Chapter XXIII: Night Light
Hello again, Darkness Falls readers and newcomers to this Yugi-verse. Yes, it is an alternate universe where different choices were made, thereby altering the timeline and the people involved. Anyway, we're glad you're still here with us as the story takes a darker turn and we hope you can forgive us the character torture. So we guess you're raring for another chapter. And here to introduce the chapter are our favorite funny and straight men, Jaden and Chazz!
--Jaden comes onto the stage, dragging Chazz—Hey, everybody! It's me, Jaden…
Chazz looks daggers at his fellow Slifer-- And me, Chazz… Slacker, you seriously couldn't have dragged Alexis here?!
Jaden: Uh, no… She's relaxing today… She said she had a headache from me playing Michael Bay's Explosions on my Wii! She said I had it up too loud… But the dorm couldn't hear how cool the game was otherwise.
Chazz: Uh… they heard it all over the island last week! How do you get it that loud?!
Jaden: I got a killer sound system from Atticus!
Chazz: That figures… So anyway, last time, Tyson faced Trueman, who has the grave misfortune of picking the nickname of an actor from a 1980s TV series. That might've been funny, but now Rosa's gone thanks to that butthead.
Jaden (turning serious): So Tyson's really upset, we all know we're in trouble and that another bad guy has decided to make our last few weeks as students at Duel Academy a pain in the butt. Can't I have one school year where I don't have to save the world? Well, anyway, as usual, read on to find out what happens next!
--Chazz sighs--: I'll do the disclaimer, Slacker. As usual, Peach and Ani don't own the Yu-Gi-Oh franchise… If they did, duh, it would've been on TV and in the manga. They just happen to like the universe enough to mess around with us. So don't sue them, okay? Thanks… SLACKER! STOP EATING THOSE CUPCAKES! THEY'RE LACED WITH RED BULL!!!
--Jaden has a crazed look in his eyes as he's eaten five cupcakes and is now practically bouncing off the walls-- --Chazz sighs again—How this slacker is the one to save the world… God only knows…
The next day, the news had gone through the school that a student was missing. Blair Flannigan gripped Marcel's hand. "Why is this happening?" she wondered.
Marcel frowned, holding back a blush. "I don't know, Mademoiselle Blair..."
"We have to stay close to each other... Strength in numbers..."
He nodded. "R-Right..."
And in class, Tyson sat, trying to pay attention. It was Professor Stein's class and he had to be ready for finals. Seaside Gull sat on his shoulder; he hadn't left the boy's side much, having nowhere else to go. He could also keep an eye on Tyson, who everyone was worried about.
The gang stuck together through each class, deciding there was indeed strength in numbers. "At least if we're together, we'll know what happens," Annie pointed out.
Syrus nodded. "And maybe they won't attack if we're all together..."
"Yeah," she agreed.
But unfortunately, students began to disappear. "No! I don't want to go!" a first-year girl cried that night in her room. She was a small girl with raven pigtails and big blue eyes, and unfortunately didn't have a high opinion of herself or her dueling skills.
Mr. T acted sympathetic, placing a hand on her shoulder. "But you know it's true. You are weak... Give in to this fact, acknowledge it, and you shall become strong..."
"I...I am weak... If I were a boy... I'd be in Slifer," she admitted, her blue eyes tearing.
"Come with me... And you will be stronger than even the pros," he lied, holding out his hand. She took it and disappeared. Scenes similar to this one were happening simultaneously in all of the dorms, Mr. T taking full advantage of his copy ability. By the time dawn came, there was an obvious gap in the student body.
"What's happening here," Annie moaned softly the next morning as the cadre headed to classes.
"This is bad... People are disappearing like crazy. And I don't think it's just happening here," Violet stated, frowning.
Bastion was checking the news on his PDA. "All over the world... people are going..."
"It just doesn't make sense, unless there are thousands of this guy," Alexis said in annoyance.
"Oh, great... The attack of the clones," Jaden groaned. "But that makes sense..."
"How do we fight an enemy that can be everywhere at once?" Syrus asked worriedly.
"He's gonna come for us... And me," Jaden knew. "But I can't run. Running now would be foolish..."
"There's gotta be a way we can fight this, though. A way to stop them from taking us," Atticus said thoughtfully.
"But how?" Jaden wondered. "Atticus...can you remember anything?
Atticus sighed and shook his head. "No...I still haven't gotten anything..."
"There's got to be something we're missing here," Jaden mused.
"All we know about this guy is that there's a whole lotta him, that he challenges ya to a duel, and that if ya lose, you're sent to this dark world," Jesse counted off.
"So he takes everybody... but... urgh," Jaden groaned in frustration.
"Jaden," Bastion said calmly, "don't over-think..."
"We're missin' somethin' here, mates. And we better figure it out right quick, or we're going to be in a lot of trouble," Jim stated, arms crossed over his chest.
"Yeah," Adrian agreed, eyes narrowing. "But what does he do to get people to go with him?"
"Tyson, do you remember anything?" Violet asked.
Tyson took a deep breath. "I remember... us walkin' in the woods. And then we met this guy who looked like somebody out of that movie, 'The Matrix...' We dueled and then... I just remember feelin' fear, and then..." His eyes popped. "I gotta remove it! I gotta!!"
"Hang on, Tyson! Remove it? What are you talking about??" Alexis asked, the whole group surprised by his sudden outburst.
"My leg... the bone in it... it made... me bad..."
Jaden's eyes widened. "Tyson? What do you mean it made you bad?"
Tyson's eyes went blank, much as Atticus's did when he was reliving an unpleasant memory. "It's evil... dark..."
Atticus caught it, and frowned. "That guy showed him something... Whatever it was, it has to do with the dinosaur bone in his leg."
"Tyson... your leg isn't evil... and you're not evil," Axel tried.
"No... It's bad... gotta get rid of it," the dinosaur-loving Ra moaned again, that horrible blank look still in his eyes.
"I'm not slapping him again," Jaden groaned softly, as his hand was still sore from the other night.
"Tyson, at least tell us why it's bad," Syrus tried. If they knew, then maybe they could snap him out of it.
Tyson blinked, the blank look going out of his eyes. "A dinosaur's life was hard... and it hunted... And it killed..."
"Is anyone making sense of what he's saying? 'Cause I'm not," Violet asked, scratching her head in confusion.
Bastion and Annie looked at each other, comprehension coming to them at the same time. "It's the dinosaur's life cycle," the dark-haired girl realized.
"The assailant made him feel guilty that the dinosaur that gave him his leg bone had to kill to survive," Bastion added.
"But how did he know the bone in Tyson's leg belonged to a carnivore??" Jesse questioned.
"Tyson, do you know for sure that it was a carnivore?" Jasmine asked, moving close to him.
"I...I don't know... but I think it is," the dreadlocked Ra answered shakily.
"You know... There should be a way to find out. There must've been records on the find and the surgery," Jim stated thoughtfully, a hand on his chin. Having studied paleontology, he knew they always kept fossil records. And it was common knowledge that medical records for surgeries would exist, especially for something as unique as a dinosaur bone to human body transplant.
"Jim, you're right! And the dig was in Utah... Now all we need to know is where, when and how everything occurred," Bastion agreed. "Adrian, mind lending a hand?"
"Yeah," the redheaded East Academy student answered, straightening his glasses. "I'll get in contact with a friend of mine while you gather some info!"
"Don't worry, Tyson. We'll get to the bottom of this," Atticus said reassuringly, placing a hand on the younger teen's shoulder.
Tyson nodded. "Th-thanks, guys..."
"I have an idea so if something gets one of us, we'll know when it happens," Axel said as they walked to their next class.
"Really? What's your idea?" Violet asked.
Axel held up his PDA. "I can rewire these things, with a little help, to transmit an emergency signal if we're either in a duel with whatever this is or if we're lost. The PDAs are left behind."
"I bet Bastion-baby could help you! He's great with that sort of thing! Annie, too!!" Violet said excitedly, grinning at her fiancé and best friend.
"Gladly," the two surrogate siblings asserted at the same time.
"I can help too," Adrian added eagerly.
GXGXGXGXGXGXGXGXGXGXGXGXGXGXGXGXGXGXGXGXGXGXGXGXGX
With the drop in the student body, the last two classes of the day were cancelled. The group got together at Dorothy's cafe and began their work. "Ouch!" Annie yelped as a circuit on Jesse's PDA shocked her.
"Are you okay, Annie?" Syrus asked, taking her hand and checking it for damage.
"Yeah... just a light shock, honey. Could you get me a cool washcloth?" she answered, flushing slightly.
"Sure." Syrus went to get one from Dorothy, while Violet glanced at Annie's injury, a first-degree electrical burn.
"Ouch. I know how that feels. Never experiment with a car battery, copper wire, and a metal baseball bat," the purple-haired Obelisk girl stated.
Annie's eyes widened as she got back to temporarily deactivating the power cell on the PDA. "Do I even want to know why, how or when?"
Violet sweat-dropped as Syrus returned with the cloth. "Let's just say I was testing a new cooking method and leave it at that...."
"Okay, then," Annie said, sweat-dropping as well and placing the cloth on her finger.
Bastion, meanwhile, had gotten the configuration in Adrian's PDA fixed and held it out. "Drop it, Adrian..."
"Drop it?"
"Drop it..." The red-headed boy did so and Jaden's PDA, already modified, let off beeping signals.
"It really works! This is great...now we won't have a repeat of what happened last time," Alexis said with enthusiasm borne of knowing at least one problem had been solved.
Jaden picked up his PDA and read the display numbers. "Oh, it has Adrian's number on it!"
"So we'll know who got taken," Atticus added, nodding. It was a really good idea.
"How's it coming, kids?" Dorothy asked, coming around with refills for their drinks.
"We've already got a few of 'em done, Miss Dorothy. And they're workin'!" Jesse answered excitedly.
"Good... I know you're going to figure this out and bring everyone back..." And with that vote of confidence, the gang redoubled their efforts. Within two hours, the PDAs were ready.
Bastion's eyebrows were lightly singed. "Note to self: never lean too closely to a malfunctioning PDA," he sighed.
Violet snickered. "I think they make you look even cooler. Besides, they'll grow back."
The Ra genius brushed at what remained of his eyebrows. "Hmm... could be worse. I lost them completely in junior high during a chemistry experiment..."
"Oh!! You too?!" Violet exclaimed, grinning.
"Has anyone else had that experience?" Bastion wondered.
"No... but I turned myself green!" Jaden grinned.
"You did what?!" Alexis asked, staring at her fiancé.
"Yeah! I was trying to make green glop in class... and it sort of exploded," the Slifer grinned sheepishly. "That was in fifth grade…"
Atticus grinned. "Reminds me of when I made a baking soda volcano for a science fair. I used a whole box of baking soda and a whole bottle of vinegar..."
Alexis grimaced at the memory. "The house and everyone in it reeked of vinegar for DAYS."
Chazz sized up his brother and future brother-in-law. "No wonder they don't want you two in the science lab at the same time."
"I don't see what the big deal is. Back home, I used to make mud bombs all the time. What Jay and Atty did sounds like a lotta fun!" Jesse stated with a grin.
"Figures you'd say that, Jesse... You weren't allowed in the science lab at North Academy because of an experiment that backfired when Chancellor Foster was in the room, right?" Chazz taunted.
Jesse sweat-dropped, rubbing the back of his neck. "Oh yeah... I almost forgot about that... Chancellor Foster looked a heck of a lot scarier bald and covered in soot..."
"See what I mean? Twins," Chazz concluded, a little smugly.
"Well, back to our current problem," Mindy said, "it's good this is done... But how do we make sure no one just disappears?"
"Well...why don't we try to stay in pairs?" Atticus offered.
"Good idea, at least groups of two, maybe more," Adrian offered. "Maybe they won't..." And then a very sad, heartbroken cry rang from outside the cafe.
"Did you blokes hear that?!" Jim asked, Shirley giving a low growl by his feet. Something was making her go on the defensive, big time.
Everyone raced from the cafe and down the hall without a word. Right next to the lecture hall, a girl in a bright red blazer and pleated skirt was sobbing sadly, sitting on her knees. "Blair?" Jaden asked, moving close to her like a big brother concerned for his little sister.
"M-Marcel... Jaden, he's gone," she whimpered. Instinctively, he pulled the young girl into a hug.
"It's even worse than we thought... They're attacking in broad daylight," Alexis muttered.
Blair was shaking badly. "He dueled this big guy... called himself Trueman or Mr. T... And then... Marcel was crying about something being his fault," she moaned. "I couldn't save him..."
"That sounds like what he did to Tyson. He made you think that you were guilty because you had the bone of a carnivore in your leg," Syrus realized, putting the pieces together. Is that what this "Mr. T" character did to everyone?
Tyson nodded... and then the whole memory came back to him. "NOOOOOO!!!" He held his head, screaming the word from the depths of his soul.
Everyone in the group pulled back, shocked at the outburst that was an echo of the day before. "Tyson! Calm down," Atticus tried, grabbing onto the other's shoulders. He had an idea of how the dino-boy was feeling.
"I...remember... I was a dinosaur," Tyson gasped out.
"Wha..? A dinosaur??" Violet asked, blinking a few times.
"I don't know what happened... but I was back in the Jurassic Period... and... I ate a stego," Tyson moaned.
"We have to find out now," Annie asserted.
"Blair... come with us," Jaden invited gently, soothing her.
"O-okay," she answered getting shakily to her feet with his help.
Together the group headed for the Obelisk dorms to decide what to do now. "Half of Slifer is gone," Jaden groaned after checking the list that the teachers had set up online of an academy headcount.
"I checked, and apparently nearly an entire floor of girls is gone too," Alexis added.
Atticus sighed. "It's the same for the Obelisk guys. The dorms are starting to get empty, fast."
"Ra is no better. With the exception of Tyson, myself and Phil, as well as Professor Sartyr, the yellow dorm has been decimated," Bastion stated, his face grim.
"If we don't do somethin' fast, this is gonna be a deserted island," Jesse threw in, completely serious.
"Well, it ain't Survivor," Axel said, "and we don't want to vote people off; we want them back."
"We just need to figure out how to get them back, and stop them from getting taken," Jim agreed, hand resting on Shirley's head. She, like the duel spirits and students, was getting very uneasy because of the oncoming darkness.
Little Ojama Yellow and his brothers appeared, shaking. "Boss... I'm scared," Ojama Yellow whimpered, crablike eyes tearing up. "What if you get taken?"
"It'll... be bad," Chazz said tightly. It had taken a lot of therapy for him to be halfway nice to the Ojamas, and he now could recognize their fears and reassure them.
Red-Eyes Black Chick appeared as well, grabbing onto Atticus's shoulder. "Atty! I don't want to lose you again!" he squeaked fearfully.
Atty smiled reassuringly at the little dragon. "I won't, Chick... Not this time..."
Usagi appeared as well. "I can protect you, Annie... all of us scouts will... We won't let you fall..."
"Thanks, Usagi," Annie murmured gratefully, the light shining in her eyes.
Gyroid appeared near Sy. "I don't want you to fall, Syrus..."
"I'm not going to, Gyroid. I'm not leaving Annie..." Syrus replied, determined.
Watapon appeared on Violet's lap and squeaked, obviously worried. The purple-haired girl grinned and hugged him. "I'll be fine, Tiffles. No need to worry." And beside her, Water Dragon appeared, resting its large head on Bastion's shoulder.
Bastion smiled, brushing the dragon's wet snout. "Hello, Pacifica," he said. "We'll find a way to stop this... And I know you can help us..."
Cyber Tutu appeared before Alexis. "Me and the girls got your back, Alexis!"
The blonde Obelisk girl smiled. "Thanks, Cyber Tutu. I know I can count on you guys..."
Yubel, along with some of the Elemental Heroes, came into view around Jaden. "We're all here to help you, Jaden," she said.
Jaden grinned back, and then looked at Blair, lying on the couch while Maiden in Love brushed at her ebony hair. His expression went from happy to pained in an instant. "Blair... please talk to me..." But Blair just laid silently, tears rolling down her face.
"Bibi bi!!" Ruby called out, appearing suddenly.
Jesse blinked. "Ruby? What's up?"
"Biiii!" The fox-like duel spirit cried impatiently, scratching near the back of the couch Blair was lying on.
"Ruby, what is it?" Mindy asked as well, moving to where Ruby was pawing.
The group moved together and then Blair lifted her head. "Huh?"
A little figure moved from behind the couch, dressed in an old-style French army costume, but at the same time, it looked very much like an old fashioned child's toy. "Um... hello," it said nervously.
Hey...you look like one of Professor Bonaparte's toy soldiers!" Violet stated, remembering the duel between the short teacher and Dr. Crowler.
"But I'm Marcel's friend. His papa gave him to me when he first started dueling," Toy Soldier greeted.
"Marcel?" Blair asked, eyes widening.
Seaside Gull appeared, alighting on the edge of the couch. "A-ha! He is like me! He must have escaped from the dark world. I wonder if the other duelists' spirits managed to do so..."
"We all have duel spirits, but not all of us have the gift to see them... and we can lose the gift and regain it," Bastion realized. He had consciously ignored duel spirits when he'd decided to think of them as imaginary friends to be cast off, but his experiences at Duel Academy, especially this school year, had let him regain that ability.
"Toy Soldier, Marcel's in the dark world, right? Did you see anything else before you came back here?" Syrus questioned.
"A dark place," the little duel spirit said. "Marcel was trapped there... And others were too... I just got away..."
"So we know that they're all being taken to the same place," Alexis stated, frowning.
"And then we can get them all back," Jaden said, his eyes narrowing. "Okay... we have to figure out who stays where tonight... Blair, you need to stay with one of the gang tonight, okay?"
The eleven-year-old girl nodded. "Okay..."
"Blair... would you like to stay with Mindy and me?" Jasmine asked. "We have lots of room and no guys..."
"Okay," the little girl answered in the same soft voice.
"Aster, Chazz, Atty, you guys need to stay with someone too," Alexis realized, turning to the three.
Aster and Chazz looked at each other. "Good point... Trueman will come for either of us if we're alone," Aster realized.
"Yeah... bro, you can't be alone either," Chazz pointed out to his big brother.
Atticus nodded. "Well, since we can't pair up...why don't all three of us stick together?"
"Good idea, big bro... Let's do that... Aster... Want to?"
Aster nodded, smiling a little at the kindness. "It's kinda nice..."
Atty grinned, putting an arm across each of their shoulders. "It'll be like a big guys' sleepover!"
Aster nodded. "Yeah... like at the end of the summer." He'd found a sort of family in Darla and Will Truesdale and in the group at large. And now, he felt his family had expanded again.
That left the transfer boys. "Adrian, wanna bunk together?" Jesse asked, grinning.
"Uh... sure," Adrian answered. He wasn't thrilled with this arrangement, but knew it had to be done. 'I like talking with Echo every night... But she's on edge if I have someone in the room,' he thought.
"Guess that just leaves me and you, mate. Hope you don't mind crocodiles," Jim stated, turning to face Axel. Shirley grumbled in her crocodile speak at his feet, looking up at Axel like a scaly puppy. She blinked her large amber eyes at him, and Axel had to wonder if she was trying to charm him.
The African-American young man reached down and patted Shirley's leathery head. "Nah... I've been in jungles training to fight. Shirley's a lot nicer than any critter I've met there..." Jim figured the other wouldn't mind, but he was a little edgy about staying with another person. He had to unwrap his eye every night to check that nothing was getting infected, and he'd always been a bit self-conscious about it. Axel sensed the unease, but not the reason. "Dude, I won't bug you..."
Jim smiled. "I know ya won't, mate. No worries."
The group got their things together and headed to their rooms for the night. "Well, the room up here waited for us," Jaden said as he, Tyson and Alexis headed into the huge room Alexis and he had called home at the early part of the school year.
"Yeah... Gosh, it feels so...empty," Alexis muttered, looking around. Usually at this time of day, there would be at least a few students wandering the hallways. But it was just them now, and there was a slightly eerie silence.
Tyson looked around. "Yeah... This ain't right... We gotta end this..."
"We're going to, Tyson... somehow," Jaden agreed.
"I wonder if it's like this back in Domino," Alexis thought aloud, remembering that people were disappearing everywhere.
"Mom and Dad said people have been disappearing there too," Jaden answered as Tyson got comfortable in one of the three rooms and he and Alexis sat on the couch in the sitting room. The Slifer had called his parents to see what was going on back home. "Yugi and his whole gang are on edge..."
"I'm not surprised. They have their kids to look after..." Alexis couldn't imagine how frantic she'd be if it was the same for her and Jaden.
"And a lot of the student body disappeared from Domino Elementary..." And then, their PDAs went off with a ringtone that indicated big Academy news. Jaden thumbed his. "Oh, please, God, no," he moaned as he read the headlines. His face went white.
Alexis's eyes were wide, one hand covering her mouth. "Oh, no... This is horrible..."
Tyson came running in from his room. "Sarge!"
"We... We know," Jaden moaned in horror.
On the screen, it read, "Breaking News: Children of Duelists Missing..." All three young adults scrolled down to read the story. "Domino City, CA, USA-- Duelists Yugi Muto and Bakura Ryou are pleading for any information regarding the disappearances of their children. Alex Ryou, age 6, went to school with his twin sister, Amane, this morning but only Amane made it to school. The girl mentioned a man wearing a black outfit and carrying a strange duel disk. She was unable to say more to authorities as the child had been traumatized. Meanwhile, at the Pokey Oaks Preschool, Lily Muto was playing on the playground, according to her teachers, when a dark shadow covered the playground. When the shadow disappeared, the four-year-old girl was gone. Authorities are baffled to explain how the youngest child of duelist Yugi and his wife of nearly 12 years, Tea Muto occurred. Authorities also ask that people be on the lookout for the assailant that allegedly kidnapped Alex Ryou. -Please see sketch-"
"This is... how can they go after little kids?!" Jaden yelped.
"It doesn't matter to them... They're just going after everyone, everywhere," Alexis muttered, in awe and disbelief.
"We have to get them back... all of them," Tyson growled. "Bakura must be worried sick... And Yugi and Teá too..."
"The sooner we stop this, the sooner everyone will be safe again," Alexis agreed, nodding.
"Yeah... sooner rather than later, babe," Jaden groaned.
In another part of the dorms, Chazz, Aster and Atticus were pulling on their pajamas. They too had seen the news. "Man... if that were one of us... Mom would be going crazy," Chazz sighed, remembering the two little kids who were now missing.
"Yeah... Especially after I already disappeared once," Atticus sighed, pulling on his pajama shirt.
Aster nodded. "I remember when my dad... died... I thought he was just missing... It hurt, not knowing where he was..." He took a breath. "To not know what happened to someone you love... It hurts... It's worse than actually knowing what happened."
Atticus nodded, offering the silver-haired teen a smile as he patted his back. "You're right... But we're going to make everything right again, somehow..."
"Yeah... They have to come home," Aster concluded softly, letting his carefully controlled mask slip as he had at the Truesdales late last summer. And then it was time to get in bed.
"Bro... can... Can I sleep in bed with you?" Chazz wondered.
Atticus blinked in slight surprise, but smiled in understanding. "Sure, little bro... Climb on in." He knew his brother was worried and needed comfort, so he, Atticus, would give that comfort. Aster wasn't sure he should intrude. Part of him really wished he had a brother like Chazz had one. And he prepared to head to the couch. But then Chazz whispered something to his brother.
The older Obelisk nodded, grinning. "Hey, Aster?" he called
"Yeah?" the younger boy asked.
"You wanna join us?"
"Really?" the silver-blonde asked, blue eyes wide, hardly daring to believe his luck.
"Yeah," Chazz answered. And so the Rhodes boys and the Phoenix boy climbed into the great big bed together. Atticus was in the middle; he didn't mind being the big brother of the three. He was used to it, after all. Besides, Aster was always so alone, he deserved a brother of some sort. Chazz, on Atticus's right, snuggled up close to his brother. He felt very safe with his big brother and instinctively knew no harm would come as long as they were together. Aster wasn't sure how to act, lying on Atticus's left. He longed to cuddle close, but wasn't sure if it was okay.
Atticus, sensing Aster's discomfort, smiled, and put an arm around him. He wouldn't pull the teen close, he'd let him decide doing that for himself. But the eldest Rhodes sibling wanted to show that it was indeed an option. Aster took the hint and cuddled. "Thanks, guys," he said softly, feeling as content as he had at the Truesdales and in his father's arms.
"No prob, Aster... Just relax," Atticus murmured, already drifting.
"Love you, bro," Chazz murmured, also falling asleep. Aster tried to form a coherent thought, but could not as he too drifted off to dreamland.
Back in the girls' dorm, Mindy, Jasmine and Blair fell asleep and dreamed of various things. And again in the boys' dorm, two more pairs of boys and one crocodile were getting ready for bed. Adrian opened his laptop and punched in the access code to call Echo. As far as the world knew, they were adopted siblings. But the truth was, they weren't and Adrian was glad of that. He had different-than-brotherly feelings for her, and that… well, if they were truly adopted siblings, there would be consequences.
"You'd better be available," he muttered.
Jesse had already changed into his pajamas, and was just walking past Adrian when he overheard his words. Leaning back to look over his shoulder curiously, he couldn't help but ask. "Who'd better be available, Adrian?"
"Uh... a friend of mine... We talk every night," Adrian answered quickly, trying to force down his blush.
Jesse blinked, then grinned. "Ya do? Wow. You must be some close friends."
"Yeah... well... She and I go way back. We've been friends since I came to live at the Geckos."
"Ooh..." And then Jesse, like any guy his age, couldn't help but tease his friend. Nudging him with an elbow, he smirked. "So it's THAT kinda friend..."
Adrian was not used to this kind of teasing. "Uh... don't you have to talk with Ruby or something?!" he shot back without really thinking.
Jesse blinked in surprise, unused to someone getting this defensive. It was normal teasing for him and the guys back home. "Whoa, easy there, partner! I was just jokin' with ya a bit," he said quickly, holding up his hands in surrender.
"Sorry, Jesse," Adrian apologized, sweat-dropping. "That was... too harsh... I just... I'm touchy..."
Jesse smiled and clapped the bespectacled teen on the shoulder good-naturedly. "Hey, it's all right, Adrian. That was a bit personal, anyway. I guess I'm just used to jokin' around with the guys."
"Nah... I'm just not used to it... Besides... well, you guys'll find out later..."
Jesse scratched his head, but shrugged. "Whatever ya say. Anyway, if you wanted some privacy, I can always go in the other room."
"Thanks, man," Adrian answered gratefully. "Hey, after I'm done... My mom sent a care package and... have you ever had knishes?"
Jesse blinked. "Uh, no... What are they?"
"They're the Jewish version of calzones, and Mom sends me the dessert version. It's kind of like a fruit pie, but it's baked and it's much healthier."
"Well, I'm willin' to try anythin' once! Especially for dessert."
"Okay, then!" Adrian grinned, which, even with his time at Duel Academy Central, was still a rarity. Adrian made his call and when he finished, he got out his box of treats. "Okay, Jesse, you are about to taste Mom's knishes..."
When Adrian opened the box, Jesse grinned. "Well, they sure look good!"
They looked like fruit pies in shape only, but Adrian knew they tasted better than fruit pies. "Dig in, man!" he said, handing the Southern boy one of them.
Jesse didn't need to be told twice, and made an uncanny impression of Jaden scarfing down dessert. Practically eating it in two or three bites, he was left with a filling mustache and a happy belly. "Mmmm! Adrian, I ain't gonna lie to you; that was the best fruit pie I've ever tasted!"
"Yeah... Mom makes 'em good!" The two young men shared a laugh.
And in another room, Axel Brody was reading quietly. 'What am I missing?' he wondered as he read through the information on his computer.
Shirley was already sleeping in her spot on Jim's bed, and the Australian teen decided to check on his temporary roommate before checking his eye. "Axel, maybe you should take a rest, mate. Overworking yourself won't do any good," he said, sitting down beside him.
Axel rubbed his eyes and looked up at his human roommate. "I just keep thinking there's something I'm missing, Jim... When I was working for Professor Viper, I knew what to expect from him... But with this... I need to find the pattern..."
"That may be true, but the more you stress your body, the harder it's gonna be. Even a soldier should know when to stop and take a breather," Jim tried again, offering the other a reassuring smile.
"Yeah... you're right, man... I'd better get my pajamas on. Mama says I need to relax a lot more than I do," Axel admitted, setting his laptop down on the desk in front of him.
"That's the spirit! I'll go ahead and save your work for you. Go and get changed." Jim knew it would only take seconds to save, and he could use the time to check his eye without Axel seeing.
"Oh, thanks," Axel answered gratefully, getting up and handing the computer to his friend. He patted Shirley on the way to the bathroom to change.
Jim saved and booted down the computer in a flash, then set it aside along with his hat. Walking over to a wall mirror that was a feature of the room, he carefully unwound his bandages. The metallic, glimmering red Orichalcum eye made itself known in an instant, and Jim began checking around it for any signs of possible infection. He'd had to learn to do this while a child, and it had become a nightly ritual that he kept to himself.
Axel got himself ready for bed very quickly, holding his dad's dog tags in his hand for a moment. 'I know you're with me, Dad... And I'm going to complete this mission,' he thought, closing his eyes for a long moment. And then he exited the bathroom to see Jim and his eye. "Hey," he greeted nonchalantly.
Jim jumped slightly; it was the only time anyone could ever surprise him. Quickly covering the eye with a hand, he turned to nervously face the other. He really hoped Axel hadn't seen that. To tell a person was one thing, but usually when they saw it things got awkward and uncomfortable, fast. "Uh...hey."
Axel decided to say something. "Hey, I'm an army brat. I've seen guys with prosthetic hands or legs, eye patches... all kinds of things. It's all right. And no big deal..."
Jim blinked his one good eye, staring at the other young man in surprise. He supposed he should have known, but precaution had become second nature. Removing his hand, Jim sighed. "Sorry, mate... Most people aren't really comfortable when they see stuff like this."
Axel looked at the metallic eye but didn't flinch. "Wow... how'd you get that? If you don't mind my asking, of course?"
Jim went and sat down, placing a hand on Shirley's head. "I don't mind at all. It happened when I was just a kid..." And so he explained about the trap, and how he had narrowly rescued Shirley. How he had fallen over a cliff and awakened with one eye plus the Orichalcum. Jim also told Axel about the prophecy the old guru had told him.
"...So someday, you might save someone," Axel said when his friend had finished. "Hmmm... I learned when I was a little kid that everyone's given a special purpose in life... a reason for being here, and sometimes we don't know how long it'll take before we know for sure what it is. I think you have a really good one..."
Jim smiled happily, pulling out a new roll of bandages from his pocket. "Thanks, mate... I'm sure you have a great purpose too. We'll both find out what they are eventually," he replied as he wrapped his eye.
"Yeah... Shall we get to bed?"
"Good idea." Jim stood, placing his hat back on his head as he nodded.
The two young men headed to their respective beds and got in. "Hey, Jim? What were the mattresses like at South Academy?" Axel asked with a slight grin.
"Actually, we had a choice between a mattress and a hammock if we wanted. I chose the hammock," Jim explained with a grin.
"Well, we should've had a choice between a mattress and the floor. I'd have chosen the floor," Axel countered. "I think Professor Viper got them from an army surplus store... they had to be vintage World War II..."
"So then I'm guessin' you're glad to be here for a while, eh?"
"Oh yeah... no visit to the chiropractor on this mattress... Night, Jim! Night, Shirley!"
"Night, Axel!" Shirley growled in response, and the three were asleep in no time
So Marcel is missing and some of the kids of the duelists are missing, along with citizens of Domino and around the world. The group has decided there is strength in numbers and has initiated an emergency system. And despite all the pain, there is still love and warmth in the world. Next time, join us for "Moonlight Through the Cloudy Night." So until then, please read, review and stay tuned. We respond to every review that we can, so review! Thank you very much!