Chapter XXXVII: Bleeding Love
Hello again, dear readers and welcome back to Darkness Falls. We're glad to see you all back again and we're glad you're excited to see how this all unfolds. As always, we're happy to see your reviews and know that you're still reading. Anyway, it seems we need to explain what happened in the duel between Jaden and Darkness in the 35th chapter. Darkness changes his mind on leaving the group in the dark. Though he knows he'll anger Satan, he serves both the ruler of Hell and God as the death-bringer. So, he is a neutral figure who listens to both authorities but also makes his own decisions.
Ani writes this about Darkness: Death is neither evil nor good. He can be called Darkness, only because he resides in Darkness. The Darkness of life and the Darkness of the heart. He is neither friend nor foe. He is the wise man of the Divines, second only to God in his knowledge. He is ever-patient and devoted to the strings of fate. Within this chapter, Darkness explains his motives. We hope you enjoy the explanation as much as we enjoyed writing it.
Disclaimer: Please read the previous 208 chapters as to what we do and do not own. Thanks!
WARNINGS: A rather gory nightmare sequence and two make-out scenes. Thank you for your attention.
The campus became peaceful and calm as the celebrations of the students died down. The revelers were finally forced to their respective dorms by the teachers who half-heartedly restored order. Jaden drifted off to sleep in the arms of his love, thinking it would be a very long time before he saw Darkness again. But as he dreamed, he realized he was wrong.
He found himself walking along the path inthe forest on a misty night. "Hello?" he called out, his voice echoing out. "Is someone out here?"
"I am, yet I am not. But then, you are here as well, yet are not. Neither of us is truly one or the other, Jaden Yuki. For this is a mere dream..." answered a familiar voice. It was deep and gruff, the tone grating on the subconscious like nails on a chalkboard. Red eyes seemingly appeared out of nowhere before Jaden, glittering like fiery rubies amongst the dark mist.
"Darkness," the young man groaned in shock. "But... I defeated you... Why are you...?" And then the horrible possibility hit him. "Am I dying? Is that why you're here?"
The remainder of the fiendish reaper's body appeared; ancient bones wrapped in a shadowy cloak. His expression, if he had one, didn't change as he answered. "No. I have not come to lead your soul to Judgment yet, Jaden Yuki. I am here for a different reason." Darkness's eyes narrowed slightly. "As for your other question, the answer is simple. You did defeat me. That does not mean you destroyed me. One cannot destroy Death, just as one cannot destroy the Light One or the Dark One. I shall remain long after your bones have crumbled to dust."
"So... why are you here?" he asked, calming down a little.
At this question, the Grim Reaper's demeanor seemed to become tense, suspicious, agitated. Bones rattled against one another beneath the confines of his tattered clothing. "I changed my choice on a decision given to me. I have again decided to go against the wishes of the Dark One in favor of the Light One. This is why I come to you now when this could have been said at the conclusion of our duel."
"Then Annie was right... You were working for the Devil," Jaden observed. "But why? Why did you do it?"
Again the reaper's bones rattled, though this time in a different tone. It was as if the rattling replaced human emotion, and this one sounded like surprise. "You misunderstand, mortal. My actions were not in favor of the Dark One. I have not decided in his favor for many years."
"But why did you do it?"
"The Light One came to me in my domain. We know what the future holds, up to the day of reckoning; the end of the world. He came to me with a proposition to push the odds of future events in the favor of or against evil. The Dark One came to me as well, commanding me to do only as I have been assigned and nothing more. This, you see, would keep the odds in favor of his evil intentions."
Jaden looked puzzled at this. "So... this was a test?"
"No. The Light One told me what I could do to change the odds, to move them more against evil. I am the Grim Reaper, Jaden Yuki. I am only known as Darkness because it is my domain, the Darkness of life and the Darkness within every heart. This is why only I could do what I have done. My intentions may seem to favor the Dark One to mortals, but in truth they move against him. Consider what has occurred from the events I pushed into motion, Jaden Yuki." A skeletal finger was pointed at the Slifer. "What has changed?"
Jaden took a deep breath and thought carefully. And then echoes of those who had been trapped and those who had not came to him. "I'm sorry for what I did and I want to be right again!" "Help me, Lord! Save me from eternal torment!" The voices of those who had a taste of eternal damnation and decided they would do whatever they must to avoid it came clearly now.
And Jaden realized. "They came back... and they won't forget. So... they've gone back to the good side, right?"
The slightest hint of a nod came from beneath the dark hood. "Darkness is a power of evil, and of good. It is evil if it is allowed to grow, if it is succumbed to, if it is ignored. It is good if it is acknowledged, if it is weakened, if it is overcome. It makes the heart, the mind, the soul, and the body stronger. It can no longer be used against you as an unnecessary weakness."
Jaden considered this carefully. "We know what sin is because we know what good is... We ate from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, and even though that meant we were banished from the Garden of Eden, it also meant when we were out in the world and mortal, we could make good choices." Miraculously, the Slifer had paid attention in Sunday School.
For some odd reason, the ghost of a pleased smirk could almost be seen on what was visible of the Reaper of Death's cracked skull. "You understand. You are stronger for what evil is to come. You will need every ounce of strength you have to defeat it, Jaden Yuki. You and the others. I have only appeared in this way to provide further warning."
Jaden's eyes widened with worry. "What's coming? Do I have to fight something bigger?"
But Darkness was already disappearing. "I may have already said too much. It is not my place to answer either of those questions. The Light One would tell you that he believes you are strong enough. The Dark One would tell you that the evil is too great for even you to defeat. I am only the Reaper of Souls. I am neither Light nor true Darkness. Neither good nor evil. Your fate rests in your hands, Jaden Yuki. And the hands of your friends."
"BUT... What am I fighting?!" Jaden called out as the dream abruptly faded. He felt himself falling, and then he sat bolt upright in bed, terrified.
Alexis, startled out of her own peaceful slumber by the sudden jarring action, opened her eyes tiredly. "Jaden...?" Seeing his frightened stance and expression, she sleepily sat up and placed a soft hand on his arm. "Jay... what's wrong?"
The dream was fading, but he still remembered enough of it. "I... had a bad dream," he admitted.
She frowned. "You did? It... it wasn't... Darkness, was it?" she asked worriedly.
He hugged her close. "He... gave me a warning..."
She hugged back, relieved that Darkness hadn't appeared to her beloved in a frightening manner. "A warning...?"
He shuddered, still a bit frightened from it. "He said... something bad was coming... but he wouldn't go into specifics... Lex, I don't know how much more I can handle..."
Her frown returned, and she tightened her grip on him in response. "Something bad? So then... it's not over yet... Jaden, maybe it won't come for a while. He didn't say it would come right away, did he?"
If Alexis had had hope of there being a long break, it was about to be dashed. The Slifer shivered again in his red t-shirt and Kuriboh boxers. "It sounded... like it's gonna be soon... And Lex... I don't know if I can take whatever it is..."
Alexis ran her hand up and down his back soothingly, suppressing a shiver of her own. "Jay... you won't have to. You won't be alone when you face whatever it is. I'm here to help you, and so are the others. We'll fight whatever it is together..."
"What if it's you?" he asked softly.
She was startled by this. "What?"
"What if something happens to you?" he asked softly. "I... don't think I'm strong enough..."
She moved back enough to meet his eyes, shifting her hands up to his shoulders. "Jaden. You are strong enough for anything. After everything you've faced, even your own darkness, there's nothing you can't stand up to."
He held her to him, kissing her slowly, choosing to answer her that way. He did wonder if he could stand up to losing her. 'Could I live on without her?' he asked himself. He didn't want to think about that, but maybe he wouldn't have to. And so he chose to reaffirm her life and his, feeling her warmth.
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All over the school, the students and teachers that could drifted off to sleep, most everyone having the first good sleep they'd had in a long time. But up in the infirmary, the peace was about to be shattered. In one of the beds, Violet Haverbrook began to shake and moan.
Her hands clutched at the blankets, and sweat slowly began to bead her forehead. "No...I didn't...stop..."
Within the layers of Violet's dream world, she found herself in the burned remains of a village. It was much like the one that Jaden had found himself in during his nightmare, except this one was also drenched in blood. Violet shook, eyes wide as tears ran down her cheeks. "No, stop! Stop hurting them!"
"Aw, but why? This is what they deserve. After all they did to you," cooed a voice, followed by the sound of a knife blade slicing through human flesh. A weak cry of pain rang out, only to be quickly silenced. Whoever the victim was had been greatly weakened and could not let out the bloodcurdling shriek she might have had she had the strength. It was followed by the sound of a body hitting the ground, and in the light of the moon it turned out to be none other than Annie Hanson.
"ANNIE!! Why are you doing this?! Who are you??" Violet shrieked, wanting to run and stop this madness but finding herself unable to move. And then, the figure stepped into the light, shocking Violet down to her very core. It was herself, but with blood red eyes and hands painted crimson. Her clone wore black combat boots, green cargo pants, a black tube top, and fingerless black gloves. "I'm you. But you can call me...Mary," she stated, grinning maliciously. Violet could only stare as her copy dragged Jaden Yuki into view by his blazer, a knife gripped in her free hand. He was struggling, but weak from his own injuries.
"VIOLET?! What's going on? Who's this?!" And then he saw Annie's still form upon the ground, her face contorted by the last moments of her life. She had run from her attacker, and her last seconds had been of terror. Her blue eyes stared sightlessly up at the stars and blood dripped from the multiple wounds Mary had left. "ANNIE!!! HOW COULD YOU?!" he shrieked at Mary. "Violet! Help!"
"Jaden!! Hang on, I'm coming!" But as Violet moved to take a step forward, she found her mind suddenly shooting into the body of Mary. It was HER holding Jaden aloft. It was HER making a clear cut down his torso to open his shirt, even as he vainly struggled against her. It was his blood soaking HER hands. "Heh heh. Which side, which side? Such a lovely blank canvas," she found herself saying. And then her mind returned to its own body, and in pure shock she fell to her knees. "Wha...what..." Violet muttered, eyes wide.
Mary smirked, glancing at her green-eyed copy. "I told you already, Violet. I'm YOU. You can't get rid of me."
Mary released Jaden's body, which fell to the ground, a horrible, bleeding mess. His brown eyes were just as sightless as Annie's, and his face was just as indicative of the last seconds of his life. In fact... all around Violet and her dark counterpart were corpses, including that of a tall young man with gray eyes and now blood-matted dark hair.
Violet only just noticed the corpses, having been focused on her still-living friends. Each body was more mutilated or disfigured than the last, signaling that her friends had been in horrible pain before death. And then, her eyes fell onto Bastion. "No...NO!! BASTION!!" Violet crawled over to his lifeless body, gasping at what she saw.
"You like it? I thought it would be the perfect punishment for not loving you," Mary said as she stepped up beside Violet. Bastion's heart had been grotesquely carved out of his chest, and all that was left was a gaping hole.
"How...how could you... I LOVE HIM!!" Violet yelled, glaring through her tears at Mary.
Mary only smiled, and held out a bloody lump. "And now you can have his heart at last. You should thank me," she stated, dropping the limp muscle and kneeling down. Mary wrapped a bloody arm around Violet, hugging her as the purple-haired girl dry-heaved in disgust. "I'm the only person you can trust to never leave you, Violet. And I'll kill anyone who hurts you...they will PAY in BLOOD."
Mary's dark cackle echoed around the desolation, and back in the real world Violet abruptly sat up. She grabbed the trashcan beside her bed and promptly filled it with what remained of her dinner.
Bastion, in the bed right next to Violet's, sat up despite his pounding head and forced himself out of bed. "Violet," he groaned, stepping over to her and nearly collapsing with the effort. "Miss Fontaine!" he called out.
But she had heard Violet vomit and was already running to them. "Violet... oh, honey, what happened..? Bastion... you have to get back..."
"No... I have to... help Violet," he explained stubbornly. Violet coughed and gave dry heaves for another minute or so, before finally lifting up her head. She was as pale as the infirmary sheets; face sheen and glistening with sweat. Her heart was pounding in her chest, and just the sound made her want to throw up all over again.
The nurse calmly took the wastebasket from the sick girl and grabbed another one. "Here... take this if you need it, Violet. Just try to breathe..."
As she headed back between the rows of bed to clean out the basket, Bastion held Violet up. "D-Darling... what happened?" he asked weakly, his own body radiating heat.
Violet breathed heavily, forcing down her heart rate and the sick feeling still in her gut. "B-Bastion...it... She..." She closed her eyes tightly, remembering the blood. Her fingers gripped the basket tightly as she tried to sort it into words. "Blood...everyone dead...you... Love and your heart...gone... Mary..."
"You had a nightmare?" he asked softly. "And...who's Mary?"
She nodded, turning to bury her face in his chest. "I...I don't know... She said...she was me... Bastion," Violet moaned. "There was so much...blood..."
Bastion used what little strength he had left to wrap his arms around his love. And he fell back into the soft pillows with her. "Shh... it... was... a nightmare..."
Violet cried against him, just able to hear the sound of his beating heart. He wasn't dead, and his heart was still inside of him. Maybe it had just been a nightmare. "It... it felt so...real..." she whispered between sobs.
He was panting from the effort of having gotten out of bed and holding her. "I... know... I know... I'm here now... I'll... protect you... Somehow..."
Miss Fontaine returned quickly. "Oh, goodness... Violet, I have to move Bastion to his own bed... but maybe I can push your beds closer together. You feel like you're running a fever, too..." She checked the teens, clucking her tongue. "Violet, you have a slight fever, and Bastion... you're up to 103..."
Violet frowned, but nodded, wiping at her tears. "O-Okay... Bastion, go back to your bed. I'll be there in a second," she stammered.
Miss Fontaine moved the beds close together so at the very least, the couple could touch hands. She helped Bastion back into bed and tucked him in safely. "Violet... honey, can I get you something?" she asked as she helped the sick girl rinse her mouth out.
"Just...just some water..." Violet looked like she wanted something else, but was hesitating.
Miss Fontaine could tell the girl needed something else. "What is it, sweetie?" she asked. "Is there something else?" She poured a glass of water from a pitcher on the nightstand.
Violet looked away. "W-Well... If I had Tiffles, I...I'd be able to get back to sleep easier... But, he's all the way at Obelisk..."
"Hang on, honey," Fonda smiled. "I think someone knew about that..." She walked over to a cupboard and pulled out the fluffy stuffed Watapon. "Annie had Jasmine run and get Tiffles while you slept earlier today. She said she knew you'd need him along with Bastion to feel better."
Violet's eyes widened in surprise. "Annie, she... She knows me too well... I'll definitely need to thank her and Jasmine later," she muttered.
The nurse handed Violet the fluffy Duel Monster. "They're just so happy you're all right, honey. Annie was really depressed when you disappeared and then Bastion...I think Darkness could've used that if she hadn't figured how to turn the tables and give Jaden his shot."
Violet hugged the plushie close, frowning. "And when I finally get back...I push her away... I feel awful now that I'm not confused anymore... How could I be such a terrible best friend?"
"Violet... honey... what did you see in the World of Darkness?" Miss Fontaine asked as she worked to make Bastion comfortable.
Violet's head lowered, bangs covering her eyes. "I saw... Everyone leaving me...or calling me names... Like back at my old school... Or...Bastion saying he didn't love me...or turning into a guy like...Mike," she muttered, body shaking.
Fonda pulled the sad, frightened girl into a gentle hug. "I think Annie knows that that was probably what you saw. And she knew that you've been afraid of losing friends. She knew and she knows that you were influenced by that. You aren't a terrible best friend..."
"I...I'm not? But then... I must be a terrible fiancée, at least... After what I said to Bastion," Violet tried, glancing over at the resting teen.
"No... you aren't, and Bastion knows what you saw as well, I'm sure. He hated that he couldn't save you from it..." Fonda kept Violet in the loving hug. "He isn't angry..."
Slowly, a few tears dripped down onto the bed, as Violet's eyes slipped closed. "They...they don't hate me... Bastion...really does love me... They won't… they won't leave?"
"They aren't going to leave," Fonda soothed. "They all love you so much... and Bastion most of all..."
"I trust them...and I love him," Violet murmured. 'Then why do I still have this feeling?' she wondered, upset.
'Because you'll see that your trust only leads to more pain,' answered a dark voice within the recesses of her mind. 'I told you, Violet. You can only trust me...I never can and never will leave you...'
Fonda just held the girl close. "Think you can get back to sleep?" she asked softly.
Violet nodded, laying back down and keeping Tiffles close. With her free hand, she reached over and grasped Bastion's. "Y-Yeah..."
Bastion's breathing had been a little bit labored, but now, with his love holding his hand, he relaxed. "Okay, Violet... call me if you need anything," Miss Fontaine said gently, fixing the girl's blankets over her.
"Okay," Violet sighed and closed her eyes, hoping the bloody nightmare wouldn't haunt her for a second time.
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Morning came to the academy fairly quickly. Rather than have a normal day of classes, and since most of the school had missed the past week or so, Chancellor Shepherd declared one long day of study period. The announcement was made over the PDAs, so at 6 AM, Annie groggily picked up her PDA. "Sy... no classes," she grunted after she looked.
"Mmm...? That's good," he mumbled, face buried in the pillow. One of his arms was draped over Annie, and he reached out to turn off his beeping PDA with the other hand.
"Mmmhmmm... I like staying in bed," she muttered back.
"Me too... Let's stay in bed," he murmured tiredly.
She hugged him to her like he was a stuffed animal. "We had a long day yesterday..."
"We did..." He moved to hug her back, eyes still closed.
"Yeah...We could stay curled up like this," she suggested, eyes closed as well.
"I like that idea," he answered groggily.
She pressed as close as she could in her slightly groggy state. "Mmmhmmm," she muttered.
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In another room in Obelisk Blue, Adrian Gecko, groggily awoke to his arms around the lithe and soft form of a young woman. 'Huh?' he wondered. Echo was still in the throes of sleep, eyes closed and long black hair framing her face. Her back was to Adrian, his arms clasped securely around her waist. Her own arms and hands rested comfortably on top of his. "Echo," he whispered in her ear, "wake up..."
She sighed softly, opening her eyes halfway. She could feel the unfamiliar presence of a warm body at her back and arms around her waist. "Adrian...?"
"Hey," he greeted back softly. "I guess we kinda... cuddled."
She blushed, opening her eyes fully. "I...guess we did. But then...it's your arms around me, Adrian..."
"Do you want me to move them?" he asked, not wanting to move if she didn't.
She smiled, pressing down on them with her own arms. "No. You don't have to move them..."
"M'kay," he murmured, closing his eyes. "So warm..."
She giggled softly. "You're warm too..."
The young man couldn't help but laugh a little. "You haven't giggled in forever..."
"Hmm, I haven't had a reason to," she replied simply.
"I like that you are," he stated seriously. "Do it more..."
"Well, for that you'll just have to make me," she countered softly.
"Hmmm... like this?" he grinned, moving his fingers to her belly and tickling her.
Her eyes widened and her expression did a complete 180, as she tried to stifle her laughter. "Th-That...won't work on me...Adrian..." He tickled a little harder in response. With that, her resolve broke, and out poured a waterfall of giggles. She grabbed at his hands in an effort to stop him. "Ha ha ha, Adrian! St-Stop, ha ha ha!!"
"No way," he grinned, redoubling his efforts.
She squirmed, laughter increasing as tears brimmed her eyes. It seemed like forever since she'd laughed a fourth this much. "ADRIAN!!" she gasped out between giggles.
"Try getting me back, I dare you!" he challenged, also laughing.
She contemplated punching him, but decided to try giving him a taste of his own medicine instead. Flipping around, her hands traveled up under his shirt and began tickling at his sides and tummy. "Now remember, you dared me!"
Adrian cracked up as she attacked. "Yeah... ha ha... I... hee hee... did!" he gasped, and laughed.
Echo grinned deviously, tickling harder. "Have a taste of your own medicine! Ha!" He was laughing so hard, he couldn't talk. So he moved his hands to her armpits and tickled as hard as he could. As such, a tickle fight ensued, both teens laughing their heads off at the other's actions. If any of their friends had been there, it would seem very, very out-of-character.
Finally, the tickle fight ended, and they were lying next to each other, out of breath. "Whoa..."
"How long...has it been...since we laughed...like that?" Echo asked between breaths.
"I...can't even remember," Adrian admitted.
"Neither can...I... But...it felt...good," Echo realized.
"Yeah," Adrian answered, smiling. "That... felt like flying..."
"Like we were...flying together..." Echo agreed, also smiling.
"Yeah... that was great..."
Echo rolled over so that she was partially on top of him, looking down to meet his eyes. "Just being with you....like this... Feels great."
"Yeah... Echo... I am so glad just to be with you..." She moved down, gently kissing him on the lips. It was only their second mouth-to-mouth kiss, but it was far less awkward. He closed his eyes, feeling more relaxed than last night. This felt right. Unsure of exactly what to do next or what would be appropriate, Echo waited to see if he would do anything. He put his arms around her, holding the kiss, but not pressing further. He would take things as slowly as she needed. Reassured, her hands rested on his chest as she pressed down a little, though her hesitance was obvious.
He released the kiss and murmured, "Tell me...what you want..."
She closed her eyes, keeping the short distance between their faces. This felt too good right now to end so quickly. "Just...kiss me again," she muttered back. So again he pressed his lips to hers, holding her close. He increased the pressure slightly, but not too much. She pressed back, wanting more and slightly surprised by her own actions. She blamed it on the pleasant buzz in her head and the tingling on her lips. Adrian, taking the signal, began rubbing her back. Echo sighed into the kiss, running her slim hands down his chest.
And then Adrian pulled back. His body had been sending him signals to go further, but his mind told him differently. "Echo... we... need to slow down," he panted. "You're beautiful... I don't want to rush..."
Echo opened her eyes, still dazed from the passionate kissing and disappointed that he'd stopped it again. But her brain, too, told her they needed to slow down. "You're right... That was...it was just...amazing..."
"Yeah... it was. You're amazing, Echo... And we have all the time in the world..."
"We do... At least one of us was thinking," she said wryly.
He sat up, still holding her. "Which one of us was?" he asked.
She blinked. "You, of course. You're the one who stopped it."
"Luckily," he admitted. "It was just lucky, really..."
"Well, I'm glad you were lucky. Who knows where that could have gone?"
"Yeah... and that might've spoiled it for us... I mean, yeah we've known each other for a long time and known we had feelings, but... we haven't acted on them until now..."
"Yeah... so we can wait. But now I understand how things can get out of hand so fast..."
"Yeah... Well, it didn't get further than we're ready for... So, let's get up and get ready, because Mom and Sid'll be here pretty soon," he grinned, thinking of how happy Sid would be upon seeing them both.
She returned the grin, sliding out of bed. "He's always wanted to see one of the Duel Academies."
"He was too sick to see East Academy," he sighed, getting out of bed as well. "But he'll get to see this one."
"Did you know he's started getting interested in dueling, Adrian?" she asked.
"Yeah," he answered, smiling as he got his clothes out of the closet. "Sid's been asking me how to play when we've talked. And I've been trying to show him. He's really got potential."
"It's no wonder he wants to meet Jaden. I'll bet he'll want to see a few duels while he's here too," she agreed, going through her drawers.
"Yeah. And maybe... we can go cloud watching like we did back home..."
"I can come too, if you want. Unless it was going to be a brother outing."
Adrian thought about it. "You know," he said as he pulled on his clothes, having showered yesterday afternoon, after the battle was over, "I think it should be everybody... if they can."
Echo, too, had showered the day before, so she simply slipped into her clothes. She had brought what was on the submarine onshore, which included some casual clothes. So rather than her uniform, Echo slipped into some jeans and a red shirt. "You know, that's a good idea. It would let everyone unwind..."
"Yeah." And he looked at her thoughtfully for a moment. "Echo... don't put your hair in that twist. I've got an idea!" He reached into one of his drawers and pulled out a bright red hair scrunchie and an elastic hair band.
"May I?"
She blinked and stared at the items in question for a few long moments. "Well..." Sighing, she sat down on a chair. "All right."
Adrian grinned softly and with the hairbrush Echo had brought, he combed her pretty, dark hair back and pulled it into a ponytail. Then he twisted the scrunchie around the ponytail. When he was finished, he led her to the mirror. "What do you think?"
Echo could only stare at the face looking back at her in the mirror. Compared to how she usually looked, she could have been an entirely different person. She had to touch the scrunchie to make sure it wasn't a trick mirror. "Wow..."
Echo did look a lot different. With the less severe hairstyle, she looked more relaxed and the scrunchie brightened her up. "You like it?" he asked eagerly.
She turned and smiled at him. "Yeah. How did you know it would work so well?"
"Just a hunch," he admitted. "And it's been a long time since you wore your hair like that. But you've never had a bright scrunchie..."
"Well, I used to... Before you came and when I was a little girl. Mom loved dressing me up," she explained, sweat-dropping.
"Well... I wish I could've seen it," he responded. "I've seen pictures, but I don't remember you getting dressed up too often."
"No...by then, I was too old for Mom to dress up anymore. And I was starting to take military lessons from tutors..."
Adrian put an arm around her. "Well, I think this looks... you... Not too frilly, but not too severe, either."
Echo grinned sheepishly. "I did look a little intimidating when I first came onshore, didn't I?"
"Being intimidating isn't a bad thing... You should see Alexis Rhodes when she's mad. Most of the academy runs for the volcano..."
"I could tell that girl and I had something in common. I was surprised that there were two army boys here as well."
The two talked a bit more and then headed downstairs for breakfast. Several jaws dropped in the Obelisk dining room at the sight of Echo. "Whoa," one boy remarked to a girl. "Did we get a supermodel in here?!"
"I wish I had a face like that! She must get all the cute guys," whispered a girl to her friends. Echo blushed at the looks she was getting. She may have been tough, but when it came to her looks, she was easily embarrassed.
"Just enjoy it," Adrian whispered to her. "Put some of Captain Echo into your walk. You look great and you're confident."
"You're not the one being stared at by most of the people in the room," Echo whispered back snappily. This was exactly the reason she preferred hiding her looks.
"I know... but you are the most gorgeous woman in the room, and you can't blame them for staring at a priceless work of art..." Okay, so that wasn't exactly the best line, but it was what Adrian felt.
Echo barely suppressed a laugh. "Adrian, that was very sweet, but also very cheesy."
He did laugh. "Yeah, definitely cheesy. At least it wasn't the sand line..."
She smirked. "Now for that, I would have been forced to punch you."
He grinned wickedly. "Can you blame the poor guy, though? He lived in a place where you never hear pick up lines... The Jedi can't marry, remember?"
"Yeah, well... I'm glad neither of us are Jedi, then," she replied, taking his hand.
"Me, too..."
"Hey, guys!" Annie called happily as she and Sy entered the room. "Echo! Wow! You look awesome!"
Again, Echo blushed. "Thanks..."
"You look great, Echo. The red scrunchie looks nice in your hair," Syrus added, smiling.
"So, is everyone down at Slifer that can be down there?" Adrian wondered.
"We just put in a call to Jaden. He and Alexis just woke up and they'll eat down there with Blair. Mindy and Jasmine had breakfast early this morning and headed straight to the infirmary. Good thing we're having a study day... They're even pushing graduation back a week so we can make up what we missed," Annie explained.
"Well, Adrian and I called home last night. Mom and Sid will be coming here for a while... We think it'll help," Echo explained, smiling.
"Yeah. They need to get out of the house," Adrian added, sobering a bit. All four did.
"Morning, guys," Axel called out as he, Jim and Jesse came in from the boys' dorm.
"Hey," Adrian greeted back.
The three boys hardly recognized Echo. "Wow, is this the same Sheila, Adrian?" Jim asked as they sat down.
Jesse grinned. "Gee, Echo. You look really beautiful. You're a lucky guy, Adrian."
Adrian grinned back. "I know..."
The group headed down to Slifer together for breakfast. "Morning, guys!" Jaden greeted from his seat next to Alexis. "We got Danishes!" he announced, holding up a pastry.
"Among other things, of course. Jaden's just excited about the sugar," Alexis added, laughing a bit, holding a cherry Danish.
"And I'm glad I don't have to save the world this morning, babe," he countered. "Dang... No Violet... I was hoping to challenge her to an eating contest..." And then he looked at Jesse, a competitive glint in his big brown eyes. "You game, Jesse?"
Jesse blinked in surprise, then grinned, the same glint in his blue-green eyes. "Sure thing, Jay! I'm always up for an eating contest!"
"Oh, brother... Somebody get the stomach medicine. They're both going to need it," Annie sighed.
"Does this happen a lot?" Echo asked curiously.
Adrian groaned softly. "You might say that... At least Violet's in the infirmary. She rivals if not beats these two..."
Echo sweat-dropped. "Can't they just eat a simple breakfast like the rest of us?"
Jaden looked up from his small pile of Danish quarters. "No."
Jesse grinned sheepishly. "Normally, I don't mind a normal breakfast. But I just love a challenge!"
Axel sighed, laughing a little as he dug into his breakfast. "At least it isn't boring around here."
"Was it boring at West Academy, Axel?" Syrus asked.
"Yeah... It was pretty quiet most of the time. There were a lot of serious guys there," he stated in his usual serious demeanor.
"Gee, never woulda guessed," Jesse muttered, glancing away. Annie couldn't help it and started to laugh. Syrus and Alexis joined in, and pretty soon most of the group had cracked up.
Axel smiled a bit. "I'm definitely the straight guy here, Echo... in case you couldn't tell."
Echo smirked. "No, I could tell. You're more serious than a lot of sailors I've worked with."
"It's how my dad trained me," the young man shrugged.
Everyone ate up-- miraculously, Jaden and Jesse were none the worse for wear-- and then they heard the whir of helicopter rotor blades. "They're here!" Adrian stated with a smile. "Echo, relax!"
"I am!" Echo countered indignantly.
"Okay, okay. You're just doing the thing with your eyebrow that you always do when you're on edge..."
She blinked. "What thing??"
"Your right eyebrow twitches..."
"It does?"
Adrian nodded. "You're not even aware you're doing it..."
Echo sighed. "Well, from now on, tell me if I am."
"Okay," he answered and the two headed down to the landing pad while the rest of the group headed up to the infirmary. "Hey, Mom! Hey, Sid!" Adrian greeted when Rachel and Sid got out of the helicopter.
"Hey, you two! Echo, my goodness! Sweetie, you look darling!" Rachel grinned, coming up to give her elder children hugs.
Echo smiled as she hugged Rachel. "Thanks, Mom... Adrian helped."
"ADRIAN! ECHO!" Sid cheered happily, crashing into the family hug.
Adrian lifted Sid into his arms and twirled him around a little. "Man, I think you've been eating more cookies, little man! You feel heavier!" he said cheerfully. It was a little joke between the brothers, as for part of his short life, Sid had been a frail and thin child.
Sid laughed. "The doctor says I've grown a whole lot, big brother!"
"Yeah, I can tell. Have you still been playing tennis?"
"Yeah! And I've gotten really good! I almost beat Mommy last time!"
"He did. He came very close," Rachel smiled, dressed in an emerald green top and jeans. Her dark hair was pulled back with a headband, and there was no doubt that Echo got her grace and beauty from her mother. As the boys talked, Rachel fell into step next to her daughter. "Honey, I like the new look, and did you say Adrian helped with it?"
Echo nodded. "Yeah, he came up with the idea for my hair... I decided to dress casual today, and I guess it gave him the idea."
"I don't remember you having a red scrunchie," Rachel stated. "Was that from Adrian?"
"Yeah...I don't know why he had it, though."
"Well, I'm glad he did. Honey, how are you doing?"
"I'm doing fine, Mom. What about you?"
Rachel's face showed the strain of the past two days. "Honey, I'd be lying if I said I was okay. It's been hard. I'm just glad I've had Sid with me, or I couldn't have stood the pain..."
Echo turned and pulled her mother into a hug. "We're here now, Mom, if you want to talk... We should work out the pain we're feeling together..."
Rachel wordlessly hugged back, glad she had her daughter. And then, she felt two more pairs of arms. "It's all right, Mom... we're here too," Adrian added.
"Yeah, Mommy. We wanna help too," Sid agreed.
"So where is everyone?" Rachel asked after a long moment and they had released their hug.
"Everybody's either studying or up at the infirmary. Our friends, two Ras, three Obelisks and a Slifer are up there, Mom," Adrian explained.
"Are they hurt, Adrian?" Sid asked, frowning.
"Yeah, they're all sick, Sid. And one boy got hurt helping his big brother," the older boy answered gently.
"He did?" Sid knew that he would help his big brother no matter what, even if he got hurt.
"Yeah, he did. I saw it happen. Chazz wanted to help Atticus and that was all that mattered to him. I know how that feels," Adrian answered, ruffling his brother's brown mop of hair.
"Wait... Chazz Princeton?" Rachel asked as they walked.
"Yeah, but it's Chazz Rhodes now."
"He loves his new brother, huh?" Rachel asked.
"Yeah," Adrian answered. "They fit together. It's really something..."
"So...it's like how big brother is part of our family?" Sid asked.
"Kind of like that, kid," Adrian answered. Rachel sighed, wondering how in the world she would explain to Sid what had really happened.
The Geckos arrived at the infirmary a few minutes later to see the gang studying and helping their friends. "Hi, you must be Mrs. Gecko. I'm Fonda Fontaine. I'm the school nurse," the teacher greeted cheerfully.
"Please, call me Rachel. I'm glad to meet you too. Adrian's told me a lot about you in his letters home..."
"That's good," Fonda answered with a smile.
"You're a nurse?" Sid asked, holding his mother's hand.
Fonda knelt down to the small boy's level. "Yes, I am and I'm also a teacher here. Adrian told me he had a cute little brother. And that means you must be Sid..." She held out her hand for the boy to shake.
He shook it. "You're a teacher too? Wow..."
"Mmmhmm... Now, Adrian says you spent a lot of time with doctors and nurses at hospitals, am I right?"
Sid nodded seriously, a slight sadness in his brown eyes. "I was sick a lot."
"Well," she said with a significant look at Rachel, "maybe you'd like to help these big kids here feel a little better, Sid. Would you like to?"
He grinned eagerly. "Yeah! I wanna help!"
"Okay, Sid, then you're a special helper," Fonda grinned.
Just then, Belowski came walking down between the rows of beds with some wet washcloths. "Miss Fontaine! I got 'em."
"Oh, good, Belowski, sweetie, put them in the laundry hamper. And you have an assistant," she smiled, gesturing at the six-year-old boy.
"Hey, dude, I'm Belowski... you've got good vibes," the 14-year-old grinned, shifting the towels and shaking the smaller boy's hand.
Sid blinked. "Vibes??"
"That means he feels good when you're around," Adrian translated.
"Oh." Sid smiled up at the boy who was only a head or so taller than him. "I'm Sid. I'm glad I can make you feel good."
"You'll have to meet my monster crew. Can you see 'em, little dude?" Belowski asked as they walked over to the laundry hamper.
"You mean your imaginary friends?" Sid asked, pointing at Happy Lover.
"They're real, little dude. We can all see 'em!" Belowski grinned eagerly.
Sid frowned, looking down. "But...Daddy said they were imaginary friends and that I should stop playing with them..."
"They're real, little dude, just as real as you or me!" Belowski grinned. "In fact, the court said it was real!"
Sid's eyes widened, his brown bangs trembling a bit. "They did?"
"Yeah. When Chazz got hurt last summer and when his big brother testified, he had to tell how Jaden knew Chazz was in trouble. Chazz's duel spirits told Jaden Chazz was in trouble."
"Oh! Then does that Dream Clown can come out?" Sid only had a few duel spirits since he didn't have a full deck yet. But Dream Clown was his main spirit that he'd been forced to talk with in secret because of his father.
"Yeah, little dude! Bring him out!" the hippy boy encouraged, sensing a joyful spirit about to come out.
"Out? Well, it's about time! Hee-hee-hee!" stated a silly-sounding voice as a spirit about the same size as Sid appeared. He wore the red-and-yellow polka dot outfit of a clown with a matching hat over his purple hair, a dark blue cape, and a sky blue scarf. Two buggy green eyes and a jagged mouth made up his face, like a scarecrow. "Hey there! Nice ta meet'cha! Dream Clown's the name, fun and jokes are my game!! Hee-hee-hee!"
Chazz, lying in his bed, groaned. "Not another one..."
"Boss, he's not in your deck!" Ojama Yellow explained helpfully.
"Yeah, yeah, I know..."
Dream Clown grinned, floating with his legs crossed Indian-style beneath him. "Yo! Ojamas, long time no see! Where ya been?"
"We've been with this guy!" Ojama Black grinned, sitting on Chazz's head. "The boss is great to us now! He gets crabby sometimes, but it's okay. His new brother fits perfect with us!"
"Yeah, Atticus loves us!" Ojama Yellow squealed.
"And he helps us cheer the Boss up when he's down!" Ojama Green added happily.
"Oh! A joker, huh? I gotta meet this guy! Hee-hee-hee!"
Sid grinned. "Dream Clown is the best! He always made me laugh when I was sad!"
Chazz sat up in his bed. "These three may be morons, but they're my morons, and... they do make me laugh!"
The three Ojamas looked at Chazz with worship in their eyes. "WE KNEW YOU LOVED US, BOSS!" they squealed, hugging him.
"OW!" the young man howled in pain.
"Oh, they overdid it again! Ojamas, I still need to fix your mistakes, huh? Hee hee hee!" Dream Clown floated over to the obviously pained Chazz and tapped the boy's forehead. "There! That should help! Hee hee hee!!"
"Hey... that feels... good," Chazz said muzzily. "Real nice..." He laid back down on the bed and fell asleep.
"Nice job, Dream Clown. No wonder the little dude likes you so much!" Belowski complimented.
"Yeah! Dream Clown's the best!" Sid stated, grinning.
Dream Clown laughed and floated back over to Belowski, except he was floating upside down. "You have a good feeling too. You can make people fall asleep, right?"
Belowski nodded. "Yeah, Dream Clown... I've always known how to do that... And if I duel people, they fall asleep... Except for Jaden!"
"Ah, interesting! Sid! You've made some interesting new friends!! Hee hee hee!" Dream Clown said happily.
"I know! Belowski, is Jaden here? I want to meet him!" Sid asked excitedly.
Jaden came down from Violet and Bastion's bed at that moment. "Hey, guys. They're still sleeping... Adrian... is this your mom? And this is Sid, right?"
"Yeah... Mom, this is Jaden Yuki. Jaden, this is my mom, Rachel Gecko."
"Nice to meet you," he said, shaking her hand.
"Such a nice boy... thank you for saving us, dear."
"Just doing my job," he answered. "And you must be Sid," Jaden smiled. "Hi!"
Sid was as excited as if he was meeting one of his favorite cartoon characters. "Wow! So you're Jaden? Adrian told me about you! You always win your duels!"
"Well, almost always," Jaden admitted as Belowski tossed his dirty cloths in the hamper. "I've lost a few... but that's how you learn."
"Really? Daddy said you should always win," Sid replied, frowning in obvious confusion.
"Well, it's what my dad taught me," Jaden answered.
"Sid... he's right," Adrian explained. "Sometimes you have to lose."
"Oh... So, when I lose at tennis, it's okay?" Sid asked.
"Yeah, it's okay, honey," Rachel answered. "I just care if you do your very best..."
Sid smiled. "Okay, Mommy! Jaden, Miss Fontaine said I could help too!"
"Great! You'll do great! Adrian and Echo helped a lot yesterday... And you've been in hospitals so you know how to help," the Slifer grinned. "And I'll bet you can cheer Atticus up..."
"I can! And Dream Clown will help! Right, Dream Clown?" Sid asked, grinning at his spirit.
The clown laughed and gave a thumbs-up. "Of course, of course! Hee hee hee!"
"Okay... I think Atticus could use some cheering up," Jaden said, pointing toward one curtained bed area. Together he, Belowski and Sid headed in. "Hey, Atticus, feeling any better?" Jaden asked.
Atticus sighed. "Hey, Jay. Nope. Still just as itchy and tender as the last time you checked. It's so...aggravating!" He then blinked, seeing Sid and Dream Clown. "Jaden, who are they?"
"This is Sid," the Slifer grinned, indicating the small boy. "And this cheerful guy is Dream Clown!"
"Hi, Atticus! I'm Adrian's little brother," Sid added, waving.
Atty managed a smile. "Hey, Sid. Hi, Dream Clown."
"We're here to cheer you up!" Sid explained, grinning.
"Yeah! And chill out! Hee hee hee!!" Dream Clown laughed, as a frosty wind flew out of his sleeves.
Atticus sighed again, but for a different reason. "That feels nice..."
Belowski stepped up to Atticus. "Debriding treatment done, big dude?"
"Yeah. I guess I'm a little less itchy, but now it hurts more if I move too much," Atty explained.
"Wanna sleep for a bit?" Belowski asked kindly.
"Yeah, that would be nice..."
"I can help with that! Unless you wanted to do it," Dream Clown stated, looking over at Belowski.
"Wanna tag team, Clown dude?" Belowski asked eagerly.
"Now that sounds interesting! Let's do it!" the spirit agreed, grinning.
Belowski took a deep breath and began to draw on his powers. "Okay, Clown dude. Take my hand and help Atticus..." Dream Clown passed his hand through Belowski's, and used his own power to increase the teen's natural abilities. "All right, Atticus, take some deep breaths and just let yourself relax..."
"Okay..." Atticus closed his eyes, clearing his mind as he breathed in and out. Belowski could never tell how he did it, exactly, but when he thought of helping Atticus, he sent the image of a small boy being rocked in a pair of warm arms. It was the most comforting image in his mind. And within seconds, Atticus was asleep. Normally, it would take minutes, but Dream Clown had helped shorten the time. "Whoa... never done it that fast," Belowski murmured in awe.
Mokey Mokey appeared, clearly surprised. "Mokey Mokey..."
Dream Clown chuckled, lying back in mid-air like he was on a couch. "They don't call me DREAM Clown for nothin', ya know! One tap and you're out like a light! Hee hee hee!!" Sid grinned. "Dream Clown's the greatest! He was my first Duel Monster card."
"Mine was Mokey Mokey," Belowski stated, the pillow-like monster behind him.
"Jaden, what was your first Duel Monster?" Sid asked, turning to the brunette.
"Well, my very first duel spirit was Oscillo Hero," Jaden answered as a little creature with a green computer chip ball for a body and a golden ball for a head, wearing a cape appeared.
"Hi, Sid! Nice to meet you!" Oscillo Hero greeted.
"Hi, Oscillo Hero! You look so cool!" Sid greeted back, grinning.
"Thanks! Glad to see you again, Jaden!" Oscillo Hero stated.
"Ditto, Oscillo! My mom got him with my first pack of cards. I was about 2 when I got my first deck!"
"Wow! I only got my first cards last year!" Sid stated in awe.
"I just liked dueling really early," Jaden grinned sheepishly, rubbing his neck. "And then I got a lot of other friends too... Some of 'em might look kinda scary, but they're awesome friends!"
"I only have a few Duel Monsters cards right now. And only a few monsters," Sid admitted.
"Well hang onto them, Sid, and they'll be your best friends," Jaden stated. "Right, Belowski..? Belowski?" The hippy boy had seemingly frozen in place.
Sid stared at the short teen, blinking. "Belowski??"
"Where's... where's my mommy?" the dark haired boy asked, sounding lost and much younger.
"Huh?" Sid asked, confused. Dream Clown frowned, able to sense what was going on. "This ain't good..."
"Mokey Mokey?" Belowski's own duel spirit asked his friend. Happy Lover too purred at her master.
"Belowski?" Jaden called.
"I want my mommy... I don't know where she is," the boy stated again. His big gray eyes had a sad and yet horrifying look, as if his mind was somewhere else.
"Sid... go get Miss Fontaine, okay?" Jaden asked. "It's really important..."
"Um...okay!" Sid turned and ran out of the curtained area. "Miss Fontaine!"
Miss Fontaine was having a nice chat with Rachel, Echo and Adrian when Sid came running. "Sid, what is it?" she asked, taking in the boy's frightened brown eyes.
"Something's wrong with Belowski! Come quick!" he explained.
Fonda got up fast and raced down to Atticus's cubicle where Jaden was still trying to get a reaction from the other teen. "Belowski... Come on, man, you're scaring me... Miss Fontaine... he just froze and he says he wants his mom."
She moved close to the small Obelisk, kneeling down. "Belowski? Sweetie, what's wrong?"
He looked at her, uncertain. But he seemed to recognize her in that haze. "Mommy? Mommy, where were you?" he asked in that same childlike voice.
"Belowski... it's Miss Fontaine, don't you remember?" she asked him.
He blinked in confusion. "But... you look like Mommy..." Fonda's eyes widened in shock.
"Jaden...what's going on?" Sid whispered, confused.
Jaden's eyes were wide too. "I don't know... he doesn't have a mom or dad. He was left here when the school opened. He's been here since he was about three, apparently, and nobody knows about his parents."
"Then...why is he calling Miss Fontaine his mommy??" Sid muttered, even more confused.
"Maybe... maybe she's like his mom," Jaden realized.
As he said this, Belowski blinked again, coming out of the trance. "Miss Fontaine? What happened? I thought..." And then something that had never happened as far as Jaden knew happened. Belowski hugged the nurse and began to cry.
"Oh, sweetie... shhh... It's okay," Fonda soothed, hugging him close.
"Belowski...? Are you okay?" Sid asked slowly, worried.
"Give him some space, Sid," Jaden said softly, walking the boy out of the space. Hearing Belowski cry like this disturbed the Slifer, and he wanted to help. But somehow he knew this wasn't an area he could help.
"What happened?" Adrian asked as the Slifer brought his brother back to him.
"Something happened with Belowski, big brother," Sid answered, frowning.
"Jaden?" Echo asked, blue eyes narrowing with concern.
"I think... he remembers his mom... and maybe what happened to her," Jaden offered.
"His mother?" Rachel asked, as Sid came over to her for comfort.
And Jaden told them what he knew. "...So he didn't seem to remember his parents, but now... maybe he does..."
Echo frowned. "Something may have triggered a memory... But that doesn't mean he still remembers it now."
"Yeah... He just acted confused and called Miss Fontaine Mommy," Jaden stated. "Annie's better at figuring out this psychological stuff..."
"Annie?" Rachel asked.
"It's that girl I told you about over e-mail, Mom, when I first got here in the fall and then asked you guys to have Rabbi Kleinman pray the Mi Shebeirach for," Adrian reminded her.
"Oh, that girl who was so sick... Yes, I remember, Adrian."
"She's probably with Violet and Bastion. We can ask her about Belowski..." Echo said thoughtfully.
As it happened, Annie was already stepping out of the cubicle. She looked more than a bit worried, and had left for some fresher air. "Oh, hey, guys," she greeted. "I thought I heard something..." Jaden quickly explained what was going on to her. "It... sounds a little like a flashback. He may be starting to remember or he might never remember it all," she said thoughtfully.
"Annie?" Sid asked from beside his mother, looking up at the girl. "Is Belowski gonna be okay?"
"I think so... He's just got to let it come out, Sid... like Adrian and Echo let their stuff out..."
"Okay... can I help?"
"Sure," Annie answered. "You have a duel spirit, don't you?"
Sid nodded, brown eyes determined. "Yeah. Dream Clown!"
Said spirit appeared, grinning. "How can I help?"
"Stay close... You may be needed to get Belowski to laugh."
"All right! Laughter, aside from dreams, is my specialty! Hee hee hee!!"
GXGXGXGXGXGXGXGXGXGXGXGXGXGXGXGXGXGXGXGXGXGXGXGXGXGXGXGXGXGXGX
Things soon managed to settle down with Belowski, thanks to Miss Fontaine and Dream Clown calming him down again. But all was not right in the infirmary, as Violet made her way to the bathroom. After she'd finished using it, she stood in front of the mirror. She stared at her reflection for a time, and then reached up a hand to touch it. However, Violet gasped and barely suppressed a scream at what she saw. Blood. Her hands were covered in it, but only in their reflection. Positively mortified, Violet quickly turned on the faucet and scrubbed her hands with soap. She lifted them back up, but in the mirror the blood was still there. Desperate and confused, Violet did this two more times with no change. However, on the fourth try, she came face-to-face with red eyes in the mirror. Her scream was silenced by pure shock.
"Hello, Violet. Miss me?" asked her reflection.
"I-It's...you... B-But...it can't be... It was just a nightmare...M-Mary..."
"Oh, but I'm very real, Violet. And don't worry about the blood, you'll soon get used to the feeling."
Violet stumbled back, closing her eyes tightly. "N-No...go away! Leave me alone!!"
"But I can't go away, Violet. As I said before...I'm YOU."
"No...stop...GET OUT OF MY HEAD!!!" Violet screamed, reaching up to clutch her head in her hands. She fell back against the wall, sliding down it with tears brimming her eyes. She could practically hear Mary's evil laughter ringing in her ears.
Annie heard the scream and raced into the bathroom. "Violet?! Violet what happened?" she exclaimed, eyes wide and worried. "Who was in your head?"
Violet sat, shaking hard and sobbing as her hands moved to cover her face. "A-Annie.... I-I'm sorry... I-I tried...I-I tried to st-stop her... Don't leave m-me," she moaned between breaths.
Annie moved to hug her friend. "Stop who?" she asked. "I'm not leaving you... I'm right here..."
Violet instantly clung to her like a frightened child, crying into her shoulder. "M...ma...mar..." She wanted to say it, to say the demon that haunted her every waking hour's name. But she couldn't bring herself to say it, as if something were holding her back. 'Not yet,' growled a voice in her mind.
"It's going to be okay, Violet... Let's get you back to bed... You're all sweaty again," Annie murmured, keeping her in the hug.
"O-Okay... I-I'm sorry, A-Annie," Violet stammered again, feeling as if she couldn't apologize enough.
"Don't apologize, Violet... It's okay... Whatever's bothering you... I'm here..." She helped Violet to her feet and led her back to the cubicle she shared with Bastion.
He was awake at this point and looked up. "Violet? Darling, I heard you scream," he said weakly, mentally cursing that he didn't have the strength to sit up on his own.
She sniffled a bit, wiping at her eyes. "I-It's okay, Bastion... I-I'm fine now... Th-Thanks, Annie..."
"No problem," Annie said gently, helping her back into bed. "Bastion, take it easy..."
"What happened? That... Violet... you're not all right," he groaned, trying to draw strength from his very low reserves.
"I-I'm fine," Violet stated, a bit harshly. She couldn't help it; she felt like talking about Mary would only bring her out again.
"Violet... please let me..." Bastion began, trying to fight through his weak state.
"Bastion... take it easy," Annie pleaded with him. "You're pushing too hard..."
"She's... she's not..." He was exhausted again and panting.
Violet frowned, looking over at him. "Bastion, please, relax... You're making yourself worse..."
"You... have to... be all right... darling," he groaned tiredly as Annie went for another cool, wet cloth to wipe the sweat off him.
"Bastion, I can help... you don't have to..."
"Yes, I do," he stated, eyes worried. "I've failed her so much..."
"No, you didn't..." Annie felt like she was trying to reason with a brick wall, and yet she kept trying.
"Annie's right, Bastion. You haven't failed me once. Please stop thinking that way," Violet added, worry etched into her tone and expression.
Bastion was too tired to argue and let Annie pat his face. "How about we talk about something else?" the teen doctor-in-training asked, smiling as he started to drift off to sleep. "There he goes... He's sleeping, Violet..."
Violet sighed in relief, falling back against her pillows. "Good... I hate that he feels that way... He never failed me," she muttered sadly.
"That's what the Darkness used against him. Bastion's your love and your protector," Annie said softly as Bastion's breathing became relaxed and soft. "Darkness knew Bastion wished he could stop you from being hurt... He'll have to fight it when he's stronger... We have to have all of us better for the wedding..."
Violet looked away, frowning. "All of us..." Of course she knew that included herself. But she was so worried something might happen before then...or even during it.
"It's going to be a few weeks, Violet," Annie soothed as if reading her mind. "We all need time to recover now... And we'll be able to stay here."
Unfortunately, that made the purple-haired girl even more worried. Weeks gave Mary plenty of time to torment her or do whatever it was she was planning. "A-All right..."
"It'll be all right, somehow, Violet," Annie murmured again. "Now just lie down and relax, okay?"
"Okay," Violet sighed, trying to allow her body to unwind as she closed her eyes.
"Want me to sing a little?" the brunette asked gently.
"Y-Yeah...that would be nice..."Annie sang a song about close friendship and how she would always be there no matter what. The song was called "Nothing at All," and it was from the US version of Sailor Moon. The song comforted Violet, banishing all worries from her mind for the time being. About halfway through the song, she dozed off into a peaceful sleep.
Annie finished the song, and Dr. Crowler, who'd been listening, poked his head into the cubicle. "Annie... They're asleep now... It's late... and your fiancé is waiting for you. He came up after dinner..."
Annie looked up. "Dinner?! Oh my gosh!" she gasped. "Did I forget to eat?"
"You haven't had dinner yet?" the gangly instructor inquired, now growing concerned.
"No, sir," she admitted shamefacedly.
Syrus, who'd been behind Dr. Crowler, pulled back the curtain and held up a bag. "It's okay, Annie. I saved you something from dinner to eat..."
"Oh, thanks, honey," she said, walking up to kiss him.
"Annie, go... and get some rest again," the teacher instructed.
"Yes, sir... you'll call me?"
"Of course... Go now..."
The couple said good night to the instructor and headed out again. "I keep forgetting to eat dinner," she sighed.
"It's okay, Annie. You've been so busy helping out in the infirmary... I'll remember to save dinner for you," he replied reassuringly.
She shifted a little as she walked holding her lower back. "Oooh... I've been standing too long..."
"After you're done eating...do you want me to give you a back rub? I m-mean, I've never done it before, but... I can try. I want to make you feel better," Syrus explained, blushing a little.
"That sounds nice," she smiled tiredly. They got back to their room and Annie ate her dinner. Then, in their bedroom, she turned on a few flameless candles for atmosphere and stretched out across the bed clad in blue underwear with moon crescents on the fabric. "Ready," she murmured.
Syrus blushed, wearing a sky blue shirt and indigo boxers with steering wheels on them. "U-Uh, okay," He mumbled as he crawled up onto the bed, getting behind her. This position only made Syrus get even redder, but he tried not to think about it and focus on the back rub. He started at the base of her spine, where she had felt sore earlier.
Annie hadn't really thought about just being in her panties because she didn't want to risk him getting lotion on her nightgown. Now, as his hands moved on her back, though, her body tingled. "Mmmmm," she murmured. "That's so nice..."
"S-So...I'm doing it right?" he asked. Syrus kneaded up and down her spine, unwinding the bundles of nerves there.
"Yeah," she sighed, her thoughts getting pleasantly fuzzy. He moved to her shoulders and neck, kneading into the muscle with his thumbs and fingers. The contact was doing something to her. "Oooh... that feels good," she moaned softly.
He flushed slightly, liking that sound. "I-It does?"
"Yeah... d-don't stop..."
"O-Okay..." Syrus continued massaging her back, neck, and shoulders, still red and starting to feel a bit fuzzy. Annie's face was red as well, but Sy couldn't see that at the moment. But he could likely feel her breathing pattern altering. She was beginning to pant a bit, and was feeling incredible. "A-Annie?" Syrus stammered, feeling his own heart start to speed up.
"Wh-what?" she asked, shivering, anticipating... she didn't know what.
"A-Are you...okay...?" he answered with a question.
She turned a little bit to look at him, and stated, "More than all right..."
He swallowed, getting the burning feeling inside of him that he always got when they became... intimate to a degree. He moved down, capturing her lips in a kiss they both wanted. Her heart was beating fast as she kissed him hard. Their position was such that he was on top, and it felt good to her. She opened her lips, inviting him in. He wasted no time in letting their tongues play together, running his hands down her sides. Being on top felt just as good to him as it felt to her.
Her body was sending her signals that this... whatever it was they were doing felt very good, but her mind suddenly realized something. "Mmmm... honey... what are we..?"
He was panting, and he looked at her in confusion. "Annie..? What...?"
Her body was screaming at her that they should continue, but fortunately, her mind was coming back online. "Sy... that felt so good... but... we... shouldn't..."
And it seemed that his mind finally clicked as well, for he gasped and instantly moved to the other side of the bed. "O-Oh... we... we almost..." He knew that was getting too friendly, too fast.
She sat up and grabbed her nightgown, pulling it on. "We... stopped though... and it's... a good thing..."
He nodded, trying to calm his body down. "Y-Yeah... Thanks to...you..."
"Y-you would've stopped us too," she sighed as her own body started to cool. "But... again... it's a good thing we stopped... The timing," she blushed, knowing that there was a good chance if they went further… well, it was too soon.
"It would have... been bad," he agreed, blushing as well.
"Well... good, depending on how you look at it," she admitted. "But... now isn't the time..."
"Yeah... Let's...try to go to sleep..."
"Okay, Sy..." They cuddled down in the bed together. She could sense he was nervous. "Honey... it's okay..."
"I just... don't want anything to happen before it's time," he muttered, frowning.
She slowly curled around him to comfort him. "It's all right... there is one thing, though... We are committed to each other... And that's not going to change. If we did... it's not like it's a one-night stand..."
He blushed. "I know... But still... I want our first to wait so that it's special..."
She laid her chin on his shoulder, and her eyes shone with tender love. "It will be... when it happens it will be... Because I'm with you..."
He smiled. "You're right... It wouldn't be special with anyone else..."
"I love you so much," she murmured, eyes beginning to close.
"I love you too, Annie," he whispered back, closing his eyes. And so the couple fell asleep, cuddled together, sweetly.
Well, what a long chapter that was. Annie and Sy are at it again and Echo and Adrian are glad they aren't an abomination. Meanwhile, it seems that Violet's dark side is seriously messing with her. What might the consequences be? Next time, join us for "Torture," and until then, please read, review and stay tuned! Thank you!