Disclaimer: I don't own, you don't sue.

Warning: Contains Yaoi and sexual innuendos…and Tala.

Rated for language, violence, sexual tension, innuendos, boyXboy, and Tala…

Could you live like me underground,

lonely sights and lonely sounds,

Could you fight the darkness all around,

No way up and always down

For me this is the only game in town,

Switchblade

Chapter one: Hope comes in many swear words.

-Present day Japan-

"LET IT RIP!"

Kai Hiwatari watched from the wall of the in house practice beystadium, overseeing Max and Takaos' training. Kai sighed as Takao deflected Max's attack and re-aimed at the side of the beydish. Beyblading had become much more than just a game.

'Five years ago, the human world had been thrown into a new era. A shadow era. Many had tried to complete the shadow game even the King of Games himself, however, non had yet to succeed.' Kai snorted. Maybe the fact that you need a team of twelve to do anything.

'For two years they had tried in vain to find a weak spot in the game, or any information on the game creator, and it was only three years ago that a proposal had been made.

Kaiba Seto, CEO of Kaiba Corp, leading industry in the technology of duel disks had suggested that they merge the two most played games in the world. Duel Monsters and Beyblade. The merge was made and the elites of both worlds collided and began training as one. The duel Monster players taught the beybladers strategy and the beybladers taught the Duel Monster players strength in spirit. This was the only light in the darkness, and mankind's last hope of completing the shadow game.

'However, the result of the merging was a power so great, many had died trying to master it. Sacrificing their souls to the shadows to live to see another day.

Only those with guardians, souls with a perfect balance of light and dark could wield the devastating power.'

The elites are of course, the bladers with bit beasts, and the best strategists of Duel Monsters who held the best cards. The training team included and had included for the past two and a half years;

Seto Kaiba, Katsuya Jounouchi (believe it or not), Atemu and Yugi –King of Games, Ryou and Bakura, Malik and Marik Ishtar, Mokuba Kaiba, Kai Hiwatari, Rei Kon, Takao , Max, and recently transferred from the Russian team, Tala Ivanhof and Bryan.

The team -for the most part- lived together under one roof and trained in the Kaiba household. However, occasionally, one or two would be taken for a week by Genkai, to be trained in spirit, or Shiori Minamato, to be trained in intense battle strategy to help them control the shadow power.'

Kai snorted. 'Devastating power my ass.' He thought glancing up and smirking at the sight of Takao and Max training. 'If these two can handle it, a two year old could master it…' He sniggered.

Shiori had been a mother of one of Keiko's friends who had 'disappeared' right before the shadow game, along with two others. Her best friend and –Kai growled and glared at nothing in particular- her boyfriend, as well as another friend of hers, Hiei. The three boys had left and hadn't been seen to this day. Shiori, mother of Shuichi had been devastated when people told her to give up on finding him. Kai suspected it wasn't the whole story and that Genkai and Keiko knew where the boys were along with two other characters…Shizuru and Kazuma Kuwabara. The two siblings had gone underground after the shadow game to gather information. The team never knew their location but information was received weekly. Kai himself had trained under both women and let them know what he thought of them.

"Senile witches." He muttered shuddering remembering the last 'session' he had with them. He was pretty sure cross dressing was never going to be part of a mission…

Keiko often disappeared for a few hours a week to go to the temple. What she did was unknown to all but probably Malik and Marik…Rei might know something. Again Kai growled, brought back to the twins, who now he knew where NOT related. The concept of Yami and Hikari had taken a while to process, and then Keiko had come into he picture and he got lost at Isis. Best he figured was that Isis had passed her sennen item onto Keiko when she died and now her soul remained as guidance. Just what he needed. Malik and Marik were clingy enough with out reason and now they had one, he couldn't get them off her with out a crowbar and serious help. He snorted and shook his head before going back to reading his book on the history of shadow games.

"…"

"Wtf?! Who wrote this shit?" Kai flipped the book and glanced at the name written on the cover.

"Pegasus Maximillion. Figures the senile idiot would write something like this."

"Talking to yourself again Kai? People are going to start saying the same about you." Kai rolled his eyes.

"Only if I write a book that makes no sense and has no historical evidence. However if I wrote a book on how to manage teenage girls…" Kai trailed off and ducked as Keiko went to smack him.

"Besides, you can't be sane and live in this house. Common sense." Kai reassured himself more than his companion. The brunette rolled her eyes and leaned her head on his shoulder and hugging him around the waist. Kai uncrossed his arms and wrapped them around her shoulders glancing at the dish.

"What's up?"

"Hm? Oh, dinners almost ready, if you're going to let them break."

"…I'll think about it."

"Rei said you have to let them eat."

"Damn." Kai released her before pushing her back to the door. "Go help finish up then and I'll bring the twits in soon." He grumbled when she laughed.

"Okay!" she glanced at the ring one more time before disappearing through the door. Kai waited another few minutes before letting the two finish up and get ready for dinner.

Upon exiting the 'quiet area' designated for training, the rest of the house was a chaotic war zone. Over hyper Egyptian hikaris' were bouncing off everything in sight, ancient pharaohs and Ex, (maybe not so o.O) Tomb robbers fought over the T.V remote, while Yugi watched the Digimon movie. Music blasted from several stereos and 'inside voices' was a lost concept. Kai rubbed his temples and headed into the kitchen, knowing it to be quieter, but still as chaotic.

"Marik get out of the kitchen Ra damn it!" Kai sidestepped just in time to evade the flying Egyptian boy.

"Oh hey Kai." Ryou stepped aside to let Kai in. "Rei-Rei's in here somewhere…"Kai nodded and entered only to be greeted by a flying ladle followed by a shout.

"OUT BAKURA!" The boy in question had attempted to sneak in after Kai but was foiled by, yes a ladle.

"Aw, but you let him in!" He grouched pointing at Kai.

"Special circumstances, now out!" Rei snapped, but his eyes gave away to amusement.

"Now sit on the couch and be good or you're on dishes for a week!" Rei threatened and watched as a foiled Bakura sulked and moved away from the door.

"Getting a little uptight love?" Kai asked with a raised eyebrow as Rei rolled his eyes and tried to hide the smile at Bakuras antics. Kai laughed and wrapped his arms around Rei smiling when he felt the neko-jin relax against him. After a moment Rei opened his mouth to speak but Kai beat him to it.

"I know, I'll talk to her." Rei sighed.

"I just don't know what to do Kai. Marik noticed to. It's getting worse every year." Kai closed his eyes.

"I know, I'll call Tala. He always knows what to do." Rei nodded.

"Speaking of our favourite red head," Kai growled, "-Shiori called today. We need to pack it up and move to Seto-kuns for a while. She wants us to work from the same place this time around. Thinks it will work for better coordination. They think they know how to get past the shadows and into the…what did she call it…ah! The Makai. There might be something there."

"They found something new?" Kai frowned and leaned closer, resting his chin on Rei's shoulder. The cat-boy shook his head.

"You know her. She won't answer yes or no if the world depended on it." Kai rolled his eyes in agreement. "Shizuru and Kuwabara coming with us?"

"I think so. But Genkai and Yukina are undecided as of yet. We'll know for sure numbers tomorrow. "

"Hn." They stood in silence for a minute ignoring everything and everyone around them and enjoyed what they knew was going to be the last moment of peace for a long while. Rei opened one blurry golden eye and was met with a spatula hitting him smack dab in the middle of his forehead.

"And just what was that for?" He demanded glaring at his youngest, and most high maintenance, surrogate child.

"For not paying attention." Keiko Yukimora, technically Keiko Ishtar-Hiwatari now, said smartly holding back a grin.

"I've been trying to talk to you for the past thirty seconds now! Mokuba's on the phone, says his brother is in England but wants us fully settled and destroying his good living room by the 6th. Mokuba's doing the detail work."

Kai rolled his eyes and took the phone carrying t out into the hall.

"Hey brat, what's up?" Keiko and Rei shared a collective sigh as they heard Mokuba's voice blowing out Kai's eardrums.

"Least it wasn't me." Keiko nodded in agreement before sticking her head out into the hallway and yelling for everyone to get their asses into the front dining room.

Elsewhere…AkA, Russia. Tala's mansion.

"Why? God damnit! WHY?! Why can't we go tomorrow? Or next week! Lord I haven't even done my second load of laundry yet and you're shipping me off to JAPAN?! We just got back from America! Just! As in like three hours ago!" The red head stopped his tirade for a minute to listen to the caller.

"Yes damnit I need my clothes clean. No, I'm not leaving without a weeks worth of clean underwear." He paused again.

"Fine. We'll go. After I finish my laundry." He huffed and hung up.

"PACK IT UP GUYS! WE'RE GOING TO JAPAN!"

Back in said aforementioned country…

Keiko threw herself back onto the couch and closed her eyes. The T.V. was tuned to news at 6 and she could hear Kaiba's voice commenting on the fast approaching World Tournament. The first one to be held since the beginning of the shadow game. She sighed.

The first one since the Valentine Massacre.

Keiko let her thoughts wander over memories she ignored and pushed away. Swallowing she rolled over when she felt the couch sink beside her. Gently hands moved her until her head and shoulders rested in someone's lap and their fingers slowly sifted through her hair. The couch sank again as someone lay beside her pulling her arm around them and snuggling in. Keiko smiled softly pulling the smaller body closer to her own and listened to the light breathing. The background sounds buzzed quietly, the distant sound of people talking, the T.V. random music, the alarm clock—THE ALARM CLOCK?!

Keiko bolted awake and fell to the floor with a muffled thump. Untangling herself from the cursed blankets she slammed her hand down on the snooze button. Upon seeing the time, Keiko twitched.

"BAKA ALARM CLOCK!!" A resounding crash was heard as the poor alarm clock collided with the far wall. Keiko then proceeded to curse in about every language known to man, creating some very unique sounding damnations that you really wouldn't want to be on the end of, and that was exactly what Rei thought as he tentatively knocked on the door and opened it a crack.

"You okay Keiko?" He asked standing in the doorway with no shirt and a laundry basket resting firmly on his hip.

"Oh yes darling…I'm perfectly fine. I did not just get woken up by the screeching of Brittany Spears, fall out of bed, destroy the new alarm clock and have the sneaking suspicion that I'm forgetting something and it's on its way to come and bite me in the ass." She smiled her expression coated with malice.

"How are you this morning Rei?" The neko-jin smiled sheepishly and raised his free hand in surrender.

"Okay, I get it. This is Keiko's 'alone' time. I'll just grab the laundry and be on my merry little way…" Keiko let out a sigh before standing to retrieve her dirty clothes basket and placing it on top of the one Rei was holding.

"Sorry for spazzing, I'm just not a morning person." Rei blinked before shaking his head.

"Sweetheart, it's 1:30 in the afternoon." Rei chuckled and kissed her forehead before moving back to the hall. Keiko stood in a semi dazed state.

"Whoa…Kai actually let me sleep that long?" She muttered stretching and yawning. Cracking open one eye she watched as Rei started to move to the next room.

"Hey Rei? Why aren't you wearing a shirt?" Rei blinked before sending Keiko an accusing glare.

"I dunno, maybe it's because SOMEONE keeps stealing all of them, so by the time laundry day rolls around, I seem to be lacking in the clothes department." Keiko grinned.

"Yeah, I noticed those were Kai's pants…" She muttered before smiling sweetly.

"I always leave you enough to…I mean MALIK, Malik always leaves you enough to…to…" Keiko trailed off shrinking under Rei's pointed look.

"Get yourself confused with Malik there often honey?" He asked glancing at the laundry basket where coincidently one of shirts lay.

"Oh hush! Go do laundry so I can have more of your shirts…MY shirts! MY shirts!" Rei chuckled and dodged the pillow thrown at him before moving down the hall to the laundry room. Keiko untangled herself from the blankets and stood, yawning loudly.

"You know…I'm still getting the feeling I'm forgetting something more important than the apocalypse."

Keiko walked out of the bathroom snagging one of Rei's unguarded shirts from the dryer on her way back to her room. Tossing the shirt on a chair she rummaged around in her closet until she found her comfy jeans and a sports bra, pulling them on before grabbing up the shirt and heading downstairs, drawn by the tantalizing smell of grilled cheese and Kraft Dinner. Slipping into the kitchen where Ryou was fending off Takao, she snatched the toast from the counter, taking a bite before greeting them.

"Hey Ry. Takao hands off." She said holding the toast in her mouth and grabbing the boy by the waist and pulling him away from the stove.

"Go amuse yourself for 5 minutes." She said kicking him in the butt to get him moving, and then hopping onto the counter beside the stove watching Ryou cook.

"Sleepy hun?" He asked watching as she yawned loudly and nodded.

"Then this should wake you up. Shiori-san called, she said we have a new work base. We're planning to be at Seto-kuns for Thursday. Tala's on his way, he said to be ready. And someone named Koenma called while you were sleeping. Said something about trying to reach a friend of yours across the boarder and tell him the news. Whatever that means." Keiko nodded absently taking in the information and munching on her toast.

Wait….hold up.

"Koenma called?" She almost choked on her toast as she jumped off the counter and ran to the phone.

"That sonofabitch! He had better not!" She found herself throwing out obscenities for the second time since waking. Ryou turned off the stove and moved the food onto a plate and into bowls before heading out into the dining room and closing the door.

"Smart boy." Keiko muttered while she waited for someone on the other line to pick up.

"Hi Botan! No, no I'm fine. Can I talk to your boss?" She asked sweetly, her eyes shining with a promise of death.

Five minutes later, Keiko's yelling had woken up the rest of the occupants of the house and most had run for their lives. Being the only permanent female instalment in the house she had trained them well. And well did they use their training. While most had run for the hills, Kai had opted to stay outside the kitchen door his eyes almost crossed in concentration trying to figure out who and what she was yelling about.

"DOES IT SEEM LIKE I HAVE A DEATH WISH YOU UNDERSIZED PRINCE OF SOOTHERS?! IF HE FINDS OUT HE'S GONNA—YES I KNOW! Kai get away from the fucking door! NO I wasn't talking to yo-DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT!" Kai had heard enough and moved away from the door and as fast as he could before his 'daughters' wrath was turned on him.

Rei was about to run downstairs to see who had been killed-by the sounds of it, it had been Takao- when he slammed into a brick wall.

"OW! Stupid wall!" He cursed from his place on the floor. He blinked at the hand in front of his face following it up an arm, to a well built and strangely familiar chest to his boyfriends face.

"Oh, you're not a wall." He muttered grabbing Kai's hand and letting himself be pulled up. Letting his boyfriend haul him into the nearest room, Rei only sent a questioning look towards him as he locked them in. Noticing the look, Kai explained.

"Keiko's on a rampage."

Keiko had listened with half an ear to Koenmas' stammered explanation as to exactly why he was trying to contact Yusuke and tell him about the shadow game when she happened to glance at the clock. 3:42. She sighed and continued to listen to the small God talk before she felt it. The nagging little feeling that starts by pulling at the corners of your mind then moves down your back and around to settle in the pit of your stomach, leaving you with the felling that something is very, very wrong with the situation. Trying to shake off the feeling, she started humming a catchy Russian drinking song that Tala had taught her last year.

Wait a sec.

Tala.

Tala…

TALA!

"Shit! SorryKoenmabutIreallygottagocallyoubacklaterthisisaworldabouttoendlevelemergancysayhitoBotanformeBYE!" Slamming the phone down she rushed out of the kitchen before yelling at Kai to 'get his ass down stairs before hell swallowed them all'.

"What?"

"TALA! Tala's coming in ten minutes!" Keiko exclaimed causing her previously hidden house mates to become unhidden. Rei walked up behind Kai as Takao sniggered.

"He'll be coming sooner than that if Bryans involved." Keiko shot him an annoyed look.

"Sooo not what I meant."

"But you know it's true."

"How about we not discuss Tala's relationship with Bryan right now." Rei interjected.

"They probably did it in the bathroom on the plane." Takao shuddered at the mental image.

"With Tala's screaming? They'd blow out a window."

"ALRIGHT that's enough!" Rei snapped slapping his hand over both of their mouths.

"Now, when is Tala…arriving?" Keiko licked Rei's hand causing him to pull it away and frown at her, sending a swat towards her head before she answered.

"Ten…five minutes. And we are totally unprepared." Takao hit his fist against his palm and smiled.

"Right! And when unprepared for Tala and co. there's only one thing to do!" Keiko nodded enthusiastically.

"Yesh! Run around like headless chickens hoping to H E double-hockey-sticks that someone else gets our meaning." The stood in silence for a minute looking at Keiko before they all bolted in different directions.

"AHHHHHHHH!!!!!"

"WHOA! What's going on?!"

"I dunno?!"

"ARG! Who hit the lights?!" The world was suddenly plunged into darkness and the house was thrown into mass chaos. Curses were exchanged, dishes broke, and Bakura took the opportunity to steal Mariks porn mags via shadow magic.

"HEY! Who's using shadow magic?!"

"Who do you think baka pharaoh?"

"Shut up tomb robber!"

"Make me almighty chicken shit!"

"Who's got the phone?!"

"STOP!" Everyone froze as Max turned on the lights.

"Tala just called, they'll be delayed for another 10 minutes." The lights switched back off as everyone let out a collective sigh of relief and collapsed onto the nearest piece of furniture.

Almost an hour later, Keiko sat on the couch sipping the glass of chocolate milk she had recently confiscated from Yugi and waited for the…arrival of Tala and his team. Glancing up at the clock, she took note of the time and went back to watching the game that Yami and Marik were playing. Tuning into their bickering for a few seconds, she rolled her eyes when the usual threats involving the shadow realm came up before blinking when she heard the doorbell.

Frowning, she set the almost-empty glass down and stood up to answer the door.

"Who the hell rings the door bell?" Malik paused and turned back to her.

"Jehovah Witnesses?" Keiko's face brightened and she bolted to the door, Malik right behind her.
"DEMENTED RELIGIOUS FREAKS PREPARE TO MEET YOUR SATAN!" Malik yelled as the two reached the door. Yanking it open Malik stared at the group of people standing on the porch and sighed dejectedly.

"You're not Jehovah witnesses." He muttered crossly before pouting.

"TALA!" Keiko yelled jumping the familiar red head and hugging him fiercely.

"Hello to you too!" He said returning her embrace and kissing her cheek. The rest were greeted similarly before entering the house.

"Rei! Kai! Tala's here!" Rei poked his head out of the kitchen and grinned.

"Hey guys! Want something to eat? I know airport food is almost as bad as the crap they feed you in hospitals so I made extra." He said grinning.

"YAY! Rei-Rei's cooking!" Tala yelled and bolted into the kitchen. Bryan followed after and Ian and Spencer shook their heads.

"He'll never change." They said looking after their captain and team mate.

"Yup. You ok with staying in your normal room until we get to Seto's? " The boys nodded and grabbed their bags.

"Yeah. Let us put our stuff up stairs then we'll be back for food." Keiko nodded and smiled.

"No problem. I'll tell Tal to leave you some." Keiko smiled as she watched the two walk up the stairs before heading into the kitchen. Finally, things were looking up.

It was a little after 7 in the evening when the doorbell rang. Of course it was a miracle anyone even heard the damn thing over Tala and Malik's video game, Bakura and Atemu's shouting threats about the shadow world and Tyson's training with Chief and Dizzy.

Keiko meanwhile, was in the middle of a heated argument with Kai.

"Shut up birdbrain!" she yelled at him while they tumbled together on the floor in an intense wrestling match. The item they were wrestling over, lay forgotten on the couch.

"Birdbrain?" Kai snarled as he rolled on top and pinned her to the floor.

"Yes, birdbrain." Keiko rolled back over so she was sitting on his chest grappling for his hands.

"You share your mind with something tha-GAH!" She couldn't finish her sentence as Kai flipped them again and easily caught her hands. He leaned close, his red eyes narrowing.

"What were you saying about Dranzer?"

"He's a bird. So are you." Kai puffed out his cheeks and huffed.

"He's a pheonix. Not a bird!"

"He's a bird you're a bird brain!" Keiko was saved by the doorbell that sounded quitely through the house. Kai let her up, but not before kicking her butt as she left the room.

"Pheonix!" He roared from the living room.

"BIRD GOD DAMNIT! BIRD!" Keiko screamed as she yanked open the door and stepped outside, closing the door to block Kai's protests.

"Heh, heh sorry about that how can I—" Keiko paled and her eyes widened as she looked over the familiar red head standing on the porch.

"Kurama?!"

Your move!

Its time to duel and there's no backing down the heart of the cards is where magic is found, we've played this game before but never quite this way, its like an all out war with monsters that obey!

Yu gi oh he's the king of games

Yu gi oh King of games!

Rylen- Ok, you get a free Tala plushie for the one who guesses who Keiko was snuggling with on the couch! –looks at Cait and Ginny- You two don't count.

And no offence to any religious people but the doorbell thing is an inside joke at my house. )