AN: After the news of the death of her long time friend and boyfriend, David, Alex is inconsolable as she sits in her room for the time being. In the meantime, Michael and Yusuke have to think about what they are going to do with the finals of the Dark Tournament less than 24 hours away, an action that does not sit well with everyone at the hotel room...

Chapter Sixteen: Falling Apart At The Seams

Michael wondered if he was doing the right thing. He hated seeing someone being so sad, and it really looked like Alex was going to break down at a moment's notice. She was in her room, literally crying all the time now. Justin and Max were trying to talk to her, trying to get her to calm down, but that was a losing battle. She just stayed in her room, crying, not moving an inch.

Michael and Yusuke were gone for the moment, along with Hiei and Kurama, they left to head to a nearby field to try and get some training in. Needless to say, it was hard to do, with David's death still on their minds.

"Michael, what happened to David?" Kurama asked him.

"Izan killed him. David died trying to protect Alex." Michael said in an irritable tone. It was obvious that he was getting really tired of all of the damn questions that was shot at him about his friend's death. He was pissed enough as it was, and this was not going to make anything better.

"Look, we got there late, and if we would have gotten there enough, we might have been able to do anything to save them both." Yusuke said.

"Or you two might have been killed in the process." Hiei said. "Do you think that you would have been powerful enough to stop him or do anything at all?"

"Oh yeah. I could kill him if I want to, but after all that has happened, I figured that should land on someone that deserves it more than anyone." Michael answered.

"Like who?" Hiei answered.

"Well..." Michael began.

"David." Yusuke finished. "Izan was the one who killed his parents, and David should be the one to finish him off at the Finals. Izan killing David threw a wrench into those plans."

"So who is going to fight Izan in the finals then?" Kurama asked.

Michael and David looked at each other, and smirked.

Kurama noticed that. "Is there something that you want to share with us?"

"Nope. Not on your life." Michael smiled, heading back to the hotel room with Yusuke right next to him.

Kurama and Hiei knew right at that moment that there was something big that was going on. Michael and Yusuke were acting way too suspicious at that time. They kept their suspicions between the two of them, and followed their friends.

Alex laid in her bed, holding one of David's shirts that he was wearing before he was killed. It was the only thing that she had on her person at the moment that reminded her of her fallen friend and boyfriend. She shuddered as she thought of what Izan was going to do with her if David had not interferred. Now he was gone because of it. David was no longer here with her because he died trying to protect her, something that he did all the time while they were growing up. This time was different, because David paid the ultimate price, his life.

Everytime someone knocked on the door, she slid further under the covers, and cried even harder. She could not tell them what happened, nor did she want to face them. She was going to get eyed because David died because of her, and this was something that she did not want to hear or face right now, because she was too broken up after what has happened.

Alex just laid there, and cried herself to sleep.

It was about ten minutes after they returned, and Michael was walking around the hotel room with a stoic look on his face. Justin and Max were sitting in the room across from him, just glaring at him. Michael did not pay it no mind, but after about ten minutes of the Russo brothers just glaring at him and them whispering under their breaths about him, and it seemed to come from everyone but Miley and Yusuke. He had enough of it, and he strided over to where they were sitting, and glared back at them.

"Any thing that you have to say?" Michael asked nicely.

It was silent for a moment, but Justin bravely spoke up.

"It seems that you don't care about what happened to David, and we all seem to notice that." Justin answered.

"Please you jackass. I care about David more than you. At least my friendship with David is genuine. The only reason that you like him at all is because he is dating your little sister." Michael said. Justin stood up, and stared right at him. Yusuke let a smirk cross his face as he was enjoying this. Miley, Lilly, and Oliver were watching the scene unfold, not knowing where this was going. Miley did, but Oliver and Lilly didn't.

"What are you going to do Justin?" Michael said, getting angrier by the moment. "Hit me? Go ahead, give me your best shot, because if I hit you first, you are going to be on the ground, in a heap."

"This is between him and me, so stay out of it, small fry." Michael said, shoving Max out of the way when he tried to intervene.

Justin did not say or do anything, but he calmly took his seat, and everyone else just shook their heads, and turned away from him.

"So it is like that then?" Michael whispered to himself. "Fine. Have fun fighting the finals two men down."

Miley and Yusuke looked up to see Michael on the balcony. He took off flying into the distance.

"Great. Fucking great." Yusuke said. He then turned his eyes towards Justin and Max, who were sitting there innocently.

"Really dude?" Yusuke asked Justin.

"What? What did I do?" He asked Yusuke back.

"What did you do? Why in the hell would you pick a fight with him?" Yusuke asked.

"He is acting as if he cares about David when he really doesn't. That's why." Justin stated.

Yusuke laughed. "You don't care. He just lost a close friend, you asshole. The only reason that you care is because that was your little sister's boyfriend who died. You never liked him, nor did your parents. At least he died protecting someone he loved, where you might have taken too long to decide whether or not to use magic."

"But-"

"Shut up. I am going to find him. Miley, you might want to come with me." Yusuke said, heading towards the door. Miley shrugged, and followed Yusuke out the front door of the hotel room.

AN: Well, that is the little scrap that I talked about. In the next chapter, the tournament final match begins, along with a big surprise that is in store for the team is on the horizion. What is going to happen? Wait and find out!