Chapter LIV: Golden Scissors Miss Their Mark
Hello again, fans of Darkness Falls and fans of the GX saga! Before we continue, we, your co-authors, would like to express our sympathies to the people of Haiti and those around the world that have lost people in the Haitian earthquake. If anyone among you can make donations to the International Red Cross or other reputable organizations, please do so. Thank you!
And now, we return to our story. As usual, seriously, we don't own GX. We just like to play in the universe with our OCs. Thank you!
Warning: Language.
"Come on, Bastion... come on," Scout murmured, brushing the young man's chilled features.
"Fight, son... I know you, and you're too strong to let this beat you. You must come back," Hiro said softly, brushing his fingers against his only child's chilled hand. Katai herself was beyond speech, choosing instead to pray in her mind. The small woman couldn't envision losing her baby, not like this. And so she prayed hard.
And then, it happened. "Temperature... up by one tenth of a degree," Fonda said. "Two-tenths... three...."
Everyone in the room drew a collective breath and held it, tense with anticipation. Only Violet managed to find her voice as she reached down into the heat compresses to grip his hand. "Come on, Bastion… That's it... you're so close," she murmured, just above a whisper.
Alex Nakamura murmured softly, "Just another couple of minutes..."
Annie, in her position, called out to the gang, "His temp's coming up... be ready, guys!"
Everyone showed some sign of relief, and the ones who had been rather robotic in expression seemed to come out of it. "We're ready, Annie!" Syrus called back.
Chazz, down the line next to his brother, blinked. And blinked again, realizing that no one was passing heating pads anymore. "Huh? Did Annie say Bastion's temp's coming up, big bro?"
Atticus nodded, smiling a little. "Yeah... he's coming out of it, bro."
The raven-haired boy looked toward Bastion's door, that robotic, trancelike expression coming off his face. "He's... oh man..." Chazz suddenly was feeling overwhelmed emotionally. "He's... gotta make it..." And tears came to the youngest Rhodes' eyes. Even as late as one summer before, the raven-haired boy wouldn't have acknowledged that the emotions of the moment had gotten to him. But in the year since he'd been adopted, he'd slowly let his family and friends see his feelings. And now that was okay for him.
"Chazz... bro..." The older Rhodes brother pulled the younger to him in a strong hug, feeling tears burn at the back of his own eyes.
All through the outer room, relief was spreading through the group of young adults. Chazz wasn't the only one in tears. "Marcel... he's gonna make it," Blair murmured, smiling and hugging her friend.
Marcel was tearing up as well, hugging his crush back tightly. "He is... he's going to get through it..."
Back in the room, Bastion's body temperature was still rising. At about 15 minutes after his temperature had begun to rise, it was nearly normal, and his eyelids were fluttering. "Hiro," Katai murmured, catching it, tears coming down her face too.
Hiro found himself crying as well, blurring his glasses so much that he had to take them off. However, he could still see Bastion beginning to move, and couldn't help but smile in relief. "Katai... darling, he's coming back to us..." As Hiro spoke, Bastion's fingers on both hands curled around his father's hand, and his fiancée's. Finally, his eyes opened. He couldn't speak because of the breathing tube, but his eyes spoke for him. They were clear and not the hectic bright they had been.
Violet now burst into tears, though this time they were ones of relief and joy. "Bastion... Bastion, you did it... you made it through," she whispered breathlessly. It was impossible to describe the feelings flowing through her at that moment.
The doctors made a quick check of him, bringing Annie fully into the room to see the procedures. "Welcome back, Bastion," she murmured, smiling through her own happy tears. He gave her a weak nod, but it conveyed all of his gratitude to everyone around him. He was too tired to take a pen to paper to say it, but his expression said it all. And he again squeezed his love's hand to reassure her of his presence. Violet was too overcome for any more words, sitting back down in the chair she'd occupied before this ordeal. She bent over, pressing her wet cheek against the hand that was finally regaining its warmth as she cried softly.
Scout, now that the danger was past, headed out of the intensive care room to the big room where the former students, students and teachers were gathered. "His temperature's back to normal... We'll have to watch him for a few more hours, but it looks like he's going to be all right..." The room gave such a collective sigh of relief that it felt as if the entire island had relaxed. Everyone slumped into chairs or against walls, exhausted from the worry and fear that had been plaguing them. Those with loved ones held them close, most of the tension dissipating from the room.
Belowski, close to the man he was calling Dad was smiling at the feeling of Bastion being warm again and the warmth of everyone's happiness. "It's okay now," he murmured, hugging Don Sartyr.
The older man sighed, keeping his arms around the small boy. "So it is... Bastion will be all right now, Belowski," he murmured happily.
Jaden, despite the late hour, picked up his fiancée, twirled her around in celebration and kissed her on the lips. "Lex... it's okay!!!" He was ecstatic.
Chazz might've reacted to Jaden, but instead, he was smiling and squeezing his girlfriend's hand. "Wouldn't you usually get mad at him?" Mindy asked with a happy but tired smile.
"Not tonight, Mindy... He can be really happy for all of us," the raven haired boy explained to the raven haired girl.
Scout moved close to her children, future son-in-law and the two girls that had caught her boys' interest, pulling them impossibly into a motherly hug. "It was a tough fight, guys..."
"Yeah, but we did it, Mom... We all pulled together and helped him get through it," Alexis replied happily, smiling through her exhaustion.
"Can we see Private Bastion yet?" Tyson asked the doctor.
"Not yet, Tyson," she repeated. "You're all exhausted, and you need to get to sleep… Sy, a word, sweetie?" Scout released from her kids and beckoned Syrus to a cubicle.
"Oh, sure, Scout," Syrus said through a yawn, getting up to follow the doctor.
When they were alone, the pediatric surgeon sat down with him. "Honey, I know it's really late... but I think the best thing is to get Annie out of the infirmary. She won't rest well in here. And neither will you if that's the case... I think you two should go in one of the classrooms to sleep, all right?"
He looked at her in surprise, as well as a little confusion. "In a classroom? Scout, are you sure?" Syrus knew that she was probably right, but it would be hard getting Annie out of the infirmary. And truly, he didn't want to leave, either.
Scout caught the look. "You'll just be down the hall. That class was set up in case we needed the space, but instead you two will be able to get some rest. I know you don't want to leave, but you're both more tired than the rest of the group. Annie's been putting in long hours and so have you... Syrus, I promise you will be called in a few hours." Her eyes were very gentle and understanding and she gently laid a hand on his shoulder.
Syrus frowned, gaze turning downward as he sighed. He knew that he wasn't going to win this argument, and neither would Annie. At least it would be close. "...All right..."
"Okay, sweetheart... I know it's hard to leave, but it's necessary," she said sympathetically. They stood and headed out of the cubicle to see Annie being escorted out of Bastion's room by a friendly yet stern Hiro.
"But Hiro... I can stay a little longer," she argued. But it was very evident that Annie could push herself no longer. Her face was very pale, there were dark circles under her eyes, and a discerning person could see that tremors were coming through her medium frame.
Syrus was convinced by that sight, and guessed he must look somewhat the same. Going to Annie, he put his arm around her. "Annie... Hiro and Scout are right. We need sleep. Or else... we might end up in the infirmary next because we pushed ourselves. We'll still be close..." he murmured reassuringly.
"But I can stand it," she stated, blue eyes bloodshot.
"Annie, you are getting to bed," Scout said sternly. "You are exhausted and that's when doctors make mistakes. And you are shaking and you are clearly worn out. I will call Syrus in a few hours to see how you're both doing. He's tired too, and he won't sleep well until you're sleeping well. So I want you, Annie, to get to sleep."
Annie sighed. She knew that even Sy wasn't going to argue to stay, so they willingly went down the hall with Tyson and Axel escorting them. When they arrived at a classroom two doors down from the infirmary, they noticed there were three full-size beds, but none had been occupied. "I guess... we have this room to ourselves," she observed when their escorts left.
Her legs were beginning to tremble from the exhaustion.
Syrus nodded. "Yeah... come on, let's get to bed." He helped Annie over to the nearest one and sighed as he dropped face first onto it. His drowsiness was instantly doubled. Annie, more exhausted than she wanted to admit, fell asleep almost before she hit the pillow. Syrus pulled himself up beside her and had just enough consciousness to pull up the covers before joining her in dreamland.
GX GX GX GX GX GX GX GX GX GX GX
He awoke a few hours later to a familiar voice. "Sy... Sy," Jaden was saying, "c'mon, wake up..."
Syrus groaned, muttering something unintelligible with his face in the pillow. Anyone watching would find the scene rather ironic, since usually it was the other way around. Turning his head so that he was now facing his fiancée, he yawned and snuggled down further into the sheets. "Mmm... just.. a few more minutes, bro..."
"Sy, c'mon... I can't wake you up like you wake me up... Scout'd kill me if I woke Annie up," Jaden added, shaking Sy's shoulder. He frowned slightly, wondering just how to wake his surrogate brother up.
Finally, he motioned to someone just standing outside of the room. A pair of strong but light footsteps sounded on the floor and then a familiar gravelly voice stated, "Syrus, get up now... Don't make me break out Cyber End Dragon..."
Syrus stiffened considerably, memories of school mornings passed flooding his sleep-filled mind in an instant. "I'M UP!!!" His eyes snapped open and he scrambled up onto all-fours, so shocked that he lost his balance. He slid off the bed and into his big brother, sending them both to the floor in a heap.
Zane grinned eagerly at his brother. "Hey, kiddo..." Fresh from a victory at the Pro League, he had come to the island at 6 this morning to see how Bastion had fared. Unbeknownst to most of the gang, Scout had been calling out to Domino, updating the Yukis and Truesdales all night as Bastion fought. Zane had been home as his latest victory had been at Domino's Kaiba Dome, and as soon as it was okay, he had taken a helicopter out.
Syrus blinked a few times, still in a state of shock, then grinned and threw his arms around his brother. "Zane!! What are you doing here?? I thought you were in Domino, dueling!" he cried joyfully. The fact that his big brother was there bettered his mood significantly.
"Quiet. Annie's still asleep and Scout wants to keep her that way," Zane whispered urgently. Annie, it seemed, was dead to the world, though and the three young men tiptoed out of the room. "I got some time off," the pro duelist explained quickly, a slight shadow passing across his features.
"Well, I'm glad you're here, bro... I missed you," Syrus replied truthfully, not catching the shadow, as he was still waking up.
"Missed you too, little bro... Man... I was up most of the night. I won that duel against Albert Fudo," Zane explained.
"He was a good duelist. He's an engineer and he won't be in pro dueling much longer. He got married recently and he got a job at Kaiba Corp."
Syrus grinned. "That's great, big bro! Did he have a machine deck?"
"Yeah, a machine deck, and it was something!" Zane grinned, remembering the duel. "And then he brought out this amazing dragon! It was beautiful!"
"A dragon? Was it a machine dragon like Cyber End?" Syrus asked, wondering what it looked like if Zane thought it was amazing.
"No," the older Truesdale answered. "It was called Stardust Dragon. It's a Wind type and its wings shook out what looked like stardust. But Cyber-End made short work of it..." The pro duelist couldn't suppress a smirk.
The younger Truesdale sweat-dropped; that was just like his brother. "Well, I'm glad you won, Zane. You're still really high up in the rankings!"
"Yeah... But I'm going to have competition when Jaden gets in the pros... And this time, I expect you to let loose the whole duel..."
"Will do," Jaden grinned sheepishly.
"So anyway," Zane continued, "Scout didn't want Annie awake yet... But she said we needed to wake you, Sy."
Syrus blinked in surprise. "She did? Why?"
"She said you needed to get up and get something in your stomach. Annie, however, needs the sleep more. You look better after a few hours."
"Oh. I am pretty hungry..." His stomach supplemented the words with a well-timed growl, making him blush. "How's Bastion doing?"
"Better. His color's really improved. He hasn't really breathed on his own yet, but Dr. Nakamura's not too worried. He says that's normal," Zane explained as they headed into the infirmary, which smelled pleasantly of cinnamon.
The smell made Syrus's mouth water. "Where's that smell coming from?"
In response, Fonda, Don and Belowski were coming around with coffee cake muffins. "Syrus, dude, we made coffee cake muffins!" the hippie boy grinned eagerly, handing him a muffin.
Syrus grinned back at the welcome sight. "They smell great, Belowski! Thanks."
"We knew that all of you would be hungry after the long night. You needed something warm and spicy to wake you up and give you energy," Don explained cheerfully.
"Is Annie still asleep?" Fonda asked.
Zane and Jaden nodded. "We followed orders. How long?"
"She is going to sleep as long as she can," the nurse stated. "Oh, and Sy, Bastion has been asking to see you."
Syrus, for the umpteenth time that morning, was surprised. "He has??"
The nurse nodded again with a slight smile on her face. "He said he wanted to talk to you now that he could."
"Okay. Do I need to change into scrubs?"
"No. You can go in there in your pajamas." Everyone who hadn't been on medical detail all night was still in their pajamas, except for Zane, who was clad in jeans and a t-shirt.
"All right." And so the cyan-haired teen followed the nurse into the other room, smiling at Bastion as he entered. "Hi, Bastion. I'm glad that you're feeling better," he greeted.
Bastion was definitely feeling better. His skin tone, previously ghost white, was now a pale shade of pink. His eyes held the brightness of intellect, not fever, and someone had taken care to brush his hair. Miss Fontaine picked up a legal pad and a pencil for the genius to write on as he still had a breathing tube and the respirator and he took them gratefully. "Good morning, Syrus," he wrote, adding a smiley face.
Hiro and Katai had left the room to get some sleep in spare cubicles out in the infirmary, and Violet was resting in the bed beside Bastion's. Syrus walked over to stand next to the Ra genius's bed. "How are you feeling now?"
"Much better," Bastion wrote. "After you left, they took me off this machine and I coughed up a lot. I don't feel like I'm weighed down as much and my chest feels much more clear." He wrote what looked like a sighing person, and continued, "But I couldn't manage to get off the machine... Anyway, I'm much better. How do you feel?"
"I feel better, too. I'm not as tired anymore and I ate a little. Have you eaten yet?" Syrus asked curiously.
Bastion nodded. "I'll be glad when I can eat those delectable muffins again..."
Syrus blinked. "What are they having you eat right now?"
Bastion glanced at one of his IV lines. "Whatever they're giving me through the IV... Since I was put on this thing, I couldn't eat normally... Violet said she intends to fatten me up before the wedding."
Syrus grinned at that. "I bet she will. How is she doing, anyway?"
Bastion smiled back, looking over at his sleeping fiancée. Her hair was loose and it was evident she'd fallen asleep smiling. "Much better. She didn't want to go to sleep several hours ago. But Mum and Dad coaxed her... She was so happy when I really came to..."
"I think we all had to be convinced to get some sleep... I know Annie and I did. We wanted to stay here," Syrus explained, grinning sheepishly.
"But you both put in such long hours... Syrus," Bastion wrote, "I wanted to tell you something... Look, I know I had a close shave and... some things are better said than not said..." His eyes locked on Syrus's as if this had to be said now.
Syrus's eyes widened, mind trying to figure out what could possibly hold such importance. "W-What is it, Bastion?"
"Syrus... we've lived in the same... well, apartment, in a way for nearly a year, and I wanted you to know you're more than a friend. You're a brother..." Bastion wrote very carefully as he considered every word. "You and I got to know each other better than we ever did before. And I am so thankful for that. You don't know how much..."
Syrus smiled as he felt himself grow warm and fuzzy on the inside, happiness welling up inside of him once more. He leaned over the edge of the bed to carefully hug Bastion as he replied. "Thanks, Bastion... To tell you the truth, I've really felt the same way about you lately. You're like another big brother to me..."
Bastion hugged back as strong as he could. "I'm glad... I'm so glad... Syrus" And then he started to choke.
Syrus gasped, unsure of what to do. "Miss Fontaine!"
The nurse came running in, as did Alex Nakamura and Scout Rhodes. "Okay... let's get this tube out!" Alex asserted. "His lungs are reasserting themselves, even temporarily..."
"Syrus, you might want to back up here," Scout stated calmly, knowing what was happening.
Syrus did as he was told, quickly backing up to give the doctors space. He didn't exactly know what was going on or what was going to happen, but he guessed that it wasn't bad. Violet, nonetheless, groaned in her sleep at the sound of her fiancé's choking.
"Okay, Bastion, on three, breathe out. And I'm going to take this out," Alex said quickly. Bastion managed a nod. "One... two... three..." And Alex pulled the tube from Bastion's raw throat. "Emesis tray, Scout!"
"On it!" The doctor grabbed the kidney-shaped pan and Bastion threw up a little into it hacking and coughing.
Syrus grimaced, but remembered what Annie had told him. Bastion was getting the nasty gunk out of his lungs, and doing this would help him get better. It still wasn't a pleasant sight; he'd turned away the second he knew what was about to happen. It took a moment or two for Bastion to get control. Miss Fontaine gave him a glass of water, and after he'd been able to drink some, the young man spoke again. "Sy-Syrus..."
The smaller teen quickly stepped back over to the bed. "Are you okay, Bastion?"
"Y-yeah," he managed in response as soon as he could talk. "Sorry..." His voice was raspy and scratchy, but he could talk and breathe on his own.
Syrus smiled a little. "It's okay, Bastion. You don't need to apologize. This is a sign you're really getting better..."
Bastion smiled at that. "Well, as I was writing... I'm glad... at how close we've become..."
The cyan-haired boy grinned. "So am I. We're as close as Violet and Annie now, I think."
"Definitely..." Bastion held his arms open for a hug. Syrus reached over, locking his short arms around Bastion happily. It felt great to be able to hug his friend again. Even though it had only been a short time, the past few days had felt like years. "Thank you for staying here... all this time..."
"You're welcome, Bastion. And of course I stayed here... you're my friend- my brother, like you said- and I'd never leave."
Bastion nodded with a soft smile, and then he realized something. "Annie's not here?" No one had told him his surrogate sister's whereabouts, so he was understandably puzzled that she wasn't poking her head through the door.
Syrus shook his head. "No, she's still sleeping. She wore herself out and Scout wants her to rest longer."
The teen genius sighed. "Okay... well, heaven knows everyone deserves to rest... I'm glad Violet finally fell asleep..."
Syrus nodded. "She was really worried about you... she broke down after the doctors said you were going to be okay..."
"I'll make this up to her... We're going to be here a while," Bastion said thoughtfully. "And I wanted her 17th birthday to be better than her 16th..."
Syrus sighed and hoped that Bastion wouldn't beat himself up about this too much. "Bastion, I'm sure that she's just glad you're okay. From what you guys told us, she loved her 16th birthday, and I'll bet this year it'll be just as fun. Don't worry..."
"Well... I'm going to need... assistance," the former Ra panted. He was able to breathe on his own, but he tired easily.
"We'll all help, Bastion. But right now you should lie back down and rest... The more you do that, the sooner your body will get better," Syrus replied assertively.
As Sy suggested, Bastion laid back into his pillows. "Is everyone else still here?"
Syrus nodded. "Yeah, they are. Last time I checked, they were in the other room eating breakfast."
"What time..?" Bastion looked at the clock. "Goodness... it's 11:30?!"
The other boy sweat-dropped. "Oh. I guess it is... I didn't even notice," he admitted with a blush.
"Well, I suppose we all needed a bit of a lie-in..." Bastion looked over at his beloved again. She looked more peaceful as she rested than she had in the past two weeks. But Bastion was not at peace, not yet. His mind still roiled with self-doubt, pain... His inner darkness had not been vanquished, even in his life-and-death struggle.
Though it didn't seem like it, Violet had yet to get over her own true darkness as well. Though it would seem Mary was the problem, she was only a result of the real one. She still feared being alone and left behind, though she wouldn't admit it freely. Speaking of Mary... "Glad to see you're feeling better, genius," said spirit stated as she appeared.
Bastion looked up as tired as he was and smiled at the spirit. "Hello, Mary... good to see you again..."
"Hey, Mary," Syrus greeted as well. Violet's spiritual twin sat on the edge of Bastion's bed, crossing her arms over her chest. "Yo. I would've shown up a lot sooner, but I've been keeping an eye on Violet. Her mental state's been shaky these past few days and I was worried it might trigger her... you know... again," she explained, frowning.
Bastion nodded tiredly. "All she's done is worry about me..."
Mary returned the nod, but sent the boy a look. "You're right, but don't you go beating yourself up over it. You were the same way when she was in the hospital. It's normal."
"I just... Mary, she's been taking her medication, hasn't she?"
The spirit nodded again. "Of course. The few times she's been too distraught to remember, I remind her. I'm not taking any chances, not after she's getting better so quickly. But you still haven't told her- anyone, for that matter- a thing. Have you?" Mary asked expectantly, glancing at Syrus as the teen frowned.
"Mary... I'm all right..." But even someone deaf, dumb and blind could tell that the young man was lying.
"Bastion..." Syrus muttered worriedly, looking at his friend.
Mary scoffed, hopping to her feet with a roll of her eyes. "Whatever you say, Misawa. But I'm warning you; the longer you wait, the harder it's gonna be. For you, for Violet, for everyone. You'd better not hurt her again- not when you have the choice," she stated a bit darkly. She may not be a blood-thirsty, sadistic murderer anymore, but she still cared deeply for her light half. When Mary had finished, she faded out, likely returning to Violet's mind. She could have told everyone about Bastion's problem, but she wouldn't; he had to do it on his own.
Bastion closed his eyes wearily. "I'll just make things worse..."
Syrus looked from Bastion to where Mary had been standing and back again, now truly worried. "Bastion, what's she talking about? What haven't you told us?"
"It's nothing... Syrus, I'm all right," Bastion stated, the struggle making him sleepy.
Syrus opened his mouth to protest and continue asking the other about this supposed "secret," but noticed that he was beginning to doze off. Sighing, he backed off- for now. "Okay, Bastion... go ahead and sleep."
Bastion was already asleep. The doctors and nurse who had stepped away to give the boys some privacy stepped back in. "Syrus... sweetie, what happened?" Fonda asked.
The short teen sighed. "I don't know, Miss Fontaine. Mary appeared, and she and Bastion were talking. She mentioned about him not telling us something, but he kept saying it was nothing..."
Alex sighed. "If he's keeping something... that could impede his recovery... We have to know what it is... Any ideas, Syrus?"
"Well... I'll talk with the guys about it. Maybe we can figure out something," he answered.
"Okay... Whatever you can find out will be helpful... Why don't you go outside with the gang and tell them that Bastion's off the respirator?" Scout suggested.
Syrus nodded. "Okay." Heading out of the room, he returned to where the gang was grouped together and took a seat. "Hey, guys."
Jaden was the first to speak in the group. "How's he doing?"
The Slifer's surrogate brother smiled. "A lot better. He's even off the respirator!"
"Oh, man... That's great!"
"All right! Private Misawa's gonna be okay!" Tyson whooped.
"Oh, thank God," Alexis breathed in relief.
Rosa grinned. "He's recovering quickly!"
But then Jaden caught sight of Sy's expression. "Sy... what is it?"
Syrus frowned, remembering what needed to be said. "Well, he is getting better physically... but I don't think he is emotionally."
Axel groaned softly. "He's not over it, is he?" The gang all knew how Bastion had been before he'd been taken to the World of Darkness. And that was precisely where Axel's mind jumped.
Syrus sighed heavily and shook his head. "I don't think so, Axel. But I'm not sure. It could really be anything... All I know is that Mary said he's not telling us something- not even Violet," he explained.
"Maybe we could ask Mary about it?" Aster wondered.
"That's a good idea. If she knows, I wonder why she hasn't told us herself," Alexis thought aloud.
"Maybe... she feels like she can't tell," Blair suggested thoughtfully. "I mean, Mary keeps Violet's secrets..."
"She does... but it couldn't hurt to ask, just in case she might tell us," Atticus replied with a nod.
"Okay... so who gets her attention?" Adrian inquired.
Everyone exchanged awkward glances. "Well, uh... we've never actually called her before. She usually just... shows up when she feels like it," Syrus admitted.
"Uh... so how do we talk to her, then?"
"...Um... ideas, anyone?" Alexis asked, sweat-dropping.
Belowski looked up. "Uh... dudes... maybe I can get her to talk to us..."
The older teens looked at him in surprise, then realized the sense in his words. "That's a great idea, Belowski! It's worth a try," Atty said with a grin.
Belowski shivered a little bit. "I don't know how... but I've got to help... Don't I... Dad?" he asked Don Sartyr.
The teacher smiled and placed an arm around his son-to-be. "It's good to help any way that you can, son. But don't push yourself... No one will be mad at you if you find you can't do it."
Belowski took a deep breath, concentrating on Violet's sleeping mind. He had never tried entering a person's mind before like this, but he knew he had to do it. He closed his gray eyes, and in his mind's eye, saw different colored pathways to each mind in the room. He followed a tie-dyed path, shot with brown and edged with maroon to Violet's psyche. As he reached the end of the path, he found that it forked into a rainbow path on the right and a faded red path on the left. Something told the boy to take the path on the left. Soon he found himself at the entrance to an old Victorian mansion. "Uh... hello?" he called out.
Belowski had chosen correctly. Mary had been resting in an old, dusty armchair since she disappeared, debating whether or not to check on Violet again. She was shocked out of her seat when she heard someone call out, especially when that voice was male. Frowning in suspicion, she got to her feet and went over to the large door covered in peeling paint. Mary threw it open, looking much scarier than normal in the dim atmosphere and light of the soul room. She raised an eyebrow upon sight of the small boy, recognizing him but having forgotten his name. Be... something or other. "How the Hel- er, heck did you get in here, kid?"
Belowski, somehow not afraid of this counterpart, even in the gloom looked up at her. "I just followed your mind path," he said simply. "I'm Belowski, dudette. And everybody wants to talk to you..."
Mary blinked at the blunt answer. She didn't know anyone could do that, especially someone so young. Frowning, she sighed. "They do? Why? Is it important??"
"Yeah... it's about Bastion... We're worried about him," the boy said simply.
"...Fine. Let's go." Mary reached out to brush against Belowski's shoulder, and instantly they were back with the gang.
Belowski blinked when he found himself back in his body. "Hey, dudes, got her..."
Mary had appeared as she usually did, leaning against the wall with her arms crossed over her chest. "What do you guys want?"
"Hi, Mary," Jaden said for the group. "Listen, uh... we're worried about Bastion..." He wasn't sure how to word it and so went with the direct approach.
Mary sighed again, closing her ruddy red eyes. "And you want me to tell you what he won't, right?"
"Yeah... Dr. Nakamura's worried it'll make Bastion sick again..."
The spirit straightened, moving her hands to her hips and opening her eyes so that she could stare them all down. "It will. But those two are stuck so deep in their damn darkness that denial is in the same standing as truth for them," she explained. Mary was obviously touchy about this, letting the curse slip and not realizing she had used a plural instead of a singular.
"It's both of them?" Jaden yelped in shock.
Mary's eyes snapped wide, and she sweat-dropped. "Damnit... you guys weren't supposed to know that... shit," she muttered, whipping around. She rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly, muttering under her breath. Violet wasn't going to be happy about this.
Adrian took a deep breath, glad that he could see Mary's spectral form as well. "Mary... it's good that we know... A relapse for Bastion at this point could be fatal. He just barely made it through this fight, and he's still fragile..."
Mary turned back around, hands returning to her hips as she frowned at them. "No shit, Sherlock— um, I mean... you think I don't know this? You could knock him dead with a feather right now. And dealing with this is bad for him, but what do you think me spilling to you guys for him is going to do?"
Tyson's face tightened. "It's gonna help us figure what to do next, Miss Mary. We can't just let them stay wounded on the battlefield. That'd be terrible..."
Mary sighed heavily, aggravated. It was like talking to a bunch of kindergartners about sex. "Thank you, Captain Obvious. Of course letting it out would help them! Geez... but if I tell you for THEM, then it'll cut out a huge amount of the help it'll bring."
The group went silent for a moment. This was right, but on the other hand, having an idea of what they might be facing would give them time to plan. All of this went through their minds in a trice. "Mary... we know something's wrong... and we need to have an idea of how to fight it," Axel stated calmly. "You don't have to tell us everything, and we're not asking you tell us every detail. But can you at least answer a couple of questions?"
Mary crossed her arms over her chest and leaned against the wall, once more casual. "Hmph. Fine. Ask away."
"Okay... First, are they still suffering from whatever Darkness did to them?"
"Oh yeah. Big time. You guys never exactly found time for a group therapy session with them like the ones you had a while ago, did you?"
The young adults all exchanged glances. "We didn't," Jaden muttered. "They were gone by the time we figured it out... Darn it!" he yelped, punching a wall in frustration.
"Jay!" Alexis quickly gripped her fiancé's hands in her own so that he wouldn't do it again. "We're all upset about this. But we can't change the past. Hurting yourself over it isn't going to help Bastion and Violet get better," she soothed, looking him straight in the eye.
"If we'd figured it out sooner, though... Maybe Bastion wouldn't have gotten sick... Lex..." Jaden was tense, very tense over this. "Some leader I turned out to be..."
Alexis opened her mouth to reply, but the only specter in the room did it for her. Mary had moved from the wall to right next to Jaden, and had it not been for the ruddy red eyes, it could have been Violet talking. "Oh no you don't! Don't even start on that trip! What is it with you people and complaining you're bad at something you've proved time and again to be good at? How many times have you led your friends through to safety, beaten the villain, stood up for them? You're a damn good leader, Jaden! And if I hear you- or anyone else- spouting otherwise again, I'll show them that a spirit form can still do damage! Got it?!" She was pointing a ghostly finger right into his face, and her brows were furrowed with severity. If there was one thing that seriously irked Mary, it was those who were blind to their talents.
Jaden's jaw dropped. Of all the things he'd expected from anyone in this room, that wasn't one of them. And so he replied in much the same way he would to a seriously irked Alexis. "Yes, ma'am..."
Alexis sweat-dropped, but was glad that someone had knocked sense into Jaden. "Thanks, Mary."
Said duplicate smirked and gave a thumbs-up. "No problem. Happy to oblige." She walked back over to her previous position, this time holding her pleased smirk.
Axel thought carefully before asking the next question. He knew this might be tricky. "Mary... does Bastion's darkness have to do with what he thinks is failure?"
Mary looked away, considering, then looked back at them. "If I answer truthfully, will you guys promise to act like you don't know? They seriously need to tell you themselves."
They all nodded. "It's something I think we already kinda knew," Jaden realized. "And we'll keep quiet."
Mary nodded. "Good. Then the answer is yes."
"Then... it's the same with Violet... It's not just the bipolar," Aster understood. "It's everything she's dealt with even with therapy..."
"Bingo. The bipolar just came back because of all of that. In fact, both it and myself are just problems that happened because of that one big one," Violet's twin explained.
"Man... so we definitely know what we're fighting now," the silvery blonde pro duelist muttered.
"It's gonna be bad," Jaden groaned softly. The entire group knew now that they were in for an ugly fight. Though this one didn't comprise the fate of the world, it was deeper than anything they had faced.
"Bad is an understatement. And the longer you wait, the harder it's gonna be. You have to wait until they're willing to talk, and on top of that wait until Bastion is even well enough. I don't know how to help you there," Mary pointed out.
"Not much we can do," Zane said thoughtfully. He remembered how it had been with him, though the situation had been much different. His life hadn't hung in the balance... no, it had... His very soul had hung in the balance. "We have to confront this... at least... when Bastion's a little stronger. If his recovery is going to be impeded, we'll have to do it, as soon as he's ready mentally..."
Mary frowned, seemingly debating with herself about what she was going to say next. "...And Violet?" she asked at last.
"Violet too... She's got to be okay before we can get Bastion stronger. If she isn't okay... it'll be worse for Bastion..."
"Well, that I can help you with. I can tell you that as soon as she's gotten enough rest, she'll be ready mentally. She needed to be sure Bastion was okay- physically, at least- before she would be."
Zane nodded again. Jaden managed a smile at the spirit girl. "Thanks, Mary... now we're almost ready for this..."
Mary scoffed, waving a hand carelessly as she turned her back on them again. "Yeah, yeah, whatever. Oh, and next time you wanna talk to me, just call. You don't need to send the kid probing into Vi's mind." With that said, she faded out, sounding like a certain ex-Princeton.
Chazz sighed. "Did I really act like that?" he asked.
Atticus couldn't help but snicker a bit. "Pretty much, bro."
"Man..."
GX GX GX GX GX GX GX GX GX GX GX
The gang began talking over what to do as soon as Violet and Bastion awakened, refreshed. Meanwhile, three very tired young people continued to sleep. Bastion slept well, partly because of the medication in his system and partly because his body was still healing from the damage. Violet slept fitfully, problems momentarily forgotten from the wave of exhaustion and relief that had washed over her.
Annie, meanwhile, in the quiet classroom, slept very soundly. Her body was exhausted as was her young mind from the days of fighting her friends' illness. It is likely that she would sleep for two days if allowed. She turned in her bed, and one could see the stress on her face from the long vigil. Or perhaps it was pillow marks or both...
The fight is not yet over for our heroes. This time, the fate of the world is not at stake; however, the group's survival depends on this being solved. Next time, join us for "Shadowland." Until then, please read, review and stay tuned! Thank you!