Chapter XLVI: The New Recruits

Hello again, fans of the Jedi League. You're probably amazed that I actually have updated before sixty days. Thank you very much for your reviews, everyone and welcome to new reviewer, Vampiric Dragonrider! And I'd like to give special congratulations to my co-author in the Summer Love, Summer Fears Yugi-verse, 15animefreak15, for her win on DeviantArt's Valentine's Day Contest for her "Ed, Edd and Eddy" story! It's really a good read, so check it out under her name there, i-live-2-rp! Anyhow, on with the story.

Disclaimer: Peach does not own the Yu-Gi-Oh franchise, the Star Wars franchise or anything else like that. She owns her OCs, this storyline, this version of the Yugi-verse and anything that's not established. Thank you!

Author's notes, some time later: Minor tweaks made to this chapter.

On Lisa Kaiba's seventeenth birthday, February 22nd, the young woman awoke with an eager happy smile. "Hey, Leese, happy birthday!" Seto greeted his wife with a swift kiss as she came out of the bathroom. "You look happy this morning."

"Seto honey, I had a brainstorm," she answered, grinning. "There are more like us out there!"

Whatever Seto had been expecting, this wasn't it. "Are you sure? Wait, of course you are. But how do we find them?"

"When we talk to the gang tonight, I'll have a better idea on how to do it. I think it's time we expanded," she answered. And then they both sensed a presence barreling toward the bedroom. The door flew open and a blur of red and black flew to the young woman, tackling her.

"Happy birthday, big sister!" Mokuba whooped happily.

Lisa hugged the ten-year-old back. "Thanks, sweetheart. We've got big plans today. I'll go to work…"

"Do you have to?" the boy asked, wishing they could all stay home and have fun together. It wasn't that Mokuba hated high school; in fact, he loved it. But he had liked being home all last week and since it was Lisa's birthday, he hoped he might get another day out of school.

"Yes, sweetie. You go with Seto. He has to go to class too and he has that business meeting at four. And after seven, when I get home, the gang will be here for the party and I'll have a little announcement to make." At the little boy's astonished look and what was possibly going through his mind, she shook her head. "No, it's not that and we'd tell you first. But this is pretty big, okay?"

"Okay, big sister." With that, the three Kaibas got breakfast, got ready and headed off to school and the hospital.

Y

"Any idea what she's thinkin', Seto?" Joey asked as the gang headed to their third period co-ed gym class.

"No idea," Seto admitted. "She said she needed to think things through on how to do this." The boys and girls separated and headed into the locker room to get their gym clothes on. "She wanted to be sure of how to do this. It's not like in Star Wars where figuring who was a Jedi was easy and you had other people to help you with the decision."

"Perhaps I'll be ready," Bakura said eagerly, wanting badly to be a Jedi like his friends. But every time Lisa had examined him, the result had been the same. She had sensed something that wasn't quite right about him. He resigned himself to this, but deep within him, a voice whispered, casting doubt within his mind.

She's holding back from you, the dark presence said softly. She fears just how great you might become. She doesn't want to be overshadowed.

But Bakura Ryou sighed gently, thinking that dark voice was merely his jealousy. No, he thought, if she's holding back, it's for a good reason. I have to trust her and my friends. They're here for me. How can I doubt them, really? The dark voice, realizing his host could not be manipulated now, withdrew into a secluded part of the mind.

"Maybe you will, Bakura," Yugi smiled, wishing he could feel that strange sensation around his friend dissipate and leave so the white-blonde young man could experience the joy of being a Jedi like the rest of them. But somehow, the gang all knew Bakura was not ready. But all of them had seen the day in their minds when he would stand beside them, a Jedi.

In the girls' locker room, Mai pulled on her white gym uniform top. "How did she figure out that we were Jedi?" she asked Teá and Serenity.

Teá, pulling on her socks, thought about it. "Oh! She could tell like we can now. Maybe she knows something more."

"Or maybe she thinks we know people who might be like us," Serenity suggested thoughtfully. Mai and Teá looked at each other and nodded.

"Well, I guess we find out tonight," the blonde young woman stated seriously as they headed out to the gym.

Y

All through the day as she went on her rounds, Lisa thought out exactly how the new Jedi would be brought into the existing gang. Okay, I've finally got it! she thought as she finished up with her last patient of the day in the clinic. Now, I can tell them!

She changed in the hospital locker room, but before she finished putting some of her things in her locker, she heard footsteps and sensed the presence of her fellow doctors. They sang the Happy Birthday song as they turned the corner, Hiro Misawa and George O'Malley holding a beautifully frosted birthday cake. "Happy seventeenth, Lisa!" the British-Japanese-American doctor smiled.

"Yeah, Leese! Happy birthday!" George added joyously.

"We all pitched in on this one," Scout Rhodes grinned, straightening her glasses and holding a small present, apparently from her, Darla Truesdale, Jayda Yuki, Hiro and George, out to the young doctor.

"Oh, guys, thank you!" Lisa smiled happily.

"Katai made the cake, Lisa, and Bastion helped to decorate it," Hiro said, mentioning his wife and son as he and George set down the cake on a small table in the room. Lisa examined the cake covered in white frosting and decorated with multicolored recognizable math symbols. "He wanted to show you what he's learned at Davida Dyson," the ophthalmologist explained sheepishly, "though we both told him it's your birthday."

"Oh, no! I love it! It's perfect!" she grinned at her friend. On top of the cake, surrounded by pluses, minuses, multiplication and division marks, written shakily but legibly in purple icing, "Happy birthday, Dr. Lisa!" And then below that was a heart followed by Bastion William Misawa. The little boy, rapidly approaching his fourth birthday, was already reading and writing.

The other doctors produced little presents from their children. Darla handed Lisa an abstract painting that Syrus had made in school yesterday and a drawing of Super Robo-yaro from Zane in kindergarten at Domino Elementary.

Jayda came forward with a smile. "This is from Jaden. That little boy has so much imagination." "This" was a picture of what looked like a cross between a flower and a cat. "He says it's called Dandylion," the proud mother explained, "and he wanted you to have it. He has so much fun at Pokey Oaks."

"I still wish you could've gotten him in at Kenobi," Scout said. "He reminds me so much of my Atty. I think the boys would get along very well."

"I should've registered him when he was pre-natal." The mothers laughed together and Scout gave drawings from Atticus and Alexis of two people singing on a stage. The female figure had been scribbled on a little, indicating one of the siblings hadn't been happy with her looks. Lisa, scanning the emotional imprints left on the paper, deduced that it had been Alexis who'd been displeased.

When Lisa finally opened the box from her five friends, she felt like her cheeks would fall off her face. For inside the box was a simple gold necklace with a charm shaped like an angel. "Oh, guys, thank you!" she squealed like the teen girl she still was. She put it on happily and hugged each of her friends. They ate the cake, revealed to be a red velvet cake, and then it was time for Lisa to get going.

She headed out to the waiting limo at the doctors' entrance/ exit and Roland was standing at the door, holding it open. "Good evening, Lisa. Mr. Kaiba and Mokuba are home, and the gang will be at the house in about an hour. How was your day today?" he asked smiling as he helped her into the car and climbed in after her.

"Oh, pretty good. I had a kid come into the clinic with an infection in her toe. Fortunately, it wasn't too bad, but she's going to have to stay overnight while we flush her system with antibiotics. But she'll make a full recovery."

"That's great," he answered. She inquired about his day, and he started to laugh. "There was an incident in gym class. The class was playing dodge ball and Mokuba threw the ball at his brother…"

"I'll bet that ended well," she chuckled.

"Oh, it did. Seto caught the ball, intending to throw it back, but he tossed it wrong and it hit the wall… and bounced back, hitting him and knocking him into Joey Wheeler. Mokuba caught another ball and tagged them both out!" the security laughed. "And then he and Tristan did a victory dance!"

"A victory dance?" she asked, grimacing. They didn't, she thought.

"Yup. The victory dance that Tristan and Joey do…" And so Lisa and Roland could both see Tristan and Mokuba dancing around the gym, singing, "Can can, we kicked a little can-can!" Consequently, both the doctor and security guard cracked up.

Y

Seto Kaiba set a bouquet of twenty-four deep purple roses held in a crystal vase onto a table in the blue sitting room. Mokuba, fresh from a shower, trotted into the room carrying a homemade card and a clumsily wrapped present made in shop class. "I hope she likes this, Seto."

"I think she will, kid. You worked hard on that for three weeks," the ruddy-haired CEO smiled, ruffling his little brother's hair when the small boy came in range after setting the gift down.

Mokuba grinned happily. "This is going to be her best birthday! And… I wonder what we'll learn tonight?"

"Probably a lot, but let's not jump all over Leese, okay, Mokie?"

"Got it, big bro!"

Not fifteen minutes later, Lisa came walking into the house. "Honey, Mokuba! I'm home!" she called, sounding a little bit tired. She was in the foyer and the two young men she loved most came to greet her. They both moved to hug her, Seto adding in a warm kiss, and led her to the sitting room. "What's all this?" she asked in surprise. "Purple roses?!"

"Yeah, it's a new variety," Seto explained, "and it was just recognized the year we met. It's called a Della Reese."

"Honey… it's beautiful," she smiled. And then she noticed the package, clumsily wrapped in blue paper patterned with lightning bolts. "Mokuba, is this from you?" The little boy nodded, blushing and unable to talk. Lisa scanned his emotions and discerned how worried he was that she wouldn't like it. She opened it with the greatest of care and her expression went from one of kindness to one of surprise. "Mokuba… oh, sweetie, it's beautiful!" she exclaimed. He had made her a heart-shaped oak keepsake box, and inside was a note that might seem cliché to some, but he meant it. "'To the best big sister I've ever had! Happy 17th birthday, Lisa! Love, Mokuba.' Oh, sweetie," Lisa said, hugging the small boy as he sat next to her.

"I'm so glad you liked it, big sister. Seto and Ms. Binford helped me with the etchings on the top," he explained eagerly. "Ms. Binford said that I'm really good for my age, right, Seto?"

"She did say that, kiddo… And she's right, Leese," Seto commented. And then he looked at the clock. "Oh, the gang will be here in about thirty minutes. You want to go freshen up?"

"That'd be nice." The birthday girl trotted upstairs, got a shower and got a loose-fitting pale green velour lounge suit on. She came back downstairs and headed to the dining room where everyone was gathered. "Hey, guys!"

Joey came up, giving Lisa a big hug. "Hey, Leese! Happy birthday!" The rest of the group made similar greetings and gave hugs. Seto had ordered his wife's favorite take-out dinner: Chinese food.

Y

After food had been eaten and the gifts given, Lisa stood up happily. "Well, guys, as you all know, I had a brain storm about how we might find more like us in this world. Until I met you guys, I wondered if I might be alone in this world in respect to my abilities. But I found out I wasn't alone. And that made me realize we can find others like us. I'd like to ask all of you to think of people you've met and maybe dueled that seem to have something about them that might indicate they have gifts like ours. These gifts may be untapped, but there's just something you can sense." She handed them each sheets of paper. "Write down any names you might think of, of people who might potentially have abilities. Bakura," she began to apologize, having scanned him again.

But he stood up with a smile and went to her, hugging her. "I understand and it's really all right, Lisa. I'll be trained someday. I know you aren't making me wait out of malice. I'll be patient," he asserted calmly. "But I hope I can be of help tonight… What about business contacts? Would they possibly have abilities?"

The members of the Jedi group exchanged glances for what seemed like the 40th time this evening. "That might not be a bad idea," Max Pegasus said thoughtfully, having come from San Jose to celebrate. "Seto-boy, we may have more Jedi than we think. Okay, Lisa-girl, how do we do this?" Everyone in the group took a breath, awaiting their Jedi mistress's orders.

"All right, everyone. Stretch out with your abilities and let them take over. The names will come to you of people you know who are perhaps ready to begin the training. They will, of course, have to come before us to be scanned so that we're certain they're ready. So concentrate, everyone. The names will come."

And so they did. Yugi reached out with his abilities to all the people he'd met besides the people around the table. Yami? he asked his spirit buddy and soul brother.

Yami too had been helping to draw out images of possible Jedi. Yes, Yugi? What is it?

Did you have Jedi in Egypt? the boy wondered.

The ancient spirit thought about it. I can't remember, but I would suspect that maybe we did and did not know it. Perhaps we'll find out more… Yami trailed off as a name came to him and his 21st century soul brother. Mako… Mako Tsunami…

Yeah! Yugi sent back in agreement, writing down the name. The ocean duelist they'd met at Duelist Kingdom had seemed very strong, but at the time, Yugi and Yami hadn't recognized what they felt about the big boy. He feels right, and maybe he'll be right… And then another name came to Yugi and the image of a little girl with blonde pigtails, big blue eyes and a bit of a bratty attitude. He wrote down the girl's name and sighed, sensing he might just regret it. Finally, everyone had written a list and Lisa picked them up with her telekinesis.

She glanced over the lists quickly and smiled. "Well it seems we have two definite common names here. Mako Tsunami and Rebecca Hawkins, is that right?" Several heads nodded. "What can you tell me about them?"

"Well, Yuge faced Mako at Duelist Kingdom," Joey explained, telling Lisa the story of the duel. "…Anyway, he thinks his dad is still out there. If he's a Jedi, will he know the truth, no matter what it is?"

Lisa nodded. "He will, and if he is a Jedi, it'll be that much easier to search out the truth. And we can help him through finding his father or dealing with the loss. And Rebecca Hawkins," she read the next name. "She's that little girl who's the junior division champ right now, right?"

"Yeah," Yugi said, a little apprehension on his face. "She's… kind of strange. She's a good duelist, but… well…" He explained about the duel where he'd surrendered to teach Rebecca about friendship and sacrifice. "…I just hope she learned the lesson."

"I think she did, little brother, a little too well," Mai said. At her brother's curious look, the eldest Muto child smiled slightly. "Remember two weeks ago when I went for that photo shoot on female duelists?"

"Yeah."

"Well… Yugi, she likes you… and I think it's more of a crush now…" Mai explained how the now-ten-year-old girl was happily saying she would make Yugi her boyfriend when she saw him again. "Little brother, she likes you a lot!"

"But sis, I'm almost seventeen! I'm too old for her!" Yugi exclaimed, horror evident on his face. "Darn it! Why can't I look older?!" It was one of those moments where he regretted his short stature and innocent look. "I mean… If she said I'm her boyfriend…" He left the sentence unfinished, picturing the media firestorm and the potential arrest for indecent liberties with a minor child.

Everyone sweat-dropped, seeing what he saw. "Yugi, that won't happen," Teá soothed him. "I mean, you haven't spent time with her at all since you two met that day in the arena."

The small duelist blushed at his best female friend's words. "Yeah, I guess you're right, Teá. I guess I've just gotten used to seeing all that stuff on the news when people get worried."

The group moved onto the next name on the list. "Zigfried Von Schroeder… Seto, who's that?" Lisa asked.

"A competitor in the gaming industry," the ruddy-haired CEO explained, a puzzled look on his face. "I don't know why his name came up. We met when we were twelve and when I made my partnership with you, Max, but… why his name would come up, I don't understand."

"Let's all reach out and find out why," she said, "and look up his profile, honey."

Seto called up the information on his laptop computer and then put the information onto a big screen. On the screen was the image of a young man with raspberry pink hair and bright blue eyes, clad in a frilly pink suit, not unlike what Max had worn at Duelist Kingdom. "Good heavens, that's quite a lot of pink," the Industrial Illusions CEO commented. "But I remember that boy. He came in late the day I made the deal with you, Seto-boy. I remember scanning his mind, and he was frustrated and felt like you'd done him a great wrong… But maybe he'll be willing to talk things out…"

"And he has a brother about your age, Mokuba," Serenity commented, squinting slightly at the screen. "Seto, could you..?"

"Yeah," the CEO answered, clicking on the boy's name and magnifying so Serenity could see a little bit better. "Leonhard Von Schroeder, age ten… goes by Leon… Hey, what's that?" he muttered, noting a flashing symbol, indicating a cross-reference. He clicked on it. "Apparently, there's a boy by the name of Leon Wilson competing in Napa Valley. He just started…" He punched a link comparing the pictures of Leon Wilson and Leon Von Schroeder. Everyone gasped in surprise. The two boys were one and the same.

"His brother might not know yet," Yugi muttered thoughtfully. "But maybe we can help them…"

Lisa nodded. "We'll invite these guys over to talk to us. But who's going to come first?" The gang looked at each other, not sure how to decide that.

Y

"Grandpa, I'm so excited! I get to see Yugi again!" a little girl with long, flowing blonde hair and freckles on her face exclaimed eagerly as she and her grandfather strode up to the front door of the Kaiba mansion on February 25th. This little girl wore a blue denim skirt, a white long-sleeved t-shirt, white socks and brown penny loafers.

"Now, Rebecca, you haven't seen him in over a year, almost two years now," the old man, tall with sandy gray hair, a mustache and bright blue eyes like his granddaughter's said patiently. He was clad in a gray suit and wearing a red bow tie around his neck.

"But I'm his girlfriend! He gave me this card as a symbol of his love!" she insisted for the umpteenth time. Arthur Hawkins sighed inwardly at his granddaughter's assertion. He had been trying for the past few months to convince his only grandchild that Yugi had given her a friendly gift, not a gift in the sense she considered it. As smart as Rebecca was, she was still a small girl with a very active imagination combined with a stubborn streak. And Arthur knew that this fact would lead his granddaughter to learn lessons the hard way. They entered the huge home and were led down to the media room.

Solomon Muto was waiting at the door. "Arthur," he said, a genuine smile on his face at the sight of his old friend. "I'm glad to see you again."

"As I'm glad to see you, Solomon," Arthur answered in his soft British accent. "You remember Rebecca."

"Hello, Mr. Muto," the small girl greeted politely. And then she caught sight of Yugi. The young man sensed her sudden burst of enthusiasm at seeing him, rather like a rabid fan girl, and like the rabid fan girl, she ran toward him. "Yugi!" she squealed.

"Jedi Shield!" he shouted out of reflex, raising a barrier he often used to block fan girls and occasionally fan boys from attacking. Rebecca, not realizing, ran right into the shield and bounced off, landing on her rear on the floor.

Her eyes went wide with shock. "How did you..? Why did you do that?!" she gasped out.

Yugi quickly lowered his shield and helped her up. "Sorry, Rebecca, it's force of habit when somebody yells like you did and runs at me."

Rebecca stared. "But… I wouldn't hurt you. I'm your girlfriend!"

"His… what?" Teá asked incredulously. "Excuse me?"

"He gave me this card, Teá! That means he likes me!" the little girl explained as if it were the clearest thing in the world. And then she saw Teá's expression of mingled disgust and… could it be jealousy? "Wait a second; you're mad because I got him first!"

"Rebecca." Yugi had spoken. The little blonde girl met his eyes, those amazing violet eyes of his. "We're just friends. I gave you that card because you're a friend, not because you're a girlfriend. How could I be your boyfriend?" he asked softly.

"But you gave me this! That means…!"

"It just means you're a friend of mine. I gave Joey a card too when we were heading to Duelist Kingdom. He's my friend and he needed that card, Rebecca. I'm sorry if you thought it was more than what I meant, but it just means you're my friend," he said.

But Rebecca wasn't easily swayed. "But…" She wasn't sure what she could argue but she knew she had to argue something. However, it was then that Lisa stepped in.

"Rebecca? I'm Lisa Kaiba," she introduced herself to the little girl.

Rebecca grinned eagerly. "Hi! You're the super-smart doctor and the Jedi girl! But… what's going on? Why is Yugi saying he's just my friend?" she asked, face tightening in frustration.

"Because it's true, sweetie," Lisa explained, kneeling to the little girl's level. "First, how old are you now?"

"I'm ten."

"How old is Yugi?"

Rebecca didn't hesitate. "Sixteen and he'll be seventeen in June…" And then it hit her like a runaway truck… "Oh, that's bad. But we could wait until I'm grown up; then it wouldn't be bad!"

"Rebecca… honey…" Lisa knew all too well that this was going to hurt. When she was in college, she'd developed an infatuation with George O'Malley and fantasized about marrying him. Her little fantasy had almost run away with her when one afternoon, she'd seen him with his boyfriend at the time. She had been a bit shocked that he was with someone, and at her age, a guy and it had broken her little heart. But George had seen and run right to her, explaining the situation, being kind and firm when he realized her imagination had run away with her. And now, Lisa knew what to do. "Sweetie… first, Yugi is too old for you and he's never been interested in you in that way. It wouldn't be right. And even if it was okay, he isn't. I know it hurts, but it's the truth…"

"Grandpa," the small girl whined a little, looking back at the man who had raised her with a hint of pleading in her eyes, "it's not true, is it? Tell me it's not true!"

Arthur Charles Hawkins sighed, wishing he didn't have to do this. And so he knelt and held his arms out to his grandchild. She moved in to take the hug, and he murmured, "It is true, little love. I tried to tell you, Rebecca, but you didn't want to hear me… I'm sorry, sweetheart." She looked into her grandfather's eyes and started crying, but knew he wouldn't lie to her.

Finally, Rebecca wiped her eyes and asked, "So why am I here? Grandpa told me it was important, but wouldn't tell me why."

Lisa smiled again. "Rebecca, you're here because we are looking for new Jedi to join our group. We each think that you might have the gift and we'd like to test you…"

The little girl considered this a long moment. And then she gazed at her grandfather. "Grandpa? Can I?"

Arthur thought about it and then smiled. "Of course, darling… Test her, Lisa…"

Lisa nodded and stood, moving a few feet from the small girl. She raised her arms up and out, parallel to the floor, palms out toward Rebecca. She closed her eyes and asked the little girl to do the same and think of nothing. And then the young doctor scanned the little girl, sensing her potential strength and if she was all right to begin training. When Lisa finished, she opened her eyes. "Rebecca?" The little girl looked up, hopeful. "You are Jedi…"

Y

The next afternoon, as Rebecca began learning the rudiments of controlling her new-found abilities, a seventeen-year-old young man with violently pink hair pulled back into a ponytail exited a lavender Gulfstream jet at the Domino Airfield. He stepped lithely down the rollaway steps, clad today in a pair of white ankle boots and a powder blue suit which brought out his eyes. "Now, Leon, are you ready?" Zigfried Von Schroeder called behind him.

A small boy with raspberry red hair, brown eyes and a smattering of freckles on his face stepped down the stairs as well. Most of the time, he had an excited and happy air about him, but today, he seemed sad. "I'm ready, big brother," he sighed. "I just wish I knew why both of us were called to this."

They walked in silence to a waiting white limousine, climbed in and stayed silent for a moment after the car began to move. "I don't know either, liebchen," he said, using a German term of endearment, "but we will see why. And if Herr Kaiba has any ulterior motive, he will regret it very much. Mutti has had to deal with Papa all this time because of the previous Herr Kaiba and we will have our revenge…"

"I understand, Zigfried," Leon sighed. He couldn't understand why Seto Kaiba had called both him and his brother to a meeting, and he dreaded it. Zigfried hadn't yet discovered what his little brother had been up to in Napa Valley. "We just have to see what he wants, right?"

"Yes, Leon," the older brother answered and again silence reigned until they reached the Kaiba mansion. They climbed out of the car and were led to the dining room where Seto Kaiba sat at the head of the long dining table. "Hello, Herr Kaiba," the teen CEO of Von Schroeder Corp greeted. "I admit I am surprised at this invitation."

Seto's eyes narrowed, already scanning his counterpart's mental state. 'He's trying to act like nothing's wrong,' he thought. 'But he's angry with me…' Out loud he said, "I have my reasons for inviting you here, Zigfried. You no doubt know that I have… certain abilities?" he asked, eyebrows raising.

"Yes, Herr Kaiba."

"So you are aware that I can read your mind?" Seto asked again with deadly calm, slipping into the mode of cold-hearted CEO. "And are you aware that I could destroy you?"

Zigfried knew full well what the Jedi group could do, and inwardly he quaked. But outwardly, he answered equally calmly, "I am aware, Herr Kaiba. And if you can read my thoughts, then scan me and tell me what I am thinking."

"All right then." Seto took a deep breath, scanning deeper than the surface. "You blame me for the fact that you were late that day, and you blame me for your father's mental state, your mother's anger, and your misery along with your brother's. True?" Zigfried's eyes widened in shock. And the brown-haired teen continued, "You came here, hoping to figure out a way to exact your revenge against me. You're so angry at what's happened to your family; your mother's kept telling you that the Kaibas and the Von Schroeders are mortal enemies and that the Kaibas must be destroyed."

All through this, Zigfried's eyes had kept widening until they were the size of saucers. He could no longer hide his surprise at how well Herr Kaiba was reading him. 'This cannot be!' he thought. Verbally, he responded, "You have read me correctly, Herr Kaiba. So have you called me and my brother here to end the conflict?" Leon tensed too at this. From how his brother talked, this could be the end of them both!

But Seto's expression changed to a slight smile. "The conflict will end today, but not in the way you think. Lisa?" he called. "Guys?" The Jedi group entered the room from another door. "I believe you know of my wife, my little brother and our friends?"

Zigfried nodded and then Leon's eyes widened with shock and joy. He grinned, beholding his dueling hero. But before he could say a word, the small pink-headed boy felt his mind go into overload and the world go sideways as he hit the ground. The last thing he heard was his brother screaming his name…

Y

The next thing Leon knew, he was waking up in what felt like a warm bed, a cool wash cloth on his forehead. "Take it easy, sweetie," a warm female voice murmured. "You're going to be all right."

Leon opened his big brown eyes to see a white-blonde woman above him. "Huh? What happened?" he asked tiredly. "And… you're Mrs. Kaiba, right?"

Lisa Kaiba smiled gently. "Yeah, and you're Leon Wilson."

Automatically, the boy answered, "Yeah…" And then he abruptly remembered where he was and that he actually had already revealed himself as Leon Von Schroeder. "Oops," he groaned.

Zigfried moved into the boy's field of vision. "Leon, I know now. And it's all right, liebchen; Mutti doesn't have to know yet. But… you are a good duelist. And… the war between families is over. You were out for about an hour. Lisa believed that you could use some sleep. But I know about your dueling. Why did you use a fake name?" the elder Von Schroeder boy asked gently, frowning with concern.

With Lisa's help, Leon managed to sit up. "I didn't want you guys knowing. Mutti's worried enough with Papa being the way he is and it's not like I get noticed anyway. Mutti would just say I'm…" And then tightness came to his throat and he began to cry.

Lisa moved off the bed and Zigfried moved into her place, putting his arms around his little brother. He'd been so busy all his life, trying to be the perfect son. But today, he realized he'd neglected his brother, the one who looked up to him most. "Mutti would be wrong if she said you were wasting time… Leon, you are only ten years old… You cannot be expected to be as I have had to be… You're a child and should be one! And you should enjoy dueling, little brother. I was wrong to seek revenge against Seto and his family. I was late and it seems that great minds thought very much alike," he chuckled finally. "How are you feeling?"

Leon smiled a little, looking up into his brother's blue eyes. "A little better… I thought I saw… my dueling hero," he explained, seeing a familiar spiked head over his brother's shoulder. He blinked. "I did! Yugi's here!" Yugi grinned, introduced himself, and as soon as Leon was strong enough, he was scanned and inducted into the Jedi training.

Y

On February 28, a Monday afternoon, another young man made his way to the Kaiba mansion. He was clad in dark navy Bermuda-length shorts, a sky-blue sleeveless shirt trimmed with navy blue and belted with a navy blue sash. A light wind blew that afternoon, ruffling his raven hair.

I wonder why Seto Kaiba has called me here, Mako Tsunami thought as his sandals clapped against the stone walkway. It is odd because I have never dueled him… I have also, to my knowledge, never wronged him. And then, something came to him, like a tickle. He is Jedi… and other duelists have come here… Perhaps… He quickened his step, the mental tickle continuing. On the edge of his mind, he could almost feel… joy? Whatever it was that he was feeling, it was a strange sensation. He came to the door, was let in by Tzipporah the maid, and led to the media room. He was surprised to not only see Seto Kaiba, his wife and brother, but also… "Yugi, this is quite a surprise. I did not expect to see you or any of your friends here," he stated. "But I have to ask. Am I here because I might be a Jedi?"

The group of Jedi looked at each other, just mildly surprised. Yugi grinned. "Wow, Mako! I think you are! Who's going to test him, Lisa?"

Lisa smiled, standing from her seat. "You are, Yugi."

The diminutive teen boy moved from his seat and took position near the large ocean duelist, beginning the scanning process. The boy closed his eyes and in his mind's eye, he and Yami could both see the familiar form of the fisherman's son, now surrounded by a bright blue aura. "Hmmm, you sense anything, Yami?" he asked his spirit buddy.

Yami shook his head. "I can't sense anything wrong. His aura is not like Bakura's, but it is strong with Jedi ability. Yugi, he is one of us."

Yugi grinned again. "Great!" The young man left the confines of his head and opened his violet eyes. "He's one of us, Lisa!" The Jedi mistress grinned back at the King of Games.

Y

"Mako," Lisa said about three hours later as everyone sat in the media room after the newest recruit had learned how to mentally communicate with his friends, "I can tell there's something you need to deal with that you haven't been able to. You want to know where your father is, don't you?"

Mako nodded. "The lifeboat was missing. I just want to know where he is and if he is okay. Can I truly do that?"

"Do you have something of his that you can use to connect to him?" she asked. He nodded. "Okay. Then take it out and use it to concentrate on your father's essence. His spirit is connected to what it is."

Mako pulled out a card from his dueling deck. He held the card up and showed it to the Jedi mistress and leader. Lisa's eyebrows raised as she noticed the resemblance between the card wielder and the card image. "It looks a lot like my father did. I was sent this card, but I do not know who sent it," he admitted. "I believe it was my father. It came from overseas and was addressed from a friend of his, but the letter seemed to be something Dad could write," he explained.

"Okay Mako, take a deep breath and call up the mental image of your father. Use that card to guide you," she said softly, taking his hand that held the card. They closed their eyes and were soon in a mindscape. It was dark, but Lisa could see Mako and he could see her in this dark place. "It's okay," she said, gazing at his mental self.

"This is… my mind?" he asked her curiously. She nodded. "Well then, how do we find my father?"

Lisa glanced around and saw a sea-green ribbon of energy fluttering in front of them like a path. "I think we're supposed to follow that, Mako." He nodded, wondering how it could be that easy.

They began walking, and as they did, large screens appeared. A young boy of about thirteen in shorts and a t-shirt with a crazy mop of raven hair stood on the bow of a fishing boat, looking back at his smooth-haired father. Domino of about thirty years previously stood behind the boat's stern and the little boy grinned, telling his father something in fluent Japanese. "That man… is Ojiisan… my grandfather! That is when my father was a boy and fishing with him! Ojiisan died when I was very small… But Dad told me stories. Ojiisan was born in Okinawa and came to the US when he was seven years old with his family. The war broke out when he was twelve and they left the camps when he was sixteen. Ojiisan met Oba-chan in the 1950s and they had Dad in 1962. And Dad told me about going out on the boats. This was a day that he and Ojiisan just looked out at the sea and sky."

They continued to follow the ribbon and came upon another scene. Mako's father was older and in what appeared to be… "This is Domino University, where Dad met Mom," Mako said, eyes wide. "He went there to major in oceanography and she was there to major in marine biology." On the screen, Mako's father approached a young woman with bright blue eyes and mahogany hair. The young man watching the scene smiled sadly. "That's Mom. I barely knew her. She died when I was three. She was on a trip with her parents and they all died. I don't know exactly what happened. Dad wouldn't talk about it."

Lisa sighed sadly. "He lost the great love of his life… But he still had you… You have your mother's eyes," she said gently.

Mako smiled at that and they walked on. The next scene was the day Mako was born. "March 1, 1984," he said, seeing his infant self covered in blood and amniotic fluid, wrapped in a blanket and handed to his flushed but happy mother. "That's when I was born."

"So you're almost twenty-one now," she observed. He nodded. "And your birthday is tomorrow! Mako, we'll celebrate, okay?" He nodded again with a smile.

They followed the ribbon through more memories; the day of Mako's mother's funeral, the day Mako's father had gotten a new boat for his fishing business… "Dad was happiest following Ojiisan's footsteps and fishing nets." And then, a huge catch with little Mako…

"Daddy!" Seven-year-old Mako laughed as he held up a yellowfin tuna, "This fish is almost as big as I am!"

"That it is, Mako," Benjirou Tsunami said in a joyous, booming voice, his brown eyes sparkling like the blue water of the Pacific. "You're going to be a fisherman just like your old man someday. And I know Ojiisan would've been very proud of you."

"He's proud of you too, Daddy!" little Mako grinned, setting the fish in a cooler. "Look at all the fish we caught today!" There was a net, full of fish, on the deck and father and son reveled in it.

The father and son sailed back to port and then deposited their catch with the local fish market. "Ben, these are always so incredible!" one customer grinned as he examined one particular yellowfin tuna.

Benjirou "Ben" Tsunami grinned back. "My son's my good luck charm. Ever since I brought him along on catches, I've nearly always had good ones!"

The screen faded and another scene took its place. It was a sunny day… The present-day Mako shuddered. "No, not this day."

And then Benjirou looked out onto the sea. There were dark clouds gathering on the horizon, cumulonimbus clouds. He knew what might be coming, but rather than frighten his son, he spoke calmly. "Look, Mako, there's a storm blowing in!"

"A big one?" twelve-year-old Mako asked with slight fear and wonder.

"Maybe," the father answered. "I've learned never to take chances with the sea," he reminded his son, who nodded. "We'll be all right."

Little Mako nodded with absolute trust in his daddy. And then he looked at the storm. "It's coming up quick!"

"We can't outrun it. We'll just have to ride it out, son," Benjirou explained calmly. As present-day Mako and Lisa watched, the sea-green ribbon shivered visibly.

And then the storm hit with hurricane-force winds. The waves dwarfed the craft, tossing it to and fro. Little Mako was barely holding on. "Dad, I'm scared! I can't hold on!"

Benjirou gazed at his only child and took a length of rope, tying his son to the mast. "Okay, Mako, it's going to be all right. I'm going to try and radio for help!" The elder Tsunami ran to the bridge of the ship, grabbed his radio and called, "Mayday, Mayday, this is the fishing vessel Yukiko! We are…" And then he saw a wave about the height of the Kaiba Corp building in downtown Domino racing toward them. He could hear Mako screaming in terror, and the wave hit.

Benjirou was knocked from the bridge and a life raft flew from a storage locker onto the water. Benjirou hit his head on the mast near the ship's stern. His neck was broken in a perfect hangman's fracture, killing him instantly when his spinal cord severed. His lifeless body flew through the air, hitting the unforgiving sea. The body was tossed like a ragdoll by the current before it sank forever beneath the waves. Present day Mako and Lisa watched the final scene of Benjirou Tsunami's life, and the sea-green ribbon that represented his life force lost its luster. It fluttered to the ground, merely a sea-green silken ribbon, but no longer glowing.

Y

Mako came out of the trance crying. "I did not want to believe it, but… my father is gone. He is really gone."

Lisa pulled the older duelist into a gentle hug. "Let it out, Mako. I know it hurts… And you've been hurting all this time. Let yourself grieve for him." The ocean duelist finally did. He felt the warmth of more arms surrounding him as he let loose pain that had festered for not quite ten years. The tickle that he'd felt of joy earlier was now of sympathy and mutual pain.

He opened his eyes, wiping them too. "I… can feel your emotions," he stated softly. "I… is this part of being a Jedi?"

"Yeah," Yugi explained gently, still hugging the grieving young man. "We can feel when any one of us is hurting. And that means we can help you feel better. We'll all help you, Mako. And we'll be your family."

Mako smiled through his tears at his new family. "I would like that very much, Yugi."

Y

The next day was Mako's birthday, and it was an amazing one. "All right! I will conquer this jump!" he stated, now clad in a loose-fitting top and pair of men's yoga pants. He had already learned to control his telepathic and empathic abilities, and successfully levitated a few objects. And now, he was about to hurtle himself through the air as the senior Jedi had done nearly two years previously, and what Rebecca, Leon and Zigfried had just learned to do.

"C'mon, Mako! You can do it," the three ten-year-olds, Mokuba, Rebecca and Leon shouted out.

"Sie können es tun!" Zigfried called out in German, echoing his brother.

Watch me fly like a fish leaping from the water, Dad! the 21-year-old thought as he began his run. He hit the springboard and leapt into the air. He twirled, holding himself impossibly airborne before landing perfectly on his feet. The early March sun shone on the tan young man's features and somewhere, he knew his father was proud of him.

And so ends another chapter of the Jedi League saga! I do hope it was worth the wait! Please read, review and stay tuned! I'll see you next time! Thank you!