This fic is a birthday present for Olynthus, who is awesome and brilliant and a whole lot of other things :) Happy birthday! (It also dragged me straight out of my comfort zone; about time)

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh 5Ds

This story chronologically takes place around episode 86.

Throw the Dog a Bone

The day was warm and sunny when Carly left the redaction building, perfectly mirroring her mood. A circus in Neo Domino City! The last time there d been a circus… Well, she couldn't actually remember if there'd ever been a circus in Neo Domino in the first place. She'd definitely never had the chance to go to one.

But now she could! Sure, she only had to take pictures and write an article about it, but it still meant she got to see a show! Carly quickly crossed the street and took a shortcut through a local park. It was an absolutely lovely day. The weather forecast had predicted a rainy week, but she hadn't seen a single cloud yet. The only thing that could make this day even better…

"Jack!" she shouted happily when she rounded the corner. He'd waited for her, even though she'd been running late. He was sipping his usual Blue Ice Mountain. Crow would throw a fit if he found out. Carly wasn't planning on telling him, of course.

"Oh, you made it?" he looked up when she skidded to a halt in front of his table and put down her bag with a heavy thud. "Did you get held up?"

Carly sat down and waved at the waitress, who grimaced at her but still came over to take her order. "They gave me a new story to cover," she told Jack, rather breathlessly, taking out the flyer she'd gotten and showing it to him. "I get to go to the circus!"

"Oh?" Jack looked mildly interested. "When?"

"This evening," Carly replied, "Ah, maybe…" she trailed off as the waitress put down her drink with a bit too much force. Some of it sloshed over the edge of the glass and Jack snatched the flyer from the table before it could get wet.

"Be more careful next time," he reprimanded the waitress. The girl stuttered an apology and shot a rather venomous look at Carly. Carly didn't really care.

"Ah, Jack…" she said again, but didn't continue. She'd received two tickets, but surely she couldn't ask if Jack wanted to-

"I'll be coming with you," Jack decided. Carly blushed. Just last week he'd told her he was supposed to be working on the Wheel of Fortune, though…

"But Jack, weren't you going to work with Yuusei and Crow for the World Grand Prix?"

"Yuusei's gone. Got a letter from some woman who asked him to come, so he left this morning," Jack told her.

"Won't Crow be angry, though?" Carly said softly. She really wanted Jack to go with her, but she wanted him to win the Grand Prix too. And if they didn't work on their D-Wheels…

"I do think you'll be better company than Crow," Jack said, his tone softening somewhat. Carly turned red. That meant Jack really enjoyed being with her! So.. This was going to be like a date?

"When does it start?" Jack drained the last of his cup and waited patiently as she quickly read over the flyer.

"At seven!" she announced promptly, passing him the flyer so he could read for himself. There was supposed to be a repeat show at nine, but her boss had told her to go to the first one. For some reason that was better for her article.

"That's good. I will pick you up at six." Jack put down the cup and got up, leaving the money for his coffee. Carly quickly followed him, picking up her bag and folding the flyer in two, then stuffing it in her pocket. She was going on a date with Jack! She quickly checked the time. It was already past two, and she still had to go home and get ready. Jack had already reached the Wheel of Fortune, and she ran to catch up with him.

"Jack! See you tonight!"

Jack was busy putting on his helmet, but gave her a wave and a nod anyway. Carly clutched her bag to her chest with one hand and waved with the other as he drove off. The day just kept getting better and better, who knew what would happen tonight?

----

Carly took a quick shower, then spent two hours in front of the mirror, trying to decide what to wear. By the time half past five arrived, her bed was strewn with discarded clothes, and she'd lost count of the number of outfits she'd tried on. Eventually, frustrated, she decided on dark pants and a light blue tunic. She frowned at herself in the mirror as she brushed out her hair, and poked one cheek. Did she look stupid? Silly? What if Jack didn't like it?

But it was already ten to six, too late to turn back now. She quickly checked if she had packed her notebook and camera, then added a few sandwiches she'd made earlier, and, at the very last moment, remembered to take a pencil. She hit herself over the head. How was she supposed to write a decent article if she didn't even have something to take notes with?

Jack arrived at exactly five past six, and Carly almost tripped over the carpet in her haste to open the door. He was standing on her doorstep, ignoring the weird old lady from next door, and looking for all the world as if it was completely normal for the former King to show up at the apartment of an almost unknown reporter. He looked her over once.

"You look good."

Carly hid her blush by turning around to lock the door. They took the elevator together and left the building. The Wheel of fortune was nowhere to be seen, meaning that Jack had walked here. That'd also mean he'd have to share her car. It really was much too small for him, but even though she'd half-expected him to make a comment on it, Jack didn't complain.

They arrived at the circus at six thirty. Carly stared in awe at the huge tent and the mass of people that had gathered already. The circus troupe had gotten permission to use a sports field for the coming week, and their arrival had caused a lot of excitement in Neo Domino City, especially among the children.

"Jack," Carly asked, looking up at him as they walked up to the entrance and showed their tickets. "Do you think Rua-chan and Ruka-chan would like to come here?"

Jack looked at her, then at the tent they'd just entered. It looked even bigger from the inside. "Maybe. Rua definitely would."

Carly hadn't talked to the two kids often, but from what she knew of them, Jack was probably right. Maybe she could tell them, and they could go to the circus while it was still here. She didn't quite know the details, but with everything that had been going on a few months ago, it would probably be fun for them. Now if only someone would one day tell her what exactly had happened… She'd asked Jack already, but he'd refused to answer, as had everyone else. But one day she'd definitely find out!

"Ah, Nagisa-san?" a voice asked from right behind her. Carly took a step forward and whirled around in surprise as Jack put a hand on her shoulder. "We were expecting you. I am Nakano Iwao"

"Oh!" Carly immediately reverted to reporter mode, digging through her bag to take out her pencil and notebook. Jack didn't lift his hand. "Nakano-san, how nice to meet you! You are the owner of this circus, aren't you?"

"Indeed," Nakano-san said, smiling down at her. "It is an honor to meet you. If you would please follow me? We have seats for you and your partner."

Carly blushed slightly at the use of the word partner, but now she was focusing more on Nakano-san. She had an article to write, after all! She and Jack were brought to one of the better places in the tent, where they had a clear view of the ring and the audience. Carly leaned forward expectantly, trying to get a better look at the people below. It was almost seven now, and the show was about to start.

"I'll leave you now," Nakano-san said. "If you have any questions, I'll be glad to answer them after the show."

He disappeared before Carly could thank him properly. She sighed and put her notebook on her knees so she'd have an easier time writing. There was so much noise that Carly almost missed Nakano-san appearing in the ring, and it was only because Jack sat up straighter that she noticed. She took out her camera and zoomed in. not only did it help her get clear shots, but by following on the screen, she also got a better view of the ring below them.

Nakano-san was short in his introduction, and judging by the amount of children shouting, that was a very good thing. Carly leaned over the side of the balcony, careful not to drop her notebook or her camera, and watched in anticipation as the first act was announced. Clowns, who mercifully did not resemble vice director Jaeger, and focused more on acrobatics than slapstick humor. Jack hadn't said anything yet, but from what Carly could see, he seemed to approve.

"And now, kids, can I ask you a question?" Nakano-san asked, entering the ring again once the clowns had finished their act. "Do you like Duel Monsters?"

The resulting cheer was deafening. Jack leaned forward, more interested now.

"And do you want to see real monsters?"

The kids' cheers grew even louder, but when Carly looked back at Jack, his expression had closed off. He looked briefly back at her, then muttered: "Pray you don't."

"Jack, what is it?" she asked. She lowered her camera and turned towards him. But Jack didn't reply, just stared straight ahead.

Nakano-san activated a duel disk that Carly hadn't noticed before. "Then let me summon for you: Assault Gundog!"

As he played the card, a dog that did look remarkably like Assault Gundog ran onto the field. Carly snapped a picture to take a closer look.

"That's not a duel monster," Jack murmured next to her. Carly looked from the dog in the ring to the picture she'd taken. It did look like Assault Gundog, complete with armor and machine gun, but Jack was right. It wasn't a duel monster, only a dog dressed up as one.

"That's not right, is it?" she asked Jack, showing him the picture. Jack shook his head.

"It's just a dog with a lot of rubbish piled on top of it," he told her, taking her hand to bring the camera closer. "See? You can see the straps."

"And since no assault is complete without a good defense," Nakano-san continued, "I now summon Guard Dog!"

"Oh, poor thing…" Carly whispered. The 'Guard Dog' was a truly pathetic creature. It was much too thin for its actual size, and had been spray-painted purple. Someone had attempted to make it look feral, but the dog was slumped over and seemingly content to remain exactly where it was.

Carly stood up abruptly when Nakano-san announced a break and the two dogs disappeared again. "I'm going to ask a few questions," she announced. Jack frowned.

"Be careful," he advised. Carly nodded and picked up her bag, then carefully made her way down between the rows and rows of people. A small group of kids was arguing loudly about whether or not the 'duel monsters' had been real, with one girl arguing that they obviously hadn't been, while a young boy, clearly her brother, claimed they were and tried to use a card of Assault Gundog as evidence.

Nakano-san was nowhere to be found. Carly left via the main entrance and walked around the tent aimlessly. A few people threw her strange looks, but she ignored them all.

"Nagisa-san? Are you enjoying the show?"

Carly spun around and nearly tripped over a loose wire. She managed to recover her balance and looked up at the speaker. Nakano-san had appeared behind her without her noticing.

"Ah!" she pushed her glasses further up her nose. "Yes! I wanted to ask you a few questions, If you don't mind?"

"Of course not!" Nakano-san let her pass before him and followed her away from the main entrance. "Let's walk. I'll show you our artists."

"Thank you," Carly found her notebook and flipped it open. "You… Did something very interesting with Duel Monsters."

"Ah yes," Nakano-san replied. "Yes, the kids usually love that part."

No use wasting time. The show was going to start again in 15 minutes. And besides, Jack was waiting for her. "I was wondering if I could see the dogs?"

"But of course! Follow me, please."

The cage Nakano-san showed her held the two dogs she'd seen before. The Assault Gundog growled when Nakano-san neared the cage and opened it.

"Isn't this irresponsible?" Carly asked. Nakano-san turned to her, his eyes narrowing slightly, before his expression changed back to normal.

"How do you mean, Nagisa-san?"

Carly carefully took a few steps closer. The Assault Gundog turned his head to her, but didn't growl.

"It seems like these animals are very… poorly treated…" she said slowly.

"They're mutts," Nakano-san shrugged, stepping backwards. "No one will miss them."

"That's terrible…" she whispered. No one was supposed to be abandoned like this.

"I'm sorry, Nagisa-san. That's how it is."

"You're supposed to make people happy!" she said loudly. The Guard Dog whimpered and sat down.

"And don't we?" Nakano-san asked, leaning against the door of the cage. "They love it."

"But not by mistreating these poor dogs!" Carly argued, taking out her camera and stepping further into the cage. "I have photos, you know. I can have them published!"

Nakano-san easily plucked the camera out of her hands, ignoring her startled shout and sidestepping her when she tried to get it back. "Not now, you haven't. And if you'll excuse me? I still have a show to run. But since you get along with these 'poor creatures' so well, why don't you stay here?"

And without even giving her the chance to react, he closed the cage behind her, leaving Carly alone with two half-wild dogs.

"Hey, come back! Let me out!" she shouted after Nakano-san, but he ignored her completely. The Guard Dog didn't, however. It shook his head and sized her up, sniffing the air. Then, slowly, it got up and walked in her direction.

"Nice doggy…" Carly said nervously, backing up as the dog walked closer. The Assault Gundog was keeping a close eye on her, but hadn't moved yet. What was it they said about dogs? Don't show them you're afraid? Oh, if only Jack were here…

"Stop!" she called out, and to her surprise, the Guard Dog whined and sat down. Up close, and underneath the purple paint, it didn't look so threatening at all, just very sad. The dog whined again and lifted one paw to scratch at her bag.

"Oh!" Carly realized, "You're just hungry, aren't you?" she opened her bag and took out the sandwiches she'd packed earlier. Luckily she'd made enough for two people. "Do you want some?"

She broke off part of the first sandwich and threw it at the dog, who snatched it out of the air and gulped it down without even chewing. It wagged its tail and jumped up to grab the rest of the sandwich out of her hand. Its paws left purple marks on her tunic.

"Aww… " she slowly lifted one hand and put it lightly on the dog's head. When she lifted it again, there were purple traces. "Let's see if we can get this off of you, okay?"

She took out a handkerchief and slowly wiped off the dog's face. Underneath the paint, it turned out to be a nice-looking brown dog. She fed it another sandwich when she was done with its face, and gave the other two to the Assault Gundog, who'd come nearer while she'd been busy with the other dog.

Sighing, she checked the time. The second half of the show was already well underway… Would Jack come and find her? What if he thought she'd left? Or what if he just didn't care about her and had gone home already?

"Jack…" she sighed again. The Guard Dog put its head in her lap. She'd never get her clothes clean at this rate. Oh well, if she was stuck here anyway, she might as well help the dogs. She checked the straps on the Guard Dog. Much too tight, as she'd expected. It took her some careful maneuvering to get the harness off. The spikes weren't helping much, but the Guard Dog -former Guard Dog, she mentally amended- looked a lot happier without it.

She'd just managed to convince the Assault Gundog to come closer, so she could give it the same treatment, when angry shouting startled her and caused the dog to start barking loudly.

"Where is she?!"

That was Jack! He really came to look for her? He really cared about her!

"I assure you, I don't know where Nagisa-san is," that was Nakano-san. "She did ask me some questions, but she left soon afterwards."

"You've got her camera," Jack growled. "I swear, if anything happened to her…"

"Jack! I'm here!" Carly shouted, jumping up. The Assault Dog, startled by her sudden enthusiasm, backed away. Jack stalked around the corner, looking absolutely furious and dragging Nakano-san along by his arm. He didn't relax when he saw her. If anything, the sight of the cage and the dogs seemed to make him even angrier.

"What have you done to her?" he shouted. The Guard Dog cowered and whined. "Get her out of there right now!"

"Jack, I'm okay, really!" she tried to assure him. Jack just pushed Nakano-san at the cage.

"Open it. Now."

Nakano-san grumbled a few choice words that Jack ignored, but opened the cage anyway. Carly barely had the time to get out before Jack grabbed her and checked her over. His eyes lingered on the purple paint.

"Are you hurt?" he asked.

Carly shook her head. "I'm okay! They're very sweet, really."

"Good. Next time, I'm coming with you."

One day she'd really have to get someone to tell her what happened all those months ago and made him so worried. She wanted to reply, but the barking of the Assault Gundog made them both turn around.

"Hey, you!" Jack grabbed Nakano-san, who'd been trying to leave. Both dogs growled. "Don't think you can get away with this!"

"We leave next week. What do you think you can do?" Nakano-san replied haughtily. The effect was slightly ruined by Jack holding him a few inches above the ground.

"Camera, remember?" Carly said cheerfully, taking back the camera Nakano-san had taken from her. "I'm sure my boss will be very interested! People love these kind of stories!"

Jack dropped him unceremoniously. Nakano-san got up and stared at the both of them.

"Fine, have it your way. I don't need the stupid mutts anyway."

With that, he turned around and strode back towards the tent, leaving Carly and Jack alone with the dogs. Carly scrolled through the pictures she'd taken.

"Hey, look! I have a scoop now!" she announced joyfully. Jack turned his attention back to her.

"Just don't go around pulling dangerous stunts," he told her. "You're worth too much for that."

This time, she truly was unable to suppress her blush. "Jack…"

The Guard Dog nudged her leg and she looked down at it. Now there was another problem.

"Jack, what do you think we should do with these dogs?"

END