Chapter XXXI: Piercing Darkness Part V
Hello again, everyone, and welcome back to Darkness Falls! We're glad to have you back, even though this story took a dark turn. We're not quite done with the dark part of the story, though there are some laughs too in this part. Anyway, we imagine you'd like to get on with the story. So here's the summary…
Last time on Yu-Gi-Oh GX: Darkness Falls… Jaden finally confronted the Supreme King Haou with terrifying results. Haou became violent, and Jim intervened. Fortunately, Jaden, with Jim's help, was able to fight off Haou for good. However, this was not before damage was done. An energy ball that Haou threw caused Annie to go into what would have been fatal heart failure. But Jim used the Orichalcum Eye to heal the dying girl and as a reward, he got his right eye back. Also, a friend of Adrian's arrived, Echo. So what will happen next? Read on!
Disclaimer: Please see the previous chapters. There's a lot we don't own, and only a few things we do. Thanks!
Authors' notes: This chapter takes liberty with Echo and Adrian's relationship and how it's effectively made legal. It's believed in the fandom that they are in fact adoptive brother and sister, and if this is the case, their relationship is illegal. Therefore, we figured a way to make it legal. We really hope you don't mind.
Also, we took some liberty with Adrian's past and in Yu-Gi-Oh tradition, continued with the lousy father figure portrayals and adoptive parent portrayals. All Peach can say is that the Ishtar father, Gozaburo Kaiba, the D and Mr. Gecko would have a lot to answer for in the way they treated the boys they adopted. It's criminal…
We've also taken liberty with Belowski's abilities here. We've given him the ability to calm people in pain. So enjoy this chapter.
Warnings: A tasteful nude scene, mentions of illicit drug use and traumatic situations.
It was a few hours before Jaden came around again. "Huh?" he wondered, blinking. He became aware of a presence patting his forehead with a cool washcloth and a familiar pair of hands doing it. "Lex?" he asked softly.
Alexis smiled, placing the cloth back in the bowl of water on the bedside table. "Morning, Jaden. Well...it's more along the lines of afternoon now, but you get the point."
"Let's check your temperature," Miss Fontaine smiled, coming into his field of vision. He felt something be placed in his ear, heard a beep and then felt the something be pulled away. "Back to normal," the nurse concluded, relieved.
"That's great, Miss Fontaine! Your fever's gone, Jay. Do you feel any better?" Alexis asked, taking his hand.
With a little help, the future King of Games managed to sit up in the bed. "Yeah... I feel a lot better," he answered, smiling. "I feel... lighter..."
"That's good to hear, Jaden... I'm glad you're all right. I was a little worried when you had that fever," she admitted.
"Sorry I made you worry, babe," he apologized. And then his stomach rumbled as he pulled her into a hug. "Guess I'm hungry," he grinned sheepishly.
Fonda smiled at that. "Shall I get you kids something?"
"Yeah... I'm pretty hungry too. We didn't exactly get breakfast or lunch," Alexis agreed, nodding.
"Okay," the nurse grinned, making a call to her boyfriend. "Don, I'm going to need some food in here..."
Don chuckled on the other end of the line, already busy with cooking lunch and dinner. "I was waiting for this call. I'll make a late lunch and bring it up for them. What about the others? Have they eaten?"
"The ones who aren't injured will definitely need something and I have a feeling my other patients will need something. Chazz and Atticus will need something that will go easy on their stomachs, say some light soup. I'll see if Annie and Syrus are ready for something."
"All right. I'll make a soup for the Rhodes brothers and some lunch for the other students. Just call me back if Annie and Syrus want something, okay?"
"I will, Don," she answered. They hung up and Miss Fontaine headed down the hall to check on her next set of patients.
Jaden watched after her. "I hope Annie's all right," he said, looking down. He felt responsible for Annie being hurt. "I know she's patched up, but..."
Alexis squeezed his hand. "Jaden, that wasn't your fault. Haou hurt her, and now he won't hurt anyone ever again. You did beat him... It was like with Atty. Nightshroud hurt Chazz...but he still defeated him."
"Yeah..." He hugged her close. "Thanks for standing by me..."
She hugged him back, smiling. "I'm just happy I could help you... I'll always stand by you, Jaden."
Jaden reveled in the good feeling of her hugging him, and the light that was back in his heart. He sensed another presence in the room, and sent, 'Thanks, Yubel. I'm all right...'
Yubel smiled. 'I didn't do anything, Jaden... You can thank your friends and yourself for all the work...' she sent back.
'But you did, by being there... And you're my friend too, remember?' he pointed out.
She closed her eyes, leaning back and laughing a bit. 'Right. I seem to forget that sometimes.'
'Well, don't forget... We've been friends a really long time,' he reminded her. 'And we're always going to be...'
'I know, Jaden... Stay safe, all right? We're not out of this yet,' she sent, using a ghostly hand to ruffle his hair.
'You've got it, Yubel...'
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Down in Sy's old room, Annie was looking at herself in the full-length mirror on the door of his closet. She had taken off her gown and was slowly spinning around in shock at her naked form. "How is this possible?"
"How is what possible, Annie?" Syrus asked as he came back from the bathroom.
"Sy... look at me," she said, eyes wide. She was wearing nothing and he knew every scar on her body. But now...
He blushed, but then his eyes widened. "Annie...what... All of your scars are gone!"
And indeed they were. The scar mark on her upper thigh from her heart surgery was gone, as were her stretch marks along with every other scar she'd had. "Sy... what happened?" she asked in awe.
"I...I don't know. You had them the last time you checked, right?" He was just as confused as she was.
"Yeah... yesterday, I had them... and now... they're gone," she stated again. Her face was pale, but she started to smile.
"But... Nothing happened to you except for..." He stopped, eyes widening again. "Annie...do you think..?"
She brushed her hands against her curvy body as if in a dream. "The Orichalcum must've... It's... Oh, my..."
"It didn't just heal your heart... It healed everything," he muttered in awe, walking over to her.
"It's... I need to sit down," she murmured, still dazed.
He quickly led her over to the bed, and the couple sat down on its edge. "This is amazing, Annie..."
She met his eyes. "That means... I'll bet if anybody checked me out now... I'm okay... for everything..."
"We can ask Miss Fontaine to do that...if you want," he replied, smiling happily for her.
Just then, the door opened. "Annie, I... OH MY!" Miss Fontaine yelped. Well, Annie was naked...
"Miss Fontaine!!" Syrus yelled in surprise, blushing a bright red. He was wearing clothes, but still, this didn't look right. "U-Uh, we, um..."
Annie grabbed her nightshirt and pulled it on. "This isn't what it looks like..." 'Oh, crap, I can't believe I said that!' she thought as Miss Fontaine gained control of her senses, came into the room and shut the door.
"Kids... what happened?" she asked calmly.
Annie took a breath. "I... was looking at myself, Miss Fontaine and Sy came in from the bathroom and saw me... I can't explain, but... I don't have scars anymore..."
Syrus nodded. "It's true, Miss Fontaine. They're all gone. Even the stretch marks..."
Fonda decided to see for herself and examined the girl. "My goodness... I've never seen or read of anything like this... Annie... If we had the facilities to examine you now... I have a feeling your body would show no physical signs of ever having had surgery..."
"It's a miracle," the teen murmured, crossing herself.
Syrus grinned. "We think it was the Orichalcum stone, Miss Fontaine. Instead of just healing her heart, it must have healed her whole body."
"That's the only explanation that makes sense," the nurse smiled. "Well, Annie, that means you may be strong enough to try the pre-med major..."
"That's what I want..."
Syrus kissed Annie on the cheek. "You can go to school to become a doctor... And you don't need to worry about your heart anymore."
She hugged him tightly. "And... I can be a mom..."
He hugged back. "Wait until the guys hear about this..."
"Yeah..." "Now, are you two hungry?" the redheaded nurse asked. Annie's stomach rumbled in response.
Syrus's did the same only seconds after, and he blushed a little. "I think that's a yes." And so Miss Fontaine called Don and placed an order for lunch for the couple. And soon everyone in the dorm was eating up.
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As lunch drew to a close, Adrian called Echo outside. "I need to talk to you..."
Echo nodded and followed him outside. "What is it, Adrian?"
"I'm next," he explained, "and that means I tell everything..."
She frowned. "Adrian..."
He took her hand, eyes burning. "I don't know what's going to happen... but I have to tell the truth... And maybe... that'll be a good thing... no hiding..."
She sighed, looking at him. "Are you sure this is for the best?"
He held her gaze. "Yes... Echo... It's hard... but if we don't face the truth... it'll be much worse... And..." He looked down for a moment. "I want a good world, but I can't make the world better when I'm not being honest with myself."
She glanced away, and then moved to place her hand on his cheek. "Adrian, if you want to do this... Then I'll support you. I'll always be by your side to help you through anything."
He raised his hand up gently to touch hers. "And I'm here for you... no matter what happens."
She smiled slightly, wanting so badly to close the distance between them and kiss those lips. But she held back, pulling away and turning back towards the doors. "Well, then...let's go and get this done."
Adrian nodded. "Yeah... Let's do it..." They headed back into the dorm common room where everyone who was able-bodied now waited. "Hey, guys," Adrian greeted, looking as serious as anyone had ever seen him.
"Adrian, you ready to do this, bud?" Jesse asked his friend.
Adrian nodded and sighed. "This isn't going to be easy... And I know some of you know things about me... But the world doesn't know everything..."
"It's all right, Adrian," Jaden tried. "Whatever it is... it'll be okay..."
"We're here, and we'll support you, whatever it is you have to tell," Alexis added.
"Okay..." The exchange boys looked at each other, and everyone else exchanged glances as well. And so Adrian sat down on the couch, the woman he loved at his side. "You all know that my last name is Gecko... but the truth is... it's in name only. The adoption was never finalized."
"Wait, adoption??" Syrus asked, shocked.
Adrian nodded. "Yeah...I was... supposedly adopted by Gilbert and Rachel Gecko when I was nearly 12 years old. I'd been in the Mojave Desert since I was 6... And I'd eluded authorities all that time. And then Gil found me. He wanted a son since... his wife seemed unable to conceive after they had a daughter..."
Realization hit Annie like a ton of bricks. She had researched about Adrian's family and of course had heard things from her father about the Geckos and now it fell into place. "Echo... are you... their daughter?" she asked softly.
Echo tensed in surprise, and that was really all the answer they needed. But she tried to hide it and look at Annie in confusion. "Why would you ask that?"
"Because I read up on Adrian to find out about him and there was a girl in the family," Annie said simply. Echo frowned and looked over at Adrian, meeting his gaze. She was unsure if she should lie or tell the truth, and was silently asking him for help.
Adrian met her eyes and nodded. 'Tell them,' he urged her with his eyes. 'Please.'
Echo sighed, gaze turning to the ground. "...Yes, I'm their daughter. My full name is Echo Gecko."
"Wow... so... you guys are..." Tyson stuttered. "But you ain't actually..."
"No... As far as the world knows, we're legally siblings, but the adoption wasn't finalized," Adrian explained. "And there's a reason for that... About three months or so after I came to the mansion, Rachel found out she was pregnant... Gilbert didn't care to finalize after that." The bitterness in his voice was clear.
Echo frowned, placing her hand over his. "Father never really cared for anything but his own ambitions... He did much the same thing with me that he did with Adrian. I wasn't a boy, so I couldn't be an heir to his company." Her frown deepened as she spoke.
Annie's eyes flashed. She stood up. "Excuse me, please," she said tightly, walked out of the room. "Sorry," she apologized in advance to the teachers sitting in their observation room, and then headed down to Bastion's room. She shut the door, and proceeded to use language that promptly shocked everyone in the two rooms.
"Annie... said... swears," Jaden said, going white with shock.
"Sam Hill... I ain't ever heard her say that!" Tyson gasped.
"Is she related to merchant marines?" Axel asked, visibly stunned.
Syrus sat with wide eyes, unsure whether to go after her or not. He'd never heard Annie say half as many curses at once. Echo blinked. "That's nearly as bad as some of the sailors I've worked with..."
The teachers were in shock. "Oh... my... Do we put her in detention for that?" Bonaparte asked.
"For once, mon ami, no," Vellian answered, sitting in shock.
Don sweat-dropped. "At least she left the room..."
Annie then came out of the room. The group heard her talking to someone on her mobile phone. "... Yes, Father... Of course, Father... Thank you, Father Mulcahey... Bye, now..." She entered the main room, looking red in the face, but calmer.
"Annie? Are you okay?" Syrus asked, standing up from his seat.
"Yeah, hon... I had to make confession about that. I actually have Father Mulcahey on my contacts list," she admitted. "But he said I reacted in a very human manner. Adrian... he took you in for the wrong reasons... and that just... made me so mad!"
"Annie... I did get a good life, though," the spiky-haired redhead said calmly.
Echo nodded. "We both did. We got the same benefits of living under their roof as my brother... We were just more in the shadows."
"But... I can't imagine that," Annie stated softly. "The people who are supposed to love you most... treating you like you didn't matter... That's... I can't begin to say how painful that seems..."
"Annie's right. Family is family. You're supposed to love and care about each other, no matter what. He had no right to do that," Jesse added, having grown-up in a close-knit Southern family.
"The worst part of knowing the baby was coming was just after the ultrasound," Adrian said. "That day, he said, 'this child will be my heir and one true son.'" He closed his eyes, fighting the pain of the memory.
Echo looked just as pained, remembering that day quite well. She squeezed his hand, yet again feeling the anger boil up within herself. That man may have been her father, but part of her wished she could teach him a lesson. She knew none of this was her little brother's fault; he actually cared about and loved them. So did their mother.
Adrian took a deep breath, hating himself for what he was about to admit. "Then Sid came. And I got really jealous... I actually contemplated getting rid of him somehow..."
"But then he got sick...really sick. Father flew in the best doctors from all over the world. But none of them could figure out what was wrong or how to help him," Echo continued.
"And... I'd gotten over the jealousy by that point... and I couldn't let him die," Adrian sighed, the tears coming at the memory. "He was so little and helpless... I couldn't let my little brother die..."
"But he didn't, as you all know... But what you might not know is that he was saved because of Adrian," Echo stated, smiling at him.
"What did you do?" Jaden asked, eyes wide.
"Well, I knew of this Chinese healer in San Francisco... in Chinatown. We'd become friends and I pleaded with him to help cure Sid... And he gave me this herbal medicine and I gave it to Sid... He recovered and... I was so glad... I didn't care if I was just some kid who lived at the mansion. I just was glad he was okay," Adrian stated, his face flooded with relief.
"Mom, Sid, and I were all grateful for what he'd done. But Father...he thanked Adrian once and didn't give him a second glance. Things went back to how they had been," Echo explained with a deep frown, the anger obvious in her eyes.
"But it didn't matter," Adrian said, "as long as Sid was okay... But... there's something else... Something... Echo and I have been hiding..." He looked at her, knowing this would hurt.
Echo stared at him, eyes a little wide. "Adrian...?" she asked quietly. Was he talking about what she thought he was talking about?
"We... can't keep it a secret, Echo..." The rest of the group looked understandably confused.
Echo blushed lightly, only enough for Adrian to see as her gaze turned downward. "I...I don't know what you're talking about," she muttered.
"Yeah, you do... Echo, I know about the locket," Adrian tried, flushing.
Aster's jaw dropped as he comprehended what was going on. "Oh. My. Gosh... Good thing the adoption wasn't finalized..."
Echo flushed visibly this time, reaching up her free hand around the collar of her jacket. The locket was hidden safely under it and her shirt; how had Adrian known about it?! "You...you do? How??"
"Echo, it's me," Adrian sighed. "I went to spy camp, remember?"
Echo's face reddened. She wasn't sure whether to slap him or kiss him at that moment. "Adrian!!"
"And that means I'm observant!" he yelped, not wanting to get killed. "And... I am in serious trouble here... What do I do?" he asked the group.
The guys looked at each other, and then Jaden looked at the girls. "Uh... ask them..." The girls looked at each other.
"Uh... Huddle!" Blair shouted and the girls, except for Echo, went into a huddle.
"Okay, girls. How do we handle this?" Alexis whispered, sweat-dropping. She knew that she would be ticked had Jaden said something along those lines.
"Well... I'd be mad if Chazz did that," Mindy said softly, "but I'd want him to tell me the truth and why he did it..."
"Yeah... I know Sy would spy for a good reason, but I'd still be mad," Annie admitted and the remaining girls nodded in agreement.
"So... should he tell the truth?" Blair asked.
"I think that's the only way he won't get slapped...or worse," Alexis answered, nodding.
And so the girls came out of the huddle. "Come clean, Adrian. It's the only way," Annie stated for the group.
"Okay... Echo... I wanted to know what was in your locket, and I didn't touch anything else in your room! I just wanted to know and I was surprised to see my picture there and that's when I knew... you felt the same way about me," he finished softly.
Echo's blush remained prominent on her face, and what she had been about to say died in her throat at his last words. Her eyes widened slightly, and she stared at him in surprise. "W-Wait...that I felt the same way? Do you mean...?" He nodded, his own blush saying it for him. Her gaze dropped again, a mixture of shock and happiness flowing through her. "And...why didn't you tell me?"
It was as if they were the only two people in the room. "The world thinks you're my sister... And that's how... he wanted it..." And then Adrian laughed bitterly. "Besides, you deserve better than me..."
Echo instantly looked up, meeting his eyes with a serious expression. "Adrian, I don't care what the world or my father thinks. I love you...and I wouldn't want anyone else. You're brilliant and kind and loyal...and you're more than I deserve."
"But... you're funny, you're smart, and you're sweet... I'm just rough around the edges... an orphan nobody," he countered, hardly daring to believe...
"Adrian," Echo interrupted fiercely, eyes burning with something indescribable. "You may be an orphan, but you are not nobody. You're my somebody. Besides...we're both rough around the edges. We'll smooth each other out in the end." Their faces were inches apart, hers getting closer to drill in her words. Adrian might've taken the invitation and kissed Echo right then and there, but he suddenly became aware of several pairs of eyes, particularly Annie Hanson's and Blair Flannigan's which were practically turning into hearts.
Echo blinked, also becoming aware of the eyes. Blushing furiously, she pulled away from Adrian and put on an aloof expression. "A-Anyway...at least now we know..." she muttered, thoroughly embarrassed.
"Y-yeah... but… Aren't you supposed to feel better after you bare your soul?" Adrian wondered. "I still feel heavy..."
Echo frowned. "There must be something you still haven't gotten off your chest..."
Annie stepped up, all serious now. "Adrian...there's an aspect of your past that you haven't faced... What is it?"
"I...I don't know..."
"Would you be willing to be hypnotized?" she asked gently. He nodded.
"Hypnotized??" Echo asked, looking over at Annie.
The Obelisk girl nodded slowly. "Yeah. It's a bit unorthodox, but some psychiatrists and psychologists do it to help a person remember his or her past if that person has really blocked out something. And Adrian may have really blocked something out..."
"About his original family," Echo realized, looking back at the man she was in love with.
Adrian blinked, as if in a dream. "I... I don't remember much... What I remember the most is being out in the desert and running... I felt like I had to run... but... I don't remember from what..."
"We'll help you, Adrian," Axel said, moving up to lay a hand on the other young man's shoulder.
"Whatever it is, mate, maybe this will help you remember it," Jim added with a nod.
Echo squeezed his hand. "I'll be here for you, all right?"
Adrian gripped her hand back. "Thanks, everybody. Now what?"
"Hmmm..." Annie's brow furrowed, reasoning it through. "I think... we need to relax you... and I know who can do it better than us..."
Syrus blinked, practically reading his future wife's mind. "Annie...Are you talking about who I think you are?" he asked.
She sighed. "Yeah... Dueled Jaden... You guys said 'Mokey mokey...' He is definitely a hippie..."
"Belowski!" Jaden shouted happily. "I hope he hasn't disappeared..."
"I don't see how he would... Last time we checked, he was still down in that enclosure," Alexis replied, frowning.
"But the Darkness could still get him," Jaden realized. "I don't think a bunker would save any of us..."
"He's still there," Dr. Crowler said, coming out from the observation room.
"Dr. Crowler? You've been checking on him?" Syrus asked as the group turned to face the teacher.
"Of course. We need to check up on him. We have cameras and bring his meals to him," the teacher explained.
And Chancellor Shepherd added, "We also make sure he talks to us as well. He is a student here."
"Wait a second, just who are you guys talkin' about?" Jesse asked. Of course he and those who hadn't seen Belowski in the first year were confused.
Jaden grinned. "His name's Belowski, and I dueled him!" And so he told those who hadn't been there all about the crazy duel with the hippie boy with the Mokey Mokeys. "... So he can talk to his duel spirits too! And I didn't fall asleep!"
"Dueling is Jaden's coffee," Annie observed, unable to conceal a smile.
Syrus grinned sheepishly. "When you guys meet him, you might feel pretty funny... Like sleepy or just really, really comfortable."
"That kinda sounds nice," Blair said softly. Blair had been so tense since Marcel had been taken that she desperately needed to relax.
"Well, is it all right if we go to see him so he can help us with this, Chancellor Shepherd?" Alexis asked.
"Of course..." And most of the group, with the exception of Miss Fontaine and Professor Sartyr, headed to the chicken coop.
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"Wait, wait, wait. You have GOT to be kiddin' me! There's a hidden tunnel under the chicken coop?!" Jesse asked, shocked when they arrived at the chicken coop.
Jaden met his twin's eyes seriously. "Yeah. And there are ancient ruins, a set of cards hidden here that can't be released or it'll be the end of the world... And I think there might be a portal to Hell somewhere around here," the brown-haired Slifer answered seriously.
The transfer boys and Echo stared at the Slifer, truly unsure of how to react to that. Luckily, the awkward moment was broken by loud squawking and clucking. The chickens had seen Jim, and along with Jim they had seen Shirley. And they were not enjoying a giant crocodile being inches away from their coop.
"Hmmm... how do we deal with the chickens?" Blair asked.
Chancellor Shepherd went in front of the procession with a sack. "Here, chick-chick-chick!" he called, throwing kernels of corn into one side of the coop. "Jim, you'd better put Shirley on your back!"
Jim sweat-dropped, quickly hefting Shirley into her carrier strapped to his back. The last thing he wanted was to have his brand new eye pecked out by a flock of ferocious chickens.
Dr. Crowler looked very wary of the birds as well. "These birds," he groaned.
"Aren't you afraid of cats as well, mon ami?" Jean-Louis asked curiously.
"I'm not afraid of birds, but these birds hate me!" Vellian explained, frustrated.
"Aw, come on, Dr. Crowler! They're just chickens! Don't be such a fraidy-cat," Jesse stated, completely confident as he patted one on the head. They had a chicken coop back home, and those birds didn't give him any problem. However, these weren't exactly normal chickens...
"Jesse... These aren't..!" Jaden yelped starting to run... But it was it was too late. The chickens attacked and the Slifer and North Academy student were running around the chicken coop with the chickens trying to peck them.
"AAAGHH!! TARNATION, JADEN!! WHY DIDN'T YA WARN ME SOONER?!" Jesse yelled, one chicken in his hair and another clamped onto his sleeve.
"YOU DIDN'T ASK, AND I COULDN'T WARN YOU!" Jaden shouted back as five birds were attacking him.
The group sweat-dropped and watched the chase for a few moments. Then, Jim sighed and got Shirley out of her carrier. "Now, Shirley... Don't hurt 'em... Just help Jaden and Jesse, all right?" The crocodile nodded and walked over to where the boys were huddled, trying to protect themselves from the ferocious birds. Stopping a foot away, the chickens paused and stared at the crocodile. She stared back. It was practically a stand-off.
"Jess... if this doesn't work, we're dead!" Jaden moaned as he hugged his twin in terror, practically in chibi-mode.
Jesse, too, was practically in the mode marked by anime. "I'm too young to die by chickens!!" And then, Shirley opened her giant, toothed maw....and let loose a roar reminiscent of dragons. The chickens squawked fearfully and flapped their wings, dashing off to another corner of the pen and leaving nothing but feathers behind.
Jaden blinked. "Thanks, Shirley," he said. "That was cool... just don't use it against us..."
Shirley growled lightly and walked back to Jim, along with Jesse and Jaden. Jesse spit out a feather, running a hand through his hair to get rid of some more. "Uh...what kind of chickens are these, Chancellor Shepherd??"
"They're a hybrid of several different birds which means they have the best and worst of personalities," Shepherd explained. "But their eggs are especially delicious."
"Well, let's get down there before they decide to attack again," Jim stated as he lifted Shirley back into her carrier.
"Good... idea," Jaden shivered. "Okay... I'm not sure if I'm afraid of the Borg anymore..."
"Robot Chicken, Sarge," Tyson said casually.
Jaden thought a minute. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!!!!!" he yelped, heading straight for the hatch to Belowski's bunker.
Jesse was right on his heels. "I'm too young to die by ROBOT CHICKENS!!!"
Alexis smacked her forehead. "I'm suddenly glad Atticus isn't here..."
"Chazz just might kill them," Mindy sighed. And the group entered the hatch.
"Okay, take it easy down here," Chancellor Shepherd said.
"Do they need the suits?" Crowler asked.
"No, Vellian, since no one's dueling..." They all went quiet for a moment as a series of lights came on in the underground bunker.
"What is this place?" Adrian muttered.
"Oh, yeah! There's also a lab here, Jesse!" Jaden was saying brightly.
"A lab??" The blue-haired teen asked in surprise.
"Yeah. But we don't go up there... Probably a good idea. They experimented on monkeys," Jaden explained.
"On monkeys?" Jim asked now, frowning.
"Yeah... they made this one monkey named Wheeler learn to duel and he did pretty well... Man, Kisara was mad when she found out about the monkey's name," Jaden grinned.
Alexis laughed a bit. "Joey wasn't too happy about it, either. But he knew that it wasn't Seto's idea."
"Somehow I don't want to know," Adrian muttered as they came to a domed structure in the bunker. "Is this where he lives?" Jaden asked, eyes wide. "Yes, Jaden, this is where Belowski lives," Shepherd answered.
"It doesn't look very welcoming," Syrus muttered, frowning.
"It's all right... you'll see what's inside," Shepherd soothed. He opened a door on the structure and they went through.
"Oh wow!" Blair said when they saw the inside. It was a mini tropical paradise that greeted their eyes. A small island with a palm tree and a beach house on stilts sat, and they could hear the soft crash of waves against the shore.
"This is a Kaiba Corp/ Von Schroeder Corp joint system, isn't it?" Annie wondered. The teachers all nodded.
"How did you know, Annie?" Professor Viper asked curiously.
"Uh... well, I overheard Daddy talking to Seto one night about a joint project that Kaiba Corp had done with Von Schroeder Corp. They were talking about what sounded like a holosuite," she answered shyly.
"Well, this looks like a place Belowski would stay," Syrus said, looking around the island in awe.
And then... "Hey, dudes," Belowski smiled, coming down from his beach house. "Wasn't expectin' visitors but I'm glad you're here. How's it hangin', Professor Stein?"
"Hello, Belowski. I'm fine, thank you," Stein greeted in a monotone that almost matched Belowski's relaxed tone.
"Dude, you so need a chill pill," the little Obelisk sighed. "Hey, Jaden and... blue-haired Jaden," he greeted the two boys.
Jesse blinked. "Uh, the name's Jesse. You must be Belowski."
"Yeah... That's my name.... You so look like you could be Jaden's twin..." And Belowski smiled as Ruby Carbuncle materialized along with the other Crystal Beasts. "Oh, wow... I've never met these dudes before..."
"They're the Crystal Beasts, my duel spirits," Jesse explained, grinning.
"Bi bi," Ruby greeted, hopping onto Belowski's shoulder.
The small boy giggled as Ruby started sniffing at his hair. "Um... Hello, I'm Emerald Turtle," the green-jeweled crystal beast said nervously.
"And I am Amber Mammoth," the elephantine creature added in his Austrian accent.
"Why do you sound like Arnold Schwarzenegger?" Belowski asked the elephantine creature curiously.
"I... don't know..."
Sapphire Pegasus gave a whinnying laugh. "He gets that all the time. He was just made that way," he explained.
"Cosmic," Belowski said, giving his normal relaxed smile. He got to know all of the Crystal Beast and then was properly introduced to the rest of the gang. When Belowski came to Blair, he said, "Hey, dudette..."
Blair blinked, surprised. Belowski's short, extremely thin frame and long hair instantly brought one person to mind. "Marcel..." she muttered, frowning. "You look kinda like Marcel, Belowski..."
"Marcel?" he asked. He wasn't completely aware of what was happening outside his safe bubble.
"He...he's one of the students who was...taken..." Blair told him about Marcel, and how he'd been taken days before.
"And he isn't the only one gone," Jaden added. He told Belowski all that had happened and how many of their own group was missing.
"... So the smart dude and his girlfriend are gone?" the boy asked.
"Yeah," Jaden sighed.
"But, there is good news. We found a way to stop them from taking anymore of us," Alexis stated, smiling.
"Oh... How?"
"Well, Belowski, we're working on getting rid of our bad vibes," Annie explained. She told him what they'd done and who still remained. "...And if you don't mind, could you help us relax Adrian? You'd get out of here for a bit," she offered.
The boy looked up at the teachers. "Can I?"
Chancellor Shepherd nodded. "Of course, Belowski. You could use the break," he grinned.
"So... do we go now?" the small boy asked.
"Of course," Shepherd answered.
And then Belowski noticed something. "Nobody's falling asleep..."
"Well, that's because we're not dueling, right?" Syrus asked.
"Nobody's dueling... That's it! Belowski, you can be up with us if you don't duel... Without it... you're just a very calming presence!" Annie grinned, and then sobered. "That was Bastion's theory..."
"Then... He doesn't have to stay down here?" Alexis asked the chancellor, looking over at him.
"For now, he can stay up with us," the chancellor answered, smiling.
Though Jesse had only just met the boy, he grinned and whooped with joy. "That's great! Better than stayin' down here, that's for sure!"
Belowski gave his customary relaxed grin, gamely following the group up away from his home. It was a strange feeling not to be there, and a strange feeling to be with humans. 'Happy Lover, Mokey Mokeys... stay close,' he sent to his favorite monsters.
'Okay,' the monsters sent in their own languages.
GXGXGXGXGXGXGXGXGXGXGXGXGXGXGXGXGXGXGXGXGXGXGXGXGXGX
After dodging another chicken attack, the group returned to Ra Yellow where they heard a cry of pain. It had come from Atticus, who was still in immense pain from his burns. Miss Fontaine had tried putting on more salve, but it seemed to have stopped working to soothe his pain. "He's just not responding to this. I've tried everything and he may just have to ride it out," Fonda groaned.
"Bro... try to relax," Chazz was pleading, gripping his big brother's hand.
"I...c-can't... Hurts...too...m-much," Atticus stammered out, voice shaking with the pain. Tears brimmed his eyes as his body writhed and cringed, hands clenching at the bed sheets. The pain he was feeling was almost as bad as when he'd been trapped in the Shadow Realm.
"What do we do?" Annie murmured, wishing she knew more than she did.
"Let me try," Belowski offered softly, his eyes worried. This was the first time he'd really seen pain, and he wanted to help.
"B…Belowski...?" Atty asked in surprise when the petite boy came over to his bedside. He wanted to grin and say hi, but couldn't muster up the actions through this pain.
"Hi, Atticus dude... Glad you're back..." He'd met the older boy briefly when Atticus was in his first year. "Let me try and help you, okay?" Atticus blinked, but nodded. Whatever help he could get from anyone, he'd take without question. Belowski moved forward and took the older boy's burned hand. "Just breathe," he murmured. "Let your mind go..."
And then a Mokey Mokey appeared, wanting to help his human friend. "Mokey Mokey," it called out. Atticus grimaced, closing his eyes. He tried to focus on breathing, and then nothing. Pain continued to slowly wreak havoc on his body, but he was letting go.
The Mokey Mokey kept calling out softly, like a song on the wind. "Keep breathing," Belowski murmured, using his mysterious power to help the older boy relax enough not to feel the pain.
Atticus groaned, though it was in relief rather than pain. He felt weightless, like he was floating in nothingness. And greatest of all was the fact that in this nothingness he felt no pain. "Just rest," Belowski suggested softly. "Go ahead and sleep so you'll heal..." And Atticus did just that, falling into a deep sleep even though it should have been near-impossible to do so.
Miss Fontaine smiled. "Belowski, that was amazing. How did you do it?" she asked. "He's going to rest well..."
"I just tried to help," the boy answered softly, in a dreamlike state.
Alexis smiled, and couldn't help but hug the small boy. "Belowski... Thank you. He was in so much pain..."
Belowski hugged back. "Just wanted to help him, Alexis, dudette... I don't like seein' people hurt at all..." His big gray eyes showed the pain he'd felt with Atticus. "I don't like pain," he murmured.
Fonda moved forward. "It's going to be all right," she soothed, seeing the start of tears.
Don, too, moved over to Belowski. "You helped him, so he's not in pain now... That was a very good thing you just did, Belowski."
Belowski nodded. "He hurt so much... I could feel it, you know?"
"You are very sensitive to others' emotions, Belowski," Don explained.
Belowski nodded silently, and looked up at Adrian and Echo. "You're both hurting, aren't you?" Silently, they nodded. "Then... can I help, dudes?"
Adrian knelt to his level. "Sure, kid... And if I can, I'll help you..."
The gang headed back into the common room as Atticus and Chazz rested in their temporary quarters. "So... what do I do now?" Belowski asked as Annie drew the curtains to make the room darker.
"You need to relax Adrian to the point he won't fight hypnotism," the girl explained, also fluffing pillows.
"Okay... um... Miss Fontaine... Professor Sartyr... I get good vibes from you guys," the boy stated.
The teachers blinked and exchanged glances. "You do?" Don asked, surprised by the short teen's statement.
The small teen nodded. "Yeah... are you two like, married or something?" he asked.
Fonda blushed. "Well, no..."
Don blushed as well, grinning sheepishly. "We're just dating..."
Belowski nodded. "But you're really close... And you give each other good vibes," he observed.
"We...do?" Fonda asked, amazed at how perceptive Belowski really was.
"Yeah... you belong together," the gray-eyed boy observed innocently. Don's face reddened even more as he looked away, sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck. Belowski nodded and moved over to Adrian. "Ready?" he asked the tall redhead.
"Ready," Adrian answered, taking deep breaths to steady himself as the small boy held one hand and Echo held the other. Echo watched Adrian, hoping this would work and the burden he'd unknowingly been holding would be removed. Then he'd finally be safe and she wouldn't have to worry.
"Okay, Adrian... close your eyes," Annie said in a soothing voice.
Belowski murmured, "Just let go, dude. You're driftin' on a wave in the universe, away from anger... war... worries... everything..." And Adrian felt his worries drift away.
"Are you there, Adrian?" Annie's voice came, as if from a far-off place.
"Yeah," he murmured back, easing onto the couch and lying down. Echo watched in awe, glancing at Belowski. The kid looked so weak and powerless, and yet he had a power like this. No wonder they kept him locked up in that enclosure underground.
"Okay, Adrian... go back to when you were little," Annie murmured.
Belowski moved away and over to the two adults he'd seemed to imprint upon. "This is not going to be righteous," he whispered.
Don frowned. "If he suppressed it this deeply, then no, it won't," he agreed.
"Just relax, sweetie... He needs to let this pain out," Fonda soothed, ruffling the boy's hair a little.
"Adrian," Annie was saying, "how old are you right now?"
And in a much younger voice, he answered, "I'm two... And I live with Mommy-Dad in my house..."
"Mommy-Dad?" Syrus asked Annie quietly, glancing at her in confusion.
"His mom and dad," Annie muttered. "Is that right, Adrian? You live with your mommy and dad?"
"Yeah... Mommy-Dad..."
"Where is your house, Adrian?" Echo had to ask. She guessed it was in the desert, but maybe it wasn't.
"It's on a street," he said matter-of-factly.
"Echo, he's two in this progression... He may not know at this age," Annie whispered. "Adrian, let's go forward to when you're... 4..."
"Okay..." His voice changed slightly. "Mommy, I don't want to move," he said in a slightly frustrated voice.
"You're moving, Adrian?" Echo asked in a gentle voice, surprised by this.
"Mommy says we can't live at our house anymore... Daddy says so, too... They say they can't keep making payments," he answered softly. "I don't want to leave Barstow... But we're moving to Mojave," he sulked. "My friends aren't there..."
"Barstow?" Alexis asked.
"Barstow's in San Bernardino County, Lex," Jaden whispered. "It's a poor town, and there's a pretty high crime rate... But Mojave... that's in Kern County and the town is really small... It's big on planes and space stuff..."
Alexis blinked and stared at him. "How did you know that??"
"I actually paid attention in geography," he answered.
She sweat-dropped. "Right..."
Adrian sighed and his tone brightened, voice changing a bit. "Daddy's going to take me to the spaceport today!"
"Why is that, Adrian?" Annie asked in a voice reminiscent of a kindergarten teacher.
"'Cause it's my 6th birthday tomorrow and Dad says I can do anything I want! He's going to take off from his candy experiment!!"
"Candy experiment?" Echo asked.
"Yeah... Dad and Mom make this candy... I don't think they have the ingredients right, though... They use yucky stuff to make it, like cough syrup," he explained.
"Cough syrup?" Blair asked.
"Yeah... and the stuff Mom uses to clean the floor... Mom doesn't want me where they make it..."
Echo frowned, thinking. "Cough syrup...floor cleaner... Those two ingredients do sound familiar...but what are they both used for?" she muttered.
Blair was running through the ingredients as well. "Wait a sec... Oh, my gosh... Oh, boy..."
"Blair, what is it?" Mindy asked.
"They were making meth!" the eleven-year-old exclaimed in horror.
Annie nodded confirmation and continued with Adrian. "Did you get to go to the Mojave Spaceport?"
"Yeah, yesterday! And they had a plane doing a test run. It was so cool to see it go up!"
"And what's happening today, Adrian?" Echo asked.
"Today I just get to play outside... It's been really nice and it's just the start of the summer," the young man said pleasantly in the child's voice. "When it's fall, I'm going back to school and I'll be in the first grade. I can read already, and my kindergarten teacher said I'm super smart!" And then his tone changed again, as his teen self came back. "I don't want to remember this..."
Echo squeezed his hand. "It's okay, Adrian... We're here...and it's okay to remember..."
"Adrian... you need to remember," Annie said firmly. "It's going to be all right... Where are you now and when is it?"
"It's... it's a week before school is starting. Mom found the money to get me a new backpack, at least... And today... they need me to play outside... Some men are coming for their candy order..." He shivered like a scared rabbit.
"Adrian...did something happen when the men came for their candy order?" Echo asked softly, carefully.
"They... they want a lot of candy..."
"Adrian... what do they look like?" Annie asked.
"They're wearing polo shirts with a G over a big tree on the pocket..." Several eyes widened in the room.
"Echo, isn't that the symbol of the Gecko Financial Group?" Axel asked.
Echo's eyes were as wide as they possibly could be. "Y-Yeah...it is... But, that doesn't make sense... Unless..."
"Echo, what is it?" Jasmine asked with concern.
Echo frowned and placed a hand to her head. "When I was young, really young... Before Adrian was 'adopted'... I remember Father talking about candy a lot too... And about how cheap he was getting it from 'dirty rats in the middle of nowhere'... I thought it was weird at the time, getting candy from rats..."
And then Axel remembered something he'd read about the Gecko father. "He was in rehab for a few months, right?"
Echo nodded. "Yes, he was."
Annie murmured, "Adrian, what's happening..?"
"The men are here, and they want to go in the candy lab. Daddy says it's not a good idea... But they aren't listening to him and Mommy... Everyone's gonna get hurt!" His voice rose in terror. "DON'T GO IN THERE!" he shrieked. It was an almost unholy sound.
Echo leaned back in shock, but kept a tight hold on Adrian's hand. "A-Adrian?!"
"NOOOOOO!!!!" he screeched. "MOMMY! DADDY!!!" And then he sank back in the pillows, tears rolling down his cheeks.
"Adrian... when I count to five, you're going to remember everything, including what you told us," Annie stated in a clear voice, tears coming in her eyes, too. "One, two, three, four, five..."
And Adrian's gray eyes snapped open. "They... they died..."
Echo pulled him into a tight hug. "Do you remember what you told us, Adrian?" she asked softly.
He managed a nod. "Ec-Echo... Gil had a meth problem... And Mom and Dad died because those guys wouldn't listen," he shakily stated, wrapped in her arms. "I remember everything..."
She frowned. "He knew about you all along... He acted like he didn't know anything...but he had to have known what happened..."
"My last name was Hopeman," he remembered. "Maybe he didn't know who I was... The men that came never saw me, but I'm sure they saw my toys... He was never out there..." Adrian just sounded puzzled at the moment now.
"I don't know about that. Father had connections... He knew a lot about a lot of people," Echo replied seriously.
"The only w-way to know... is to ask him... Echo... he'll completely disown me..."
"So? He never owned you in the first place... Besides, I'm still his daughter. I'll take care of you... He needs to be put in his place and face this."
Adrian met her eyes. "How will he react to you taking my side?"
Echo frowned. "I don't know... But however he reacts, I'll deal with it. I care about you so much more..."
They held each other in a hug for a long moment. "Uh... Professor Sartyr... Does this room have a good view screen?" Adrian asked the Ra headmaster.
"Uh, yes. We have one for emergencies," the teacher answered.
"Thanks... I think we need witnesses, Echo..." Adrian knew Gilbert Gecko could get ugly.
"Good idea. Do you want me to call him?"
"We'll do it together," he answered, setting up the appropriate equipment as the rest of the group got the curtains open and straightened up the room.
And it seems that Adrian and Echo are about to turn their world topsy-turvy in the name of truth, justice and love. What will the consequences be? Stay tuned for "Unexpected Shadows." Until next time, please read and review! Thank you!