Chapter XXXIII: Jaden Versus Trueman, Darkness's Envoy!

Hello again, everyone! And welcome back to Darkness Falls! It's been a strange ride so far, hasn't it? Things are not as they were. Anyway, thanks again, everyone for the reviews and for reading. We're always glad to hear from you. So onto the first battle!

Last time, Adrian and Echo confronted Gil Gecko and he reacted badly. He committed suicide by cop rather than face justice. Echo ended up needing to talk to the group about that and was able to confront her own pain. After this, the gang knew that a confrontation with Darkness or an envoy wasn't far behind. So what will happen now? Read on!

Legal stuff: We don't own GX and we likely never will. We own our OCs, this storyline and this version of the Yugi-verse. Thank you!

Authors' note: The authors would like to gratefully acknowledge the Janime website and the Yu-Gi-Oh Wikia website for the duel information.

A couple of hours passed and the group that remained of Duel Academy's student body prepared for the final battle they knew was coming. "Usagi, Angelic Guardian of the Moon... special ability... in exchange for 500 attack points can use a spell card without controller taking damage in life points. Rei, Guardian of Mars... Can destroy a trap card in exchange for 200 attack points," Annie muttered, examining her deck as the gang sat in the Ra common room.

Syrus, too, was examining his deck. He glanced over at his fiancée, smiling slightly. "Annie, remember when you dueled Zane?"

"Yeah... I won out of sheer luck," she sighed. "I can't risk that here..."

"Annie..." He placed a hand over hers. "Maybe you did get lucky with the cards. But you still could have won if you hadn't gotten lucky..."

She looked at his eyes. "You really think so?"

He nodded, eyes serious. "I know so. You have a good deck, and you're a good duelist, Annie."

"Thanks, honey," she smiled, kissing him. "I guess I should remember I do win in the exams..."

He grinned. "And you've won most of the fun duels, too."

"Yeah... I expected Jaden to kick my butt, though..."

"Well... Jay's a really hard duelist to beat. But he does lose sometimes."

"Yeah... But not very often," she countered, looking at her beloved seriously. "If you duel today... you'll win... But I think Jaden's going to duel."

He nodded again. "You're right... They're going to attack him...because he's their biggest threat right now... And if he loses and disappears...it'll be a hard blow to the rest of us..."

"We can't doubt him... and he's the best hope to get everyone back," she said. "And knowing that he's already faced Darkness in the form of Nightshroud... He's battle-hardened against it..."

"I'm guessing the actual Darkness won't attack yet, though... I bet he'll send that Trueman guy first..."

Annie got a thoughtful look on her face. "Yeah. It's the rules of the game. Always send your minions before you put yourself at risk..."

"Then...hey, maybe we should ask Tyson about his deck! He's the only one who dueled him and is still here," Syrus realized.

"Good idea!" she answered. "Honey, you're a genius!"

He blushed a little. "Thanks, Annie... Hey, Tyson!" Syrus called to the dino-boy across the room.

Tyson stood, also examining his deck. "What is it, Syrus?" he asked, coming over to the couple, a curious look on his face.

"Tyson... you're the only one who's dueled Trueman and not been taken... I know this is painful," Annie said, "but... could you tell us what it was like?" Tyson's tanned face went pale as he sat down.

"Take your time... And you can stop whenever you want to if it gets too hard..." Syrus said reassuringly.

Tyson nodded and told them all about it. "... I was overwhelmed... And I couldn't come up with somethin' quick enough... And then he psyched me out with that vision... And Rosa paid the price," he finished, a single tear coming down his face.

Syrus exchanged worried glances with Annie. What Tyson had told them was pretty scary; Trueman's deck sounded dangerous, especially with that Meteor Black Dragon. "Tyson...we'll get her back. And no one's going anywhere this time..."

The big Ra nodded, fire in his eyes. "No... And we're gonna get everybody back... The Sarge'll see to that!"

"Yeah!" Sy stated enthusiastically, clenching his small fists enthusiastically.

And just as everyone who had walked outside was coming back inside, the gang heard a commotion from the hallway leading to the bedrooms. "Bro, you're not strong enough and this isn't like sunburn! Ouch!" Chazz was saying as sternly as he could muster, wincing at his own injuries.

"I don't care! I can feel it coming and there's no way I'm gonna let you guys do this without me there to help!" Atticus countered in his serious, "I need to help because I'm the oldest" tone.

"Atticus, what in the world?!" Jasmine exclaimed, eyes wide, running up to her heavily bandaged and nightshirt-wearing boyfriend. "You should be in bed!"

Atticus was wearing socks, black sweatpants, and a gray nightshirt. The part of his arms, hands, and neck that were visible were heavily bandaged. "Jazzy...I want to be here for when it hits. I want to help and cheer whoever's going to duel on."

"And knowing our luck, it'll hit," Aster began. Abruptly the room darkened as if a dark cloud had come across the sun... "...Right about now," he finished drily, his blue eyes narrowing slightly.

Everyone looked at the suit-clad teen in shock and awe. "How did you do that?!" Jaden managed, getting his deck ready in his duel disk.

"Sheer luck," Aster concluded, actually sweat-dropping.

And then, the shadowy wind came, trailing the dark silhouettes of Duel Monsters cards with it. Gathering in one spot, it swirled around like a mini-tornado until a familiar figure appeared. With his appearance, the wind died, revealing that it was indeed Trueman, aka Mr. T. "You were expecting me?" he asked, reading their expressions. Of course Darkness had been spying on them the whole time.

"You might say that," Jaden answered, stepping forward, a very serious look on his face. "We want our friends back, and we want them back now."

Mr. T smirked. "Demands mean nothing. However...we could make a deal. If you have the guts, that is."

"And what kind of deal is that?" he asked. "You win, you get me and if I win, I get everyone back?"

The shadowy man laughed. "Now that sounds like uneven stakes, if you ask me. No, you won't get everyone back. However...if you defeat me, I will give one of your friends back." He held up a finger, eyes shifting onto Tyson from behind his sunglasses.

Tyson looked up at the evil man who had taken his love. "Rosa! What have you done to her? If you've hurt her..."

Mr. T chuckled again. "Relax. No one has hurt her. In fact, I haven't even touched her. She has remained in one place this entire time, sleeping..." Seeing their skeptical looks, he smirked. "Don't believe me? I can always show you. That's not a problem at all."

Tyson couldn't talk now as Jaden looked back at him. The Ra nodded and Jaden said, "Show us..." Annie gripped her fiancé's hand, anticipating... she didn't know what.

Syrus squeezed back, heart pounding. Trueman raised a hand, and a portion of the darkness above him parted like a gap in a fog bank. At first, the window appeared to be just shadow and nothing more, but then it slowly came into focus. And there, floating on a dark sea was Rosa. She did indeed appear to be sleeping, but it had been over two weeks since she had been taken. The toll of not eating had forced her body to burn up half of its muscle mass by this point, and she looked almost alien from the Rosa they all knew.

Instinctively, Axel and Jim moved next to Tyson and held him as he tried to lunge at Trueman. "YOU VARMINT! LET HER GO! SHE'S DYIN' IN THERE!!!"

Axel grunted, just managing to hold the younger man back. "Tyson... It's not... Urgh! Stand down!"

"Attacking him won't help, mate! Don't make me knock you out for your own safety!" Jim added seriously, knowing exactly which nerve to hit on the larger teen's neck.

Mr. T frowned. "It's her own fault. She's stubborn...and won't give in to her darkness. Almost all of the others taken around that time have."

"You convinced her she had darkness that was worth her being tortured for," Adrian countered. "She didn't have darkness, and you're a liar! We know what you told Tyson and it was a lie. And we've been cleared of our darkness..."

"We know that already. Darkness sees everything which is why for you we'll have to resort to dueling for your souls," Trueman replied, a duel disk appearing on his arm. "So...do you accept the stakes, Jaden Yuki?"

Jaden thought very quickly. "I want another person brought back too, for the sake of a friend of mine... This guy's name is Yusuke Fujiwara and he's been missing for four years... Put him on as someone who will be released and I'll agree to your terms."

Trueman sighed. "That would make the stakes unfair again. We can't have that... If you're adding Yusuke, then I'll have to ask you to add Atticus. If you lose, both of you come the World of Darkness." Atticus's eyes widened.

"I can't add Atticus," Jaden stated, his eyes pained. "That wouldn't be right. I don't offer up anybody but myself."

"Then I won't offer Yusuke," Trueman replied seriously.

Atticus frowned, making a decision of his own. He knew Jaden wouldn't put his, Atticus's, life on the line, but if the older young man offered himself, that was another thing entirely. "Jay...you have to. Yusuke's been gone for so long...this may be the only way to get him back... Please..." The Obelisk sent his soon-to-be brother-in-law a desperate look.

Jaden met his eyes. "All right," he said, "but only because you're saying it's okay, bro..."

"Bro!" Chazz shouted out. "Both of you! Slacker, save my brother!"

"Don't worry, bro. We'll be okay...Jay's not gonna lose this," Atticus stated reassuringly.

Trueman smirked. "We'll see about that. Then the stakes are set. If you win, you will get Rosa and Yusuke back. But if I win, both you and Atticus will be sent to the World of Darkness."

"Jaden, Atty, be careful!" Alexis called out worriedly, frowning. She couldn't stand losing both her brother and her fiancé at once.

And Jaden shot his fiancée his trademark grin and gave her a thumbs-up. "It's gonna be okay, babe! All right, Mr. T... let's get our game on!"

"DUEL!" The two activated their duel disks, drawing their five cards.

"You can go first," Mr. T stated confidently.

"All right!" Jaden looked over his hand. "I summon Elemental Hero Sparkman (1600/1400) in attack mode. And that'll do it for me!"

Trueman drew. "First, I'll summon Dark Archetype (1400/400). Then, I'll activate the spell card Power Gift. It allows me to increase your Sparkman's attack by the attack of a monster I discard from my hand. And I'll discard my Molten Zombie (1600/400)."

"Why would he want to increase Sparkman's attack power?" Annie wondered, trying to remember what Power Gift did.

"You'll find out soon enough," Mr. T answered. Sparkman's attack strength had soared to 3200. "Dark Archetype, attack his Sparkman!"

"But it'll be destroyed! It doesn't make sense," Syrus muttered, confused. Indeed, when the mutated creature attacked the hero, he was destroyed with a charged electric blast.

However, as Trueman's Life Points dropped to 2200, Sparkman imploded and was destroyed. "Power Gift's second effect: after the monster whose attack was raised battles, it is destroyed at the end of the damage step," Trueman smirked.

"Oh, no! Jaden, he can attack you directly!" Blair called out.

Meanwhile, Belowski was shivering next to Professor Sartyr. "Not good... I'm getting major bad vibes," he moaned softly.

"And he can use Dark Archetype's special ability," Annie gasped. "He can discard a monster and special summon a monster less than or equal to the battle damage he just suffered..."

"And that's 1800 points!" Mindy gasped.

Mr. T laughed. "It's nice that I won't have to explain all of that now. Activating Dark Archetype's effect, I'll discard Twinheaded Beast from my hand. Then, I'll summon Meteor Dragon (1800/2000) to the field!" The level five meteor with legs, wings, a head, and a tail appeared, roaring viciously at Jaden. "Attack him directly!" The dragon summoned a fireball and launched it at the Slifer.

The hot flames hit Jaden. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" he screamed as it hit and his life points dropped to 2200. "Dang it," he groaned.

"JADEN! Are you okay?!" Alexis yelled, eyes wide with fear for her fiancé.

"I'll set a card and end my turn," Trueman finished, smirking smugly.

Jaden shook his head like a dog shakes its head when it has water in its ears. "Yeah, I'm okay," he answered with a smile. "A little singed but okay... And it's my move..."

Annie's free hand automatically reached into her skirt pocket and fingered her rosary beads. 'Help us, Lord,' she prayed in her head.

And Jaden pulled a new card from his hand. "I sent Elemental Hero Bubbleman and Elemental Hero Clayman to the graveyard in order to use Polymerization to summon Elemental Hero Mudballman (1900/1300) in attack mode! Mudballman! Take down that Meteor Dragon!"

"GET 'EM SLACKER!" Chazz shouted. Mudballman shot out his attack, a giant mud ball, and it sped toward Meteor Dragon.

"You've triggered my trap! Draining Shield, protect my dragon and increase my Life Points!" Mr. T interrupted, a bright green shield appearing around Meteor Dragon.

The mud ball hit it, and his Life Points rose to 4100. "Come on, Jaden! You can beat him!" Jesse cheered.

Jaden looked back at his twin and nodded slightly. "Nice move, but I activate Fusion Shot, an equip spell! Here's how it works... I can equip this card to Elemental Hero Mudballman and remove from play one of the monsters that made him up as long as it has less than 1000 attack points. And then I can inflict the attack power of that monster to you as damage! And I choose Elemental Hero Clayman (800/2000)! So you lose 800 life points!" he concluded, grinning.

A blast of energy hit Mr. T, dropping his Life Points down to 3300. "Yeah! Go Jaden!" Syrus yelled, also grinning.

"GET' EM, SARGE!" Tyson shouted, feeling better than he had in two weeks.

"You got it, Tyson! Now, I'll lay one card facedown, and that'll do it for me!" Jaden finished.

Trueman drew, and the grin that appeared on his face was less than comforting. "You're not the only one who can fusion summon, Jaden. I know use the effect of King of the Swamp, substituting it for a fusion monster. By adding Polymerization, I can fuse it and Meteor Dragon to summon Meteor Black Dragon (3500/2000)! This monster marks your end!" Meteor Dragon was engulfed by flames, and in its place rose up a much larger version. It looked like a cross between its previous form and Red-Eyes, a level eight dragon even stronger than a Blue-Eyes White Dragon. It was the same monster that had defeated Tyson and sent Rosa to the World of Darkness with its flames.

Tyson's eyes widened. "No... you ain't winnin' this time! You ain't gonna win!"

"You're not winning against Jaden!" Belowski added. "Your karma's all wrong!"

Trueman only smirked. "Really? Meteor Black Dragon, destroy Mudballman!" The giant dragon gathered up flames in its jaws, then launched it at the hero.

Jaden stood tall, knowing that this was a hit that needed to happen. "AAARRGH!" he shouted as the fire hit him again.

"JADEN!" several voices screamed as his life points dropped to 600.

"SLACKER IF WE DIE, I'LL KILL YOU!" Chazz shouted, frustration and fear visible on his features.

Normally, Alexis would have stated that was impossible, but she was too busy worrying over Jaden. "Jay!! Are you all right?! You're not hurt, are you?!"

"I'll end my turn," Mr. T finished, grinning confidently.

Jaden shook momentarily from the impact. His head was down so that Trueman couldn't see his eyes. "You think you've got this in the bag, don't you? You don't... I'm about to win this thing, Trueman and free Rosa and Yusuke from the world of Darkness. You know why? Because I know my friends are there for me. And they're not just in this deck... They're the people around me. And I'm not going to let them down." And then he looked up, his eyes flashing with a fire and determination rarely seen. "I set one card and I end my turn."

"That's it? You're not going to win... My turn, draw." Trueman drew his card, but was interrupted by Jaden.

"Not so fast, because I play a trap!" the young man shouted, activating one of his face-downs. "A Hero Emerges! Since you're planning to attack you have to pick a card in my hand and if it's a monster, I get to summon it and if it's not a monster, I have to send it to the graveyard. So take your pick!" he grinned cheerfully.

"GO JADEN!" several voices shouted.

Mr. T frowned, but remained confident. "Fine! I choose...that one!" he answered, pointing.

Jaden smirked, relieved that luck was with him. "Sweet! And now I summon Elemental Hero Neos (2500/2000) to the field in attack mode! You don't want to mess with him! He's a marriage counselor!"

"Oh, great, he's going to do this forever now," Neos groaned as he came to the field, sweat-dropping.

Trueman blinked at the Slifer's statement, but shrugged it off with a grin. "He's still weaker than my dragon by a thousand points! Now, destroy that last hero and win me the duel, Meteor Black Dragon!" The dragon again summoned a fireball, preparing to attack.

"Shouldn't have done that! I activate the trap card, Soul Union! By removing Mudballman from play, I increase Neos' attack by 1900 points!" Neos' attack points jumped to 4400. "So now Neos is stronger than your dragon!" Neos hit the attack back at Meteor Black Dragon and the creature was destroyed with its own fireball.

"WHAT?!" Trueman gasped in shock as his Life Points abruptly fell to 2400. Looking over his hand, he realized that there was nothing to stop his imminent loss on Jaden's next turn. Eyes narrowing behind his sunglasses, he growled. "I...end my turn..."

Jaden didn't whoop. He wouldn't this time. "Okay, Neos, time to end this. Attack Trueman directly!" he commanded.

The attack hit, dropping Trueman's Life Points to zero. He frowned, brows furrowed. "You defeated me. I'll keep my end of the deal...but they won't be back for long. Darkness will make sure that all of you are sent to the World of Darkness..." With that said, Trueman vanished for the final time.

And in the World of Darkness, something in Yusuke Fujiwara lit, like a match to kindling. "I'm... going home," he said softly. Darkness hissed in anger, more at the fact Yusuke would leave than anything else.

"Go, Yusuke... And take the girl with you. But...I cannot have you warning them of my plans," Darkness growled, reaching out a bony hand. He silently cast an enchantment over Yusuke, so that when he returned to the real world, he would forget all that Darkness had informed him of.

And perhaps for Yusuke that was a blessing. He would forget the twisted dark universe he had existed in for 4 years and the pain and anguish he had felt, for deep within him, he had loathed the person he had to be in this world of Shadow. He felt his mind drift away, and then, he remembered nothing. He fell forward onto... something soft. But the world around him was warm. He heard a yell, and then all was dark and warm.

What had happened was actually quite simple. For a long moment, the group back in the real world had waited, not knowing how the others would appear. And then, Rosa and Yusuke had appeared in mid-air, above their heads. Tyson had ended up catching Rosa, and Atticus had dove for Yusuke without thinking. As such, when he caught the boy just as tall and heavy as him in his burned arms, he yelled in pain and fell on his butt. But he still held onto Yusuke, his friend, even if it stung.

"Rosa! Rosa!" Tyson called over and over again. "Darlin', speak to me!" She was breathing, but unconscious. Clearly her time in the World of Darkness had weakened her. Her usually muscular body was skin and bones, and her cheeks were sunken in.

Miss Fontaine ran, kneeling at the girl's side. "Tyson, lay her down... Don, get some hot chicken soup going... Annie, can you..?"

"I'm on it!" the dark-haired girl enthused, running straight to the unconscious young man in Atticus's arms. "Atticus, let me help you," she said quickly.

As Don left the room to go and get the soup, Atticus groaned. "O-Okay... Just...be careful," he muttered, staring down at Yusuke. He looked the same as Atticus remembered him, from the last time they'd met four years ago.

Annie helped him ease Yusuke to the ground. "This is Yusuke?" she asked, laying her fingers to his pulse, recognizing the steady rhythm of unconsciousness.

Atty nodded. "Yeah... I recognize him from what I remember... He hasn't changed at all..."

"Yusuke? Yusuke? Can you hear me?" Annie tried. "Wherever you were, you're safe and among friends..."

And then the periwinkle blue eyes fluttered open. "Huh?" the young man clad in the Obelisk/Horakhty dorm uniform asked, letting the room come into focus. He saw the dark-haired girl and... "A-Atticus?" he asked softly, trying to sit up but feeling the small pair of Annie's hands on his chest.

Atticus cracked a smile, even remembering that voice now that he'd finally heard it again. "Yusuke...y-yeah, it's me... You're back... But don't get up, okay?"

"Where am I?" the boy asked. "And... what happened to you?" And the last thing he remembered... Flashes of the arena... Atticus screaming... and then nothing. "Did you get hurt trying to stop me? Is everyone in the dorm all right?" And then he looked around. "This is Ra Yellow... What are we doing here?"

Atticus's eyes widened. It was obvious that Yusuke didn't remember anything from the World of Darkness. He had a lot to explain. "Yusuke, it's a long story... I'll explain it once everything has calmed down, okay? Just relax."

"Okay... how long have I been gone? And who's this?" he asked, glancing at the pretty Obelisk girl.

"The name's Annie Hanson," she stated calmly, checking him over, "and do you know what year this is?"

"2015," the chlorinated blonde young man stated confidently. He couldn't have been out that long.

She shook her head. "2019... A lot of time has passed, Yusuke... Let's get you to a room... And Atticus, you and Chazz are going right back to bed... Since Miss Fontaine's taking care of Rosa, I get to order you around," she smirked.

"Do not!" Chazz shouted from his position near a stunned but happy Jaden.

"She does," the nurse said sternly. "And Echo, feel free to help Annie enforce things..."

Echo nodded, grinning slightly. "Of course, Miss Fontaine. All right, boys. You heard the lady! Back to your beds!" she ordered.

Atticus sighed and sweat-dropped as he stood. "All right, all right..."

Chazz groaned. "Great... now I have to deal with Miss Military," he muttered, under his breath.

"What'd you say?" Adrian asked tightly, getting close. He had established himself as a formidable presence in the group and now used it for Echo's benefit.

"Nothing!" the raven-haired Slifer in pajamas yelped.

"Good..."

And without another word, Annie, assisted by Echo and Adrian, got Chazz and Atticus back to bed in Bastion's room. "Hmmm... One more cot ought to do it," the would-be teen doctor mused thoughtfully. "Atticus, if we can get another bed in here, would you like Yusuke to be in here too?"

Atticus nodded. "Yeah... I'm the only person here he knows, and I can start explaining what's happened all these years..."

"Yusuke, is that okay with you?" the teen girl asked kindly.

"Y-yeah... I would... Have I been wearing the same clothes for four years?" the blonde teen asked curiously as he sat down in a chair.

GXGXGXGXGXGXGXGXGXGXGXGXGXGXGXGXGXGXGXGXGXGXGXGXGXGXGX

The cot was moved in and Yusuke got on a pair of academy issued pajamas. He climbed into his cot, close to his friend's bed. "So what did I miss? And you didn't have a brother," Yusuke stated when Chazz introduced himself. Atticus chuckled, and so began to tell Yusuke what had occurred over the last four years.

As Atticus, Chazz and Yusuke were made comfortable and set up in the bedroom, Miss Fontaine had worked over Rosa and moved her to Tyson's room. Tyson had raced to Obelisk and back to get Rosa's favorite red nightgown. Miss Fontaine got it on the sick young woman and Rosa's fiancé couldn't help but notice just how loose it hung on her once-muscular yet very feminine frame. "Rosa... honey, c'mon and wake up," Fonda murmured after getting an IV of dextrose, a form of sugar, into the girl's bloodstream. "She should start coming around, Tyson..."

She moved away, allowing the young man to take Rosa's very thin hand in his. "Rosa... darlin'... Spanish Rose... please come back to me," he pleaded gently.

When Rosa had been brought out of the World of Darkness, her nightmare had ceased into comforting blackness. She had been floating, at ease, finally able to relax. And now, the words of her love drifted to her from the waking world. 'Tyson,' she thought, heart fluttering. How long had it been since she heard that voice speak so lovingly to her? After a few long moments, Rosa let out a weak groan and squeezed Tyson's hand ever-so-slightly.

"Darlin'? Miss Fontaine! She..!"

"Just go slowly, Rosa," the nurse said gently, moving to the sliding glass doors and closing the curtains so the girl wasn't blinded by sunlight. "Just take your time and when you can manage it, open your eyes. I know Tyson's been longing to see you..." Tyson stroked her hair lovingly meanwhile, just reveling in feeling her soft hair and skin again.

Rosa didn't make any more movements for a few minutes. And then, her lips parted, forming a single word that was too whispery to be fully audible. Rosa's eyes opened just slightly, focusing on the blurry crack of vision it created.

That single word was loud enough for the one young man who loved her most in this world. "Rosa... you're awake, and alive," he murmured, tears coming down his face and falling on hers like rain. "Thank You, Great General," he whispered. "Rosa... darlin'... you okay?"

Rosa's eyes opened more, about halfway, though her vision was still blurred since it hadn't been used in over two weeks. It was the same for her vocal cords; they, too, were rusty. Her hand lightly squeezed his again as she tried to answer, though all that came out was a dry squeak.

Miss Fontaine went and got a small glass of water and Tyson helped Rosa drink a little bit. "We're going to get some soup for you... I'll bet you're hungry, Spanish Rose..."

Rosa nodded weakly. She was indeed hungry, but it only felt like a dull ache in her abdomen. Finally, her eyes fully adjusted, and she recognized the room as a Ra one. Opening them fully, Rosa turned so that she could see the love of her life, and felt her heart ache as well. She would have cried with joy had her body not needed every ounce of water in her. But Rosa did manage a small smile, the best she could do to convey her happiness.

Professor Sartyr came with the soup a short time later. "Thank you, sir," Tyson said, helping his fiancée into a sitting position.

"You're welcome, Tyson. Go slowly...too fast and she will get sick," the teacher warned. By this point, Rosa's body had regained full function, though she was still weak.

"Yes, sir," the young man answered, blowing softly on a spoonful of the chicken broth. "Take a sip, darlin'," he murmured as the teachers left to check on the other patients.

She opened her mouth, allowing Tyson to feed her. Normally, she would refuse to do this, but at the moment all she cared about was eating. The first spoonful awakened her hunger, and she gladly ate the soup. Rosa was actually a little frustrated that Tyson was going so slowly. It was a natural problem with those who had food after starving for so long; they couldn't seem to get enough, and then they got sick.

After he got a few spoonfuls into her, Tyson stopped. "How does that feel, darlin'? Is it settlin' all right?" he asked in Spanish.

She sighed. "Yes...but I'm starving... Tyson...can't you go faster?" she answered, frowning.

"No... I can't go any faster... You don't want to get sick, Rosa... And refeedin' sickness happens..." He brushed her cheek as he got another spoon of soup. "You need to just eat slow..."

Rosa sighed again. Of course she knew he was right; it was her body speaking when she asked that. "I know... I'm just...so hungry, Ty-Ty..."

"I know, darlin'... you've been gone for so long... I was scared I was gonna lose you..."

She reached over, placing a small, thin hand on his muscled arm. "I'm sorry, Tyson... I...I wanted to protect you... You saved me...so many times... I wanted to do the same."

He set the bowl and spoon on the nightstand and pulled her thin body into his strong arms. "I know... I know," he murmured.

"You... you did... Just don't do it again..."

She leaned against him, though it felt more like a pillow than a person because of her weight. "I won't... Hopefully, I won't have to... But Tyson..."

"What is it?" he asked softly, rocking her in his arms.

"...What about the others?" she asked softly. "Were...were any of them...attacked?"

He climbed onto the bed to sit with her, and told her of the other disappearances, and then of course of the group figuring out how to stop the Darkness. And he told of Jaden's triumph. "...So that's where we are now..."

She was frowning when he'd finished. "So then...a lot of people are gone... I wish I could help...but I can't remember anything..."

"It's all right... Just concentrate on gettin' better," he murmured, cuddling her. She sighed, loving the feeling of his strong arms around her again. But then, her stomach rumbled demandingly, reminding the couple of what they had previously been doing. "Let's get some grub in you. And if you keep this down, I think the professor can make you something special when Miss Fontaine says it's all right," Tyson promised.

Rosa nodded. "All right... And Tyson?"

"Yeah?" he asked, spooning up more soup.

She smiled. "I love you..."

"Oh, darlin'... I love you so much," he smiled back, getting her to eat a little more.

Two students lost have returned, and Jaden has made the next step to restoring the missing people to the world. Next time, a lull in the action as the group prepares for the final battle. So please join us for "Eve of Destiny!" So until then, please read, review and stay tuned! Thank you!