To recap: Zane and Syrus got in a fight after Zane told him that their parents were dead and Syrus's eyes are acting funny.
Disclaimer: I don't own YGO GX. Not now, not ever.
Warning: Swearing, possible OOCness. Nothing out of the ordinary for me.
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"That little --" Hell Kaiser glared at the wall opposite to where he was sitting in the cafeteria. He just got told that his parents are dead. How did you expect him to react? You didn't help matters either. "Shut up." he told the little voice that was nagging at him. Why did his conscience have to sound so much like Atticus?
"Mom, look! It's Zane Truesdale!" A preteen girl at another table was pulling at her mother's sleeve. "Do you think he'll sign an autograph for me?"
"Honey, leave him alone. People deserve their privacy, no matter how famous. Let's go get lunch." She firmly pulled her daughter over to the lunch line.
This unexpected piece of courtesy from a fan's parent surprised him, and served to lighten his mood a little. He had often found fan parents to be more annoying than their children. Brring! His cell phone went off in his pocket. Groaning, he withdrew it and flipped it open.
"What?" It was his agent, calling to inform him that she had set up a photo shoot for the cover of Dueling Today. If there was one thing Hell Kaiser hated more than interviews and rabid fans, it was photo shoots. If the assistants weren't trying to put makeup on him, they were trying to persuade him to take his shirt off. "Look, my brother just woke up and was told our parents are dead. He does not need to be left alone right now." He hung up the phone without waiting for a reaction.
Hypocrite. Why don't you take your own advice and go see him? Syrus needs someone to help him through this. Zane growled inwardly and stood up, resolving to go and talk to his brother without getting in a fight with him.
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Back in his hospital room, Syrus had woken up, grumpy, tearstained, and with a headache. My parents are dead, my brother's an ass, and I'm in the hospital. And my eyesight… Syrus's eyes seemed to be even worse after his rest. The doctor had come in and seen him before he went to sleep, and told him the story of the accident, and the extent of his injuries. What if my eyes never go back to normal? What will I do then? Syrus's' fear was almost as great as his shame of yelling at Zane and calling him a liar.
The door creaked slightly as Hell Kaiser entered the room. Speak of the Devil… "Hi. What is it?" Zane chewed on his lip briefly, and then sat on his bed.
"Syrus, I want to…apologize. I didn't handle telling you about Mom and Dad well." Syrus stared at him in total shock. Had Hell Kaiser just said he was sorry? A true bolt out of the blue.
"You weren't so apologetic after our duel." Syrus snapped. So much for burying the hatchet… Zane thought dryly. He shrugged, unsure of how to respond without instigating a new fight.
"Hey, are you okay?" Syrus had begun fiercely wiping his eyes. He didn't respond to Zane's question, as he was obviously preoccupied. Zane grabbed his wrist and dragged it away from his face, looking at Syrus's eyes. They appeared normal, but they were swimming with tears.
--At the Rhodes' house--
The whole gang, consisting of Jaden, Hassleberry, Chazz, Bastion, Atticus, and Alexis sat on the various pieces of furniture, discussing strategy.
"If we try and go back to ICU, chances are Zane will kick us out." Atticus said seriously. "So maybe we should go one or two at a time; it'll be less intimidating."
"I don't care if Hell Kaiser throws a hissy fit!" Jaden snarled. "I'm not letting him stop me from seeing Syrus."
"I'm with Jaden," said Hassleberry. "We can't be afraid of him. One soldier cannot stand up against a whole army. Safety in numbers, remember?"
"Hassleberry may have a point." Bastion put in. "If we present a united front, perhaps he will see our way."
Alexis nodded. "That sounds all very well Bastion, but remember this is Zane, one of the most stubborn guys on the face of the earth. But then again, why would he deny his hurt brother the opportunity to see his friends?"
"For the same reason he duelled Syrus with the electric collars," Chazz snorted. "Because he's the evil, heartless emperor of Hell." The others broke into snickers at this description of Syrus's intimidating older brother.
"I wouldn't say he's completely heartless; didn't you see that he was upset at the hospital when the doctor told us Syrus might have vision problems, and when you mentioned his parents?" Jaden put in, looking over at the Rhodes. "He's just extremely cold and antisocial at the moment."
"Antisocial? Wow, Jaden, I didn't know you knew such big words." Chazz laughed a little meanly at Jaden. Hassleberry shot him a look.
"Now is not the time for dissension in the ranks, soldiers."
"Chazz, can it!" Alexis glared at him. Chazz sat back, slightly mollified.
"Atty, Lexis, that was your friend's doctor." Mrs. Rhodes, a woman who was the very image of Atticus, stepped into the room. "He's woken up."
"Really?! Alright!" Jaden punched the air. "If he asks to see us, Zane will have to let us in."
"Not necessarily." Mrs. Rhodes held up a hand. "From what I've heard around the water cooler at work, Zane is going to become Syrus's legal guardian. He has every right to bar you entrance to Syrus's room, while he's in ICU, anyways."
"Zane is going to be the Private's guardian?" Hassleberry wore a look of horror. "You mean they'll have to share the same quarters?!"
"That's going to work out sooo well." Chazz looked shocked as well. "Right now, they get along about as well as my brothers and me."
"Guys, I'm sure it'll work out fine. Have a little faith."
"Mom, have you actually seen what Zane is like now?" Atticus asked. "He's the polar opposite of what he was. I really can't see this working out well, and you know what a sunny optimist I am." Everyone sweatdropped a little.
"Well, let's not waste time." Jaden got up. "We have to confront Zane sooner or later, and I don't want to leave him alone with Syrus." The gang headed towards the door, intending to make their way to the hospital.
--
"Syrus, what's going on?" Zane tried again. Syrus jerked his hand away and put his hand up to his face. He could barely hear his brother over the pounding in his head.
"Z-Zane," Syrus choked out, "s-something's wrong. There are these big black spots everywhere…" More tears dripped onto the sheets. "And m-my head hurts so much."
Zane pressed the call button. There was something seriously wrong with Syrus, he could feel it. "It's okay," he said softly, drawing Syrus to him in a hug, mindful of his broken arm and ribs. "The doctor will be here soon, and he'll know what's wrong. You'll be alright." Please God, let me be right.
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Poor Syrus, I've put him through so much. Too bad it's probably going to get worse, since I don't know how many chapters I'm writing, so I have lots of space in which to torture him and Zaney. Ha ha, I love being evil. R&R, and by the way, if someone can tell me the quote in the previous chapter and what book it comes from, I'll give you a cyber-cookie! Hint hint: Jodi Picoult