Chapter XXII: Nightfall
Hello again, fans of our Yugi-verse and welcome to any newcomers! We're so glad to see you! As you can probably tell, this story is taking a darker turn. And for those of you who are wondering, yes, this is deviating from the as-yet-undubbed Season 4 of GX. And yes, there are deviations from canon. So on that note, onto the story!
Last time, Atticus encountered what appeared initially to be his long-lost and forgotten friend, Yusuke Fujiwara. But this Yusuke turned out to be a duel spirit by the name of Honest. Honest tried to hide his true identity, but the other duel spirits convinced the angel spirit to tell the humans the truth about himself. The gang, now forewarned and forearmed, prepared for a new enemy. So what will happen now? Read on… if you dare…
Disclaimer: We obviously don't own GX… If we did, there would be changes to canon. We do, however, own our own characters, this version of the Yugi-verse and our ideas. If you wish to use our characters or ideas, please contact us. We also don't own the statement Axel gives to Jaden. This paraphrase comes from The Simpsons' season one episode, "Bart the General."
Authors' note: This chapter deviates from canon in that no one is forgotten when they're taken. Further, the real Yusuke has been found out, so Darkness cannot use the boy in his evil plan. Also, the duel in this chapter was written between your two authoresses. Peach didn't do so well… Finally, Jaden may seem a little OOC here, but it's for a good cause. Thank you for your attention.
Meanwhile, in a dark dimension, far from the realm of humans, a young man with what looked like chlorinated blonde hair and periwinkle blue eyes sat on a small throne. He was prince of his particular world, but he was not the absolute ruler. This was Yusuke Fujiwara, the boy who had been presumed dead.
"Yusuke," echoed a grainy, deep voice that sounded as far from human as physically possible. Two red eyes stared out of the shadows, which were everywhere. There was no true light in the entire realm, and yet one was just able to see.
Yusuke looked up at the red eyes, got out of his chair and knelt. "What is your bidding, my master?" he asked, his head bowed.
"Only a change of plans. Those in the realm of your birth know of you...and that you are indeed alive. I have no choice but to have you remain here. Mr. T shall collect all of the souls alone..." The voice's tone was informing and yet commanding, leaving room for no argument.
Yusuke inwardly frowned. But outwardly, he asked, "How could that be?"
"Your duel spirit partner, Honest, aided them in discovering this. As did Dark Magician Girl. Both shall be dealt with," the menacing being answered, the threat clear in its words.
Deep within Yusuke, there was a flash of regret for Honest's likely fate. But now, he said, "Yes, my master..."
"Do what you wish for the time being. But you are not to go to Earth. Have I made myself clear, Yusuke?"
"Yes, my master," Yusuke repeated. He knew he would likely not face his former friend now. 'But what if they can defeat this plot? Will I return?' he mused in his head.
The red eyes shifted, as if the figure had turned away. "Trueman!"
Said man appeared in a burst of shadow, wearing a full black-and-red one piece leather jumpsuit. His brown hair was slicked back, and a pair of sunglasses hid his eyes from view. He kneeled before the eyes, just as Yusuke had. "You called, master?"
"You are to go to Earth and begin the attack. But I want one of your copies to attack a certain couple specifically..." The hidden figure said two names, only loud enough for Mr. T to hear.
The man nodded. "As you wish, master." And with that, he disappeared in another burst of darkness.
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One day passed and Atticus was allowed to leave the infirmary and rest in his own room. And that evening, Tyson and Rosa went for a walk in the woods. "Just think... in a month... we're gettin' married," he said, putting his arm around her. They hadn't forgotten what had happened yesterday or the nightmare warnings, but they were focusing on the happiness to come.
Rosa smiled softly, the sun setting behind the trees to turn the sky a brilliant orange. "We'll truly be tied together at last... For the rest of our lives," she murmured, almost breathlessly. The excitement and anticipation was getting to all four couples.
"Yeah... It ain't gonna be perfect for us, but we're gonna have a place of our own... And if the Pro League don't work out, I have fallback plans..."
"You do?" Rosa and Tyson had begun talking more and more about their future lately, making plans to prepare for the obstacles they would be confronted with.
"Yeah. I've planned for college, and I've got a good trust fund, so if the Pro League doesn't work out, I can get a degree in paleontology," Tyson answered, "since the Army's out of the question..." He would pass nearly every physical, but his dinosaur leg was just too much of an irregularity. "But the money can support us, too..."
Rosa's smile broadened a little as she leaned into his side. "If we ever need money, I will help. There is much I can do." They had talked about this as well. If money ever became too tight, Rosa would take on the daily chores as well as give lessons in dancing, sewing, or cooking.
"I'm glad you've been granted citizenship... Daddy pulled some strings and... wow," Tyson answered. In the past two months, Rosa becoming a US citizen had become a reality. Ordinarily, people below the age of 18 could not be granted citizenship even if their spouses were US citizens, but Dean Hassleberry had called in a few favors. So getting married and having a marriage license was now possible, and nothing could stand in the way of their wedding. Or so they thought. Suddenly, the light breeze off the ocean became too chilling, the surrounding shadows too dark. Rosa shivered, her hair standing on end.
Tyson tensed, his dinosaur DNA heightening his senses. "What in Sam Hill," he breathed. "Darlin', stay close to me..." 'It's begun,' he thought.
Rosa frowned as the light seemed to slowly get sucked out of the surrounding area, darkness taking over. Yet they could still see, just like in her nightmares. 'It's here,' she thought, tensing. And then, in a burst of shadowy wind, Mr. T appeared. His dark hair was slicked back and he was clad in a dark jumpsuit accented in red piping.
Tyson kept his love behind him, and asked, snarling slightly, "Who are you?!"
Mr. T smirked, remembering what Darkness had commanded him to do. He knew what would happen, so was fully confident in himself. "I am Trueman, but you may call me Mr. T. I already know who you are, Tyson Hassleberry and Rosadina Jimenez."
Tyson started slightly. "How did you know my name?" Rosa, too, glared at the man in suspicion.
"That doesn't matter. All that matters is that if you wish to leave this place, you must defeat me in a duel," Mr. T stated, a duel disk forming on his arm.
Tyson looked around realizing he wasn't carrying his duel disk. "Dangit... Rosa, darlin', may I borrow your duel disk in order to beat..." And then the name registered. "Mr. T? I'm fightin' BA Barackas?!" he asked, laughing, despite the seriousness of the situation.
Rosa blinked and stared at her fiancé in obvious confusion, duel disk in her hands. "Tyson...?" Mr. T looked unphased, face neutral as he seemed to be waiting for Tyson to get into the duel.
Tyson got control of himself without much effort. "I'm fightin' a guy from the A-Team," he groaned softly. "All right... So I gotta duel you?" he asked, eyes narrowing.
Mr. T nodded. "And defeat me, though I already know that won't happen. Do you accept? Or will you have your precious fiancée duel in your stead?" He only asked to get a rise out of Tyson. Of course the teen wouldn't do that.
Tyson's blood figuratively boiled. "No. Way. I ain't puttin' Rosa in harm's way... As the Sarge says, let's get our game on..."
"Tyson...be careful," Rosa whispered, worried for her fiancé. She'd never seen the man before, but the aura about him and their surroundings reminded her far too much of her nightmares for comfort.
Mr. T smirked and activated his duel disk, drawing five cards. "You can start, then."
Tyson drew his cards. 'Hmmm... I gotta get this guy and fast... If I don't... Only the Great General knows what's gonna happen...' "All right... I open with Black Stego (1200/2000) in attack mode!" Rosa grinned; that was a good monster to start out with. Its effect and strong defense made it nearly indestructible, especially on the first turn. "And that'll do it!" Tyson said. "Your move, A-Team!"
Mr. T ignored Tyson's comment and drew, looking over his cards. "First, I'll activate Future Fusion, sending the Meteor Dragon and Red-Eyes Black Dragon from my deck to the Graveyard. Then, I summon Familiar Knight (1200/1400) and equip Axe of Despair to it, raising its attack strength by a thousand. Now attack his Black Stego!" A knight in shining armor and wearing a red cape appeared, and with his sword, rushed at the large dinosaur.
Tyson grinned. "Well, no worries because when you declare an attack on my monster, he automatically switches to defense mode and I don't take damage! Sorry, Stego!" he apologized as Black Stego went to his graveyard in a shower of pixels.
"I'll set a card and end my turn," Mr. T stated.
"Come on, Tyson! You can beat him!" Rosa cheered, encouraging her love.
"All right, I play Archaeopteryx (300/1300) in attack mode! Now, this little lizard-birdie may not look like much, but she can attack you directly! All right, little soldier! Attack!" Tyson shouted.
The reptilian bird screeched and flew at Mr. T, slashing him across the chest with her claws. His life points dropped to 3700, but he didn't react in the least. "Go Tyson!!" Rosa cheered happily, glad that they seemed to be making progress.
"And now I set one card face-down and end my turn," Tyson said calmly.
Mr. T drew and looked his cards over once more. "I'll summon Spear Dragon (1900/0) to the field and have him attack your Archaeopteryx (300/1300)!" A prehistoric monster looking like a cross between a spearhead and a pterodactyl appeared, flying up and diving at the bird like a missile.
Tyson smirked. "Oh, you shouldn't have done that. Know why? Cause I have a trap! Go Amber Pit Trap! Now your monster's attack is negated and it's stuck in defense position!"
Mr. T smirked as well. "Oh, but I should have done that. Because now my stronger monster remains unharmed and can destroy your puny pigeon! Familiar Knight (12002200/1400), destroy that bird!" The knight once more raised its sword, charging at Archaeopteryx.
Tyson staggered backwards as his monster was taken out, and his life points dropped from 4000 to 2100. "ARRRGH!!!"
"TYSON!!" Rosa gasped, placing her arms around him to help hold him up. "Ty-Ty, are you all right??"
"I'm... I'm all right, darlin', and I'm gonna figure a way to win," he asserted. "You done?" he asked Trueman.
Mr. T nodded. "That ends my turn. Your move...if you can make it," he smirked.
Rosa sent a fiery glare at the man as she reluctantly released her hold on Tyson. "You can beat him, Tyson! Show him just how strong of a duelist you are!"
Tyson took a breath. "Okay...I draw..." He took a look at his hand and knew what he had to do. "I call Killersaurus (1800/1100) to the front lines! And then I play an Equip Spell, Horn of the Unicorn, which boosts Killersaurus's attack points by 700!" Killersaurus's attack points rose to 2500 points. "And now, Killersaurus, attack his Spear Dragon!"
"I activate my trap! Draining Shield! It negates your monster's attack and increases my life points by its attack power!" Mr. T yelled, a bright green shield appearing around him. The dinosaur crashed into it, and Mr. T's Life Points soared to 6200.
Tyson realized at this moment, he just might not make it out of this. 'But there's gotta be a way...'
Rosa placed her hand on Tyson's arm, looking into his eyes. She didn't need to speak to tell him what she wanted to. 'You can do this, Tyson! I believe in you!' she thought.
Tyson took a deep breath. And with his eyes he told her, 'I know...' He thought through the situation. 'He used Drainin' Shield and it's a Normal Spell... He's already used it. Now I need to figure out how to use his life points...' He looked carefully at his hand. 'Perfect.' "Now I use a spell card, Hinotama!" he shouted, and a rain of meteors showered down from the heavens.
Mr. T's Life Points fell to 5700, but he was obviously unbothered by this. "Are you finished now?"
Tyson shook his head. "Nope... ain't done yet... I now use the Spell card, Pot of Greed and get two more cards!" 'C'mon... YES!' he mentally whooped. He had a monster in his hand that just might save him, but now, he needed to get a spell card on the field. "I set two cards down and end my turn."
Mr. T drew and smirked. "It has been two turns. Now the effect of my Future Fusion activates! The monsters I sent to the Graveyard come together, to summon Meteor Black Dragon (3500/2000)!!" The enormous dragon covered in molten rock appeared, towering above the playing field.
Tyson looked up at the towering monster, determination in his eyes. "I'm gonna beat this," he muttered. He was ready with a trap card.
"Then, I'll sacrifice Familiar Knight to summon Twin-headed Beast (1700/1900)! Since Axe of Despair was sent to the Graveyard, I can activate its effect. By sacrificing Spear Dragon, it returns to my hand. Before using it, however, I'll activate Heavy Storm to destroy all spell and trap cards on the field!"
"DANG IT!" Tyson shouted, unable to think of anything else. 'I'm about to lose,' he realized in horror. With the amount of life points he had versus that monster and no defense on the field, he would likely lose this turn. 'Even with the effect of that spell card... I'm toast!' he thought. But he would go down fighting as best he could.
But there seemed to be hope as Black Meteor Dragon was destroyed. "Unfortunately, when Future Fusion is destroyed, so is my fusion monster. However, I happen to have Monster Reborn in my hand! I'll now use it to summon Meteor Black Dragon back from my Graveyard." The dragon reappeared as if it had never left. "I'll then equip Axe of Despair to Twin-headed Beast (17002700/1900)! Now...attack Killersaurus and destroy it!"
Tyson yelped as Killersaurus was blown off the field. His life points were now down to 400. "I ain't licked yet," he snarled, trying to keep his head in the game.
Rosa could see it plain as day; it was impossible for Tyson to win. His side of the field was bare, while Trueman had two powerful monsters to attack with thanks to Twin-headed Beast's effect. "Tyson," she muttered.
Mr. T, however, had a job to do before he'd finish this. "Tyson... You fought well with those dinosaurs of yours. You're quite close to them, aren't you?"
Tyson nodded. "They're my friends..."
Mr. T grinned almost evilly. "They may be now, but go back to when they all were living. And to when that fossil in your leg belonged to a true dinosaur... Would you like to see whose DNA you have in you now?" Rosa was frowning, staring suspiciously at Mr. T. What was he trying to get at??
Despite knowing that T was an enemy, Tyson nodded eagerly. "I'd love to know that..."
"Then allow me to enlighten you..." Mr. T raised his arm up, palm facing Tyson. Dark shadows swirled up around him, sending his mind sprawling back to the prehistoric age.
Tyson blinked and he was surrounded by flying pterodactyls, and a prehistoric jungle. "Sam Hill... and..." He realized he had very tiny arms and a very scaly body. "I'm the Space Tyranno!" A stegosaurus lumbered across the path Tyson was standing on, too far away to notice the hungry predator. Instantly, without any self-control, the Texas teen's massive body began running forward towards its prey. "Oh, I'm hungry! What the heck! That's a stegosaurus! So... why do I think it's a burger?!" Tyson wondered as he ran toward the creature.
Finally, the stegosaurus realized it was in danger and turned, roaring and swinging its tail threateningly. But Tyson didn't hesitate, body acting of its own accord as it leapt onto the large dinosaur and tore into its flesh. Tyson's mind screamed out in the mental world, while he cried out in the real world. "NOOOOOO!!!" He was eating a dinosaur! 'This isn't right!' his mind cried out in agony.
Rosa gasped when Tyson suddenly cried out, the dark energy surrounding him. She turned to send a deadly look at Trueman. "What did you do to him?!" she yelled, fists clenched.
But Mr. T didn't answer; he simply looked on with a smug smirk and continued to torment Tyson. "That's right, Tyson. And now...feel the pain as the creatures you ate now feast on your flesh!!"
Rosa's blood ran cold at those words. 'Just like....my nightmare!!! No...' she thought, eyes wide.
Tyson cried out. "Make it stop! I didn't mean to hurt you!" He could feel them attacking his flesh and it hurt. But it was relentless.
And Rosa could only watch as the love of her life stood there in pain. She had tried to grab onto him, but the force of the dark energy had sent her sprawling back. "Now, I'll have Meteor Black Dragon attack you directly and finish you off-" Trueman began, but was cut off.
"NO!!!" Rosa screamed, running to stand in front of Tyson protectively.
Tyson was abruptly brought back to the real world by his love's scream. "ROSA?!"
Rosa didn't look back at him, knowing that if she did there was a possibility her resolve would break. "...Take me instead."
Mr. T simply held his smirk, knowing this would happen all along. "Take you instead? You would take the pain and lose the duel for this man?" he questioned.
Rosa's gaze turned to the ground as she pulled in a shaky breath. She would do anything for Tyson...he'd already done so much for her. "...Yes."
"NO!" the Texas Ra shouted, more agonized than ever. To lose Rosa would be plainly Hell to him. Clearly, such a loss would be devastating.
Both Darkness and Mr. T knew this, as well as the fact that Rosa would blindly take the hit for her love. Killing two birds with one stone, as the saying went. "Are you sure?"
"Yes. I am dead serious." Rosa forced herself to ignore Tyson's shouting, even if it hurt. She couldn't stand to lose him, not like this. As if her words had been a cue, the dark energy faded from Tyson's body and the pain stopped.
"So be it. Take his burden on your shoulders." Instantly, the energy burst around Rosa, the pain hitting her in an intense blow. It was almost déjà vu to her as she screamed in pain, the agony more intense than when she had been bitten by the snake in Spain.
Tyson felt hit straight to the heart hearing her scream again. "ROSA! WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO HER, YOU B******?!" His language was quite a bit less polite than usual. It was also understandable.
"Only what she asked me to do. You are now free of the pain...and she shall take the fall. Meteor Black Dragon, wipe out the remainder of his Life Points!" Mr. T explained, the giant dragon collecting the energy of a massive fireball in its jaws.
"T-Ty...son," Rosa stammered out, needing to say one last thing before she knew what was coming hit her.
"Rosa! You didn't need to do this!" he howled, as Orpheus must have when Eurydice was hurled back to Hades.
She shakily turned her head to look back at him, tears of either pain or sadness slipping down her cheeks. "Y-Yes...I did... T-Tyson I...I love you," Rosa smiled at him one last time, sparkling tears falling to the shadowed ground. And then, Meteor Black Dragon launched its attack, sending Tyson's Life Points to zero. But it hit Rosa rather than him, and with another scream she burned up like a sacrificial lamb. When the flames dissipated, there was nothing left.
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!" Tyson sank to his knees, fully engulfed in the pain of losing the woman he loved. 'I failed her...'
As the holographic images faded, Mr. T stood with his arms crossed over his chest. "You should be grateful! She sacrificed herself for you without a second thought...you're only alive because of her!" He laughed; knowing that saying she was dead was a lie, but also knowing it would hurt far worse.
Tyson shook hard... and he never did that. His eyes were horribly blank, and he looked at the ground, tears running down his face. "Rosa," he moaned softly. Finding plenty of damage done, Mr. T disappeared in a swirl of shadows. The surrounding area returned to normal, and by this point it was dark outside. The moon was starting to rise and the stars had come out. But this time, Tyson was alone on the forest path.
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Back at Obelisk, Annie had been sitting by her open window reading the manga version of "Star Wars: Return of the Jedi" when she heard a horrible scream. "What in the world?!" she yelped.
Violet, too, had been reading manga, though hers was Shaman King. "What the heck was that?!" she yelled, nearly falling out of her chair.
Bastion and Syrus had been engaged in a game of checkers when they heard the scream and the girls' subsequent screams. "What? Syrus! That sounded like Tyson!"
"I know! You don't think..?!" Syrus replied, suddenly getting a chill. Could the Darkness have attacked now? So suddenly??
"Oh, I hope not," Bastion groaned as the girls came running from their rooms.
"That was Tyson," Annie moaned, very sure it was his scream.
"We need to call him and find out where he is. Wasn't he with Rosa?" Violet asked, pulling out her PDA.
"Yeah, let's do that!" Annie agreed.
Violet called Tyson's PDA, but there was no answer. It is doubtful if he even heard it. The purple-headed girl sighed and hung up. "No answer. How are we going to find them??"
Bastion picked up his PDA. "We each have tracking devices in our PDAs in case of emergency... We should be able to find him that way..." He punched some buttons on his PDA and... "He's in the woods..."
"I'll call everybody else," Annie said quickly, picking up her own PDA.
Down at Slifer, Jaden and Alexis had been sitting on the back deck, enjoying the sunset. "I love this dorm," he said with a smile, keeping his arm around her.
Alexis smiled, resting her head on his shoulder. "Me too... It has the best view thanks to this cliff..."
"Yeah, and the sunsets are great..." And then, they heard the scream. "What the heck?!" Jaden's eyes went wide with horror.
Alexis jumped in her seat, own eyes going wide. "That...that sounded like Tyson!"
Honest appeared with them. "It's begun..."
Alexis looked over at him in shock. "It... Oh, no... Jay, what if-?"
Jaden looked at Honest. "Is that it?" he asked.
Honest nodded sadly. "Darkness has fallen..."
And then the Slifer's PDA rang... "It's Annie," Jaden breathed, punching the send button to accept the call.
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About five minutes later, the gang met at the edge of the forest. "This is so scary," Jasmine moaned. "What's happened?"
"Honest said... somebody's gone," Jaden answered, his own eyes fearful.
Atticus did a head count. "Well...it's either Tyson or Rosa," he muttered solemnly. Everyone else was accounted for.
"I have the coordinates," Bastion stated quickly, "And Dr. Crowler will be waiting for us when we get back here..."
"Then let's get going. Who knows what the heck happened to them," Violet added quickly.
And so they ran down the path as fast as they could, Annie and Sy bringing up the rear. Finally they got to... "Tyson?" Jaden called, seeing his friend on the ground. "Buddy? What happened?" he asked softly, laying his hand on his friend's shoulder. But Tyson didn't acknowledge the touch. It was obvious that Rosa was nowhere in sight, so they had their answer. It was no wonder Tyson wasn't responding.
"Whatever it is...it got Rosa," Alexis muttered, saying what everyone was thinking.
Mindy was still looking around when she saw the burn marks. "Oh my gosh... Oh no..." She pointed a finger at the ground where there was a clear patch and a circle of burns. "How did this happen?"
"I'm getting a sinking feeling that...whatever made those...is what took Rosa," Atticus answered, frowning deeply.
"Tyson... come on... Talk to us," Jaden tried again.
"Rosa... she's gone, Sarge... and it's all my fault," the big Ra finally moaned, tears coming again. Most of the group had never seen Tyson cry, and even those that had had only seen it once or twice. So it was a rare thing, and it meant this was more than serious.
"Tyson... Whatever happened, it can't be your fault..." Alexis soothed, placing a hand on his shoulder.
"No... I failed her... I got beat and she took the blow," he moaned. "Private Lexi, it's my fault... it's my fault... I wasn't good enough..."
"You were beat... You mean it dueled you?" Violet asked. Everyone in the group inwardly groaned; it would be more terror through dueling.
Tyson nodded, unable to speak for a moment. "Oh, crap," Adrian groaned. "So they're going to duel us... Whoever they are..."
Axel nodded, dark face grim. "It's a war... and if they want one... they will have one..."
"But... What happens if you lose?" Syrus asked to no one in particular, glancing at the scorch marks. What HAD happened to Rosa??
"She's gone," Tyson moaned again. "That thing... I dueled... said I was alive because of what she did... And that means..." A hush fell over the group, an unsettling feeling crawling in on them. If you were sent to the Shadow Realm, you could still come back. But if you died... It was a rare consequence for the group, at least when it came to duels.
But then, the cry of a gull broke the silence, and a familiar-looking spirit staggered into view. It was Seaside Gull, one of Rosa's closest duel spirits. He looked shaken, but he was still there as he landed wearily on Tyson's shoulder. "S-Senor Hassleberry… chico," he muttered, as if out of breath.
Tyson blinked at the familiar presence of Seaside Gull. "Seaside Gull? How can you be here if..?"
Taking a moment to catch his breath, the spirit sighed. "Senorita Jimenez is not dead, chico! She is alive, trapped en another dimension; only I was able to break through and fly back here, to you."
"She's... alive?" Tyson asked again. "But she's trapped... It should've been me..."
Seaside Gull made the motion of smacking Tyson upside the head, though his wing simply passed through. "Chico tonto! Do not sit here blaming yourself! You must find a way to get her back, si? Rapido!"
"How can I?" Tyson moaned, still in the depression phase of grief, unable to lift himself off the ground.
And then Jaden got a peculiar look on his face. "Seaside Gull, can I take over a minute?"
"Certainly, Senor Yuki." The duel spirit flew over to rest on Annie's shoulder instead, hoping Jaden could knock some sense back into Tyson.
And Jaden did. Literally. He slapped Tyson straight across the face. "PULL YOURSELF TOGETHER, PRIVATE! YOUR FIANCEE NEEDS YOU TO GET OFF YOUR BUTT AND MARCH BACK TO THE DORMS! WE NEED TO GET A CONTINGENCY PLAN TOGETHER SO WE CAN SAVE HER! NOW! SO GET UP AND GET MOVING, SOLDIER! THAT'S AN ORDER!" Tyson looked up at Jaden, stunned. He wasn't able to say a word.
In fact, everyone was staring at Jaden in complete and utter shock. Had he just gone military and had he just slapped someone? Somehow, Hell had just frozen over. "Jaden...just...wow," Alexis managed, blinking a few times.
Seaside Gull had winced at the slap. "Now that is going to sting for a while," he muttered, eyes very wide.
"Sarge," Tyson managed finally, "you hit me."
"You needed it," the Slifer stated, still with that strange look on his face.
And then Axel intervened, laying a hand on his friend's shoulder. "Jaden, you owe him an apology... You can order your men to jump off a cliff and you can even send them to some horrible place to die, but for some reason, you just can't slap them."
"Oh... Sorry, Tyson," Jaden sighed sheepishly, getting an embarrassed expression on his face.
And then the Texas Ra brought himself to his feet. "No, Sarge... I needed that..."
Annie was still stunned. "What in the world just happened? Did Jaden channel... General Patton?"
Syrus sweat-dropped. "He channeled something... And it was a little scary..."
"Scary? That's an understatement, Syrus," Bastion agreed, eyes wide. "Jesse... er... you don't do that, do you?"
Jesse grinned sheepishly. "Only if somethin' really burns my biscuits, as Mama says..."
"Angry Jaden... now in Louisiana hot sauce flavor," Annie muttered.
Violet couldn't help but snicker a little at Annie's words, while Syrus suddenly got a scared look. "Let's hope they're never both angry at the same time..."
"Wouldn't that mean the world would blow up?" Jaden asked as Tyson leaned on him for support.
Alexis laughed a bit nervously. "Let's...hope that's not the case..."
"Uh..." Jaden groaned under Tyson's weight. "Little help?!"
"Oh! Sorry, Jay!" Atticus ran over, helping the Slifer support their friend.
And the procession made its way back to the edge of the forest where Dr. Crowler was waiting. "Tyson's here... then... Rosa?" he asked and the group nodded as one. And then Vellian Crowler looked up into the sky. "CAN WE HAVE JUST ONE SCHOOL YEAR WHERE A STUDENT ISN'T KIDNAPPED, INJURED OR TERRORIZED AND NO ONE IS ATTACKING THE SCHOOL? IS THAT TOO MUCH TO ASK?!" He was in a mode that the students generally referred to as the "Crowler Crack-up." But this time, it wasn't over a minor issue.
The group stared at their professor a bit warily. "Uh...Dr. C...?" Violet asked, sweat-dropping.
Vellian blinked. "Oh... sorry, kids... Let's get Tyson back to the dorm..."
They headed back, the evening wind brushing them. Tyson had gone silent again, aching for Rosa. Seaside Gull hopped back over to Tyson's shoulder, also missing his mistress dearly. But he knew that he lucky to have escaped, so that he could tell them all what they needed to know.
The group stopped in one of the many lounges and Tyson sank to a couch. "Seaside Gull... how did you escape?" Jaden asked the bird sitting on Tyson's shoulder.
The bird shifted slightly, frowning. "I am...unsure. I, like the others, were sent to a dark dimension with Senorita Jimenez. But I felt detached, somehow. I could still move and I managed to find my way back here. But there was nada I could do for Senorita Jimenez..."
"A dark dimension... Is this where you were, Honest?" Bastion asked.
"Yes," Honest answered, shivering as he remembered that horribly dark and cold place.
"Maybe...the losers of the duels get sent there... But their closest duel spirit can come back," Violet said slowly, the idea making a lot of sense.
They all nodded. "Then we know they're alive," Jaden answered. "We can't do much tonight... If we're going to duel, we can't do that while we're fighting being tired..."
"Jaden's right. We need to get some sleep. We can talk about this more tomorrow," Alexis agreed.
"Tyson... do you want to stay at Slifer with us?" Jaden offered.
"Thanks, Sarge," Tyson answered, softly.
"We'll go with you so you can get what you need, okay?" Alexis added quietly.
Tyson nodded again. Together, he, Alexis and Jaden headed to his and Rosa's room. The couple sat in the sitting area while he went to the bedroom area alone. Tyson packed up some pajamas, his uniforms, some pants and some underwear. But then he caught sight of something that had fallen to the floor. It was a soft red shawl that she had gotten to match with the ruby rose earrings that he'd given her as an engagement present. "You liked those so much... and you looked so pretty wearin' them..." He rubbed the shawl against his face, and again couldn't hold the tears back. And on the bed was her doll which he held close as he cried. "Oh, darlin'..."
Seaside Gull appeared, alighting on one of the bedposts. "Senor Hassleberry...it will be all right. You shall get her back. I have faith in you!"
But Tyson had broken down. No longer would he fear Hell because on this day, he knew what it was. In the sitting room... "Lex? You hear that?" Jaden asked.
Alexis sighed and nodded. "Yeah...this is hitting him really hard, Jay..."
And Jaden got up and headed into the room. His eyes softening, he moved to his friend, sitting down next to him. "Tyson... c'mon," he tried, putting an arm around the big Ra.
Alexis followed, placing a hand on the muscled Ra's back. "Tyson...it'll be okay. Shh...come on..." They got Tyson to his feet carefully.
"Let's get over to Slifer... You can get your pajamas on, and you can relax..." Tyson lifted his head and nodded silently, taking his bag and following them.
When they arrived at the Slifer dorms, Tyson headed straight for the bathroom. He got his pajamas on and headed back up to the room. "Thanks... for havin' me," he managed, now tired as the adrenaline left his system and his darker emotions got to him.
"No thanks needed, Tyson. We're glad to have you," Alexis replied, offering him a smile.
"Yeah, Tyson... That's what friends are for," Jaden added.
Tyson nodded. "Thanks, just the same." And then he sank down on the palette on the floor and was asleep in seconds.
Alexis sighed. "Jay...this is really bad..."
He put his arms around her as they lay down on their bed. "Babe... we'll get through this... and we'll keep it contained here somehow..."
"I just hope we can beat this before it takes anyone else," she murmured, worried.
"Me too, babe... me too," Jaden murmured back softly as she leaned into him. Ever since they'd been together, he'd appreciated how feminine and yet how strong her body felt in his grip. Tonight, he felt it again.
Before Alexis had slept with Jaden, she thought that only her father or her big brother could hold her just the right way to comfort her. But now she knew that Jaden made her feel even safer, and right now she wouldn't want to be with anyone else.
Jaden took a deep breath, breathing in Alexis's sweet scent and drifted off, enjoying this moment of peace, even in what seemed like a war. Alexis drifted soon after, and all was quiet in the room. Seaside Gull, too, was asleep on the windowsill. Without Rosa here, he had no deck to return to and was forced to remain in this world.
And back in a dark dimension, Yusuke Fujiwara stood looking at a mirror that allowed him a glimpse of his former home. A bony hand rested itself on his shoulder, the remainder of the figure from before still hidden aside from its eyes. "Yusuke....you look troubled...." it hissed.
Yusuke looked at the red eyes. "I wish... I was part of the fight, my master," he said carefully.
The hand pulled back into the shadows. "Ah... I understand, Yusuke. But it's far too dangerous with them knowing who you are. Especially since your spirit has escaped. It seems to be an unfortunate weakness within the Dark Rift... Those who have recently succumbed to Darkness that are duelists are allowing their closest spirits to slip back to Earth." The figure was obviously very displeased by this.
"Had he not escaped... I could have fought... and kept them distracted," the greenish-blonde young man mused.
"Yes, I know. It's unfortunate...now the process shall go slower. But a good number has been added to the Dark Rift for the first attack... And Mr. T is still working with his copies." The figure made a motion in the shadows, and the mirror's image changed to that of a dark ocean. Numerous people floated on its surface, unconscious, including a certain Spanish teen in an Obelisk uniform.
Yusuke looked up at the Obelisk girl. "Her loss causes damage, my master..." This was a statement of fact, nothing more.
"Exactly. And I've already given Mr. T his next set of instructions. Soon another will fall...but it will be much easier to make them give in to their darkness. The strongest have already been broken," Darkness growled with glee, the set back of the duel spirits all but forgotten.
"And who is the next one, my master?"
"It is..." And Darkness explained the next part of its plot to Yusuke, while the group of students at Duel Academy slept a relatively peaceful slumber.
So Darkness has made his sinister move. Rosa is trapped and the group is on alert as is the school. So what will result from this? Next time, join us for "Night Light." Until then, please read, review and stay tuned! Thank you!