Chapter LV: Shadowland
Hello again, fans of GX and welcome back to Darkness Falls! We're so glad you returned and that some of you have favored us with reviews and that many of you have kept up reading this story. Anyway, we love to hear from you, so please review if you haven't before! Thank you!
Last time, Bastion finally beat the dangerous part of his pneumonia and began his slow but sure recovery. Mary revealed, however, that both Violet and Bastion were in danger from something far worse. Their inner darkness was not defeated and might end up doing what the pneumonia could not. What will happen now? Read on!
Disclaimer: Please check the past… you might not want to know how many chapters that is now.
Authors' note: In this chapter, the co-authors had a strange revelation. We seriously craved similar food. It was one of those moments where we were so alike, it was scary. We've had moments throughout our writing where it seems as if we seriously have a mind link… There is also what TV Tropes refers to as "a big-lipped alligator moment" somewhere in this chapter. Let's see if you can figure it out. And now, another note from Ani, which has nothing to do with this story and everything to do with safety in the kitchen and dares…If ANYONE EVER tries to get you to do the Cinnamon Challenge, say NO. You will save yourself a load of pain and embarrassment. Thank you very much. Now, onto the story!
Late in the afternoon, however, Miss Fontaine decided to wake Annie enough to feed her. "Syrus, why don't you come with me?" Syrus was eager to see how Annie was doing, so he didn't hesitate to get up and follow the nurse out of the infirmary. Together, the nurse and young man headed to the classroom, Miss Fontaine carrying a bowl of vegetable beef soup. When they got into the room, Annie was still in a dead sleep. The nurse set the bowl down and shook the young woman's shoulder. "Annie... sweetie, wake up..."
"Mmmm," Annie groaned, but didn't wake.
"Sy, why don't you try waking her?" the nurse suggested.
Syrus nodded and sat on the edge of the bed, placing a gentle hand on Annie's shoulder and shaking it lightly. "Annie, come on. You need to get up and eat something. Then you can go back to sleep..."
"Sy, five more minutes," she groaned softly, trying to burrow under the covers.
He sighed and pulled the covers away a bit. "Please, Annie? You need to eat something. I promise, as soon as you're done, you can get some more sleep."
Now, Annie usually woke up happy. But this particular afternoon... "I'm still sleepy," she growled softly, sounding not unlike a certain Ouran High School Host Club character. And in Miss Fontaine and Syrus's mind's eyes, the room exploded with Annie's waking rage and above the academy, there was a bright pink cloud shaped like a rabbit.
Syrus tensed, sweat-dropping as he looked nervously over at Miss Fontaine. "Uh... wh-what do we do?"
The nurse smiled. "She needs to wake up..."
"No I don't," Annie growled again. She had curled up in a ball, not wanting to get up. Syrus was a little scared of what might happen if he kept pushing his fiancé, and that fear showed as he looked pleadingly at the nurse.
"Annie," Miss Fontaine sighed, "we both know you're tired, but you need to eat, too. So get up or I'll drag you out of bed..."
Annie, with a lot of effort, uncurled herself and sat up. She had a major case of bed head and her eyes still looked tired. "Okay, I'm up..."
Her fiancé sighed in relief and put on a sheepish grin. "Sorry, Annie. We're just doing what's best for you..."
"Sy..." Annie managed to smile a little. "Gosh, I'm still so tired..." And then the rest of her brain came online. "How're Bastion and Violet?" she asked, eyes brightening up.
Syrus paused, wondering if he should tell her what the gang had been talking about. But seeing her weary face, he decided to wait and smiled. "They're doing better. Both of them are resting right now."
Annie seemed to accept that and then caught the smell of the hot soup. "Oh, yum... Miss Fontaine..."
"Yeah, Don fixed some for you, and it's okay, you're exhausted. Just enjoy some time with Sy and if you want, you can go back to sleep," the nurse grinned, seeing Annie's contrite expression.
After helping the couple get situated, she stepped out of the room. "Sorry I was so grumpy, Sy," Annie apologized, taking a sip of the soup and feeling the hot liquid run down her throat.
"It's okay, Annie. I'd probably be the same way. You haven't gotten much sleep lately..." he soothed.
"Neither have you," she pointed out.
He sweat-dropped. "Yeah, but... you've been pushing yourself again. You've been helping out more than I have, and you've exhausted yourself. I..." Syrus paused for a yawn. "I'll get some more sleep, too. I promise."
"Did you get some food?" she asked, getting beef and vegetable chunks into her spoon along with the hot broth.
He nodded. "I had breakfast earlier. Some coffee cake and fruit, and orange juice."
"Good... Sy, I don't know what I'd do without you," she murmured gratefully.
He blushed. "I think the same thing about you... all the time, Annie..."
Annie set her soup bowl on the nightstand and hugged her fiancé. "I'm just glad it's starting to work out... Maybe this'll all be over soon..."
Syrus hugged back, suppressing the frown that wanted to come to his lips. Maybe he should break it to her now, so that she wouldn't get her hopes up. "Um... A-Annie..."
She pulled away and met his eyes. "It's not over, is it?" she asked softly.
He sighed, keeping his arms around her. "No..." Syrus gave her a quick summary of what Mary had told them, and what they planned to do.
"I knew it... And... Violet... she'll get bad..." Annie didn't want to think about the possibility of what might occur if Bastion got bad again. It had already been hard enough, and the would-be doctor's dreams had been haunted by strange images that, thanks to her exhaustion, had not become vivid enough. But it was enough to leave worry at the back of her consciousness.
Syrus nodded forlornly. "Which is why we're going to help them as soon as we dare to. We have to wait until they get their strength up... at least enough so that doing this won't hurt them..."
"Then... I have to get up..." Annie's eyes took on a different sort of determination now.
Syrus knew this was going to happen. "Annie, no. You can't do anything right now, while they're still resting. You should use this time to get more rest yourself."
"But... I have to figure this out..."
"Oh, no you don't," Miss Fontaine said, coming back into the room. She and the other doctors had discussed this and had decided to remind the girl of her limitations and age. "Annie, you have gone above and beyond the call of duty. But this is where I have to remind you that you are a 17-year-old girl and in training. You are going to let your own body recover or you're going to find that your resistance is lowered."
The younger Truesdale sighed in relief, glad that someone else had stepped in to support him. "Annie, you'll have plenty of time to figure this out. It'll be easier if you're well-rested, and while you're sleeping we'll work on it. Okay?"
The worn-out girl nodded, knowing she'd lost this round. "Okay... was it my imagination, or did I hear Zane?"
Syrus grinned happily. "You did. He was here when I woke up a few hours ago. He came early this morning, as soon as he could after he'd finished his duel."
"And he'll see you in a bit, Annie... You're probably not going to get up until tomorrow morning. By then, those circles should be gone from under your eyes," Miss Fontaine said.
"And by then, Violet should be well-rested too. And Bastion should be feeling a lot better... right, Miss Fontaine?" Syrus asked.
"That's right. Sy, you can stay in here with her if you want. Annie, finish up your soup..."
"Yes, Miss Fontaine..."
And then the nurse got a smile of a different sort on her face. "Annie, Syrus... I think it's time you two called me Fonda..."
Both teens looked at the nurse in surprise. "Huh? Really?"
"Yeah. You're not students anymore, so it's time you called me by my first name."
"Thank you, Fonda!" Annie said eagerly, hugging the pretty nurse.
Syrus smiled and joined the hug. "Yeah, thanks, Fonda!"
"Well, finish that soup, Annie and then get back to sleep..." The nurse got up and left again.
Annie ate the rest and felt pleasantly full and sleepy. "That was so good," Syrus yawned again. Being back on a bed and with Annie instead of talking with the gang had dragged out his drowsiness.
"Sy... you want to lie down with me for a minute?" she asked softly.
He blinked. "Oh... sure, Annie."
Annie opened the covers and let her love snuggle next to her as she pulled the covers over them. "So sleepy..." Her eyes were already beginning to close.
"Mmm... me too," Syrus muttered, eyes closed as he blindly set his glasses on the table by the bed.
And when next Fonda came into the room, the couple was fast asleep. "Just sleep, you two... you've earned it," she murmured, picking up the now-empty soup bowl.
GX ROCKS GX ROCKS GX ROCKS GX ROCKS
The afternoon faded into a warm summer evening and Hiro and Katai Misawa awoke from their own slumber in an infirmary cubicle. "Good... evening, honey," Katai said softly as they awoke.
Hiro stifled a yawn. "Good... er, evening, darling."
"Goodness, I think we slept awhile..." A quick look at her watch confirmed it. "We've been asleep for 15 hours..."
Hiro's eyes widened as he slipped on his glasses. "Oh my. That is a long time. I wonder how Bastion's doing..."
And then... "Hiro, Katai, you two awake?" Alex Nakamura called over the curtain of their cubicle.
"Yes, we are, Alex!" Hiro called back, sitting up.
"May I come in?"
"Katai?" he murmured, asking his wife for permission.
Katai smiled. "Of course. C'mon in, Alex..."
The younger doctor stepped in and sat down on a stool in the cubicle. "Bastion's doing better. He's been awake off and on and his oxygen levels are very good."
Hiro sighed, relieved. "Thank goodness... he's getting better..."
Katai was unable to speak; she was so happy. And then Alex took a deep breath. "There is one thing I'm concerned about for him. He seems a little bit depressed... That's not uncommon in these cases, but it can impede his recovery..."
The ophthalmologist frowned. "Depressed?"
Alex nodded gravely. "Yeah. He had a very close shave and whatever the Darkness did to him, I think it's still there... His friends seem to know about it. I overheard them talking and it seems he's been hiding whatever he hasn't dealt with..." He had heard everything and knew Bastion's parents must know.
Hiro's eyes widened and he exchanged glances with his wife. "He... he's been hiding something like this from us?"
Katai understood all too well. "Hiro, he's done it before... Remember when he was little and the kids were so cruel? He'd come home and say everything was fine."
The father and husband's eyes widened in shocking realization. "Darling... you're absolutely right... He's turned into himself again… he doesn't want to be a burden on all of us. But this... it's worse, isn't it?" he asked, looking over at his medical colleague.
Alex knew he couldn't sugarcoat it. "It could cause him to relapse, and we all know what that could mean if he did. I don't think he can fight it off again this soon..."
Katai gasped in shock. "You... you mean..?"
"He's still in danger..."
Both parents could feel their hearts sink. "Oh... what are we going to do," Hiro groaned, pulling off his glasses to rub at his eyes.
"We're working on a plan... He's got to get a little bit stronger before it can work," Alex said. "And by we, I mean not only us, but his friends. Those kids are determined to save their friends, no matter the cost."
"They've become as close as family, by now... after going through so much together," Hiro agreed, slipping his glasses back on.
"Yeah... and I think that's going to make all the difference here. Hiro, you know as well as I do what a support group can do to help a patient. The stronger the support net, the better a patient can do."
Katai nodded agreement. "Yeah... Bastion will tell us this time... We can't let him pull this in..."
Hiro blinked as something occurred to him. "Alex, does Violet know about this?"
Alex nodded. "She's asleep... And my guess is she probably does. Her counterpart knows..."
The parents exchanged glances again, this time curious ones. "You mean... Mary?"
Alex nodded. "She told the kids enough to confirm their suspicions. Jaden was very insistent and upset about Bastion and Violet..."
"So... she's trying to help?" Katai asked. Alex nodded again.
Hiro sighed. "At least that's something."
"Yeah. Would you like to see Bastion and Violet?"
"Certainly. Darling?"
"Yeah, Hiro... I want to see my boy," Katai said, grabbing up her robe and putting on some slippers.
"As do I, Katai," Hiro replied, getting up to do the same.
Alex led them down the hall to the ICU room where Bastion and Violet were still sleeping. The pallor was gone from their faces, though Bastion still had hollows in his cheeks. Katai reached out and brushed her only child's bangs. "You just rest, angel," she murmured. She moved over to Violet, whose face looked a bit more relaxed. She reached out and brushed her future daughter-in-law's bangs gently.
Hiro went to his son's bedside, brushing his fingers against a hand that had been ice cold nearly a day ago. "We're here for you, my boy," he whispered softly. He then turned and went over to stand with Katai, smiling a little. "She's helped him as much as he's helped her... now it's our turn to help the both of them, darling..."
"We're going to pull them both through this, Hiro," she agreed softly, taking Violet's slim petite hand. "Both our kids will be okay..."
Hiro wrapped an arm around his wife, and to any stranger it would seem as if Violet was, indeed, a daughter to them. "They will be. We'll make sure of it." To Katai, Violet was now their daughter too. She loved that girl as much as her own flesh-and-blood son. And she hoped Violet would wake up so she could hug the girl close. As if on cue, a soft groan escaped the purplenette's lips, and her eyelids twitched in anticipation of opening. "Violet? Hi, sweetheart," Katai murmured lovingly.
"Take your time, Violet. You've been asleep for quite a while," Hiro added.
Violet yawned, moving her free hand up to her eyes as her body stretched out. "Mmm... Hiro? Katai?" she mumbled.
"Hi, honey," the mother smiled. "How are you feeling?"
"Better..." The girl opened her eyes slightly, propping herself up on an elbow. "How long was I asleep?"
"About 15 hours or so. We just woke up ourselves," the woman answered.
"Oh, wow... I can't remember the last time I slept so long," Violet muttered, opening her eyes fully as she sat up with another yawn.
"It's understandable, Violet. You were as exhausted and worn out as the rest of us," Hiro replied.
Katai hugged Violet close. "I'm glad you're feeling a bit better, sweetie." Somehow she knew she mustn't broach what Alex had told her and Hiro.
Violet hugged back, grateful, and Hiro sensed the moment was a mother-daughter one. "How's Bastion doing?" she asked, anxiety lacing her tone.
"Still sleeping, Violet... He's put in a hard fight."
"But... he's getting better, right?"
"He is, sweetie," Katai reassured her. "The doctor wants us to keep him happy."
Violet sighed in relief, looking around the two parents at her sleeping love. She wanted to talk to him, but didn't want to wake him when he needed the rest. "Good..."
Katai looked at Hiro, knowing what they could safely emphasize. "Violet... listen, there is one the doctor wanted to be very sure of. We need to keep him happy..." She took a deep breath. "Alex said that patients with Bastion's condition can get depressed, and that can hurt them."
Violet frowned, returning her attention to them. "What do you mean? You don't think Bastion might be depressed, do you?" she questioned fearfully.
"No, no, we don't know for sure, Violet. It's just a precaution," Hiro soothed quickly.
"So we have to do our best to keep him happy," Katai smiled kindly. "And Violet, if you start feeling stressed, talk about it. Hiro and I have had that agreement since before we got married. And we had it with our friends and families."
The younger woman's frown deepened a little, and she glanced away. "Okay. But I'm not stressed at all." Besides, Bastion's welfare was more important than her own right now.
Katai thought quickly, knowing that this wouldn't help Violet in the short or long-term. "Sweetie, any time someone's sick, the people closest to that person are going to have some stress. I've been wound up this whole time... And it's okay to admit it."
"Katai is right, Violet. We've all been feeling the stress of the past few days, and even just talking about it relieves that pressure a little," Hiro added.
Violet glanced back at them momentarily, then sighed and dropped back into a laying position. "I know..."
"Now, would you like something to eat?" Katai asked with a smile. "Hiro and I were about to get something."
Violet blinked, eyes widening as her mind finally remembered the need for sustenance. Her stomach let out a loud rumble, and she sat-up with a blush. "Y-Yeah. I'm starving!"
Hiro chuckled. "Well, I'm sure we can find ourselves a little something."
"Did I hear someone ask for food?" Fonda Fontaine called into the room, poking her head around the door.
"Me!" Violet piped up, grinning and raising her hand.
"Well, we can do anything you'd like. Don and Dorothy are ready for anything," the nurse grinned eagerly.
"Oh, don't say that! There's no way I could decide. I have enough problems choosing from the menu at Dorothy's snack shop," Violet groaned jokingly.
"Well, what would sound good? Just name it."
Katai blushed a little in her hunger. "Goodness, I'd love some lasagna..."
"That sounds good. I'll have some as well, Fonda," Hiro agreed with a smile.
Violet grinned. "Whoa. You know I've been craving spaghetti lately. What a coincidence!"
"Consider it done!" Fonda smiled, heading out to get the orders filled.
"They're making whatever we want?" Katai wondered out loud.
Hiro couldn't help but laugh a bit. "I know. I wasn't expecting that, darling."
"I guess they just want us to relax and get better after what happened," Violet mused.
"Yeah... but my goodness..."
GX GET YOUR GAME ON GX GET YOUR GAME ON
Down at the snack shop kitchen... "Don, you really seem to be enjoying yourself," Dorothy smiled as she stirred a rich meat sauce.
"Of course. It is just like when I used to work in a restaurant with real customers! And Italian is one of my favorite types of food to make," Don replied happily. He was shaping meatballs that would be baked in the oven and then added to the spaghetti.
"You've seemed reenergized the past few weeks since you proposed to Fonda," the plump woman observed with a grin.
The younger man blushed a little. "Well, yes, I suppose I am. But wouldn't any man who had the woman they love say yes?"
Dorothy thought carefully. "I think so..." She'd had some men in her life and one man in particular who made her smile constantly. And she knew he was over the moon over her. "You're a good man, and I know you'll be a good husband."
Don grinned sheepishly at the praise, pushing the tray of finished meatballs into the oven. "Thank you, Dorothy. I plan on doing my best..."
MEATBALLS LASAGNA CANNOLLIS
It wasn't long before Dorothy and Don came into the Misawas' room with a lot of food. "Let's see now... Who ordered the spaghetti?" the plump woman asked with a grin.
"I did," Violet piped up, raising her hand with a smile. The reaction was unusually quiet and tentative, though it was obviously not stemming from either Don or Dorothy's presence.
"Okay, honey... eat up. You need it," Dorothy smiled.
"I have the lasagna," Katai smiled as Don held up the plate.
"Thanks, Dorothy," the young woman replied. The pasta looked delicious, and the scent of herbs made her nose tingle and her mouth water.
"I also have the lasagna," Hiro stated, smiling.
Don set two plates down before the parents. "Here you are. I hope you enjoy it; the two of you need a nice, hot meal."
"Thank you so much, Don and Dorothy," Katai said gratefully. The sauce in the lasagna was a very rich meat sauce, flavored with Chianti wine, not too sweet, not too tart. "This is heavenly."
"Yes, this tastes very authentic... Katai, does it remind you of the lasagna we had in that little cafe over-looking the Mediterranean?" Hiro asked, looking over at his wife with a smile. Years ago, before Katai became pregnant with Bastion, Hiro had saved up enough for them to vacation for a few weeks in Italy.
Katai smiled at the memory. She and Hiro had only been married about a year when they took that trip. It had been during the time when they'd lived in England that they took that trip. "It does... maybe a bit better."
"Wow... you guys went to Italy?" Violet asked in awe and surprise between bites, having been enjoying her dish as well.
The ophthalmologist nodded, dusting off the memories in his mind the same way one might dust off old photographs. "Yes. Back then we still lived in England, so it wasn't as expensive. Katai and I had only been married about a year, but I'd been planning that trip since we first begun seeing each other."
Katai grinned. "So, you were very confident, weren't you?"
Hiro blushed a thick shade of red, pausing midway to his next bite and grinning sheepishly. "N-not exactly, darling. In fact, my confidence was rather... low. I wasn't sure if things would, well... turn out the way I hoped. But I knew I loved you, from the moment I first laid eyes upon you. I didn't plan on giving up easily, love," he admitted shyly.
"Well, I'm so glad you didn't, honey," Katai said as her smile softened lovingly. She remembered the medical student who had seemed shy yet confident at the same time at Oxford. She had been studying new types of horticulture at the time and had run into Hiro... quite literally. She'd had her nose in a book and not watched where she was going. That had resulted in a sweet two-year courtship and then, not quite two years into their marriage, their beautiful baby, Bastion.
"As am I, darling," Hiro replied honestly. Violet had to suppress a giggle at the sight; it oddly reminded her of Bastion and herself. She wondered if they would have good memories like that to reminisce on when they were older. For that to happen, though, Bastion had to get through the depression that was still plaguing him. The parents and Violet ate up their dinners, and the young man turned, muttering in his sleep. It was unintelligible, but perhaps indicated his darker dreams.
Violet caught it and frowned, remembering with regret that they weren't out of the woods yet. Moving to sit by his bedside, she reached out pressed a cool palm to his warm cheek. She was hoping the contact would soothe him a little; he needed all the rest he could get. "Bastion," she murmured, pained at seeing him like this.
At her gentle touch, he stopped muttering and smiled slightly. "Mmm... Violet..." And then he fell silent, drifting into deep sleep where dreams didn't follow.
Relieved and comforted that she had helped him, Violet sighed softly and smiled ever-so-slightly. However, she kept her ever-worried gaze on his sleeping form and moved her hand downward so that it could grasp his own. "I'm here, Bastion. I'm here," she whispered.
"He knows, sweetheart," Katai murmured, brushing a lock of Bastion's hair. "And we're all here for both of you... my sweet girl..." The woman put an arm around her future daughter-in-law.
"We won't leave your side until both of you are fully better," Hiro added seriously, placing an arm around Katai and a hand on Violet's shoulder.
The girl glanced up at them, then back down at the man she loved. "I know you will..." She brushed her lips against Bastion's cold fingers lovingly, gripping the large hand in her two slimmer ones. "I just hope he CAN get better..." 'And that I can, too,' she thought.
"He's going to, honey... Bastion, you're going to be okay..." Katai refused to believe the other possibility.
Hiro tightened the reassuring arm he had around his wife, and gave Violet's shoulder a squeeze. "He will be."
NIGHTFALL
The evening wore on and turned into night. The entire group congregated out in the great room in the infirmary, all enjoying some celebratory cake. At 11 PM, Bastion awoke, alone in his room. 'Where... they're not here...' And then he felt the soft breeze from a window that had been left open to bring fresh air in his room.
The window beckoned to him like a siren's song. "Come," it seemed to say. "Come and fly away from your problems... Let them be free of you..."
Bastion's mind, still addled from what Darkness had fed him, and the weakness of his illness, felt that this was perhaps a good thing. He disconnected himself from the various machines that monitored him, turning them off as he did so, and then pulled out the IV from his arm. He staggered from his bed and started toward the window, knowing that it was a very long drop to the ground. 'It'll be over... they'll all be free...'
Sorry, everyone, as this is a cliffhanger. Will Bastion succeed in what he's trying to do? Will the gang save him? Next time… "Desperation!" Until next time, please read, review and stay tuned! Thank you!