Chapter V: Dinnertime
Hello, everyone! Glad you could make it for another chapter of Darkness Falls. We were glad to see you reviewing and so many readers. We're always glad to hear from you, good, bad or indifferent. So thanks! Anyway, on with the story!
Last time, Miss Fontaine suggested that Jaden, Sy, Bastion and Tyson all move in with their fiancées and the entire faculty agreed that it was ultimately a good idea. So what will happen next? Read on!
Disclaimer: Uh… --Jaden walks in— Uh…they don't own me or anybody else except for Annie, Violet and Rosa. Peach and 15animefreak15 didn't turn me emo! So they don't own the Yu-Gi-Oh franchise… Uh…what's a franchise? –A hook appears, dragging Jaden off the stage—
Jaden, Syrus Bastion and Tyson were informed an hour after the decision was made that they would be moving into Obelisk Blue as guests, but would not be changing their rank. "We had to call your parents," Chancellor Shepherd explained in the sitting room of Annie and Violet's suite. "This is not the usual way we do things at this school, and I hope you understand the seriousness of the situation and the trust all the teachers are putting in all of you. We know you have all broken the rules in the past, but it's mostly been for good causes… and the occasional prank," the headmaster said calmly. The young men stared, realizing yet again their chancellor's seeming omniscience. "And that means we trust you all. Your parents do as well, and if you find yourselves in… difficulty…" Here the chancellor's friendly face turned slightly red. "We want you to see Miss Fontaine about… protection, okay?"
Poor Jaden was beet red, Bastion had a pink tinge on his cheeks, Syrus looked like he usually did when he was freaked out and Tyson buried his head in his hands. Finally, the Slifer Red young man said, "Yes, sir," in a voice about three octaves higher than his own. He cleared his throat and said again, "Yes, sir. Uh…we're planning to wait, sir, but…we're glad you told us…" 'This is about as bad as talking about that with Mom and Dad! And that didn't really come up until Lex and I got serious!' he groaned mentally.
"Well, I'm glad you've told me that, Jaden," Shepherd grinned sheepishly. "So… just stay here for now and we'll finish the arrangements to move you in." And with that, the chancellor stepped out of the room and away.
"This is bloody strange," Bastion observed when he, Syrus, Jaden and Tyson were in the sitting room alone as the girls slept again.
"Yeah...I didn't think all of the teachers would agree on it. Especially Professors Stein and Bonaparte. And Dr. Crowler even stood up for us!" Syrus replied.
"So...wow...they finally promoted me," Jaden said in awe.
"Sarge...I think we stay in our old barracks' colors," Tyson said.
"Yeah, but we're living in Obelisk Blue...I still want to hang out at Slifer, though," the brown-haired boy said. There was an edge of wistfulness in his voice, for he knew this change was likely permanent.
"Well, we can probably go over there once the girls are feeling better. We're not banned from there now that we're staying here," Syrus reminded his friend.
"Yeah...not like the reverse, huh, Sy?" Jaden grinned. "Y'know...we ought to send Dr. Crowler a fruit basket or something...Without that fake love letter, I don't think Lex and Annie would've really gotten to know us..."
Sy grinned. "You have a point there..." He remembered the events of his first year all too well, particularly the night that had led to him meeting the great love of his live. He knew he would always remember that night and the shy, sweet voice calling his name softly in the darkness and the young woman emerging from the shadows.
"I hope Violet doesn't mind my consistent wall-scribbling," Bastion wondered. "This, gentlemen is going to be almost exactly like married life. Granted, we're still in school, but we're all living together...without our parents to tell us what and what not to do..." The gravity of this really hit him. 'I'm not a boy any longer… With this…I am a man…'
"Private Misawa...Sam Hill, you're right," Tyson said. "It ain't like this summer..." The Texas Ra realized this as well.
Syrus blinked. "Oh man, this is going to be a little...weird. But, at least we're getting, er, practice, right? Thing is...when we're married, Bastion and I won't be living in the same house." They both were staying in Violet and Annie's suite since the girls lived together.
"We could all live in the same apartment building," Jaden commented, "and that'd be cool! I mean we can't expect to get houses first thing, starting out in the pros...Oh, man! I just thought of something else! We don't have jobs...Wait...school's our job...Anyway...we have to move our stuff up here..." The Slifer Red's mind was going a mile a minute, thinking about all the changes.
"It'll kind of be like moving in with your girlfriend," Syrus offered, thinking.
"Major difference here, Private...We're already committed to the women we're movin' in with," Tyson said clearly.
"Yeah," Jaden realized. "We're getting married in a year or so..."
"Oh...and we're probably gonna be planning those weddings, huh?" Sy asked.
The other three boys looked at each other, then at Sy. "Private Truesdale...this is going to be one crazy year," Tyson sighed. "Question is...how in Sam Hill do we set the dates?"
"We could see if the girls want to do the weddings at the same time," Jaden said.
"Yes...Violet and Annie will probably want to be each other's maid of honor," Bastion said thoughtfully.
"We can ask them about having the four weddings at once when they wake up. Of course, there's also the location," Syrus replied.
"Oh, boy," Tyson groaned. "Rosa might want to get married in Spain..."
"Violet might want to be married in Ohio," Bastion said.
"Lex and I'll want to get married in Domino," Jaden said.
"Annie might want to get married in Seattle," Syrus added.
"Well, I suppose we'll cross that bridge when we come to it," Bastion said, knowing the difficulty that might ensue. "In the meantime...let's just worry about getting the girls well. Syrus, I know you'll want Annie to fill out her wedding dress nicely, so you need to fatten her up again," he smiled wryly.
"I know. And maybe when Violet's feeling better, she can help again," Sy replied, smiling.
"I know she'll be glad to help, Syrus," Bastion said with a smile. Just then there was a knock at the door. Bastion got up and answered. "Oh, Professor Sartyr! Hello!"
"Hello, Bastion! Hello, boys!! I brought a little something for you to have for dinner since you'll be watching the girls," Professor Sartyr greeted, holding up a large bag of food.
"Thanks, Commander Sartyr!" Tyson said.
"Man, Professor Sartyr, you didn't have to do this!" Jaden added. "But thanks!"
"Yeah, thanks a lot!" Syrus added, smiling.
"It was my pleasure, boys. It is wonderful to see how much you care for these girls," the teacher replied, setting the food down. "I made some stew and fresh bread for you all," he added.
Syrus's smile widened. "I remember that duel you had with Tyson last year. And how we had curry afterwards..."
Tyson, Bastion and Jaden all started laughing at the memory. "One of the craziest ways to get to the chow line ever!"
"Yeah! That duel rocked!" Jaden grinned. "You want to join us, Professor?"
"Please do, sir," Bastion added eagerly.
"Well...all right. I suppose it couldn't hurt," Professor Sartyr answered, smiling.
"Thank you, sir," Bastion said.
Suddenly, Violet poked her head into the sitting room, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. "Please tell me I'm not still dreaming and that's real food..."
"Oh, darling, you're up!" Bastion said, getting up, heading to his love and kissing her gently. "You're not dreaming and Professor Sartyr brought over his good stew and bread..."
"Wonder if the other girls are waking up?" Jaden said.
"I think Annie's up," Violet replied, eyes fixated on the bag of dinner. Then, Alexis and Rosa were standing in the other doorway.
"So are we," Alexis stated tiredly. The three young women standing in the doorway, though still tired, looked a bit better than they had a few short hours before. Rosa's features had gone from grayish to the healthier olive tone everyone was accustomed to. Alexis's brown eyes were brighter and Violet's eyes and cheeks were brighter.
The young men got to their fiancées and helped them to the couches. "Up for some dinner, Lex?" Jaden asked.
"Got some chow for you, Spanish Rose," Tyson added.
Meanwhile, Annie was wobbling from her bed to the bedroom door. "Oooh," she groaned softly, hating herself for being so weak.
Alexis nodded at Jaden as Syrus quickly went to Annie, helping her out of her room and over to a seat. "Do you feel up to eating anything, Annie? It'll make you feel better..."
Annie nodded. "Yeah, I'm starving. Oh, hi, Professor Sartyr. Did you bring dinner?" she asked happily. "Wow...I'm actually hungry..."
"That I did, Annie. I hope you girls will enjoy it," Sartyr replied as he passed around bowls and spoons.
Syrus smiled. "That's good, Annie. You need to get your strength up..."
The teens all got bowls of stew and the young men helped their fiancées if they needed assistance. Tyson gently handed Rosa a bowl of stew. "All right, darlin', you need to eat...can you feed yourself okay?"
She nodded. The sleep had given her some of her strength back, and she was too determined to let her muscles fail her. "Si, I can," Rosa answered, and started eating.
"Lex...babe, here you are," Jaden said. "You okay to eat without help?"
Alexis held the bowl and spoon a bit shakily, but felt she could do so just fine. "Yeah, I'm okay, Jay..."
"Okay..."
Bastion got a bowl for Violet. "Darling, can you feed yourself?" he asked, concerned.
Violet took the bowl, blinking when a few drops landed on her feet. Her hands were shaking so much she had to set the bowl back down. "Uh...you think it'd be the same with a spoon?" she asked, sweat-dropping.
"It's all right, darling...I'll help you...minus the mention of Oxygeddons," he smiled sheepishly, remembering when she was at Cleveland General.
She giggled a bit. "Sounds good to me..."
Meanwhile, Annie reached for the bowl, but she was just too weak. "Sy..."
"It's okay, Annie. I'll help you," he replied. Syrus took the bowl, gathering a spoonful and blowing gently to cool it. "Here..."
Annie took a bite and her eyes closed in pleasure. "Oh, yum...this tastes so good..."
The other girls, having also tried some by this point, nodded in agreement. "Muy delicioso," Rosa stated.
Professor Sartyr grinned, eating the stew in a very genteel way. "Thank you, girls. I'm glad you like it."
"Yeah," Tyson said, taking a bite too. "Thanks, sir. This is the best."
"Yeah, Professor!" Jaden grinned.
Sy was busy feeding Annie as she was eating better than she'd eaten since her attack in July. "Gosh...I'm actually eating," she said, astonished.
Syrus smiled. "I know...it's great that you are, Annie," he replied.
Violet paused in her eating to send a grin her best friend's way. "Yay, Annie!!"
Tyson ate thoughtfully, grateful that Rosa was where she was and her tremors were nearly gone from her. Jaden, too, looked at Alexis. She'd been the least injured of the four girls and yet she'd still been weak. She was much better now if she could eat on her own. "Violet, eat as much as you can," Bastion said as he spooned a little more stew up. Violet grinned and nodded, taking the spoonful of stew...and then pulling the spoon out of his hand playfully. It was just like back at the hospital.
"Annie, you eat as much as you can, too. Okay?" Syrus stated, giving her some more of the stew.
Annie nodded. "Okay..." He fed her the whole bowl and all four girls were able to eat the bread on their own. Annie smiled as she chewed. "Professor Sartyr, do you have a good spot to proof the bread dough?"
"Why, yes I do, Annie. But I'm afraid it's a secret. We can't have Dorothy finding out and using it," he replied, grinning.
"Proof? You mean like in math??" Violet asked.
"Violet, proofing is what you say when you're talking about the bread rising," Annie said. "I'm surprised you didn't know that..."
The purple-headed girl blushed a little. "I never paid attention to the fancy terms they mentioned in cooking class. It's easier to just say 'bread rising' than try to remember 'proof', and then have to explain it to someone who doesn't know," Violet explained simply, taking another bite.
"That's cool," Annie answered. "When I was back home, I used the room with our hot water heater to get my foccacia bread to rise. We had a shelf that I could use. I covered the dough and set it on the shelf. Bastion, I think you'd appreciate the need for proper conditions?"
"Yes I would...baking is definitely like chemistry...until you get to the decoration," he answered with a knowing smile.
"Then, it's like art! One of my favorite parts of cooking is the decoration and setting the plate." Violet stated happily.
"Hey, Annie, what's foccacia bread?" Syrus asked.
"Foccacia is a flat bread and it has herbs, cheese or olives or a combination of things on it. I do a combo of herbs, olive oil and sea salt on mine," the blue-eyed young woman answered.
Violet blinked. "Really? I do Swiss cheese, rosemary, and thyme foccacia bread. I can only make it a certain time of year, though."
"The summer?" Annie guessed.
Violet nodded. "Sometimes in spring, too. It's hard getting the right conditions."
"Yeah, I understand. I tried making the bread here at school once and...it didn't work out so well," Annie admitted.
Syrus glanced at the other guys in the room, then cleared his throat. "Uh, girls? Do you four feel up to talking about the, er, weddings??" he asked.
Violet grinned. "I'm up for it!" she replied eagerly.
"Yeah. Me, too," added Alexis. Rosa nodded in agreement.
"All right," Annie agreed.
"This should be interesting," Bastion added.
"Yeah, let's talk about the nuptials!" Tyson grinned. Jaden nodded too, looking a little nervous.
"Well, I'll be going, then. I wouldn't want to intrude on such a private matter," Professor Sartyr stated as he stood, gathering up what was left into the bag.
"Well, thanks, Professor, for the great dinner and thanks for joining us!" Jaden grinned.
"Yes, thank you, sir!" Bastion added.
"Thanks, Professor!" Tyson grinned.
"Thanks again, Professor," Annie added. "I really enjoyed it!"
"Yeah, we enjoyed your company," Alexis smiled.
"You're a great cook!" Violet added.
"Gracias, Senor Sartyr!" Rosa said.
"Yeah, thanks, Professor," Syrus added. He smiled and gave a wave before taking his leave.
Annie laid her head against Sy. "That was so yummy...I'll gain my weight back in no time!" she said cheerfully. "So...you guys are already thinking about the weddings?"
Syrus blushed a little. "Well, uh, we were thinking how us moving in is kind of like when we're going to live together. And that led to thinking about the weddings..."
"Oh...yeah," Annie realized. "Guess this summer wasn't enough like it..."
"Yeah...we don't have our parents to keep an eye on us anymore," Jaden pointed out.
"Well...about the weddings," Violet began, grinning. "I'm guessing I wasn't the only one who thought of having them all together, right?"
"You too?" Annie and the guys asked.
Violet sweat-dropped, clearly surprised. "Yeah..."
Alexis nodded. "I have, too..."
"Rosa? What about you, darlin'?" Tyson asked.
She nodded. "Si...but there is one problema..."
"What's that?" he asked, concerned. 'Oh no… I ain't gotta wrestle her daddy again, do I?' he thought in horror, but fortunately the Spanish girl erased his nightmare with one word.
"Location."
They all looked at each other. "That is a problem," Bastion said. "If we could find a neutral site that everyone could agree on..."
Annie thought and then smiled. "OH! I've got it!!!"
"What??" almost every other person asked, eyes wide.
"Here!" she answered, face lit up like a Christmas tree.
Violet blinked a few times. "....Here? You mean at Duel Academy??"
"Yeah!" Annie said excitedly. "It could work! We could have the wedding outside and not have to worry about guest lists and it'd be a neutral site where we've spent some of the best years of our lives!"
"But would the chancellor allow it?" Syrus asked.
"Wouldn't hurt to ask, if everybody likes the idea," Annie said, looking a little nervous. Tyson, Bastion and Jaden looked at their fiancées, shocked that it might just be this easy.
Violet shrugged. "Sounds good to me," she replied.
"Yeah, it'd be different," added Alexis.
"Si, I agree," Rosa stated.
"And I think we'd be the first couples ever married here," Annie added.
"Well, if that's what you want, Lex, then that's great!" Jaden said. Bastion and Tyson nodded in agreement.
"Well, that takes care of some of the logistics," Bastion said. "Hmmm...we could have dancing in one of the arenas..."
"Hey...and none of us has to worry about who'll be best man if we're all getting married at the same time!" Jaden added.
"But we still need a best man, Jay," Syrus reminded.
"And maids of honor!" added Violet.
Annie smiled. "Well...Violet...there's no one I'd rather have than you..."
She grinned. "Right back at ya, Annie! But can we do that if we're both getting married at the same time...?"
Bastion looked thoughtful. "There's no rule that says you can't have that...and...guys...well...I'd have a very difficult time picking a best man...you're my best friends," he said gravely, unable to keep the emotion from his voice.
Syrus smiled. "Same here. I mean, I might pick Jay, but you guys are all my friends."
Violet sighed. "This is hard...."
"Aw, gosh..." Tyson groaned smiling and trying to hide tears. "I can't choose, either...I won't have any shortage of groomsmen...I know Juan, Bruno, Jacobo, Jesus and Horatio will want to take part, but...my best man's my platoon leader...Sarge..."
"Aw, man, Tyson," Jaden sighed, laughing. "Maybe us getting married on the same day together would mean we're just doing everything together...and some people don't have official best men...they have co-best buddies..."
Violet sighed, leaning back in her seat. "If only it were possible for us all to be each others' maids of honor and best man..."
Annie looked at Sy, an idea coming to her mind. "Honey, could you get my laptop? It's in my bedroom..."
Sy blinked. "Oh, okay, Annie." Syrus left for a moment, then returned with the laptop Annie had asked for.
She flipped it open and looked up quadruple weddings. "Oh boy...this may get complicated..."
"Well, I think we kind of figured that out already...but how much worse is it than we originally thought?" Alexis asked.
"There aren't rules to cover this...I guess...we make our own rules..."
"Wait...what??" Violet asked.
"There isn't much at all about quadruple weddings," Annie explained. "And all I can find is on double weddings. They don't say anything about groomsmen or bridesmaids or maids of honor. I have however seen that when sisters who are really close get married, they don't have maids of honor because their maid of honor's already there!"
"So...in other words, you're saying we don't really need to name anyone a maid of honor or best man? They'll just be there??"
Annie nodded. "Yeah...and we'll mention it in the program..."
"Well, glad we don't have to worry about that. But there's still a lot we need to plan," Alexis stated, sighing.
"Yeah...colors...how do we agree on that?" Annie asked, worried. "We have to figure out flowers, the cakes..."
"Guys, don't panic. How hard can it be?" Jaden asked.
"There's a lot we need to plan. And then there's the cost," Syrus replied, grimacing.
"Huh?" Jaden asked.
"Yes, Jaden...these things aren't free, you know," Bastion answered, sighing patiently.
"Well...how much does a wedding cost? A thousand bucks?" Jaden guessed. Annie's jaw dropped.
Violet thought for a moment, trying to remember what her parents had told her when she'd asked earlier in the summer. "Uh...I think Mom said they usually go from 20,000 to 70,000 dollars. And that doesn't include honeymoon and ring."
Jaden's face drained of color. "That much?"
"Sam Hill," Tyson groaned.
"Oh, bugger, bugger, bugger," Bastion added.
"Of course...there's always plan B," Annie suggested, with a slightly naughty grin on her face.
"And what would that be?" Alexis asked, bewildered at the dark-haired girl's wicked grin.
"We could run to Las Vegas over winter break," Annie answered, smiling sheepishly.
Violet's face lit up like a Christmas tree. "The land of 24-hour chapels and weddings at half the price and all the glamour!" she squealed. Violet loved Las Vegas and the idea of a quick wedding there sounded like fun. However, she still loved the idea of everyone getting married together at Duel Academy.
Annie's eyes widened, figuring another solution. "How about plan C...We get married here and split the cost and we can do a lot of stuff ourselves..."
"Oh, all right," Violet agreed, smiling.
"That should work," added Alexis, grinning at the thought of the wedding being easy. Rosa nodded in agreement.
"Spanish Rose...is everything all right?" Tyson asked, concerned that his future bride was so quiet.
She had been stifling her yawns pretty well, but knew he could probably see how tired she was. In fact, all of the girls looked pretty tired after filling their stomachs with warm stew and bread. "Er...no..."
Tyson caught it. "You need some shut-eye..."
"Babe, you do too..." Jaden said, as Alexis unsuccessfully tried to hide a yawn.
"Violet...you need rest as well," Bastion added. Annie, too, yawned, despite her excited burst of energy.
"Especially you, Annie. You're still a little sick," added Syrus, still worried about his fiancée. He couldn't help it after the summer and her nearly being taken from him in the early fall.
Violet sighed. "All right, all right, we get it. We'll get some sleep," she groaned. She knew the guys were only trying to help, but she wished they wouldn't be such worrywarts. Heck, Bastion was acting like she'd shatter like a Ming vase!
The boys helped the girls back to bed. "There you are, darling," Bastion said to Violet, making her comfortable. Annie yawned again as Sy got her into bed.
"You just rest, Annie. I'll be here if you need me," Syrus stated quietly.
"Mmmhmmm," Annie murmured, nearly asleep already. Her burst of enthusiasm had taken most of her energy and so her eyes closed fairly quickly, her breathing slowed and soon she was dreaming peacefully with her love close to her.
Meanwhile in the other room, Tyson and Jaden got their fiancées settled. "Just relax, Spanish Rose," Tyson soothed, starting to sing softly. Rosa didn't answer, asleep almost as soon as her head hit the pillow.
Jaden too, got Alexis comfortable. "It's okay, babe...Just remember, Yubel won't hurt us anymore..."
Alexis nodded, eyes starting to close. "I know, Jay...it'll be easier knowing you're nearby..."
"Yeah..." Jaden said softly. "I'll be here all night..." He rubbed her back gently until she drifted off. And then, as it was only 8:30 PM, the four young men headed into the sitting room, did their homework, played video games and then headed to bed themselves.
So it seems dinner went off without a problem. Yes, guys, we're actually giving the gang breaks before chaos reigns again. It may be a bit before Darkness shows up, but in the meantime, we will have the sweet romantic chaos of wedding plans and living together. So next time, join us for "Moving Day!" So until next time, please read, review and stay tuned! Thank you, as always because you fans all make it worthwhile!