Yu-Gi-Oh!

Old Enemies, New Friends

By Lucky_Ladybug

Notes: The characters from the show are not mine. The other characters and the story are! This is part of my post-series Pendulum Swings timeline, which redeems Yami Bakura and the Big Five. There are some brief but important references to the stories An Eye for an Eye, Static Code Analysis, and Among the Ashes. And I embrace the dub's localization of setting Domino City in America.

Chapter One

Gansley sighed as he stepped outside to his porch and sank down on the swing. It was a peaceful evening; indeed, things had been very peaceful and pleasant since they had all returned to Domino City after their trip to New Orleans. Why was it, then, that he felt so uneasy? The calm before the storm, perhaps, but honestly, couldn't they have a genuinely restful time for more than a few days?

He closed his eyes, letting his thoughts wander.

Things had never been restful for long while working for Gozaburo. He had pushed everyone to their limits and beyond. He had nearly driven Gansley to a heart attack, terrifying Crump and Lector when they had found him slumped over his desk.

Seto hadn't pushed them as much, but under his leadership most of their prior responsibilities had been taken away altogether. As far as they had all been concerned, he had lied to them and used them and then all but discarded them when they were of no further use to him.

Now they were their own bosses, working towards a goal of opening Crump's dream of a penguin preserve. Sometimes they still pushed themselves too much, but overall, they were moving at a slow but steady pace—when they were able to work on it at all. Disasters that involved them quite frequently interrupted their plans.

Maybe that was their just desserts, their penance, for the wrongs they had committed. That thought, however, did not make the near-death experiences and other torments easier to bear. They were trying to be good now, and all of them really wished the universe would let them be.

"Mr. Gansley?"

He started and opened his eyes at the unfamiliar voice. Then his cane slipped from his hand and clattered to the porch. "What on Earth?!"

He had assumed it was a neighbor talking to him. Instead, it was a Dark Magician Girl, who was standing on his lawn in the accompaniment of a Blue Eyes White Dragon.

"Hi," the Dark Magician Girl smiled, and waved at him.

"What is this?!" Gansley exclaimed. "Shouldn't you be talking to Yugi and the Pharaoh or Seto Kaiba?"

"We'll be talking to a lot of people in town," she replied. "But we wanted to make sure you also know that there's another magical calamity set to happen and we need your help."

"Ugh." Gansley sat up straight. "Are you sure I didn't simply doze off in the evening breeze?" He bent over to get his cane.

"We're real," she told him. "You and your friends accidentally set us all loose before."

"Yes, but didn't you all go back to your world then?" Gansley still wasn't sure he was actually having this conversation. He straightened, grasping the top of the cane tightly in his hand.

"Of course. You're not responsible for this." She stood holding her staff in both hands and watching him.

"Then who is?" Gansley grunted.

"You'll find out soon," she said. "But I'm afraid the problem is far worse than just a rift being torn open between our worlds again."

"It always is," Gansley said. He paused. "Look here. If you're really here, aren't you angry with us for all the chaos we caused the last time you were here?"

"You've changed, haven't you?" she answered.

"Yes," he said slowly.

"Then we're not mad," she said.

Blue Eyes roared, supposedly in agreement. Then they were both gone.

Gansley was left staring at the space where they had been, still not fully sure he was awake. "Ugh." He sank back, passing a hand over his face.

xxxx

Seto was overwhelmed and occupied, as usual. Work had been piling up while they had been in New Orleans to testify in court, and although he had done what he could remotely, there was still a great deal left to take care of now.

As if that wasn't bad enough, he had been having spells of dizziness and headaches ever since their return. At first he had thought it was from working himself too hard, but the longer it continued, the more he wasn't sure. He had even secretly seen one of his doctors about it, but the physician was baffled. There didn't seem to be any physical reason for it, so now he was left with having to believe it was emotionally induced.

Well, he had plenty of reasons to be given stress headaches, he supposed. Nothing ever calmed down for long, and he was always at the center of what was going wrong. Now that he had been given that magical charge of using the Light elemental ring, that was true now more than ever.

He took the ring off, setting it on the desk in front of him. He hated magic. He hated having to accept magic was real. And now he had to wield magic to help protect the world. Typical.

The doorbell suddenly rang, cutting into his thoughts. Before he could decide what to think of that, the phone rang as well. He growled in frustration as he reached for the receiver. Two more headaches to ask to the list.

"Mr. Kaiba?"

He started as Velma the maid appeared in the doorway. "What is it?" he frowned.

"There's someone at the door to see you," she told him. "A Mr. Peter Bracken?"

Seto raised an eyebrow. "I don't know such a person."

"He said you wouldn't know him, but he said you two have a mutual acquaintance," Velma replied. "Charles Gansley."

Seto rubbed his forehead. "Send him in."

Make that three more headaches.

xxxx

Bandit Keith Howard was angry, to say the least. After departing from Domino City with his Rare Hunters following their revenge scheme on their former boss, he had learned that Yami Marik had tricked him—Marik was still alive. But he hadn't wanted to impulsively plunge right back into town; that wasn't his way unless he was pushed to his limit. Anyway, he had other operations taking place in other towns. He had to focus on them for a while.

"Master?"

He looked up with a frown as Lumis entered the room. "Yeah, what is it?" he snapped.

"I regret to inform you that Umbra and I were unable to catch our nosy errand boy." Lumis was trying to appear smooth, but the fear in his eyes was obvious.

Keith snarled. "Oh great. He'll probably run off to the cops and tell them everything."

"We did learn one valuable piece of information," Lumis said hopefully. "He seemed to be heading for Domino City."

That definitely perked Keith up, although it didn't make sense to him. "Domino? Who does he know in Domino?"

"We don't know, Master," Lumis said, "but with your permission, we will go to Domino City and recapture him."

"Yeah," Keith said thoughtfully. "You do that. And who knows; maybe I'll come with you."

Lumis gulped. "To make sure we do it right?"

"Nah. I still have unfinished business there myself." Keith cracked his knuckles. "This time Marik Ishtar won't get away. And maybe this time, I'll try using a little psychological torture first, like that weird guy likes to do."

Lumis decided he didn't want to know more. "Very well, Master. I will inform Umbra that we are to leave on the next flight to Domino City." He scurried off.

Keith sneered in the darkness. Yeah. This time he would have his revenge. And he would pick up a would-be tattletale while he was at it. It was going to be a profitable trip.

xxxx

Bakura wasn't sure where Yami Bakura had gone that evening, but as he wandered downstairs he found his friend stretched out in the living room windowseat, petting a loudly purring Oreo stretched out next to him.

Bakura didn't try to hide his smile as he went closer. "Yami?"

Yami Bakura looked up. From his eyes, he had been lost in thought.

"Are you alright?" Bakura asked.

Yami Bakura grunted. "Something doesn't feel right," he said. "Something's going to go wrong somewhere in town; I can tell."

"Oh dear." Bakura sank into a chair. "Well, I suppose we'll be able to deal with it, but that's disturbing. I was hoping things would be quiet for a while."

"Are they ever?" Yami Bakura leaned back against the window. "Maybe something's going to go wrong with that other me."

"He's still in a coma from the Mind Crush, isn't he?" Bakura said. "I know people don't always go in a coma from that, but the Pharaoh used the strongest version of it, feeling he needed it." He smiled a bit, weakly. "And maybe it was also to protect us from him longer in case it didn't help. . . ."

Yami Bakura growled. "It's hard to say if he can or will change. And either way, I have no idea what we're going to do with him when he wakes up."

"If we knew how he got here, maybe we could send him back," Bakura said. "Well, if he's willing to make a change, at least. . . ."

"Either way, we can't allow him to cause more trouble for us," Yami Bakura said. "That should be our first priority."

"I suppose," Bakura said slowly.

"We don't owe anything to this other dimension." Yami Bakura frowned. "But that likely isn't how the leader of this little group is supposed to think, is it."

Bakura gave a sad sigh. "That's what this is about. . . ."

"I still can't believe it's true," Yami Bakura said. "I am a good leader, but not for a group of goody-two-shoes. It's nonsense!"

"Kasumi brought the Infinity Ring for you," Bakura said. "I'm pretty sure Heaven doesn't make mistakes . . . even if we don't always understand their reasoning," he added with a sigh. His eyes flickered, thoughts of his mother and Amane passing through his mind.

"Shadi wasn't in favor of it," Yami Bakura reminded him. "That was no doubt why."

"But Kasumi told you herself that you're doing well," Bakura reminded back.

"I know. And I suppose I have improved from where I started," Yami Bakura said. "But my core personality and attitudes don't always change."

"Maybe sometimes your viewpoint is needed and necessary," Bakura said. "At least, that's how I want to think of it. I know you have good insight sometimes."

"I also have a great deal of pride," Yami Bakura said. "Even if I regret something, I will very rarely express that regret."

"Are you still thinking about Nesbitt?" Bakura realized.

Yami Bakura looked away. "It's ridiculous. Normally it wouldn't bother me." Oreo whipped her tail around his wrist and he stared down at it.

"Well." Bakura smiled a bit. "Since it definitely is still bothering you, Yami, you should really do something about it."

"Like go tell him I'm sorry?" Yami Bakura grunted. "It would sound even more ridiculous after all this time."

"Maybe so, but clearly you won't be at peace until you do it," Bakura said with a smile of amusement. "As I told you, part of being a good leader is admitting when you're wrong."

Yami Bakura growled. "I know."

He kept petting Oreo.

xxxx

Yugi was enjoying the pleasant evening as he and Atem walked down the streets of downtown Domino. Nothing had gone amiss since their return from New Orleans, and he was willing to hope that maybe things would continue in that vein.

"Hey, there's Lector," he realized, pointing to their friend coming out of a store.

Atem looked over in some surprise. "Hello, Lector," he greeted.

"Hello," Lector said, and came over to them. "I see you two are by yourselves tonight?"

"As you also seem to be," Atem remarked.

"We're all going to Gansley's house," Lector said. "Each of us has been on a different assignment for the preparation of Crump's penguin sanctuary. . . . Well, I suppose the project belongs to all of us now," he amended.

"That's great," Yugi smiled.

Lector nodded. "Gansley stayed home to go online and look up different possible locations for it in the nearby area. Crump is off trying to find out the procedure for bringing in the penguins and Johnson is making sure all of our legal bases are covered. Nesbitt is looking at the prices of materials."

Atem glanced at the store Lector had just left. "And you're helping him?"

"That's right," Lector said. "If he found something he wanted to buy right away, he wanted someone with him to help load it into his truck. We've also been checking up on the prices of hiring construction crews to work under our directions."

"We're all looking forward to what you come up with," Yugi smiled. "You've been putting so much thought and work into this, I know it's going to be amazing!"

"Crump is certainly excited about it," Lector said, "and I suppose his enthusiasm is catching." He smiled a bit. "I have to say, it's nice to be our own bosses."

"I think that's the best option for all of you," Atem agreed. "You're free to do things your way."

"I agree." Lector looked down at his phone as it dinged with an incoming text. "Nesbitt needs me inside. If you'll excuse me . . ."

He started to turn to leave, but a sudden flash of light startled all of them. "What's this?!" Atem gasped.

They all stared as the light faded to reveal the Dark Magician Girl. "Hello, everyone," she smiled.

xxxx

Gansley had gone back in the house after dark, still bewildered by the encounter on the front lawn. He still wasn't sure he hadn't just dozed off and dreamed it. Maybe when the others arrived, he would try to casually ask them if any of them had seen something strange around town.

He perked up when the doorbell rang. That was surely them now. He was close to the door, so instead of bothering to wait for the maid, he walked over and opened it himself.

A young man in his thirties was standing there, holding a little girl of about four in his arms while a boy perhaps a year or two older stood on the porch next to them.

Gansley quirked an eyebrow. "Can I help you?"

"I don't know," was the reply, and then, "but we wanted to see you . . . Dad."

Gansley went sheet-white. "Peter?" he gasped. He looked more closely at the man. There was a certain family resemblance in the face, and the boy at his side looked so much like Peter the last time Gansley had seen him. . . .

A nod. "It's me. These are my kids . . . your grandchildren," Peter said. "Amber and Charlie."

"You named the boy after me?" Gansley looked to the boy, who looked right back.

"You're our grandpa?" Charlie asked.

"Yes," Gansley said, feeling overwhelmed and in disbelief. "It seems so." He looked to Peter and the quiet Amber, who was studying him thoughtfully.

". . . May we come in?" Peter asked.

Gansley snapped to. "Oh. Of course." He held the door wider. The little family entered and he shut the door after them. "What's going on, Peter? Why have you waited years to see me and suddenly come back now?"

"Don't you like us?" Charlie frowned.

". . . Of course I like you," Gansley said awkwardly. He really was out of practice in dealing with kids. "I just wonder why I haven't seen your father until now. I've missed him very much. I tried so many times to find him and his siblings."

Peter set Amber down and sighed. "It's a long story. And while I really do want to reunite with you, Dad, I have to say that I also came here hoping it would be a safe place for the kids for a while."

"What? Why do they need a safe place?! What's going on here?!" Gansley's voice was gaining an edge.

Peter sighed again. "My wife and I are divorced and I have custody of the kids," he explained. "But I got into some trouble. I thought I was running errands for a legit place, but I found out it was really a nest of Rare Hunters. Er . . . do you know what those are?"

"Unfortunately," Gansley sighed.

"Well, so now I know too much and they're after me. I'm going to figure out how to beat them," Peter vowed. "But since Mom changed our names, I'm hoping they won't connect you with me and the kids'll be safe."

"You think they'll be safe with a ruthless old businessman?" Gansley said with a slight smirk.

"I think so," Peter insisted. "Especially since I did a little research on you and I know you have four friends you love and consider to be your family. I'm not afraid for the kids to get to know you. And . . . I want to know you too."

"I'm . . . very happy I have the chance," Gansley said, his voice catching in his throat. He had wanted this for so long. . . . "Come sit down and we'll talk."

Peter looked around the entryway and the living room. "This isn't the same house we lived in, is it?"

"No, it's bigger," Gansley grunted.

"Mom said you probably didn't live in the same house," Peter said. "You were always wanting to move up in the world. But it wasn't too hard to find you. I decided to come to the fanciest neighborhood in town. And . . . I also asked your ex-boss."

"Seto Kaiba?" Gansley said in disbelief.

"Well, I'd heard you'd buried the hatchet with him," Peter said. "And I knew he wouldn't be intimidated by Rare Hunters; he's actively fought against them. I told him to forget I'd been there and he said it was already forgotten."

"I see," Gansley said.

Amber tilted her head, looking at him. "Why do you use that?" She pointed at his cane.

"Amber!" Peter scolded in dismay.

"I just want to make sure he's not hurt," Amber said with wide eyes.

Gansley smiled a bit, touched. "My knees have given me trouble for years. But I'm alright." He waited for them to sit and then sat on the nearest couch. "I've just learned to live with it."

"Why does Grandma hate you?" Amber wondered. She slid over near him. "You're nice. She should like you."

Gansley looked to Peter. "She still hates me?" he said in chagrin.

Peter looked awkward. "When I told her what I was going to do, she was upset and said I shouldn't expose the kids to your business practices. She said you'd only see them as 'good investment returns' or something like that. She said she'd done everything possible to keep you from learning about us and them and she wanted it to stay that way. I told her it had been over thirty years and it wasn't like you were actually dangerous, like the Rare Hunters are. I felt that bringing the kids to you was their safest option."

Gansley's eyes flickered with guilt. Peter certainly couldn't have known it, but he had been dangerous when lost in his anger and fear and hate. But those times were past. Indeed, he wasn't dangerous now—at least, certainly not to those who didn't deserve it.

"I don't suppose she was pacified at all," he said at last.

"She said 'There are other ways someone can be dangerous.' And I know that's true, but I fear the Rare Hunters more than I fear anything you might teach the kids. Anyway, I was willing to take the chance that you might have changed."

"And I have," Gansley said. "I won't teach them anything about being ruthless in business. But I might teach them about investments. And one of my friends might enjoy teaching them about budgeting and saving money. . . . If it's alright for them to know, of course. . . ." He hoped so; he really didn't want to have to keep anything from them, especially something of this magnitude. They had all been sympathetic about his family problems.

"All of that's fine," Peter said. "Those guys have become your family. I couldn't ask you to not tell them about us. Anyway, I'd like to meet them."

Gansley relaxed. "I know they'll all be happy to meet you."

Peter smiled. "I'll be happy to go back and tell Mom all about this when this is over. And . . ." He hesitated. "I hope we'll be able to stay in touch."

"I hope so as well," Gansley said. ". . . I do have to warn you, however, I haven't had any dealings with small children since she took you away. I'm quite out of practice. Not that I was ever very good at it to begin with."

"And I'm out of practice with having a dad," Peter said. "Mom never remarried. She wanted to prove she could make it without relying on anyone."

"Well," Gansley said, "I would say she succeeded."

"Yeah. She's quite a lady," Peter smiled.

"Where on Earth have you all been living, anyway?" Gansley demanded. "I looked everywhere!"

"Back East," Peter said. "Bethlehem, Pennsylvania."

"Beth- . . ." Gansley shook his head. "Was that chosen completely at random?"

"Mom thought it sounded like a neat place to live," Peter said. "She didn't want to pick any place she'd ever talked about with you, so she just got out all kinds of brochures and travel books and chose a place she knew she'd never mentioned that she thought she'd like."

"She always was a clever one," Gansley said. "I told her many times that she had the smarts to work in big business.

"And your siblings. Do they hate me too?"

Peter hesitated. "Well . . . I was the one most willing to give you another chance, but I wouldn't say any of them outright hate you. One thing about Mom, she didn't like you, but she didn't try to villainize you either. She always told us you had your faults and you loved business way too much, but that you could be charming, even thoughtful sometimes."

"I'm surprised," Gansley said in amazement. "I've always thought she probably poisoned all of you against me."

"Nah," Peter smiled. He sobered. "We should have looked you up as soon as we were 18. I guess we didn't want to go against Mom's wishes."

"You're here now," Gansley said, "and that's more than I ever thought I would have."

"And I'd say the kids like you," Peter said. He looked to Amber, snuggling against Gansley, and Charlie, playing contentedly on the floor with a toy truck.

"Yes," Gansley said in surprise, slowly drawing an arm around Amber. "It would seem so." It was a strange feeling, but not a bad one.

Not bad at all.