Chapter XXVII: Piercing Darkness Part I
Hello again, GX fans! We're glad to see you back even as our tale has taken a dark turn. This chapter begins a very dark section of our universe, so you're all warned. Anyway, thanks for all your reviews and support. Welcome to our new reviewers and those who have favorited, and onto the tale.
Last time, the gang mourned Violet's loss to the Darkness, along with the losses of Angela Wheeler, and Noah and Serena Kaiba. Alexis had a nightmare about her worst fears, and Bastion fell just a bit further into Darkness's grasp. Will he be able to escape it, or will he fall? Read on to find out!
Disclaimer: Please see previous chapters. We also don't own Star Trek: First Contact, which Annie paraphrases in this chapter.
Authors' Notes: We will see different fears from the gang than was seen in canon. Instead of a car crash, Axel is dealing with his fears in a different way. His past, in this section, is taken from Peach's series of tales, "The Sibling Series." In that series, Axel has an older brother named Asher who was an Army Ranger that died in Afghanistan. His dad is also dead, killed on a mission with Professor Viper. We didn't see Jim's fear onscreen and nor did we see Blair's fear. So this is conjecture on our parts. Thank you for your attention.
The next morning, it seemed that the academy had, for once been unaffected. But little did the gang know it had been affected. Bastion woke up, got himself ready for the day and seemed... happier, for lack of a better word. "Good morning, everyone," he greeted as they met in the cafeteria.
"Good morning, Bastion. How are you feeling?" Alexis asked, surprised like the others by the Ra's sudden change.
"I'm feeling better... I have a feeling I'll be seeing Violet soon," he answered with a slight smile.
"Uh, Bastion? How do you know?" Jaden asked suspiciously.
"Well, I had a dream that I would see her soon," the Ra explained simply.
The teens sitting around the table exchanged confused and nervous glances. "See her soon....where, Bastion?" Syrus tried, frowning.
"I don't know... but I will see her soon," the genius said again.
"Bastion... how?" Annie dared ask, her insides turning to jelly.
"I'm... not entirely sure... It's not logical, is it?" The entire group again exchanged glances at this. He seemed peaceful, almost too much so.
Atticus recognized that Bastion was hiding something from them, and obviously wasn't going to say it. He'd done something similar before himself. "No... But if it's cheered you up a bit, then I guess we can just go with it," Atticus stated, sending the others a look that said pushing the subject would lead to nothing.
And so they didn't, but after breakfast, Annie moved to her surrogate brother. "Bastion... please tell me what's going on... you... you aren't planning to do something, are you?" she asked, blue eyes pained.
"Annie..." Bastion took a deep breath. "I don't have to do anything... And I'll be fine... Now, go have fun with Syrus..." He walked away, with a very calm expression on his face.
And she felt her heart break. "I wish I could believe you," she murmured, tears starting to fall.
Syrus, having stood to the side to let them talk, now moved to her and wrapped his arms around her. "It's okay, Annie... Whatever happens...if...if he does...you know... We'll get him back when we get everyone else back... But maybe it won't happen...."
"It's going to happen... Sy, he's like a person who's decided to commit suicide!" she choked out. "He's calm because he's made the decision!"
He pulled her close, knowing this but trying not to believe it. Tears brimmed his own eyes, but he held them back. "I...I know... I wish there was something we could do, Annie..."
"I just wish... we could figure out how to stop it... But he won't even talk through it..."
"I'm not sure we can stop it now, Annie... No matter how much we want to..."
Everyone kept an eye on Bastion that day as they didn't want to leave him alone. But in the evening, when Annie, Sy and Bastion were up in their suite, the tall Ra stood up from the couch in the sitting room. "I'm going to turn in early, guys..."
"Are you sure, Bastion?" Syrus asked, the worry obvious in his tone.
The tall young man nodded. "Yeah... I need to get to bed..." And then he hugged the couple close. Syrus glanced at Annie as he hugged the Ra back, frowning. He knew they both felt like this would be the last time they hugged for a long while. "Good night," Bastion said, releasing them.
"Good night, Bastion," Annie answered, aching for him. "Sy... what are we going to do?" she asked, sinking onto the couch when her brother-in-heart had left the room.
"I don't know, Annie... We can't watch him all night..." he answered through a sigh.
"We'll check on him," she answered softly. But she didn't know just what he was planning.
As soon as Bastion went to his room, he looked around the room. 'I can't stay here... It won't happen here,' he thought. He took a letter out of his coat pocket and read through it before sealing it in an envelope. He laid the stuffed version of Tiffles on the made bed also with a plush version of Death Litmus Violet had given him. He put the envelope back in his coat pocket, and then opened the bedroom window. Bastion used an emergency escape ladder and climbed down to the ground. He then headed over to Ra Yellow, which was deserted and got into the dorm and to his old room. "Hello, old friend," he whispered. The room seemed to welcome him back.
He remembered trying to figure out how to beat numerous opponents here. But what he remembered now was a night when Violet had come with him, just two months before... "Hmmm... I know I'm getting something wrong here, darling..."
Violet was laying on Bastion's bed, her head hanging upside-down over the edge as she stared at him. "Something wrong with what, Bastion-baby?"
"I'm just trying to figure out this equation, love," he explained. "I think I'm getting something wrong, but I'm not entirely certain... Maybe I should take a break," he concluded, sitting down on the bed next to her.
She flipped around to lie on her stomach, kicking her legs a bit. "Maybe you're just thinking too hard. If you over-analyze something, sometimes you won't get what you're looking for."
"Yeah, I think you're right... as you so often are, darling," he said, kissing her softly on the forehead.
She giggled, moving to press her lips against his momentarily. Then, she pulled away and rolled off of the bed, straightening. "I've got an idea."
The teen genius blushed lightly at the kiss. "And what is that?" he asked curiously, standing also.
"There's one equation that ALWAYS gets me to chill out and let my brain think on its own," she answered. Violet grabbed a marker and started writing, hiding what was being written from view.
Bastion followed curiously, trying to snag a look. Finally, he dared ask, "Are you done?"
"Yep! A simple equation that fits any situation. Heh heh..." Violet moved so that he could clearly see what she'd written. VH + BM equals RG.
"RG means random genius, right?" he asked with a grin, skillfully taking the marker from her.
"Of course!" she answered happily.
"Well, you forgot something in your equation," he teased.
She blinked and pouted. "I did??"
"Yup." He moved and added a symbol that looked like a sideways 8 next to RG.
"RG...infinity?" she asked for clarification.
He nodded. "We are forever," he answered, bending to kiss her again. "And I wouldn't have it any other way, love..."
She smiled, wrapping her arms around him. "Neither would I, Bastion... I love you..."
That "I love you" echoed in his mind in the present. "I love you, darling... And I'm coming," he murmured softly.
As if on cue, the shadows in the room darkened even more, a suffocating blanket of darkness smothering all light. And then Trueman appeared in a swirling gust of darkness near Bastion's bed. "Bastion Misawa...I'm sure you know why I've come."
"Of course," Bastion answered calmly turning around to meet the jump-suited clone. "Just allow me to do one thing before you take me..."
Mr. T smirked. "Go ahead. I'll wait."
The young man laid the envelope on the bed and then hit the emergency transmitter button indicating that he'd been taken. "There now... I'll go... I can't live without her..."
Trueman chuckled, walking over to stand beside the teen. "And you won't. You've made the right decision..." With that said, the both of them disappeared in another gust of shadowy wind.
The alarms went off all over the academy. "Oh, no... Another one gone," Fonda Fontaine muttered, picking up the PDA as she sat with Don, originally enjoying coffee.
Don picked up his PDA as well, and the cup he'd been holding slipped from his grasp when he saw the name. "No," he moaned as the cup hit the carpet, his body slumping back into his seat.
And up in the Obelisk dorms, Jaden stared. "Bastion? But... he's in... Ra Yellow..."
"That doesn't make sense... I thought he was staying with Syrus and Annie," Alexis agreed, looking at Jaden in utter bewilderment.
And back in Annie and Sy's room, the couple tore into Bastion and Violet's room. "He's not here!" Annie shrieked.
"Then he really was in the Ra dorm! Annie, we need to get over there!" Syrus said quickly, hoping that it was just a fluke. But somehow, deep down he knew Bastion was gone.
She looked at the room. "He... he planned it... We didn't stop him..." The tears were streaming down her face.
He took her hands. "Annie, you said earlier...you said that he looked like someone who'd chosen to commit suicide, right?" She shakily nodded. "Well...what if he left a note or something? Don't people usually do that before they commit suicide? I-I mean, not that he did...but it's like that, right?"
She nodded. "Maybe... L-Let's go down to Ra Yellow..."
It wasn't long before everyone in the group was down at Ra, including the teachers. The first person into the dorm was Professor Sartyr. "Everything looks normal," the teacher commented, looking around at the walls covered with the same formulas as they entered.
And then, he noticed the letter and PDA deposited neatly on the bed. With shaking hands, he opened it and read it aloud. "'To whomever is reading this, I have allowed Trueman to take me. I am not strong enough without Violet. She is my life and my world... and I cannot remain here... I can only hope to find her. So... please forgive me... Bastion.'"
Professor Sartyr wasn't the only one who found himself wiping away tears. The letter conveyed the depression they'd seen Bastion holding in quite well. "He really is gone... They took him," Syrus muttered, sniffing and rubbing at the tears brimming his eyes.
"He didn't even fight," Jaden groaned softly, tearing up.
"He couldn't take it," Tyson moaned, wetness forming in his green-brown eyes. Axel, not one for tears, closed his eyes, pursing his lips. Adrian, too, was silent. Mindy and Chazz were hugging tightly and Jasmine held onto Atticus. Blair had tears rolling down her face. But Annie, close to Syrus, suddenly straightened.
"Annie?" Syrus asked, looking at his fiancée.
"They invade our world... and we fall back," she murmured, as if in a trance.
"What??" Atticus stammered; the group's attention had turned to the brown-haired Obelisk.
"They take our friends and family, and we fall back..."
"Annie?" Jaden asked, eyes widening as he wiped his own tears from them. Syrus stared at the woman he loved, his arms still around her, wondering what she was getting at. He'd never seen her this way.
"Not again. The line must be drawn here. This far, no farther... And we will make them pay for what they've done," she finished, a fire in her eyes that was rarely there.
"Uh...Annie? What was that?" Alexis asked; all of them were pretty confused.
Annie blinked, coming out of the trance. "Captain Picard said it. Star Trek: First Contact. He was talking about why he wouldn't destroy the Enterprise to stop the Borg. It was about revenge... but this is different. I think I know... how to stop Trueman from taking any more of us..."
"Ya do?! How??" Jesse asked, the tension in the room instantly dissolving into hope.
"We have to fight ourselves... We have to face our fears... our pain... our guilt," she said softly.
"Annie...are you saying what I think you're saying?" Jim asked, tilting his hat up a bit.
"We have to talk out what's hurting us... no matter how insignificant it seems to us. We have to tell each other... or more of us will fall to this," she answered.
The group of friends exchanged looks. "That...that makes sense..." Syrus muttered, the realization of it smacking them all like a ton of bricks to the face.
"Why didn't we see it before?" Jaden wondered. "I mean... we talk about stuff... don't we?"
The group quieted, quite a few looking away uncomfortably. Alexis frowned. "Not... not about that sort of thing, Jay... Remember what we talked about...last night?" she muttered.
"We have held back from each other," he realized. "Even me..."
"It's no wonder they were able to get at us so easily..." Atticus added, biting his lip.
"But one thing doesn't make sense... I never feared my dino leg," Tyson stated, puzzled. "But then... he showed me that world and how brutal it could be..."
"He knew that would offend your sense of battle honor," Axel explained, understanding a soldier's creed that killing in the heat of battle was one thing, but killing indiscriminately was quite another.
"Even if we don't know our fear, or don't have it yet, he can make us see it and give in to it," Jesse added.
"That would explain our nightmares," Jaden stated, stunned again. "Things we couldn't stop or didn't experience, but might have..."
He took a breath. "And... I've always been afraid I'd lose you guys... Lex, Atticus, Chazz, that's why it was so hard for me to tell you last summer about Yubel..."
The Rhodes siblings looked at each other. All three had large fears they needed to get off their chests as well. "We've all kept things from each other, Jay..." Atticus replied.
"Then... we've got to face this now... And it's gonna be a long night," Axel said in his typical calm way.
Dorothy, who had arrived with the teachers, nodded. "I'm going to get some drinks for you kids. Just tell me where you want to set up..."
"How about one of the Ra lounges?" Jim offered to the group. They needed space, but somewhere comfortable.
"Here is as good as anywhere on campus," Chazz agreed. "But how about the common room?" he asked Professor Sartyr.
"That's fine. It hasn't been used since the other Ras disappeared," the teacher answered, the sadness in his tone obvious.
"Thanks, Professor. We're gonna get 'em back. Jaden's gonna do it when it comes to dueling," the youngest Rhodes asserted.
"Chazz is right. If these guys are like any other villain we've faced... They're gonna get mad when they find out we've discovered how to stop them. And they'll attack us," Atticus agreed. Everyone nodded, knowing it was true. It was going to be a very long night.
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The group quickly set up their temporary quarters in the bright, airy Ra Yellow common room. Tyson built a fire in the fireplace and the rest of the gang set up blankets, pillows, chairs and the couch for everyone to sit on and be comfortable. Meanwhile in the kitchen, Dorothy ground up some coffee beans. "Mmmm... nothing like the smell of coffee beans... unless it's chai tea..."
Don was helping her make the drinks, partially to get his mind off of the loss of one of his favorite students. "You like chai tea, Dorothy?" he asked, looking over at the plump snack shop and card shop manager.
"Well, yeah... and I know at least one student in the common room that is addicted to it. She says it tastes like Christmas."
"Really? Who would that be?"
"Annie," the older woman said, straightening her glasses. "She loves the stuff and even shared her recipe."
Don smiled. "I thought it might have been her." The pair was making coffee for most of the group, as well as dark teas and a sweet tea for Jesse. But when Don moved to make the hot chocolate for those who didn't like tea or coffee, he had to stop himself from pulling out four packets. "It's so strange with those three missing," he said through a sigh, only grabbing two. Violet and Rosa weren't there, after all.
Dorothy sighed, laying a hand on the younger man's shoulder, for she was 10 years Don's senior. "It is... Their circle is broken... And those kids bring something very special to that group... Even little Marcel..."
"We need to get them back... And not just them, everyone... Maybe this is a step towards discovering how to do that," Don replied, looking at the bespectacled woman.
She nodded, looking out at the group setting up their comfortable looking battle zone. "If I know Auto Club and his friends, this is it, and they'll bring light to the darkness and shield the school from harmful rays... like they always manage to."
"And hopefully, this will be the last time such a responsibility will fall on their shoulders," he agreed.
Each of the teachers felt that way. "They've been through too much," Vellian Crowler sighed.
"Oui, but they must face this final challenge," Jean-Louis Bonaparte answered.
"Let's hope it's the final one, at least," Ben Stein added.
It wasn't long and they were ready. "Okay... who goes first?" Annie asked. "And I will warn you that despite Zane's intervention, I am still a novice in psychology..." A tense silence ensued, some of the group looking nervously at the other and some of them staring at the ground. No one seemed to want to go first, or were too nervous to do so.
Axel took a breath. "I'll go... I have stuff to get off my chest."
The others looked at him in surprise. "You do, Axel?" Jim asked his friend, blinking his one good eye.
Axel nodded. "It seemed dumb at the time, but... truth is, I don't think it is now. And Jim... buddy, I'm sorry I didn't say anything."
Jim shook his head. "No need to be sorry, mate. We're on equal ground." He, too, needed to get something off his chest.
"Well... Let's get to it... What do I do?" Axel asked, moving to the couch.
"Make yourself as comfortable as you can and remember that all of us are your friends and we care about you and what happens to you," Annie said in a soft, calm voice.
Axel took off his combat boots and his jacket and laid his duel disk down as well. "Axel... I'm sorry," Viper apologized in a whisper as he watched. He felt he had inadvertently added to the boy's darkness.
"You made up for it, my friend," Chancellor Shepherd smiled kindly. "Don't let that take you..."
Axel took another deep, cleansing breath. "You guys all know about my dad... How he died a few years ago in a combat mission, right?" When they all nodded, he continued, "And I told you about my brother, Asher, who died in Afghanistan..."
"Yeah, Axel, you did," Jaden answered, remembering them all talking about their families back in Domino as the girls recovered.
"Well, I didn't tell you guys, but when I was about 7, there was a bad fire at our house. It was a year after Asher died and I'd been looking at the medals he'd won for bravery and the flag that had been draped over his coffin. Anyway, there was an electrical short somewhere in the house and it started a fire. By the time I realized something was going on, half the house was already engulfed and part of the roof came in. I could hear Mama screaming from outside the house for me, and Dad holding her back. I grabbed Asher's medals and flag and tried to escape, but I was blocked in. I could hear them yelling for me, but... Then I blacked out. I woke up in the hospital a few hours later. And I didn't want my parents out of earshot for weeks after that..."
"Did you save your brother's medals and flag?" Syrus asked, knowing that might be a factor here.
Axel nodded. "But... that's not what scared me... See, I didn't know Mom and Dad were out of the house..."
He shivered at the memory. "I was afraid I'd lose them like I'd lost Asher. But... they'd have died in the fire... trapped..."
"So...you were afraid that if they were ever out of your sight or earshot...you'd lose them for sure?" Alexis tried, putting together the pieces.
Axel nodded. "And then... Dad died on that mission and it was just me and Mama." He took a steadying breath. "I'd have family to take care of me... but losing Dad, Asher and Mama... It'd be too much..."
"But you didn't lose your mom, right?" Atticus asked.
"No... and she's okay... for now... And if talking helps keep Trueman from taking her, I'll talk... and... I feel better," Axel realized, sitting up. The dark-skinned young man got up and walked over to his friend with the crocodile. "Thanks, man... Sorry I didn't tell you before..."
Jim smiled and held out his hand. "Like I said before, no worries, mate. At least now it's off your chest." Axel shook the offered hand. Despite all the group hugs, Axel Powell Brody was most definitely NOT a huggy person. But he did hold Jim's hand strongly.
Once Axel had sat down again in another spot in the room, Jim sighed. "I'd like to go next, if that's all right with everyone." Shirley, sitting at his feet, growled lightly and rubbed her snout against his leg.
"Of course, Jim," Annie answered for the group. "Please make yourself comfortable on the couch..."
Jim stood and went over to the couch, taking off his boots and his leather vest jacket. Lying down on the couch, he let out another breath as Shirley joined him at the foot of it. "Now...I just talk, right?" he asked, nervous. It was pretty strange for them to see the usually calm, confident duelist so nervous and worried about something.
Jaden moved forward from his seat. "Jim, it's okay, man... Whatever you've got to say, we're all here to help. We're your friends and we want to help."
"And yeah, just say what you need to say," Annie added gently. "No one here will judge you for what you're going to say. We all have our demons."
"Right..." Jim took another breath, collecting himself and his thoughts.
"Now, Axel, I've already told you this... But I haven't told the rest of you about my eye. I...suppose I was worried about what you blokes would think of it if I told you... I haven't always gotten good reactions in the past, ya know?" he began, taking off his hat. The bandages stuck out even more without its cover.
Axel took a breath. "It's okay, man... Remember back at the hospital when Pegasus showed us what happened to him?" he tried. "These guys took it pretty well..."
Jim nodded. "Yeah, but...that's how it would be normally. Mine's...not the same, Axel, you know... It scared a few Sheilas back at Duel Academy South; decided not to show anyone unless they asked after that."
Blair looked up at the Australian boy from the pillow she was sitting on. In her first year at Duel Academy Central, she had seen so much. It had matured her beyond her tender years and brought her the gift of restraint. "Jim, it's okay. We won't be scared. When I was younger... it might have, but whatever you're going to show us... We're not going to be scared..."
Jim stared at Blair for a few moments in surprise, but then smiled a little. If the youngest person there could say that, then it should be fine. So, he sat up and carefully unwound the bandages, gathering them in his hands. The light in the room glinted off of the dark iron of the base of his eye, the red Orichalcum gem glittering in the center. Running from the bottom of that eye was a fang-shaped scar that stopped at the middle of his cheek. "Well...there she is, then, mates," he muttered, still nervous about their reactions.
Everyone was silent for a moment, just looking. Finally, Tyson broke the silence. "That's an amazin' lookin' eye, soldier... How'd you get it, if you don't mind tellin' us?"
"It's beautiful," Jasmine added.
Jim blushed a little at the compliment; he'd never gotten one of those for his eye before. Reaching up to lightly touch the cool metal, he sighed. "It happened back when I was just a kid. Shirley was still a young croc then, and we were out in the bush gettin' rid of poachers' traps. But Shirley didn't see one, and she was headin' straight for it. I had to jump and push her away from it, and... Well, wouldn't you know it? There was a cliff, and we tumbled right over the blighter. I can't exactly remember what happened...I must've passed out during the fall. But somethin' wrecked my eye, and when I came to I was on the shore. My eye was sore and bandaged, but I was just glad Shirley was all right. Apparently, this old Aboriginal guru had saved me and put this in to replace my eye. He called it Orichalcum, and said that someday I'd end up usin' it to save a close friend. I've had it ever since, but I'm still not sure how it would ever be any help in rescuin' someone."
"Wow," Annie murmured reverently. "Jim... that's amazing... And maybe... Maybe this is the time you're going to use what you were given..." The others murmured agreement.
"Maybe... Come to think of it, you blokes are the first who actually asked how I got my eye after I showed you. Most people got scared and ran off...or, of course, teased about it. I think Shirley was really my only friend back at DA South... I was closer to animals my whole life. They don't judge you." He blushed a little in embarrassment at this admission. "I didn't really expect to make so many mates here... I guess I didn't tell you because I was scared you'd up and leave too..."
"That's what I was always scared of," Jaden admitted. "That's why it took me two years to tell everybody about Yubel. When you get called cursed and nobody'd play with you or hang out with you, you learn to keep quiet."
Jim nodded in understanding. "Exactly, mate. Getting called names like Cyclops out of fun was better than having half the student body scared of you and the other half spreading rumors about your eye. I guess...I really needed to just get this off my chest and tell somebody who was willing to listen and not take it as a joke. I feel...well, better." It felt as if a weight had been taken off of Jim's shoulders, a fear or worry he'd had deep down breaking to bits.
And then each member of the group stood and headed to give Jim a hug or lay a friendly hand on his shoulder. Jaden smiled. "Considering all that we've been through, you're downright normal... I mean... the stuff we've had to deal with, how we all got our monsters... Jim, you're normal!"
Jim laughed, bandaging his eye back up and putting on his hat. "Good point, Jaden. It's not a wonder we're all friends... When we're together, we're normal to each other."
"Wouldn't have it any other way, bro!" the smaller young man grinned. And then he sobered. "So... who goes next?"
Blair shivered, standing up from her pillow. "I'd... like to go... I know it's not much, but... Trueman could make it a big deal..."
Syrus nodded. "Whatever it is, Blair, we'll hear you out... And we'll help you through it, okay?"
Blair nodded, and moved to the couch, still shivering. "Um... Alexis?" she asked, amber eyes meeting the hazel-brown eyes.
"Yeah, Blair?" Alexis replied, trying to look at Blair with a kind sort of motherly gaze.
"Would... would you mind if Jaden sat by me?" the small girl asked unsteadily.
Alexis blinked in surprise, and a small part of her took on a jealous, possessive note. But she knew Blair wanted Jaden near for a different reason, and smothered that small part of her. "It's okay, Blair. If it's all right with him, then he can sit by you."
"Thanks, Alexis..."
And Jaden, without a word, moved close to the young girl. "It's okay, Blair. We won't leave you alone..." He put his arm around her in a brotherly way and smiled a little.
Blair smiled shakily. This felt different than it would have two years previously. Her feelings for Jaden that way had gone. "Okay... You guys all know I feel like I should've been able to help Marcel, not just with Trueman, but with all the hurt he went through. I keep thinking if I'd only been able to get him to talk to me sooner, it wouldn't have happened..."
"Maybe... But Blair, you really did help him open up and make progress with how he was feeling. If it wasn't for you, he probably wouldn't have had any friends at all," Atticus explained.
"Yeah... I just wish it had been enough," the girl sighed, fidgeting with the hem of her pleated red skirt. "I know that goes back to when I was at Domino Elementary. You all know that I went from the fourth grade to high school pretty fast... That kinda made me weird... I never could fit in right with the other kids... And I got teased a lot..." And Blair told them of her last days at Domino Elementary...
"STOP IT, JIMMY! I didn't do anything to you!" Blair had shouted two weeks before the school year ended as she headed across the playground. Her classmate, Jimmy Hasegawa, was pelting her with pebbles.
Jimmy was one of the tallest in his class, helping to even out his bulky build. He had fair hair and blue eyes, and freckles still dotted his face. He laughed, throwing some more pebbles at Blair. "So? You're still weird! You're going to high school next year; what kind of kid does that? I bet you think you're better than us! Well you're not!"
"I'm not better than you! I just studied really hard!" Blair countered as the pebbles smarted against her bare legs, beginning to draw blood. She was in her school's signature uniform, a navy blue skirt and white polo shirt, along with bobby socks and sneakers. Unfortunately that uniform afforded her legs very little protection. "And... you're hurting me!"
But Jimmy kept throwing, either ignoring her statement or not caring. "You studied really hard?? You're still a kid like us! Why would a kid study hard like that before they're even in high school?! You're not just weird...you're a freak! Teacher's pet!!"
And then one of Blair's other classmates, a snobby blonde girl named Lisa O'Hanlon, began to taunt as well, "Yeah, and you have to be walking with your chest stuck out! What are those, falsies?!" She stuck out her chest and walked so she was making fun of Blair's maturing figure. And then a big pebble hit an already vulnerable part of the raven-haired girl's leg and began to bleed. She somehow managed to get away from Jimmy and Lisa and headed to the school infirmary.
The school nurse was a slim woman with brown curls that fell to her shoulders, and grass green eyes. The kids loved her for her sunny disposition and her friendly care for their problems. And now was no different as she smiled at Blair from her desk when she entered. "Hello, Blair. How are you, sweetie?"
"Hi, Ms. Furley... I need some Band-Aids," Blair said, tears in her eyes.
"Oh, Blair..." Ms. Furley stood and went to the young girl, leaning down to place a hand on her shoulder. "Why don't you sit down and tell me what happened? I'll get you some tissues and those Band-Aids..."
"Okay..." And so Blair poured her little heart out, how the kids teased and hurt her. "...I am weird. But I can't help that I'm smart and I can't stop studying stuff..."
By the time Blair had finished, there was a box of tissues beside her and the cuts were covered by Maiden in Love Band-Aids. Ms. Furley kneeled in front of Blair, taking her hand and offering her a gentle smile. "Honey... You aren't weird at all. You're just different, that's all. And you should be proud of your unique quirks. So you like studying...everyone likes something, don't they? It's good that you're such an active learner. Don't listen to what those kids say... They wish they could have such a wonderful work ethic and be as brilliant as you."
"But... why don't they like me?" Blair asked, echoing the pain of those who have been told that diversity should be celebrated, but then told by actions that it is more acceptable to be assimilated into the group. "I want them to like me..."
"Because they're jealous of your talent, Blair. And those who aren't jealous are probably confused by what you're getting to do. It's rare for a girl your age to be going to high school, sweetie. Have you tried to make some friends and explain this to anyone?"
Blair nodded sadly. "But every time I try, the more popular kids make it bad for them..."
Ms. Furley frowned. "That happens sometimes, honey. Those are the people who are jealous of the fact that you're so much smarter, that you work so much harder, and that you're getting a chance they won't. And when it comes to those people, you need to just stand up to them and tell them how it is. And stand up for the people you're trying to be friends with, to show them who really is the right person here. But if any of them get violent again, even a little, you tell a teacher or me right away. Okay? You should never resort to violence for anything."
Blair nodded sadly. She'd heard all of this before. "Thanks, Ms. Furley..."
The nurse smiled and helped Blair onto her feet. "You're welcome, Blair. I'll write you a pass for your class..."
"So, I never had friends there," Blair finished in the present day. "Even in the beginning, it didn't matter what I did... I never was good enough..." The tears came and she felt the warmth of Jaden's wiry arms. And then she felt another pair of arms that belonged to a decidedly more feminine figure.
"Blair... I understand what it feels like to be teased because you're different from everyone. It may have been for a different reason, but I've been in similar situations. Do you want to know what the truth is about being good enough?" Alexis asked, looking down at the much younger female.
"Y-yeah. What is it?"
"The truth is that the people making fun of you were the ones who weren't good enough. They weren't good enough to be friends with someone as sweet, kind, and caring as you are. You cared about Marcel so much, and tried so hard to take care of him. You would have been a very good friend to any of those kids. And you're brave and confident too. You came here in disguise to accomplish your goal, and nothing could stop you. Could any of those kids who bullied you do any of those things?"
Blair moved slightly to wipe her eyes. "N-no..." And then she smiled a little. "Jimmy couldn't duel... And Lisa... I beat her easily."
"So you see? They were wrong in everything they said to you... If they had been fair, you would have easily showed that you were the stronger person there."
"You did, Blair!" Jaden agreed with his fiancée. "Man, you were 8 and a half when you showed up here. And you gave me a run for my money..."
"Did I really make Burstinatrix mad?" the small girl asked, remembering that duel and how irritated a certain female Elemental Hero had seemed.
Said duel spirit appeared, and she smirked. "At the time, yeah. I was pretty burned up. But after I cooled off I could tell you didn't mean anything by it... How were you supposed to know Avian and I were married?"
Blair sweat-dropped. "Well, sorry, anyway! You were really cool!"
"It's all right. And thanks; Maiden in Love isn't so bad herself, either," Burstinatrix replied, grinning.
Blair was smiling when the female E-Hero disappeared. "Thanks, guys... I feel so much better."
"Just remember, Blair. You aren't alone anymore and you most definitely aren't a freak," Annie asserted from her seat.
"And if anyone tells you otherwise, just stand up to them and tell us. Okay?" Alexis added.
"You've got it," Blair answered, pulling away from Jaden and hugging the older girl tightly. "Thanks, Alexis..."
"You're welcome, Blair," Alexis said, hugging back.
Blair took her place back at the pillow seat, and the group looked around at each other. "I'll go next," Alexis spoke up after a few moments of silence, still sitting on the couch Blair had recently occupied.
And the battle to save those taken has begun. This battle, as you can see, is playing out differently than in canon. However, it is to a good purpose. Next time, Alexis, Aster and Chazz will face their own demons in "Piercing Darkness Part II." Until next time, please read, review and stay tuned. Thank you!