Mystery Girl

Johan was about to give up, when his hand brushed up against the girl's neck. He had felt a slight pulsing… He put one hand on the side of her neck. He was rewarded with the faint slow rhythm of blood flowing. She was still alive!

Johan knew he didn't dare leave the girl in the cold. He picked her up in his arms and walked as fast as he dared to the house.

Fred curiously sniffed the newcomer. He sniffed something familiar… If only he could remember where he had smelled that smell before… He began to whine. The blue-haired teen didn't notice. He whined more urgently. The boy looked at him and gave a sigh.

"Fred, just let me call 911 and then you can go outside."

If Fred could snort derisively, he would have. Humans could be so stupid sometimes. Fred began to pace. Where had he smelled that smell before? Pace. It hadn't been long ago. Pace. Pace. Suddenly, he knew.

"Yes, she's still breathing. No, I don't know exactly what happened… No, I don't think I can move her. No, it's not because she's fat. No it's not because I'm wea–".

Fred began tugging on Johan's pants leg with gusto. "Hold on."

Johan lowered the receiver from his ear and said, "I told you Fred, when I'm finished with this call!"

He put the phone back to his ear.

"Sorry about that. My dog's being a pain. Anyway, can you come over as quickly as possible? Thanks very much."

Johan put the receiver back in its cradle.

"Fred?"

The mutt wasn't in the room anymore… And the front door was ajar…

"He didn't…"

He heard barking coming from his room, and sighed in relief. That relief was quickly replaced by alarm. IN HIS ROOM?

"FRED!"

Johan sprinted towards his bedroom. He dreaded what he would find… I should have taken him to go pee outside!

But Fred hadn't gone into the bedroom to relieve himself. He had been looking for something, and had found it.

Why had the teenager screamed like that? Did he want to wake up the whole neighborhood? All he had wanted was to find out where he had smelled one of the scents coming from the girl before… And then the fool had to go and yell bloody murder… Honestly.

Made him almost not want to show his owner what he had found. His jaws still held the flimsy object. He had to be careful not to salivate too much, else the object would begin to disintegrate. He strolled over to his master and deposited the object in front of him. It was a pretty piece of paper, shiny, and mostly orange.

He had no idea why the girl had smelled like the paper did. Perhaps the blue-haired teen would. If he would stop shrieking like a little girl.

Johan stared at the Duel Monsters card. Why had Fred put it at his feet? Must be a dog thing.

"Well, I said I would take you outside. So let's go, Fred."

Fred just stared at his master, unmoving. Until an idea struck him. He picked up the card again, being mindful of his drool, and jogged to the couch where the girl his master had brought lay.

He put the paper object on the girl's stomach, and hoped his owner would get the message.

Johan didn't know why Fred was acting so strange. Maybe he'd ask the veterinarian when he took Fred to get his shots. Fred was beginning to whimper now. Johan sighed and picked up the card.

Of all the hundreds of cards Judai has…Fred picked this one… The card was Winged Kuriboh.

'Kuri Kuri'

Johan saw Winged Kuriboh's picture change, for just a moment, to Judai's face. Realization flooded Johan.

"She's losing blood too fast!"

"I need a defibrillator STAT!"

"We're losing her!"

"Not on my watch."

"Doctor. She won't survive the night."

Water… I need water… Judai could feel his tongue cracking. He hadn't had water in nearly four days. Was Yubel still inside him, he could probably have gone another week without drinking, but she was no longer with him.

So this is how it ends… I don't die fighting… I die of thirst… What a terrible way to die… His vision began to blur. He heard running water.

It was probably no more than a hundred yards away, but it might as well have been halfway across the world. He continued to stumble doggedly on.

He was ninety yards away. Eighty yards. Seventy.

His vision was starting to go black. Sixty yards. Fifty.

He was crawling. Forty yards. Thirty.

He was dragging himself now. Twenty yards. Ten. Five.

He collapsed and blacked out. He regained consciousness about ten minutes later, and continued to drag his body towards the stream.

Four yards. Three. He was so close… He could almost taste the water.

Two yards. His right arm gave way. One yard.

A/N: So. After all this, does Judai die of dehydration? Will Johan find the connection between Winged Kuriboh and the mystery girl? Will the mystery girl survive? Review if you want to find out. And thanks for all the reviews last week; they're what keep me going.