People stare as two girls come running down the sidewalk, one of them
looked very annoyed, "I thought you said no one would see us!?" "I hadn't
counted on Mokuba being there." "No matter, we got what we were after."
"Now if we could get away from Kaiba we would be in the clear." "Come back
here!!" Kaiba yelled as he chased them down the street. Then the two girls
ran right into Joey and Tristan, "Oh sorry about that. " Joey said, "Are
you alright?" "Were fine." one of them said but she broke off and then
thought of an ingenious way to get Kaiba off their tail, "But there's this
guy after us and we think he's .he's." They never found out what 'he' was
after because she burst into tears. "Who are you?" Tristan said. The other
girl answered, "I'm Izumi and she's my older sister Katie." "Who's after
you?" "Seto Kaiba." "What does he want with you?" "A while back he stole my
sisters Blue-Eyes White Dragon, as well as mine."
While this was going on, Kaiba was hiding in an alley nearby trying to hear what they were saying. "He did?!?" "Yea he did. I still remember that day."
*Flashback*
Katie and Izumi were hanging out in the front yard of their house when Kaiba walked up and said, "Hi Izumi." "Oh hi Seto." Izumi ran over to hug him but when she gut close, Kaiba punched her in the stomach. Izumi collapsed two the ground in pain, "Kaiba! Why did you do that!? She loved you, she trusted you and this is how you repay her!?" "Look I don't care about her I just wanted her Blue-Eyes White Dragon." "You creep!!!" Izumi's hand came out of nowhere and slapped Kaiba hard in the face. Kaiba fell too his knees, "Oh so that's how you want to play? Alright." There was a great cloud of dust obscuring the battle. When the dust cleared, Kaiba stood there holding two Blue-Eyes. Katie and Izumi were on the ground, unconscious. Kaiba knelt down and said, "Good bye, my beloved." Then he kissed her softly on the cheek and left. Leaving behind a broken heart and his one chance at true happiness.
*End Flashback*
"You mean to tell me that you and Kaiba were lovers?" "Yes but he broke my heart that day." "You two should make up and start going out again." "Joey, I didn't think it possible, but you just got stupider." "What do you mean by that?" "Why would she go out with a guy who whacked her over the head and stole her rarest card?" "I don't know why." "Hey you know you're kinda cute." "Izumi, why are you looking at me like that?" "Maybe I like you." Izumi grabbed Joey's arm and Joey said, "Tristan, a little help here." "Sorry man you're on your own on this one." "Why don't we go over to my house and hang out for a bit?" "I really don't." "Come on let's go." And with that Izumi took off down the street, dragging Joey behind her. "Uh Katie what exactly did she mean when she said 'hang out' ?" "Probably she meant that they were going to sit and watch all her favorite movies. What did you think she meant?" "Nothing." "What do you mean by no-oh I see what you mean. You're a nasty-minded little brat aren't you." "I am not a, OUCH!!!" Katie had hit Tristan in the head, "You are an incompetent, snot- nosed, brat." "I am not." "Are to." "Are not."
While this was going on Joey was stuck with Izumi watching Titanic for the next 3 hours and 14 minutes.
* 3 hours and 14 minutes later*
Izumi is laying on Joey, fast asleep. Joey is wondering when she will wake up and let go of his arm (She was holding on to him for the entire movie. Now his arm is VERY numb). 'I hope she wakes up soon, because I can't feel my arm anymore.' Joey thought to himself. He didn't want to wake her up and, possibly, upset her. 'I didn't know someone so tiny could be so strong,' Joey thought as he remembered being dragged here, literally, and Izumi was very small for her age. Joey was twice as tall as she was even though they were the same age (16). Izumi woke with a start, "How long was I asleep?" "About an hour and a half. Can you let go of me, please? I can't feel my arm anymore." "Oh I'm sorry." Izumi let go of his arm, curled up into a little ball, and started to cry. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you." Joey said guiltily, he really tried not to hurt her feelings. "I'm s-sorry." "Sorry for what Izumi? You didn't do anything." "But I hurt you." "No you didn't hurt me. Come here, you'll be alright." He reached over and hugged her. He just sat there comforting her, "You probably hate me now don't you Joey?" "No I don't hate you. You didn't do anything wrong." At this Izumi began to sob even louder. "Izumi I didn't mean it. I'm sorry." "You hate me!" She was really upset now. "Izumi I am so sorry for upsetting you this badly. If it will make you feel any better I'll take you out to dinner tonight." Izumi stopped sobbing and said, "Really?" "Sure I mean it. I'll meet you tonight at eight, okay?" "Alright."
Meanwhile, Tristan, Tea, and Yugi were at the Mutoh's game shop talking about Joey's current predicament, "So where is Joey now?" "At Izumi's house." "I say we go look for him." "Yugi we don't even know where to start." "I guess your right Tea." "We could just wait a while until he shows up." "You are the stupidest person I have ever met Tristan." "What did I do?" "If Joey was brought to her house against his will he may not know how to get back." "I guess your right." "So what do we do?" "We go and find him."
Kaiba was at home thinking about what he had done to Izumi and Katie and about how sorry he was. 'What on Earth made me do such a horrible thing to them?' He thought to himself, 'Maybe I was just so jealous that they had so many rare and powerful cards that it blinded my judgment. For that I paid a terrible price, losing my one true love.' Kaiba was starting to feel very guilty for what he had done. He had let his jealousy cloud his judgment and in doing so he lost his one true love. 'Was it the cards I wanted or her love? Maybe what Tea said at Duelist Kingdom was true. Maybe I have forgotten what being human is about.' At this point Mokuba walks in. He sees his brother sitting there sulking. Mokuba walked up to him and asked, "What's the matter Seto?" Kaiba didn't respond he just sat there continuing to stare into space. "Are you okay?" Kaiba still wouldn't respond. "Seto if you don't say something I'll call a psychiatrist and see if they can figure out what's wrong with you." Kaiba still just sat there, lost in thought.
Twenty minuets later, Kaiba and Mokuba are sitting in the waiting room at the psychiatrist's office. Kaiba didn't say a word the entire time, he didn't even object to Mokuba bringing him here. A few moments later, Kaiba was sitting in the psychiatrist's office confessing every thing he had done and about how sorry he was. When he finished instead of feeling better he felt worse than before, much worse. The psychiatrist, Dr. Phillips, gave him some suggestions on how to deal with the situation, each one sounding less likely than the one before. "Are you okay Seto?" Mokuba said as they left Dr. Phillips office. "No, I really don't feel well. Maybe I should go home and lie down." "Okay. What on Earth was wrong with you earlier?" Kaiba told the story of what happened and how he felt about what he did. When Kaiba finished Mokuba just stood there with his mouth hanging open, when Mokuba finally spoke it was in a high, unnatural voice, "What possessed you to do that?" "I don't know. What I do know is that if I don't lie down soon I'm going to pass out." "Maybe you should see a doctor." "No, I'm okay. I just feel a little light-headed is all."
That night at 7:59 Joey arrived at Izumi's house wearing a blue short-sleeved dress shirt, khaki pants, and black dress shoes. Joey went very out of his way to be absolutely sure she had a good time. He knocked on the door, it was Katie who answered the door, " Come in Joey. Izumi is still getting ready." "Oh, I'll wait." Izumi was still fussing about her hair. She couldn't get it to lie down exactly the way she wanted. She was wearing a black skirt that was about four inches above her knees, a lilac short sleeve blouse, a black vest, a pair of lilac socks that came to her knees, and a pair of boots that came about 2 1/2 inches above her ankles. After one or two more minuets she was finally satisfied with how she looked. Katie comes in and says in a slightly taunting way, "Your boyfriend is here. Bet you a dollar he's going to try and kiss you." "Stop teasing me Katie." "You are such a spoil sport. I bet he's going to ask you to marry him." Katie said while trying not to laugh. "Stop it Katie! You really need to stop picking on me because all this is going to come back to haunt you." "Yea, and pigs can fly. You'd better hurry up, you don't want to keep your boyfriend waiting."
A little while later Joey and Izumi are sitting in a small Italian restaurant down town. While outside Tristan, Tea, and Yugi are walking by, having given up on their search for Joey. Tristan glanced over into the window and saw Joey sitting there with Izumi and looking as though he was having the time of his life. Tristan tapped Yugi and Tea on their shoulders and said, "I think I found Joey." "You did? Where is he?" "Look in there." Tristan pointed toward the restraunt window where Joey could be seen talking cheerfully to Izumi, who was hanging on to his every word. "Who is that girl he's with?" "That's Izumi. She really gives me the creeps." "I can't see how." Yugi said in a dreamy sort of voice, then all of a sudden, "OUCH!!! Tea why did you hit me?" "You were drooling over Joey's girlfriend." (Tea and Yugi have been going out together for some time now.) "Guys stop fighting."
While all this was going on, Kaiba was at home, sleeping. Though he was being tormented with horrible nightmares. He dreamt he was running with a loud roar being issued by a creature that was shrouded in shadows. All that could be seen of the creature were its glowing, yellow eyes. As he ran he heard someone sobbing softly in the distance. He ran in the direction of the cries, with the creature following closely behind. What he found was a small girl with large, silver eyes; soft, black hair; and fair skin. It was Izumi! He whispered to her, "What happened to you? Are you alright?" "I'm lost. Will you help me find my mommy?" Kaiba then realized that this was Izumi when she was little. She was curled up on the ground, lost and alone. But then the creature emerged from the shadows, but he only saw a flash of dripping fangs before both Izumi and himself were swallowed whole.
The following morning, Mokuba went to check on his older brother. When he entered his brother's bedroom he was shocked at what he saw. Kaiba was curled up in a corner, wide-eyed and shaking in fear. "Seto, what's wrong?" Kaiba didn't answer, it was like he was lost in his own mind. "What on Earth is wrong with him?" Mokuba immediately went down stairs to call Dr. Phillips to see what was wrong with his brother.
A few moments later, Kaiba was being taken away in a strait jacket, still shaking in terror. Poor Kaiba had been so terrified by what had happened to him that it had driven him to insanity. Mokuba was begging Dr. Phillips not to do this but he wouldn't listen. Later we see Kaiba curled up in the corner of a small, white room with padded walls, still wide-eyed and shaking. He would not talk to anyone nor respond to anything. That is till someone got the 'bright' idea to play a recording of a lion's roar. Kaiba was almost paralyzed in fear. Then he started to try and find some means of escape. They opened the door and Kaiba sped out and ran right into the opposite wall. He fell backwards, completely knocked out.
A couple of hours later, Kaiba woke up with no idea where he was, let alone, how he got there. Then for some reason he began replaying his nightmare in his head, and was soon shaking in fear again. Dr. Phillips decided that maybe all Kaiba needed was some time to recover from his traumatizing experience. He talked to Mokuba and said that maybe Kaiba should just stay at home and rest for awhile. Mokuba agreed, anything that didn't involve locking him up was okay.
While all of this was going on, Joey and Izumi were jogging in the park together. They ran into Tea who was out for a walk to clear her head after having a huge fight with Yugi. "Hey Joey!" "Hi Tea!" Izumi looked as thought she was going to cry again. Joey felt very guilty because he didn't want to upset her. Tea ran up to them and noticed Joey's guilty look, and Izumi's tearful face, "Joey what is the matter with you?" "Nothing." "Joey do you love me?" Izumi said timidly. "Of course I do Izumi. Nothing on earth could change that." "Joey what is going on." "You're his girlfriend aren't you?" "No! His best friend is my boyfriend." "You mean the ugly guy with the brown hair." "No. Tristan's not my boyfriend." "Oh, okay." "So Joey who is this?" "She's my girlfriend. Her name is Izumi. Izumi this is my friend Tea." "Hi!" Izumi said in her usual, cheerful tone of voice. She felt much better knowing that Joey wasn't cheating on her. So they spent the rest of the afternoon walking through the park just talking about whatever came up.
A few weeks later, Kaiba was back at school. He was still a little upset about his dream but nowhere near as bad as it was at first. He was constantly looking over his shoulder as though the monster from his dream was suddenly going to appear and devour him. He tried his very best not to think about it, but he just couldn't. Half of him really didn't want to think about it yet the other half wanted to think about it at find out its meaning. As he walked down the hall he was constantly looking for Izumi. He had decided that the only way to end this torture was to apologize to her. Then he saw Izumi walking down the hall with Joey and all his friends. Kaiba walked up to her and said, "Izumi could I talk to you alone for a moment?" "Okay." So they found an empty classroom and Izumi asked, "What did you want to talk to me about?" Kaiba fell to his knees and said, "Izumi please forgive me for all the horrible things I've put you through." "Pardon?" "Please forgive me for being such a jerk and putting you through all that horrible stuff for my own selfish reasons." "What are you babbling about?" "I'm sorry for stealing your Blue-Eyes White Dragon." "Okaay." "Can you forgive me?" "On one condition." "What is it?" "You have to duel me and if I win you have to be my slave for a year to earn my forgiveness." "What if I win?" "I let you off the hook without a hitch." "Fine." "Okay but I have two more conditions." "What are they?" "First, the match must be held in an arena that is located where there may be no spectators except for one person per each of us of our own choosing and they are not allowed to speak or make any sound. They are not allowed to cheer or clap or give either of us advice of any kind. They are not allowed to put down their selectors opponent. They are only to sit silently and watch. They are, however, permitted to speak if they see either duelist cheating in any way. The cheater must then forfeit the match to their opponent." "And the second condition?" "We are not permitted to wear long sleeves or T-shirts. We can wear long pants but they must fit tightly. No loose fitting clothes, scarves, or bandannas. We are not allowed to wear hats, wristbands, or gloves. We are not to put down our opponent nor are we to psych them out." "That it?" "Yea pretty much." "Any more rules?" "No!" "Okay so are we going by Battle City or Duelist Kingdom rules?" "Battle City rules except for the one where the loser has to give their rarest card to the winner." "Alright. When will we have this duel?" "Two weeks from today at 4:00." "What if one of us is late?" "The tardy one loses and must write 2,000 times 'I will try to work on my punctuality'." "What if were both late?" "Then the duel will be held the following day at 5:00." "Why the time change?" "So we are less likely to be late." "Alright so where should we place the arena?" "In the Kaiba Corp building." "What!?!?" "You heard me. You have an arena in the Kaiba Corp building and we can use it." "Why that one?" "Because no one can disturb us. All you have to do is tell everyone that if they enter the room during the duel they'll be fired or something like that." "If I do lose then who will control my company while I'm in your service?" "Your brother you idiot." "He is way too young!" "Well that is your only option." "Fine we'll do things your way." Kaiba said as he was suddenly regaining his snotty attitude. "Not wanting to back track or anything but why can't we wear loose fitting clothes and all that other stuff you said?" "Well I am trying to eliminate all obvious methods of cheating." "Okaay." "So we will meet two weeks from today at four." "Right."
Two weeks later at four o'clock Kaiba and Izumi are standing on opposite sides of the arena. Joey and Mokuba are sitting on the sidelines, Joey is looking extremely nervous. "Let's duel!" Kaiba and Izumi said in unison. "I'll go first." Izumi said. "For my first move I'll play Alpha the Magnet Warrior. As well as two cards face down." "Alright then I play 7 Colored Fish in attack mode." "You activate my trap!" "A trap!?" "A Trap Hole to be precise." Kaiba's fish disappeared into a hole and was gone. "Alright so I'll play this face down and end my turn." "You activate my second trap. I activate Destiny Board!" "Destiny Board? What's that?" "Well every time you end your turn I play one Spirit Message from my hand or my deck. Once I have all four Spirit Messages I win automatically." "Is there anything I can do to stop this?" "Nope and now it's my turn." Izumi draws and says, "Perfect. I play Goblin Attack Force and use them to attack your Life Points directly which brings you down to 1700 life points." "Alright then I'll play Dark Hole which destroys all your monsters!" "Fine." "Then I play Dian Keto the Cure Master which brings my Life Points up to 2700." "You done?" "Yes, it's your turn now." "Meaning I can play Spirit Messenger I" "So?" "You only have 3 turns left before your ultimate demise. So now I play one monster face down in defensive mode." "My turn now." Kaiba draws then says, "I play Island Turtle in attack mode to attack your defense monster!" "You idiot." Izumi's monster was Prevent Rat meaning Kaiba loses 900 Life points leaving him with 1800 Life Points while Izumi still has 4000. "I end my turn." "Fine then I play Spirit Messenger N." 'This means I only have 2 turns left' Kaiba thought to himself. "Then I play Dark Bat in defense mode. I also switch my Island Turtle to defense mode and end my turn." "So now I can play Spirit Messenger A." 'So next turn it's all over.' "I end my turn." "I pass my turn." "So now I can play Spirit Messenger L." 'What now.' Kaiba thought silently. "Do you know the message the Destiny Board is giving to you?" "Yes it says 'Final' since this is my last turn." "Meaning I win!!!" So then all of a sudden Katie as well as all of Joey's friends step into the arena then Katie walks up to Kaiba, holding a dog suit, and says, "Put it on, slave!" Kaiba grabs the suit and put it on. "Yes master." "Put on this collar and this leash." "Yes master." Kaiba seems very upset about his loss but he also remembers his promise and he would never break a promise to Izumi.
The following morning, "Can you get me a glass of milk?" "Yes master." "And a doughnut." "Yes master." "As well as a cookie." "Yes master." "Also a bowl of blueberries." "Yes master." "And my journal." "Yes master." "And my clothes, clean and perfectly pressed." "Yes master." "If I find one wrinkle on my clothes I shall have Katie beat you." "Yes master." Kaiba didn't complain or anything. To his great relief, he didn't have to wear the dog suit anymore. Now he is wearing a patched, frayed, and tattered shirt; a pair of raggedy, brown shorts; and an extremely worn out vest. Kaiba did everything he was told to do without complaint. He was almost like a robot. He only addressed Izumi as 'master' he addressed everyone else as 'sir' or 'ma'am'. It was a little creepy when you thought about how Kaiba normally behaved. Later that day Joey stopped by to check on Izumi. It was Kaiba who answered the door, "Greetings sir." "Uh um okay. Can I come in?" "Of course sir." "Stop calling me 'sir'!" Joey really didn't like being called 'sir'. "I am sorry." "Okaay," "Hello Joey." "Hello Izumi. How are you?" "I'm fine. How are you?" "Alright. What on Earth did you do to Kaiba?" "He's my slave remember?" "Oh yea that's right. I'd completely forgotten." "You're silly." "I know." Joey had a habit of agreeing with almost everything Izumi said. Kaiba was walking away when he tripped and knocked over a small flower pot, broke it, and spilled dirt all over the floor. "Master, please forgive me. I shall clean it up." "You are in big trouble." "Am I going to beaten?" "Maybe." "Please master, I shall never do it again. Please have mercy on me. I don't want a beating." Kaiba had already been beaten once. It was kinda weird seeing Kaiba on the ground, begging for mercy. Izumi stared at him blankly. She was completely confused about what to do. On the one hand, if she lets him off the hook then he might try to rebel against her. On the other hand, however, she couldn't stand seeing Kaiba beg like this. Finally she decided, "Clean all this up, and you shall also have no meals for the rest of today." "Yes kind master."
It was one week later, Kaiba was scrubbing the kitchen floor. He looked as though he was the happiest man alive. Izumi was beginning to think Kaiba had lost his mind. She was staring at him as he was cleaning, humming tunelessly. She is starting to fell very guilty for Kaiba's loss of his sanity. He acted as though this was the best day of his life. He seemed as though he was in a different world all his own, completely cut off from reality. It was almost as if his current predicament had changed the way he looked at the world. His life had been turned upside-down by a single defeat. Izumi felt as if she had done something horribly wrong. Kaiba was leaving the kitchen to clean the living room. As he walked past Izumi he said, "Greetings master." "Oh, hello." "Is something the matter?" "Kaiba, what would you do if you did something then afterwards you feel as if you were." "Completely wrong in your decision." "Yes but how did you know?" "That is how I felt after I stole your Blue-eyes." "Oh. Then what should I do?" "Do what you think will make it right." "Thank you." "Oh, and if it's about you feeling guilty about my being your slave then leave things as they are. Do not worry, I am still completely sane. It was before now that I was truly out of my mind." 'Poor thing, he is even worse off than I originally thought.' Izumi thought to herself. Kaiba's words made her feel even more guilty instead of making her feel better, for that was not his intent. Izumi walked into her room, laid down on her bed, and began to cry. Kaiba was standing outside her door, wondering if he was some how to blame. Katie walked up behind him and said, "You wouldn't happen to be eaves dropping, would you?" "I was eaves dropping. I am sorry. What is my punishment?" "We shall let your master decide." "Not to be rude but master is not in a fit state to do so." "Nice try buster." With that Katie opened the door and said, "Izumi, your slave was eaves dropping on you. What do you think is a fitting punishment for such filth as he?" "Stop trying to be dramatic." "Okay then. What do you want me to say?" "Katie stop." "Are you okay?" "Just set him free." "Could you repeat that?" "Set him free from my enslavement forever." "Master, please allow me to stay." "No. Listen to me, you are losing your mind. Believe me this is for the best." "Please master, I am begging you to let me stay. I beg of you to let me stay. If you set me free then where would I go?" "You poor, little thing. You are much worse than originally thought. You are not sane, you need help." "Master I assure you that I am completely sane. I am fine. I am not crazy and that I do not need help." Izumi burst into tears. She felt as if her whole world had come crashing down around her because of one little mistake. She was nothing more that a lost, and forlorn child in a great, big world.
She spent the next few days in her room. She rarely ever left. She did not eat or sleep, she merely cried. Kaiba felt as if his presence was the cause. But he was not sure since she would not speak to anyone. 'She is losing her mind.' Kaiba thought. He tried his hardest to cheer her up but nothing worked. Joey kept calling her but she never answered. One day he decided to come over to see if she was okay but he ever expected anything like what happened next. He walked in and saw Katie sitting at the table saying, "Izumi please eat something." Izumi did not respond, she merely stared at the floor. "Izumi I'm begging you to eat. Please? For me? For Joey? For Kaiba?" Then, slowly, she picked up a piece if food and ate it. "Hi Izumi. Are you feeling okay?" Izumi didn't answer, she was still lost in her own head. Joey walked over and put his hand on her shoulder, but she didn't even look up. Joey bent down and kissed her softly. Then, slowly, she looked up and stared deeply into his eyes. She moved forward till her nose touched his and said, "I love you." And he said, "I love you too." Then he moved his head ever so slightly and their lips met in a never-ending kiss.
The following morning, Joey woke up in Katie and Izumi's guest room. Izumi was beside him, fast asleep. He bent down and kissed her then whispered, "Hey Izumi it's time to get up." "Uh, um. What time is it?" "Almost noon. If your still tiered you can go back to sleep." "No, I'm fine." "What was the matter with you yesterday?" "Nothing." "Are you sure?" "It's nothing, really." "You positive?" "I'm completely fine." "Do you want rest some more, or do you want to get something to eat?" "I think I'll rest awhile." "Are you sure you're alright?" "Why do you keep asking me that?" "You were acting very strange yesterday." When he said that, Izumi just burst into tears and told Joey everything. After an hour she finally finished. She was still crying out of sheer misery. "Oh Izumi I never knew. I shouldn't have asked. I feel awful for upsetting you this badly." Izumi stopped crying but she was hiccupping quite a bit now. "No-hic- it's not your-hic-fault. I-hic-am just-hic-very- hic-sensitive-hic." "No Izumi, I should never upset you like this. I am very, truly sorry." "It's not your-hic-fault-hic." "Master?" "Kaiba please do as I had requested and just leave." "Master if I leave then where would I go?" "You poor-hic-thing, you have-hic-completely lost your-hic-grip on- hic-reality-hic." "I have not lost my grip on reality. I am still completely sane." "Then say something the-hic-Kaiba I know would-hic-say." "Okay um, uh, let me think." Kaiba was having a very hard time thinking of something, and Izumi wasn't helping any. She was giving him this dark, piercing look that was quite unlike her. It was sad, his eyes were darting around looking for some means of escape. "Okay you win. I'll leave." Then Izumi realized how sorry she felt for him. Then she said, "Kaiba, wait a minute." "Yes master?" "I just thought that maybe I should let you stay." "Oh thank you master thank you." Then he bowed and said in an extremely cheerful tone, "What do you wish me to do master?" "Could you get me something to eat?" "Yes master." Kaiba bowed once again and left. He soon returned with a tray of food, enough for Joey and Izumi. He set down the tray, bowed, and left. "Wow, does he always treat you like this." "Uh huh." Izumi was still wondering if she had done the right thing. "Are you okay? You seem a little upset." "I was only wondering if I had done the right thing. You know about letting him stay." "He was probably only acting. If Kaiba makes a promise then he keeps it. Just don't sweat it. It'll all be alright in the end." "I guess you're right."
After breakfast, Izumi went back to sleep. She hadn't slept in days so she was very tired and needed the rest. Joey, on the other hand, just sat and watched over her. He wanted to make sure she was alright. Suddenly, Izumi woke with a start, "Are you alright?" "I'm okay. It was just a bad dream." "Maybe you should see a doctor." "No, I'm fine." "Are you sure you don't need to see a doctor?" "I'm okay. It was just a bad dream. I'll be fine." "Okay." "I'm going back to sleep now." Izumi laid back down and went to sleep.
Izumi's sleep was not a peaceful one. She was tormented by horrible nightmares. She was wearing a brown dress that was very patched and frayed. She had shackles on her ankles, and was kneeling before a figure that was shrouded in shadows. "Please master, may I just have some water, please?" "Quiet slave!" Came a loud voice that filled the chilling darkness. "Please I beg of you, just a little water is all I ask." "Silence! Now remove yourself from my sight!" With that, two guards, dressed in royal blue suits, came and dragged her away, while that sinister figure laughed an evil, bone chilling laugh.
"Izumi wake up." Izumi sat bolt upright, she was still safe in her bed. "That is it. I am taking you to see a doctor right away." "Joey I'm telling you, I'm fine!" "No your not. You need help. I am taking you to the doctors A.S.A.P."
As soon as Izumi was dressed, Joey took her strait to see Dr. Stephen, a psychiatrist that specialized in dream interpretation. When they arrived, Dr. Stephen could tell almost instantly what was wrong. Izumi told him everything. When she finished, she felt much better. "So what on Earth is wrong with me?" "It is really nothing. You just regret a decision and have failed to act upon it is all." "So, I'm not crazy?" "No, you just need to sort out your emotions and then address the problem sensibly." "I'm just relieved that I'm not losing my mind." "Yes, and I'm sure your friend will be quite relieved as well." "He isn't my just my friend, he's my boyfriend."
The following day, Joey and Izumi were out for awhile. Kaiba, on the other hand, was trapped at Izumi's house with Katie, who he thinks is some sort of evil demon in disguise that was out to make his life miserable. "Get me more chips slave!" "Yes ma'am." "Just out of curiosity, why do you only call Izumi 'master' and everybody else, except Joey, 'sir' or 'ma'am'?" "Because Izumi gave me strict instructions to do so." "What ever, just get me more chips like I told you!" "Yes ma'am." "And get me a soda too!" "Yes ma'am." When Izumi and Joey returned, every thing was a mess. "Kaiba, get in here!" Izumi shouted. "Yes master." Kaiba said timidly. "Why is this place such a mess!?" "Katie would not allow me to carry out my cleaning duties for forcing me to do stuff for her." "You are to no longer obey Katie's orders." "Yes master. I shall do as you command." "Good then I command you to take the rest of the day off." "Really master?" "Yes, Katie can clean the house since this is all her fault." "Thank you master, thank you." "It is nothing."
Katie spent the afternoon cleaning. Kaiba spent the rest of the day sleeping. Izumi went back to bed, while Joey watched her very carefully. Izumi had conveniently forgotten to tell Joey about what Dr. Stephen had said. Anyway, she was enjoying the extra attention. Joey did any thing she asked of him. He thought she was losing her mind and was doing all he could to keep her happy. Izumi was well aware of this. She felt completely helpless. Joey felt powerless. He was sure she had lost her mind. He just sat and stared at her as she lay there, sleeping. She was no longer having nightmares. She was dreaming that she was a bird, soaring high over the tree tops, touching the leaves as she floated by. She felt weightless as she soared over the ocean, skimming her hand over the water, feeling the sea spray upon her face. She was truly happy.
Izumi slept till the next morning. When she woke up she saw Joey sitting in the rocking chair in her room, fast asleep. 'Oh, poor little Joey. He stayed up all night because he was worried about me.' Then she remembered that she had forgotten to tell Joey about what Dr. Stephen had said. Then she felt an extreme surge of guilt, followed by a great swell of pity. She felt sorry for Joey, staying up all night just because he was a little worried. Suddenly, Joey woke with a start and said, "Oh no! I must have dozed off!" Then he saw Izumi sitting up and staring at him. "Oh Izumi, did I wake you up? Are you okay? Did you have another nightmare? I should never have gone to sleep." "Uh Joey?" "I'm such an idiot!" "Joey?" "I can't believe this!" "Joey?" "I mean what if something had happened to you?" "JOEY!" "Yes?" "I'm okay. I didn't have a nightmare, you didn't wake me up, and I'm completely fine." Then she told him about what Dr. Stephen had said. When she finished Joey just stared blankly at her. He could not believe his ears. Izumi stared right back, looking ever deeper into his eyes and said, "I know you may not believe me but it's true. If you still think I'm crazy then that's okay, I don't mind. I just, I just." Then she burst into tears. Joey simply wrapped his arms around her and said, "There, there, it's alright, I believe you." Then she whispered, "Really?" "Really." Then she kissed him softly on his cheek and said, "Now why don't you just rest and don't worry about me okay." "Okay." So Izumi laid down and went to sleep. Joey was still a little worried. He just wanted to be absolutely sure she was fine.
One week later, Joey and Izumi were at the movies. Izumi had left Kaiba with a list of everything she wanted done. Katie was mad that she couldn't boss him around anymore. She just sat in her room, pouting. "Katie, where is the mop at?" "Go look for it yourself." "But." "I said, GO LOOK FOR IT YOURSELF!!!" "Yes ma'am." Kaiba ran out of the room as fast as he could. He had nearly jumped out of his skin. He had never heard Katie yell like that. He decided it was best just to leave her alone for awhile. So he left and continued his cleaning. Joey and Izumi arrived home about an hour later. Joey wasn't entirely sure what Izumi had told him Dr. Stephen had said. He was continuously asking her if she was okay, if she wanted to lie down, or if she wanted anything. It didn't bother Izumi at all. She didn't mind Joey babying her. Actually, she wasn't even sure if she truly loved Joey, she felt confused and unsure of herself. If se didn't love Joey then who did she love?
It was the following morning, Izumi had finally plucked up the courage to tell Joey about how she felt. "Uh Joey?" "Yes?" "Can I talk to you for a minuet?" "Sure." "Joey, I don't love you anymore." "What!?" "I just feel as if maybe we just weren't meant to be together." "Izumi?" Izumi burst into tears, "It's just I don't feel that you're right for me." "Oh Izumi if that's the way you feel then I won't stand in your way." "What?" "I care more for your happiness then your love for me." "Oh." "Who do you love?" "Kaiba." "What did you say?" "I love Kaiba." Joey was shocked. Of all the people he had expected, Kaiba was last on his list. "Joey is something wrong?" "No, no that just surprised me."
In the weeks that followed, Izumi and Kaiba grew closer together. They spent every possible moment together. It was as if they were made for each other. One day, Joey came over to see how they were doing. Izumi never seemed happier. Kaiba was acting funny. He seemed almost like a different person, especially the way he laughed, he had abandoned his evil cackle and had adopted a cheerful, almost child- like, laugh, similar to Izumi's childish giggle. He seemed almost as if he was a child. He loved Izumi with all his heart and soul, nothing could separate them.
Months passed and soon it was October. Izumi and Katie were going to move to Salem, and Kaiba was going with them. Kaiba was dressed in very oddly, well for him anyway. He was wearing some black overalls, an orange T-shirt, and some tennis shoes. Joey, Yugi, Tristan, and Tea had all come to say good-bye. "Hey Izumi." "Yes Joey?" "You will come back to see me won't you?" "I promise I'll come back and see all yall this summer." "Yall?" "I was born in Tennessee. What'd you expect?" "I never knew that." "I did." Kaiba said proudly. He loved the fact that he knew every last one of Izumi's secrets, right down to her love of her blue pajamas with the strawberries and pink rabbits on them.
They arrived at their new house in Salem. It was fairly large. It was painted white with blue shudders. They went inside and began to unpack. Kaiba had his company moved to down- town Salem. They lived on the outskirts of town. It was autumn, and the leaves were orange, and scarlet, and gold. It was a beautiful sight. Mokuba arrived 30 minuets later. He looked at the house mumbling, "Why on Earth did we move here?"
Years passed, and Kaiba and Izumi's bond grew stronger. They were married and had a son, Tyrone. It was Halloween and Izumi had promised Tyrone that she would take him trick-or- treating, "Can I be a vampire?" "No." "How about a mummy?" "No." "A skeleton?" "No." "Frankenstein?" "Definite no." "Why?" "They don't sell any of those in your size." "What do they have?" "Bunnies, dogs, clowns, dinosaurs, ghosts." "I wanna be a ghost!" "Okay." Tyrone was a three-year- old boy who looked like his father, except his eyes, they were large, round, and misty silver, just like his mothers. Joey, on the other hand, had just moved there with his wife, Mai. They also had a three-year-old named Dudley who looked like his father in every way, right down the shade of blonde his hair was, but he was ten times smarter. Joey had also promised to take his son trick-or-treating, "Can I be a vampire?" "No." "How about a mummy?" "No." "A skeleton?" "No." "Frankenstein?" "No." "Why?" "They don't sell any of them in your size." "What do they have?" "Bunnies, dinosaurs, pumpkins, dogs" "I wanna be a dog!" "Fine." Joey was exhausted. He was thinking of where He and Dudley should have lunch when he ran smack into no one other than Izumi. "Oh I'm so sorry." Joey stammered. "It's okay. Joey is that you!?" "Izumi!?" "What are you doing here?" "I moved here last week." "Mommy do you know him?" "Well we were friends in high school." "Izumi now you know that's a lie. I used to date her in high school." "You two used to be boyfriend and girlfriend!" Dudley and Tyrone said in unison. They may only be three but they know enough to figure out what Joey meant when he said the word 'date'. "Yea we did." Izumi said in a quiet voice. "How come you never got married?" "Well you see it just didn't work out between us so we." Joey was having trouble finding the right word. "Broke up?" Dudley said, trying to help. "Yea I guess you could say that." "Well Joey it was nice seeing you again." "Yea well bye." "Bye."
It was Halloween night, and everyone was having a good time. Tea, Yugi, and their daughter, Renee had come by just to see Joey, Mai, Kaiba and Izumi again. Serenity and Duke were in town for awhile too. They also had a daughter, her name was Kalie. She loved her cousin Dudley and was always hanging around him. Dudley didn't like Kalie very much, and for good reason, she was the biggest tattle tale in the history of the universe. Even if he did something minor, like run around outside with no shoes on, Kalie would run inside screaming, "Auntie Mai! Uncle Joey! Dudley did something bad!" This drove Dudley up the wall. He tried his best not to do anything that Kalie would call 'bad', but he couldn't help himself sometimes. Cutting up was in just his nature. Kalie was going to be a witch, Dudley was going to be a dog, Renee was going to be a cat, and Tyrone was going to be a ghost. Everybody met at Izumi's house. All of them were excited, except for Dudley that is. Kalie was fussing about his hair. Both Dudley and Joey had a pony tail, that of which Kalie didn't approve. "You really should cut it." "No! I like my hair this way." "But you would look so much nicer if it was shorter." "Auntie Serenity! Tell Kalie to leave me alone!" "Kalie, leave your cousin alone. You know he doesn't like you to bother him." "But." "No 'buts'" "But." "You heard me Kalie." "But." "For someone who is always tattling you sure are disobedient." "Sorry mommy." "It's okay Kalie."
They were out and even the adults had costumes, Izumi was a Renaissance Witch, Serenity was a vanpiress, Mai was a G.I. Jane, Joey was prisoner, Kaiba was a pirate, Duke was a wizard, and Yugi and Tea were both Indians. They had only just started out and they already had TONS of candy. They decided to head back and set down those heavy bags. Kaiba and the other guys were at home, they had candy duty. Well all of them except Joey who went with the women and children. On the way home Joey and Izumi lagged behind, talking. "I'm sorry about what I did to you." "It's okay Izumi. You and I just weren't meant to be together." But inside, Joey didn't mean what he said. Even though he had married Mai, his heart was still with Izumi.
The following night, Tyrone was at Dudley's house, spending the night. Kaiba and Izumi were all alone. "Tyrone's out, so now it's just you and me." He wraps his arm around her waist and starts to kiss her neck. "Stop it! Stop it you!" Izumi said through her giggles. She loved it when he did that. "What's wrong?" He always asked her that. "Nothing."
The following morning, Kaiba was headed to work. As he walked out the door Izumi said, "Didn't you forget something?" Then he turns around and kisses her softly on the lips. "Bye Baby." "Bye Izumi, I'll see you when I get home." "Bye bye daddy." "Bye Tyrone, I'll see you this afternoon." So he hopped in his car and drove off.
It was thirteen years later. Tyrone was 16. He had fallen head over heels in love with Kalie, Dudley's cousin, who was now 15. When Dudley asked why, Tyrone said that he loved younger women. Dudley said he had awful taste. Kalie seemed to take no notice of Tyrone's attempts at getting her to date him, in fact, she didn't even acknowledge his existence. Tyrone knew this but kept on trying, but to no avail. Finally, he asked Dudley to help him, "Kalie only likes well behaved men." "Then I'm hopeless." "What do you mean?" "I'm in detention almost every other day! I spend half my time talking in class and the other half mouthing off to the teachers!" "Maybe I can help you out." "You could?" "Sure! That's what friends are for!" "Thank you! Thank you so much! How can I ever repay you?" "Be my slave for a week starting Monday." "Deal." 'Sucker' Dudley thought to himself.
That week was torture for Tyrone. Tyrone said that if he made it through the week alive, he would never misbehave again. He made it through and he, in Tyrone's opinion, narrowly escaped death. He never misbehaved in class again. Kalie took notice of this and asked if he wanted to go to the movies with her on Saturday. "Kalie, I'm sorry but I have a report due and I need to finish it." "How about next Saturday?" "I'll see about it." Kalie decided to work her charm over on him. "Tyrone, did anyone ever tell you that you have the most handsome eyes of any man I've ever seen?" She said in a dreamy voice. "No." "Did anyone ever tell you that you have the softest, most beautiful hair of any man I've ever met?" "No." Tyrone was starting to feel a little nervous. Then, Kalie leaned forward and kissed him softly on the lips and said, "I love you." "And I love you from the very bottom of my soul." "Well, well, well lookie here." Brian, Bakura's son and the biggest bully in school, walked up and said, "Two little love birds and their all alone." "Go away Brian!" Kalie shouted. She hated Brian with every fiber of her being.
"Oh Tyrone what on Earth happened to you?" "Brian beat me up." Tyrone had a black eye, a few small cuts, and several bruises. "Oh no you poor baby! I'm calling the doctor!" "Mom, I'm fine!" "No you're not! You look awful! Go lie down and rest." "I'm fine mom, honest." "I'm going to call the doctor." "Mom I'm okay. It's just a couple of bruises, I'll be okay." Izumi holds up a mirror and says, "You call that a couple of bruises. I don't." "Maybe I should see a doctor." Kaiba walks in and says, "I'm hom. Tyrone what happened to you!" "Brian beat me up." "Oh boy." "And to make things worse, he beat me up in front of my girlfriend." "You poor baby. I'm going to call the doctor."
Tyrone came to school the next day covered in band-aids. Dudley walked up to him and asked, "What happened to your face?" "Well you see, Brian pounded me right in front of Kalie." "What did your mom say?" "She kept saying 'poor baby' and 'I should call the doctor'." "Well I guess she should have, judging by your face." "And that's not all, I have bruises on my back, my arms, need I continue?" "No." then Kalie walked up, took one look at Tyrone's face and said, "Oh you poor little baby! Does it hurt much?" "More than you could ever imagine." "Tyrone I need to tell you something." "What?" "The reason Brian came after you is that he is my ex-boyfriend. Even though we aren't going out anymore he is still very protective over me. I'm sorry I put you in danger!" "It's okay Kalie, it's okay!" "No it's not! If Brian hurt you this badly then I don't dare imagine what he will do to you next!" "I'll be okay!" Then Tyrone sits down at his desk and starts rummaging around in his backpack for a pencil. He finds a note, written in what looked like Brian's handwriting:
Tyrone!
Stay away from my girl! If I catch you near her again, I will kill you!
Signed,
Brian
"Tyrone what do you mean!" "Brian put this note in my desk." "That's it, I'm calling the police!" "Mom, I'll be okay." "This is more than some school prank, this is serious! I don't want to risk my baby being hurt!" Izumi burst into tears, she didn't want Tyrone hurt, after all, he was her whole world. When he was little, she called him her little sunshine, and she wasn't about to lose him now. Then Kaiba walked in the door, took one look at Izumi's face and said, "What happened here?" Izumi handed him the note. "I'm calling the cops." "Dad I'll be fine." But inside Tyrone was very nervous. Later that evening, after convincing his parents that it would be okay, he went up to his room, and wrote a letter to his parents. He set it on his pillow, packed some food, water, and some clothes in a small satchel, took one last look around, and left.
A loud scream echoed through the streets of Salem that morning. "Izumi what is it?" "Tyrone ran away." Izumi said through her sobs. "What do you mean?" Izumi handed him the note.
Mom, Dad,
I'm sorry, but I can't stay here anymore. I'd be putting you in danger. Mom, I lied about what I said, I'm frightened, not for me, but for you and dad. I'm going to leave you now and could you do me a favor? Could you tell Kalie that I love her and that I'm sorry for leaving her.
Love,
Tyrone
"Tyrone." Was the single, whispered word that escaped Kalie's lips when she heard. She loved him more than anyone, or anything in the universe. He meant the whole world to her. Brian comes walking down the sidewalk. He sees Kalie sitting on a bench, crying, then asks, "What's wrong baby?" "None of your business! And don't call me baby!" "Oh touchy touchy." "If you must know, Tyrone ran away." "He abandoned you, left you alone." "No he didn't! He'll be back for me!" "No he won't, he isn't loyal to you. Not like me, I love you with every fiber of my being." He kissed her softly and said, "See you later."
Meanwhile, Tyrone was out in the woods somewhere. He was curled up against a tree, shivering. He didn't bring a jacket, he had only packed a T-shirt and jeans. He was freezing to death. "I wish I had my jacket." He said to himself, "Maybe I should go back, no, I can never go back, I'd be putting everyone in danger!" Then he pulled out an apple and started to eat it, wondering if he would ever see his family again.
Several days passed with no sign of Tyrone anywhere. One day, one of the people in charge of the search for Tyrone showed up at Izumi's house. "Have you found him?" Izumi asked hopefully. "No not yet." "Oh." Izumi said, her hopes fell, "He's not dead, is he?" "We don't know but we have a lead on where he may be." Izumi's hope soared, "I hope my baby is okay."
The following morning one of the people on the rescue team found Tyrone, curled up against a tree, half frozen, "Hey I found him!" "Tyrone looked up, grabbed his stuff, and took off. "Hey come back here!" And the man took off after Tyrone. "Gotcha!" The man grabbed Tyrone. "Let me go." Tyrone said weakly, he didn't even have the strength to fight back.
"Oh Tyrone you're alive!" "Hi mom." He said quietly. He was extremely weak, he could barely move now, trying to run had drained what had remained of his strength. "Where is Kalie?" He whispered, trying to sit up. All the color drained from Tyrone's face. "I'll call her." Izumi said and went to tell Kalie.
Kalie arrived five minuets later, she had tears streaming down her face, "Tyrone, you're alive!" She bent over and kissed him softly on the lips. She spent the next few weeks nursing Tyrone back to health. She spent days sitting by his bedside taking care of him and making sure he was okay. Brian went to jail for the note he slipped into Tyrone's desk. Tyrone was back to normal, well almost. He was extremely skinny, and very pale still. As for him and Kalie, they became closer than ever before.
Four years passed, and soon Tyrone and Kalie were married, Brian ended up a drunk who wandered around asking people for money to buy beer, and Dudley married Renee. Joey finally told Mai about his feelings for Izumi, she slapped him and called him a cheater. Izumi remained with Kaiba, and Serenity and Duke remained a couple. Bakura and his wife, Sandy, parted and went their separate ways. The cycle continues.
While this was going on, Kaiba was hiding in an alley nearby trying to hear what they were saying. "He did?!?" "Yea he did. I still remember that day."
*Flashback*
Katie and Izumi were hanging out in the front yard of their house when Kaiba walked up and said, "Hi Izumi." "Oh hi Seto." Izumi ran over to hug him but when she gut close, Kaiba punched her in the stomach. Izumi collapsed two the ground in pain, "Kaiba! Why did you do that!? She loved you, she trusted you and this is how you repay her!?" "Look I don't care about her I just wanted her Blue-Eyes White Dragon." "You creep!!!" Izumi's hand came out of nowhere and slapped Kaiba hard in the face. Kaiba fell too his knees, "Oh so that's how you want to play? Alright." There was a great cloud of dust obscuring the battle. When the dust cleared, Kaiba stood there holding two Blue-Eyes. Katie and Izumi were on the ground, unconscious. Kaiba knelt down and said, "Good bye, my beloved." Then he kissed her softly on the cheek and left. Leaving behind a broken heart and his one chance at true happiness.
*End Flashback*
"You mean to tell me that you and Kaiba were lovers?" "Yes but he broke my heart that day." "You two should make up and start going out again." "Joey, I didn't think it possible, but you just got stupider." "What do you mean by that?" "Why would she go out with a guy who whacked her over the head and stole her rarest card?" "I don't know why." "Hey you know you're kinda cute." "Izumi, why are you looking at me like that?" "Maybe I like you." Izumi grabbed Joey's arm and Joey said, "Tristan, a little help here." "Sorry man you're on your own on this one." "Why don't we go over to my house and hang out for a bit?" "I really don't." "Come on let's go." And with that Izumi took off down the street, dragging Joey behind her. "Uh Katie what exactly did she mean when she said 'hang out' ?" "Probably she meant that they were going to sit and watch all her favorite movies. What did you think she meant?" "Nothing." "What do you mean by no-oh I see what you mean. You're a nasty-minded little brat aren't you." "I am not a, OUCH!!!" Katie had hit Tristan in the head, "You are an incompetent, snot- nosed, brat." "I am not." "Are to." "Are not."
While this was going on Joey was stuck with Izumi watching Titanic for the next 3 hours and 14 minutes.
* 3 hours and 14 minutes later*
Izumi is laying on Joey, fast asleep. Joey is wondering when she will wake up and let go of his arm (She was holding on to him for the entire movie. Now his arm is VERY numb). 'I hope she wakes up soon, because I can't feel my arm anymore.' Joey thought to himself. He didn't want to wake her up and, possibly, upset her. 'I didn't know someone so tiny could be so strong,' Joey thought as he remembered being dragged here, literally, and Izumi was very small for her age. Joey was twice as tall as she was even though they were the same age (16). Izumi woke with a start, "How long was I asleep?" "About an hour and a half. Can you let go of me, please? I can't feel my arm anymore." "Oh I'm sorry." Izumi let go of his arm, curled up into a little ball, and started to cry. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you." Joey said guiltily, he really tried not to hurt her feelings. "I'm s-sorry." "Sorry for what Izumi? You didn't do anything." "But I hurt you." "No you didn't hurt me. Come here, you'll be alright." He reached over and hugged her. He just sat there comforting her, "You probably hate me now don't you Joey?" "No I don't hate you. You didn't do anything wrong." At this Izumi began to sob even louder. "Izumi I didn't mean it. I'm sorry." "You hate me!" She was really upset now. "Izumi I am so sorry for upsetting you this badly. If it will make you feel any better I'll take you out to dinner tonight." Izumi stopped sobbing and said, "Really?" "Sure I mean it. I'll meet you tonight at eight, okay?" "Alright."
Meanwhile, Tristan, Tea, and Yugi were at the Mutoh's game shop talking about Joey's current predicament, "So where is Joey now?" "At Izumi's house." "I say we go look for him." "Yugi we don't even know where to start." "I guess your right Tea." "We could just wait a while until he shows up." "You are the stupidest person I have ever met Tristan." "What did I do?" "If Joey was brought to her house against his will he may not know how to get back." "I guess your right." "So what do we do?" "We go and find him."
Kaiba was at home thinking about what he had done to Izumi and Katie and about how sorry he was. 'What on Earth made me do such a horrible thing to them?' He thought to himself, 'Maybe I was just so jealous that they had so many rare and powerful cards that it blinded my judgment. For that I paid a terrible price, losing my one true love.' Kaiba was starting to feel very guilty for what he had done. He had let his jealousy cloud his judgment and in doing so he lost his one true love. 'Was it the cards I wanted or her love? Maybe what Tea said at Duelist Kingdom was true. Maybe I have forgotten what being human is about.' At this point Mokuba walks in. He sees his brother sitting there sulking. Mokuba walked up to him and asked, "What's the matter Seto?" Kaiba didn't respond he just sat there continuing to stare into space. "Are you okay?" Kaiba still wouldn't respond. "Seto if you don't say something I'll call a psychiatrist and see if they can figure out what's wrong with you." Kaiba still just sat there, lost in thought.
Twenty minuets later, Kaiba and Mokuba are sitting in the waiting room at the psychiatrist's office. Kaiba didn't say a word the entire time, he didn't even object to Mokuba bringing him here. A few moments later, Kaiba was sitting in the psychiatrist's office confessing every thing he had done and about how sorry he was. When he finished instead of feeling better he felt worse than before, much worse. The psychiatrist, Dr. Phillips, gave him some suggestions on how to deal with the situation, each one sounding less likely than the one before. "Are you okay Seto?" Mokuba said as they left Dr. Phillips office. "No, I really don't feel well. Maybe I should go home and lie down." "Okay. What on Earth was wrong with you earlier?" Kaiba told the story of what happened and how he felt about what he did. When Kaiba finished Mokuba just stood there with his mouth hanging open, when Mokuba finally spoke it was in a high, unnatural voice, "What possessed you to do that?" "I don't know. What I do know is that if I don't lie down soon I'm going to pass out." "Maybe you should see a doctor." "No, I'm okay. I just feel a little light-headed is all."
That night at 7:59 Joey arrived at Izumi's house wearing a blue short-sleeved dress shirt, khaki pants, and black dress shoes. Joey went very out of his way to be absolutely sure she had a good time. He knocked on the door, it was Katie who answered the door, " Come in Joey. Izumi is still getting ready." "Oh, I'll wait." Izumi was still fussing about her hair. She couldn't get it to lie down exactly the way she wanted. She was wearing a black skirt that was about four inches above her knees, a lilac short sleeve blouse, a black vest, a pair of lilac socks that came to her knees, and a pair of boots that came about 2 1/2 inches above her ankles. After one or two more minuets she was finally satisfied with how she looked. Katie comes in and says in a slightly taunting way, "Your boyfriend is here. Bet you a dollar he's going to try and kiss you." "Stop teasing me Katie." "You are such a spoil sport. I bet he's going to ask you to marry him." Katie said while trying not to laugh. "Stop it Katie! You really need to stop picking on me because all this is going to come back to haunt you." "Yea, and pigs can fly. You'd better hurry up, you don't want to keep your boyfriend waiting."
A little while later Joey and Izumi are sitting in a small Italian restaurant down town. While outside Tristan, Tea, and Yugi are walking by, having given up on their search for Joey. Tristan glanced over into the window and saw Joey sitting there with Izumi and looking as though he was having the time of his life. Tristan tapped Yugi and Tea on their shoulders and said, "I think I found Joey." "You did? Where is he?" "Look in there." Tristan pointed toward the restraunt window where Joey could be seen talking cheerfully to Izumi, who was hanging on to his every word. "Who is that girl he's with?" "That's Izumi. She really gives me the creeps." "I can't see how." Yugi said in a dreamy sort of voice, then all of a sudden, "OUCH!!! Tea why did you hit me?" "You were drooling over Joey's girlfriend." (Tea and Yugi have been going out together for some time now.) "Guys stop fighting."
While all this was going on, Kaiba was at home, sleeping. Though he was being tormented with horrible nightmares. He dreamt he was running with a loud roar being issued by a creature that was shrouded in shadows. All that could be seen of the creature were its glowing, yellow eyes. As he ran he heard someone sobbing softly in the distance. He ran in the direction of the cries, with the creature following closely behind. What he found was a small girl with large, silver eyes; soft, black hair; and fair skin. It was Izumi! He whispered to her, "What happened to you? Are you alright?" "I'm lost. Will you help me find my mommy?" Kaiba then realized that this was Izumi when she was little. She was curled up on the ground, lost and alone. But then the creature emerged from the shadows, but he only saw a flash of dripping fangs before both Izumi and himself were swallowed whole.
The following morning, Mokuba went to check on his older brother. When he entered his brother's bedroom he was shocked at what he saw. Kaiba was curled up in a corner, wide-eyed and shaking in fear. "Seto, what's wrong?" Kaiba didn't answer, it was like he was lost in his own mind. "What on Earth is wrong with him?" Mokuba immediately went down stairs to call Dr. Phillips to see what was wrong with his brother.
A few moments later, Kaiba was being taken away in a strait jacket, still shaking in terror. Poor Kaiba had been so terrified by what had happened to him that it had driven him to insanity. Mokuba was begging Dr. Phillips not to do this but he wouldn't listen. Later we see Kaiba curled up in the corner of a small, white room with padded walls, still wide-eyed and shaking. He would not talk to anyone nor respond to anything. That is till someone got the 'bright' idea to play a recording of a lion's roar. Kaiba was almost paralyzed in fear. Then he started to try and find some means of escape. They opened the door and Kaiba sped out and ran right into the opposite wall. He fell backwards, completely knocked out.
A couple of hours later, Kaiba woke up with no idea where he was, let alone, how he got there. Then for some reason he began replaying his nightmare in his head, and was soon shaking in fear again. Dr. Phillips decided that maybe all Kaiba needed was some time to recover from his traumatizing experience. He talked to Mokuba and said that maybe Kaiba should just stay at home and rest for awhile. Mokuba agreed, anything that didn't involve locking him up was okay.
While all of this was going on, Joey and Izumi were jogging in the park together. They ran into Tea who was out for a walk to clear her head after having a huge fight with Yugi. "Hey Joey!" "Hi Tea!" Izumi looked as thought she was going to cry again. Joey felt very guilty because he didn't want to upset her. Tea ran up to them and noticed Joey's guilty look, and Izumi's tearful face, "Joey what is the matter with you?" "Nothing." "Joey do you love me?" Izumi said timidly. "Of course I do Izumi. Nothing on earth could change that." "Joey what is going on." "You're his girlfriend aren't you?" "No! His best friend is my boyfriend." "You mean the ugly guy with the brown hair." "No. Tristan's not my boyfriend." "Oh, okay." "So Joey who is this?" "She's my girlfriend. Her name is Izumi. Izumi this is my friend Tea." "Hi!" Izumi said in her usual, cheerful tone of voice. She felt much better knowing that Joey wasn't cheating on her. So they spent the rest of the afternoon walking through the park just talking about whatever came up.
A few weeks later, Kaiba was back at school. He was still a little upset about his dream but nowhere near as bad as it was at first. He was constantly looking over his shoulder as though the monster from his dream was suddenly going to appear and devour him. He tried his very best not to think about it, but he just couldn't. Half of him really didn't want to think about it yet the other half wanted to think about it at find out its meaning. As he walked down the hall he was constantly looking for Izumi. He had decided that the only way to end this torture was to apologize to her. Then he saw Izumi walking down the hall with Joey and all his friends. Kaiba walked up to her and said, "Izumi could I talk to you alone for a moment?" "Okay." So they found an empty classroom and Izumi asked, "What did you want to talk to me about?" Kaiba fell to his knees and said, "Izumi please forgive me for all the horrible things I've put you through." "Pardon?" "Please forgive me for being such a jerk and putting you through all that horrible stuff for my own selfish reasons." "What are you babbling about?" "I'm sorry for stealing your Blue-Eyes White Dragon." "Okaay." "Can you forgive me?" "On one condition." "What is it?" "You have to duel me and if I win you have to be my slave for a year to earn my forgiveness." "What if I win?" "I let you off the hook without a hitch." "Fine." "Okay but I have two more conditions." "What are they?" "First, the match must be held in an arena that is located where there may be no spectators except for one person per each of us of our own choosing and they are not allowed to speak or make any sound. They are not allowed to cheer or clap or give either of us advice of any kind. They are not allowed to put down their selectors opponent. They are only to sit silently and watch. They are, however, permitted to speak if they see either duelist cheating in any way. The cheater must then forfeit the match to their opponent." "And the second condition?" "We are not permitted to wear long sleeves or T-shirts. We can wear long pants but they must fit tightly. No loose fitting clothes, scarves, or bandannas. We are not allowed to wear hats, wristbands, or gloves. We are not to put down our opponent nor are we to psych them out." "That it?" "Yea pretty much." "Any more rules?" "No!" "Okay so are we going by Battle City or Duelist Kingdom rules?" "Battle City rules except for the one where the loser has to give their rarest card to the winner." "Alright. When will we have this duel?" "Two weeks from today at 4:00." "What if one of us is late?" "The tardy one loses and must write 2,000 times 'I will try to work on my punctuality'." "What if were both late?" "Then the duel will be held the following day at 5:00." "Why the time change?" "So we are less likely to be late." "Alright so where should we place the arena?" "In the Kaiba Corp building." "What!?!?" "You heard me. You have an arena in the Kaiba Corp building and we can use it." "Why that one?" "Because no one can disturb us. All you have to do is tell everyone that if they enter the room during the duel they'll be fired or something like that." "If I do lose then who will control my company while I'm in your service?" "Your brother you idiot." "He is way too young!" "Well that is your only option." "Fine we'll do things your way." Kaiba said as he was suddenly regaining his snotty attitude. "Not wanting to back track or anything but why can't we wear loose fitting clothes and all that other stuff you said?" "Well I am trying to eliminate all obvious methods of cheating." "Okaay." "So we will meet two weeks from today at four." "Right."
Two weeks later at four o'clock Kaiba and Izumi are standing on opposite sides of the arena. Joey and Mokuba are sitting on the sidelines, Joey is looking extremely nervous. "Let's duel!" Kaiba and Izumi said in unison. "I'll go first." Izumi said. "For my first move I'll play Alpha the Magnet Warrior. As well as two cards face down." "Alright then I play 7 Colored Fish in attack mode." "You activate my trap!" "A trap!?" "A Trap Hole to be precise." Kaiba's fish disappeared into a hole and was gone. "Alright so I'll play this face down and end my turn." "You activate my second trap. I activate Destiny Board!" "Destiny Board? What's that?" "Well every time you end your turn I play one Spirit Message from my hand or my deck. Once I have all four Spirit Messages I win automatically." "Is there anything I can do to stop this?" "Nope and now it's my turn." Izumi draws and says, "Perfect. I play Goblin Attack Force and use them to attack your Life Points directly which brings you down to 1700 life points." "Alright then I'll play Dark Hole which destroys all your monsters!" "Fine." "Then I play Dian Keto the Cure Master which brings my Life Points up to 2700." "You done?" "Yes, it's your turn now." "Meaning I can play Spirit Messenger I" "So?" "You only have 3 turns left before your ultimate demise. So now I play one monster face down in defensive mode." "My turn now." Kaiba draws then says, "I play Island Turtle in attack mode to attack your defense monster!" "You idiot." Izumi's monster was Prevent Rat meaning Kaiba loses 900 Life points leaving him with 1800 Life Points while Izumi still has 4000. "I end my turn." "Fine then I play Spirit Messenger N." 'This means I only have 2 turns left' Kaiba thought to himself. "Then I play Dark Bat in defense mode. I also switch my Island Turtle to defense mode and end my turn." "So now I can play Spirit Messenger A." 'So next turn it's all over.' "I end my turn." "I pass my turn." "So now I can play Spirit Messenger L." 'What now.' Kaiba thought silently. "Do you know the message the Destiny Board is giving to you?" "Yes it says 'Final' since this is my last turn." "Meaning I win!!!" So then all of a sudden Katie as well as all of Joey's friends step into the arena then Katie walks up to Kaiba, holding a dog suit, and says, "Put it on, slave!" Kaiba grabs the suit and put it on. "Yes master." "Put on this collar and this leash." "Yes master." Kaiba seems very upset about his loss but he also remembers his promise and he would never break a promise to Izumi.
The following morning, "Can you get me a glass of milk?" "Yes master." "And a doughnut." "Yes master." "As well as a cookie." "Yes master." "Also a bowl of blueberries." "Yes master." "And my journal." "Yes master." "And my clothes, clean and perfectly pressed." "Yes master." "If I find one wrinkle on my clothes I shall have Katie beat you." "Yes master." Kaiba didn't complain or anything. To his great relief, he didn't have to wear the dog suit anymore. Now he is wearing a patched, frayed, and tattered shirt; a pair of raggedy, brown shorts; and an extremely worn out vest. Kaiba did everything he was told to do without complaint. He was almost like a robot. He only addressed Izumi as 'master' he addressed everyone else as 'sir' or 'ma'am'. It was a little creepy when you thought about how Kaiba normally behaved. Later that day Joey stopped by to check on Izumi. It was Kaiba who answered the door, "Greetings sir." "Uh um okay. Can I come in?" "Of course sir." "Stop calling me 'sir'!" Joey really didn't like being called 'sir'. "I am sorry." "Okaay," "Hello Joey." "Hello Izumi. How are you?" "I'm fine. How are you?" "Alright. What on Earth did you do to Kaiba?" "He's my slave remember?" "Oh yea that's right. I'd completely forgotten." "You're silly." "I know." Joey had a habit of agreeing with almost everything Izumi said. Kaiba was walking away when he tripped and knocked over a small flower pot, broke it, and spilled dirt all over the floor. "Master, please forgive me. I shall clean it up." "You are in big trouble." "Am I going to beaten?" "Maybe." "Please master, I shall never do it again. Please have mercy on me. I don't want a beating." Kaiba had already been beaten once. It was kinda weird seeing Kaiba on the ground, begging for mercy. Izumi stared at him blankly. She was completely confused about what to do. On the one hand, if she lets him off the hook then he might try to rebel against her. On the other hand, however, she couldn't stand seeing Kaiba beg like this. Finally she decided, "Clean all this up, and you shall also have no meals for the rest of today." "Yes kind master."
It was one week later, Kaiba was scrubbing the kitchen floor. He looked as though he was the happiest man alive. Izumi was beginning to think Kaiba had lost his mind. She was staring at him as he was cleaning, humming tunelessly. She is starting to fell very guilty for Kaiba's loss of his sanity. He acted as though this was the best day of his life. He seemed as though he was in a different world all his own, completely cut off from reality. It was almost as if his current predicament had changed the way he looked at the world. His life had been turned upside-down by a single defeat. Izumi felt as if she had done something horribly wrong. Kaiba was leaving the kitchen to clean the living room. As he walked past Izumi he said, "Greetings master." "Oh, hello." "Is something the matter?" "Kaiba, what would you do if you did something then afterwards you feel as if you were." "Completely wrong in your decision." "Yes but how did you know?" "That is how I felt after I stole your Blue-eyes." "Oh. Then what should I do?" "Do what you think will make it right." "Thank you." "Oh, and if it's about you feeling guilty about my being your slave then leave things as they are. Do not worry, I am still completely sane. It was before now that I was truly out of my mind." 'Poor thing, he is even worse off than I originally thought.' Izumi thought to herself. Kaiba's words made her feel even more guilty instead of making her feel better, for that was not his intent. Izumi walked into her room, laid down on her bed, and began to cry. Kaiba was standing outside her door, wondering if he was some how to blame. Katie walked up behind him and said, "You wouldn't happen to be eaves dropping, would you?" "I was eaves dropping. I am sorry. What is my punishment?" "We shall let your master decide." "Not to be rude but master is not in a fit state to do so." "Nice try buster." With that Katie opened the door and said, "Izumi, your slave was eaves dropping on you. What do you think is a fitting punishment for such filth as he?" "Stop trying to be dramatic." "Okay then. What do you want me to say?" "Katie stop." "Are you okay?" "Just set him free." "Could you repeat that?" "Set him free from my enslavement forever." "Master, please allow me to stay." "No. Listen to me, you are losing your mind. Believe me this is for the best." "Please master, I am begging you to let me stay. I beg of you to let me stay. If you set me free then where would I go?" "You poor, little thing. You are much worse than originally thought. You are not sane, you need help." "Master I assure you that I am completely sane. I am fine. I am not crazy and that I do not need help." Izumi burst into tears. She felt as if her whole world had come crashing down around her because of one little mistake. She was nothing more that a lost, and forlorn child in a great, big world.
She spent the next few days in her room. She rarely ever left. She did not eat or sleep, she merely cried. Kaiba felt as if his presence was the cause. But he was not sure since she would not speak to anyone. 'She is losing her mind.' Kaiba thought. He tried his hardest to cheer her up but nothing worked. Joey kept calling her but she never answered. One day he decided to come over to see if she was okay but he ever expected anything like what happened next. He walked in and saw Katie sitting at the table saying, "Izumi please eat something." Izumi did not respond, she merely stared at the floor. "Izumi I'm begging you to eat. Please? For me? For Joey? For Kaiba?" Then, slowly, she picked up a piece if food and ate it. "Hi Izumi. Are you feeling okay?" Izumi didn't answer, she was still lost in her own head. Joey walked over and put his hand on her shoulder, but she didn't even look up. Joey bent down and kissed her softly. Then, slowly, she looked up and stared deeply into his eyes. She moved forward till her nose touched his and said, "I love you." And he said, "I love you too." Then he moved his head ever so slightly and their lips met in a never-ending kiss.
The following morning, Joey woke up in Katie and Izumi's guest room. Izumi was beside him, fast asleep. He bent down and kissed her then whispered, "Hey Izumi it's time to get up." "Uh, um. What time is it?" "Almost noon. If your still tiered you can go back to sleep." "No, I'm fine." "What was the matter with you yesterday?" "Nothing." "Are you sure?" "It's nothing, really." "You positive?" "I'm completely fine." "Do you want rest some more, or do you want to get something to eat?" "I think I'll rest awhile." "Are you sure you're alright?" "Why do you keep asking me that?" "You were acting very strange yesterday." When he said that, Izumi just burst into tears and told Joey everything. After an hour she finally finished. She was still crying out of sheer misery. "Oh Izumi I never knew. I shouldn't have asked. I feel awful for upsetting you this badly." Izumi stopped crying but she was hiccupping quite a bit now. "No-hic- it's not your-hic-fault. I-hic-am just-hic-very- hic-sensitive-hic." "No Izumi, I should never upset you like this. I am very, truly sorry." "It's not your-hic-fault-hic." "Master?" "Kaiba please do as I had requested and just leave." "Master if I leave then where would I go?" "You poor-hic-thing, you have-hic-completely lost your-hic-grip on- hic-reality-hic." "I have not lost my grip on reality. I am still completely sane." "Then say something the-hic-Kaiba I know would-hic-say." "Okay um, uh, let me think." Kaiba was having a very hard time thinking of something, and Izumi wasn't helping any. She was giving him this dark, piercing look that was quite unlike her. It was sad, his eyes were darting around looking for some means of escape. "Okay you win. I'll leave." Then Izumi realized how sorry she felt for him. Then she said, "Kaiba, wait a minute." "Yes master?" "I just thought that maybe I should let you stay." "Oh thank you master thank you." Then he bowed and said in an extremely cheerful tone, "What do you wish me to do master?" "Could you get me something to eat?" "Yes master." Kaiba bowed once again and left. He soon returned with a tray of food, enough for Joey and Izumi. He set down the tray, bowed, and left. "Wow, does he always treat you like this." "Uh huh." Izumi was still wondering if she had done the right thing. "Are you okay? You seem a little upset." "I was only wondering if I had done the right thing. You know about letting him stay." "He was probably only acting. If Kaiba makes a promise then he keeps it. Just don't sweat it. It'll all be alright in the end." "I guess you're right."
After breakfast, Izumi went back to sleep. She hadn't slept in days so she was very tired and needed the rest. Joey, on the other hand, just sat and watched over her. He wanted to make sure she was alright. Suddenly, Izumi woke with a start, "Are you alright?" "I'm okay. It was just a bad dream." "Maybe you should see a doctor." "No, I'm fine." "Are you sure you don't need to see a doctor?" "I'm okay. It was just a bad dream. I'll be fine." "Okay." "I'm going back to sleep now." Izumi laid back down and went to sleep.
Izumi's sleep was not a peaceful one. She was tormented by horrible nightmares. She was wearing a brown dress that was very patched and frayed. She had shackles on her ankles, and was kneeling before a figure that was shrouded in shadows. "Please master, may I just have some water, please?" "Quiet slave!" Came a loud voice that filled the chilling darkness. "Please I beg of you, just a little water is all I ask." "Silence! Now remove yourself from my sight!" With that, two guards, dressed in royal blue suits, came and dragged her away, while that sinister figure laughed an evil, bone chilling laugh.
"Izumi wake up." Izumi sat bolt upright, she was still safe in her bed. "That is it. I am taking you to see a doctor right away." "Joey I'm telling you, I'm fine!" "No your not. You need help. I am taking you to the doctors A.S.A.P."
As soon as Izumi was dressed, Joey took her strait to see Dr. Stephen, a psychiatrist that specialized in dream interpretation. When they arrived, Dr. Stephen could tell almost instantly what was wrong. Izumi told him everything. When she finished, she felt much better. "So what on Earth is wrong with me?" "It is really nothing. You just regret a decision and have failed to act upon it is all." "So, I'm not crazy?" "No, you just need to sort out your emotions and then address the problem sensibly." "I'm just relieved that I'm not losing my mind." "Yes, and I'm sure your friend will be quite relieved as well." "He isn't my just my friend, he's my boyfriend."
The following day, Joey and Izumi were out for awhile. Kaiba, on the other hand, was trapped at Izumi's house with Katie, who he thinks is some sort of evil demon in disguise that was out to make his life miserable. "Get me more chips slave!" "Yes ma'am." "Just out of curiosity, why do you only call Izumi 'master' and everybody else, except Joey, 'sir' or 'ma'am'?" "Because Izumi gave me strict instructions to do so." "What ever, just get me more chips like I told you!" "Yes ma'am." "And get me a soda too!" "Yes ma'am." When Izumi and Joey returned, every thing was a mess. "Kaiba, get in here!" Izumi shouted. "Yes master." Kaiba said timidly. "Why is this place such a mess!?" "Katie would not allow me to carry out my cleaning duties for forcing me to do stuff for her." "You are to no longer obey Katie's orders." "Yes master. I shall do as you command." "Good then I command you to take the rest of the day off." "Really master?" "Yes, Katie can clean the house since this is all her fault." "Thank you master, thank you." "It is nothing."
Katie spent the afternoon cleaning. Kaiba spent the rest of the day sleeping. Izumi went back to bed, while Joey watched her very carefully. Izumi had conveniently forgotten to tell Joey about what Dr. Stephen had said. Anyway, she was enjoying the extra attention. Joey did any thing she asked of him. He thought she was losing her mind and was doing all he could to keep her happy. Izumi was well aware of this. She felt completely helpless. Joey felt powerless. He was sure she had lost her mind. He just sat and stared at her as she lay there, sleeping. She was no longer having nightmares. She was dreaming that she was a bird, soaring high over the tree tops, touching the leaves as she floated by. She felt weightless as she soared over the ocean, skimming her hand over the water, feeling the sea spray upon her face. She was truly happy.
Izumi slept till the next morning. When she woke up she saw Joey sitting in the rocking chair in her room, fast asleep. 'Oh, poor little Joey. He stayed up all night because he was worried about me.' Then she remembered that she had forgotten to tell Joey about what Dr. Stephen had said. Then she felt an extreme surge of guilt, followed by a great swell of pity. She felt sorry for Joey, staying up all night just because he was a little worried. Suddenly, Joey woke with a start and said, "Oh no! I must have dozed off!" Then he saw Izumi sitting up and staring at him. "Oh Izumi, did I wake you up? Are you okay? Did you have another nightmare? I should never have gone to sleep." "Uh Joey?" "I'm such an idiot!" "Joey?" "I can't believe this!" "Joey?" "I mean what if something had happened to you?" "JOEY!" "Yes?" "I'm okay. I didn't have a nightmare, you didn't wake me up, and I'm completely fine." Then she told him about what Dr. Stephen had said. When she finished Joey just stared blankly at her. He could not believe his ears. Izumi stared right back, looking ever deeper into his eyes and said, "I know you may not believe me but it's true. If you still think I'm crazy then that's okay, I don't mind. I just, I just." Then she burst into tears. Joey simply wrapped his arms around her and said, "There, there, it's alright, I believe you." Then she whispered, "Really?" "Really." Then she kissed him softly on his cheek and said, "Now why don't you just rest and don't worry about me okay." "Okay." So Izumi laid down and went to sleep. Joey was still a little worried. He just wanted to be absolutely sure she was fine.
One week later, Joey and Izumi were at the movies. Izumi had left Kaiba with a list of everything she wanted done. Katie was mad that she couldn't boss him around anymore. She just sat in her room, pouting. "Katie, where is the mop at?" "Go look for it yourself." "But." "I said, GO LOOK FOR IT YOURSELF!!!" "Yes ma'am." Kaiba ran out of the room as fast as he could. He had nearly jumped out of his skin. He had never heard Katie yell like that. He decided it was best just to leave her alone for awhile. So he left and continued his cleaning. Joey and Izumi arrived home about an hour later. Joey wasn't entirely sure what Izumi had told him Dr. Stephen had said. He was continuously asking her if she was okay, if she wanted to lie down, or if she wanted anything. It didn't bother Izumi at all. She didn't mind Joey babying her. Actually, she wasn't even sure if she truly loved Joey, she felt confused and unsure of herself. If se didn't love Joey then who did she love?
It was the following morning, Izumi had finally plucked up the courage to tell Joey about how she felt. "Uh Joey?" "Yes?" "Can I talk to you for a minuet?" "Sure." "Joey, I don't love you anymore." "What!?" "I just feel as if maybe we just weren't meant to be together." "Izumi?" Izumi burst into tears, "It's just I don't feel that you're right for me." "Oh Izumi if that's the way you feel then I won't stand in your way." "What?" "I care more for your happiness then your love for me." "Oh." "Who do you love?" "Kaiba." "What did you say?" "I love Kaiba." Joey was shocked. Of all the people he had expected, Kaiba was last on his list. "Joey is something wrong?" "No, no that just surprised me."
In the weeks that followed, Izumi and Kaiba grew closer together. They spent every possible moment together. It was as if they were made for each other. One day, Joey came over to see how they were doing. Izumi never seemed happier. Kaiba was acting funny. He seemed almost like a different person, especially the way he laughed, he had abandoned his evil cackle and had adopted a cheerful, almost child- like, laugh, similar to Izumi's childish giggle. He seemed almost as if he was a child. He loved Izumi with all his heart and soul, nothing could separate them.
Months passed and soon it was October. Izumi and Katie were going to move to Salem, and Kaiba was going with them. Kaiba was dressed in very oddly, well for him anyway. He was wearing some black overalls, an orange T-shirt, and some tennis shoes. Joey, Yugi, Tristan, and Tea had all come to say good-bye. "Hey Izumi." "Yes Joey?" "You will come back to see me won't you?" "I promise I'll come back and see all yall this summer." "Yall?" "I was born in Tennessee. What'd you expect?" "I never knew that." "I did." Kaiba said proudly. He loved the fact that he knew every last one of Izumi's secrets, right down to her love of her blue pajamas with the strawberries and pink rabbits on them.
They arrived at their new house in Salem. It was fairly large. It was painted white with blue shudders. They went inside and began to unpack. Kaiba had his company moved to down- town Salem. They lived on the outskirts of town. It was autumn, and the leaves were orange, and scarlet, and gold. It was a beautiful sight. Mokuba arrived 30 minuets later. He looked at the house mumbling, "Why on Earth did we move here?"
Years passed, and Kaiba and Izumi's bond grew stronger. They were married and had a son, Tyrone. It was Halloween and Izumi had promised Tyrone that she would take him trick-or- treating, "Can I be a vampire?" "No." "How about a mummy?" "No." "A skeleton?" "No." "Frankenstein?" "Definite no." "Why?" "They don't sell any of those in your size." "What do they have?" "Bunnies, dogs, clowns, dinosaurs, ghosts." "I wanna be a ghost!" "Okay." Tyrone was a three-year- old boy who looked like his father, except his eyes, they were large, round, and misty silver, just like his mothers. Joey, on the other hand, had just moved there with his wife, Mai. They also had a three-year-old named Dudley who looked like his father in every way, right down the shade of blonde his hair was, but he was ten times smarter. Joey had also promised to take his son trick-or-treating, "Can I be a vampire?" "No." "How about a mummy?" "No." "A skeleton?" "No." "Frankenstein?" "No." "Why?" "They don't sell any of them in your size." "What do they have?" "Bunnies, dinosaurs, pumpkins, dogs" "I wanna be a dog!" "Fine." Joey was exhausted. He was thinking of where He and Dudley should have lunch when he ran smack into no one other than Izumi. "Oh I'm so sorry." Joey stammered. "It's okay. Joey is that you!?" "Izumi!?" "What are you doing here?" "I moved here last week." "Mommy do you know him?" "Well we were friends in high school." "Izumi now you know that's a lie. I used to date her in high school." "You two used to be boyfriend and girlfriend!" Dudley and Tyrone said in unison. They may only be three but they know enough to figure out what Joey meant when he said the word 'date'. "Yea we did." Izumi said in a quiet voice. "How come you never got married?" "Well you see it just didn't work out between us so we." Joey was having trouble finding the right word. "Broke up?" Dudley said, trying to help. "Yea I guess you could say that." "Well Joey it was nice seeing you again." "Yea well bye." "Bye."
It was Halloween night, and everyone was having a good time. Tea, Yugi, and their daughter, Renee had come by just to see Joey, Mai, Kaiba and Izumi again. Serenity and Duke were in town for awhile too. They also had a daughter, her name was Kalie. She loved her cousin Dudley and was always hanging around him. Dudley didn't like Kalie very much, and for good reason, she was the biggest tattle tale in the history of the universe. Even if he did something minor, like run around outside with no shoes on, Kalie would run inside screaming, "Auntie Mai! Uncle Joey! Dudley did something bad!" This drove Dudley up the wall. He tried his best not to do anything that Kalie would call 'bad', but he couldn't help himself sometimes. Cutting up was in just his nature. Kalie was going to be a witch, Dudley was going to be a dog, Renee was going to be a cat, and Tyrone was going to be a ghost. Everybody met at Izumi's house. All of them were excited, except for Dudley that is. Kalie was fussing about his hair. Both Dudley and Joey had a pony tail, that of which Kalie didn't approve. "You really should cut it." "No! I like my hair this way." "But you would look so much nicer if it was shorter." "Auntie Serenity! Tell Kalie to leave me alone!" "Kalie, leave your cousin alone. You know he doesn't like you to bother him." "But." "No 'buts'" "But." "You heard me Kalie." "But." "For someone who is always tattling you sure are disobedient." "Sorry mommy." "It's okay Kalie."
They were out and even the adults had costumes, Izumi was a Renaissance Witch, Serenity was a vanpiress, Mai was a G.I. Jane, Joey was prisoner, Kaiba was a pirate, Duke was a wizard, and Yugi and Tea were both Indians. They had only just started out and they already had TONS of candy. They decided to head back and set down those heavy bags. Kaiba and the other guys were at home, they had candy duty. Well all of them except Joey who went with the women and children. On the way home Joey and Izumi lagged behind, talking. "I'm sorry about what I did to you." "It's okay Izumi. You and I just weren't meant to be together." But inside, Joey didn't mean what he said. Even though he had married Mai, his heart was still with Izumi.
The following night, Tyrone was at Dudley's house, spending the night. Kaiba and Izumi were all alone. "Tyrone's out, so now it's just you and me." He wraps his arm around her waist and starts to kiss her neck. "Stop it! Stop it you!" Izumi said through her giggles. She loved it when he did that. "What's wrong?" He always asked her that. "Nothing."
The following morning, Kaiba was headed to work. As he walked out the door Izumi said, "Didn't you forget something?" Then he turns around and kisses her softly on the lips. "Bye Baby." "Bye Izumi, I'll see you when I get home." "Bye bye daddy." "Bye Tyrone, I'll see you this afternoon." So he hopped in his car and drove off.
It was thirteen years later. Tyrone was 16. He had fallen head over heels in love with Kalie, Dudley's cousin, who was now 15. When Dudley asked why, Tyrone said that he loved younger women. Dudley said he had awful taste. Kalie seemed to take no notice of Tyrone's attempts at getting her to date him, in fact, she didn't even acknowledge his existence. Tyrone knew this but kept on trying, but to no avail. Finally, he asked Dudley to help him, "Kalie only likes well behaved men." "Then I'm hopeless." "What do you mean?" "I'm in detention almost every other day! I spend half my time talking in class and the other half mouthing off to the teachers!" "Maybe I can help you out." "You could?" "Sure! That's what friends are for!" "Thank you! Thank you so much! How can I ever repay you?" "Be my slave for a week starting Monday." "Deal." 'Sucker' Dudley thought to himself.
That week was torture for Tyrone. Tyrone said that if he made it through the week alive, he would never misbehave again. He made it through and he, in Tyrone's opinion, narrowly escaped death. He never misbehaved in class again. Kalie took notice of this and asked if he wanted to go to the movies with her on Saturday. "Kalie, I'm sorry but I have a report due and I need to finish it." "How about next Saturday?" "I'll see about it." Kalie decided to work her charm over on him. "Tyrone, did anyone ever tell you that you have the most handsome eyes of any man I've ever seen?" She said in a dreamy voice. "No." "Did anyone ever tell you that you have the softest, most beautiful hair of any man I've ever met?" "No." Tyrone was starting to feel a little nervous. Then, Kalie leaned forward and kissed him softly on the lips and said, "I love you." "And I love you from the very bottom of my soul." "Well, well, well lookie here." Brian, Bakura's son and the biggest bully in school, walked up and said, "Two little love birds and their all alone." "Go away Brian!" Kalie shouted. She hated Brian with every fiber of her being.
"Oh Tyrone what on Earth happened to you?" "Brian beat me up." Tyrone had a black eye, a few small cuts, and several bruises. "Oh no you poor baby! I'm calling the doctor!" "Mom, I'm fine!" "No you're not! You look awful! Go lie down and rest." "I'm fine mom, honest." "I'm going to call the doctor." "Mom I'm okay. It's just a couple of bruises, I'll be okay." Izumi holds up a mirror and says, "You call that a couple of bruises. I don't." "Maybe I should see a doctor." Kaiba walks in and says, "I'm hom. Tyrone what happened to you!" "Brian beat me up." "Oh boy." "And to make things worse, he beat me up in front of my girlfriend." "You poor baby. I'm going to call the doctor."
Tyrone came to school the next day covered in band-aids. Dudley walked up to him and asked, "What happened to your face?" "Well you see, Brian pounded me right in front of Kalie." "What did your mom say?" "She kept saying 'poor baby' and 'I should call the doctor'." "Well I guess she should have, judging by your face." "And that's not all, I have bruises on my back, my arms, need I continue?" "No." then Kalie walked up, took one look at Tyrone's face and said, "Oh you poor little baby! Does it hurt much?" "More than you could ever imagine." "Tyrone I need to tell you something." "What?" "The reason Brian came after you is that he is my ex-boyfriend. Even though we aren't going out anymore he is still very protective over me. I'm sorry I put you in danger!" "It's okay Kalie, it's okay!" "No it's not! If Brian hurt you this badly then I don't dare imagine what he will do to you next!" "I'll be okay!" Then Tyrone sits down at his desk and starts rummaging around in his backpack for a pencil. He finds a note, written in what looked like Brian's handwriting:
Tyrone!
Stay away from my girl! If I catch you near her again, I will kill you!
Signed,
Brian
"Tyrone what do you mean!" "Brian put this note in my desk." "That's it, I'm calling the police!" "Mom, I'll be okay." "This is more than some school prank, this is serious! I don't want to risk my baby being hurt!" Izumi burst into tears, she didn't want Tyrone hurt, after all, he was her whole world. When he was little, she called him her little sunshine, and she wasn't about to lose him now. Then Kaiba walked in the door, took one look at Izumi's face and said, "What happened here?" Izumi handed him the note. "I'm calling the cops." "Dad I'll be fine." But inside Tyrone was very nervous. Later that evening, after convincing his parents that it would be okay, he went up to his room, and wrote a letter to his parents. He set it on his pillow, packed some food, water, and some clothes in a small satchel, took one last look around, and left.
A loud scream echoed through the streets of Salem that morning. "Izumi what is it?" "Tyrone ran away." Izumi said through her sobs. "What do you mean?" Izumi handed him the note.
Mom, Dad,
I'm sorry, but I can't stay here anymore. I'd be putting you in danger. Mom, I lied about what I said, I'm frightened, not for me, but for you and dad. I'm going to leave you now and could you do me a favor? Could you tell Kalie that I love her and that I'm sorry for leaving her.
Love,
Tyrone
"Tyrone." Was the single, whispered word that escaped Kalie's lips when she heard. She loved him more than anyone, or anything in the universe. He meant the whole world to her. Brian comes walking down the sidewalk. He sees Kalie sitting on a bench, crying, then asks, "What's wrong baby?" "None of your business! And don't call me baby!" "Oh touchy touchy." "If you must know, Tyrone ran away." "He abandoned you, left you alone." "No he didn't! He'll be back for me!" "No he won't, he isn't loyal to you. Not like me, I love you with every fiber of my being." He kissed her softly and said, "See you later."
Meanwhile, Tyrone was out in the woods somewhere. He was curled up against a tree, shivering. He didn't bring a jacket, he had only packed a T-shirt and jeans. He was freezing to death. "I wish I had my jacket." He said to himself, "Maybe I should go back, no, I can never go back, I'd be putting everyone in danger!" Then he pulled out an apple and started to eat it, wondering if he would ever see his family again.
Several days passed with no sign of Tyrone anywhere. One day, one of the people in charge of the search for Tyrone showed up at Izumi's house. "Have you found him?" Izumi asked hopefully. "No not yet." "Oh." Izumi said, her hopes fell, "He's not dead, is he?" "We don't know but we have a lead on where he may be." Izumi's hope soared, "I hope my baby is okay."
The following morning one of the people on the rescue team found Tyrone, curled up against a tree, half frozen, "Hey I found him!" "Tyrone looked up, grabbed his stuff, and took off. "Hey come back here!" And the man took off after Tyrone. "Gotcha!" The man grabbed Tyrone. "Let me go." Tyrone said weakly, he didn't even have the strength to fight back.
"Oh Tyrone you're alive!" "Hi mom." He said quietly. He was extremely weak, he could barely move now, trying to run had drained what had remained of his strength. "Where is Kalie?" He whispered, trying to sit up. All the color drained from Tyrone's face. "I'll call her." Izumi said and went to tell Kalie.
Kalie arrived five minuets later, she had tears streaming down her face, "Tyrone, you're alive!" She bent over and kissed him softly on the lips. She spent the next few weeks nursing Tyrone back to health. She spent days sitting by his bedside taking care of him and making sure he was okay. Brian went to jail for the note he slipped into Tyrone's desk. Tyrone was back to normal, well almost. He was extremely skinny, and very pale still. As for him and Kalie, they became closer than ever before.
Four years passed, and soon Tyrone and Kalie were married, Brian ended up a drunk who wandered around asking people for money to buy beer, and Dudley married Renee. Joey finally told Mai about his feelings for Izumi, she slapped him and called him a cheater. Izumi remained with Kaiba, and Serenity and Duke remained a couple. Bakura and his wife, Sandy, parted and went their separate ways. The cycle continues.