My original intent was to get DR updated next but this chapter wouldn't leave me alone-and then when i finally started typing it up it fought me all the way-course that may have been my inspiration decided to be a bitch and kept me up until 4 in the mornng typing and I had to finish it up on the LONG car-ride back to New York.

Disclaimer: I don't own Yugioh, Yugioh GX or any of its characters, they belong to Takahashi, the Mad Tea Party that inspired this chapter belongs to Tim Burton and Diseny. The concept of Freezing was inspire by Vanya-Daja's fic One of a Kind-how her aliens grow all at once and shed their skin, that idea really stuck in my head, granted my adaption is much more complex and VERY different, I want to give her credit where credit is do.

Dedication: Again To Espi for being an awesome Beta, for my good friend Kiyusa for all of her wonderful reviews that i simply LOVE getting and love reading, and to all of my fans who give me the confidence and motivation to keep going.

As always, read, review, critique, comment, aske questions etc. and if you feel the need to flame, son't be an ass and just say it sucks: tell me WHY and what needs work so I can fix it. Be specific!


The Frost King: Part IV

A large slobbery tongue licked his cheek with such force it tilted his head to the side. Yugi opened one eye cautiously. The wolf tilted his head, looking at him curiously, his large tongue panting in his mouth, and his tail wagging. Before Yugi could blink, the wolf started licking his face furiously.

Yugi squeaked and shook his head back and forth, squinting each time the wolf licked him. He spat every time the wolf licked his lips and tried desperately to get up, but the wolf kept him pinned by his arms. "Hey! Stop it, bla-uck!" he ordered, spitting out canine drool.

The wolf let him up and sat upright with its bottom on Yugi's legs, wagging his tail like a happy dog.

"What the hell?" Yugi blinked in pure shock, mouth agape at the creature that was ready to devour him five seconds ago.

"Silver Fang!" someone scolded. The wolf shot up and elegantly leapt over Yugi like a flash of silver lightning then skidded to a halt and slumped to the ground with its paws over its nose like a kicked puppy. Chazz stood over him with his fingers still flicked. "You know that's not how we treat our guests."

Defeated, the wolf snorted and crawled beneath the mismatched layers of lace tablecloths covering the table. Once under the table, the wolf curled up in a ball and plopped down.

"Hope he didn't scare you" Yugi, who realized he was still on the floor, looked into Jaden's smiling face. Said boy leaned on his bent knees and cocked his head to the side, examining Yugi from all angles. "Silver Fang's just really playful." He offered the teen a hand.

"Playful?" Yugi jumped to his feet ignoring the gesture. "That crazy mutt nearly gave me a heart attack! I thought he was gonna eat me!" He ranted and shuddered, holding his arms.

"Bad, Silver Fang" a new voice scolded the wolf, who buried its head beneath its paws more out of annoyance than anything else. Yugi looked behind him and found the juxtaposing image of the small and lithe Syrus scolding the massive hound with no fear or hesitation, despite the fact it looked like it could easily devour him.

Silver Fang snorted and turned around so only his tail was visible beneath the table. Yugi didn't know whether to laugh or gawk. This place was just too weird.

"Well, are you going to sit on the floor all night or are you going to eat dinner?" Chazz asked him when he walked by. At the mention of food, Jaden dashed to the table and plopped on a fat pillow that expanded beneath his weight. The moment he sat down he started gathering food on tiny mismatched Victorian china plates with different flower patterns on them and gathered contrasting tea pots and started filling cups.

Syrus glided to Jaden's right and floated in the air, then crossed his legs and landed elegantly on the pillow in a traditional Japanese sitting position. Once seated, he leaned over and used a copper ladle to fill a large chipped coffee mug with the green-yellow liquid.

Chazz rolled his eyes and swiped a fruit tart Jaden was about to stuff in his mouth, causing him to bite air. He took a bite and devoured it on his way to his own seat on the left-hand side of the head of the table where a throne of red, gold, and white pillows rested. Jaden growled, watching Chazz devour the dessert before clutching the multiple plates of desserts and tea cups in his arms and dragging them towards him.

Syrus rolled his eyes with a smile and gently tugged on a plate holding a two-tier white fondant cake decorated with green swirls. It looked so good, Yugi mistook it for a prop until the silver-eyed boy took a carving knife and promptly sliced it in half, like butter, licking his lips as he did so.

Chazz licked his fingers clean, slouched against the back rest of pillows, and propped his boots on the table. With a flick of his wrists and a shimmer of his wings a frilled white china plate leapt into the air and scooped up random pastries, berry tarts drizzled with cream, chocolates, and honey glazed fruits. An old-fashioned brass tea pot filled a white tea cup with pink bats on the rim. Once done, the plate and cup sat down in front of him, spilling drops here and there.

He looked over his shoulder before sipping the tea. "You coming or not, Yugi?" he asked again.

"You-man-mave-mis-meat" Jaden mumbled with a mouth stuffed with biscuits and mint frosting cupcakes. He pointed to the seat between him and the head of the table Yugi assumed was reserved for the King. Jaden grabbed another tea pot decorated with candy cane stripes and poured the tea through a tea cup with a shattered bottom and into another one, than downed it in a single gulp.

Yugi shook his head, stunned by the juxtaposing image before him and sheer normalcy of it. "Even the manners in this place are whacked" he mumbled shaking his head and stumbling to the seat Jaden offered. The second he sat down, a heavy weight plopped into his lap. He looked down and almost jumped seeing the large head of Silver Fang propped in his lap. The wolf whined and met him with pleading eyes. Sighing, Yugi surrendered and scratched his head.

"Don't let him fool you into giving him treats," Jaden whispered in his hear. "He thinks we're dumb enough to forget he's a familiar."

Yugi blinked and asked "Familiar? Mahado mentioned that, what's that?"

The three paused. There was a silence before Syrus answered. "Well, it's kinda hard to explain. None of us have one so we can't really explain it…"

"Why not ask one?" Chazz pointed downward. Confused, Yugi looked down and found a large short cake tart filled with raspberries, blueberries and sliced strawberries and topped with a slice of kiwi being shoved towards him by a blue cat-fox like creature with bright red eyes and a round ruby orb embedded in its tail.

"Bre," she smiled welcomingly.

"Wah!" Yugi stumbled back so fast he fell over like a wound up heap. The creature strolled to the end of the table and peeked over at him. "Where the heck did you come from?" he demanded, sitting back up.

"Ruby!" Jaden scolded her, spreading a mountain of marmalade on a biscuit. "Haven't we given him enough heart attacks already? Where's Jesse?"

"I'm right here, Jay!" the four turned their heads just in time to watch the fourth boy Yugi recalled seeing when he first woke up materialize at the end of the table in a swirl of turquoise mist. Wild spikes of turquoise hair adorned his head and sky blue wings the same color as his eyes fluttered behind him. Unlike the other three, he wore an outfit similar to a Victorian prince, only the back of the shirt had been cut open, allowing the wings to move. The second the blue cat/fox Jaden called Ruby saw him she bolted across the table like a blue streak. Food splattered and trailed behind her as she stepped in it, tea pots knocked over and broke, china plates tipped over, scattering treats, and an old brass candelabrum knocked over.

"Hey!" Chazz scolded when she knocked over a white china teapot decorated with blue flowers, spilling tea over his food.

"Watch it!" Jaden snapped when she knocked over the pyramid of pastries and cookies he built. Instinctively, he grabbed the fat tea pot and broken tea cup and clutched them to his chest, knocking over a cup of tea in the process.

Syrus ignored her and lifted the uneaten half of his cake in the air until she ran by, mercilessly licking the frosting from his fork. White and green frosting caked his lips and fingers.

With a final leap over a centerpiece of dried, brown plants and dead flowers, Ruby was on Jesse's shoulder and wrapped around his neck like a scarf.

"Nice to see ya too, girl," he stroked her neck.

"Where did you come from now?" Yugi jumped to his feet, causing Silver Fang to hit his head on the table in the process.

Jesse blinked at him then cupped his chin in the crook of his thumb and forefinger, pondering. "Don't know exactly. I think somewhere in West Tokyo, but I don't really remember" the turquoise-haired fairy chuckled.

"That's cute, Jesse," Chazz snapped, drying the tea off his pants with the tablecloth. "I take it this means you're done?"

Jesse nodded. "Yup, Shadi's just finishing up the paperwork and then pappy'll probably be joining us for dinner" he said giddily, irking Yugi's bewilderment even more.

"That's the Frost King, remember?" Syrus corrected licking his fingers clean of icing.

Pappy? Frost King? Wait? WHAT! Yugi's thoughts exploded. Didn't Mahado say something about the Frost King's children?

"Hey, he's not here now. I'll call him whatever I wish," Jesse teased, "Besides, Sy, you're the one who's always scolding him for not spending enough time with his boys, right?" Syrus pouted until Jaden wrapped his arm around his waist and pulled him against him, making the boy giggle reluctantly.

"No…he didn't mean…you guys can't be…" Yugi stuttered out loud, looking between the four strange boys who looked nothing alike and were far too close in age to be related. They looked at him with bewildered eyes. "You're younger than me! How can you be his children? He can't be older than twenty-seven, maybe thirty?"

"Actually, I'm fifty-three, but I thank you for the compliment," a new voice corrected, causing Yugi to jump loudly and bolt around. The Frost King stood in the doorway, a commanding smirk on his face. He wasn't wearing the crown, his hair no longer had the crystals in it, and he'd replaced his previous outfit with an arm-fitting white kimono with a violet sash and a thigh slit down to his ankles, exposing his white pants and boots. Based on the independent movements of his wings, it was safe to assume it was open-backed like Jesse's outfit.

A sudden silence overcame the room. The four teenaged fairies shrank back as the King entered and scrambled to make the table presentable. Jaden started to restack pastries and cookies in a neat pile and reset everything that was knocked over. Once satisfied, he went back to sipping his tea, stopping only to straighten a butter knife. Syrus scrambled to correctly stand a plain clay pot, slamming his fist down in the process so hard his spoon flipped in the air and landed in his cup. Silver Fang ducked under the table, hitting the rim in the process. Ruby vanished in a puff of smoke and Jesse scrambled into the seat next to Chazz, who was piling up the spilled tarts and rubbed his elbow fiercely against the tea stain on the tablecloth. Yugi couldn't move. Even as the Frost King started towards them, he almost wanted to join Silver Fang and duck under the table.

Finally he stopped in front of Yugi with a neutral face. It took all of Yugi's will power not to close his eyes.

Then he smiled. "Is screeching, gawking, and jumping like that a habit of yours?" he asked, cocking his head to the side. Yugi's jaw dropped. "Is that a yes or a no?" he chuckled.

Suddenly there was a snort. Syrus covered his mouth and nose with both hands and tried failingly to swallow a fit of laughter. "What do you expect with the way you keep scaring him…" he squeaked.

Chazz suddenly broke his control and added, "So you've decided to scrap your 'kingly attire' and join us in rags?" Yugi almost gasped at the lightness of the tone. But he was more surprised by the Frost King's response—he laughed! A bright, cheery laugh!

"Of course," he chuckled, making dramatic gestures as he moved. "Kami knows I can barely move in such heavy garments. I swear I don't even know why I bother when I'm hardly ever in that damn throne room. But enough dilly-dalling." Yugi's stupor broke when he felt the king tug on his arms. "Shall we take our seats?"

Yugi nodded mutely and moved back towards pillow on the King's right hand side. The Frost King raised a confused eyebrow before his eyes narrowed on the boys. That did it. All four of them burst out laughing like lunatics.

"What the hell just happened?" Yugi pleaded.

The Frost King sighed and gently grabbed the young man's shoulders and plopped him down in his seat. "You might want to sit down and eat that fruit tart before you faint again" he said calmly. The boys tried to stifle their laugher but failed and banged their hands or collapsed against the table. Jesse laughed so hard his sides hurt, and finally he leaned too far over and crashed to the floor with a loud 'oaf'.

"You'll have to forgive them, they're just not used to anyone willingly sitting next to me" the Frost King explained.

"Why?" Yugi asked mutely.

"Because," the king smirked pressing his chin against the fingers of his folded palms. "That seat is usually reserved for the Queen or the King's lover only." Yugi's eyes bulged out of his skull. "You can relax though, they were just playing a joke on me," he explained until a few loud bumps beneath the table caught his attention. Silver Fang pounced from beneath the table and propped his upper body in his Master's lap, earning a loud 'oaf' from the man. "Oh yes," he stroked the wolf's throat and turned to Yugi. "This is Silver Fang, my familiar. I'm sure you've met him already."

Yugi glared at the wolf. "Yeah, he tried to eat me, and probably didn't cause he thought I was you" he growled.

The Frost King chuckled. "Don't insult his intelligence; he can easily tell the difference. He's a familiar, not a normal wolf."

"What's the difference?" Yugi asked curiously. "That crazy mage in purple said something about that, about the leopard that saved me?"

"Ah yes, Luna. She's Mahado's familiar. A Familiar is different from other animals in the sense they possess conscious thought and are capable of independence both mentally and magically but they Bond with snow fairies. We mutually help each other strengthen our magic and share a telepathic bond, some are capable of speech or mental communication in general, but with a Familiar they share all their thoughts and emotions. Thus we are mutual emotional and magical anchors for the other—but in order to form the actual Bond, one must have a close, personal connection as well. Does that explain it?" he asked, stroking Silver Fang's head.

"Kind of," Yugi replied skeptically. "So, what does Luna do and what does he do?"

"Luna helps Mahado cast his blizzard spell. It's our safeguard, but it takes a great deal of power to perform, so they cast it together. Because Luna is immune to blizzard magic she can navigate through the storm as if it wasn't there and either makes it stronger or weaker depending on the strength of the storm in a certain location. Silver Fang here," he chuckled. "He's an Alpha; his prime possession is power and assertion. Thus, like me, he aids in keeping this place safe and under control and can be quite fearsome when he does so."

"That's an understatement" Yugi mumbled, taking a bite out of his giant fruit tart since he couldn't find any clean forks.

The Frost King smiled. "Don't worry; he's also an excellent judge of character. One look in the eye and he can tell if you are safe or if you shall cause us nothing but harm. In your case, he saw you were not a threat, and thus welcomed you with open arms."

"So…" Yugi paused. "You're not afraid of me anymore?" he asked.

The king's eyes narrowed. "Please, you're hardly something to be afraid of, no offence. I was only concerned of whether or not you'd have more than just yourself finding this place. Now that would've been a disaster. Just you are no threat, though it's much nicer to have confirmation than just instinct."

Yugi felt his ego bruise a bit at that remark, but relief that he was no longer in immediate danger won in the end. "Uh," he paused noticing the boys hadn't stopped laughing. "Shouldn't you stop them?"

The Frost King cracked an eye open, "Nah, they'll be done in a few minutes. This is the one place where we can all just unwind, be ourselves, and not worry about politics or dangers or making sure everyone has enough food for the cold season—and to answer how I know you're going to ask that, yes, we make sure all of my subjects have tables, seats, food and beds as well."

Yugi blinked. "How did-"

"Please," the King spoke sarcastically. "It's written all over your face. And you can unwind you know; I understand that you're still scared and confused about your situation but you don't have to act all polite and kiss ass everywhere you go."

Yugi growled. "Big talk coming from the man who all but scared the shit out of me for no reason not two hours ago!" he snapped.

The King's eyes widened with surprise.

"He's got you there, dad" Jaden chimed in, just as the four laughing fits stopped, leaving the four teenaged fairies panting from exhaustion.

"Yeah, Papa, didn't we tell you he wasn't a threat?" Syrus added.

"Seriously, Oto-san, Luna's not dumb enough to let that happen" Chazz added, mixing the tea and the green-yellow liquid into a white tea cup with a ring of pink bats.

"Wait," Yugi paused putting the food down. "Oto-san," he turned to the Frost King. "Before you said, you were just kidding, right? I mean…how can you be fifty three?"

The Frost King smirked. "Because I am a snow fairy and do not age the same way humans do." He chuckled at Yugi's jaw-dropped expression. "I'm sorry to inform you of what an old man I am, but that's no reason to catch flies." He closed Yugi's mouth by tilting his chin with his finger. "And to answer your previous question, yes, Chazz, Jaden, Syrus and Jesse are my sons, but they are all adopted. To date I've not been married—hence their little joke about you and that seat."

"Adopted?" Yugi questioned turning to the four. "How?" He kicked himself at the silence that followed and the neutral masks that covered their previously laughing faces. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to pry, I just—"

"Don't you ever stop talking?" Yami snapped, more annoyed than angry. "It's their story to tell, if they wish, but don't go blubbering apologies before they even give you an answer."

"Sorry," Yugi apologized and looked at the table.

"It's okay Yugi," Chazz answered first. "It's just been a while."

"Well, I mean, were you snow fairies first or-"

"Nope," Jaden chimed in, popping another tart into his mouth. "We were all human, came here, chose to stay, and Dad us turned into fairies."

Syrus rolled his eyes at the childish answer. "It's more complicated than that."

"Then why don't ya explain it to—" Jesse began then paused. "Oh hell, we never introduced ourselves did we?"

Everyone in the room but Yugi paused.

"Shit, he's right." Jaden looked mortified and turned to Yugi. "Well, better late than never. Hi, I'm Jaden Yuki." He smiled brightly and offered and hand which Yugi shook.

"I'm Jesse Anderson, you already met Ruby, if she comes back." Jesse waved.

"I'm Syrus," Syrus bolted over and hugged him tightly. "Syrus Truesdale."

Chazz snorted "Oh sure, make me the rude one, Chazz Princeton."

"Nice to meet you all officially then," Yugi smiled before turning to the Frost King. "And you? Do I get to know your name?"

The Frost King blinked then smirked. "I am Frost King Yami, but you are only allowed to call me that here or when we're alone: Mahado and the boys being the only exceptions. Understand?"

Yugi nodded.

"So, back to how we became fairies, who wants to go first?" Jaden said bubbly and opened his mouth to talk, but Chazz cut him off.

"Oh no! You made me the last introduction and I'm oldest, I'm going first!" Once he'd asserted his position, he leaned back in his chair, folded his arms behind his head, and propped his boots on the table. "I was seventeen, at the time." The teenaged fairy looked heavenward. "I was on a business trip with my older brothers—well, I thought it was, see my family owned a huge company in Japan of which I was heir, despite having two older brothers, so they took me everywhere because I was a 'key piece' in their ultimate plot to 'rein over Japan' as they called it." He snorted at the memory. "Idiots. Anyway, my brothers hated me, and the feeling was mutual."

"How come?" Yugi asked without thinking.

Chazz shrugged. "Lots of reasons. For starters they were ten and fifteen years older than me so we were never close growing up. Second, when my mother was pregnant with me she already had an existing heart condition and she refused to take radiation or anything that might cure it out of fear for my life—Dad said she was always the type to put others before herself. So, as I'm sure you can imagine, despite the almost certain chance she's die in childbirth if she had me, she still did. Therefore, my brothers blame me for the fact that she died and completely resented that dad favored me because I was her last child. Naturally, they despised me, and the feeling was mutual, I made that clear with all those paper dolls I made from their business papers." Everyone chuckled.

"So then how did you get here?" Yugi asked, leaning on his elbows with Syrus still cuddled in his lap.

Chazz frowned. "After my father died when I was a teenager, I went through hell and back with my brothers constantly pressuring me to be the best, telling me I was a failure if I did something wrong. I won't bore you with details, but let's just say there was a reason I hated them. Well, our 'business trip'," he air quoted the words with his fingers "turned out to be a wedding. My asshole brothers arranged a marriage behind my back to a spoiled, conceited blond who looked like an eight year old just for her money. When I found out, I ran away 'cause I couldn't stand the fact that I had no control over my own life, so I just drove to the mountain pass and just walked around. I'd always loved coming here as a kid with my dad, so it seemed like the right place to figure things out. It was the only time in my life I ever felt free. While walking, I eventually found that cave and when I saw the light in it I decided to check it out. Imagine my surprise when not only did it look like someone lived there, but when I found a snow leopard sleeping there?"

"Luna?"

Chazz nodded. "Like any normal person I freaked out, but someone," he dragged out the word, rolling his gaze towards the Frost King, who said nothing, "knocked me out from behind. When I came to, this guy" he gestured his thumb towards his adopted father "offered me an ultimatum: remain here as a snow fairy or go back to the human world when the storm ends. I didn't even need to think about it."

"Which surprised me more than you can imagine," Yami chimed in. "And since he had nowhere else to go, I adopted him—I needed someone to help me keep this place in tip-top shape, and he can run this place cold if I let him."

A proud smirk split Chazz's face. "And best off all, since I was heir, my dad's lawyers decreed the company be donated to charity" he burst out laughing. "My only regret is not seeing my brother's face when Princeton Corps donated its entire savings!"

Yugi dropped his food. "Wait, you're that Chazz Princeton?"

Chazz nodded.

Yugi started shaking. "No way, that's impossible, that was over a decade ago, you can't be…you can't be older than me!"

"Well that depends, how old are you now?" Chazz asked with a wicked gleam in his eyes.

"Twenty-one," Yugi chocked.

The teen had a calculating look then smirked. "Then I'm twenty-seven, technically."

Yugi could've fainted. "How…?"

Jaden chuckled. "I think you better explain it to him dad, otherwise none of our stories will make any sense."

"Explain what?" Yugi asked, though he wasn't sure he wanted an answer.

"Snow fairies age differently, remember?" Syrus looked up from Yugi's lap with a smile on his face, then turned to his father "Tell him, papa."

"Alright, alright." Yami put his tea cup down and placed his chin on his hands. "Like the boys said, Yugi, snow fairies age differently than humans. You see, rather than growing and changing over the course of several years and going through what I believe you call puberty, our bodies simple stay or 'freeze' at that age. When our bodies are done freezing, or have reached a point when we're ready to move on to the next physical stage of our body, we 'transform' as we've dubbed it."

"Uh, I have no idea what you're talking about" Yugi replied, clearly confused.

Yami sighed. "Alright, I'll explain it. Snow and Frost Fairies are winter creatures, thus when we grow, our bodies freeze and melt like snow. When we're born we have wings and our ears, since I know you're going to ask me that next, everyone always does. When we're born, we age like a human would from infancy to toddler to child, but once we reach a certain age, roughly between the human age of six and nine, we start freezing. We don't age beyond that point, but internally are bodies are growing and going through the pubescent stage all at once rather than over the course of a few years.

"After a period of a few years, Freezing finishes and we 'transform' into what you call a pre-teen or teenaged form. The age appearance depends on how old you were when you started freezing and how long freezing took. The faster and earlier you were when freezing began, the younger you will appear after you transform. The longer it takes, the older they look. For example, if a person began Freezing at the appearance of age six then it would take longer to freeze then it would for one who started at age nine, but the one who transformed at age six will probably appear to be about sixteen to seventeen while the one at nine will mostly likely appear the age of eighteen to your age, depending on how long or short Freezing takes.

"The backlash is that it is the opposite for the teenaged form. If it took longer for them to reach their teenaged form then they'll go through the next stage relatively quickly and vice versa. Once the second transformation occurs, like with the teenaged form depending on the length freezing takes, the more or less adult-looking the fairy shall be. It can look anywhere between adult to middle aged and after which, we don't transform again. This stage lasts the longest and it's when we become sexually active and can reproduce."

"Doesn't that make your lives shorter though?" Yugi wondered, "Aging all at once?"

"Quite the opposite, we could virtually live for at least a thousand years following our second transformation. Remember, we live for centuries if we want. No one knows how long exactly, but each stage takes a great deal of time. Your own age of twenty one would probably have you at just about Freezing point, so at this age you'd have just completed your first transformation despite your advanced age appearance."

Yugi's eyes widened. "Then that would make you…"

"I am currently in the third stage and have been for roughly a decade. The Frost King takes his throne when he reaches adulthood. But rest assured I'm a long way from reaching my final stage.

"Do you transform for that too?"

"No, we reach that when we start going through what I believe humans call menopause in which we can no longer reproduce. At that point, our bodies have completely frozen and can no longer change. As a result, our hair and wings turn white. However we do not decay in the way humans do, we simply remain frozen. Our bodies no longer change and remain frozen in its current state. Does that make sense…Shadi said your name is Yugi, is that correct?"

Yugi nodded. "That sort of makes sense. What exactly is 'transforming'?" He asked, nervously sipping the tea Jaden handed him.

"It's a pain in the ass, literally." Jaden grimaced in memory. "You grow all at once, so your skin freezes and then it all just cracks, like a bunch of glass pieces and then you emerge from it, good as new. It weird, but it hurts!"

"Are you telling the truth or making that up?" Yugi half-demanded, more shocked than confused.

"I'm afraid he's right," Yami explained. "Like I said, when our bodies reach the freezing stage, they literally freeze. When they get to the point where they can't grow or freeze anymore, then we simply out grow it and our old form cracks away."

"Like how snakes shed their skin?" Yugi asked, green tinting his cheeks.

"More like how you fill a glass with water, and it freezes and expands so the glass breaks," Jesse explained.

Yugi gulped. "Sounds painful."

"Perhaps, but I think they overdramatize it," Syrus chuckled, until Jaden shoved him.

"Shut up, Syrus! You never transformed so you can't talk. I did, it freakin hurts."

"True that" Jesse added grabbing a plate of scones.

"Wait, what do you mean?" Yugi asked confused and turned to Yami for clarification.

The Frost King chuckled. "I suppose I can clarify for you. Syrus and Chazz never experienced the first-stage transformation. When they became fairies they were already teenagers. Granted, they did experience it when they were turned but they were asleep when it happened, which I did on purpose because I dislike seeing others in pain if I can avoid it. Jesse and Jaden came here when they were children, so once they reached the Freezing Age, they transformed. That's why they appear older than Syrus."

"I see," Yugi nodded. "Out of curiosity how old were you two when you became fairies?"

Jaden prompted his elbows on the table and smiled. "I was six."

Before he could continue, Jesse, who face was a mask of deep thought, cut him off. "Honestly, I don't remember. Then again I don't remember much before I came here anyway." He paused so he could hand Ruby, who appeared back on his shoulder in a puff of smoke, a jam caked scone. He rested his elbows on the table and his chin in his hands, mimicking the Frost King and met Yugi's eyes. "I don't remember my parents, honestly, or if I ever had any. The only real family I ever had was Ruby." He stroked the fox's back. She purred and danced around his shoulders before finally leaping on top his head and curling up in the nest of his hair.

"But no one could see her but me, so everyone called me a liar. Everyone thought I was weird or had an imaginary friend, but when I didn't grow out of it they thought something was wrong with me, so no one wanted me. Ironically, foster care folks don't like a kid who they think is mental. Go fig? Anyway, one home that thought I was nothing but a liar and would hit me every time I talked to Ruby or about her, took me to Sapporo for the ice festival, they were judges or something. Ruby came to my window one night, so I packed up and ran away. I followed her all the way to the big lake, and in the center was a huge hole that looked like a mirror. Ruby jumped through it, and being a dumb kid, I followed her. Only instead of water I wound up right back on a lake—just here."

"A lake?" Yugi's eyes widened.

"The cave isn't the only entrance to this place," Yami explained. "Rather it's simply where Mahado stays until the spell is cast. I was quiet surprised when a toddler wandered in through the lake, but once I saw Ruby it made perfect sense."

"So…I take it Ruby's a familiar too?" Yugi asked pointing at the sleeping creature.

Jesse nodded. "Yup, after that I wandered around for a bit, Pappy took me home, introduced me to Chazz, and turned me into a fairy, so here I am."

"Is that what happened to you, Jaden?" Yugi asked the brunet snow fairy.

"Yes and no." Jaden flashed a childish grin. "See, I didn't come here, Chazz brought me." He peeked and eye open and caught the question on Yugi's face. "You see, I was always alone since I was little. My parents were always away or were always fighting. They were teenagers when they had me, so yeah, you get the idea. Anyway, one day we came to Sapporo, that night I went to sleep, when I woke up they weren't there, and they didn't come back."

Yugi's face fell. "I'm so-"

"Don't be," Jaden snorted then smiled. "I didn't care then and I don't care now."

"So then how did Chazz find you?" Yugi asked.

"I was in town visiting the festival and found him wandering the streets by himself." Chazz explained. "I didn't have the heart to leave him, so I tracked down his parents, and they were more angry that I brought him back just as they were about to go their separate ways more than anything else. I was so disgusted, I froze them both and brought him back to my father, so he adopted him. Worked out since him and Jesse were pretty close in age."

"That's good then" Yugi smiled and looked down at Syrus. "So then did you come here to escape your family too?"

Syrus closed his eyes and leaned against Yugi's chest not unlike a toddler with his mother. "No, that wasn't why," he yawned. "I came here to kill myself."

Yugi froze. He opened his mouth to speak, but the Frost King snatched his wrist and gave him a look that commanded he let the boy explain.

"See, I actually had a very good life before I came here. A very happy one, too. I had two parents who loved me very much, even though they died when I was young, and I had an older brother who I idolized. I wanted to be just like him: strong, noble, respectable…he was on top of the world when he graduated. Then one day he lost, and he suddenly hit rock bottom." Yugi felt Syrus' grip on his shirt tighten but remained silent. "It was like overnight he became the complete opposite of himself. But I didn't care. He scared me, but he was still my brother. He was all I had." The boy paused. "Then one night, his drug addiction affected his heart and he had a heart attack. I was only thirteen. I couldn't do anything but call for help. He died before they arrived. I thought it was an hour before the paramedics arrived, they told me it had only been about four minutes."

The boy's voice had a small crack but was still soft. "I refused to go to foster care, and we always spent the summers here so I came here for the festival and went into the mountains to freeze. There was a blizzard that night, it seemed appropriate. But then I saw someone coming. He had wings, so I assumed I was already dead and he was the angel who was coming to take me to the next life. He kinda did…"

"'Cept I turned you into a fairy before telling dad," Jaden chimed in.

Yami laughed. "Yes, and I remember how furious I was at you for that." He turned to Yugi. "Like I said, I would never turn a person who didn't want to be here, so the fact that Jaden did so, especially without asking me, infuriated me."

"Hey, the kid was already half-frozen!" Jaden defended himself.

Syrus chuckled. "It's okay, Jay. I know you were just trying to help, I was glad you did since I know now I would've regretted it if I died that day."

"Still, he was just as scared and confused his you were, and since the punishment must fit the crime, I ordered Jaden to take care of him until he was settled" the Frost King explained.

"I'm glad though, now I have a new life and a wonderful family." Syrus smiled and hugged Yugi tightly. "You'll love it here Yugi! It's so wonderful. Just think, tomorrow we can all go into town and meet everyone. Everyone is getting ready for the solstice festival! It's so much fun! And the lanterns and lights are so pretty!"

"And the food is delicious!" Jaden added.

"And the games, don't forget the games!" Jesse shot up.

"Of course!" Jaden added.

"And the Ice competition!" Chazz added, "Can't forget the main event."

Yugi bit his lip not having the heart to interrupt the children's fantasy and opened his mouth to protest, but someone cut him off.

"He might not be staying." The silence that followed the Frost King's declaration was more dreadful then a scream.

A sudden thought filled Yugi with dread. "Are you going to turn me into a fairy too?" There was fear in his eyes but his tone was hard and serious. The Frost King matched his expression. His face betrayed no emotion. "Just as I said, Yugi, I don't turn anyone who doesn't want to stay here. Being a fairy simply makes it easier to survive here, but as I said you can either stay or you can return to your world when the storm ends."

"The storm…" Yugi breathed, having forgotten about that. "Mahado said that! What is it?"

"It's our defense mechanism," Yami said flatly. "Fairies are not as numerous as they once were, especially snow fairies. While we live for so long and are not as fragile as humans, it does not change the fact that there are more of them than us. Knowledge of our existence in any culture is forbidden, even on rare occasions. Unlike our European cousins, we are not as dependent on humans, but it does not change the fact that they cannot know of our existence. Even the humans who come here must eventually choose one world or the other. The blizzard is our defense against humans. When the portals are accessed by humans or humans are close to them, it activates. The storm keeps our world hidden. Recently, human activity in our territory has increased in population, thus Mahado and Luna renewed the spell."

"You mean because of the Olympics?" Yugi realized.

"Pardon?" Yami blinked.

"Never mind," Yugi shook his head "So when can you undo the spell so I can go home?"

The Frost King glared. "It's not a switch, Yugi. You'll have to wait until the spell ends, and that will take at least a few days."

"A few days!" Yugi shot up, knocking Syrus over in the process. "I can't stay here for that long! I was in a blizzard, for God's sake! People will be looking for me! What about my friends, my grandpa? They'll be worried sick about me!"

The Frost King's face remained stoic. "Well there isn't anything you can do but wait. So I suggest you do so until Luna says otherwise. Unless, of course, you'd rather go wandering around in the storm?" He voice reeked of sarcasm.

Yugi could've screamed at the arrogant look on his face, but was so angry he could only shake his fists in rage. "Fine! What'll happen to me when it's over?"

"Exactly what I said." The Frost King repeated. "When the storm is over, you can either remain here or you can return to your own world."

"That doesn't answer my question." Yugi glared at him.

The King met his eyes. "Then your memory will be erased and you will be returned to the path where you were found."

Yugi's face fell. "My memory…"

"It's the only way I can be sure no one ever finds this place. You're free to use the room you stayed in for now. You don't have to make your decision until the storm ends, but eventually you'll have to decide. Stay or lose your memory." The Frost King stood up.

His words hit Yugi like a stone in a well.

"It's that simple."


This Chapter faught me all the way and turned out much longer than i expected but none the less it came out perfectly. I didn't want it to be a filler so I'm glad of that-there's also something important in this chapter. Can anyone figure it out? ;)

Anyway, the opening was greatlyu inspired by the Mad Tea Party in Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland. I LOVE that movie and I loved the juxtaposition and mismatch of china, food, furniture hell even the table clothes, so that was what that was based off of. Plus it gave me free range to show not just these kids but Yami in their "true forms" they don't have to worry about impressing anyone or making foolds of themselves. They can go nuts and be as crazy as they want, and man are they nuts! Plus, as Yugi noted, I wanted to show that their mannerisms are different from humans. They ARE fairiies after all.

The concept of Freezing and how they age, i put a lot of thought and effort into since no one every really seems to explain or care about why fairies are importal or the draw backs of living forever-like literally FOREVER (thank you Stephanie Myer :chainsaw: ) So yeah, my fairies i totally scrapped that whole immortality thing for something that I thought was more plausible and realistic-I do this with creatures in my original fiction as well, I mean yeah living for a few hundred to a thousand years would be awesome and getting to do and see literally everything but eventually it catches up to you-just look at Hoinem in Full Metla Alchemise-he wanted to find a "cure" for his immortality so he could join Trisha in the Afterlife. Same principal.

On that note I also tried to keep the boy's pasts and why they're there similar to their original pasts and lives in the anime (which fortunatly gave me a lot of freedom for some really dark back stories) so there ya go. There's a reason i did this, but i wanna see if any of you can figure it out ;)

Anyway, again special thanks to all my readers and reviews, and as always enjoy the chap!