Chapter IV: Awakening Decisions
Welcome back, everybody, to Darkness Falls! Sorry the updates aren't coming as fast for this story as the previous ones! Until today, Peach was working on the latest installment of The Jedi League of Duelists. And today, she updated that story. Anyway, back to the shared Yugi-verse! We hope you enjoy a rather unusual argument that the teachers hold over cohabitation.
Last time, Chazz and Atticus raced to their sister's side, and the young men from the four different Duel Academies brought snacks up for the young men who kept vigil at their fiancées' sides. And a frightening new enemy made itself known to you, dear readers. So what will happen next? Read on!
Disclaimer: We don't own GX. Seriously…
Authors' note: Darkness and the villain known as Trueman or Mr. T (yes, there will be jokes about that) were villains introduced in GX's final season. They aren't ours.
It was well into the next day when the four girls awoke. The transfer boys had gone to their own dorm rooms to sleep and the remaining six boys stayed in the dorm room with the girls they loved. Chazz and Atticus were asleep on the couches in the sitting room and the other four young men slept in the rooms with their fiancées. All four of the young men clasped their loves' hands, instinctively feeling as they'd fallen asleep that they held the nightmares at bay.
Rosa was the first to stir, fingers twitching slightly as she woke. 'Who's holding my hand?' she wondered briefly, before recognizing the hand. 'It's rough…Ty-Ty?' she thought. She opened her eyes about halfway, blearily taking in the sleeping form by her bedside. "Ty...Ty," she muttered.
Tyson was awake nearly in an instant. "Rosa...oh, Spanish Rose, you had me worried..." He looked at the clock. "Sam Hill...you've been sleepin' for 36 hours," he explained in Spanish, pulling her into a warm hug.
Rosa blinked a few times to clear her vision, and weakly hugged him back. Some of the sedative still weighed down on her body, and she was still lacking on sleep. "Ty-Ty, I...I had it again," she whispered in her mother tongue. "The nightmares came back…"
"Shh...it's all right...just let yourself wake up...I'm right here. And I'm not leavin'," he murmured. 'She had nightmares after the snake bit her but didn't get so scared and tuckered out,' he thought, still very much concerned. He hadn't thought much of her stirring in her sleep when they were back in Spain, but now it was very clear that incident and the one with Jorge had dealt more serious blows than anyone had realized, even the counselors she'd seen. Relief washed over Rosa, comforted by his strong embrace and his words in the meantime.
Meanwhile, Alexis was now waking up as well, and her hand moved. She opened her eyes a little, yawning slightly as she recognized a splash of red beside her. "Jay...?"
"Hey babe...you feeling a little better?" he asked gently, squeezing her warm hand.
Alexis blinked, using a heavy hand to rub the sleep from her eyes. "Y-Yeah...what..?" she asked. "How did you get here? I mean, I'm glad you're here but…what happened?"
"We got worried when you weren't around yesterday morning so we came up to the dorm and Miss Fontaine told us you were having really bad nightmares...Lex, I should've asked you what was really wrong," he sighed, swallowing. "I'm a lousy fiancé, aren't I?"
Alexis managed to grab his hand, and was able to pull up a smile. "Jay...it's okay...I should have told you..."
"I should've figured though...You dreamed about what happened in the summer, didn't you?" he asked, pulling her into a tight hug.
Alexis nodded. "Yeah," she admitted, relaxing into his arms.
In the other room, Violet had also woken up. She looked dazedly around until her eyes fell onto Bastion, and her heart leapt into her throat. "B-Bastion...?" The last time she'd seen him in the dream world, he was lying in a pool of blood, his open gray eyes sightless as they seemingly stared up to the heavens above the ancient coliseum on Academy Island.
"Oh, darling...Violet, love...are you all right?" the real Bastion asked, worried, seeing the dark circles under her eyes. "Oh, Violet...you've been asleep for a day and a half...how are you feeling? And what was the nightmare?" he asked, pulling her into a hug without waiting. Concern was etched all over his finely chiseled face, and anyone could see the pain as well.
It took her a moment to fully register what was going on, and she hugged back. "Bastion-baby...you...you're not..." The image of his deceased, bloody form on the ground was burned in Violet's mind and flashed through it again like a powerful storm.
"I'm not what?" he asked tenderly, unsure of precisely what she'd dreamt of.
Violet held to him tighter, eyes clenched shut at the thought. "D-Dead," she barely choked out, heart pounding.
"What?" he asked. "Oh...no, no...Shhh...I'm right here...I'm very much alive...and so are you," he assured her, tightening his grip on her, knowing she needed as much strength as he could give. She couldn't stop the tears from coming, and resorted to crying on his shoulder as he held her.
Then, Syrus noticed Annie stir, and he gently squeezed her hand. Annie slowly came awake, blinked several times and got her eyes into focus. "Oh...where," she murmured, feeling the room spin a little. 'Who's here?' she mentally wondered, feeling a familiar hand in hers.
"You're in your room, Annie...you've been asleep for over a day," Syrus explained, coming into her field of vision by moving above her head.
"Sy...Syrus..." Her eyes filled with tears. "Oh, honey...I had the most horrible dream..."
He immediately leaned down to pull her emaciated body into a hug. "I know, Annie...Miss Fontaine explained everything. You...you were dreaming that I lost...weren't you...?"
"No...I dreamed...I fell when I tried to transform...you went in after me...and we both," she choked out. She began shaking all over, remembering how it had all felt so real.
Syrus's eyes widened, and he held her closer. "Oh, Annie...I'm here now, it's only a dream. It didn't happen," he whispered, trying to comfort her.
She held onto him, still trembling. "I saw our funeral..."
He froze at the thought, then kissed her cheek. "Annie...we're both alive...just remember that..."
"Yeah...I know...it was just so real, and I've seen it every night," she whimpered, the tears running down her face and soaking his bright blue jacket. Syrus rubbed her back in a calming way, just holding her against him. And then, despite having lost her dinner a day and a half before, Annie started to gag, likely a side effect of the sedative. Syrus heard her gag, and quickly ran over to pick up the small wastebasket by Annie's desk. He returned to her bedside, holding it for her in case she did throw up. And she did, hard.
"Oh, my," Bastion exclaimed as Sy held the bucket and Annie puked. "Miss Fontaine!" he called.
"Coming, Bastion! Oh my goodness! Annie...we'll get some crackers for you, honey," the nurse said, moving to Annie's side. Annie couldn't reply, as she was vomiting so hard.
Violet wanted to help her best friend like she had been the past two weeks, but hardly had the strength to pull out of Bastion's embrace. "Annie," she called tiredly. Syrus was trying to make it a little easier for Annie, holding her hair up and whispering words of comfort. Finally, Annie had dry heaves and then those ceased.
Miss Fontaine had a cup of water which she had Annie sip, then swish around in her mouth and spit out. "There you go," she murmured gently.
"Th-thank you," Annie said weakly as she sank against Sy. He held her again, having set the wastebasket aside.
"It's okay, Annie," Syrus whispered, running a hand through her hair. Miss Fontaine, with the confidence of having done this several times before, took the basket into the bathroom and washed it out.
Meanwhile, Bastion kept Violet in his arms. "It's all right...Annie's going to be all right," he soothed. She clung to him again, and probably would have been throwing up, too, had it not been for the sedative helping her get some sleep.
"Bastion-baby....even that medicine...it didn't work," Violet mumbled, remembering the nightmare.
"Miss Fontaine's going to try something else for all of you, darling...It's going to take some negotiations with the Chancellor, but Miss Fontaine thinks you can recover with this," Bastion began to explain, truly not certain if the school would even allow it. But he had to be sure Violet was okay with it first.
"W-What is it..?" she asked.
"Would you be okay with me...moving in with you?" he asked softly, flushing a distinct shade of pink.
Violet blinked in surprise. "Huh? But...how..."
"If the Chancellor approves, I'll move into Obelisk Blue and be in the dorm with you. I'll stay in the yellow blazer, but...I'll live in Obelisk in your room. Chancellor Shepherd just has to approve it," Bastion concluded. "I want you to be comfortable with this, and your parents as well… This isn't like summer was, after all."
She had to admit having him so close would make her feel a lot safer. "Bastion-baby...I...I hope you and....the others can..."
"You want me to?" he asked, stunned.
Violet nodded, face still buried into his shoulder. "I...I need to know you're safe," she mumbled.
Meanwhile, Annie lay in Sy's arms and looked up at him. Down to a scant 95 pounds, her bones were visible. "Sy, is that true what Bastion said?"
Syrus nodded, sadness flowing through him when he felt Annie's bones through her nightgown. 'She's so weak. And the counseling hasn't helped her enough,' he thought. "Yeah, Annie. It's the only thing Miss Fontaine can think of that will let you guys get some sleep without hurting you worse," he explained, also getting a slight flush on his cheeks.
"Oh, Sy," Annie smiled, tiredly.
Meanwhile, in the other room... "Rosa, darlin', would you be okay with...uh... cohabitatin'?" Tyson asked in English, his tan features turning a ruddy brown.
Rosa blinked. "What??" She had no idea what he'd just asked.
"Uh...what I mean is...well...would you...mind if I lived with you?" he asked again, slowly.
She blinked again, still a little confused. "As in...now..?"
"Yeah...Y'see... Miss Fontaine doesn't want to give you any more of that medicine she gave you since it's powerful stuff and since you didn't have the real bad dreams this summer since we were sleepin' in the same room, Miss Fontaine thought...we could be roomin' in the same barracks...Feel free to slap me," he said at a bit of a gallop. He was nervous about this, not because he didn't want to do this, but because it was a big step to move in with the girl you were going to marry. 'Mama and Daddy'll understand that it's necessary, but still… Dang it… this is hard,' he thought.
Rosa didn't reply for a minute or two, brain slowly registering each thing he'd said. Finally, instead of slapping him, she hugged him closer and rested her head against his chest. "That...that would make me so happy, Ty-Ty," she whispered, sounding as happy as she felt.
"Oh, darlin', I'm glad you're happy," he whispered back happily.
Meanwhile, Jaden looked at Alexis. "What Tyson said, babe...you mind if we...uh..." his face was turning red.
Alexis smiled softly. "Yeah...it's okay, Jaden. I...it'll help a lot...I think," she replied weakly.
"You sure?" His heart was pounding as it had when they had sat in the tub in his house in the summer.
She nodded. "I...want you close by..."
"Okay...if you're sure, babe. I think your brothers were trying to decide whether to hug me or kill me yesterday," he told her. "I thought they might strangle me or hunt me down… or both!"
Alexis sighed. "As if one over-protective brother wasn't enough," she groaned, "but I'm glad they care..."
"Yeah...They're out in the sitting room," he said, remembering.
She blinked in surprise. "They...are? Could you...get them??"
"Sure, babe. You okay for a minute?" he asked, gently laying her down onto her pillows.
Alexis nodded. "Yeah...I'll be okay..."
Jaden nodded and stepped out to the sitting area. To his surprise, Atticus and Chazz were awake and playing Go Fish. "Got any 5s?" Chazz asked his brother, looking as he did when in a very serious duel.
"Nope. Go fishin', bro," Atticus replied with his usual easy grin. Then, the older boy noticed Jaden. "Oh, hey Jay, anything changed?"
"Yeah...Lex is awake and she's asking for both of you. Rosa's awake too," Jaden explained.
Atticus blinked. "Lexi's awake??" he asked as he stood, forgetting about the card game.
Chazz stood quickly. "She's up?"
"Yeah...c'mon..." Jaden led the two brothers into the room where Tyson was still hugging Rosa to him and Alexis was laying heavily against her pillows. She smiled a little at the sight of her big brother and her little brother, for Chazz was a few months younger than Alexis.
"Hi, Atty. Hi, Chazz," Alexis greeted sleepily.
Atticus grinned happily and hugged his little sister. "Lexi, you had us so worried..."
"Hey sis," Chazz said, joining in the hug. "You...you're okay?" he asked, the fear for her evident in his tone.
"I'm just...really tired, bro," she replied through a yawn.
"You had nightmares...bad ones?" Chazz asked further, remembering the nightmares he'd had after Slade and Jagger's brutal attack on him the past summer. He, like his sister, was still undergoing counseling, but the counseling had worked well for him.
Alexis nodded. "Almost every night since we came back," she admitted.
"Oh, man...Lexi," Chazz hugged her tightly for a minute.
Atticus glanced at his brother. "Well, sis, in this case...we're okay with Jaden staying with you. Right, bro?"
Chazz nodded. "Yeah...we want you getting better...and we know Jaden will be honorable toward you...or we'll pound him," he said very seriously. Jaden gulped at this.
Alexis sighed, sweat-dropping a little. "Uh, thanks, guys. I really don't think that'll be necessary..."
"It won't be...I swear!" Jaden yelped, looking freaked out.
"Good," Chazz grinned wolfishly. Atticus was also grinning, but in a friendly way, mostly because he thought Chazz was just joking. After all, Jaden just wasn't that type of person. Chazz's grin changed to match his brother's and then he slapped Jaden on the back. "I was joking, future bro! You knew that, didn't you?"
"Um...yeah," Jaden said, laughing and sweat-dropping. Alexis shook her head, but had to admit it was a lot nicer having the others around instead of being alone in her dorm.
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Miss Fontaine, secure in the knowledge that the girls would be all right, said goodbye and left the room. An emergency meeting of all the instructors was called in Chancellor Shepherd's office one hour later. "Fonda, your call was very urgent," Chancellor Shepherd noted. "And it's about Alexis Rhodes, Violet Haverbrook, Annie Hanson and Rosa Jimenez?"
"That's right, sir, and my solution to the immediate problem is rather unorthodox," the redheaded woman explained.
"Well, what is this solution?" Dr. Vellian Crowler, a man with blonde hair, blue eyes and the misfortune of looking rather like Frankenfurter from "Rocky Horror Picture Show" inquired.
Fonda took a deep breath. "In order to explain this best, I need to tell you the situation and what's been tried. Very early yesterday morning, I received a call from Annie Hanson. She informed me that Alexis and Rosa had come up to her and Violet's room after all four girls had bad nightmares. They have apparently not slept well since they returned to school. Before they came back to school, they had been under the care of Dr. Kaiba and Counselor Karen Otani to make sure they were dealing with the issues of the summer and their physical injuries as well," the nurse explained.
"They were on some medications to deal with stress and trauma, but Dr. Otani had them weaned off of it after a period of time to see if any symptoms materialized," she continued. "When symptoms didn't materialize, Dr. Otani concluded that it was safe to let them discontinue their medication. She also concluded that it was safe for them to return to school and be under our counselor's supervision. They have each had appointments with the school counselor every day and the counselor reported no problems, even though the girls seemed tired. However, early yesterday morning, it seemed the girls reached their internal coping limits. I sedated all four of them and had a chat with their fiancés. The boys informed us that they had slept in the same beds as their fiancées throughout the summer which in retrospect may have greatly reduced any trauma.
"The nightmares broke through the sedatives yesterday afternoon and the boys were able to soothe the girls back into a restful sleep. They seemed a bit better when they woke up a little bit ago and seemed more secure with the boys in the room. Observing all of this, I concluded that the best immediate measure would be to allow Jaden, Syrus, Tyson and Bastion to stay with their fiancées. If there were another way that would allow the girls to recover their health without doing this, I wouldn't have suggested it. So you see, everyone, I think the girls' health will improve if the boys move in with them," the auburn-haired nurse concluded grimly.
"Well, Fonda...you make a good case. But I'd like to hear everyone else's opinions," Chancellor Shepherd said, looking around the table.
"Chancellor, this could set a dangerous precedent," Jean-Louis Bonaparte said. He was a rotund short man with a pointed black beard and a dark turquoise jacket. "Students could argue for permanently co-ed dorms!"
"Jean-Louis has a point, Chancellor, and let's not fool ourselves. We have had students who have sneaked around and gotten into trouble. Even with our precautionary care courses and allowing students access to prevention methods haven't stopped it. We've had young women and men leave this academy because they couldn't bring themselves to get those prevention methods. However, we are talking about eight students that have proven themselves trustworthy. They have made commitments to each other and been to Hell and back together. I honestly think we have nothing to fear from allowing this and these four girls will be better for it," Dr. Crowler said. A year ago, he couldn't have seen himself defending what he was now defending, much less a certain "Slifer Slacker" who had actually become very special to him. 'I never thought I'd seriously be the good guy and advocate for Jaden of all students!' he thought ruefully.
"I, for one, agree with Monsieur Bonaparte. Allowing such a thing would break one of the most basic rules this academy was founded on," added Professor Benjamin Stein in his oh-so-monotonous voice. He was still a young man, with longish fluffy dark hair and spectacles. He wore an Obelisk Blue jacket, was a history teacher and was well-known for his monotonous voice. Nearly every student pointed out that his voice was even more monotonous than the comedian and economist with the same name. "I do not believe that cohabitation is a good idea, as it will encourage students to possibly take risks and then demand they sleep with their 'baby's mama or daddy.'"
"Well, I know Bastion and Tyson are wonderful boys. They would do anything for the girls they love, and so would their friends. I say if it helps, then we should allow it," voiced Professor Don Sartyr, the headmaster of Ra Yellow and the card design teacher. He was a happy looking man in the traditional Ra Yellow blazer, with a gray mustache and kind gray eyes along with a soft possibly Spanish accent. He was a bit on the thin side, which belied his status as Duel Academy's finest chef. "I will be glad to do whatever I can to aid in the girls' recovery," he offered.
"Professor Viper? Do you have an opinion?" Shepherd asked.
The large professor from West Academy stood up. His tanned skin, buff muscles and pointy hair made him look very menacing. However, since his alliance with Yubel had crumbled and he was no longer plotting to take Jaden's life energy to somehow resurrect his son, Pierce, Thelonius Viper had turned out to be a very nice guy. "I do have an opinion," he said in his calm baritone, "and these kids have been through the fire...I think, especially since those girls' health is at stake, it's worth the risk." 'I understand what it's like to be a soldier,' he thought, 'and an honorable one. I know what it's like to risk your life to save another. And they've all been through it. I choose to trust them, as they've trusted me…' Jaden and his friends had made an effort to help Thelonius through his own grief at losing Pierce, and the man had been very thankful.
"Ben, Jean-Louis," Crowler added, looking at his two fellow faculty with genuine feeling in his eyes, "I had a hard time admitting this, but...I know for a fact that Jaden Yuki is a good boy and he will not betray our trust. He risked everything this summer. You didn't seem him facing down one of his favorite monsters when she went on a rampage. He fought her hard...Syrus Truesdale, the same way. Trust them. Trust them all."
Professor Stein adjusted his glasses, and something in him gave in. "...Very well, I agree to the suggestion proposed by Fonda," he replied.
Bonaparte looked at Crowler. "You really believe..?"
"Yes I do, mon ami; please," Vellian pleaded softly.
Bonaparte rubbed his fingers on the bridge of his nose, sighed, and then nodded. "Oui..."
"Then...by a show of hands...All in favor?" Shepherd asked. Everyone raised their hands. "The ayes have it!" Shepherd smiled. "Good! So...as to promotion, Fonda, how do we deal with that?"
Fonda smiled. "Well, I think we can just move the boys into Obelisk and not promote them to Obelisk. They would each remain at their respective ranks and stay in their earned blazers, but they would live in Obelisk Blue. They can go back to their old dorm rooms when they want or need to, and the girls can get better. That's my idea." The teachers talked and Miss Fontaine's original proposal that the boys just move into the best dorm was accepted. "So you're not losing two Ras, Don," Fonda smiled at Professor Sartyr, blushing lightly. She couldn't admit it yet, but the pretty nurse was nursing loving feelings toward the Ra professor.
He smiled back. "Even so, I will miss them. They brought a certain flavor to the Ra dorm." 'How beautiful she is,' he thought, unable to keep the thought from his mind.
"They won't be leaving completely...knowing Bastion, he'll need a place to write on the walls," Fonda smiled knowingly.
"He can have as many walls as he likes in Obelisk," Dr. Crowler said. "But he and Tyson like your cooking best."
Professor Sartyr's smile became a grin. "What can I say? I learned from the best, and that is what I serve."
"It's true...and besides, I know at least one Obelisk girl who needs to gain weight," Miss Fonda added, her face becoming a bit worried. "Annie's way too thin..."
"If it would be all right, I can always send over some food to help out," Sartyr offered.
"That would be great," she answered. "The other three will have a bit more spring in their step in a few days...but Annie may take a while to recover..."
"About their class work," Professor Stein spoke up. "I'm guessing that they're too worn out for their lessons, correct?"
"Yes, Ben, they're exhausted...I suppose you've noticed a drop in the quality of the girls' schoolwork?" Fonda inquired
"Yes, especially Annie who's usually an above average student. When do you believe they'll be ready for it again?" he asked, straightening his glasses.
Fonda thought a minute. "I'd say the following...Alexis may be ready as early as next week along with Rosa. Rosa, though, may push herself too hard. We can't allow her to do that. Violet may be ready in a week and a half...Annie, though...we have to watch her carefully."
Crowler nodded in agreement. "Ben, none of those girls is to be pushed before they're ready. They'll relapse..."
The history instructor nodded. "I understand. Fonda, just tell me when I can allow them to have their make-up work."
"You can start sending it, but they'll send it back as they're able. And they all have good nurses besides me," she said with a smile.
"Oh?" Bonaparte asked.
"Yes. Their fiancés are excellent caregivers."
Stein nodded. "I'm certain they'll be sure to pace the girls with their schoolwork." And with that, the teachers agreed to let a Slifer and two Ras, along with an Obelisk boy, move into the Obelisk girls' dorm.
So Jaden is moving out of Slifer… Is that a sign of the Apocalypse? We hope not. But the guys and the teachers being okay with it might just be. We know this is a definitely unorthodox solution to the girls' problems, but under the circumstances when you have four young women who are at the point of collapse and drugs aren't an option, this sort of therapy seems a better option. So next time, we'll see a nice, easy dinner. So next time, join us for "Dinnertime," and until then, please read, review and stay tuned! Thank you in advance for your reviews and for reading!