimpered and he covered his face with his hands. He turned on his right side and scrutched up in a fetal position and sobbed. The room was filled with a voice behind them and they turned to look. It was Sheppard.
Sheppard looked at them then at Tidus and walked up saying: "How is Tidus doing?"
Tidus heard his name and he sat up in bed. Tears were running down his face and he bowed his head and looked away...feeling shamed to show his face. Sheppard noticed that and he walked up to his side. He placed a hand on Tidus's shoulder.
Sheppard looked at him and said, "I wasn't happy with what you did. You couldn't seriously hurt a lot of people...not just me but yourself too."
Tidus bit his bottom lip to keep from sobbing and tears just kept coming down. He felt in his heart that he has failed his parents and now his new friends were angry at him. He hasn't felt so alone as he does right now.
Sheppard sat in the chair and said, "Tidus."
Tidus doesn't make a move.
Sheppard says a little louder, "Tidus...look at me."
Tidus moves his head but keeps his eyes from Sheppards' sight.
Sheppard smiles and moves to look up in Tidus's face and sees how sad he is and he says, "Tidus. I can't begin to understand how painful this is to lose your parents at a young age. You're a bright kid. You've got a long of energy and strength as you've already shown. But..."
Tidus went to move his head not wanting to hear the next part. He felt a hand on his arm.
Sheppard said, "But, WE...are still going to look for them."
Tidus's head lifted up and he turned to look at Sheppard. Tidus's eyes were red and tears were still running down his face.
Tidus said in a shaky voice, "After all I've done? You still want to look?"
Sheppard smiled and said, "I made you a promise. I don't break them no matter what happens."
Tidus's eyes lightened up and he smiled and wiped his eyes.
Tidus said, "Thank you. I promise not to be such a nuisance."
Sheppard got up and ruffled Tidus's hair saying, "I wouldn't promise that...if I were you."
Tidus looked up at him and smiled again. He looked at Dr Keller and said, "Can I go now?"
Dr Keller looked at Tidus and then at Sheppard and said, "Well, it's going to be hard to keep you both from getting out of bed. Alright..you can go...but if either of you feel tired...I recommend you take a nap."
Tidus nodded and so did Sheppard. Tidus got his clothes on and ran after Sheppard. They walked out of the Infirmary together. Both of them smiling and talking just like they've known each other for years.
Tidus walked into the gym and saw Teyla doing her exercises with her stick fighting. He stood there and was in awe at how she performed her different attack positions and lunges. He could remember a few of the ones that his parents showed him.
As he was remembering he didn't even know she was finished...until she stood in front of him.
Tidus looked at her and smiled saying, "I like how you did those lunges."
Teyla smiled and said, "Thank you, Tidus."
Teyla walked over to her bag and started to put away her sticks.
Tidus walked up to her and said, "Teyla...um..."
Teyla turned to look at him and noticed he wanted to say something. She said, "Tidus...is something wrong?"
Tidus scratched his head and said, "Um...well...I wanted to know if...um...never mind."
Tidus moved to leave when he felt a hand on his arm. He looked down and saw her hand on his arm. He turned to look and saw she was smiling at him.
Teyla said, "What is it, Tidus?"
Tidus sighed and said, "Well, I wanted to know if you would show me how to use the sticks? But, if you're too busy...I understand."
Teyla touched his face and went back to her bag and got her sticks out. She handed one of them to him. He took it in his hand and felt the weight and the wooden feel of it.
Teyla and Tidus touched sticks together and she went through each position and lunge slowly so he could understand and get a feel of it. He was a very quick learner as she has witnessed.
Teyla and Tidus moved backwards at each end of the gym and Teyla said, "Now let's try it."
Teyla and Tidus ran and lunged at each other.
In the briefing room:
Sheppard walked in and saw Carter, Rodney, Lorne and Ronon all sitting around talking. They stopped and looked to see him walking in and he sat down.
Carter looked at him and said, "How are you feeling, Sheppard?"
Sheppard sighed and said, "I feel much better. So, what did I miss?"
Rodney looked around the room and then at Sheppard saying, "We were just trying to figure out where the Wraith took Tidus's parents."
Sheppard sat back and said, "Well, they could be anywhere at the moment. We don't have the tracking anymore. So, we are right back at where we started."
Rodney stood up and said, "Well, actually...we've come up with 3 possibilities. There are 3 different planets that are near to this one. There's this one that is in this solar system."
Rodney pointed to a planet that is near to the planet they are on. Then Rodney touched a button and another planet appeared.
Rodney said, "There's this one too. It's a little farther out. We would have to depend on the Daedalus to take us there."
Then Rodney touched a button again and another planet appeared on the screen.
Rodney said, "And then there's this one. This one is right next door to us."
Sheppard looked at him and said, "So, what's so special about those 3 planets?"
Rodney looked at them and then said, "They've all been visited by the Wraith."
Sheppard was shocked and said, "Really? How did you come by this information?"
Rodney said, "Well, we were searching in the computers for planets that the Wraith culled and those 3 came up. We could try them and see what they show."
Sheppard looked at Carter and said, "Well, it's at least something."
Carter nodded and said, "Okay. Get a team together and then you can go to those planets and see if you can find anything."
Sheppard nodded and got up along with the rest of them. He decided to pay Teyla a visit. He knows that she's in the gym practicing. Both him and Ronon walked down to see her.
The door to the gym opened and both Sheppard and Ronon saw Tidus take Teyla over his shoulder and she landed on her back with his stick over her throat. They were both panting and sweating. Ronon ran over and pushed him against the wall. He lifted him up by the throat.
Teyla got up and ran over to Ronon, "Ronon put him down...he was doing nothing to me."
Ronon looked at her and said, "He just tried to hurt you."
Teyla looked at Tidus who was struggling and she said, "I was showing him how to stick fight. Let him go...NOW."
Ronon looked at Tidus and let him go...and Tidus dropped like a bag of potatoes. He was gasping for breath and holding his throat and coughing.
Teyla knelt down by him and said, "Are you alright? I'm so sorry about that."
Tidus waved his hand at her and said, "It's okay. I understand...he's still angry at me for what I did."
Ronon turned and glared at him as he walked up saying, "Why shouldn't I be angry? You just tried to kill John...you tried to kill me and then you went after Teyla."
Tidus tried to push himself against the wall more and looked away from Ronon. He could see how pissed he looked.
Tidus said softly, "I'm sorry...I'm sorry that I've shamed everyone with my presence. I never meant to do anything to anyone."
Ronon shook his head and said, "I'm not going to pity you...you are a brat that is just looking for attention. Well, you got it. But, you're not going to get any help from me."
Ronon huffed and walked out of the gym. Sheppard stood there looking at Tidus who was still sitting on the floor looking at the mat. Teyla was next to him rubbing his back and talking to him softly.
Sheppard said, "Teyla, why don't you take Tidus back to his quarters so he can rest."
Teyla nodded and helped to get Tidus off the floor. She walked with him back to his quarters. He laid down on his bed with his back to her. She sat down on the bed and touched his back.
Teyla said, "You know. I would sit like this with Jinto whenever he did something wrong or if he was upset about something. I would tell him stories about our ancestors and it would make him feel better."
Tidus didn't move. He stayed in the same position. She sighed and got up to leave. As she neared the door she heard her name called. She turned around.
Tidus said, "Teyla. Can you stay, please?"
Teyla smiled and walked back to his bed and sat down. He moved closer to her and laid his head on her lap. She was a little surprised at this but then realized that he probably thought of Teyla as a second mother. She touched his head and he closed his eyes remembering that his mother used to do this same thing.
Teyla was humming a tune as she ran her fingers through his hair. He smiled and then he sat up and said, "What was that you were humming?"
Teyla smiled and said, "Oh, it's just a tune I remembered that my mother would hum to me."
Tidus smiled and said, "Does everyone here hate me?"
Teyla looked at him and said, "Tidus...you know that is not true."
Tidus sighed and said, "I think it is. I know everyone doesn't like me."
Teyla touched his face and said, "Tidus. There are many who like you. Me, Colonel Carter, Rodney, Major Lorne, Dr Keller...even Ronon."
Tidus shook his head, "Ronon doesn't like me."
Teyla sighed and said, "Ronon just has to get to know you better. John even likes you. Many people who don't like you...don't know you. They just need to understand you better."
Tidus said, "So, you think in time...Ronon might like me again?"
Teyla nodded and said, "Eventually he will do everything in his power to help us."
Tidus nodded and yawned saying, "Well, that little stick fighting we did...wore me out. I think I'm going to take a nap."
Teyla smiled and said, "You learned very quickly...I'll look in on you later."
Tidus nodded as he laid down and closed his eyes. Teyla touched his forehead and smiled as she walked out of his room. She turned and looked at Tidus's sleeping form...then walked out and the door closed.
Gate room:
Teyla walks in and sees Sheppard with his men and Ronon standing there. They are checking their weapons and talking. Sheppard turns and sees her.
Sheppard says, "Well, it's about time you showed up. I didn't know if you wanted to come with us."
Teyla looked at them and said, "Go where?"
Ronon looked at her and said, "To a few planets looking for any sign of Wraith."
Teyla looked at Sheppard and said, "Why are we looking for Wraith?"
Sheppard said, "Rodney believes that 3 planets have been visited by Wraith and that it might lead us to where Tidus's parents are."
Teyla was shocked and said, "Yes. I'd like to come along."
Sheppard told one of his soldiers, "Get her a vest and a gun."
The soldier left and then came back with a vest and gun for Teyla. Teyla took it and put the vest on and then snapped the gun on the vest. They turned and saw the glyphs glowing and then the puddle appeared. Sheppard looked at everyone and they all walked through the Gate.
On the planet nearest to them:
They came out onto a planet that looked very much like earth. It had a lot of vegetation and trees everywhere. The sky was a very pretty blue with a few white fluffy clouds drifting by. They heard some birds in the trees and the breeze was a little chilly but very familiar to them. They looked around but didn't see any sign of life. Sheppard looked at Rodney.
Sheppard said, "Well, Rodney?"
Rodney pointed over a hill and said, "There appears to be a sign of life there."
They all began to walk toward the hill. As they reached the top of the hill they couldn't believe the sight that was there. It was a village...but it was mangled. Everything looked like a bomb went off. People were scattered and lying on the ground. Many of them appeared to be dead. The houses were burned to nothing. The smell of burnt flesh and wood still mingled in the air. They went to every person who was dead and tried to see if any of them looked familiar...but none of them did. Just then there was a noise in front of them. They aimed their guns and walked slowly to a burned down house. They stood in front and saw a woman laying with the house on top of her. She looked up at them. Sheppard and his team knelt down and realized they couldn't do anything for her...she was dying.
Woman said, "P...Please...h...help me."
Sheppard sighed and said, "If we move the debris...you could die."
Woman sighed and said, "It doesn't matter...I'm going...to...to die anyway."
The woman coughed and blood came out of her mouth and trickled down her face. She looked at Teyla and motioned for her to come near. Teyla walked up to her and the woman took her hand. She put something in Teyla's hand.
Woman said, "T...Take this. A man...told me to hold on...onto it. I have no use for it."
The woman's hand fell from Teyla's arm and the life drained out of the woman. She layed there...with the house upon her. Teyla sighed and then opened her hand. In her palm was a ring in the shape of a wolf. She didn't understand the significance to it...but she decided to hold onto it. They all got up and kept on walking through the village. They turned over bodies and looked at their faces...some of them were completely unrecognizable. Teyla walked farther away from Sheppard and saw something out of place. She knelt down and picked up a pink ribbon. She looked around but didn't see anyone who would wear a pink ribbon. She stuffed it in her vest pocket along with the ring. She went back to Sheppard.
Teyla said, "Well, everyone here are dead."
Sheppard looked at Rodney and said, "Anything?"
Rodney shook his head and said, "No. No more lifeforms."
Sheppard nodded and said, "Alright. Let's go back."
They went to the Gate and Rodney touched the DHD and the Gate activated. They all took one last look and walked through the Gate.
In the Gate room:
They stepped out onto the Gate room and was met by Carter. She saw the grim look on their faces and realized what must have happened.
Carter said, "So what did you find?"
Sheppard said, "The Wraith were already there. The only lifesign was a woman but she died only a few minutes after we got there."
Carter nodded and sighed saying, "Well, you have 2 more planets to look at."
As Carter walked away they saw Tidus. He walked up to them.
Tidus said, "So you didn't find anything, huh?"
Ronon walked away and Tidus looked at Teyla and Sheppard.
Teyla opened her vest pocket and said, "Well, the only things that we found was a ring and a pink ribbon."
Tidus's eyes went wide and said, "Can I see them?"
Teyla gave them to Tidus and he sighed saying, "I can't believe it. They ARE alive."
Teyla and Sheppard turned to look at each other and Sheppard said, "What do you mean?"
Tidus smiled at them and said, "This is my mother's ring. It was given to her by my father. And this ribbon was worn by my father. I can still smell his scent on it. How did you come by them?"
Teyla looked at him and said, "A woman who was dying was told to hold onto the ring...probably by your father. And I found that ribbon a little farther away from the woman."
Tidus smiled and said, "I'm glad to see that they are alive and maybe trying to help us. Thank you."
Teyla nodded and saw the puddle again.
Sheppard looked at her and said, "Come on...we are going to next planet. Tidus we'll be right back."
Tidus nodded and watched as they walked through the Gate. He looked down at the 2 valuable things that Teyla gave him. His hope for them to be alive was very strong.
On the next planet:
Sheppard and his team stepped out and went right into military mode. There was an attack going on. They saw darts going over them. They ran into the trees and saw some of the darts beam up some people. They walked through the woods keeping an eye out for any Wraiths. As they walked they heard the screams and cries from the people running away from the Wraith. They stood at the end of the woods and watched the scene in front of them. The whole village was a mass of dead bodies and bloody corpses. Children were parentless or were dead. The homes were on fire or burned to the ground. A few Wraith were struggling with some of the people and forcing them to go to the Wraith ship. They were looking on when Teyla motioned for Sheppard to look over to the right. There walking around and looking at the bodies and picking things up were the 2 they were looking for. Cloud and Tifa were walking around...but what made them gasp was that they walked up to one of the Wraith men and showed them something. He nodded and all 3 walked back and the dart lifted them up.
Teyla looked at Sheppard and said, "I can't believe they are with the Wraiths now."
Sheppard sighed and said, "This is going to be harder than I thought."
Ronon said, "I saw that he didn't have the pink ribbon on his arm...so at least we got it right. But, what do we do now? We are to save them."
Sheppard nodded and said, "Yeah...but now they are with the Wraith this is going to be more trouble."
Rodney shook his head saying, "Not really. I have the tracking signal on them. So, I am able to find out where they are."
Sheppard nodded and said, "Okay. Let's go...we aren't going to find anything here."
They all walked out of the forest and back to the Gate. Rodney dialed and they walked through.
Gate Room:
They walked out and were greeted by Carter and Tidus. They saw the look on their faces again.
Sheppard sighed and said, "We found them."
Tidus smiled and said, "You did? Well, where are they?"
Teyla walked over to him and said, "They are helping the Wraith."
Tidus sighed and said, "That's impossible. My father and mother wouldn't do that. They are ones to help...NOT destroy."
Teyla looked at him and said, "We saw what happened. Of course, we didn't see them kill anyone but they were giving things to the Wraith."
Tidus nodded and walked away. He walked to the door leading outside and he stood at the railing and just stared up at the stars. Teyla watched as Ronon and Sheppard walked away to talk to Carter and she went to talk to Tidus. She walked outside and saw him staring up at the stars and looking at the ring. She stood next to him and put her hand on his shoulder. The next thing she wasn't expecting was he put his arms around her and started to sob on her shoulder. She held him and let him cry out his pain. She rubbed his back and talked to him softly. She heard the door open and saw Ronon and Sheppard standing there. She shook her head no and they walked back inside. After he finished he moved away from her and rubbed his eyes and smiled at her.
Tidus said, "Thank you for being there for me. I know I must appear to you as a cry baby."
Teyla smiled and said, "No. You are someone who is going through a lot of emotions right now. Don't worry."
Tidus smiled and said, "Could you do something for me?"
Teyla saw him holding out the pink ribbon and held out his arm. She realized what he wanted. She tied the ribbon around his arm and he put the ring on. He was happy cause now he felt more closer to them.
Teyla walked back in and saw Ronon and Sheppard standing waiting for her. She looked at Tidus who was still outside and then back at them.
Teyla said, "He's going through a lot right now. I think by me finding the ring and the ribbon it has lifted his spirits a little."
Ronon looked at her and said, "Will he be alright?"
Teyla nodded saying, "I think he will be. If we can somehow get his parents here we might be able to make him even happier."
Sheppard looked at his watch and said, "Let's go. We have to meet up with the Daedalus in order to see the 3rd planet."
They waited at the stairs and they heard a voice on their earphones. It was Colonel Caldwell from the Daedalus.
Sheppard said, "Colonel we are ready."
After Sheppard said that there was a bright white light and all of Sheppard's team were beamed up on board the Daedalus.
They walked to the captain's chair and Colonel Stephen Caldwell was waiting for them. He smiled and nodded.
Colonel Caldwell said, "Well, I heard from Colonel Carter that you needed the Daedalus to look at a planet?"
Sheppard nodded saying, "Yes sir. We need to see a planet that is too far for a puddle jumper. We were going to do some exploring on it."
Caldwell looked at him and said, "What's so important with this planet that you need the Daedalus's help?"
Sheppard looked at his team and then back at Caldwell and said, "Well, I made a promise to someone that I would look in on a very important family member."
Caldwell looked at him sternly and realized that he wasn't going to get anymore answers he sat in his chair and told his people to set their course for the planet.
It took about 3 hours to get to the planet while going through hyperspace. They decided to take some time and get something to eat and talk.
Teyla was sitting at a table eating her food alone when Sheppard, Rodney and Ronon all showed up and sat at the same table. They all smiled and she smiled back at them. There was no sign of talking. Then Ronon decided to break the silence.
Ronon looked at her and said, "So, how is Tidus doing, really?"
Teyla looked at him and said, "Well, he believes that you hate him."
Ronon sighed and said, "I don't hate him...he just pissed me off and I had to do something to get the steam out."
Sheppard looked at him saying, "By taking it out on Tidus?"
Ronon looked at Sheppard and said, "If you would've seen what he did to you and me...you would feel the same way."
Sheppard rubbed his lower jaw and said, "I know...I still feel the effects."
Ronon glared at Sheppard and then he said, "I know this is going to sound strange coming from me...but Tidus is kind of an interesting kid. He's got a lot of energy and kind of reminds me of the kids back home."
Teyla smiled and said, "I got hooked on him when I first saw him. He's very likable. Though he seems to have gotten attached to John."
Sheppard looked at them and said, "Hey, I don't know why he did that. I don't get attached to kids very often."
Rodney smiled saying, "Well, at least you like them. They just annoy me."
Sheppard nodded and said, "But seriously. I made a promise to him that I would help him find his family...I'm not about to break that promise."
The rest of them nodded their heads in agreement and went back to eating.
They got a call to come to the head of the ship. They arrived and they saw the planet coming closer to them. Rodney looked at his lifesigns machine and saw many lifesigns on there. Hopefully this will be the day that Tidus is reunited with his family.
Caldwell nodded to one of his helmsmen and they touched a button. Sheppard and his team disappeared in a white light and they appeared on the planet. They looked around to see what there was. They couldn't believe what they saw. It was a beautiful place. Trees everywhere as far as the eye can see. Blue sky and white puffy clouds almost like the first planet they visited. They were just about to walk around when they heard gunshots. They aimed their guns and saw about 10 people coming towards them and what was even strange was they were all on horseback. The horseriders went past them and stood in front of them. They were all looking in the opposite direction. They lowered their weapons and looked. They felt the ground shake beneath their feet. They looked around to see what was going on and they heard a very frightening sound. They looked to where it came from and saw what they dreaded. A dragon. A real fire-breathing dragon. It was followed a few yards away by Wraith. This is a strange thing to see...Wraith in with a Dragon. They ran into the forest and watched as the Dragon walked past them. The people were shooting it but nothing was happening. As it passed they saw the Wraith. Their weapons were drawn and ready. Sheppard and his team saw what was even worse...Cloud and Tifa were with them along with some followers.
Sheppard motioned for them to follow and watched as the Dragon and the Wraith kept on moving...each step getting pelted by gunfire. The dragon got tired of the gunfire and let some fire come from his mouth. It took a few of the lives but it kept trudging on. They need to get a hold of Cloud and Tifa...but not with the Wraith or the dragon. They realized that it started getting lighter...as they were pushing through the forest. They finally reached the end and saw a huge village. Already there was smoke and screaming coming from it. Darts were flying around culling the running people. Gunfire and blasts were coming from within the village. They watched helpless as the dragon and Wraith headed straight toward the burning village.
One of the Wraith shoved Cloud and Tifa aside and said, "Stay here. We will let you know when to come to the village."
Cloud sighed and nodded along with Tifa. The other followers followed the Wraith to the village. The Wraith motioned for the followers to spread out and the people moved so they were close to Cloud and Tifa but also to the village. Cloud and Tifa looked on in astonishment. Just as the Wraiths entered the village...Cloud looked on and watched as Tifa did the same. Just then Cloud felt something hit him in the head. He lifted his hands which were locked together and rubbed the back of his head. Tifa looked at him confused. He put his hands down and looked at the village again. And once again something hit the back of his head again. He looked behind him and saw Sheppard waving at him.
Cloud gasped and looked forward...he backed up a little and said, "What are YOU doing here?"
Sheppard moved forward and said, "I'm here because of your son."
Tifa looked at him and said, "Tidus is alive?"
Sheppard motioned for her to look forward and he said, "Yes. He's a little worried. He was happy though to see the ring and pink ribbon that you both left behind. But, he still wants to see you both."
Cloud said, "Let him know that we have to do this...apparently they have some way of sending us back to our planet."
Sheppard looked at them and said, "Really? This could be a trick."
Tifa said, "Trick or not...we have to see if we can go back home."
Teyla sighed and said, "We are taking care of him...but he's becoming a handful."
Tifa and Cloud smiled at each other and Cloud said, "I know...I've been called that a few times."
Sheppard said, "Here, this is a beacon. We can track the ship."
Cloud took it and put it in his pocket. Then he looked forward.
Just then the screaming quieted and they were summoned by the Wraith.
Tifa said quickly, "Tell Tidus we love him and we'll be home soon."
Sheppard moved back into the forest and watched them go to the village.
He looked at everyone and said, "Well, now we just wait. Hopefully this time we can keep track of the ship and eventually get them out of there."
Sheppard looked at Rodney and said, "Is it possible that the Wraith would have the technology to send them back to their home?"
Rodney shrugged saying, "I guess...but the worst thing is that if they send them back...they will have access to go to their planet and cull the people on that planet."
Teyla sighed and said, "That would be devastating to Tidus."
Ronon growled and said, "I would love to get my hands on that Wraith."
Sheppard smiled and said, "Well, there's nothing for us to do here...let's go back and have the Daedalus beam us back up."
They moved out and walked back out in the clearing. They turned behind them and saw the devastation of the village...they just witnessed become destroyed. Sheppard pushed the earpiece and a voice on the other end was heard.
"Well, beam you back up, Colonel Sheppard." In a matter of seconds they were beamed off the planet in a white light and appeared back on the ship.
Colonel Caldwell said, "So, Sheppard...were you able to help the family member?"
Sheppard sighed and said, "No. The Wraith just got there. Beam us back onto Atlantis." Sheppard walked away with his team.
Sheppard and his team appeared in the Gate room with Carter and Tidus waiting for them. Teyla smiled at Tidus and gave him a hug saying, "Your mother and father give you their love."
Tidus's eyes went wide saying, "You saw them? How are they?"
Teyla smiled saying, "They are fine...they will be home soon. You just need to be patient."
Tidus nodded and smiled a big smile. He walked out of the Gate room toward his quarters. Sheppard, Carter, Ronon, Rodney, Teyla and Lorne all went to do a debriefing on what they just saw.
Tidus made his way to his quarters and sat down on his bed. He was still smiling realizing that his mother and father were alive and well. He started thinking of what he wanted to say and do with them when they are finally reunited. As he was contemplating he started feeling very strange. He felt his head and realized that it felt warm. He didn't think he was coming down with anything. He laid down on the bed and closed his eyes. Pain was starting in his right arm and he tried rubbing the pain away. He couldn't believe anything would be happening to him. He tried to sleep but each time he kept have little flashes. They were hard to see...but they were little flashes of something. A sharp pain sat him up and he groaned from the pain. He gritted his teeth and put pressure on his arm to keep it from hurting too much. The pain was very severe to him...he's never had this pain before. He looked at his arm and noticed something. He took the ribbon off and saw a small black spot on his arm. It was very tender and sore. He was confused as to what that could be. Why all of a sudden did it start showing up? He shrugged and tried again to fall asleep. For whatever reason...he was finally able to fall asleep and try to keep his mind off his arm.