Chapter 73. I Do / Smile
Bastion stammered, looking back towards us, silently asking for someone to tell him what to do in this situation. It was a bad idea. “Say yes!” Blair yelled with a large smile. Jayden, and Chazz both jokingly agreed. “Yea, you’ve already struck gold with her!” “See if she’ll carry you like a princess next!” They both laughed until Alexis smacked both of their heads, comically getting them to shut up.
Bastion then looked back at Tania, eagerly waiting for his response while she was still down on one knee. Bastion bit his lip, avoiding her earnest gaze, unable to say no to it. “Perhaps dating as a start would be acceptable?” He asked, not ready to be bequeathed to a woman he knew little of, but still wanting to see where this might take him. He was never much interested in relationships, but Tania was like a hurricane. He wanted to be with her, but ‘friends’ were too far with how things were quickly progressing.
He finally looked back at Tania, worried she may take offense to him hitting the brakes, but her large smile showcased she was pleased to have her foot in the door. She raised him above her head, happily able to toss him around like he weighed nothing. “Hahaha!! Of course my love! A strong man that can defeat me without even losing a singular life point, smart, and caring to boot~” She was off in her own world, while Bastion yelled for her to calm down, being tossed around like a toy.
Seeing the comical scene in front of me, Bastion embarrassingly covering his face like some sort of maiden in love from a sappy romance movie. I cracked a smile, one that grew the more I watched. Before I knew it, I began laughing hysterically at the two of them, covering my mouth with my hand, unable to stop myself from laughing, but at least stopping my smile from being seen as I belted out more laughter.
Jayden snapped his head to see a sight that he almost deemed impossible. Rakki was laughing with a massive smile, barely hidden behind his hand that he always used to stop others seeing anything more than a smirk. Blair and Alexis, standing on the other side of Rakki, both stared at him, studying the rare scene as well. Jayden then glanced back over towards where Rakki was laughing. Bastion, a good friend of his he made here at school was completely red while being man-handled by his new spouse.
Jayden, still hearing Rakki unable to stop his laughter, began cracking a smile at the scene as well. “Pft-! Hahaha!!” Jayden began laughing at it, beside his usually sarcastic friend Rakki. He had no idea why, but the fact that Rakki, who had rarely smiled, was laughing so loudly, only made the scene before him even more hilarious. Before too long, Jayden noticed Blair, Chazz, even Alexis all smiling and laughing at Bastion’s expense. Rakki had no idea, but he united everyone together at this moment.
After everyone’s laughter died down, we all sighed in relief, not able to continue for much longer. “Well… I say this case is closed.” I announced, starting to leave the coliseum. “W-Where are you going!?” Alexis yelled at me, yanking on my jacket's collar, pulling me back. She scowled at me, but I glanced at everyone already leaving with their payment of new cards, and the sudden end to the Duel they were watching. “Well, what else do we need to do? Everyone’s safe, we found the missing guy, and we stopped a Shadow Rider.”
Alexis smacked my arm, before pointing at Bastion, still trying to slow down Tania’s comical questions of what she was allowed to do with her new ‘mate’. “You’re not just gonna leave him here are you?” I turned around to see Bastion blushingly shaking his head at Tania’s ideas of ‘plans’ I couldn’t quite hear from this distance. “Seems fine to me.” Alexis hit me again, but Blair helped pull me away while Jayden placated her. “Bastion will probably have to talk to the principal about her anyway, so why don’t we all just go together?”
We all agreed, waiting for Tania to calm down enough to come along with us to the principal. “Congratulations on your marriage, when are you thinking?” Jayden asked, nudging Bastion with a smirk. Bastion’s face turned a deep red as Tania laughed heartily. “We will be wed soon enough! I’m sure I can convince my Bastion!” She wrapped her arm around his neck, forcing his head into the side of her breasts, choking him accidentally. “If he lives that long…” I scoffed, her strength perhaps breaking Bastion on the ‘wedding night’.
“Why are you a shadow rider to begin with?” Alexis asked, giving Tania a question to take her attention away from being close to Bastion. She let him go while in thought, Bastion panting due to lack of air, not that I saw him mad about it. “It was mostly to find a mate. Either by dueling one protecting the Sacred Beasts, or asking them for one. Although I can’t say receiving this gauntlet wasn’t a part of it.” She said, glancing at her right hand, the dark and ominous look could easily send chills down one’s spine.
“It does look cool.” Jayden nodded, giving her hand a closer look. Tania chuckled before resting her hand on Bastion’s shoulder. “It allows me to have a human appearance. Otherwise finding a mate would be much more difficult.” Bastion paused, looking Tania up and down in confusion. “Perchance… Are you not human?” Everyone turned to look at her and her casual smile and nod. “No, I’m Amazoness Tiger, the last one here since the Amazonesses left without me…” Everyone was silent at Tania’s saddening smile.
“I’m so sorry…” Alexis whispered comfortingly, Tania nodding with a shrug. “I overslept when they left the island years ago, can’t complain about my own mistakes though! Haha!” Everyone frowned at her, thinking everyone she knew was dead, rather than leaving her behind on accident. I couldn’t help but scoff, and led the way out while everyone continued to talk to the Amazoness Tigress.
I didn’t stick around after we made it to the principal’s office, preferring to sit on top of the roof. Blair was already asleep in my lap as we stared at the sunset, the cool refreshing breeze slowly blowing past us. “Tania is allowed to come and go as she pleases… If you even care.” A sudden voice called out behind me, walking closer, the distinct noise of her high heels was unmistakable.
I scoffed while glancing behind me, looking at Alexis’ pout. “Nope! Why should I?” I asked snarkily, a clear lie as I rolled my eyes with a smirk. Alexis kicked my back, the sharpness of her heel made me yell in surprised pain. “Fuck! Did you sharpen those or something?” I asked, rubbing the portion she stabbed.
Alexis remained silent as we both continued to look around the island, slowly descending into darkness. “How’s Atticus?” I finally asked, thinking of the happy go lucky idiot brother, the first Shadow Rider we fought. “He’s malnourished, but with the way he eats I could see him getting fat in a week.” Alexis responded with a chuckle, I joined along, before it slowly died down. Silence hung in the air again, both of us not knowing what to say. Finally Alexis sat down beside me, whispering into my ear like she was telling a secret. “Why do you hide your smile?”
I frowned at her question, taking out a piece of gum, I let out a sigh as the mint flavoring coated my taste buds “Is that why you came to find me? My smile can make any woman swoon?” I asked, joking with a small smirk. However Alexis remained silent, not hitting me either. She knew I was just trying to avoid the question. She never pushed me, only waiting for my response as I put my real thoughts into words. My smirk left me, thinking of why I continued to avoid my own happiness.
Alexis kept Rakki in her peripheral vision, not wanting to seem too aggressive in her question. One that she knew would bring up parts of his shattered home. She could see his gaze darkening, his hand patting Bair’s hair, subconsciously comforting her like he most likely wished he could be right now. Alexis carefully placed her hand on Rakki’s shoulder, moving it gently across his back, his slouching shoulders jerked in response to the sudden stimuli.
When Rakki’s shoulders finally relaxed, with the help of Alexis did he finally say something. “For the longest time… Nothing made me happy… And then after coming here… I suddenly started… smiling again.” Rakki shook his head, disbelieving in his own words. “But I don’t know… If I deserve that…” He mumbled, his eyes usual sunkenness, only grew darker as he looked down at Blair. Alexis didn’t know much about Rakki’s parents, or how they died, but hearing him say such things only reminded her of herself only a few days prior.
Alexis moved her hand to his other shoulder, before pulling him closer to her. Forcing his head to rest on her shoulder. She felt him start to pull away, but pinched his shoulder as she pressed him against her, not allowing him to leave. “I’m not someone as slick as you with words, so don’t expect a large speech.” She started, Rakki slowly stopped resisting her shoulder. “I didn’t think I deserved to be happy, and lucky to have my brother back. A part of me still worries that you’ll hate me one day because of that.”
“I’m not-” Rakki started, but Alexis pinched him to quiet down. “Nothing you say can take away that fear from me.” She said, shaking her head. “Just like I can’t say anything that can take away yours… But at least let me carry some of that weight.” She finished, resting her head against Rakki’s still placed on her shoulder. All was quiet, but Alexis could feel Rakki’s shoulder begin shuddering. His breathing shuttered, a few sniffles, drops of water hitting Alexis’ shoulder.
Rakki chuckled a bit at her, hiding and ignoring his clearly evident crying underneath the bangs of his hair. All Alexis could see was his large smile in clear view. “Not good with words my ass…”