Clank

Clank

Clank

"What the..." Toni whispered, turning to his bedroom window just as a few pebbles hit his window. Curious, he placed his phone at his bedside table and slid his feet over to the window, as though afraid that whoever was at the window two-stories down could hear him. He stopped two feet shy of the window, just enough to peer over the sill and down to the street. Down below on the sidewalk stood a girl in neon blue shorts with white lining and a burnt orange workout tank top that was damped with sweat.

"Gael! What's the big deal?!"

Open up! Let me in! She mouthed, jumping up and down like she was still attempting to get his attention. Toni studied the area behind her. Cars drove past her, some bystanders just glanced over at her, but continued on their way. The day was getting late, normally, Gael would be in the middle of training around this time of day. Toni could only guess why she would stop by his place, let alone, throw rocks at his window to get his attention when the front door was open.

She is so weird, Toni thought as he unlocked the window and pulled the bottom up.

"Haven't you heard of a phone call?!"

"Ssshh!" Toni rolled his eyes in , Gael turned her head left and right, checking to make sure she was alone. Once she knew for sure that no one was watching, she looked back up at Toni and gestured for him to go to the left side of the Game Shop. Toni narrowed his eyes curiously at her and tilted his head. With a determined grin, she winked at him and then headed to the pine tree that stood next to the Game Shop.

"Oh, no. Not again." Toni whispered in a panic tone, realizing what she was planning.

The pine tree stood at least five feet from the Game Shop's front door, and stood taller than the tree was planted there years ago, back when Toni's great-grandfather opened the store. The pine tree served as an aesthetic as well as a place for children to sit and play Duel Monster's. Children, also, used to climb up the tree and sit and watch others play, or just sit in a shaded place. And this wouldn't be Gael's first time climbing that tree and jumping onto Toni's bedroom balcony like a reverse Shakespeare story. And although her landings have not been successful so far, it never discouraged her.

Panicked, Toni ran over to the balcony door, hoping to stop her. He dashed out the door and up to the edge of the balcony just as the average height athlete took off like a lightening bolt up the tree. Skillfully, Gael jumped up and grabbed the nearest branch. Toni gasped in utter amazement at her jump. The branch was more than five feet off the ground, and that was the highest he had ever seen her jump. Noticing him watching her, a daring smirk spread across her thin lips as she began to scale the thin tree, swinging from one branch to the other like a feral ape. Higher and higher she went, sweat rolled down her skin and dripped off the edges of her curly sandy-brown hair, her muscles screamed, the bark bit into her skin. Yet, she pressed on with more excitement, more than determined to make it to the balcony this time. She climbed until she was just a little above the balcony. Steadying herself on a thick branch, she bent her knees into a low squat and then leaped into the air. Her muscular body was airborne for only a few seconds, but Toni could only think of how many times she hit her knee on the edge of the balcony, her hand just barely catching the edge, her body landing hard against the sharp edges.

To his surprise, Gael landed, gracefully, on her feet in front of him. She jumped up and sprawled her arms out with a proud smile on her sweaty face.

"Aw yeah! I am awesome!" She shouted in sheer pride, then covered her mouth and her hazel-brown eyes went wide, obviously embarrassed. "Oh right, I forgot. No one knows I'm here, and I wanna keep it that way. Got it?"

Toni sighed and rolled his eyes again, annoyed that she would try to boss him around again.

"Gael, what are you doing here?" Toni sighed and shook his head, irritated but relieved to see that she was unharmed this time. Suddenly, like a light bulb brightening a room, Toni remembered what Gael was wearing and ran into his room. Quickly, he glanced around his room searching for a sweater or an old t-shirt. He found one laying on the ground just in front of the laundry hamper and tossed it to her. "For goodness sake, Gael! Put that on! You're sweating everywhere!"

"Keep it down!" She whispered in a hard and heavy tone, slipping on the black t-shirt. "Oh wow, I can fit into your clothes. That's pretty cool. Anyway, didn't I just say I don't want anyone knowing I'm here?"

"No kidding. What if my mom catches you? Or your dad? Do you know how much trouble we will be in?" Toni rambled. "Also, why are you climbing up a tree to get into my room? It's the middle of the day, you could've just walked in through the front door." Toni grunted in embarrassment. Only Gael would do something so bizarre.

"And risk my dad catching me? No thanks. He thinks I'm at home with Kris and Mom." Gael scoffed, rolling her eyes and adjusting her ponytail. "So get this, I was out for my daily training, and since we're on break, I can go for as long as I want and go as far as I please."

"Yeah, I know. I've seen you run by these last few days. Aren't your parents worried about you running this far from home?"

"Nope. Anyway, these last four days, you didn't have a lot of people here. And, today, I saw a lot of cars parked outside." Her tone changed as though she were about to share a scary story or admit a dark secret. She went over to his desk chair and flopped down into it. "And they are still here. Like, people who are not customers. Like, my dad, Mr. Taylor the gym teacher and their friends, even your aunt is here. Something big's gotta be goin' down. So, out with it. What am I missing? What's all the excitement about?"

"I don't know, I tend to stay out of sight when the store is open."

Gael scoffed. "Fine, then give me an idea. Why would your aunt be in the same building as Duke Devlin, one of her competitor's? And I'm guessing things are going smoothly because I'm not hearing things getting heated down there. So, it's gotta be about something they have in common. Maybe it's about CJ and Leigha?"

Toni bit his lower lip, feeling a pang in his heart. It shocked and baffled him when he heard that Leigha, Janny and Moriah were missing. But it didn't come as an equally shocked reaction when he heard that CJ was missing, too. Toni figured CJ was out looking for Janny again. Toni couldn't understand CJ's feelings for Janny; he likes her, but won't tell her. Instead, he tries to stick close to her, gazes at her from across the room and makes small talk whenever she meets his gaze. Since she's been missing, CJ has spent more time trying to find her than doing school work or hanging out with his friends.

"It's gotta be about Leigha and the others." Gael said, bringing Toni out of his thoughts. "Otherwise, why would the other dad's be here, too? Both of those guys have enough to deal with that I doubt they have time to see their friends for old times sake."

"I think Aunt Ami found something that might help find them, but she must need something from them." Toni paused, remembering the stories he overheard his dad share. "I mean, Dad and his friends downstairs have been through a lot together when they were our age. Aunt Ami didn't go with them, but she did hear their stories. Either way, I think someone may have some kind of clue to where Leigha might be, something that the cops and detectives don't know. Maybe they're thinking of looking at one of the off land locations like Duelist Island."

Gael grinned knowingly. "I figured you know, or, at least, have a really close guess. Kinda odd, though."

"What?"

"Both of our dad's have been friends since they were in high school, they use to duel together, help each other out during rough patches. Even after high school and starting their own families, they still hung out." Toni listened intently to her somber tone, wondering where she was going with this. "I remember Tea, your mom and my mom having girl's day's out during the weekends, and Tea would bring us presents. But these last few years, they only see each other during birthday celebrations."

"Where is all of this coming from? You're not, usually, so sentimental."

"Just makes me think about us, ya know." Gael's brown eyes looked away. "We haven't had huge, daring, exciting adventures and we're not far away from graduating. We duel every once in awhile if we're, like, seriously bored. All these sports events, school functions and hang outs seem kinda dull in comparison."

She paused and turned her head to gaze out the balcony doors. Her grin melted down slightly to a small smirk Toni recognized. Gael was trying to hide her emotions and was lost in her own thoughts. Toni sat on his bed, resting his elbows on his knees and his chin on his knuckles. He understood, she was afraid to be alone. He wanted to promise her that he would always be her friend, that he wouldn't let their relationship grow stale. But he doubted his own words. There's just something about growing up and starting your own life that seems to dampen many childhood promises and dreams.

But, there was something Gael didn't understand. These last few times Toni overheard a story, he heard the darker parts of those stories. Both Yugi and Joey were hero's, saved the world several times, changed the dark hearts of many villains, but it didn't come without a price. The four of them struggled to keep up with their school work that they had to attend summer class, his dad still suffers terrible nightmares and became a bit reclusive after graduating. The last nightmare Toni had was about being late for a track event and he wasn't allowed in, and it affected his reputation greatly. He couldn't imagine what the others endured after coming home from Duelist Kingdom, the tournament, Egypt and countless other duels and dangerous places they've traveled. In comparison to what Toni and his friends go through, their lives were rather plain.

And their parents were fine with this? Toni wondered to himself, thinking about his great-grandfather and Joey's sister, Serenity. Did any of them wonder where their family members went or if they were ever going to come home? How many sleepless nights passed before they saw Yugi or Joey again?

And as those thoughts passed through his mind, Toni couldn't help but imagine the same thing was happening to Ami and the other terrified parents. Yugi and his friends would vanish on a world saving adventure and would have no idea when they would come home. Now it's their turn to wonder where their children were.

The question is; did they run away or did someone take them?

"Where do you think they are anyway, Toni?" Gael asked, keeping her attention outside, her smile gone. "It's been weeks now, if they're trying to make a point, it's been made. And besides, it's not like Moriah or Janny's parents are going to get back together anyway. What do you think they're up to? Why have they been gone for so long?"

Toni couldn't help but chuckle. "Wow, you're the first I've heard to talk about any kind of concern towards Janny and Moriah. Not only that, but you care about Leigha Kaiba?"

Gael shot her attention over to him, her face turning a bit more red. " Stop it! It's not like we're friends or anything! It's just... Let's just say I've got a score to settle with her and I can't do that if she's missing." Gael gasped, spinning herself around to face Toni. "So, you know, those fancy, high priced detectives your uncle hired aren't doing all that much better in finding the girls anymore than if their dad's were to do the job. So, how about a little proposition?"

Toni shook his head rapidly, his hazel eyes wide in fear. "Oh no, no you don't. What are you going to drag me into? Please, do not add me to your list of competitors and rivals, or have me finish whatever you and Leigha started."

Gael giggled at his reaction, resting her elbow on her knee with a joyful smile. "First of all, you are, already, considered my rival when it comes to running track. Second, there are no replacements or substitutes for the rivalry between her and I. Ours is special in my book. It's either her or no one. But, here is what I propose, let's go out right now and join the search."

"Wha…" Toni became speechless, then smacked his hand against his forehead. "Come on, Gael. Just because our dad's went on heroic ventures, doesn't mean we have to and it doesn't mean we're going to be successful. Also, that's a pretty heavy presumption, considering there is no evidence to where they went or where they could've gone. If the cops can't find them, what makes you think we can?"

"Because we are teenagers!" She emphasized on the word, her large brown eyes as wide as a child's at a candy store. "Who else better to look for teenagers than other teenagers? And here is the kicker, I know your uncle is paying those cops and detectives over time, but they're not trying to find Leigha or anyone else."

Toni rolled his eyes in annoyance. "Now, how could you know that?"

The knowing grin returned. Gael whipped out her phone from her workout bra and held it out. Toni jumped off his bed with his hands up, blatantly refusing to touch the hot and sweat smeared device. Rolling her eyes again, Gael pressed a few buttons and a picture popped up. Keeping his hands up, Toni leaned forward and glanced down at Gael's phone.

"No way." Toni whispered to himself, forgetting about the sweat prints and smudges, he grabbed her phone and studied the picture closely. The picture was of the officers Kaiba hired to find Leigha, getting paid the highest dollar per hour, sitting in a coffee shop smoking cigarettes and gambling.

"I took that picture because I saw the cop who interrogated me after Leigha's disappearance. I, nearly, ran into him just as he was going in. He and his group are drinking coffee right now at the diner down the street. Right now, Seto Kaiba is paying them to drink coffee and waste time whistling at waitresses and other customers."

"Aw man, he's going to be blind with rage. Better not let him see that." Toni mumbled, handing her back her phone. He ran his hand through his blond hair, dreading the thought of Kaiba's rage if he discovered this truth. He took a deep breath and swallowed down his anger, fighting the urge to barge down the street and confronting the officers head on. It was more than disrespectful for the officers to behave so childish and so careless, it was backstabbing insulting. However, he knew better than to confront the Domino Police Force. "You know, he interrogated me, too. My dad had to go to Seto so he could make the cop leave me alone. Before that, I told him where Leigha hung out, all the other friends she had, her after school activities, anything I might have heard that seemed even slightly odd. But I, hardly, hung out with her after school anymore. My answers only gave them dead ends. And you only hung out with her once in a blue moon. Again I ask, what makes you think the two of us can do anything different?"

Gael's eyes hardened as she crossed her arms like she had just been insulted. "Well, for starters, it would be the three of us." She held up three fingers. "But, c'mon, CJ's gotta have an idea. Why would he run away? Hell, Janny and Moriah have more than enough reason to run away from their families than he does." Gael shot up from the desk chair and started pacing around like a detective in a mystery film. "Maybe, he has a lead, maybe he found something that the cops missed, or maybe she contacted him and he's going to see her. You know he has the hots for Janny, he's not going to tell anyone where she might be, he's going to go rescue her himself."

Toni wanted to argue that CJ wouldn't do something that daring, then thought better of it as he remembered the last time CJ went to defend Janny. Toni was surprised CJ didn't get any kind of discipline from that incident, in fact, the kid makes a point to avoid CJ at all cost. "Makes sense, I guess. But-"

Buzz

Buzz

Toni turned to his bedside table at the top of his bed where his phone laid. The screen lit up and vibrated. Casually, he picked it up and the screen read 'CJ'.

"It's CJ." Toni said in a mixture of relief and panic, shooting up from his seat and answering the call. "CJ? Where are you? Did you find the others?"

"Toni, I'm in...trouble...I'm by the docks..." CJ said, breathing heavily, his voice panicked. Toni stopped in his tracks and stared at the wall, listening very intently.

"You sound different, like you're struggling." Toni wondered, trying to remember when he last heard CJ sound so exhausted. "Wait, are you having an attack?"

"Close...please...hurry..."

"Hold on! I think your dad is downstairs!"

"Toni, no!" CJ shouted so loudly into the phone that Toni almost dropped his phone. "Do not tell my dad! He'll just drag me back home and Mom will kill me! I think I found Janny! Please! Give me a chance-" CJ gasped and coughed.

"You're not throwing up again, are you? Ok, hold on. You're at the dock, right? I'm coming." Toni hung up, ran to his closet and grabbed his backpack. "He's having an attack, his blood sugar must be really low. I'm going to grab a snack for him and we'll go get him."

Toni headed towards his bedroom door, then Gael grabbed his hand. Toni gasped and exclaimed in a high, squeaky tone, feeling his face grow hot rapidly.

"Wait, let's go out the balcony doors." Gael grabbed him and pulled him away from the door.

"Are you insane!?" Toni shook the heat out of his head, trying to refocus.

"We don't have time to argue!"

"Look, I know there's a backdoor in the kitchen. If we're quiet, we can sneak past the parents and go out that way. No more climbing!"

Yugi tied his shoe laces together and looked up at four of his friends who were on their phones. His heart grew heavy with pity as he watched two out of the four struggle.

"Hey Rikki, I think I have an idea where Moriah is," Marik said slowly into the phone, staring down at his dusty shoes. He ran his hand through his bangs, feeling tense and awkward leaving a voicemail for his wife. His heart ached, wishing and waiting for her to answer, waiting to hear her voice again. These days with Rikki talking to someone on her phone or on a video call in bed, Marik had grown tone deaf to her voice just so he could get some peace. He couldn't remember when they last spoke to each other that wasn't small talk or about the boys. And the pain was affecting both of their sons. "Look, I know you're very busy with work and Rom is with Ishizu. But, Rikki, just stay home with Rom 'til I get back. It'll be just for one day, it shouldn't take more than that.I know my sister can take care of him, but he needs his mom more than ever. I love you."

With those words weighing heavily on his heart, Marik hung up and put his phone back into his pocket.

"I don't understand, Mead said she had some time off, she was suppose to be with Terryn. Why would she leave Terryn with you?" Bakura said into his phone, pacing and struggling to keep his voice low. "Why can't you just watch her for a few hours more? Surely, she can't be much- I'm trying to look for Janny-no, Terryn can't come with me. It's a favor to the family...never mind. I'll come by and pick her up. Do not leave her alone again."

Frustrated, Bakura put his phone away and rubbed his eyes, trying to fight back the hot tears.

"I promise I'll be back tonight, maybe tomorrow morning, Mai." Yugi looked over towards the Game Shop desk as Joey tried to speak into his phone while Jed squirmed. "We won't be long. We just have an idea where the girl's are, and maybe Duke's kid, too. You sure you can? Alright, I'll come home and drop him off. Love you, too."

"Hey babe, I think I have an idea where CJ went. I think he went to Pegasus' Island looking for Janny. I know, it's a bit far fetched, but it's worth a try so I'm going to check it out...don't worry, I know what to give him if his blood sugar gets too low." Duke said as calmly as he could into his cellphone. "Just keep things running normally at the store, and I'll be home before you know it. Love you, see ya."

"Well, at least you don't have to call the family to let them know where you'll be going." Mari smirked as Yugi held her close and lightly. "I should be home tomorrow at the latest. And don't you start worrying about me. We've gone on big adventures like this before and always come out on top, I'll be just fine." Yugi pulled her back and kissed her forehead. "And listen, if the store gets to be too much, go ahead and close early. I'm not sure if I can convince Grandpa to come back before it closes."

"Oh, I'm sure I can handle it. After all, how hard can it be to enter in numbers into a register?" Mari tried to assure her husband, but not even she believed her words. "And besides, I haven't spent much time with Toni. Why not exploit such an opportunity?"

"Well, I'll go say g'night to him. And, I'm serious, do not stress about anything." Yugi turned towards his friends. "Look, you guys get a head start, Bakura and I will catch up to you at Kaiba Corp."