Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh or anything to do with the franchise. This fan fiction is merely for entertainment purposes and not my own profit.

Author's Note: Made it to the double digits. Yay for me! I feel like I've reached a milestone. I've never written so much before. I'm super happy though because I really do love writing this fic and sharing it with you guys. Okay, the New Year has begun and I have so many ideas as to the direction I want this story to go. I'm so excited XD! And…Bakura is back! Let the merriment and mayhem commence! Plus, I'm updating using my new computer. I thought my mom was going to give an IPhone but this new laptop is awesome! My mom totally got me by surprise. But I'm happy anyway, yay XD

Chapter 10: Welcome Party

The scene at the Kami Game Shop was one of controlled chaos, more or less. For the past week, Alice and Tea had gone over every detail of the welcoming party for Bakura. Once they had everything sorted out, the guys were given their own tasks for the party. Yugi, Alice, and Tea bought the decorations and food; Joey and Tristan were going to help set up most of it as well as run errands for the others; and Mrs. Muto and Grandpa were going to help prepare the food.

Yugi had told Bakura they were all going to hang out at the game shop and that he was welcome to join them. Naturally, Bakura was more than happy to accept the invitation. He was very excited to see his friends again, especially after everything they had done for him. There were no words to describe how grateful Bakura was to them. After all the horrible things he had done, forced to stand by and watch as the evil spirit of the Millennium Ring took control of his body, Bakura was beyond amazed by how forgiving and understanding his friends were. He was truly lucky, no doubt about it.

Bakura's flight was going to land in an hour, so Yugi, along with Tea and Tristan, got ready to leave for the airport. Alice and Joey waved to them as they left. Alice went back to work and finished hanging up the last of the streamers. Once she was done, Alice stood back to take a good look at their work. Decorating had taken most of the morning. There were streamers of red, pink, blue, and yellow hanging elegantly from the walls. Balloons of various shapes and colors added a more festive feel to the room. Alice and Tea had splayed confetti on the table in the middle of the room as well as the shelves of the small bookcase nearby, and anywhere else that was convenient. A huge sign hung above the television on the window behind, the rainbow words of "Welcome Home" shimmered as the sunlight fell on the glittering ink. Satisfied, Alice turned around and saw Joey blowing up more balloons.

"Don't you think we have enough already?"

"You can never have enough balloons," Joey said like the big, lovable goof he was, closing the balloon in his hands and grabbing another to inflate.

"That is so true," Alice giggled in agreement. "I'm going to see if Mrs. Muto needs help."

With a responsive nod from Joey, Alice walked down the hall to the kitchen. It was a small hallway, but Alice stopped midway. Out of habit, she pulled her phone out from her pocket to check the time. She always did that whenever she was nervous about something. As her eyes looked on, Alice realized why she was so distracted. On the screen was a text alert. She must have missed it because of how busy it had been earlier. She smiled as she read Mokuba's name on the top. He was telling her that he was almost there.

Yugi had informed Mokuba about the surprise party for Bakura that Monday. Mokuba had become good friends with Bakura, having no hard feelings about what his darker alter-ego had done to him. Alice texted him back that Yugi had already gone to pick up Bakura at the airport. Alice was about to make her way to the kitchen when a thought popped in her head, or rather, someone. Thinking about Mokuba reminded her of another person. She remembered him so vividly. Those piercing blue eyes, that dark brown hair, that smile that made her feel light-headed every time she thought about it…

Wait a second! What am I thinking, Alice mentally freaked out, I hardly know the guy! Why would I even be thinking about him at a moment like this? I'm acting like one of his fangirls! Alice shook away the "irrational" thoughts, reasoning with herself that she only felt that way because Kaiba was so attractive. And Alice always got frazzled when she was left alone with good-looking men. Except, they tended to flirt with her, whereas Kaiba had not. Why did her heart pound slightly harder when she thought about him?

"Alice, dear, are you alright?"

The young girl looked up and saw Yugi's mom standing in the doorway to the kitchen, a worried look on her face. Mrs. Muto had met Alice the first time she had come to the game shop. She instantly took a liking to the young girl. After all, Yugi had been spouting about how amazing a duelist Alice was and how well she got along with his friends. So, of course, it made sense that Mrs. Muto would worry about Alice when she had such a troubled look on her face.

"Yes, I'm quite fine," Alice said, regaining her usual poise. "I was about to go help out in the kitchen when I got a text from Mokuba."

"Oh! Is he almost here?" Mrs. Muto asked, excited to see the younger Kaiba brother.

"Almost," Alice replied.

She hardly saw him, because of how far Mokuba lived, but Mrs. Muto was happy to have him over, saddened by the fact Mokuba had grown up without a mother. She wanted to show the young boy some maternal love, as small as it may be, to give him something to remember his own mother by. She wouldn't say it in front of Joey or Tristan for fear that they would have simultaneous heart-attacks, but Mrs. Muto was very proud of Kaiba for having the strength and courage to raise his younger brother on his own.

"Is there anything I can help with?" Alice said eagerly.

"There are still some desserts I need to finish," Mrs. Muto said.

"Great! I love baking!" Alice waltzed into the kitchen, Mrs. Muto smiling in appreciation for the extra help.

She wondered what had been plaguing Alice's mind, but Mrs. Muto said nothing about it. Alice seemed to recover rather quickly from whatever was troubling her. Maybe it had been nothing. Meanwhile, in the living room, Joey was waist-deep in balloons, his face starting to turn blue.

"Joey, are you still working on the balloons?" Alice yelled down the hall, as Joey started inflating yet another one.


Yugi, Tea, and Tristan arrived at the airport with 15 minutes to spare. Tristan had been driving at a rapid speed, making sure there were no police cars around to stop them. Yugi was worried Tristan would get a ticket, but Tea encouraged her friend to drive as fast as possible in order to meet with Bakura in time. After finally finding the perfect parking spot for the car, Tristan adamant about it, the three made their way to the terminal where arrivals were designated. After all the traveling they had done together, the friends were quite familiar with the layout of the airport, which meant they would not get so easily lost like so many others. They waited by security as they were not allowed past that point without a boarding pass. Tea was on the tips of her toes, looking through the crowd for any sign of the white-haired Brit. It was already 1:35, the time Bakura's plane was supposed to land. Yugi and Tristan were looking around too.

"Guys!"

They all turned around to see Bakura waving to them as he ran with his luggage rolling along behind him. Tea greeted him with a big hug, so happy to see him again. Bakura smiled as she pulled away, just as happy to see them as well.

"Bakura, how have you been?" Tea asked as she released him.

"I've been great! I had loads of fun back in England, seeing my grandparents, visiting the countryside. It was very relaxing," Bakura replied, appearing much healthier than he had when he had left.

"Sounds like just what the doctor ordered," Tristan said.

"Yeah, it was wonderful, but I have to say, it's great to be back home."

"That's good to hear," Yugi said, beyond relieved that his friend was doing better. "So, where are your parents?"

"Over there with Customs," Bakura said as he pointed to where his parents were talking with a few people in navy-blue business suits. "Father is in charge of the new exhibit being showcased in the Domino Museum. They need him to sign off on a few things before they can help transport everything to the museum."

His mother turned around and walked over to them as she left her husband to continue with the paperwork. She had hair the same as her son, all done up in a bun, and looked quite youthful for her age. She was wearing a silky, pink spring dress with a pale violet shawl around her arms and comfortable high heels. Her eyes were a light-hazel and she was lightly tanned, but you could barely tell. It was obvious she didn't like going on out in the sun a lot, at least not without protection.

"Yugi, Tea, Tristan, so good to see you all again," Mrs. Bakura said in a wispy tone, the British accent clear in her voice.

It seemed she was as delicate in nature as her son. They all smiled at her and said hi.

"Bakura told us you invited him to a little get-together at the game shop, Yugi," she said.

Yugi nodded with a bright smile.

"That's so kind of you. Ryou, dear, if you want to go with them, go ahead," Mrs. Bakura replied delicately.

"Are you sure, mum?" her son didn't want seem inconsiderate of his parents.

"Of course, darling," she said. "I've already spoken with your father and he is fine with it. We can take your things home while you go with your friends."

Bakura was still unsure, he looked over at his father. He was tall, muscular, with prominent Japanese features, such as his jet black and slick hair and brown chestnut eyes, the same as Bakura's. He looked over at his son and gave him a reassuring grin. Though he still felt reluctant, Bakura decided to leave with his friends. It only seemed like the proper thing to do in return as they had gone through the trouble of coming to see him at the airport. Bakura said bye to his mother, as did Yugi and his two friends, and waved to his father as he left.

"We're going to have a great time," Tea said, excited for the surprise they had in store.

"Yeah, it's good to have you back, Bakura," Yugi said as they neared the parking lot.

"Thanks, Yugi," Bakura said, already feeling at home. "How have things been since I've been away?"

They all looked at each other, uncertain of how to answer. How had things been? From meeting Alice and learning of her special "gifts" to coming face-to-face with those horrid creatures called Mischiefs, things had been most interesting to say the least. But could they tell him that?

"It's been okay," Yugi lied cheerfully, the others following his lead.

Perhaps another time, Bakura hadn't even met Alice yet. Plus, Bakura had had enough bad experiences with the paranormal, it was best to ease him into this as gently as they could.

"I bet it's going to be livelier when Kaiba's new tournament starts. I'm assuming you and Joey have already registered?" Bakura said, knowing his friends wouldn't miss the chance to enter a new dueling tournament.

"Yeah we did, but it didn't go very well," Yugi said sheepishly as they got into the car.

"That's putting it mildly," Tea said dryly.

"What do you mean?" Bakura asked, now confused.

Yugi took a moment to think over his words. He grimaced as he remembered the incident.

"Um, let's just say Joey was, mildly, involved," and that was all Yugi said of it.

"No need to elaborate further," Bakura said with a knowing look. "I understand. Joey got mad and made a scene, didn't he?"

"That's not the half of it," Tea said with a tinge of disgust in her voice.

Bakura wanted to know what exactly had happened, but they assured him they would explain everything once they were at the shop. It must have been really bad if they weren't willing to talk about it at the moment. To everyone's relief, Bakura decided to drop the subject. As he stared out his window, something caught his eye: a young woman with long blonde hair. That looked familiar.

"Guys, isn't that Mai?"

"What? No way!" Tea exclaimed happily as she scanned the area around them.

She soon saw Mai walking casually out of her hotel, looking very bored at the moment. From the look of things, Mai was staying at one of the most expensive hotels in the city, but then again, where else would Mai stay that suited her tastes. Tristan carefully pulled the car to the curb. As they reached the sidewalk, Tea pulled down her window.

"Mai! Mai, over here!"

She looked up at the sound of her name. Mai could recognize that voice anywhere. A cocky grin spread along her red lips as she spotted her friends. Tea was waving her over while Yugi and Tristan smiled in at her. Mai could see Bakura in the back seat, looking quite content. She walked over to them as they parked close to her.

"Hey guys. What a coincidence, I was actually going to look for you all. How's it been?" she greeted them with her usual charm.

"Hi Mai! It's been a while," Tea spoke first. "We're all doing great. Right, guys?"

"Yeah, kind of busy, though," Tristan said. "What with school and everything. Now Yugi and Joey have that new tournament to worry about."

"What's there to worry about? They'll both do great. Personally, I can't wait to see them going at it with everything they've got," Bakura said with a mixture of satisfaction and anticipation. "No offense, Mai."

"It's all right," Mai said. "I'm pretty excited myself."

"I was wondering when you were going to get here," Tea beamed jubilantly. "I knew you wouldn't miss out on a tournament like this."

"You know it," Mai winked at her. "I got in a few weeks ago to register. It was horrible, but it's done and over with now. Yugi, you and Joey have already registered, right?"

"Yep, a couple of days ago," Yugi said.

"Good, the tournament wouldn't be any fun without you two. So, what are you guys up today?"

"We're hanging out at the game shop, catching up with Bakura here. He just got back a few minutes ago," Yugi said as he pointed to the boy in question. "Want to join us?"

Yugi knew Mai would already say yes, and he knew Alice had been dying to meet her.

"Of course I'll join, scoot so I can seat," Mai said as she signaled for Yugi and Bakura to make room for her in the backseat.

Tristan unlocked the door and Mai sat in, shutting the car door after her.

"I can't wait to get home!" Yugi said enthusiastically, both Mai and Bakura looking at him bewildered. "There's someone there who has wanted to meet you two for a while."

Mai and Bakura looked at each other as Yugi pointed at them, curious as to whom this mystery person was. As they drove away, they chatted about what they'd been up to since last seeing Mai. Unbeknownst to them, two individuals watched them from afar, hidden by the crowds passing by. They kept their eyes on the car as the friends drove away out of their line of sight.

"Would you look at that? The King of Games himself and Mai Valentine," Stephan said menacingly. "Those two would make excellent candidates."

"Don't even think about, Stephan," Fabian warned him, his eyes firmly glued to the book in his hand. "We have our orders. Master Johan would be very displeased if you did anything that would prove hazardous to our plans."

"Ah, come on, they're right over there. We could take them no problem," Stephan whined, sounding like a sad whimpering dog. "Plus, the Bakura kid is with them too. You know he would do as good as Muto and Valentine."

"No, we cannot," Fabian said as he closed his book with a sharp clap, signaling Stephan his decision was final. "It's tempting, but we have to follow orders. Besides, Yugi Muto has befriended the Nightingales. It would be quite foolish of us to go after him at this time."

Stephan let his shoulders hang, knowing there was no point in arguing any further.

"I guess you're right. Though it seems like such a waste of an opportunity if you ask me."

"Well, I didn't. Come, the tournament is almost upon us. Don't worry, we'll have plenty of opportunities there," Fabian said with a sinister smile as he disappeared into the crowd, Stephan right on his heel.


Alice was busy stirring the ingredients in the bowl for the chocolate cupcakes when, out of nowhere, she shivered. Where had that come from? The room wasn't cold, and the windows were closed so a draft couldn't have come in. She didn't sense any evil presence nearby, but she was uneasy, her grip tightening around the spoon and bowl. What am I doing, Alice thought jokingly, I'm being paranoid. All that work is getting to me. However, as she finished convinced herself she was worrying over nothing… Still, maybe keeping my guard up wouldn't hurt. After all, I am a Heartmeister. Yeah, it's perfectly normal. So, Alice continued to stir the ingredients, setting her worries aside.

In the living room, Joey was lying down on the couch, Mrs. Muto fanning him with a magazine. As Alice and Mrs. Muto had been working on the last of the desserts, they noticed how quiet Joey was being. Alice went to check on him and found Joey passed out on the floor, blue in the face and covered by a sea of balloons. She had quickly pulled him onto the couch as Mrs. Muto walked in. Why hadn't he listened her? She poured the batter into the pan with cupcake molds and placed it inside the pre-heated oven. After she set the timer, Alice walked out into the living room, Joey regaining his normal color.

"Joey, I know you're excited to see your friend again, but you should really pay more attention to what you're doing," Alice said as kindly as she could.

"I know," Joey said while placing a hand on his forehead. "I just wanted to make everything perfect, ya know? The guy's been through more than most people."

"It's wonderful that you want to do that for Bakura," Mrs. Muto said as she stopped fanning Joey, "but I agree with Alice. You need watch that enthusiasm of yours, alright?"

"Yes ma'am," Joey said with his eyes closed.

"Good," Mrs. Muto said then she addressed Alice. "Did you finish the batter, dear?"

"Yep," Alice chirped proudly. "I put it in the molds and inside the oven."

"Thank you so much, Alice. You too, Joey. You kids have been such a help."

They told to her it was no problem. Mrs. Muto went into the kitchen to clean up. Alice would have gone to help but Mrs. Muto told her she had done enough for the day. So, Alice opted to see how Joey was doing. She kneeled beside him, watching him as his oxygen levels returned to normal.

"Feeling better?" Alice asked.

"Yeah, sorry for worrying ya like dat," Joey said as he sat up and opened his eyes.

Alice braced Joey's shoulders as he tittered a bit on the couch.

"It's fine, I understand why you're doing this. Your friend has been through a lot and you want to help him move on and feel better."

"Thanks, Alice," Joey said, grateful she wasn't mad at him for not listening to her.

They then heard the bell at the front door jingle, signaling someone's arrival. Grandpa Muto was currently lying down in his room. His back was acting up again. He had apologized for being unable to help out, though everyone assured him it was fine and to get plenty of rest. Mrs. Muto was hard at work cleaning up the kitchen. The others weren't expected to get back for another 10 minutes. That meant only one person could have arrived. A smile spread on her delicate lips as Alice stood and elegantly walked to the stairs. As she reached the landing at the bottom, her eyes fell upon a mess of long, black hair accompanied by a look of glee on the young boy's face.

"Mokuba," she caught the young boy in a loving embrace. "I'm so glad you could come."

"Me too," Mokuba smiled back. "Sorry it took so long to get here, but traffic was really bad."

"It's okay," Alice said as she let go of Mokuba. "I heard there was an accident downtown. Was it because of that?"

"Yeah, and Seto was really mad we couldn't find another way around before we got stuck," Mokuba answered.

"Seto? He came with you?" Alice said in surprise.

She knew Kaiba wasn't exactly buddies with her friends, especially Joey. Tea had told her of how the two young men were always at-odds with one another. It was so unexpected for Kaiba to come to the shop like this.

"Where is he?"

"He already left, there's this really important meeting at KaibaCorp and he wanted to drop me off on the way," Mokuba said as he made for the stairs.

"Oh, I see," Alice said quietly.

She was disappointed Kaiba hadn't stayed. Yes, she had been thinking about him like a schoolgirl, but she did like spending time with him. She had a feeling they could be good friends. Mokuba noticed the sad glint in Alice's eyes. She wanted his brother here. No one, save Mokuba himself, acted like that towards Kaiba. Maybe Mokuba should have persuaded Kaiba to stay.

"Alice…" Mokuba started when a loud voice rudely interrupted him.

"Yo short-stack!"

Both Alice and Mokuba looked up and saw Joey standing at the top of stairs, looking fully rejuvenated. Looks like someone is doing better, Alice thought smugly.

"Hey Joey," Mokuba said as he climbed up the stairs, Alice following behind. "Whoa, look at this place! Have enough balloons?"

Joey chuckled at the sarcastic comment Mokuba send him. It was true. The place was running with an abundance of balloons. Despite Alice placing most in the hall closet, the living room was still packed with the balloons Joey had singled-handedly blown-up.

"We're back!"

The three froze on the spot at the sound of Yugi's voice. They looked at each, wondering what to do. They heard someone coming up. Luckily it was Tea and Tristan, ushering them to hide for the big surprise. Joey hid by the T.V. while Tristan crouched down by the bookshelf. Tea ran behind a curtain as Alice and Mokuba hid behind the couch. They could hear Yugi talking as he led Bakura and Mai upstairs. Tea was closest to the light switch; she reached over and turned off the lights. Alice felt a tickling sensation run up her throat. She clasped her hands over her mouth, trying to suppress her laughter. Mokuba shushed her but it only made it worse. Thankfully, Yugi had reached the second floor in time as a giggle managed to escape her lips.

"Why are the lights off?" she heard a young man say in a smooth British accent.

"About that…" Yugi said with a sly smile.

Tea flipped the lights on and everyone jumped out of their hiding spots, yelling a group "SURPRISE!"

Bakura was left speechless. He stood quite still, looking around the room in amazement. His friends looked back at him with big smiles. The room was decked out in party decorations, bright colors splashed everywhere. His eyes fell on the sign hanging above the television set, in big colorful words, "Welcome Home". Bakura felt his heart overflow with joy. His friends had done this for him. He could tell it had taken a good while to set everything up. Was all of this really for him?

"Hey there, buddy," Joey said as he caught Bakura in a friendly headlock.

"Joey, good to see you too," Bakura smiled graciously.

"Welcome home!" Mokuba said as he walked up from behind the couch.

"Thanks," Bakura said, still locked under Joey's arm.

"Joey, will let the poor boy go already? You're going to suffocate him."

Joey let his arms drop as the familiar female voice reached his ears. Bakura mouthed a thank you to Mai as she stepped into the full light of the room. As Mokuba greeted Mai with a smile, Alice couldn't help noticing how uncharacteristically quiet Joey had gotten once Mai had walked in. The look on his face was one of disbelief and joy. Alice sensed that there was something between the two, but it was not the right time to tease Joey about it, so Alice decided to break him from his trance.

"Oh Joey," Alice sang in a light, amused tone. "Come back to earth now, or you won't get any of the treats we made."

"Say what?" that snapped him out of it. "I call first-dips on the chocolate cupcakes, and the red velvet cake, and the Neapolitan ice cream, and the sugar cookies!"

"I see your stomach is the same as ever, Joey," Mai smirked.

"I see your attitude is the same as ever, Mai," Joey rebutted with a friendly tone.

"Joey, that's enough," Tea interjected sternly. "We're here to celebrate Bakura's homecoming."

"Mai started it," Joey fumed as he stalked to the couch.

Alice placed a gentle hand on his shoulder as he sat down.

"There's nothing to fret about, Joey," she beamed softly, easing Joey's temper. "I made an extra patch of cupcakes just for you."

Joey's eyes watered with tears of pure gratitude, imagining Alice as an angel who had given him a gift from the heavens. Bakura looked over once he saw the new face in the group, curious as to whom she was.

"And who do we have here?" Mai said as she finally noticed Alice.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, we forgot to introduce you," Tea realized as she rushed to Alice's side. "Mai, Bakura, this is Alice. She's a new friend of ours that transferred to our school about a month ago."

"It is an absolute honor to meet you, Ms. Valentine," Alice said with big eyes, hopping up and down, absolutely giddy. "The others have told me so much about you, and I have been wanting to meet you for the longest time. You're an amazing duelist, a real inspiration to girls everywhere. There are just not enough female duelists out there and I'm so thrilled to be making your acquaintance!"

Alice gasped as she finished, taking a few breaths to calm herself. She really was a big fan of Mai's. Yugi couldn't blame Alice, Mai was an incredible duelist. Tea fanned Alice with her hands after her long-winded compliment.

"Aren't you just the cutest thing," Mai said, overcome with affection as she embraced Alice.

Mai went on and on about how adorable the white-haired girl was. The outfit Alice was wearing only served in making her even cuter. As the others watched Mai fawn over Alice, they couldn't help agreeing with the female blonde. Alice was wearing a black Lolita-style dress. It had a short puffy skirt of multi-layers of material overlapping each other. The ruffles outlining the skirt, as well as the neck and the end of the sleeves were white, as were the few outlines on the top. To finish the look, Alice wore black panty-hose that completely covered her legs, and her hair was held back by a black bandana. She looked like an antique glass doll, so prim and proper.

"You're just precious. It's a pleasure to meet you too," Mai replied with a bright smile, releasing Alice from her loving grip, "and call me Mai, okay?"

Alice nodded gleefully. All the while, Bakura had been staring at Alice. She had the most beautiful snow-white hair, such fair skin, and those blue eyes. They were the most beautiful shade of blue he had ever seen. She was perfect.

"Excuse me."

Bakura had been so caught up in his fantasy that he didn't notice Alice walking up to him, smiling warmly at him.

"I don't think we've been properly introduced. I'm Alice."

"Nice to meet you," Bakura said, trying to seem as cool as possible to impress Alice. "I'm Ryou Bakura."

"I'm glad to finally meet you. Yugi told me you've been through some hard times. I'm so happy you're doing better."

The smile Alice gave him set Bakura's heart aflutter. It was like she had caught a firm hold on his heart with those delicate, dainty hands.

"Hey Bakura, wakey-wakey," Tristan said, snapping his fingers in front of Bakura.

"Wha-what?" Bakura awoke from his daydream, blinking in confusion as he slowly remembered where he was.

"You okay, dude? You were looking kind of out of it just now," Tristan said concerned.

Bakura just laughed his worries away, "I'm fine. I suppose I'm a bit jetlagged."

Tristan eyed him suspiciously, not buying Bakura's excuse. He saw Bakura scoping around the room, looking for something in particular. His gaze finally rested on Alice, talking with Mai as the two walked to the kitchen. It didn't take long for Tristan to see what was going on. So that's what it is, Tristan thought mischievously.

"Bakura," Tristan begun with a sly grin, motioning for Joey to join them behind Bakura's back, "do you like Alice?"

Hot red rapidly spread on his face, Bakura's eyes growing wide. Joey had reached them just in time to hear Tristan's question. He wasn't surprised by Bakura's reaction, practically every guy who saw Alice was in awe of her strange beauty. Every guy in their school that wasn't dating hit on Alice or admired her from afar. Whenever a guy got too friendly, Joey and Tristan sprung to action, mainly Joey, and protected Alice. Though Joey was surprised that Alice didn't defend herself. She was more than capable of doing that. If she could take on monsters on a daily basis, surely Alice could fend off a few hormone-crazed boys. He concluded that Alice was the kind of person who used violence as a last resort. He respected her for it all the more. Plus, Joey loved doting on Alice.

"Bakura, ya didn't answer the question," Joey teased him.

Bakura opened his mouth to talk but quickly closed it again. He was so embarrassed, his friends could be so prying some times.

"Alright, everyone is here!" Yugi announced as he stood at the front of the room.

"Let the merriment and mayhem commence," Alice said deviously.

Everyone shouted in agreement. As promised, Joey got his own tray of desserts. He inhaled them down while Mrs. Muto was introduced to Mai and welcomed Bakura home. Tea gave Joey a stern talking to, mainly out of fear that he would choke on his treats if he didn't slow down. Tristan suggested they first play Taboo. On one team were Yugi, Tea, Bakura, and Mai. On the other were Alice, Joey, Tristan, and Mokuba. The room filled with laughter as they each took a turn to play. Tristan kept running out of time, he wasn't very good at the game. Mai accused Joey of cheating, which he argued was untrue. Despite all of that, they were all in high-spirits after the last round. It ended in a tie.

Then they started played a few video games. The first was a fighting game, where Alice crushed everyone and looking ever so adorable doing so. A puzzle game, where Yugi dominated, with Alice a close second. Rock Band was included, of course, Joey, Tristan, and Mokuba rocking out to every song in the game, thanking the virtual audience and acting like they were rock gods. Lastly was a dancing game, which Tea immediately volunteered herself and Alice for. Joey took a shot at it, but failed after the first few moves.

After a while, they settled down in their respective seats to watch some movies. As the others went over which movie to watch first, Yugi and Alice went to check on his grandfather. They innocently peeked into the room. Gramps was lying down, fast asleep. Alice was amazed that he hadn't been awaken by all the commotion down the hall. Yugi explained his grandpa was a heavy-sleeper, and that the medication he took for his back made him sleepy. Alice suggested they leave before they woke him up and Yugi quietly closed the door. As they walked, a thought popped into Alice's head.

"Yugi," Alice began apprehensively. "Tea told me that something happened when you went to register. She wouldn't go into detail about it. Was it really that bad?"

"I...it was nothing, honest," Yugi tried to assure her.

"Yugi?" Alice eyed him, knowing there was more to the story than he was letting on.

"Just tell her, you guys," Joey said, irritated, when he saw Yugi and Alice walk in.

"What are you talking about, Joey?" Mokuba asked, wondering what was going on.

"It's about the day me and Yugi went to register," Joey answered him, looking relaxed in the couch.

Mokuba made an "Oh!" face, realizing what he meant. He had seen the security footage from that day. Kaiba had been called that night and informed of the "incident". Mokuba expected his brother to go ballistic when he found out, but instead, Kaiba told Roland to let it slide. Mokuba had been nothing less than surprised. From the calm look on his face, Kaiba looked like he didn't really care. Though he didn't hesitate to have the troublemakers at fault kicked out of the tournament and banned from future competitions.

"Will someone, please, tell me what was so bad already?" Alice whimpered in annoyance.

"Okay, okay, we'll tell you. Please don't cry, Alice," Tea said as her friend stared up at her with sad eyes.

"I'll start," Yugi said. "As you know, Joey and I went to register early on Sunday morning. Needless to say, it didn't really help since the lines were already reaching around the block. Joey wanted me to use my 'celebrity' status to get ahead in the line, but I refused."

"If ya had listened to me, none of this would have happened," Joey interjected, earning a face-full of pillow from Tea.

"So we waited for an hour, Joey was getting madder by the second. When we reached the front of the building, it started raining. We ended up going to a nearby shop to wait out the rain. Once it let up, we hurried back and managed to get inside. Everything was fine, till a couple of guys came up to us and tried to pick a fight," Yugi said, looking over at Joey at this point.

"Let me guess, things went bad?" Mai said.

"They went bad, alright," Tristan said. "We tried to ignore them, but they wouldn't back off. Finally, one of them said something and Joey snapped. He went after them like a lion on a gazelle! And I don't blame him. I would have done the same thing if I hadn't been too afraid for my own life of I got in Joey's way."

"What was so bad that you just lost it like that?" Bakura looked over at Joey.

He didn't answer him. He lay on the couch, his arms folded behind his head like a cushion. Whatever had been said, it had been so bad that he resented even thinking about it.

"Joey," Alice said softly. "Please, tell us what it was."

He still didn't answer.

"They were from another school," Tea said quietly, her voice barely hiding her own rising anger. "They come by our school to pick fights with rival clubs, that sort of thing. They had seen us walking home two days before and recognized us. Their leader said Yugi was only the champion by luck, and that we were only riding on his coat tail for support. We thought nothing of it, we could easily ignore that, but what he said next…"

Tea couldn't go on anymore. She was shaking, her emotions starting to get the better of her.

"He said, 'I guess that white-haired freak of a girl could be good for one thing, if you know what I mean'," Tristan finished through gritted teeth; it was even harder to say it out-loud.

Mai gasped in horror while Bakura's mouth became unhinged in disbelief. Mokuba stood on his seat, shouting out in a fury. How dare they say such a thing about Alice? She was the kindest, purest, most compassionate person he had ever met. To say such a thing about her was not only wrong, it was downright criminal. He seriously considered calling Kaiba and telling him about it. He'd make sure those jerks got what they deserved. Mokuba turned to Alice, her white fringe hiding her eyes. Was she crying? Tea stood up in fear, ready to comfort her friend and berate herself for even bringing it up. However, Alice had told them so much about her own life already. Tea felt she owed Alice when her friend had been so open about her secrets. She could at least do that much for her.

As Tea pondered over what to do, the pale girl slowly walked over to Joey, her face covered by her long, silky strands. He looked up at her as she stood in front of him. He immediately stood, worry filling his heart as it slightly sank in his chest. He was about to ask her if she was alright when Alice threw her arms around him, burying her face in his chest. Joey was completely taken aback by this action, not sure of what to do next. He laid a hand on her head to try to ease her sorrow, but when she looked up, tears of joy, not sadness, streamed from her eyes. Alice's face lit up as she gave Joey the most amazing smile he had ever seen, all the frustration and worry in his heart melting away.

"Thank you, Joey," Alice said, her voice filled with genuine gratitude. "Thank you all for sticking up for me. I'm sorry you had to deal with something like that because of me."

"No, don't say that," Tea said. "You're our friend, and we couldn't let that creep get away with saying such horrid things about you."

"That's right," Yugi said as he came over to stand at Alice's side. "We stick together, no matter what."

"You guys didn't get into any trouble?" Alice said timidly as she gently let go of Joey.

"Of course not!" Joey announced loudly like it obvious. "Everyone who saw the whole thing explained it to the security guys, who by the way, looked pretty happy to kick the creeps out."

"Plus, they're banned from ever entering another tournament again," Mokuba revealed quite proudly.

"Serves them right," Mai huffed with great satisfaction. "They dare call themselves duelists and act like that? It's people like them who bring a bad name to the real duelists."

"And how," Bakura said. "I hope you gave them a beating that they'll never forget, Joey."

"I do what I can," Joey said, feeling pretty sure of himself.

Alice watched as the others praised Joey, saying what a stand-up guy he was and how reliable he was. She snuck away to the kitchen, staring at nothing in particular. It looked so pristine, as though it hadn't been used all day. Mrs. Muto loved to cleaned, Alice made a quick note of that. The dishes had been placed into the cabinets, the stove was wiped clean, and the ingredients had been put away for another day. Alice leaned against the frame of the doorway, thinking over what had happened.

Joey had put himself in a tough spot for her. They only knew each other for about a month and already he was willing to defend her honor. He heard those boys say one bad thing about her and went crazy on them. If Michael ever found out, he would hunt them down and kill them. She didn't doubt her brother would that. Perhaps keeping this from him was a good idea. Just because those boys had said bad things about her, it didn't mean she wanted them to get hurt.

"Alice?" she turned to face Yugi. "How are you? Doing okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," Alice said. "I'm just surprised Joey went through all of that for me."

"Of course he did, that's how he is," Yugi stated with his normal calm demeanor. "To be honest, I was pretty angry too. I don't know why someone would say such things when they don't even know you."

The calm that usually rested in Yugi's eyes was briefly clouded by a wave of anger. It quickly submitted once he felt Alice's hand on his shoulder.

"It's okay, Yugi," Alice smiled sweetly. "Coming from the background I do, you tend to grow a thick skin, and… You start to see everything around you in a different light. I can understand why those guys picked on you. They're threatened by Joey and yourself, because how you can command a duel, how you see beyond your limitations and push past them. If anything, I feel sorry for them."

Yugi felt wave of tranquility wash over his troubled mind. He was awestruck by Alice's words. There was no hate or sadness in them, only understanding and sympathy.

"Alice, you're amazing," Yugi said.

"Nah, I'm just open-minded," Alice smirked, walking back to their friends. "Okay, what are we watching first?"

Yugi joined them as they began arguing over two movies, yelling horror and sci-fi at each other, enjoying the peace he felt to have such incredible friends. I wonder what you would have done, Atem, Yugi thought, trying to reach his long-since gone friend somehow, I bet you would have defended Alice just as much as Joey, if not more.

Drama! Sorries for the late update, but I have a good reason. I started classes a week ago and have been very busy. Mainly tired because my first class is dance and it's early in the morning. By the time I get home, I sometimes crash on my bed and take a looong nap. Then I stay up late to work on my fic and end up sleeping in the next day, which knocks my whole day out-of-whack. So, I will do my best to update as soon as possible. If you don't hear from me in a while, do not freak out. I am not going to stop this story because I love it too much and I wouldn't leave you guys like that without a warning first. So, I noticed I haven't done duel in a while, no worries, because the next chapter will have just that.

Please review, because you guys inspire me and I want to hit 50 reviews!

Preview: Stephan decides to have a little fun and targets the gang. Who will fall into his trap, and will Alice be able to get to them before it's too late?