Chapter XIV: Phantasms
Hello again, GX fans and fans of our story! Wow, lots of reviews this time, again! Not all of them were complimentary and we remember the words of the immortal Aesop: "You can't please everyone." Now, dear readers, Peach strongly suggests that you go to her profile and read her section entitled "Criticism Definitions 101" in order to best understand the difference between a flame, negative criticism and constructive criticism. Whenever you make a review, be it good or bad, be prepared to defend it reasonably.
Everyone is welcome to exercise their freedom of speech; no one is disputing that. Freedom of speech goes both ways, however. If you say a character is a "Sue," for example, be prepared to explain why. You cannot just use a label and assume that everyone will agree with you. It may, in fact, be a matter of opinion. You may think it is a fact and others may agree with you, but consensus among a group does not make something a fact. Also, because an author does not or authors do not agree with your view does not mean the view is ignored or dismissed as a "flame." It means that someone disagrees. Too often in the world, we hear that people "didn't listen" because they didn't do as someone thought they should.
Furthermore, we would also like to remind you, as is stated in Peach's profile and in this collection that this timeline does not follow canon as we know it. Yes, we have some events that have occurred, but some did not because our timeline changes it. And such changes mean that the characters will be a bit different than we saw in the series. To make a change to a timeline means that you will alter events, thereby altering how a character or characters learn and grow. An example of this sort of story is Dark Horse Comics' "Star Wars: Infinities" series, where one specific event changed the course of events in the Star Wars universe. If you don't like this type of story, then perhaps it is not for you.
Now before we move on, we'd like to give credit to Qu-ko for disagreeing with how we've written this story, but also being willing to engage in conversation and accepting with grace and civility that we have a different viewpoint about our universe. She may disagree, but she is willing to talk. We'd also like to thank MemoryStick for also being willing to engage us in civil conversation as well. We might disagree with each other, but we can accept that each of us has different viewpoints and also perhaps find common ground.
As for the reviewer known as Teacher, if you'd like to engage in civil discussion, get an account and make a review from that account or post your email address in the space provided for the purpose in anonymous reviews. Or if you are who some people believe you to be, post from one of your two known accounts and allow us the opportunity to engage you in discussion. Neither of us will "flame" you, but we may respectfully disagree with you and we will explain why.
Finally to our loyal fans, we appreciate the defense, but sometimes, it is necessary to remember the adage that one must pick one's battles. You may like our story, but these other reviewers don't and are unlikely to change their minds. So please keep that in mind when you review. We thank you very much for your attention. Now on with the show!
Last time, Jaden's parents, Alexis, Atticus and Chazz's mom and dad, Yugi, Kisara and a very gifted counselor came to help the troubled Slifer and the rest of the gang. Dr. Otani decided that she needed to observe Jaden alone in his bed to see if his security lay in the people around him. So what will the evening bring? Read on…
Disclaimer: Yet again… we don't own GX. What we do own are our OCs, this plotline and our interpretations.
Authors' note: We'd like to thank the Mayo Clinic website as well as other websites that deal with post-traumatic stress disorder, and also RGZ Archer for their invaluable contributions to our understanding of the disorder. We believe that Jaden's reaction is true to him, given how bad his nightmares were when he was a little boy. The nightmare also is a worse vision of the third season. We know it didn't happen this way, but in Jaden's worst nightmares, he sees something worse than what we know occurred in canon. Thank you for your attention.
The late afternoon turned to evening and the group, save Alexis, Jayda, Hisoka and Karen Otani, went to their rooms. "I hate leavin' the Sarge like this," Tyson groaned softly in Spanish.
"We all do...but it must be done. It is for the best... Besides, he still has those closest to him there in case anything happens," Rosa soothed, remembering her own nightmare and the comfort that her fiancé had provided for her.
"Yeah... but dang it... I feel like... I'm abandonin' him," he answered, keeping her hand in his as they walked to the room.
She looked down, frowning. "My brother, Horatio, said the same thing when he left to go to art school...but he was worried for me."
Tyson got a soft expression on his face, realizing something about abandonment. "Remember my neighbor, George? He said to my daddy that when his mama was goin' through a rough patch after his baby sister died, he felt like he would be abandonin' his mama if he went out to play..."
Rosa looked up at him in slight surprise, but smiled a little as well. "That is what I thought if one of my brothers were injured."
Tyson's expression went from soft to content. "Hmmm... I guess we aren't really abandonin' him... We're right here..."
Rosa nodded. "Yes. We are still with him...just not beside him."
"Yeah," he agreed. And so they got in their room and got ready for bed.
Up on the third floor a short time later, Annie step-thumped to the bed on her crutches. "Sy, honey, are you okay?" she asked. He'd been quiet all the way up to the room and now he sat on the edge of the bed, looking away from her.
Syrus sighed heavily. "I don't know..."
Annie scooted to him, already in her night shirt. She put her arms around him, putting all her love for him into a hug. "Just... talk it out," she murmured.
Syrus's head dropped a little. "I don't..." He slowly reached up to place his hands on the arms wrapped around him. "I don't...know what I want to say..."
"To me? Or Jaden? Or you're not sure of what you're feeling?" she wondered, keeping him in the hug.
You...Jay...I-I don't know, maybe all three... It's so much," he whispered, shaking a little.
She lay down on the bed, taking him with her. She kept him wrapped in her arms, his head resting against her chest. "I'm here," she murmured softly. "I'm here..." His body continued to shake as hot tears slowly slipped out of his tightly closed eyes, dampening the front of her nightshirt. He didn't even understand what was making him cry like this...or maybe he did. It was just too confusing, too many things were happening at one time. Annie rubbed his back gently, trying to comfort him. She made soft soothing noises as well. Finally she spoke. "You're afraid something bad will happen..."
Syrus sniffled a little, opening his watery eyes slightly. "M-Maybe...it's just...all happening again...like it always does..."
"Or maybe," she said softly, stroking his hair, "maybe it's just a coincidence and all the stuff that happened... Jaden needs to release it..."
"If it was just Jaden...maybe... But..." He looked up at her with a serious expression. "There's Rosa, too... What if someone else gets like this, too? What if..."
Annie kept alternating between stroking his hair and rubbing his back. "Sy... if something like that happens... We have help and we will pull through it together. We've all been hurt in some way, and I know you've dealt with more that a lot of us..." She knew all too well that the events of the past two years had taken their toll on Syrus. He was so gentle and sweet that all of this could've broken him.
It likely would have, had it not been for his fiancée, surrogate brother, close friends, and finally his blood brother opening up at long last. Syrus sniffled again, comforted by her movements and words. "I-I guess you're right...we always have gotten through stuff like this together..."
"And you've had to watch it all... You're stronger than a lot of people think," she said, shifting so she could meet his silvery-gray eyes.
"I guess I am...especially since our first year... I wanted to make myself stronger so that I could actually do something...and to help you," he replied, managing a small smile.
"I think you've helped Jaden, and I know you helped Zane pull through his darkest hour. When he came back here, you kept him together," she smiled back.
"You...you really think so?" he asked.
She nodded. "I know so. What if Zane hadn't come back to us? I don't want to think of the possibility..."
He looked down. "Neither do I..."
She sighed as he rested against her chest once more. "Well, maybe it's good we haven't found out. But we are going to pull Jaden through this. All of us will... Sy... we're all fighting this together... I think Axel and Tyson were right. We've all got it to some degree..."
"You mean...the PTSD?"
Annie nodded solemnly. "Think about it. We've all had definite traumas in the past two years. And the way we react... it's entirely possible we have PTSD... But we'll get through it together. It may be mild for most of us..."
"If it's mild...then how is it different from what Jaden has?" Syrus asked, a little confused.
"Sy," Annie began, "Jaden's reacted differently than us, and he's had more to deal with. And what he said about not having friends early on... And then remember how he mentioned what happened to his mom?"
Syrus nodded. "Yeah...I guess I can see why his is so much worse than ours... He only had his parents before he came to Duel Academy..." Most of their group had had siblings or friends, but Jaden was an only child with no friends.
"And he almost lost his mom after Yubel left and he was going through those nightmares," she sighed, referring to Jaden's mother's bout with a form of breast cancer. "But now he does have us, and we aren't ditching him. Those kids were meaner to him than my classmates at my old school."
"Yeah...they were even meaner than that bully I dueled in elementary school," he agreed, frowning at the old memory that had haunted him during their first year.
"You might've won or lost that duel, hon, but… you at least stood up to him," she smiled.
He nodded, matching her smile. "I know that now...I wish all duels could just be like that..." Of course, he was referring to the shadow games, or even the true shadow games that killed the loser and trapped their soul in the Shadow Realm.
"Me, too, Sy... me too," she answered softly, kissing him softly on the lips. He returned the kiss, but neither put anything more into it. It was late and had been a long day, both teens had heavy worries on their minds. Somehow, Sy and Annie fell into a deep sleep where neither one recalled dreaming.
In the other room in the suite, Bastion stood in his green flannel boxer shorts and green t-shirt staring out the window out to the ocean. However, it is questionable if he actually was looking at the ocean. For once, both he and Violet had been pretty quiet since returning to their room. They'd both changed; Violet into pink pants and an old yellow souvenir shirt she'd gotten from a school trip to Washington, D.C. While Bastion stared out the window, she had been diligently brushing out her hair. Finally, she sighed and set down the brush, sliding off the bed to walk over to her fiancé. Wrapping her slim arms around his waist from behind, she rested her cheek against his muscular back. "Bastion...I know you're not looking at the view," she muttered quietly.
He jerked slightly out of his reverie and placed his hands on the pair that was touching his chest. "I suppose you're right, darling. This... this is one of those moments where I wish pure logic could see us through. Jaden is psychologically in shambles. If it wasn't for him, and the rest of you, I doubt I'd be the person I am. He saw through me and made friends..."
She couldn't help but smile, turning to nuzzle her nose into his slightly ticklish back and breathing in his scent. "I know...he did that with all of us, I think. But I see you still try turning to logic for answers...you haven't changed as much as you think."
Bastion chuckled at her touch and turned so he could put his arms around her. He sobered. "Violet, love, old habits die hard. And whenever something like this happens, it seems old patterns come into play..."
Violet looked up at him in understanding. "You're right. I have to stop myself when I start thinking this is somehow my fault because I'm bad luck... We both have hard habits to break."
Bastion nodded, gray eyes clearly worried. "This is not your fault. What happened to Jaden occurred before any of us knew him. That he's actually remained as he has been is probably nothing short of a miracle. Children and teens are worse off with PTSD, apparently. When I was small, I was watching Dr. Phil with Mum, and the show mentioned that children who are placed in foster care for example undergo more trauma than people who served in Iraq and Afghanistan. Children can adapt to nearly any situation, but the damage can be critical."
It was a long moment before Violet replied, having lost track of Bastion's long rambling as usual. When her brain finally caught up, she blinked. "Oh...well, we all kind of have it, don't we? I think it changed each of us in varying degrees...I mean, whether it showed or not..."
Bastion nodded. "We've all been nearly killed... injured emotionally... Jaden's just the one who has it the worst..."
"And...I don't think Chazz is too far behind," Violet added after a moment's consideration.
"Hmmm... Chazz was through significant trauma as well. How he kept his sanity... Chazz suffered things that Jaden didn't... I wonder what kept Chazz sane..."
"Maybe the only thing that in the end can keep most people sane...the thought that things will get better, that there's a light at the end of the tunnel."
Bastion finally managed a smile at that. "I think so, love. Hope can be a wonderful motivator. You have been that for me..."
Violet grinned happily. "And you've been a big source of hope for me, Bastion-baby. More than once..."
He leaned down and kissed her gently. "I just wish," he said when they broke apart, "that I could've saved you better..."
Violet smiled softly, reaching up to place her hand on his cheek. "All that matters is that you saved me... We're both alive and well because of you."
Bastion held her to him again, smiling back. But deep within him, a part of his psyche wondered, "Are we really well?" For there was a very strong undercurrent of doubt and pain from his own failures. And at the same time, Violet's own subconscious let the same question slip. But rather than failures, it was a different feeling making her doubtful. Fear. Of the past repeating itself without warning.
"Darling, let's try to get some rest," Bastion murmured. "I have a presentiment we'll need it in the next few days..."
Violet yawned. "Sounds good to me. Let's hit the hay!"
They walked to the bed, wrapped in the safety of each other's arms, and snuggled in the bed. "Good night, love," Bastion murmured as she rested her head against his muscular chest.
Violet smiled as she closed her eyes. "Good night, Bastion..."
But Bastion lay awake for nearly an hour after Violet drifted off to sleep. 'Can I protect her this time? Or will I fail?' he wondered in his head. Though he couldn't see it, a shadow in the room grinned with malevolence.
All over the academy, students were falling asleep. Down at Slifer, Chazz Rhodes lay in his bed, trying to relax, knowing that his sister was up at Obelisk, scared for her fiancé. And he knew that Jaden would be scared if he woke up and found that Alexis wasn't in bed with him. 'Don't let anything bad happen,' he mentally prayed. 'Jaden's had enough... let him have tonight... Please?'
And back at Obelisk, Aster Phoenix sighed in the room he'd gotten late last school year. "This is my fault... part of it," he sighed to himself. He'd heard from Atticus this afternoon what had happened, and it hurt because he still felt partly responsible for what had happened with Sartorius. "But... I can help make it right," he said, looking at the card he held, Destiny Hero Dark Angel. "Right, Dad?" he asked, wishing that his father could answer somewhere other than in his head.
"Right, son... Just believe in your abilities and trust your new friends... I'm here for you," whispered a voice, barely audible because of how faint it was, as if its owner was far, far away.
Aster smiled, just able to hear that voice. "Thanks, Dad... I miss you so much..."
"I miss you too, Aster... Sleep now...you'll need your strength..." Aster's father, like most spirits, could sense the impending danger. But he couldn't tell his son. And so Aster climbed into bed, tucking Dark Angel into the breast pocket on his pajamas. He fell asleep peacefully, and no dreams scared him.
In another room in the girls' dorms, Mindy and Jasmine lay awake in their beds, wishing they could be with their boyfriends on this night. Mindy and Jasmine, upon moving out of the room they had shared with Alexis for two years, had moved into a suite not unlike Annie and Violet's room. But instead of both girls sleeping in separate rooms, they had requested and gotten a set of white bunk beds for one of the bedrooms. They used the other bedroom as a combination walk-in closet and study nook. Tonight, both young women were glad for the arrangement. Mindy shifted in her bed on the top bunk and called softly, "Jasmine... you awake?"
Jasmine sighed, rolling over onto her back. "Yeah..."
The dark-haired girl stuck her head over the edge of her bed and looked down. "We're both worried about the same thing, aren't we?"
Jasmine propped herself up on her elbows, looking up at her black-haired friend. "That depends... What are you worried about?"
Mindy sighed, brushing her coal-black tresses and making out Jasmine's auburn locks in the low light of the night light in the bedroom. "I'm worried about everybody... including Chazz..."
"Then...yeah, I guess we are. Jay… Chazz... Rosa... I'm getting a bad feeling here..."
"Yeah. They've been through so many bad things... I mean, Rosa's ex-boyfriend tried to kill her, Chazz's... they're not his brothers anymore... tried to kill him... And Jaden... every bad guy we've faced seems to go after him... But they go after us too..."
Jasmine nodded. "But...I think that's because of two reasons. Either they're going after everyone, but consider Jaden a threat... Or they target us too because we're close to him."
"Yeah... it's probably because they know we're his damage point. If we're gone, he might give up... Or he'll make dumb mistakes and get captured..."
"He puts himself at risk to save us... Who wouldn't use that to their advantage?" Neither of the girls knew that Darkness was watching, their words only confirming his plans.
"Exactly... That's what makes Jaden Jaden... I think we both knew that when he didn't leave Sy hanging..."
"So did Alexis...no wonder she fell for him," Jasmine mused, remembering that night two years previously when they had kidnapped Syrus in order to lure Jaden into a duel.
Mindy nodded. "But he wasn't my type..."
"Mine neither... I think we found good guys of our own," Jasmine said, smiling.
"We did... I know I have to be slow with Chazz," Mindy explained. "He's not ready for a lot yet..."
"With Atticus...I just need to keep an eye on those fan girls of his. And remember that half of what he says is innocent teasing," the redhead nodded with a slight smile.
Mindy smiled. "Yeah... half the girls on campus were jealous when you two started dating..."
The redhead sweat-dropped, remembering the first week after they started seeing each other. "That...was a lot of death glares I received..."
"Yeah... well, I think it's great you got him... I think you guys needed each other... And you fit..."
"I guess we do... I never thought it would be him, though... Did you think it would be Chazz?"
Mindy was grateful for the low light because now she was turning red. "I thought he'd be nice to get to know... But I really wasn't sure. I found out at the end of the last school year that he was... And we emailed each other and IMd when we could..."
"Atticus was kind of out-of-the-blue for me... I mean, I had a crush, but so did almost every other girl... I was surprised when he said he'd go out with me..."
"Yeah. He's really nice and such a gentleman," Mindy answered, yawning, finally.
Jasmine grinned. "Tired?"
The raven-haired girl's next yawn said it for her. "I just wish Chazz was here..."
The other young woman's grin turned into a slight frown. "Yeah...it would be nice to have Atty here," she muttered, dropping to the pillow.
"We'll... see them in the morning," Mindy murmured as her head hit the pillow.
"You're right...night, Mindy," Jasmine said through a yawn, closing her eyes. And both girls were sound asleep, dreaming of their boyfriends.
All was peaceful in the Duel Academy dormitories until about 1 AM. As most students slept, one young woman began to toss in her fiancé's strong arms. It was another nightmare. But fortunately for Rosa, it was a normal one that a person might have every now and then. In her dream, Rosa was no longer a teenager. Instead, she was a little girl around the age of six or seven, wearing a dress similar to the ones she wore at Duel Academy. It was her first day of school, and it was the first time she was meeting other children face-to-face. All had been going well, until the children were allowed a short break between lessons to go outside and play. The boys quickly started a game of football, or soccer as it was called in America.
The girls all grouped together and started playing with their homemade dolls. Rosa had never been one to play with dolls, so she turned her attention to the football match. "Can I play?" she asked excitedly.
The boys all looked at her with incredulous expressions. "You? Play football? But you're a girl!"
"Girls are too weak to play football!"
"Go play dolls with the other girls!" the boys jeered, going back to their game and not giving Rosa a second glance. Rosa frowned, fist clenching. She wouldn't cry...crying was for weaklings. No one in her family ever cried. Seeing another football, or soccer ball, Rosa picked it up and walked over to the girls.
She still didn't like dolls much, and hoped they would play football with her. "Do you want to play football with me?" she asked hopefully.
The girls looked up from their dolls in surprise and distaste. "Football?"
"That's a boy game!"
"We'd get our dolls dirty!"
"If you want to get all dirty and smelly like a boy, go play with them!" The girls' snappy replies made Rosa cringe, and she turned away. With no one to play with, she walked sadly over to a wall and played by herself, using the wall to have the ball bounce back to her. Once, she missed, and the ball rolled past her. Turning around, she was met by her classmates' taunting faces.
"Are you a girl or a boy?"
"Maybe she's both!"
"She's so strange!"
"She's a boy-girl!"
"Chicao, chicao!!" The insult, a cross between "chico" for boy and "chica" for girl, rang around Rosa like endless jabs to her emotions. "Rosadina Terelino, you're the only boy-girl!"
Younger Rosa fell to her knees, returning to her teenage self and burying her face in her hands. "I am not a chicao...I'm not...I'm a girl..." Darkness slowly seeped into the previously harmless nightmare, apparently having decided to create more distress for Rosa and more tension for the group at the worst of times. The nightmare took a dark turn...
Jorge Quienso, a young man with raven hair and olive skin, along with piercing brown eyes appeared in her dreams. In life, he had been cunning and evil and at first, hadn't looked intimidating. But in Rosa's nightmare, his face was contorted into pure malevolence. "Rosa... you are mine," he said, grabbing her wrist possessively.
Rosa stared at the nightmarish version of her ex-suitor, the same person who had tried to kill both Tyson and herself out of jealousy. Jorge had indeed grabbed her a few times when they had been alone back in Calientara, but this felt different...more threatening. Still, she frowned and glared at him. "Wrong. I belong to no one, Jorge! Now let go of me!"
Instead of letting go, he twisted her arm, which caused her shoulder to rotate painfully. "I am your suitor," he countered, "and I will do with you as I please!"
She gritted her teeth, eyes narrowing slightly in pain. "You...are only a suitor! You are not my husband and never will be! My father will never let someone like you marry me!!"
"I have won the challenge," he growled softly, "and that means I will be your husband." He abruptly pulled her to him and kissed her roughly. It was a predatory kiss, devoid of love, showing only animal lust. He would take what he wanted from her, no matter her wishes.
She pushed against him, trying to back out of the kiss. It didn't make her feel warm and tingly, it only left her cold and sent a shiver down her spine. But he had his arms tightly around her, and he was stronger than her father. In reality, Rosa pulled in a sharp breath, pushing roughly against Tyson. His arms felt too much like...HIS arms. But in her dreams, it was Jorge she was trying to get away from.
Tyson, in the real world, awoke abruptly at the shove and fell out of bed. "SAM HILL! Rosa?!" he yelped, getting off his butt and back in bed. "Darlin'! Wake up!" he called out.
But in the nightmare, Jorge jerked when Rosa managed to break free, but he still held her wrist. "How dare you?!" he shouted, his open palm moving to strike her hard across the face.
Rosa let out a small cry of pain, both in the nightmare and in real life. She forced back tears as she shakily lifted a hand to the red mark in her dream. "L-Let go of me! I'm not yours!" she stammered, wondering where her true fiancé was. "Tyson...Tyson," she muttered in reality, mind reaching out for him.
And in the real world, Tyson took her hand and remembered what to do to wake her. He took her hand and squeezed it. "I'm right here," he murmured. And in the nightmare, the image of Jorge wavered as Tyson's form appeared.
Relief washed over Rosa upon sight of him in her mind, and she pulled roughly on the hand holding her wrist. "Tyson!" she called out in both worlds. In her dream, she reached out to him with her hand.
Tyson in the dream world moved between her and Jorge. "You scumbag... Don't you ever lay a hand on her again! You ain't her fiancé. I am and I love her... And you ain't fit to be with her if you try to force her into things!" And then, with her behind him, Tyson slugged Jorge in the face and the older boy vanished. "It's all right... I'm here..."
And in the real world, Tyson took the outstretched hand. "Darlin'... Rosa... I'm right here... Whoever's scarin' you... I'll protect you..."
In her dream, Rosa hugged Tyson lovingly and let her eyes fall closed. And in real life, her eyes opened and she shook from the feeling of suddenly being wide awake. It was like last night all over again...but not as bad. "Tyson..."
He pulled her into his strong arms as they sat up, not a word beyond comforting language being exchanged between them for a long moment. And then he asked, "What was it tonight?"
She frowned, staying close against him. "It...it was different...at first..." She had to think about how to explain it before she continued. "It was a normal nightmare... Something that happened when I was little..."
"What happened?" he asked again, concerned as her head rested against his chest. "It's all right to be scared by this... don't hold back..."
"I-I'm not scared..." It was true. This part of the nightmare hadn't scared her, it had simply made old memories surface. As Rosa began to describe what had happened, she realized that she had never told Tyson about being an outcast in childhood. In fact... 'Am I the only one who has not brought up their past...?' she wondered, frowning as she finished explaining.
Tyson's face was as soft and sad as Rosa had ever seen. This was a side of her that she had never willingly shared with him. And how he wished she had. But now wasn't the time to ask why. What mattered was that she had opened up. "Darlin', you were just a special girl that they couldn't understand. That doesn't make you what they called you. You just are... amazin'..."
Rosa couldn't help but be a little surprised by Tyson's expression. "But...I've always been different...haven't I? I'm not a boy...but I don't act like most girls..." Even Violet and Alexis were more girly than her, and they were both tomboys.
Tyson moved her so he could look into the beautiful brown eyes of the woman he'd fallen in love with. "You're you and that's who I fell in love with. Spanish Rose... you are unique. And I wouldn't have you any other way... You're pretty, funny and you're strong."
Rosa felt like crying...though she wasn't sure out of what emotion. Her eyes glistened with tears, but they didn't fall. "Tyson...you..." She smiled, heart fluttering in her chest at his words. "I love you...so much..."
"And I love you... You are the best thing to happen to me... And I don't know what I did to deserve such a wonderful young woman as my wife..." And then he kissed her gently, the love obviously there.
It was so different from the nightmare kiss that Rosa felt she could have died happily then and there. However, when they pulled away, she was glad she hadn't so that she could remain with Tyson. "There is no one who could be a better husband...Ty-Ty..."
He rubbed her back gently to relax her. "Why don't we lie back down?" he asked. "We can just cuddle 'til we get back to sleep..."
"Ah...okay..." She decided that maybe it would be best not to mention the part of her nightmare that had truly scared her. Suddenly, a thought struck her and she gently pulled out of Tyson's grasp. "I...I need to get something..."
He let go, letting her out of the bed. "What is it?" he asked.
"It's...a thing," she muttered, blushing a little. Rosa went over to her closet and opened it, reaching down to pull out the suitcase she'd brought all the way from Spain. Rummaging through it; it had a few dresses and small mementos from home; her eyes widened slightly as she found what she was looking for. Rosa pulled out a doll, obviously homemade by its appearance. Sack cloth filled with beans made up the body, and a face was painted on in black. A scrap of satiny red cloth was used for a dress, and the hair was sewn from black thread so that it fell in waves. Rosa clutched the doll to her, its scent the same as it had been years ago. Rosemary...paint... 'Home,' she thought, eyes closing.
When she returned to the bed, doll in her arms, Tyson smiled. "Oh, my... did you make that yourself?" he queried.
Rosa blushed a little again, slightly embarrassed. "N-No... Mama and Horatio made it for me...when I was little... To keep me company..."
"She's really pretty," Tyson offered. He had a soft spot for homemade dolls. Perhaps this was because of a doll his mother had made as a little girl and shown to her son when he was recovering from the incident in Utah.
Rosa looked over at him. "I...remembered that I had brought her...because of the nightmare..."
He put his arm around her, and she was holding the doll as she would a newborn baby. It felt new, but strangely familiar. "Well," he said, "I'm glad you have her here..."
"I am too... I feel...even safer, now... Like I'm home," she replied, closing her eyes.
"Then let's just relax," he murmured, moving so they could lie down, the doll with them. And then he sang a soft lullaby his mother had sang to him when he was small. The song reminded her of her own mother's lullabies. And with the combined feeling of safety and comfort, she finally managed to fall into a peaceful sleep. And their dreams after that were peaceful.
GXGXGXGXGXGXGXGXGXGXGXGXGXGXGXGXGXGXGXGXGXGXGXGXGX
Back on the first floor, about 2 AM, Jaden started to moan in his sleep. His parents, unable to sleep were up like shots when they heard their only child moaning. Karen Otani, also awake, sat up in her chair. "It's starting," she muttered, eyes narrowing.
Alexis, too, was awake in an instant. "Jaden...? Karen, is it a nightmare??" she asked worriedly.
Karen nodded. "I think so," she whispered. "We just have to see what happens. Jayda, we can't wake him... Not yet..."
Jayda was already getting up, but sat down. "Jay-Jay," she murmured.
Hisoka put an arm around his wife comfortingly, and placed his free hand on Alexis's arm. He, too, hated to have to leave Jaden in the throes of a bad dream. But he knew it had to be done. "Just this once, girls...it'll be all right..."
Had Hisoka seen into his son's dreams, he would've wanted to wake Jaden immediately. Jaden, meanwhile, found himself in the dark place in his nightmares again. "Where am I?" he asked, walking through a burned down village. "What happened here?" And then, human figures started rising from the burned out shells. "What the..?!"
And the figures coalesced. "Jaden... why?" Bastion asked. His skin was pale, there was a gash along his cheek and his coat was singed. "Why did you sacrifice us?"
"I... I didn't!" he yelped, feeling his heart ripping at the sight of his dead friend.
"Jaden," Syrus called, just as pale as Bastion and lips tinged a lifeless blue. His skin was badly burned and there was a large gash in his side. "Why? I thought you were our friend..."
"Sy... I didn't... I'd never hurt you," Jaden pleaded, tears coming to his eyes. But the torture wasn't done yet.
Annie emerged from the shadows, corpse white. There was a huge blood stain on the front of her uniform. "Jaden... you took us away," she said sadly. "You killed us all... Why did you do it?"
"Annie... guys," he moaned.
"Traitor," Tyson growled, his animated corpse bullet-ridden and his eyes flashing with hatred. "You didn't care anything about us... You sent us into battle... and you didn't care if we came back..."
"You promised!" Atticus snapped, face covered in dried blood and his head obviously split open. "You said that you would keep my baby sister safe, Jaden!"
"Liar," Alexis stated beside him, coldly. Stab wounds littered her snow white skin, dried blood making a line from her mouth to her chin.
Chazz came forward, his chest bare. His last moments of life had clearly been horrific. He had cuts and welts caused by whips on his back, blood all over his pants, a bruised and bloody face and hair matted with his own blood. "You killed us all, Slacker... And for what? Nothing..."
Jaden sank to his knees, trembling. "No... no... I... I wouldn't," he cried, whimpering like a beaten puppy. And another figure burst from the scene, but she at least looked very much alive. Purple hair, green eyes... "Violet?" he asked.
The green snapped into red, and a very unfitting smirk crossed her lips. "Close… And yet so, so cold," "Violet" giggled, though it sounded far too sweet as she hopped up to sit on a crumbled wall. "Hmmm...Poor, poor Jaden. Isn't it sad to know that you caused everyone's untimely demise? Heh heh… Rosa would be here too, but she had some trouble finding her head!" Her expression turned cruel as she made a slicing motion across her neck with a finger, then laughed menacingly.
"No," Jaden moaned. "I couldn't have..."
"Oh, but I could have," a voice that sounded something like his, but not like his countered softly, cruelly. He turned to see... himself, clad in black in black armor and burning golden eyes. "You made sure he knows what he... and we did, Mary?" the dark version of Jaden asked cruelly as two other figures, one with wings and the other in black leather, came out of the fog.
A sadistic grin spread across "Violet's" lips, though Jaden's double had clearly called her Mary. "Of course! You know how I love mental torture. Of course...physical is just as fun. Heh heh..."
"We all did kill...but it would have been impossible without Jaden," the winged figure said cruelly.
Jaden knew the figure. "Yubel... why? These are my friends," he moaned, tears racing down his face. "Why?"
Yubel grinned. "Because now I have you all to myself at last, Jaden... I love you, and no one else deserves to be with you but ME."
"It's because of you that I'm like this, Jay!" stated the other figure in a familiar accent.
Jaden looked at the other figure. "J-Jesse?" As in the previous nightmare, the Southern boy's eyes glowed orange. And Jaden knew what had happened. "Yubel, please let him go!"
"Why should I? The two of you are so alike... And besides, he's the reason you came here and got everyone killed. Allowing all of your friends to die for one person...how selfish of you, Jaden," Yubel replied, acting disappointed in him.
"And in the end you didn't even save me, Jay," Jesse added for another blow.
"Like I said," "Violet" stated as she hopped down and walked over to stand beside the others. "Poor, poor Jaden! Looks like your luck simply ran out. How...does that make you feel?" she asked, saying the last word in a harsh undertone. All four figures laughed at Jaden's expense, mercilessly unfeeling.
Jaden's armor-clad twin stopped long enough to say, "You're weak... you're pathetic. You won't embrace my power... What are you?" he asked.
Jaden couldn't answer for a long moment, he was crying so hard. The accusing eyes of the dead glared at him. And Jaden stood. "If I killed my friends... I don't deserve to be here," he said, his own eyes going blank.
"Then disappear, Jaden. Become Haou once and for all or, better yet, join your soul with mine," Yubel stated, holding out her arms to him.
"No," Jaden answered softly, producing a knife from... he didn't know where. "I'm making this better... If I killed all of you... then I don't live..." And with that, he stabbed himself, collapsing to the dirt as his life blood poured from him.
His dark side stood over his bleeding form. "Good riddance..."
"I'll miss you, Jaden," Yubel stated, frowning.
"You're going to Hell for what you've done," Jesse/Yubel said without emotion. "Such a beautiful death. Blood looks good on you, Ja-den!" "Violet" added with a very sadistic grin.
And in the real world, Jaden shook and cried in his sleep. "What... I... deserve... I didn't..." And then he snapped awake, shrieking incoherently as he had when he was younger.
"Jay-Jay," Jayda said, moving to her frightened child, lifting him into her arms.
He blinked, tears flooding from his eyes. "M-mommy... D-Daddy," he moaned, like a much younger child.
Hisoka and Alexis were there as well, Alexis the most frightened out of the three. Unlike Jayda and Hisoka, she had never seen Jaden like this before. And it scared her more than anything had before. "Jaden...son...we're right here," Hisoka said soothingly.
He was visibly shaken and sweaty. "Lex? You're here? You're not dead?" he asked, voice cracking.
She looked at him in shock. "Jay...no, I'm not dead. Of course I'm here... Was I...dead in your dream...?"
"Everybody... I... you said... I killed you... And Jesse, Violet... went bad... 'cause of me," he whimpered, "and a guy who wasn't me... but kinda was... said I did it... and Yubel..." He held onto her, shaking and crying when he couldn't say another word.
She kept a tight hold on him, his words slowly sinking in. No wonder he was terrified, just the description gave her chills. To experience it firsthand... "Oh, Jaden... It's only a dream... We're all alive, and I know that you would never kill any of us..."
"But... it's my fault... I should... do what I did because... I need to be punished... Babe, I deserve it..."
Jayda's eyes widened at this. "Honey, what are you talking about?" she asked, alarmed.
"I...stabbed... blood everywhere," Jaden murmured.
Hisoka stared at his son in shock. "You...you killed yourself, Jaden?"
Alexis looked up, meeting Jaden's frightened eyes with her distressed ones. "Jaden...don't say that... You did nothing to deserve to die!"
"Bad... deserve it..." Jaden's arms went weak and he sank against Alexis.
Karen moved forward. "Lay him down..." They did so. His eyes were closed now, the adrenaline in his system from the horrible dream leeching out.
"Angel," Jayda murmured, tears smarting in her eyes. "How could he say that?"
"This happens," Karen sighed. "And he did say it before when that other boy was hurt..."
Hisoka sighed. "He did...to say Jayda and I were shocked is definitely an understatement... A suicidal seven-year-old is not something one wants to see...especially if it's their own child..."
"He doesn't go to class in the morning," Karen said. "And I think I need to update the staff and faculty, with your permission, of course." Jayda and Hisoka nodded.
"Karen, do what you have to do," Jayda said softly. "I'll get him a clean pair of jammies..." Jaden's sweat and tears had made his pajamas and bed very damp.
"Karen...is he...is he going to be okay?" Alexis asked shakily, hand pressed over Jaden's.
Karen Otani nodded. "It's going to be difficult, Alexis, but I think we can pull him back from this. He's at a very low point now... and whatever he's seeing..."
"We can't put him on the drugs again," Jayda said softly. "He was so messed up..."
Karen nodded again. "I'll do everything I can to help him..."
"Can I...can I sleep with him in the bed now?" Alexis asked, hope filling her voice.
"We'll move him over to your bed, Alexis... his sheets are damp. It's like he ran two miles," Karen answered. "We'll get him into some dry pajamas and then you two can sleep in the same bed, okay?"
Alexis sighed in relief. "Okay. Thanks, Karen...I want to be there for him..."
"You are, more than you know," Jayda smiled, wiping her eyes as she went to get a fresh pair of pajamas and boxer shorts.
Within a few short minutes, Jaden was in dry boxers and pajamas and in Alexis's warm, dry bed. As the young couple got situated, Karen called Jaden's parents out in the hall. "This is very serious, guys..."
"Karen...is this as bad as it was before?" Hisoka dared to ask.
"I'd have to say yes... but there is a difference this time... he has friends that will stand by him. And they won't let him hurt himself if he tries..."
Jayda shivered. "How could he even think..? Oh, Hisoka," she moaned.
He wrapped his arms around her, holding her close. "I know it's hard to even imagine, Jayda... But it's a startling possibility...that won't become a reality thanks to the circumstances..."
"I'll set up the faculty/staff meeting in the morning, guys," Karen promised. "The best thing we can do is get some rest. He's going to need everyone in the morning..." Jayda nodded and she and Hisoka headed back into the darkened bedroom.
Jaden had unconsciously turned in Alexis's grip so she was holding him to herself. "Don't leave," he murmured in his sleep.
"I won't, Jay...I'm right here," she whispered, slowly drifting off herself.
And in the other big bed, Jayda Yuki cuddled against her husband. "He's so scared," she whispered.
"We'll help everyone drive those fears away," he murmured softly.
"Why did this come back now?" she asked in anguish, trying to hold back the tears. "He doesn't deserve this..."
"No... he doesn't... But we knew it would return eventually... Perhaps...now is better than later..."
"Dr. Yancy said it might return... or it might not... When his duel spirits returned, I guess we knew..."
"Jayda...I think that for Jaden to be truly happy...he needs to get through this..."
Jayda nodded. "I know... I just wish... he could have gotten through it that first time..." She held him a little tighter. "Just hold me..." He silently nodded, pulling her close and placing a gentle kiss on her head. And soon the worried parents were asleep. Karen Otani also got comfortable on a couch in the room and drifted off as well.
"Under the tongue root, a fight most dread. Another rages behind in the head." This is a translation of the poem "Cad Goddeu," or "Battle of the Trees." Many of you know this poem in a different form, from Star Wars: Episode I's Duel of the Fates. Jaden is now in his own mental battle and is facing a battle in the real world. But with his friends at his side in this timeline, perhaps matters will be better. So next time, please join us for "Awakening." Until then, please read, review and stay tuned! Thank you!