Duel Academy was still in a darkened atmosphere. To Jaden, it had seemed like ten years in the space of ten minutes as his mind circled over the events of the duel between himself and Chancellor Sheppard.
"Yubel..." he murmured softly, wincing in his attempts to hold back tears.
The elevator pinged and out of it came Alexis. She had left the remaining fighters behind after the Darkness was extinguished and she had rushed to see if Jaden was alright.
"Jaden!"
She saw before her, the sleeping bodies of Sheppard, Miss Dorothy, Adrian, Echo and even Jesse. And before them was a slumped figure, sank down to his knees, clutching his chest and panting heavily.
"Jaden?"
Her voice was tinged with concern at the sight. She wasn't sure what could possibly be the matter. Jaden or somebody else had clearly succeeded in eradicating the Darkness aura surrounding Duel Academy and in the process, also rescued the victims sealed in Darkness cards and the students under Nightshroud's mind control.
"Jaden," she repeated, slightly louder this time.
Jaden stirred, leaned his head behind him for a second, then hung it low once more.
"Jaden, what is it?" asked Alexis.
"She's gone, Alexis."
Somehow, Alexis knew precisely who he was referring to. It discomforted her to know Yubel could cause such an emotional reaction in Jaden, but she knew this was no time for futile self-doubts and recriminations for times long past.
"Yubel?"
"Yes...she sacrificed herself to save me...and everyone else...she's been taken to the World of Darkness..."
Alexis sighed heartily in sympathy and slowly got down on her own knees beside Jaden.
"She did it to save so many, Jaden," she said softly, "she fully redeemed herself in doing this. And just like everyone else we've lost, we will get her back. We just need to defeat Nightshroud."
"I can't," said Jaden morbidly.
"What?"
Alexis never knew Jaden to sound so defeated and hopeless. But everything in his body language said the same thing: he had given up at last.
"I only survived because of Yubel, and without her, I cannot defeat or resist Nightshroud. She was a part of me, literally. Our souls were fused. With her gone, part of me is lost too. I can't defeat Nightshroud when I'm not even a complete man."
There was silence for a time.
Nobody else had come up to check on Jaden, as Alexis needed them to tend to the terrified and exhausted students. But she never expected to be having to help Jaden in any sense. She had always seen him as her own hero: brave, strong, fearless...
"You're an idiot, Jaden," she muttered.
"W-what?"
Jaden did not expect that sort of reply, least of all from Alexis.
"You're an idiot," she said in such a matter-of-fact tone that Jaden had to resist a snort of amusement.
"What do you mean?"
"You think you're less of a person because your Duel Spirit left your body and soul? That's so not true, Jaden. When you saved us all from the Shadow Riders, did you have Yubel with you then?"
"Well, no-"
"Did you have Yubel with you when you stopped the Light of Destruction?"
"No..."
YOU ARE READING
Yu-Gi-Oh! GX Season 5: Light and Darkness
FanfictionJaden Yuki has been travelling across the world for five years since he had left Duel Academy and duelled Yugi Muto. But now he has been called back to reunite with his friends. But there is the sense of a danger approaching...As Jaden finds himself...
