"Okay." Sakura straightened, her smile gone and seriousness replacing it. An expression Hilary had not seen from her before. "I'll begin. This is what's happened since I last saw you guys..."

She had got on to the same team as Sasuke and Naruto Uzumaki, a rash and determined boy who wanted to become Hokage, the leader of Konoha. They had trained under Kakashi Hatake, an experienced ninja of the jounin rank and taken exams for certains levels of ninjutsu, learning about teamwork and friendship along the way and overcoming many trials and tribulations. She had got to know Sasuke more personally and her feelings evolved from those of hero-worship and admiration to love and respect.

Things had changed though when Sasuke left Konoha. Vowing to avenge his clan that had been murdered by his older brother Itachi, he decided that power was the only way forward and sought aid with evil ninjas from elsewhere; he had taken all the village had to offer. Sakura had tried to stop him, doing everything she could to persuade him to rethink his actions. She had confessed her love for him in the process but to no avail. He had rendered her unconscious through a pressure point and left her on a bench, leaving the village unnoticed.

"Sasuke has not returned since then," Sakura concluded. "I've seen him once or twice and my team has even fought him but we've never succeeded in bringing him back with us." She wiped her eyes roughly. "Darn...I promised myself I wouldn't cry about it anymore. So much for that."

"It's okay to cry about him," Alexis told her. "Trust me. Trying to stop yourself makes it worse."

"You hurt yourself more," concurred Hilary.

Sakura gave them a melancholy smile, letting the tears flow. "It's no use. It seems like he'll never come back. Naruto, Kakashi and my team have tried everything but it hasn't been enough. No matter how much I believe in him and love him, how much I..." She suppressed a sob. "I hate to say this but...I'm almost at the point of giving up."

"Don't, Sakura!" Hilary gasped. "There's still a chance. He listened to you before he left, didn't he? If he had have been that intent on leaving he would have knocked you out before you even started talking and left you on the ground."

"I've...never thought of it that way," Sakura said slowly, brightening a little.

"There'll always be a place at Konoha for Sasuke if you don't give up."

"You're right. Thank you, Hil," Sakura sniffled, giving her a watery smile.

"I suppose it's my turn to explain what's gone on for these last two years," Alexis began. "Duel Academy has had many strange and terrible things happen..."

She, Zane, Atticus, Jaden and their other friends had gone through times that had placed the fate of the school and even the world in their hands; an alien race from outer space had possessed a boy who could predict the future with stunning accuracy and used him as a medium to take control of students and teachers alike, a madman had tried to over the Academy using the Sacred Beast cards, a dark gang of Duellists had sought control over the island and more recently, Zane had graduated from the Academy and gone into the professional duelling leagues only to change into a completely different person – a ruthless Duellist called the Kaiser. Nobody had been able to stop him nor change him back to the way he had once been.

A portal to a weird and wonderful dimension where Duel Monsters lived had been opened and Alexis and her friends had tried to close it, only to be sucked in and trapped there until they were defeated in Duels or a clever scientist and Duel Monster creator Pegasus found a way to reopen the portal. Surprisingly, the Kaiser had got involved too and helped fight the evil monsters in the dimension with them. He had obtained a powerful deck with equally malevolent monsters that had a bad affect on his health and body, namely his heart.

In an amazing act of courage, determination and friendship, he had battled a new student to the Academy named Jesse who was being controlled by something evil in the place of Jaden, who was in no fit state to Duel. Despite protests from his friends and massive strain the deck put on his heart he had fought with all his might. The battle had been close but his heart had given out at the last minute, making him unable to continue any further. He had collapsed and vanished not long after. His chest had been still.

"It's been nearly two weeks since that day," Alexis finished. "We all arrived safely back in this world except for him. That's when we had to accept that he really was dead. I heard the news from Bastion – Jaden and Syrus were too upset to tell me. Atticus has been quiet ever since."

"Alexis..." Sakura's emerald eyes were empathetic.

"That's...that's terrible!" cried Hilary, devastated.

The tears in Alexis' brown eyes, the deep anguish and sorrow on her face were hard to see.

"When's the funeral?" Sakura whispered.

Alexis sighed, her fringe shadowing her eyes. "That's just it. There won't be one. His body was never found."

"What?" exclaimed Hilary.

"Zane can't have vanished into thin air!" Sakura was baffled.

"There's no other explanation."

There was a pause, then Sakura spoke up. "Like Hil's said, you can't give up hope. He could even be still alive."

Alexis sighed. "Everyone saw – except me and a few others – him die after that Duel."

"Even miracles can happen if you have faith," the pink-haired ninja replied gently.

"I - " Alexis faltered. The tears that stood in her eyes rolled down her face.

They placed hands on her shaking shoulders.

"Maybe – you're right..."