HELLO READERS!
Happy Friday! Here's the next chapter in hopes that it makes the start of your weekend awesome!
So, I got back from Warped Tour a few days ago. God I love that show. That concert is the reason I know half of the bands I do. Some of there songs help me write the chapters and give me inspiration for where the story should go next (The Cab, The Summer Set etc.). So I recommend going at least once if you like live music. Just watch out for moshers. They can be vicious.
I wanted to let you guys know about something else I got into. I put down Skyrim long enough to pick up tumblr. And I'm part of something I think some of you might be interested in. I'm taking part in a roleplay called Anime Get Your Gun, where you take your favorite character and you fight in a zombie apocalyptic Tokyo. The name sounds deceiving, but its not just for Anime characters. Up until recently, someone was playing Count Olaf from A Series of Unfortunate Events and there's even someone playing Black Widow from The Avengers. I'm playing as Lightning from Final Fantasy Xiii and am having a blast. But we still need a lot more people. So, if you like zombies and killing zombies, register at anime-get-your-gun. Just google that and it will take you to the page. And if you like it and end up registering, let them know that Lightning sent you. Then send me a message (My link is on their masterlist) and we can kill zombies together! Oh the fun! :)
Well, enough tumblr promotion for now. Lets get to some reviews!
Alexus Loves Writing: Can we just talk about how awesome steak is for a second? It's up there on my top 3 favorite foods of all time, alongside cheesecake and tacos! I was eating a steak as I was finishing this chapter! :D
Doragon-chan: It's not just any food, ITS STEAK! XD
SerenePanic: Bringing Mai back is definitely something I want to do. So, don't worry. I'm on it. ;)
misc-13: You can put the Kleenex box away for this one, I think. ;)
This chapter is brought to you by "Good Time" by Owl City featuring Carly Rae Jepsen. (No joke, this song is my jam right now. I played it over and over for a certain part. And you guys are smart, you'll know when to play this. ;) )
"I won!" Dark Magician Girl declared.
"No, you didn't!" Dark Magician snapped, "I did!"
"No, I did!" she shot back, fanning herself with her hand of duel monster cards. After dinner, Yugi thought it would be fun to introduce his two monster companions to the game. They selected their cards from Yugi's entire collection and began their game. He now sat on his bed, along with Atem and Jou watching them banter back and forth on the floor about who won.
"You played Flames of the Archfiend!" Dark Magician Girl shouted, "Each player takes 1000 points of life points damage! Since you played it, you take the damage first. Therefore, I win!"
"Wrong as usual." Dark Magician shot back, "I played it, but I played it at you! You're supposed to take the damage first!"
"No!" she turned to Yugi, Atem and Jou "You three play this on a regular basis. How does this work? Who takes the damage first?"
"Actually," Yugi said, "I've never had to play that card." He turned to the other two, "You guys?"
"Never." Atem said.
"Nope." Jou said, "How about we say you take it at the same time? That way you both –"
"NO!" Came a unified response from the monsters that took the three of them by surprise.
"Just because you didn't bother to pick any fiend type cards, doesn't mean I should suffer. If you had one, you could have used that card, and maybe have the winning argument. But seeing as you don't, victory is mine. " Dark Magician said, picking up the Summoned Skull card from the floor and waving it in front of her face.
"Damnit Bones!" she snatched the card from his hand and began wringing it back and forth as if she was strangling someone, "You betrayed me!" She looked back up at her teacher, "And you still didn't win!"
"But you have no life points left!"
"Neither do you!"
"Fine!" Dark Magician yelled, shuffling his deck "We'll have a rematch! We won't count that one!"
"Fine!" she looked at the card in her hands, "Don't you dare get in my way this time!"
Jou looked down at his watch "Hey, I gotta get going now. Everyone's going to be wondering where I went."
"Sure thing. I'll walk you to the door." Yugi said, "Coming Atem?"
Atem looked at the two monsters fighting over their game, then back to Yugi "Absolutely."
They left the room and made their way down to the entrance, the racket upstairs seeming to increase.
"Who knew those two had such a competitive side?" Jou said, "I thought they were going to kill each other if they didn't ask us about that card."
"I don't know." Atem said, "I think its good to have a competitive side. Mana and Mahad hate to lose, and I think winning anything would give them some kind of edge over the other."
"But which one do you think wants to win more?" Yugi asked.
"The one who pulls their staff out to make their point." Atem chuckled.
"Well, I had a great time tonight. Thanks Yug." Jou said, then turning to Atem "And thank you too for not blasting me to bits."
Atem nodded with a smile, "Your actions tonight were truly sincere. You came to make amends for what you did, not for anyone else. And besides," He slung an arm around Yugi's shoulder, pulling him close "I'm not trying to isolate him from his friends. I'm trying to help him get back where he was."
"Well, seeing as this went so well tonight, how about we do it again?" Yugi asked, causing the two of them to look down at him.
"And where is it you would like to go?" Atem asked.
Yugi pondered the question for a moment and then spoke, "The carnival is coming into town tomorrow night. How about we go there?"
"Man, I love the carnival!" Jou exclaimed, calming himself down as he looked back at Atem, "Ya know, if Atem says its okay then-"
"Jou, you don't have to worry about getting into my good books." Atem said, "If Yugi wants you to come, that's fine by me. But please, try not to let Yami know. I don't want him to try and use you to get to Yugi."
"Well, there goes me explaining the note." Jou thought to himself. He nodded at the spirit, "Your secret's safe with me. But they'll all wonder where I've been, so I gotta go now. How's 7 at the fairgrounds?"
"Sounds good." Yugi said with a smile, "See you tomorrow night!"
"Later!" Jou said, walking out the door and shutting it behind him. Yugi turned to Atem, amethyst eyes locking with crimson.
"Thanks." He told the spirit.
Atem quirked his head with a smile, "What for, Little One?"
"Not turning Jou away at first sight and giving him a chance." Yugi said.
Atem sighed, keeping his smile "Like I said, I think he was being sincere. And besides, its time that you started making peace with your old friends; and Jou seems like the best place to start."
Yugi nodded, "I'm glad he's trying to play nice with everyone around here too."
"That's true, but I thought he thought I was some kind of lunatic." Atem chuckled, "'Blast him to bits'. What kind of nutcase would-"
He was cut off by an explosion that came from Yugi's bedroom. The two looked at each other with blank expressions on their faces.
"Should we?" Atem asked.
"You first." Yugi told him. Atem jabbed his shoulder playfully, leading them upstairs.
Jou closed the door to his house behind him. He made his way into the living room and breathed a sigh of relief. Yami had falled asleep on the couch. He spun around to go up to his room when he was met with a pair of giant blue eyes.
"WHAT THE-" Jou started to scream, but Anzu covered his mouth as to not wake Yami. He was still getting used to the fact that everyone had practically moved into his house since Yami had been kicked out of his.
"Where have you been?" She asked, "Do you even know what time it is?"
"Yeah Anzu, I know I'm late." Jou said, "I just went for a little walk."
"Well I'm glad your back because I have something I wanted to run by you." She told him.
He raised an eyebrow, "And that is?"
"Well," she explained, "I've been thinking about a way to get Yami's mind off of everything. And then it hit me."
"What?" Jou aked.
"The carnival!" Anzu exclaimed.
"Fuck." Jou thought to himself. How was he supposed to not let Yami know he would be at the carnival with Yugi if they were all going to be there too.
"Umm, don't you think the carnival really isn't Yami's thing?" Jou asked, thinking of any excuse he could to get out of this predicament.
"Exactly!" Anzu said, "He needs a little change now. And it'll be fun. All the games, the rides and the food. He needs this. What do you think?"
"Well, I wish I could go with you guys, but I can't." Jou said.
"Why not?" Anzu asked, "Yami needs you."
"I have to…..Do homework." Jou lied.
"Homework?" Anzu asked skeptically.
"Homework." Jou said, "I'm on strike 2 with my math teacher and if I miss any more deadlines, I'll fail."
Anzu paused for a moment and then sighed. "Alright then."
"YEAH!" Jou thought to himself. He was mentally jumping for joy.
"But just in case you change your mind, we're all going to go around 7 and meeting up at the fairgrounds." Anzu said, walking off.
"AAAAAHHHHH!" Jou mentally ended up jumping off a cliff.
Yugi stared up at the ceiling. Try as he might, he couldn't get to sleep He looked around his room. Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl had conjured beds in other rooms that they removed during the day. Atem was sleeping soundly with Yugi and had an arm wrapped around him. Yugi's eyes fell to the deck on his table, an idea forming in his head. He had seen Yami do it before, so why couldn't he?
He gently moved Atem's arm from on top of him and got off the bed. Grabbing the deck and his puzzle, he headed downstairs into the living room where he wouldn't disturb anyone. He sat down on the couch, wrapped the puzzle around his neck and shuffled through the cards until he found the one he wanted. He held it in his hands, but didn't feel anything. He was sure that he would have felt some sort of power course through his veins. He sighed, feeling discouraged at the results so far.
"I know it's late." Yugi said, looking down at the card "But could you come out for a minute? I want to talk to you."
A few seconds past with no change at all. He sighed in defeat and was about to place the card back on top of the deck; when all of a sudden, it began to glow. It floated out of Yugi's hand and hovered in front of his face. His amethyst eyes blinked and covered his face as the card shone brighter. There was a flash of light and when Yugi took his hands away from his face, the card was no longer there. Standing in front of Yugi was the Mystical Elf, looking down at him.
"You called Master?" She asked with a smile.
"Wow." Yugi exclaimed, looking up at her "I actually did it! I didn't think you would come! I didn't think I could do it!"
"Calling me, or any of us, isn't a matter of skill." She told him, still smiling "You wield the Millennium Puzzle, and we in turn serve you, our master." Yugi's cheeks started to flush at her comment. He really found it weird to be called 'Master'. "Now," she knelt down beside him, "What troubles you? Are you injured?"
"No, nothing like that." Yugi replied, "I wanted to thank you. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't be standing here. I owe you my life."
The Mystical Elf placed Yugi's hands in hers, her smile growing even more at his words. "You don't have to thank me Master." She said, "I was just doing my duty."
"Umm, I have another request of you." Yugi said nervously, looking down and shuffling his bare feet on the carpet.
The monster's face steeled as it listened for its orders. "Whatever you desire Master."
"Could you please stop calling me 'Master'?" Yugi asked, looking back up "I understand it's because of this." He gestured to the puzzle hanging around his neck "But when I hear you call me 'Master', I think that you think that I'm someone who will order you around all the time. And I don't want you to think that I'm like that. I don't want to be your master; I want to be your friend. Is that okay?"
She seemed taken aback at first, making Yugi think he offended her. But when she smiled at him, it was his turn to be surprised. "It truly is as Mana and Mahad say. You are a hikari through and through."
The deck on the table began to shine and the cards rose into the air. Yugi watched as they circled the two, flashing with light.
"It seems the others share my opinion, as I knew they would." Mystical Elf said happily, "We know it's not in your character to strut around with arrogance and claim superiority over us. You are kind, gentle, sincere and full of light. And its because of the way you are that we are happy to have you as a master, but even happier to have you as a friend, Yugi."
Yugi smiled and blushed when the monster called him by his name. "You mean it?"
"Of course." She replied, "If you ever need anything. If you're lonely and want company, if something is bothering you and you want someone to talk to, anything at all. That's what friends are for, right?"
Yugi nodded. "Right."
Yugi put his hand to his mouth, covering a yawn. She continued to smile at him, running a hand through his tri-coloured hair. "It's getting late." She said, "You better go back to sleep Yugi."
Yugi nodded. "Thanks again Mystical Elf."
She nodded, glowing white. With a flash, she became a card again. She joined the others spinning around Yugi. He watched as they slowly landed back on top of the table, stacking on top of each other to create his deck. Finally the Mystical Elf landed on top of the deck, which gave one last shine before fading back to normal.
"They're right you know." Came a voice from the other side of the room, making Yugi jump. Yugi turned to see Atem leaning against the doorframe. The spirit was only wearing red, silk pants as he found it more comfortable than sleeping in pajama's like Yugi's. "Light through and through." He said with a smile.
"How long have you been standing there?" Yugi asked.
"Quite a while." Atem replied, joining Yugi on the couch "You didn't think you could call monsters from the deck on your own?"
Yugi shook his head. "I thought back to when Mahad said I don't use the puzzle like you or Yami. And I really wanted to thank her for helping me. I didn't really know if there was anything special that I had to do, so after a while I just asked her to come out."
"That's pretty much how you do it." Atem explained, "And I think Mahad was probably referring to the fact that you don't use the puzzle to crush minds and send people to the Shadow Realm."
"Probably." Yugi laughed.
"Did you really think the monsters thought you were pompous?" Atem asked.
"That's what I think when I hear 'Master'." Yugi replied, "I don't think of someone nice, I think they're cruel. And you know how much I love to read, that's why I'm in my storytelling class. Almost every time I find someone who holds power in a book, they are heartless and treat their servants and workers with no respect. It just made me feel uncomfortable that they called me 'Master'."
"You know, back in my day people called me 'Master'." Atem said, "And I treated my servants with respect and dignity. I wasn't heartless."
"Well Atem, there's always the exception." Yugi joked.
Atem chucked. "Then I believe the same could be said about you. You just said you wanted to be treated as their friend, their equal. Nothing else. You took it a step further than many in your position would. They knew that you would never treat them cruelly, and now that you've denounced your title as 'Master', I believe you've earned their respect on a whole new level."
"Do you think so?" Yugi asked hopefully.
Almost instantly, the deck on the table flashed with light as to answer him. Sparks of every colour flew from the deck and encircled the pair. Yugi looked from the deck back to Atem, eyes wide.
"Well?" Atem asked, grinning.
"I….I don't know what to say!" Yugi said happily.
"Then say nothing for now." Atem said, wrapping an arm around Yugi "Lets just enjoy the show they're putting on for you."
Yugi nodded and curled up on Atem's bare chest, enjoying the heat coming from the spirit. He watched as the colours danced around him until his eyes became heavy. Within minutes, he fell asleep. The sparks stopped and Atem scooped up the hikari in his arms. He grabbed the deck off the table and made his way back to Yugi's room. He placed the deck and the puzzle back onto the table and laid Yugi on top of him, wrapping an arm around his waist and pulling the blankets up. He nodded towards the deck with a smile. It flashed again as Atem fell asleep with Yugi.
"Okay. Lets see." Jou thought, pacing his room. He glanced at his clock. 12:00 PM. "Great. Seven hours until all hell breaks loose. There's gotta be a way I can go to the carnival with Yugi and not be seen by the others."
"I can't tell them the truth." He pondered, "Yami will go ballistic. I can't show up with Yami because it will upset Yugi. I can't show up with Yugi because it will upset Yami. Oh man. Being the semifinalist in Duelist Kingdom was no problem, so why can't I deal with this?"
Jou's stomach began to growl and he sighed. "All this scheming really works up an appetite. I better go eat something before my brain explodes. How can guys like Pegasus do this on a regular basis? It's really draining."
He made his way down to the kitchen, not seeing Yami, Anzu, Honda or Ryou. Ryou had to run meet Kaiba and Malik, and Honda was working at Burger World, so where were the others? It wasn't until Jou approached the fridge that he spotted a large, pink note taped to it.
JOU!
I TOOK YAMI OUT TO DO SOME SHOPPING! HONDA SHOULD BE FINISHED WORK BEFORE WE GET BACK! SO STICK AROUND WITH HIM IF YOU STILL WANNA COME!
ANZU :)
Jou sighed as he opened the fridge, looking for food. The note was just making him feel worse. Then it hit him. He slammed the fridge shut and looked at the note, scanning it over and over again. He gulped, finally coming up with a plan.
"This could backfire so badly." Jou thought, "I just hope it works."
"Jou!" Anzu called, closing the door behind her and Yami. "Honda! You home?"
"Guess not." Yami said.
"Well maybe Honda's running late." She said, "And Jou already said he'd be at school."
"That poor guy." Yami said shaking his head, "Anzu, I don't really know about going tonight."
"Come on!" Anzu said, "It'll be fun!"
"I don't know." Yami said sadly, "What if Yugi's there? Maybe Atem's right. Maybe I should give him some space."
"We will!" Anzu insisted, "Just because you want to give him space, doesn't mean you need to avoid him like the plague! And besides, if Yugi's there with Atem, and you back off; Atem will see that as a good sign! Right?"
"When you put it that way, its sounds great." Yami smiled, "Thanks Anzu. You really know how to put things into perspective."
Anzu smiled back, "Sure thing. I'm going to go change for tonight. Wait down here for me okay?"
Yami nodded, "Go for it. We have loads of time."
Anzu made her way up the stairs, her grin getting bigger. She had figured it all out. Tonight was a chance to make Yami feel better, and as an added bonus, show Atem he's willing to give Yugi some space if they showed up.
She opened the door to her room and froze at what she saw.
"WHAT! THE! HELL?" She screamed.
"Anzu!" Yami called, bounding up the stairs towards her, "What happ- Uh oh."
The room was a disaster. Clothes were all over the place. The bed that she had made earlier had sheets and pillows flung everywhere. Her drawers were all open and the contents were emptied to the floor.
Anzu looked all over, horrified, when she spotted something on her bed. She went over and picked it up as Yami continued looking around.
"Should we call the police?" Yami asked.
"Nope." Anzu replied, trembling.
"Why not?" Yami asked.
"Because I know who did this." Anzu held up what she found on her bed. It was a note. She handed it to Yami for him to read.
ANZU,
NEEDED BEER MONEY.
THANKS!
HONDA
"Anzu?" Yami said quietly, looking back up at her.
Anzu took the note back and crumpling it in her fist. "I'm going to kill him." She said, huffing and puffing with a special kind of rage she saved only for Honda.
"Lets not be so hasty Anzu" Yami said, trying to calm her down, "Let's talk to him and find some sort of –"
"Yami," She said, "I cannot guarantee your safety if you get in my way."
Just then they heard the door open and close. "Guys! I'm back from work! Anybody home?" They heard Honda call from downstairs. Anzu cracked her knuckles and moved out of the room so quickly; Yami didn't even have time to say anything.
"Ra help him." He prayed as he followed her at a safe distance away.
Jou walked up to the fairgrounds. He checked his watch. 6:55. He breathed a sigh of relief. No sign of Yami or the others.
"Honda takes beatings from Anzu all the time." He thought, "I'm sure he'll take one more for the team. Especially if it means getting Yugi back."
"Jou!" he heard someone call his name from across the street. He turned to see Yugi, Atem, Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl cross the street and walk up to him.
"How's it going guys?" Jou asked.
Yugi looked up at Atem, who smiled back at him. "They're great Jou." He replied.
"Cool." Jou said, "Shall we?"
Yugi nodded, "Lets go!"
They paid for their tickets and entered the carnival. Flashing lights blasted them in every direction. They heard screams from the roller coaster.
"We've gotta go on that!" Dark Magician Girl declared.
"I don't know Mana." Dark Magician said nervously, "It look like-"
"Come on!" she grabbed him by the arm and dragged him into the line. When it was finally their turn, she was seated with Dark Magician, Yugi sat with Atem and Jou sat behind them. It slowly ascended up its first hill. Dark Magician held onto the bars as it blasted down the track while Dark Magician Girl threw her hands up in the air. They all screamed as it spiraled downwards, going two more laps around the track before coming to a stop. Dark Magician headed straight for the nearest trashcan.
"Does he have a weak stomach?" Yugi asked.
"Yeah," Dark Magician Girl replied, "He's kind of scared of heights too. But you didn't hear that from me!"
Once he came back over, they headed to the bumper cars. They all took separate cars as the ride started. Dark Magician took this chance to get back at his student as he slammed into her car over and over.
"Find someone else!" She screamed as she tried to avoid him.
"After the roller coaster? No way!" He replied as he slammed into her once again.
Once they were off the bumper cars, Yugi suggested they try the Ferris Wheel. They all climbed into a cart and were lifted high in the air.
"The city looks so cool from up here!" Dark Magician Girl exclaimed, looking down at the lights of Domino.
"It kind of reminds me of last night." Yugi said.
"What happened last night?" Dark Magician asked, shrinking into a corner of the cart.
"I just made a few friends." Yugi replied, leaning over to Atem, who wrapped his arms around the hikari.
When they came down, they made their way to the games. The group of five approached the booth, where a man was holding a hammer.
"Welcome to Test of Strength!" the man said, "The object of the game is simple. Smash the hammer as hard as you can on this target." He pointed the hammer to a yellow target on the ground. "And aim for the top!" He pointed the hammer to a thermometer with a bell at the top. "Now, who wants to try? Perhaps you?" He pointed the hammer at Jou.
Jou shrugged "Sure!" He said, taking the hammer. He raised it behind his head and swung down towards the target. It rose a little under halfway.
"Not bad! Not bad at all!" The man said. He turned to Yugi. "How about you?"
"Me?" Yugi responded, "I don't think so."
"Oh come on! Its all in good fun!" The man exclaimed, "Tell you what, your two buddies can help you." He gestured to Atem and Dark Magician, "How does that sound."
Yugi took the hammer from Jou. "Okay!" He said. Atem and Dark Magician came up behind him and placed their hands on the handle. Together, the three of them swung it down onto the target. The meter shot fairly higher than Jou's, but not to the top.
"Well, good try!" The man said.
"Hey!" Dark Magician Girl piped up, "What about me?"
"You?" The man laughed, "I think this may be a little too much for a girl like you."
"Oh really?" Dark Magician said, taking the hammer from the three guys with a smirk. Jou could have sworn that her hand glowed a bit when she took the hammer. He looked at Yugi, Atem and Dark Magician, who had blank stares at Dark Magician Girl.
"Mana, not a good idea." Dark Magician said.
"Its okay." Dark Magician Girl replied, twirling the hammer in her hand "I got this."
She threw the hammer behind her back and struck the target with a BOOM! The meter hit the bell at the top and sent it crashing it down to the ground. The man looked at her with a horrified look on his face.
"Here you go." She said, handing him the hammer "I'll take those gigantic plushies as my prize."
The man, still stunned, grabbed the desired plushies for her.
"Thanks!" She winked at him. She turned to the group standing behind her. "Heads up!" She tossed Jou a turtle, Dark Magician a dragon, Atem a monkey and Yugi a teddy bear. She slung her fairy on her shoulder, "Let's go grab some lemonade!"
"Are you sure you still want to be here?" Yami asked.
"Yami, right now I need this as much as you." Anzu said, as they received their tickets.
"But what about Honda?" Yami asked, thinking back to the state Anzu had left him in before they left.
"He'll live." She replied, "And besides, we're here to forget about all that crap! Tonight is gonna be great!"
Yami nodded. He really was grateful for her. It didn't matter if it was him or another member of their group, Anzu was always able to put a smile on their faces.
"Hey! Lets go get lemonade!" Anzu suggested. "There's a guy who sits in a giant lemon! Its awesome!"
"A giant lemon?" Yami laughed, "Alright, lets go!"
Anzu led him to the center of the fairgrounds when the giant lemon came into view. She was going to go into line when Yami pulled her back.
"What?" Anzu asked.
"There." Yami pointed to a bench next to the lemon. She blinked and saw Yugi, Atem, Dark Magician, Dark Magician Girl and Jou drinking lemonade and holding giant stuffed animals.
"What is Jou doing here?" Anzu asked, "He's supposed to be at school?"
"No idea." Yami replied.
"And what's he doing with them?" Anzu asked.
"Dunno." Yami replied.
"That's it!" Anzu said, cracking her knuckles "I'm going over there and giving him a piece of my mind!"
"No!" Yami said, jumping in front of her.
"Why?" Anzu asked, flabbergasted.
"Think of it this way." Yami explained, "We're here. Yugi is there. If I don't go over there, it'll show all of them that I'm serious about giving Yugi the space that he needs and putting his interests first."
"But Jou-" Anzu protested.
"Jou has his own reasons for being there." Yami told her, "And believe me, I want to go over there and talk to him. But Atem's there, and right now, we have to do things Atem's way. So we're going to walk by without causing a scene. Okay?"
She sighed in defeat. "Fine." She said.
The two of them past the group of five, catching their attention. Yami gave them a small wave before walking off. Anzu couldn't resist shooting Jou a dirty look before joining Yami.
"What was that all about?" Yugi asked.
"Looks like Yami is finally getting it." Dark Magician Girl said, sipping her lemonade.
"No, not that." Yugi said, turning to Jou "What's up with Anzu? Did you two get into a fight?"
"Well-Uh-You See." Jou stammered. "Funny story about that."
"Go on." Atem said, drumming his fingers together.
"I…didn't exactly let them know I was coming with you." Jou said sheepishly.
"Well, Atem asked you not to." Dark Magician said, "He didn't want Yami using you to get to Yugi."
"Well it gets worse." Jou said, laughing nervously.
"Oh?" Atem asked.
"Yep." Jou said, "Anzu asked me to go with them after you did."
"And you didn't tell them you were going with us?" Yugi asked.
"Pretty much." Jou said.
"That's awkward." Atem said.
"To say the least." Dark Magician added.
"Wait," Yugi said, "What about Honda? He wasn't with them."
"I needed a scapegoat if I was going to meet you here and not run into them." Jou said, half smiling "And you know how he is with Anzu."
"Oh no." Dark Magician Girl gasped, putting a hand to her mouth.
"You didn't." Atem exclaimed, crimson eyes wide.
"He can take it." Jou said, "He does it all the time."
"Here's hoping." Dark Magician said.
"It doesn't matter though." Jou said, looking at Yugi "I'm here for you, Yugi. Not Yami. Not Anzu. You."
/Wow,/ Atem said, /I think he just earned himself a permanent spot in my good books./
/Mine too./ Dark Magician Girl chimed in.
"So," Jou said, raising his lemonade cup "Here's to being friends again, and more awesome nights like these!"
"I'll drink to that!" Dark Magician said, raising his cup.
"Hooray!" Dark Magician Girl, raising hers.
"Absolutely!" Atem chimed in as he raised his.
Yugi looked around at everyone with a smile. He raised his cup with the others. "Cheers!" he said. They clashed their cups together, lemonade spilling onto the bench. Their laughter and conversation lasted all through the night and could be heard from the games booth where Yami sighed in frustration and defeat.