A/N: Finally! Exams are over and I get a four day weekend. You know what that means…PARTY!!! WOO WOO XD JK! Actually, it means I'll get a chance to WRITE. I'll try to write more during the week too, now that I don't have to stay after school. Certainly after November 15, once I present my final speech for senior exit. I cannot wait for THAT to be over. (between you and me, I've hardly even started my project O.O I'm screwed.)

Anyway, here is Chap 3. I know that it's seemed like JxA for the past two chaps, but fans of other pairings might see the possibility here. Not that there won't be more JxA hints. Enjoy: )

Disclaimer: I own nothing!

Chapter 3:

Alexis and Jaden blinked in the darkness until their eyes adjusted. Still clutching hands, they made their way through the fog, searching for any sign of their friend.

"What if it's too late?" Alexis fretted.

Jaden scowled and squeezed her hand so tightly it cut off the blood circulation. "It's not too late. Come on, Alexis, be optimistic. We can find him. We can bring him back. I mean, we gave our word didn't we?"

She bit her lip and nodded. "I'm willing to do anything," she told him, "He's my responsibility."

"He's our responsibility." Jaden corrected, "Don't think that you have to go this distance alone. I'm here for you."

She took a deep breath, mustering up every ounce of courage she had. "Ok, Jaden, ok. Thank-you."

He smiled a little. "Anytime, Lex. After all, what kind of friend am I if I left you hanging?"

She laughed nervously. "Yeah, sure." To herself, she thought, "I think we're more than just friends."

She blushed, looking down at their hands.

At that moment, she heard a soft coo. Looking up, she almost had a heart attack. There, floating in the fog was Kuriboh. He circled around a few times, continuing to coo.

"Kuriboh?" Jaden asked, "What's up?"

Kuriboh cooed in response. Jaden just nodded understandingly. Then, he turned to Alexis with a mournful expression. Her heart caught in her throat.

"Alexis, I'm sorry. I have to let you go on here. Kuriboh needs some help in stabilizing this, um--what's the word--uh…portal? If I don't, then we won't be able to get out. I promise, though, as soon as I fix it, I'll try to find you, Ok? I promise, I swear my life on it."

Alexis only nodded understandingly. "Ok. I trust you."

"I'm really sorry." Jaden told her, hugging her, "I'll try to find you as soon as possible."

She hugged him back then pulled away, looking into his puppy-dog eyes. "It's Ok, Jay. I'll be fine, so don't worry about me."

"Ok, take care. Good luck, Lex."

She only nodded, then walked away. She turned back and threw a frightened glance at him over her shoulder. He nodded reassuringly at her. Despite her words, she was scared. It was not Ok. She needed him to help her through this. But she understood that if they didn't separate, the consequences were far worse than simple terror. They could die if Jaden didn't do this. Taking a deep breath, she disappeared into the fog.

-------------------------------------------

She had been wandering through the eerie darkness for several hours when she heard shrill voices. Hurrying towards the noise, she saw the three Ojamas hovering over a black-clad figure. She caught her breath in shock. Tears stung her eyes at seeing her friend again. She hurried over.

"Alexis!" Ojama Yellow exclaimed, "Oh, I'm so glad you're here! Please save the boss. He hasn't woken up in hours. It's almost too late!"

Kneeling by him, Alexis took Chazz's head in her lap and brushed his silky raven hair out of his pale face. Her heart thumped sickeningly at the thought of losing him. If anyone could bring him back, surely she could. Suppressing a groan, she knew what she must do.

"Just this once, Chazz." She muttered, leaning her face down towards his.

A slight blush crept across her cheeks. Slowly, begrudgingly, she tilted her head and touched her lips to his. If this didn't work, she knew nothing would.

After a moment of kissing him softly, his charcoal eyes halfway opened. They soon opened wide when he felt what she was doing. Wondering if he were in heaven, he softly kissed her back, giving her a response.

Feeling the slight pressure of his lips against hers, she blushed profusely, then pulled quickly away. He looked disappointed, but happy nonetheless. However, he seemed weaker and all the more unstable.

"Alexis? What was that for? What are you doing here?" He suddenly gasped. "You didn't kill yourself did you?"

"No!" she exclaimed, "I came to look for you. And Jaden did too."

She bit her lip, still tasting his mouth and blushing. She blushed redder thinking of Jaden. Quickly, she cleared his clueless puppy-dog eyes from her mind to focus on Chazz. She felt like a terrible friend to both of them.

"Chazz, we have to get out of here." She told him, tears stinging her amber eyes again.

"I can't. I'm dead." He told her, shrugging.

"How can you say that? I'm here to take you back. We can still bring you back to life. If you'll just come with me…"

He suddenly doubted her. "How can I trust you? After all, you're the one who killed me."

She threw her arms around his neck and held him close, trembling in grief. "I'm sorry, Chazz. I didn't mean to. It was an accident, I swear. Please trust me. Please come with me."

Slowly, he hugged her back to calm her. "Ok. I'll trust you," he told her to console her and ease her guilt.

Swallowing hard, she managed a smile. "Thank-you, Chazz."

He smiled weakly back. "I forgive you. Even if I am dead forever, it's Ok. I forgive you anyway."

"Well, in case we don't make it," Alexis told him, forgetting Jaden's admonishment to stay positive, "I want you to know, I love you. As a friend, I mean. I never hated you. I never meant you any harm. And I'm sorry I hurt you so much. Can we still be friends?"

He nodded. "Of course, Lex. I'll always be your friend, no matter what you do to me. It's Ok, I wasn't too upset by it anyway. My delusions saved me that much."

She sighed in relief, though she knew it was a lie. "Well, we'd better go, then."

Taking his hand, she pulled him up and draped his arm over her shoulder to support him. They stumbled through the fog to try to find Jaden, the Ojamas in tow.

---------------------------------------

Jaden sat in front of the portal, worried. He wasn't sure how much longer it would stay open. Much to his dismay, he'd found he couldn't leave to find Alexis as he had promised. If he did, the portal would collapse. He sighed heavily, hoping she'd be all right.

At that moment, Kuriboh cooed urgently and pointed towards the thickening fog. Jaden peered closer. His heart skipped a beat.

"Oh, no, this can't be happening!" He bit his lip and looked up at Kuriboh. "What do we do?"

Kuriboh looked worriedly down at Jaden. Usually, Jaden was calm and collected. Why was he so worried now?

Jaden didn't want to admit it, but the more he thought about Alexis, the tighter his stomach felt. Something was wrong. His protective instincts kicked in, urging him to go find her. However, he refrained. He had to stay and keep their only way out stable. Not to mention there was another problem.

As the fog thickened, it blocked any vision he had of the Shadow Realm around him. A soft, unpleasant cheeping noise sounded in the distance, then grew louder. He looked in dismay as demons surrounded the shadow barrier. It was only a matter of time before they broke through.

-------------------------------------------

Chazz clung tighter to Alexis, feeling a sudden wave of dizziness. His knees buckled, leaving him hanging onto her thin frame for dear life.

"I can't go on. I can't make it." He told her, sinking lower. "Go on without me. Save yourself."

"I won't leave without you!" she told him indignantly, trying desperately to support his weight. For a soul, he sure was heavy.

His head dropped on her chest without his meaning to. She bristled, but did nothing about it. She only tried to pull him up to his feet.

"Come on, Chazz, fight! Do it for me."

Struggling, he attempted to pull himself to his feet. "Alexis, help me."

She tried her best to pull him up Using every ounce of her strength, she pulled him to his feet.

"Come on, Chazz, fight. Don't you dare give up."

He grasped her shoulders and held himself up, shaking. He winced, electric pain shooting through him. He knew he couldn't make it.

Alexis saw his eyes and knew. No longer did she harbor any resentment or bitterness towards him. Throwing her arms around his waist, she kissed him again, then buried her face in his ebony hair. She cried, feeling hopeless, feeling as though they wouldn't get out. She had never felt so useless in her life. She felt herself crumbling and giving way to the new emotion. She realized she couldn't do this on her own.

"Alexis, I'm sorry. I dragged you into this, and now you're gonna…"

"It's Ok, Chazz," she breathed deeply, "It's Ok. Just…don't let me regret this."

Understanding what she meant, he said, "I appreciate that you cared enough to come after me. Most people wouldn't have done that. Thank-you. And don't worry, if we have to die, at least we won't die alone."

She nodded, burying her face in his shoulder. He put his arms back around her and they sank to the ground, surrendering to the shadows. Only Jaden could save them now.

A/N: Well, that's it for today. I might update it tomorrow, b/c it won't be much longer. Sorry for another cliffhanger: )