A/N: I'm up and back!

AlexistheEliatrope:

Thank you for noticing! *takes cookie*

xxkari23xx:

Thank you very much for giving my story a chance and taking the time to read and review it! I hope you will be able to read more chapters!

Shadowclanwarrior:

Luckily having experience in playing Duel Monsters itself, and researching a lot of deck types (can you believe it, I actually used REAL cards in the last chapter XD), the chapter was sorta easy to write. I mean, not easy, but you know what I mean. Compared to the old version of A Manga to Reality, I thought Duel Monsters was a complicated game. (Which is kinda true) XD

Gozekuu:

Woo-hoo, you're back! Omniscent 3rd POV has its many advantages! :D Honestly, I'm having WAY too much fun using it. (I always have too much fun when I write Yami Bakura's POV XD) There's more character development where that came from, know what I'm sayin? (Also, I'm going to give the canon side characters, Anzu/Miho/Jonouchi/Honda their share of development X3) Aw yeah, there is a plot alright. Layers upon layers of complicated plot. XD

As for the matters of Anzu, yeah, I thought it would be pretty cool if I make her have a strong friendship (maybe even a romantic love interest coughcough) for my OCs, cuz I was not so pleased by the bashing of her character. She's not bad for a character! I'm glad you're noticing that I'm mashing the Manga/Anime verses of Yugioh together - it's something I'm using for my advaantage. ;D Thank you once again for reviewing!

~Chapter Ten~

Brooke. Hey. Hey. Hey. you still there? u alive? wait scratch the last part, of course ur alive. (i hope to god u are cuz i am FREAKING OUT over here.) Brooke. Brooke. YOU STILL UP or something?! - 8:16 p.m

Dena stares at the illuminating screen of the phone that Mokuba was so kind for her to borrow. It wasn't no iPhone, in fact, it was a flip phone, with actual buttons (which Dena found more convenient), but then again, Dena figured that the company Apple wouldn't exist in the world of Yu-Gi-Oh. Impatiently, she taps on the screen, as if hoping that poking it would make Brooke answer. 4 minutes to answer a text, come on now Brooke! Dena thought sourly. To pass the time to wait for her sister's reply, Dena scrolls up to re-read their past conversation.

k got phone from Mokuba, u there? - 7: 49 p.m

Yeah, I'm here 7:49 p.m

so, so, so...where to start? I have so much questions. like we're in some children's TV show, am I right? - 7:50 p.m

Not just ANY children's TV show! It's called 'anime' :) - 7:50 p.m

Tomato, toh-mato, it all sounds the same. So, we are here...Do you remember anything after our…u know, fight? - 7:51 p.m

It's all in the past. - 7:53 p.m

dude, u took 2 minutes to answer. 2 WHOLE MINUTES. Not to mention u used a period at the end of ur tex. Bruh, i kno that our fight is bothering u, dont lie. tbh Brooke, the bullshit I spouted out to you would make ANY person pissed off. U sure u wanna drop this? - 7:53 p.m

Yeah, yeah, I'm sure. Do YOU remember anything after our fight? - 7:54 p.m

(-3-) ur dropping the subject grrrrr but whatever whatevs then. erm, no not really i dont remember jack. is that bad? - 7:55 p.m

I'm not really sure what to make out of it...you have any clues as to how we got here? - 7:55 p.m

uhm well no no dice. - 7:58 p.m

Hey, now YOU took THREE minutes to answer me, Adena Kemp. AND you used a period at the end of your text. Are YOU sure that nothing's up? :( - 7: 58 p.m

nah nah, it's all good. anyway, are u sure u wanna stay over there with Bakura? sis, I DONT TRUST HIM. repeat, I NO TRUST HIM. u can always come over here to Kaiba mansion, mokuba-kid may allow it. cuz frankly, even though it wasn't Bakura that was the psycho that sealed our souls or whatevs, he still has that freaky Ring doesn't he? - 8:00 p.m

It's ok, you can trust him Dena, there's no need to freak out about it. ;) But in all honestly, I want you to trust me on this. I think I have a clue Dena, a clue that MAYBE something that hints us on why we're here. It's ok, there's no need to be suspicious of Bakura. If the Spirit of the Ring shows up again, I can deal with him, ok? ;D - 8:05 p.m

idk man idk, that guy who lives in the Ring or whatever is PSYCHO CRAZY BONKERS. u sure u can deal with him? i mean, i kno that u know the world of yugioh like the back of your hand, but we're in the ACTUAL SITUATION. and we have no idea how these characters could react, cuz we're in here disrupting the balance or whatevs. know what im sayin? - 8: 07 p.m

uhm sis? - 8: 10 p.m

talk 2me - 8:11 p.m

Brooke, u freaking me out, cuz we were just talking about the ring and jack, and then youre not answering me IS HE HURTING U BRUH - 8:13 p.m

ANSWER ME DAMNIT! - 8:15 p.m

Dena feels a sigh rush out of her, when she scrolls down to the very last message she sent to Brooke. She looks at the time, seeing that it is 8:27 already. Tugging at a handful of hair, Dena mumbles to herself, "Damnit, Brooke. Damnit." She thought back after she, Brooke, and their friends all woke up after Bakura, or the Spirit of the Ring, released them from the 'Shadow Game' that they were in.

Being restored back to her familiar, old, sweet ol' physical body, Dena practically jumped Bakura to rip off the Ring off his neck. Of course, her sister was there to hold her back, but one can never be too sure. Bigger Yugi, (well in reality, he isn't SO TALL. Dena is a couple inches taller than him, and that is saying something), from now on Dena will refer to him as Other Yugi, questioned Bakura, and Bakura only reassured the all of them that the Ring seems empty of the malicious Spirit's presence.

Honest to God, Bakura seem like a really nice kid, to Dena. But she couldn't help but secretly call bullshit on that excuse to the Other Yugi. Of course, the rest were pretty wary of Bakura's excuse to them, however they had to let it go. The all of them had school tomorrow, afterall, and after such a crazy day of having to deal with Death-T AND a crazy axe murderer spirit that resides in an artifact, all were too tired to ponder on the situation anymore.

Bakura is a nice kid indeed - but Dena couldn't stop herself from flipping out at the fact that Brooke lived with him. Oh, she put up a fight with her sister, trying to insist as subtlety as possible come with her. Of course, after knowing Brooke for all of her life, despite having the appearance of being a timid and quiet girl, she could be really damn stubbourn when she puts her heart to it.

Crush/love interest 100% confirmed. Dena thought, smirking, when thinking back to her time before she left Bakura's apartment.

So, Dena had to give up, but not without leaving without making Brooke promise to stay up all night with her texting.

The phone clutched in her hand vibrates.

Dena jumps into action, opening the text.

Sorry, sorry. Bakura dozed off on the couch, but then he had a nightmare...had to wake him up and had a talk with him. Sorry that I didn't answer. - 8:31 p.m

Dena paused upon reading the text, taking a moment to straighten her glasses and bite the bottom of her lip. Hearing from her sister that she went to comfort Bakura from a nightmare, she couldn't help but feel, well, bad. And Dena could easily deduct what Bakura was having a nightmare from.

no no dont say sorry. dont mind me asking but what was he having a nightmare about? - 8: 32 p.m

...Well, I think you can easily guess what he was having them about. The Spirit of the Ring… - 8:32 p.m

gee, i feel kinda bad for being suspicious of him now. it must be rough and tough for him. - 8:33 p.m

It is. - 8:34 p.m

Feeling awkward, Dena knew that she had to change the subject.

uhm k, dont mind me changing the subject, but what was that clue u were talking about earlier? the clue that u brought up about how we were able to get here, to the yugioh world? - 8: 35 p.m

Drumming her fingers on the phone, Dena considered telling Brooke that she had a letter explaining pretty much everything as to how they were transported into some anime. Maybe the 'why' factor isn't quite clear, but the 'how' factor certainly is. However, Dena reconsiders telling her sister this fact over the phone. Afterall, it would be better if the both of them just read and see it together.

The phone vibrates.

Oh yeah, that. I don't think I should bring it up now. It would be better if we talk about this stuff when we're in person. - 8:37 p.m

Dena finds herself nodding to the text. Then, she is interrupted with a huge yawn. Tears squeezing out at the corner of her eyes, Dena fans her face, leaning her face against the cool pillows. Suddenly, the idea of sleep becomes very appealing to Dena. Quickly, she texts her reply back to Brooke.

yah, this stuff is pretty deep and complicated to talk over the phone. i think i'm gonna have to raincheck that all nighter. i feel pretty drained out after today. any more warnings for me Brooke? are there more things we should be ready for, if this world is following the anime or whatever? i mean, i have a HUGE disadvantage given i kno nothing about yugioh. - 8: 39 p.m

Dena had to wait a few minutes for her sister to reply, until a huge block of text comes back from Brooke.

There are ALOT of stuff coming up, believe me. There's going to be a new villain appearing, though I don't know WHEN he's gonna show up...his name is Pegasus, the creator of Duel Monsters. And he's gonna stir up a whole lot of trouble...just to warn you, Dena, Pegasus is going to send some of his people to Kaiba Mansion to break into the place.

Dena feels instantly awake when she reads this part of the message. Anxiety rising, Dena scrolls down the rest of the text.

As a result, Pegasus's men are going to end up kidnapping Mokuba. Not to mention, Pegasus owns a Millennium Item, so he's going to also steal Grandpa's soul and use it against Yugi so that he and all his friends can go to Duelist Kingdom to get it back. So keep a sharp eye out. - 8:44 p.m

"That ain't good…" She mutters to herself, biting on her tongue. Protectiveness rises with her maternal instincts, when thinking back to Mokuba. Kidnapped by some creep? I can't let that happen! Once she finishes reading the message, dozens of more questions multiply in her mind, and she instantly lets her thumbs fly on the buttons to text back Brooke.

here we go again. is there anything i can do to stop it? to stop Mokuba's kidnapping? and whaddya mean Pegasus has a mil. Item? like those artifacts that Yugi/Bakura have? is he dangerous? i mean, that's pretty rhetorical, if he's capable of stealing Grandpa's soul like Bakura did to us...what should we do, sis? is there anything we can do to stop this? and what's this duelist kingdom you're talking about? - 8:46 p.m

Impatiently, Dena stares straight at the phone screen, awaiting her sister's answer.

The phone vibrates.

I know you have a lot of questions on your mind, and it's alot to take in, I know. I promise when we meet face to face, I'll explain everything to you. How about we meet tomorrow? Around 3:00-ish, afterschool time, maybe? - 8:48 p.m

yah, yah sure. hey u think we can go this cafe? it serves pretty great cake, and i can treat you. here's the address: 1234 Main Street. it's near this weird costume store, ya cant miss it. - 8:50 p.m

Before Dena could make herself re-read the text, she sent it. Instantly, she flushes at the face. Just why would she propose that?! She was perfectly aware that Anzu worked there, especially at afterschool times. Not to mention, Dena always acted and felt so damn weird whenever she was around Anzu. And additionally always itchy for some reason. Dena repeatedly slaps herself, repeating 'stupid' under her breath.

Ok, cool, then it's set. I'll see you then, and all will be revealed. G'night. ;3 -8:51 p.m

kk a g'night to you soul sister - 8:51 p.m

With that, Dena closes the phone, placing it carelessly on the bedside table, and sprawls herself out on the bed. Before allowing herself to drift off to slumber, the memory of her letter flashes in Dena's mind. Thinking of this sends Dena sitting up. Before I go to bed, I should probably read the rest of that letter before I finish it off for the day. Afterall, it's pretty much confirmed that Brooke and I are FAR, FAR away from home. Feeling her pockets, Dena takes out the two envelopes, and opens the one where her older self demanded for her not to read unless she finds Brooke. Breathing out, Dena opens the letter, relieved not to find anymore snarky messages from her future self. After turning on the bedside lamp, Dena straightens her glasses, and proceeds to read.

Younger Me,

So I see that you finally found Brooke. Great! Now we can get down to the dirty stuff. Wow that sounds weird...but to get more serious and darker, yeah, you must be wondering as to how in the hell you ended up in the Yu-Gi-Oh dimension. I already explained as to how Brooke got there, with 'Leaping Through Dimensions' and whatnot, and the matters of the past, present, and future. But as to how YOU got to where you are, and why I sent you there, that I will explain.

However, the information I'm going to reveal to you if really shocking, and I'd understand if you don't believe it, because I'm already asking you to believe in the fact that you're in some children's show - ahem, anime as Brooke would correct me.

I traveled back in time, or should I say, traveled to another parallel world, persay, another version of my past, which happened to be yours. How you ask? Simple, in the future, I invented what everyone would call 'time traveling' even though that isn't REALLY the case.

Dena took a moment to make a low whistle. She grins to herself whispering, "I always knew I was destined for awesomeness."

Knowing me, your head is going to get awfully big from finding out this information. Don't let it get all to your head kid - I only got to where I am today because I WORKED for it.

"Aw screw off!" Dena mumbles, frowning at the letter. She took a moment to pause, thinking, Did I really just tell my future self to screw off? Well I reached whole new levels of mind fuckery.

But I'm not lying about the fact I accomplished great things in my parallel world. But I wouldn't say I have such a great sister, mother, or person all in all...Anyway, aside from getting off track, yes, I technically traveled from the future to go back in the past (even though this is not the case) with the help of incredibly advanced technology. This was inspired from the phenomenon of leaping.

Leaping is an extraordinary event that occurs in a 'near death experience.' Y'know, those moments when you're about to die and all, but not quite? Yeah, if a person almost dies in just the right conditions, where portals are opened to hell, any other dimension at the right day, the person will travel to another dimension. That's what happens in those accidents with people. Remember on the news where in some type of freak accident, the person's body is never found? That was because they travelled to another dimension, persay, "leaped" into one.

However, dimension leaping isn't always guranteed to work, and there is a 90% chance of death of any fool that tries to leap. Like I said, the conditions have to be right.

I believe that on the day of September 23, 2007, Brooke had a near death experience which lead her to leaping through dimensions. It all started after that damn fight we had with Brooke...you remember, don't you?

Dena freezes up. Brooke almost died after they fought?

When Brooke almost got ran over the train, luckily, she leaped through a portal that lead her to another dimension. It's very ironic. Did you know September 23rd is the day where the season, fall, begins? Get it? Fall? As in she falls into another portal? Hahaha! Ahem - As for the matters of you, younger me...I had to put you in a near death experience as well. Back in your dimension, I pushed you off that tower. It was a gamble - I highly regret to say, there were even times I failed.

Her world stops. Dena drops the letter, shakily backing away from it.

'There were even times I failed.'

This echoes in Dena's mind like crazy. Whoa, whoa...what she meant by fail...she couldn't possibly mean… Connecting the dots instantly, Dena gasps, gripping a nearby pillow, staring at the letter that is a foot away from her. There are other parallel worlds where Dena Kemp is dead. Murdered. By me. Fucking future me. Holy shit. "No, no, no, no…!"

Of course, failure is part of life, isn't it? Isn't it?

Shakily, Dena reads these words, her breathing speeding up, and beads of sweat forming at her forehead. Crazy. Fucking crazy. She's crazy. Like, gone off her rocker. Dena shakes even more. But she's me. I'm her. We're the same person…

But all that matters is that I suceeded, and that you're there to save Brooke. Maybe you'll become a better person than the woman that I became today. It doesn't really matter anyway. I used the last of my technology on traveling to your parallel word. Do you know how many times I used it? Seven. Haha. They say that's the lucky number. However that's the limit of the time traveling device. And I'm afraid that I pushed it. After using the last of its energy by travelling to your parallel world, I'm permanently stuck here. But that's no matter.

I don't want to go back anyway.

Back to the subject at hand, I suceeded in sending you to another dimension with Brooke. You're not really meant to be there in the first place, hence my version of my past, but I managed to make it happen. However, here's the main reason why I sent you to the past. Ten years into the future…

Brooke is dead.

"No!" Dena yells, throwing the letter across the room. The pages flutter to the floor, one by one like leaves. "Holy shit, holy shit, holy shit…" Dena mutters, high strung, no longer wanting to go to bed. Shakily, she reaches for the phone, and quickly texts her sister.

You up? Please tell me you're up. Brooke please. - 9:19 p.m

Dena grips onto the phone as if its a lifeline.

The silence of Dena's surroundings is deafening. Completely empty of her parents' classical music that they would play in the house when working on late projects, Cargan practicing the piano in his bedroom, or Brooke playing some weird Japanese music in her room. Her surroundings are absence of what is supposed to be home. "C'mon, c'mon, answer me!" Dena shakes the phone, sweaty at the palms. Clutching her head, she tugs at handfuls of hair. "Why, why of all people did this happen to us? Why did we, why did Brooke have to come here in the first place? Why…?"

The phone vibrates, finally.

Yeah? What's the matter? You're using proper grammar and spelling in your text. That seriously scares me. D: But really, what's the matter Dena? - 9:22 p.m

Some weird burning sensation chokes up in Dena's throat, and her eyes feel suddenly wet. Finally, Dena manages to croak out, "Good ol Brooke. Always there for me." Despair strikes Dena.

The prediction of the letter haunts her.

Nah, nah, it's ok. I just wanted to check on, hahahaha. g'night sister sister. - 9:25 p.m

Brooke frowns at Dena's silly answer, rubbing her eyes. I woke up for that? Brooke thought, shaking her head with a mindless smile. She texts back, Haha, way to interrupt my beauty sleep. :p I hope that there's nothing wrong with you. Good night. - 9:26 p.m

night, night, dont let them bedbugs bite. or should i say dont let the spirit of the ring bite. wait that sounds way too weird and kinky. eh, good night p;p;p - 9:27 p.m

Brooke laughs reading Dena's reply, and puts her phone away. Nostalgia is oddly resonant and strong with her tonight. I suppose having Dena with me in the Yu-Gi-Oh world is like having a piece of home with me. I don't need to face all of this alone. Her thoughts trail off to the letter. Brooke feels her wide smile melt into a frown. But...the letter had no mentions of Dena traveling with me to this place...how can this be? This occurring to her mind, Brooke sits up, a sense of curiosity and unease rising in her.

I wish that she wasn't with me though.

She jumps in surprise when this statement formed in her mind. Brooke puts a hand on her heart, at shocks as to why her subconscious would conjure this up. Of course she's glad that her little sister was here with her! Wasn't she…?

"Dena, you had no idea what you have done! No absolute idea! You RUINED my chances to go to Spellman Highschool!"

"It's no big deal, our parents can pay for it! Why are you being such a baby about this, you should be HAPPY for me!"

"No! No! I'm sick of you being my sister if you're always going to be better at everything!"

Brooke snaps back into reality, getting too deep into the memory. Shiverring slightly Brooke silently scolds herself. Why are you thinking such dark thoughts? It's all behind now. You and your sister are together in the Yu-Gi-Oh world.

Well, it's obvious isn't it? I'm afraid that she'll just overshadow me again. Another voice echoes in the girl's head. The insecure, ugly part of Brooke, that frankly fills her head with its opinions too much. Brooke bites her lip, and opens her mouth, as if to argue with her thoughts. Then she closes it, hanging her head in shame, knowing that deep in her heart this was the ugly, ugly truth.

Am I a bad sister for thinking this? Brooke thought, feeling tears of shame welt up in her eyes.

Quickly, she recollects herself, remembering the letter. Maybe...maybe the letter has answers. I haven't read it for awhile. Regaining her composure, Brooke crawls over to her purse on the bedside table, and rummages through its contents to take out the letter. Taking a deep breath, Brooke takes out a page, thumbing to today's date. Brooke carefully reads through the letter, forming a summarization of the entry in her head. The events were pretty much the same as what happened today, except for the fact that Brooke didn't lose her soul and all.

The events of Ryou staying home from school and acting very offput, Brooke and Ryou witnessing the events of Death-T on TV...not much happened that day. Yawning, Brooke reads the next entry.

September 28th

Today is the day where Yami Bakura finally made his move and challenged Yugi and the gang to his Shadow RPG. This occurs by the end of the day, given that Yami Bakura under the guise of Ryou tricked Yugi and the rest to come over to his place to play the game with him. I don't think there's a lot you can do, given that you have to play along with it. After they finish the game, make sure to do your best to comfort Ryou. He shut himself in his room after everyone left the apartment. I myself, was too afraid and thought it best to leave him alone.

Aside from that, today is also the day when you fell in love with Ryou. How? Well, I won't tell you how. I'll just leave that all up for you to find out.

Brooke blinks, then rubs her eyes, and re-reads the page to make sure she read it right. Once her eyes confirm this fact, Brooke shakes her head, setting it down, and rubs her temples. Did the letter actually say that I'm going to fall in love with Ryou? That's...that's so weird! And silly! Brooke feels herself heated up at the nose, and grabs her arms, curling her knees up to her chest. Absolutely silly.

Shaking the wondering thoughts off her head, Brooke gazes out the window, seeing the clear night sky. I hope that I didn't ruin the events too much...and the letter hasn't clued me in at all as to how I got here in the Yu-Gi-Oh world, and made no indication of Dena ever coming with me. Is it merely a coincidence? Oh I can't tell. Brooke sinks into the pillow, sleepiness taking over her mind.

When tomorrow comes, maybe the answers will come…

"Are you sure you want to come to school today?" Brooke cautiously asks Ryou, watching him button up his school uniform.

He smiles at her, though it's clear from his looks that he didn't get a good night's sleep. Bags are under his eyes, skin paler than usual, and his white hair more spiky and unruly than usual, Ryou didn't look so well rested. "It's alright Brooke. Afterall, our friends would be worried if I don't show up today. I'll be fine, I promise." Suddenly, he makes a move to hug her.

Brooke feels herself stiffen up, feeling extremely awkward at his sudden show of affection. 'Today is also the day when you fall in love with Ryou.' The letter's words echo in Brooke's mind, at the absolutely wrong moment. She couldn't help but squirm out of his hug out of discomfort and embarrassment at remembering this, and quickly feels shame sink her shoulders. However, Ryou doesn't seem to notice, as he lets out another huge yawn, and he picks up his school bag.

"U-uhm, wait, may I walk with you to school? I mean, it'd be nice if I could probably see Yugi and the rest…" Brooke shyly asks, looking off to the side. She hoped to dear God above that Ryou wouldn't see how red her nose is, and acts like she brushes her hair away to avoid directly facing Ryou.

A friendly smile takes up his face, and he nods, welcoming her proposal. "Sure! Oh yeah, remember those old shoes I mentioned earlier? You can have them." Ryou says, disappearing into his room for a moment, and reappearing with a black pair of shoes.

"Oh! Thank you!" Brooke says, smiling gratefully at him, taking the shoes. Momentarily she glances at her old pair in the small hallway, worried that they were starting to look worn out already. Afterall, they are only a pair of sandals… "I think I'll walk in these for today, to try for size." Brooke smiles to Ryou, slipping them on. She cringes a bit, given that there doesn't seem to be enough room in the shoes, even though she isn't wearing socks, for her toes to completely stretch out. However, Brooke easily covers her discomfort, and follows Ryou out the door without a complaint.

Ouch. Ouch. Ouch. OUCH, I think that the back of this shoe digged into my heel...I wish that I worn socks… Brooke thought to herself, in pain, as she walks down the sidewalk with Ryou. "Bakura, erm, how longer until we arrive at Domino?"

"I just think maybe around ten more minutes, and we'll be there. I always start off my days with a good, long walk."

"Y-Yeah, that's good excercise," Brooke shakily smiles to Ryou all the while gritting her teeth in discomfort.

The two walk for a couple of more minutes, in silence under the clear sunny sky. Desperate to keep her mind off the pain of the tight shoes, Brooke says to Ryou, "I sorta wish that I can go to school with you and the rest. I mean, who knows how long I'll be here in this world."

"Oh! I sort of wished that too!" Ryou smiles to Brooke in agreement to which she feels once again warm at the nose. "You know, since you have no parental guardians, I can get my grandma to fill out the applications and sign them for you so that you can transfer to Domino."

"Really?" Curiosity arises in Brooke at Ryou mentioning his grandma. He has a grandma? Funny, I never heard that from the manga or the anime. But it would be so interesting to discover and get to know Ryou more. "I didn't know you have one! How come she doesn't live with you?"

Ryou's smile fades away, his eyes averting. "She's at a home, where people can take care of her. Father out her there." Ryou's tone is now absent of any warmth in it, when it comes to the subject of his father, Brooke notices to her discomfort. In fact, there seems to be a certain indifference that Ryou held against him. Brooke just wondered what was his relationship with his parents. The canon of Yu-Gi-Oh was not quite clear of Ryou's past.

"So I see. Is she alright?"

"Yes, yes she is. In fact, I was thinking about visiting her tomorrow, afterschool. Do you want to come with me?"

"Oh, of course I would like to pay a visit! Maybe I can bake her something?"

Ryou laughs, though looking touched at the fact that Brooke offers this, from the genuine smile he flashes her. "She's not quite fond of sweet things. She likes sour things for some reason, which I can never figure out." Ryou shakes his head, a nostalgic smile on his face.

Brooke couldn't help but feel herself cheer up, briefly forgetting the pain of the tight shoes, seeing Ryou's warm expression. He should open up more often. "Don't worry, I think I'll find a recipe where it can satisfy your grandma's tastes."

"Thank you. Don't mind me asking, but this question has been bugging me for awhile...how is your sister in the world with you? I mean, you didn't mention her to me, when you first crashed into me." Ryou tries to casually bring up as possible.

"Oh. Oh yeah...I've been wondering that for awhile as well. And wholly and honestly, I have no idea." Brooke says apologetically to Ryou.

He nods, looking thoughtful. "Well, I do hope that the two of you will figure something out soon." He is silent for another moment, looking as if he wanted to bring something else up, but looks very bothered by it, from his troubled expression. Brooke notices this.

"Is there something wrong?"

"What?" Ryou looks up, his face relaxing when hearing her voice. "Oh. Uhm, well...did...did He hurt you?"

Brooke blinks, cocking her head, not sure what Ryou meant at first. However, seeing Ryou looking even more troubled and visibly upset, it clicks in her mind. He's talking about Yami Bakura. It's so weird that he didn't call him Bakura. Then again, why would I ever assume that Ryou would call the Spirit of the Ring 'Bakura'? Then again, the Spirit never even have a certain name...okay, I'm getting off track here. "Are you talking about Bakura?" Brooke asks stupidly, her jumbled thoughts getting the best of her.

When Brooke asks this, Ryou's face noticeably darkens, and he turns away. "Don't…." He trails off, his shoulders shaking for a moment.

Alarm rises in Brooke's mind. "D-did I do something wrong? Did I insult you? If I did, I'm sorry." She says, tripping over her words.

Ryou turns back to her, face tired. He stops in his tracks, putting a hand on Brooke's shoulder. "No, no, it's ok. There's no need for you to panic." He laughs lightly, the warmth in his eyes returning. "I'm sorry for shutting down like that…" He smiles once again, but his expression looked blank, generic. Clearly something is bothering him, but Ryou wouldn't say it aloud. But Brooke drops it.

"Okay." She nods slowly. "There's no need to worry. The Spirit of the Ring didn't really hurt me. I mean, I guess he sort of did in a way, by stealing my soul, but other than that, he didn't do much damage." She gives him a reassuring smile.

"Good. But...He couldn't possibly have taken your soul, unless he played a game with you. And my memories from the day before are supressed...I can't recall anything after I found out his existence…"

Brooke nods, sympathetic, patting his back. For a moment, she considered telling Ryou the truth, more about her knowledge of their world - but then again, it's too much for anyone to take at once before starting their day of school. "Yeah, he challenged me to one. And I lost. But it all turned out fine, didn't it?"

"...I'm scared."

She jumps, hearing this from Ryou. Her eyes soften, hearing this from Ryou. "...Are you scared of him?"

"Yes," Ryou admits, looking angry to even do so in the first place. "And I'm scared of many other things." He looks away, looking deep in thought.

Seeing this, Brooke decides to leave him alone. She sneaks a look over to her feet, and internally groans seeing that cuts already formed at the back of her feet. Theses shoes are so tight, but I don't want to tell Ryou...not after he gave them to me out of his kindness. Brooke shudders, re-composing herself, trying to ignore the tightness of the shoes, but the pain is becoming more apparent and obvious to her by the minute. I hope I'll still be able to walk back home with these shoes…

"Oh yeah Ryou, I forgot to mention, afterschool time I'm going to meet up with my sister, so I won't be at home when you come back."

"Okay, thanks for telling. You're lucky." Ryou suddenly says, a wistful look in his eyes.

"Lucky about what?"

Ryou is pulled back into reality, snapped out of his wistful looks. His expression becomes closed off, his bangs covering his eyes. "Nothing. Enjoy your time with your sister."

Once again, Brooke pieces it together. He must be missing her own little sister right now. She thought, remembering the little bit of information about his history. Should I push it? But that would be surfacing bad memories for him… Without giving any more thought to her next action, Brooke asks him, "You said you had a little sister yourself. Where is she?"

All the while Brooke asks Ryou about his sister, his shoulders are noticeably drawing up to his neck, very stiff. Great now I've done it! Brooke yells inside her head, mentally facepalming herself. She looks away, feeling heated at the face and on the brink of tears from shame. "...sorry that I asked."

"It's alright." He suddenly speaks up.

Brooke doesn't look back yet, taking a moment to regain her composure, breathing in and out to settle herself.

"Yes, I had a little sister too. Her name was Amane."

Glaringly and obviously, Ryou is using past tense to describe his sister. "...Why the past tense?" Brooke asks in a small voice, though knowing the answer. This time, she looks back to Ryou, from under her thick bangs.

He smiles, sadness behind crinkling his eyes. "She died in a car accident. When I was twelve. She was only nine at the time." Brooke's heart pounds in her chest, and with all her will power she resists her teeth from chattering. It scared her at how hollow and passive Ryou was talking about Amane. Is he just trying to hide his pain from me? Brooke ponders, tightening her scarf.

Ryou sighs, sounding absolutely tired and burnt out. "She was a great little sister. And she was my best friend." He trails off, looking away. "I'm sorry, may I please stop talking about her? I don't want to go to school with such a sad face."

"O-of c-c-course! I'm really, really sorry for bringing it up, it was so stupid of me - !"

"Don't call yourself stupid Brooke." Ryou interrupts gently, his eyes friendly and warm even though there is no present smile on his face. "That was pretty much the first time - in a long time I ever talked about Amane. It was...refreshing. Like the burden got lighter. Besides, you only wanted to know me a bit more."

Warmth is masked all over Brooke. "Y-yeah." She stumbles for a moment, her feet getting the best of her. Ouch, ouch, ouch! My feet might ache for the rest of the day...maybe these shoes would fit Dena, since they're so small… Brooke thought regretfully.

"Well, we're here."

Brooke looks up, seeing a huge building before them, a stream of Domino Highschool students entering slowly. "Oh, good! I'll see you soon Bakura. Have a good morning." She gives a half hearted wave, wobbling slightly as she turns away, the soreness of her feet too great. I don't think I'll be able to ever make it back home, without walking barefoot. However, before she even takes a few steps away, Ryou calls out to her.

"Wait, come over here to the bench with me. I'll treat your wounds."

"Uhm, what?" Brooke's eyes fall to her feet, as she shuffles after Ryou to the nearby bench. He, too, looks down to her feet. "It's okay, it's okay. I'm only going to make you late to school…"

He crosses his arms, looking a bit displeased that Brooke was denying her own pain. Sounding exasperated he says, "Brooke, I'll only be a couple of minutes late. There's no need for you to fret over some lost time. Now may you please sit down on the bench?"

Giving up, Brooke plops down on it, though relieved that she can finally get some rest. Ryou kneels on the ground, rummaging through his bag.

"Why didn't you tell me they were tight? Then you wouldn't have walked all the way to school with me, in pain." He says, with an amused and sorry smile, as he looks through the contents of his bag. "I would've stopped you earlier, seeing your frequent grimaces -" Brooke tugs her scarf. I was that obvious? "- but you never said anything, indicating your pain. Why is that?"

Shyly, she looks away, concentrating on a single fluffy cloud in the sky. "Well, you did gave me these shoes out of your own kindness, and I wanted to use them since you gave them to me. And I didn't want to hurt your feelings. Besides, by the time we walked out of the door, it was too late. I didn't want to hold you up, so I decided to just endure the shoes for the rest of our walk."

"At the cost of you getting hurt? Brooke, do you think I'll feel hurt, over you not fitting into some old shoes?" Hearing this, she hangs her head in shame, realizing how silly her way of thinking was. Ryou shakes his head, with a smile of disbelief, as he takes out a small medical kit. "There's no need to feel ashamed, you only meant better. You were thinking about me. But you shouldn't keep things to yourself. If you're always doing that, you're the one that's always going to end up hurt." Ryou reminds her, in a concerned tone, squeezing out some anti-bacteria cream, and gently rubbing it on both of Brooke's feet.

Absent-mindedly, Brooke pretends to not feel embarrassed by this, idly looking at the sky to not show her red nose to Ryou and to ignore the glares of stalking Ryou fangirls from Domino.

"I didn't think that somebody would ever notice. And it's also te fact that I'm too used to it. Because when I complain, or disagree with someone, or do anything that the other person doesn't like, their feelings would get hurt. I just don' want to displease others, if I'm the cause of it, and then everything will be fine. I would rather if I never fuss and keep things to myself, it would be better. It always worked out back home." Brooke admits aloud, memories of her home and old life running through her mind. Yes, it has always been that way for her.

Ryou stares at her feet, silent for a moment, looking pretty bothered by Brooke's confession.

"Well, I saw your discomfort, and I noticed. I always noticed."

Brooke's eyes widen. Immediately, her memories spur back to the day where she and Ryou hung out with Yugi and Miho. So he did notice that I didn't like the red bean cake, even though in reality I wanted the egg custard. He did notice… Absolute warmth is radiating from Brooke's face, her clothes suddenly suddenly too hot and clingy to her. She watches Ryou silently, as he tenderly and carefully placed the band aids over her cuts.

"Okay, there you go. Now, let's trade shoes."

"Huh?"

"Even though this pair is a bit too big for your foot size, its roomy and comfy enough for you to walk home."

Brooke frowns at Ryou. "But...but that means you're going to walk around the whole day with such tight shoes."

He smiles, reassuring. "It's alright. I'll just borrow some shoes from Jonouchi or something. There's no need to worry about me. Try to think about yourself for once Brooke. I don't want to see you always sacrificing your own well being." Ryou says, placing a hand on Brooke's shoulder, then squeezing it. She feels herself relax.

"...Okay." She then takes off her shoes, trading with Ryou. "Thank you, Bakura."

"It's no problem."

Before he could walk off, Brooke calls out as well, "I notice too, Bakura." He stops in his tracks, glancing over to her, taken aback. "I notice...that you hold a lot of pain and worry to yourself. And if you ever want to talk about it just say it!"

Ryou's eyes widen, genuine surprise being read from them.

"Because I'm also watching over you Ryou!"

Surprise softens into happiness on Ryou's face. He waves, smiling, brightening up his face and temporarliy banishing all traces of weariness from Ryou's appearance. "Thanks, Brooke. But I don't think I need to anymore." He looks straight at her when he says this. Brooke's heart skips, and she breathes in sharply. "I look forward to coming home for those cooking lessons you promised me!"

Brooke clutches her heart, tight lipped. Then, she bursts out laughing, waving goodbye to Ryou. She gazes to the clear blue sky. So this is what the letter meant. If so...I'm glad that it turned out like this. I think the future is looking a bit brighter.

Dena reads over the last part of the letter once again. Her mind is deprived of any sleep, and it's already eight in the morning. But she could hardly sleep after what she just read, over and over for the whole night.

Brooke is dead.

Authorites ruled it out as suicide. She rode in front of a train. But I call bullshit on that. I know she was trying to travel back to the Yu-Gi-Oh world. But it was at the wrong time, wrong place. Aw goddamnit. I'm getting worked up thinking about this.

Younger me, please be a dear and not tell her about this version of the letter. You can explain to her how you end up there, but do not mention me, nor the reason why I sent you there in the first place. I would prefer it. Afterall, the person I am today is very pitiful, isn't it?

There's no doubt that you're ashamed of me. And I don't blame you.

All I ask of you before I end this message, is to make yourself a better person and a sister. Make better choices. Family is everything. And really, who gives two damn's worth as to who others think? Whatever Brooke did in the Yu-Gi-Oh world in the past, do your best to help and trust in her. And don't repeat the same mistakes I did. And dear God, don't be a lazy, stuck up asshole who thinks that having a high IQ is everything because guess what, IT ISN'T. You hear me?

So do your best to support Brooke.

Do your best of what I was never able to do. Hear me?

I reassure you, when you guys comes back to your original dimension, I won't be here anymore. I'll make sure of it.

- Adena Kemp

A/N: This chapter was meant to be a breather before it heads into the Duelist Kingdom arc - but honestly, it's not quite a breather after what you guys just read, isn't it? Reviews please!