Chapter XXIX: Piercing Darkness Part III
Hello again, Darkness Falls fans. Welcome back to the story! Thank you, everyone, for reading and reviewing and sticking with us. We're very pleased and grateful that you have, despite how dark this story has become. Fortunately, things will turn around for the gang. But right now… let's just say it won't be pretty. So hang onto one of the more intense sections of this particular Yugi-verse…
Last time, Alexis, Aster and Chazz shared their shadows. Aster revealed what happened with Kyle Jables, aka the D, as well as his own past. Chazz told everyone what he had been unable to tell them the previous summer and throughout the school year. Everyone reacted in various ways to this, and then Atticus volunteered to go. He seemed very nervous and that is where we continue…
Boring legal stuff… again: No, we don't own the Yu-Gi-Oh franchise. If we did, we could screw rules and have money! Yay! Money! Oh, yes… we also don't own the songs mentioned in this chapter. If we did, we wouldn't be doing this for money… we'd be doing this for a whole load of money!
Authors' note: The confrontation shown here definitely differs from canon! And some spiritual elements have made it into this confrontation.
"All right... What are we facing?" Annie asked, wondering if she needed to do anything special.
Atticus sighed, obviously second-guessing himself. He knew what his issues might bring, and had tried to hold it off until last. But something told him to go next, so he did. "We're facing...him," Atticus muttered, gaze turning to the ground as he frowned. He was afraid giving "him" a name would make things worse.
Most of the gang knew who "he" was except for Tyson, Aster and Blair. "Who's... he?" Blair dared ask.
"It's Nightshroud," Chazz answered, shivering.
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Back in the World of Darkness, Yusuke looked through the mirror to Earth. "I should've summoned him..."
"Summoned who, Yusuke?" asked the same gruff voice as before, the red eyes appearing moments later.
"Nightshroud," the teen answered. "I was the one trying to summon him that night so I could forget everybody..."
"But aren't you happier like this, Yusuke? Rather than being possessed by a being of Darkness, you are the Prince of Darkness... Besides, without Nightshroud, Atticus would not have survived the Shadow Realm. You did him a favor," The creature hissed, partially lying.
"I did," Yusuke answered, but deep in his heart, he knew he would much have preferred to have Nightshroud's power.
"Now, you may continue to watch what is going on. But do not interfere with anything. Am I clear, Yusuke?" the voice asked in a commanding tone.
"Of course, my master," Yusuke answered, watching the situation unfold.
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Back on Earth, the group changed the room so Atticus had a lot of space. Annie took out some holy water from her skirt pocket. "It's an evil spirit... This is where I think psychology meets the spiritual..."
Atticus sighed, clearly worried now. "I don't even know if it's a spirit...or something else. He feels different...who knows, maybe he's like Trueman. What do you guys think?" he asked, fists clenching and unclenching nervously.
Jaden looked at him quietly. "Whatever Nightshroud is... we're about to deal with him... We just know he's evil and took you over..."
Atticus seemed about to say something, but then hesitated. He looked like he was debating whether or not to say something, likely about Nightshroud and what Jaden had just said.
"Bro, what is it?" Chazz asked.
The eldest Rhodes brother glanced over at his youngest sibling, frowning. "He did take me over... And since then, he's been trying to do it again," he muttered, looking away.
Alexis's eyes widened in horror. "What?! Atty...Why didn't you tell us??"
"I didn't want to worry you guys... There was so much going on already... And I held him off..."
"Bro... it's not bad to tell when something that bad is going on with you," Jaden said. "Remember how creeped out I was when... he showed up in the fall?" Deep within Jaden was a fear of the dark presence that had made itself known to him. It's part of me… but whoever it is… I don't want it to hurt anybody…
Atticus looked back at Jaden and nodded. "Yeah... It's kind of like that. Except not just in mirrors... Whenever I was alone, really. I think it's because of this..." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a familiar looking card.
He held up the card with the mask surrounded by darkness and chains. Blair shivered, looking at it, sensing its malevolence. "It's... it's really dangerous," she murmured.
"Blair, he has to fight this... you weren't here when Jaden fought Nightshroud the last time," Chazz explained, face even paler than usual. "He has to stop this thing..."
Alexis shivered. "If it's anything like last time... Guys, you know...maybe outside would be a better idea. Nightshroud liked fire..."
"Good idea... but can we stay away from the volcano this time?" Jaden asked. Everyone who had seen or known of the last time nodded.
"Uh... Volcano, Sarge?" Tyson asked, looking around at the other teens. "Syrus? Do you know somethin' about that?"
Syrus grimaced, paling significantly. "It was when Jaden dueled Nightshroud... It wasn't unusual for the Shadow Riders to take hostages, and... Well, Chumley and I were nearly...uh…" He wasn't quite sure how to say it without it sounding strange.
"They were in a death trap in the volcano," Annie explained, shivering. She definitely would've had an attack if she'd been there during the battle. And she could've lost the love of her life without knowing precisely what she'd lost. "Nightshroud trapped him and Chumley in this bubble-thing and if Jaden lost... they'd have been fried..."
"SAM HILL!" Tyson yelped, picking up some blankets. "Soldier... you are a lot tougher than I ever gave you credit for..."
Syrus blushed a little. "I didn't really do anything, though... I mean, we did cheer Jay on, but he saved us..."
"But still... to cheer him on while you're facing meetin' the Great General when it sounds like the Great Demon Commander's gonna punch your ticket... Private, you have a lotta courage... But... I already knew that..."
"Thanks, Tyson... I'm just glad I survived that," Syrus replied as they headed outside. Luckily, the night was only a little bit chilly, since it was nearing summer. The stars could clearly be seen, and there was almost a new moon out. Most of the lawn in front of the dorm was lit by the light coming from the building's windows.
The teachers all stepped out onto the deck as the students stepped to the center road between the three dormitories. "Be safe, all of you," Professor Viper called.
"That's why we're out here, sir!" Axel called back. "We don't want to accidentally burn down the dorm!"
"Let's hope it doesn't come to him using his powers at all... Guys, whatever happens, you have got to stay away from me. The last thing I want is for him to hurt any of you... And I know he won't hesitate to do that," Atticus stated seriously, still gripping the card between his fingers. His brown eyes narrowed with fear.
"Atticus... we will help you if we need to," Annie answered calmly.
"Yeah...Atticus, you've risked stuff to save us," Chazz added. "And bro, you were willing to take a bullet for me."
"Yeah, but... What if he..?" Atticus began, biting his lip worriedly.
"We're prepared, bro. Don't worry about us," Alexis interrupted, sending him a reassuring smile.
"And I have something... glad I remembered it," Jaden added, pulling up something from under his shirt. It was a golden medallion with a bright red jewel at the center. "You gave me the other half, remember, bro?"
Atticus nodded, a little surprised. "Yeah...after I came back and remembered I had it. I gave it to you so that you could protect everyone from the Shadow Riders... I remember you using it against Camula."
"Yeah... I hung onto it... But I probably would've kept it in a drawer... I guess this is a good time to use it again," the brown-haired Slifer said thoughtfully.
"All right. Is...is everyone ready?" Atty asked, looking around the group. His grip tightened slightly on the card, and if they could see auras they would have seen the heavy darkness surging around it.
"We're ready, big bro," Chazz said for all of them. He met his girlfriend's gray eyes. "Mindy, you didn't deal with this thing..."
"Hello! School in danger due to Shadow Riders! Massive evacuation?! I'm standing right with you!" the dark-haired girl countered, meeting her boyfriend's eyes.
And Jasmine met her boyfriend's eyes. "Atty...I'm right here..."
The Obelisk boy nodded, looking down at the card in his hand. Letting out a breath, he lowers his defenses and focuses on the darkness practically making his fingers tingle. In response, the card transformed in a swirl of shadow, becoming the mask in the picture. "I'm not sure what'll happen when I put it on..."
"It's okay, Atticus... we'll deal... I think?" Aster answered, face a little pale.
Atticus sighed, heart pounding in his chest. 'Come on, Atticus... You need to do this... It's either do it yourself, or lose control and put everyone in danger when they least expect it,' he thought, eyes set. Atticus grit his teeth together and slowly moved up, setting the mask over his eyes. Instantly, the sound of crashing wind tore through the night air, and swirling darkness erupted around him. Atticus's fingers tightened on the edges of the mask, pain and an overwhelming presence suffocating his entire being. His hands dropped to grip his upper arms as he bent over, screaming at the pain. His Obelisk coat and long, brown hair billowed out around him, whipped by the shadowy wind.
"ATTICUS!" the group shouted as one. "Bro," Chazz moaned in agony, his dark eyes radiating pain. He could feel his brother's very soul crying out at the violation. And he knew what was coming would be brutal. Alexis couldn't suppress a shiver at that scream, silently wondering if this was a taste of the hell he'd gone through in his time in the shadows.
"Atticus?" Jaden called out. "Are you there?"
As if to answer Jaden, the scream slowly became twisted. It turned from pained to eager, changing to maniacal laughter on the edge of insanity. Straightening, "Atticus" smirked and swung out his arm, causing the shadows to dissipate back into nothingness. "He's here. But not here. Does that answer your question?" The voice sounded like the kind-hearted Obelisk, but it held a condescending undertone and a certain dark quality to it.
"Nightshroud... We're here to confront you... And Atticus is gonna get rid of you," Jaden stated with a calm in his voice that he definitely didn't feel. What if we can't stop him?
"Right... Like he did the last time? Now that I'm finally in control again, I'm not dropping it anytime soon," Nightshroud countered, grinning deviously.
"Nightshroud... we need to ask you a few questions, and we expect answers," Chazz stated, his eyes narrowing, "before you leave my brother forever..." The raven-haired Rhodes boy was scared, but he would do whatever he could to save the brother that had first shown him what unconditional love was.
"Oooh, big talk, kid. But fine. I'll humor you for a while. What exactly did you want to ask me?" Nightshroud replied, crossing his arms over his chest.
"Where did you come from and why did you take Atticus from us?" Jaden asked.
Nightshroud laughed. "Where did I come from? That's an easy one. The World of Darkness. And I didn't take Atticus from you. Humans can be so simple-minded..."
"Then why did he disappear for two years? What did you do with him?" Jaden asked angrily.
Nightshroud smirked. "Nothing. For your information, I saved him. Where was he those two years? Most of the time he was trapped in the Shadow Realm. And who gave him the power to be freed from his pain? Me."
"Then... how did you come to this world?" Annie asked, eyes narrowing as she gripped the bottle of holy water concealed in her skirt pocket. This creature that possessed Atticus reminded her of what she'd learned from Father Mulcahey, her parents, and her religious courses. Nightshroud was a demon, and Annie would do what she could to stop it.
"Well that's also an easy one. Yusuke summoned me. It's too bad Atticus messed up the ritual. But then, I think he's a far easier host to deal with," Nightshroud explained.
"Yusuke?!" she asked, a bit surprised.
And then Honest appeared before the group. "He made me leave him... Yusuke pushed me away so I wouldn't be harmed... And he tried to summon you, Dark One..."
"Tried and succeeded, you mean. I just happened to end up possessing a different body. Of course none of you would know this, though. Atticus's weak human mind locked the memory away to rid himself of the pain. How sad..." It was pretty obvious that Nightshroud wasn't the least bit pitying of his host.
"He's not weak!" Chazz shouted. "He held you off so you wouldn't hurt us! And he stopped you from hurting Alexis!"
"You want to repeat that, shorty?" Nightshroud growled, summoning a shadowy fireball. "I would have taken over in time. In fact, I could tell he was close to breaking. But thanks to you, I was able to take over a lot sooner."
"He's not weak!" Chazz said again. "My brother fought you off and you know it... He made sure you wouldn't hurt us... And back at that duel with Jaden... Alexis offered her own soul to free the rest of us... and you hesitated... He remembered her, didn't he?" The raven-haired teen knew somehow that this was true. "And then he kept you from saying yes, giving Jaden time to get up..."
"That was before! This time I'm stronger... The power of Darkness has been slowly growing over the past weeks...and that includes my powers." Nightshroud was obviously annoyed, and he tossed the fireball he'd been holding at Chazz. "I've had about enough of your questions..."
"CHAZZ!" Alexis yelped, worried she could lose them both.
"I'm not done... ARRRRGHHH!!!" Chazz screamed as the fireball hit. "Mindy, stay back!" he shouted as she prepared to run.
She stopped in her tracks. "Chazz..." She had to believe in him.
"Bro... I know you're in there," he called to his brother. "You have to fight him..." Chazz managed to stay on his feet, and took a step forward, heedless of the danger. His red blazer now was burned through to his black t-shirt.
"ATTICUS, FIGHT HIM! YOU DON'T WANT HIM TO HURT CHAZZ!" Alexis screamed, hating to see her older brother like this and fearing that her younger brother would be hurt as well. She, too, wanted to race to Chazz, but she could feel Jaden holding her arm to prevent her. He knew this twisted person in front of them was not truly Atticus, and that said person wouldn't hesitate to harm Alexis.
Flames gathered around Nightshroud's hand once more, as he prepared to launch another fireball. "You want to be turned into a crispy critter?? Fine. Don't say I didn't warn you, brat!" He formed another fireball, but just as he was about to throw it, it was as if an invisible force moved his arm. The dangerous ball hit the grass mere inches in front of Chazz.
"Bro! Keep fighting him!" the younger boy shouted.
"Atticus! Hang in there!" Jaden added, keeping his grip on his fiancée. Each of the group yelled his or her own brand of encouragement.
"I love you, Atty, fight!" Jasmine called out above most of them.
Nightshroud grit his teeth together, focusing on himself now. "Go back to the depths of your soul, host... You won't lose me this time," he growled. The dark aura around Nightshroud rose up, nearly becoming visible to the naked eye as he worked to suppress Atticus.
Annie tensed, getting the bottle of holy water into her hand. "Sy, be ready... I'm going to have to work fast..." She took a deep breath. "I have to hit him fast and he might get off a shot..."
Syrus took her hand, squeezing it a little. "Just be careful, Annie," he murmured.
Nightshroud, meanwhile, seemed to have come to a realization. "Fine. It's because of them, isn't it? Let's get rid of the problem... RED-EYES DARKNESS DRAGON!! Use my powers over Darkness to come alive!" The darkness finally surged visibly around Nightshroud, and the outline of a large dragon slowly edged into view.
And before Annie could move forward, Chazz tore past her and hugged his brother. "Bro! Fight him!" he called out, tears coming to his eyes and down his face. "I won't let the Darkness take you... not again... Let me help!"
Nightshroud stumbled, concentration breaking so that the summoning was cancelled. The dragon's outline disappeared, but the surge of Darkness remained. "Why you little....LET GO!" Nightshroud roared, hands gripping Chazz's shoulders like fiery claws as he pushed.
Meanwhile, deep within Nightshroud, Atticus's spirit tensed. "No...Leave him alone," he muttered, rising up.
In the physical world, Chazz gritted his teeth. "No... Big brother... fight him... I'm staying..." He could feel the burning claws on his shoulders, but he would stay as long as humanly possible to help the young man that had made him realize he was a worthwhile human being and lovable too.
"I said...leave... him...ALONE!" Though Nightshroud's lips had moved, that voice obviously belonged to Atticus. Slowly, shakily, the grip on Chazz's shoulders was lifted. The hands hovered tensely in the air as the mental battle ensued.
"Go back...!" the distorted voice of Nightshroud growled.
"No...I won't...let you hurt anyone," Atticus countered, growing stronger.
"I'm not losing...again!" the dark presence countered.
"Big brother, you're almost free! Get the mask off!" Chazz called, holding onto his brother still. He would not let go until he absolutely had to.
"I'm...trying..."
"He can't!" Nightshroud growled, though his voice was weakening.
"He can!" Alexis called out. "He's fought you and won before! He's stronger than you! And I know what makes him strong! He has us and he loves us! He can stop you!"
"Cut the crap! If he was so strong, he wouldn't have fallen to me! He can't break free, and he won't!" Nightshroud countered, but the gang could hear his strength eroding further.
And then, Atticus's voice came out strong. "Yes... I... can!" Atticus's hands gradually rose, inch by inch, until finally they managed to grab hold of the mask. "Ch...Chazz...go... NOW."
Chazz looked up at his brother and saw the genuine fear in the brown eyes, and he moved next to Jaden and his sister. He took Alexis's hand, shivering from the injuries he'd received. "He'll be... okay..."
Alexis gripped the hand, her free one holding Jaden's. "I hope you're right..."
Chazz had backed off just in time. For the second Atticus gave the first tiny pull on the mask, shadowy flames and wind erupted around him once more. But this time, it was harming him as well as any who ventured too close. The wind cut through what flames didn't burn, and Atticus cried out in pain as he pulled on the mask. "I'll burn you alive first!" Nightshroud screamed.
"I'm tired...of you...controlling me! STOP...HURTING...THE PEOPLE...I LOVE!!" Atticus shouted back through the fiery maelstrom.
"YOU'RE GOING TO DIE!!" the demon shrieked.
"AAAGGGHHH!!!" The last cry of pain, torment, and aggravation could have been both beings at once. The flames roared up as the mask finally loosened its grip, slowly pulling away.
"ATTICUS!"
"Lieutenant Atticus!"
"ATTY!" several voices shouted at once. Jaden tensed, ready to move forward to put the charm around Atticus's neck, while Annie readied the holy water.
"Agh...get out of...my...HEAD!! ARGH!!!" Atticus finally yanked off the dreaded mask, tossing it with a loud clink to the ground. The fire and wind stopped instantly, though a light shadowy wind remained blowing around the mask. Atticus, exhausted physically and mentally, stumbled where he stood. Eyes rolling back into his head, he collapsed in a burned heap on the ground.
Jaden ran forward and placed the Shadow Charm around his brother-in-law's neck. Annie ran to the mask, flipping open the bottle of holy water. Help me, Lord; help me defeat this evil! "Evil being, go back to the depths of Hell from whence you came. I command you in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit! Be gone from this world, servant of Satan!" she shouted, throwing holy water onto the mask and making the sign of the cross over it and then over herself.
Surprisingly, it seemed to work. The mask gave a low hiss, the wind dissolving into steam. Like water thrown onto a raging fire, it slowly melted away. "Fools... Darkness will still have your souls!! You'll see!! You're not safe!!" Nightshroud called out before the metal finally shattered, the pieces evaporating into thin air.
"We stopped it... it's over... at least this part..." Jaden breathed as Annie ran over to the injured Rhodes brothers. Chazz, without Jaden's additional support, sank weakly to his knees and Alexis had to help him lie down.
Miss Fontaine was already running down from the Ra dorm with Professor Viper and Chancellor Shepherd in tow. "Miss Fontaine, we have a lot of burns here!" Annie said quickly, never taking her eyes off of her patients. Even to her novice eye, the girl could tell the situation was not good for the boys.
"Okay, let's make sure they're stable first!" the nurse called, racing to the boys with her medical bag in hand.
"Yes, ma'am!" Atticus was out cold. Almost every part of his body had first degree burns, while his hands and lower arms had blistering second degree burns. Cuts marked his body here and there, and most of his clothing had been burned away.
Alexis stood over her brothers as Miss Fontaine and Annie started to work on them. "Atty...Chazz... Bro, are you all right?" she asked her conscious brother.
Chazz was shivering as he lay down on the ground as Annie checked him. "Yeah... just... that was scary, sis," he admitted. "But... I think I'm okay..." And then... "OUCH!" he yelped as Annie touched a sensitive spot on his chest.
"Sorry, Chazz. You've got a couple of second-degree burns here," she explained, examining the blistered skin. "Just hold still while I put on some cooling patches. Alexis, Mindy, hold his hands..."
Alexis kneeled beside her younger brother and took his hand. "You're going to be okay, bro... You were so brave for Atticus..."
"He was there for... OUCH!" the injured boy shouted as Annie laid some more cool cloths on his body. "Sorry! That hurts!" he groaned.
"Chazzy... just take it easy," Mindy soothed. "You did so well..."
"I don't think Atty could have done it without you pushing him like you did... You didn't back off when Nightshroud threatened and hurt you," Alexis agreed, smiling down at him.
"No way... not when he was willing to get killed for me..."
And over with Atticus... "Is he gonna be okay?" Jaden asked, eyes wide as Miss Fontaine cut off what remained of the Obelisk's clothing.
"Annie, I need you over here!" And the young girl moved quickly, now that Chazz was cooling off. "I need you to run inside and get a bed ready... He's going to need IV fluid and several hours of rest, not to mention a lot of burn medication. Think you're up to this?"
Annie nodded. "Yes, ma'am, I'll get right on it! Sy, I need a hand!" she called.
Syrus went to her side. "What do you need, Annie?"
"I need you to help me with a room for Atty. I'll need to change some sheets..."
"All right, Annie!" The couple ran inside the dorm to get a room ready, as Alexis turned to look worriedly at her older brother.
"Atty... Miss Fontaine, will he really be okay?"
"Yeah... it's a lot of second degree burns but since we're getting right on it, he should be all right. Thelonius! Andrew!" The teachers moved forward and got Atticus onto the stretcher. And then Dr. Crowler and Professor Sartyr did the same for Chazz. "Okay... Let's the get the boys inside," the nurse commanded. The teachers didn't hesitate, and in minutes they were inside the Ra dorm and on their way to the room Annie and Syrus were preparing. Atticus hadn't moved an inch since he passed out, and he didn't move now, either.
They got to Bastion's room and laid Atticus down on the big bed. Chazz was placed on a rollaway bed in the room so the nurse had an easier time caring for them both. Miss Fontaine rolled in an IV tree with a bag of fluid and quickly got the IV into the big boy's arm. And then she and Annie got cold-water compresses on the burned areas again. "We'll let him cool and then we'll bandage him," Fonda sighed. "But he's going to be all right."
Alexis sighed in relief. "Thank goodness... I was so worried when he was pulling off the mask... I thought..." She frowned, heart skipping a beat at the terrible thought.
"Babe, it's okay," Jaden soothed her, keeping his arm around her. "He'll be all right…"
Miss Fontaine began injecting antibiotics and pain medication into the IV as well. "There now... he'll relax..."
Syrus sighed. "That could have been really bad... It wasn't good, but at least Nightshroud didn't hurt anyone else..."
"Yeah... I was right... he was a demon," Annie said through a sigh. "They hurt their hosts..."
"But wait... He said he came from the World of Darkness, right?" Jesse piped up, something occurring to him.
Jaden met his twin's eyes in sudden horror. "Yeah, he did... then... We've been facing Darkness in some form this whole time..."
"Well then, mates... Somethin' tells me this right here is gonna be the main event. Jaden, I think this is going to be your toughest duel yet," Jim stated, tilting his hat up a bit. It made sense. The true enemy was finally rearing its ugly head.
"And... I have to fight myself before I fight Darkness," Jaden realized, beginning to shiver.
Alexis took his hand, squeezing it. "Jaden, we've come this far... We'll all be here to help you through it when you do... And you'll overcome this."
"Okay, babe... We can't wait, can we?" he wondered.
"Not much longer," Axel answered. "Darkness'll make its move sooner rather than later..."
"Especially since now we know how to fight it... It'll try getting us before we can get over our fears," Syrus added, frowning.
"Well, then... we aren't gonna give it ammunition," Adrian stated, clenching his fists. He knew he had to go soon, but Jaden had to go next.
"And that means... I go next," Jaden answered. "I have to..."
"But we can wait until at least tomorrow, right? Atticus and Chazz aren't the only ones who need rest... We're all exhausted," Alexis stated, looking around the room. It had been a rough night for everyone.
Jaden would've protested, but then he remembered a Star Trek episode with the space zombies he was afraid of that Annie and Bastion had made him see. "We can't be ready to fight the Darkness at the same time we're fighting our own fatigue..."
"It couldn't hurt to get some rest for a few hours. I mean, only you and Adrian are left, right? The chances of Darkness makin' a move on either of you in that time is pretty low," Jesse said reassuringly.
"They'll want Jaden at his strongest," Chazz stated from his bed. "The only time a bad guy struck when getting Jaden at his weakest could've happened was Camula... and she went after Jay when he was stronger..."
"It might be low to attack now, but Darkness might do it... Then again... with our track record, Darkness will wait because it's no fun to take down an opponent that's an easy kill," Tyson muttered.
"Ah...could you not use that word, Tyson?" Syrus asked, sweat-dropping.
"What, kill?" the big Ra asked.
"Yeah, that's the one," Annie answered, also sweat-dropping. "Considering what almost just happened, let's avoid it..."
"Uh... Good point," Tyson sweat-dropped.
Alexis sighed. "At least we know that if you're taken, it's definitely not killing. So everyone that's been taken so far should still be okay... Well, as okay as you can be after being wherever they are for a week or less..."
"But longer than that," Tyson murmured softly, "longer than that... you could be seriously messed up..." He couldn't help thinking of Rosa and how long she'd been gone... 'Spanish Rose, please be okay... Great General, please protect her,' he thought/prayed.
They all knew that he was thinking about her when he'd said that. Jim put a hand on the younger teen's shoulder. "She'll be all right, mate. That Sheila of yours is a tough one..."
Tyson nodded, but did not speak. "We're not going to leave this dorm now," Annie said. "Let's all get comfortable and take naps if we can. And in a couple of hours... Jaden, you'll have to be ready."
"I know," he answered, his eyes tense. "If I don't get this taken care of, Darkness can use it... And I'm gonna stay in here with Alexis... Okay, babe?" he asked her.
Alexis smiled a little. "Okay, Jay. Thanks, honey..."
Miss Fontaine, meanwhile, looked the would-be medical student over. "Annie, go take a nap. You've been up all night with the rest of the group and everyone else is taking a nap. I know you probably want to stay up, but I need you to take a rest. I may need you fresh later..."
"But, Miss Fontaine..."
"Sy, make sure she goes with you..."
Syrus nodded, taking Annie's hand. "Come on, Annie. They'll be okay... Miss Fontaine can take care of them while you rest. All right?"
Annie sighed, knowing she couldn't win the argument to stay at this point. And so she went with her fiancé to his old room in Ra. "You stayed in here?" she asked curiously. "I know you spent a lot of time with Jay, but... you slept here sometimes?"
"Yeah... I kind of switched back and forth between sleeping here and at Slifer when Jaden was missing last year... And sometimes I'd sleep here when I felt like it, when Jaden was still here."
"I like it," she smiled as she headed to the airy closet to get her bra off. 'If I'm going to sleep for a couple of hours, this comes off,' she thought, hating the uncomfortable, albeit pretty flesh-toned underwire she wore. She hung it up on a coat hook in the closet, straightened her top and headed out of the closet.
Syrus had slipped off his shoes and blazer, turning to face Annie as she left the closet. He instantly blushed; without her bra, Annie's...chest, stuck out quite a bit. "U-Uh...Annie?"
"What is it, hon?" she asked, not realizing anything was amiss as she headed over to the bed and pulled off her boots.
"You're, um... I m-mean, your shirt...it..." His face reddened as he stumbled with his words, unsure of how to say it.
Realization hit her like a bucket of cold water. "Oh... honey, I can't sleep comfortably with that on... the wire part cuts in..." She was now blushing too.
He coughed. "I-It's okay, Annie... I mean, you don't wear one with your nightgowns, so..." His blush remained prominent. 'But it sticks out so much more with a normal shirt!' he thought.
"You're not used to seeing... me... this way," she stuttered, feeling the way she had the first time he'd seen her in the all-together. 'At least I'm not going to faint,' she thought.
"N-No...I'm not... But, I mean, it's not like you're... Well, you're still wearing clothes, so..." He bit his lip; why was this so hard?!
"Don't worry, hon... Please don't... It's something n-new," she stammered, face scarlet. Yes, they'd become a lot bolder in the past year and were supposed to be married in a couple of weeks, but there were still moments when things brought up their mutual natural shyness.
"Yeah... Just something new... Let's get some sleep," he muttered, sitting on the bed. 'She's wearing a nightshirt, that's all. Just a nightshirt,' he told himself, over and over.
She sat down with him, still blushing furiously. "S-sorry... I didn't even think," she smiled sheepishly.
He returned the smile. "It's okay, Annie... It was an accident..."
"Okay... well, l-let's get some sleep," she said, lying down with him. "J-Jaden's gonna need us to be okay... What he's facing... it'll be rough..."
"Yeah... I hope it doesn't get as dangerous as what happened with Nightshroud..."
"Me too," she murmured, cuddled against his chest. "No fire..."
"Or anything else that can hurt anyone," he muttered back, putting his arms around her.
Annie drifted off quickly, listening to her love's heartbeat. "Mmmm..."
Syrus, however, stayed up for about ten minutes after his fiancée slept. He stared up at the blurry ceiling, glasses sitting on the bedside table. 'Jaden... We don't know what we're dealing with... We knew Nightshroud, but we don't know anything about this Supreme King thing... I hope everything goes all right later,' he thought, frowning.
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Back in Bastion's room, Fonda Fontaine kept watch on Atticus and Chazz. "Ouch!" Chazz groaned as she moved the towels on his burns.
"Take it easy, and I'll get you bandaged up, Chazz. Think you can sit up?" she asked.
"Y-yeah... ow," he groaned.
"It shouldn't hurt as much later on, bro. Try to think of something else," Alexis soothed.
"Sis...this is...not as bad as Atticus," Chazz groaned, clenching his teeth and looking over his brother's still form.
Alexis sighed. "I know... But you need to worry about yourself right now, okay? We can both help Atticus when he's awake..."
"You told me to think of something else... and I can't think of the Happy Song!" he complained.
"OH! I am very special 'cause there's only one of me!" Jaden began, singing happily.
Alexis tensed, groaning and burying her face in her hands. "Not this...ANYTHING but this...." she muttered. The first time Atticus had learned this song was when he was eight. And he had sung it, and then kept on singing it. He only shut up when he went to bed. And when he woke up the next day? MORE SINGING!
"SLACKER SHUT UP!" Chazz shouted.
Jaden looked wounded. "You said you forgot the song..."
"It's annoying! It takes my mind off this annoying pain!"
"Thank God Atticus is still sleeping... You two have no idea what I've been through with that song," Alexis stated, interrupting them and obviously horrified by the memory.
The two young men looked at each other. "He sang it all the time, didn't he?" Jaden asked. "And... did he sing it unedited?" There were some words in said song that would make some parents look askance and discipline their children for using such language.
Alexis sweat-dropped. "The first time he did. But when Mom heard him...she literally washed his mouth out with soap. After that he sang it over and over for days when he changed the words."
"Did... he ever sing it at school?" Chazz wondered.
"No... luckily, he got hooked on it during summer break. By the time school started again, he was over it," Alexis answered, sighing.
Fortunately, Miss Fontaine had taken advantage of the raven-haired teen's distraction and gotten him cleaned up and bandaged while he'd been talking to his sister-in-law and brother. "There we are, Chazz, all done."
"That was fast. Thanks, Miss Fontaine," he said as he lay back down.
"We'll cheer you up, boss!" Ojama Yellow said as he appeared with his brothers, Ojama Black and Ojama Green.
All three little creatures took a deep breath and started singing, "OH! I am very special..."
"SHUT UP!!"
"But boss...!" Ojama Black whined alongside his brothers.
"We're just tryin' to make ya happier!" continued Ojama Green.
"Don't sing THAT song!" Chazz groaned. "Sing... something from Disney!"
"It's a small world..."
"Not that one!"
And then the Ojama trio looked at each other and from out of nowhere, Ojama Yellow put on a carroty red wig that looked like Joey Wheeler's hair. And then, they sang, "Never gonna give you up! Never gonna let you down..."
Burstinatrix appeared in a surge of flames, glaring at the tiny spirits. "Don't even THINK about it!!"
Avian appeared in the room, laughing. "Honey... it could be worse..."
"How?" she asked, turning expectantly towards her husband.
He whispered, "They could be singing that song by the purple dinosaur... Remember when Jaden sang that for a month?"
She froze, eyes wide. "Oh...you're right there, honey..."
And so the Ojamas kept the teens company singing the work of Rick Astley. "This song isn't so bad," Jaden said softly, resting against Alexis. She didn't respond, already drifting off. Though the reason she hadn't responded was because she had cleverly slipped in a pair of earplugs. Jaden smiled, letting her rest. "Go ahead and sleep, babe..." And then he was drifting off as Chazz did. The duel spirits disappeared and Miss Fontaine was alone with her patients.
So Nightshroud is out of Atticus's head finally. However, it seems that no one's going to get rid of Rick-rolling anytime soon. Even the Ojama brothers are in on it. Anyway, next time… Jaden will confront his dark side in a final showdown. So stay tuned for "Piercing Darkness Part IV…" Until next time, please read and review! Thank you!