Chapter IV: There's Got to be a Morning After

Well, everyone, this tale is finally drawing to a close. Violet is mad, the girls aren't too thrilled and most of the Duel Academy boys are praying for their souls as they fear the purple-headed girl's wrath. How will this end? You'll just have to read and find out!

Disclaimer: Peach and 15animefreak15 don't own GX. Peach owns Annie Hanson. 15animefreak15 owns Violet and Rosa. Together, they own this story and this version of the Yugi-verse.

The next morning, Chazz was feather, grease, glue and mayonnaise free. His hands looked raw, but then so did the hands of boys who'd gone too close to the fire last night. The boys of Slifer, Ra and Obelisk were varying degrees of tired except, that is, for Jaden Kiyo Yuki, who seemed bright-eyed and bushy-tailed despite his tendency to fall asleep in class.

He was wolfing down his breakfast when who should appear in the doorway but Alexis Rhodes.

"Morning, Alexis," he greeted. "Something wrong?" Her expression told him something was.

Alexis rolled her eyes a little, sitting across from Jaden. For once, he was sitting alone, without Syrus or Hassleberry around. "Well, besides the fact that there was a panty raid last night..." She glanced at him, though didn't think he would have done it. "There was something I wanted to talk to you about. About Sy..."

Jaden perked up. "A...panty raid? Really?" If there was one time Jaden had to play dumb, this was the time. "And what about Sy?"

Alexis sweat-dropped. "Uh, yeah. There was one last night," she sighed and shook her head. "But anyway, haven't you noticed anything about him? Anything different?"

"Uh..." Jaden wasn't sure what she was getting at. And being a typical guy, he wasn't one to focus on emotion. "He's been dueling with more confidence?"

She sighed again. This was going to be harder than she thought. "Jaden, didn't you notice a different kind of change this year? After Hassleberry started hanging around with you??"

"Alexis, he just started hanging around with us this week...Sy hasn't talked as much since Wednesday but he seems okay."

Alexis knew that guys had problems with emotions, and that Jaden could be a little...well, dense. But she thought he'd at least notice the way Syrus was acting. "Do you know why he's stopped talking as much? Haven't you noticed that he's gotten a worried look??"

Then it hit Jaden like a ton of bricks. "Wait a sec; what's he worried about?"

"Jaden, did you know that without you befriending him, Sy may have been too shy and nervous to get any friends at all?" she asked.

"What? Really?" he asked, stunned.

Alexis rolled her eyes a little. "Yeah. You helped him gain enough confidence to get where he is now. But...what do you think would happen if you stopped being his friend?"

"I wouldn't stop being his friend, Lex," Jaden said, now gaining a worried expression of his own. "Is that what's going on?"

"Yes, Jaden. Sy's afraid you'll stop being his friend since Hassleberry and you are starting to get close..."

"What? We haven't even been buddies a week! And Sy's been my best friend since we started last year!"

"But you're his first real friend, Jaden." Alexis said, placing her hand on his. "He's probably also afraid that if he loses you, he'll lose his other friends, too. And be alone again..."

"I wouldn't let that happen, Alexis," Jaden said, feeling bad now. "And just because Hassleberry's my new friend doesn't mean he's a new best friend."

She smiled, glad he understood. "Well, then, you should tell that to Sy so he'll stop worrying..."

"Okay, I'll do that. Man, that makes me feel lousy..." Jaden felt really guilty.

Alexis sighed. "Don't worry, Jaden. He'll understand...you just have to learn to pay a little more attention to things. Other than dueling and eating..."

"How do I do that?" Jaden asked. "I think I need some advice."

"Well, for one thing, you can probably tell something's wrong if they start acting differently. Ask them if anything's wrong. Also, you can usually see it in their eyes..."

Jaden nodded. "Okay...this is complicated..."

She sighed. "Well, look into MY eyes. Tell me what you see...and NOT my eye color."

"Uh...okay..." Jaden didn't get this entirely, but he took a deep breath and looked. "You're mad at me..."

Alexis sweat-dropped a little, forgetting to try and hide the slight annoyance at how hard this was getting. "Uh, not exactly...here, try again..." This time her eyes softened, only showing one emotion that she didn't exactly mean to show.

Jaden looked again. "I know that look...I've seen it in my mom's eyes. Love." He was bound to get something right.

Her eyes widened and she blushed, quickly looking away. "Uh, well," Alexis mumbled, staring at the ground in embarrassment.

"Why are you embarrassed?" he asked. "We're friends, right?"

Alexis would have face-faulted at Jaden's words, but was simply too stunned that he hadn't realized. "Er, of course we are! I just...wasn't sure how you'd react is all," she muttered, blush deepening. 'Yeah, real nice, Alexis,' she thought.

Jaden, meanwhile, drew an inward sigh of relief. 'Sometimes, it's good to play dumb. But was this one of those times?' He truly had feelings for Alexis, but he wasn't sure how to go about revealing them. "Uh...well...love's a good thing and there are lots of different kinds. I'm glad we're friends now..." 'WHAT DID THAT SOUND LIKE?' he thought in horror.

If possible, Alexis went even redder, glancing at him. Did he really not understand all of this? Or was he just too nervous to admit it?? "I'm glad we're friends, too, Jaden. I mean, being friends is a form of love..." Her eyes widened in realization of what she just said. "I mean, uh, in a friendly way, of course..."

Jaden couldn't hide a slight blush. "Yeah...of course...friendly love...good thing. So, uh..."

She finally realized that her hand was still holding Jaden's from earlier, and she quickly pulled it away. "Er, I guess I'd better get going, then. Just be sure to, uh, talk to Sy. All right?" Alexis stated, standing from her seat.

"Yeah, okay! Hey, why don't I walk up to class with you? For once, I'm actually ready! And we'll probably meet Sy on the way!" he said, getting up and running his tray to the proper receptacle.

Alexis had to admit that sounded nice. "Oh, all right." So, the two left the Slifer cafeteria and started down the dirt path to the main academy building.

Meanwhile, the Ra Yellow known to Duel Academy as Hassleberry had just finished morning "chow time," as he called it and was heading to his first period class. "Sam Hill! I have to be there at 0830! That's in five minutes!" he exclaimed to himself.

He started to run, and nearly crashed into a young woman who was becoming a source of...he wasn't sure what to call it, but he knew it was something. "Sorry about that...uh...Miss Rosa," he apologized.

Rosa blinked in surprise, having been on her way to speak with him. 'I am unsure whether to think of this as bad or good luck...' she thought. "Don't worry about it. I want to talk with you about something anyway."

"You had to talk to me about something, Miss Rosa?" he asked. "So what's on your mind?" he asked politely.

She sighed. "Call me Rosa, por favor. And it is about Señor Jaden y Señor Syrus," Rosa began, a little unsure of how to explain.

"The Sarge and Private Truesdale? What's up?" he asked.

He wasn't sure what was going on, but Rosa's expression told him that he'd better listen up.

Rosa thought for a few moments, trying to think of the best way to answer. "Well, tú y Señor Jaden are becoming good amigos, no?"

"Yeah, we're friends. And I think I'm his best friend," Hassleberry said proudly.

She sighed inwardly, now seeing the root of the problem. "Señor Hassleberry, tú just met Señor Jaden recently. Correct?"

"That's right..."

"And how long has Señor Syrus been Senor Jaden's amigo?"

"A year..."

"So, does it not make sense that Señor Syrus would be Señor Jaden's best amigo??"

"Uh..." Hassleberry thought about it. "But I'm tougher than that little guy..."

"On the outside, perhaps. But how can tú truly tell if tú do not know him well?" Rosa probed, seeing she'd hit a key point.

Hassleberry thought a moment. "Maybe you're right, Miss Rosa. Uh, can we keep movin'? I don't want to be late to my 0830 tutorial."

Rosa was about to remind him to call her by just her first name, when he mentioned the tutorial. She was a freshman just like him, and her eyes snapped open. "QUE?! That is today?! Ay, ay, ay!" Without thinking much about it, she grabbed his wrist and somehow started dragging him down the path.

"You...were...saying...though?" he puffed as they moved.

'Oh, right...' she thought, sweat-dropping. "Anyway, it is fine if you are Senor Jaden's amigo. But you should think carefully about whether you are truly his BEST amigo..."

"Good point, Miss Rosa. I guess I'll have to challenge Private Truesdale at some point," he said thoughtfully.

Rosa groaned inwardly, now remembering what she'd meant to do before they started running. "I told you to call me Rosa. There is no need for such formality..."

"Sorry, uh...Rosa...it's just where I'm from, until you know a young lady for a little bit, things are...sort of formal..."

Things were the same where she came from, but that was one of the reasons she left. Rosa wanted to experience the differences of American culture, which explained her impatience with such traditional things. "Do not worry, I understand. Just...do not call me 'Miss Rosa.'" By now they'd reached the school building, only a minute or two left until they'd be considered late.

"All right...Rosa," he said, holding the door open for her as they reached the class in the nick of time.

At this very moment, Bastion Misawa drew a sigh of relief and was grateful that his mother had taught him how to properly do laundry. He had raced to his room last night after the bonfire with Violet's underwear and hand-washed them with detergent made especially for delicate clothing. He'd added a small amount of fabric softener and then used a towel to dry the panties. They'd dried the rest of the way in the air and now Bastion just had to find something to put the panties in to return them. 'Oh, where's a small...' And then he saw it; a small pink box that would hold the panties. He packaged them and then printed out a brief note. "Sorry for any inconvenience losing these may have caused you. A friend." Satisfied with the note, he tied it securely to the package.

Bastion headed out of the dorm and toward the main building for class when he realized, 'I can't give these directly to her...who can though?' And then, he spied the right person. "Syrus! I say, Syrus!" he called out to his fellow Ra Yellow who was also the least likely to die if Violet displayed her temper.

Syrus stopped, turning to face Bastion with both surprise and slight apprehension. "Oh, hi, Bastion. Did you, uh..." He glanced around nervously, near-paranoid after last night.

"Syrus, I got them cleaned up, and I was wondering if you would possibly do me a favor? Could you please take this to Violet?"

The previous expression was instantly replaced by shock. "W-Who? ME?? Uh, but what if she..." Syrus could hear some key points from Violet's threat echoing in his head and shivered.

"The likelihood of her harming you is 130,207 to one."

Syrus blinked. "Uh...but how do you know? She sounded pretty angry last night..."

"You have major factors in your favor. First, you are one of the most inoffensive students on campus and secondly...you're Annie Hanson's friend, and Violet daren't lay a finger on you."

He had to admit that those were two good points, and maybe Bastion would help him study for the finals if he did him this favor. "Well, all right..."

"You'll survive...and don't worry..." Bastion said, clapping him on the shoulder and handing him the box. "Just tell her that someone left this box with you."

"O-Okay..." Syrus mumbled, wondering what he'd just gotten himself into. He didn't notice Bastion take his leave, and then heard it.

"Syrus! Hey!!" Syrus knew that voice anywhere; it was Violet.

"Cheers, Syrus...see you later," Bastion said, making a quick exit.

His head snapped up. "W-Wait! Bastion!!" Syrus called, but to no avail. Then, he felt a hand clap on his shoulder.

"Hiya, Sy! Whatcha doin'?" greeted Violet happily. Syrus tensed, turning slowly to face her. Even though her eyes held a cheery expression, he thought he could sense anger deep down.

It was at this moment that Annie Hanson walked over to Violet and Sy. "Hey, guys..."

"Annie!" they both shouted, Syrus out of relief and Violet in her usual peppy way. Violet placed an arm around Annie's shoulders and grinned, her sign that she was ready to help Annie talk to Syrus. "Uh..."he mumbled, glancing nervously from Violet to the box that had remained unnoticed.

"Hey, Sy, what's that?" Annie asked, seeing the box and taking it from Sy's trembling hands. "What's wrong?" she asked gently.

Syrus tensed again. "Well, uh, it's..." He mumbled out the box's contents, neither of the girls able to hear it.

"What? I didn't catch that, Sy. Can't we just open it??" Violet asked.

"Er, but, I..." he stuttered nervously.

Annie looked on the package. "It's for you, Violet." She handed it to her friend. "You should open it!"

His eyes widened. "Aw, Sy, for me? You shouldn't have..." stated Violet, smiling. Before he could stop her, she opened the box.

The lid fell from her hand in shock as she recognized the pair of underwear that had been stolen. 'Oh no,' he thought.

Annie took the note and read it out loud. "I was right, Violet...whoever it was sent Sy as a proxy. Am I right, Sy?" she asked kindly.

"Y-Yeah. Sorry I can't tell you who," Syrus replied, glancing worriedly at Violet.

The purple-haired Obelisk sighed, taking the note from Annie. "I am so going to scan this and email it to a crime lab," she muttered.

"Violet...this was printed on a school-issue printer. There's no way to trace it," Annie said.

Violet pouted. "No fair," she muttered with a sigh.

Syrus was just glad that Bastion had been right after all. "Uh, so, did you guys want to talk to me about something?"

Annie blushed. "Sy...we wanted to talk to you about...uh...how you've been feeling the last few days..."

He realized what she meant and frowned. "I don't know what you're talking about. Maybe we should get to class," Syrus replied, taking a step. However, Violet's hand clasped onto his shoulder like a vice grip and she pulled him back.

"Sy...please don't try to hide it," Annie pleaded. "We're your friends and we want to make you feel better. Besides, it's not like Professor Ginsburg takes roll." Professor Ginsburg was well-known at Duel Academy as the "hippie teacher." He was in his 50s and loved the decade he'd been born in. He had customized his uniform to look a bit Bohemian, right down to peace sign buttons.

Syrus sighed. "Nothing's wrong. Really," he mumbled, looking away.

Annie looked at Violet and swallowed. "Sy, please don't lie to me...you're scared because you think you'll lose us, right?"

He tensed, and Violet felt it since her hand was still on his shoulder. She loosened her grip, making it more friendly. "Come on, Sy. You can tell us," Violet coaxed.

He glanced from Annie to Violet and back again, frowning. "Maybe I am. But why do you guys care?"

"You're our friend," Annie said softly. She got Violet to release her grip and pulled Sy into a warm hug. "You're my friend and I'm not going to leave you..."

Syrus blushed, having never been this close to any girl except for his mom. And Violet would tackle-hug him like she did everyone. "B-But...I'm nothing special. It'd be easy for someone to replace me..."

Annie couldn't hold back tears at this. "You're special to me..." She hugged him as tightly as she could without hurting him for she was bigger than he was.

He blushed even more, surprised. "I...I am? Really??"

Annie pulled back, revealing her tear-stained face. "Y-yeah. Gosh, no one can ever replace you..."

Syrus was even more surprised when he saw her crying. "Annie...you're crying...why?"

"It makes me feel sad that you feel that way," she said. "I don't like it that you're hurting."

He didn't know what to say. Syrus never knew anyone felt this way towards him, especially a girl. "I...uh..." He sighed. "Thanks...Annie..."

"No problem," she managed, wiping her eyes. "Sorry...I just..."

"I-It's okay, Annie...I just didn't know anyone felt that way..."

"I'm...probably not t-the only one," she answered, blushing. "Violet, back me up." But Violet was missing. 'Oh, no...I'm alone...with Syrus!' Annie thought, her heart beginning to race.

Syrus blinked in surprise when he realized that they were alone...and still hugging. "Uh, Annie, you can let go now...if you want," he mumbled, blushing.

"Uh..." Annie stuttered. She loosened her grip. "You know...Professor Ginsburg live streams his classes, so why don't we go to Dorothy's cafe and listen in? We could have a treat and some coffee or tea or something..."

"Uh, okay...sounds good," Syrus replied, smiling a little. 'Then we won't draw everyone's attention...' he thought.

Annie let go and she and Sy started walking. "Sy?"

"Yeah, Annie?"

"You know who took Violet's panties? Really?"

Syrus tensed for about the fifth time in just that half hour alone, turning his gaze to the ground. "Y-Yeah..."

"I won't make you tell me who did it because I'm guessing it's a friend. But just tell me one thing, though..."

He was slightly relieved at that. "Okay..."

"He isn't a pervert, is he?"

"Oh, no! He's definitely not that. He had...reasons..."

"Reasons?" Annie asked. "Oh..." She now had a definite feeling who had done it, but wouldn't tell Violet at this moment.

Syrus noticed her tone. "Annie...if you think you know who it is, don't tell Violet. Okay?"

Annie smiled. "You must be psychic, Sy; I wasn't planning on it."

"Oh, all right..."

And Annie and Sy went to Dorothy's cafe to listen to Professor Ginsburg's explanation of the 1960s, though he was in fact the art teacher.

THE END

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