A/N: WARNING: This chapter WILL make you cry, especially if you're an animal lover who has lost a beloved pet. Get some tissues ready, y'all are going on a FEELS trip. It will be very emotional up until the last quarter, when it starts to be a little cheerier. You will see Misty at her lowest and most vulnerable.

A special thanks to my dear friend and loyal patron james. collins. 77770 for his review that guaranteed the release of this emotional chapter.

Oh, and fyi, lemons at this point will be ONLY at PIVOTAL moments in the story, and yes, I will give warning when a lemon will happen.

As always, don't forget to review this and previous chapters! Fresh reviews= new releases.

And this is kind of another anniversary chapter (since the 1 year anniversary of my publishing this version of the story was 11 days ago). So Happy Anniversary (again) Fiery Guardian! *throws purple and blue confetti*

This is also in honor of Rainbow Bridge Remembrance Day today (Aug. 28th) T_T *sniffles* Don't forget to remember your beloved pets that have crossed the Rainbow Bridge today. I'm so glad this chapter was out in time for this day.


Back in San Antonio…

"What do we do Seto?" Misty asked once they hung up with Mokuba. They were both extremely angry and fed up with the school. They were extremely close to losing both Mokuba and Sophia amongst all the other teens that were at the prom, all because the school couldn't properly monitor refreshments at a simple prom. Thankfully, Hari had kept them safe and left before the wrecks happened.

"I'm calling the superintendent and my lawyers. I'm sick and tired of the school being so irresponsible and incompetent, especially when it comes to how they handle their students," Seto answered.

"Let's go back to the hotel first," Misty suggested. They waited for a trolley bus and caught it a few minutes later to their hotel and hurried to their room. Misty sat on the bed while Seto called his lawyers and the superintendent on his phone, but of course got the voicemails. He left messages, and then got on his laptop and emailed them too. Seto was still a bit angry.

"Honey, there's not much we can do right now… We'll have to be patient," Misty said gently. Seto scowled at her.

"I know you're angry and you want to get this done ASAP, and believe me I want them to be held accountable too, but it is Sunday morning back home. They're probably not in the office right now, and I'm sure that they have their hands full at the moment. We can try to call again tomorrow evening," Misty suggested calmly and logically, trying to placate him. Seto growled in frustration. Misty went to him and wrapped her arms around his waist hugging him trying to calm him down. Seto reluctantly wrapped his arms around her and held her tight.

"I'm just upset we almost lost them… I don't know what I'd do if I lost Mokuba especially, or you," Seto confessed.

"I understand," Misty replied and gave him a soft kiss and held him tight. Seto held her tight and kissed her forehead and her lips."

"Thank you," Seto whispered in her ear.

"You're welcome honey," Misty replied and led him to the bed so they could lie down and relax. They lay on the bed and held each other, watching TV, until they started feeling uncomfortable with their cumbersome clothes, so they decided to strip down and cuddled, enjoying the skin-on-skin contact. Eventually, it turned into another passionate and protected lovemaking session, which left them feeling both blissfully relaxed.


The next day, after a hearty breakfast, Misty called her mom and let her know that they were going to SeaWorld today. Her mom agreed to let them know if Lulu had any serious changes. They went to SeaWorld, and Misty instructed him on the best things they could do while there to make their day smoother and more enjoyable. Granted, there had been some changes since she'd been here last fall, but she still knew what to do. She chattered a lot, almost like a little kid, about all her experiences there when she had worked there. Seto was a bit amused with how lively she was, and he enjoyed her stories. They saw the shows and were entertained, and then he was curious about the animal interactions. They had extra room on a couple animal encounters, so he booked them and they got to enjoy seeing the animals up close, and learn all about how the trainers worked with them. They made sure to get pictures of their animal interactions, and Misty advised that they pick up the pictures later, on the way out. They then decided to ride the rides, and at least the lines weren't so long. Seto was having fun on the rides and was getting some more ideas for Kaiba Land. Sure, SeaWorld was impressive, but he was still partial to Kaiba Land. When they had dinner, they went and got barbecue from Shamu's Smokehouse, and he had to admit this barbecue was delicious too. Later, they had grown tired, and decided it was time to leave. Before they left, they went to pick up their pictures, and decided to get it on CD, and got some souvenirs for Mokuba and Sophia. Misty and Seto picked out a t-shirt for Mokuba and a seal plushie for Sophia. They then went and got in the car, and drove back to the hotel. Once they got in, she checked her phone and was relieved that Lulu was relatively okay today. Seto then decided to try calling his lawyers and superintendent again, and this time he got an answer. He was angry as he spoke to the already exhausted superintendent, demanding an investigation into the school, and charges be pressed. The superintendent felt like he'd been kicked hard in the gut. Yes, he felt terrible for all the students who died after the prom, and he felt terrible that the school couldn't stop it from happening, but the school and district didn't need these charges of abuse and neglect hanging over their heads. Seto then called the lawyers and opened a case against the school and superintendent. Seto felt somewhat satisfied that he was getting this taken care of. This was going to be a heavy-duty case, and he was sure he had a lot of parents and guardians who would back him up.

"Way to handle it honey," Misty complimented him. Seto smirked proudly and kissed her passionately, like "Damn right!"


The next day, they went back to her mom's house and did the usual routine they had been doing- keeping an eye on Lulu during the day while Seto worked on his laptop, then leaving, dinner, playing tourist/working on wedding planning, and going back to the hotel. Whenever Misty and Seto went back to the hotel, she was feeling sick and depressed, and she would only allow him to cuddle with her, clothed. Seto understood. Occasionally, they would email Mokuba to check in and remind him to give Shadow some love for them. In their touristing times, he got the gifts he had set out to get for her family, and had given them to Misty's parents and Wes. They were excited about the gifts and found more favor with him. For the Spurs tickets he got Misty's mom, he had gotten them for the end of April, so she could go and enjoy the game, in the front row, without having to worry about Lulu. Her mom really appreciated it and was bowled over. Misty's father loved the arrows and nocks Misty suggested, and Wes was excited about learning Photoshop for his pictures.

"Way to curry favor with your future in-laws!" Seto's inner self gave kudos to him.

"Thank you," Seto replied with an internal nod. He was proud that he had earned "brownie points", as Misty called them, with her family. He was sure he'd have a good relationship with his future in-laws, and wouldn't have to worry much about them. He didn't understand why people had such bad relationships with their in-laws… it wasn't hard to just respect them and set boundaries.

"Some people have easier times with their in-laws than others," his inner self reasoned with a shrug.

"I guess…I'm just glad I'm going to have good in-laws," Seto replied and his inner self nodded. He was kind of excited to have a big family soon.


Each day was more and more painful for Misty as she watched Lulu declining. She wasn't really eating, and she was struggling to keep food and water down. She also grew more and more lethargic and she was hurting.

Misty decided to take a few pictures with her, while she had a few days left, and got some good ones. Misty struggled not to cry as she was watching her, and Seto felt terrible for her. It was painful for him to watch too. Occasionally he would squeeze Misty's hand and hold her close while Lulu was on her lap. As Lulu degressed worse, her mom decided to stay and work from home, especially when Lulu wasn't responding as well in the morning, and struggled to get up. One morning, Misty's mom called her panicking because Lulu wasn't really being responsive. She was worried that it might've been time. Misty promised to be there shortly. She and Seto hurriedly got dressed.

"What's going on?" Seto asked confused about why they were in such a hurry.

"Lulu isn't responding well this morning… Mom is scared…" Misty explained.

"Oh…" Seto replied and finished getting ready, and they locked up their hotel room and went to the car and headed over there as quickly as the law allowed.

"Do you think it's time?" Seto asked gently. He didn't want to upset Misty or her mom.

"I don't know… I hope not…" Misty replied. She then saw her dad's truck there in the driveway beside her mom's Rogue. She parked behind her mom, and they hurried inside. When they walked in, Lulu perked up and went to greet them. Misty pet her and hugged her and asked what was going on.

"She was unresponsive this morning and I had to carry her down the stairs, and I called your dad to see if he can come over and help, after he dropped Wes off at school.

"And when y'all walked in, she was as spunky as usual. She was just lying there wheezing a few minutes ago," her father explained. Then Lulu went to return to her spot where she was lying down. Misty was upset and cried a little as she sat on the floor with Lulu and her parents. Seto sat with her and rubbed her back and they stroked Lulu.

"So what are we going to do?" Misty asked, her voice breaking slowly.

"We might have to take her to the vet," her mom answered with her voice breaking.

"Let's go. We can take the truck," Misty's dad offered. He knew his ex-wife didn't want the dogs in her car, and both she and Misty were emotional, and that made a bad combination on the road, especially if it looked like it was going to rain. Her mom then decided to take Lulu on a short walk up and down the short connector street to the other street. Lulu perked right up as she walked, but when Misty's mom returned with her, Lulu's back leg was shaking in pain. They then got her in the truck, and Misty and Seto sat in the backseat with her, while her mom sat shotgun in the front passenger seat, and her dad was driving. Surprisingly, Lulu was pretty calm during the drive to the vet's office, which she never usually was when Misty would drive her to the vet in the backseat of the car. Today, Lulu simply lay in between Seto and Misty, and wagged her tail a few times in Misty's lap, while her head was in Seto's lap. Seto sighed and gently pet her. Lulu was panting and feeling relaxed. Misty smiled as he was giving her sweet Lulu some love. When they got to the vet's office, her mom took Lulu to the grassy patch to do her business and they checked in. Lulu then started feeling lethargic once again, and eventually the vet techs took Misty, her mom, and Lulu back, while Seto sat with her dad. Misty and her mom explained to the vet what was going on and were told they would have to leave Lulu for the day for a thorough examination.

"So how are you holding up, Seto?" Misty's dad asked him.

"I'm a little stressed out… I'm doing my best to help Misty and her mom while they deal with Lulu, and I'm trying to help Misty feel better and take her mind off it sometimes, but it gets hard, and I'm not sure how to deal with grief too well," Seto admitted.

"Yeah, I understand, but you've been doing great so far. I would say just keep doing what you're doing and stay patient. Misty and her mom definitely appreciate your help," her father encouraged.

"Thank you. That's a comforting thought," Seto replied feeling a little relieved to hear about that.

"I noticed that you and her mom don't talk much, but you're willing to help out, like this morning," Seto observed.

"Yeah, I help more for the sake of Misty and Wes, and I love Lulu too," her father explained.

"Ah I see," Seto nodded. Then Misty and her mom came out.

"We have to go home for a little while. They'll call us when they're ready for us to pick her up," Misty's mom explained.

"Alright," her father nodded and they got up and got back in the truck and headed back to the house. Seto held Misty close in the backseat and squeezed her hand. Her father dropped them off, and left to go to work late.

While they waited for the vet to call them, Misty's mom and Seto did some of their work, and Misty just went to relax and watch TV quietly. When the vet called hours later, they got into Misty's car and picked her up. Lulu was a bit perkier, but was still calmer in the backseat than she normally was. Misty's mom sat in the back with Lulu while Seto sat shotgun in the front seat. It had turned out that Lulu had gotten a hold of some plastic in the trash, and that was what made her sick, today. She was still degressing terribly with her kidney failure.


That night, her mom had asked Seto and Misty to run to HEB to get some more rice for her to make some more of her homemade, renal-friendly dog food for Lulu, even though Lulu was eating less and less each day. They went in and got the rice, and as they were coming out, a stupid woman with kids in the backseat was speeding in the parking lot and came extremely close to mowing Misty and Seto down. Thankfully, she was JUST in front of them, and there were witnesses nearby.

"WATCH WHERE YOU'RE GOING! STUPID BITCH!" Misty yelled at her as she drove away. She knew that the bitch could hear her because the windows were down, and the bitch was not willing to come back and apologize. Seto was a little alarmed that they had almost gotten run over by some careless bitch mother.

"Are you alright?" Seto asked genuinely concerned as he looked Misty over.

"I'm fine, I'm just super pissed off," Misty answered irritably. They got out of the street and Seto hugged her to try to calm her down, but he was kinda angry too. If that bitch had hit them and they survived, he would've sued the hell out of her. From what Misty had said, pedestrians ALWAYS had the right of way here.

"Will you be alright to drive?" Seto asked, still reassessing her mental state. He would've driven if he could, but he was not allowed to.

"I'll be fine… I've had worse almost happen to me," Misty assured him and they got in the car and she drove home. When she came home, her mom instantly knew something was up with the angry energy radiating off of them.

"What's the matter?" her mom asked concerned.

"We were on the way back to the car and some bitch almost mowed us down because she was speeding in the parking lot," Seto answered for Misty. Her mom's eyes widened.

"Are y'all alright?" her mom asked concerned.

"Yeah… we're just pissed off… she came really close to hitting us too," Misty replied.

"I can certainly tell you're angry, but you can relax and calm down now," her mom suggested. "Thanks for getting the rice."

"You're welcome. We better head back to the hotel," Misty bade.

"You need to calm down before you get on the road. I know how you get when you're pissed off," her mom advised.

"Alright," Misty relented a little irritably and then went and sat down and loved on Lulu a bit, which calmed her down. Lulu gave her kisses and was happy for the attention, and then started coughing violently again. Misty and Seto sighed heavily, and decided it was time to go before she started getting emotional again. She really didn't feel like going out tonight, and neither did Seto, so they went straight to the hotel and relaxed. When they fell asleep, she had nightmares again. Seto was there to hold her and listen, but he understood that because it was so close, she was likely to have them more often. It was a matter of just being any day now.


The following Friday, her mom was working on her laptop, and she found an article on Facebook she definitely wanted Misty to see.

"Misty! Look at this!" her mom exclaimed as she waved Misty to her laptop. Misty's eyes widened and she gasped. The article was titled "3 Amazing Ways To Honor A Dog That Has Passed Away", and the picture of the dog that went with the article was that of a silver-and black speckled Catahoula-Lab with a graying face that looked JUST like Lulu, and an older version of Shadow, or even one of Lulu's brothers and her sister. It was like fate… the article could not have come at a more proper time.

"That's so uncanny! We were MEANT to see this right now," Misty remarked to her mom.

"I think so too," her mom agreed.

"What is it?" Seto asked as he noticed they were looking at her mom's laptop. Misty looked up and waved him over to join them. Immediately, Seto crossed the kitchen and stood behind them to see what they were looking at, and just like Misty, his ice blue eyes widened in surprise. The timing and picture of this article could not have been more suiting to the situation. It was an odd and amazing coincidence. Misty's mom shared the article, and Misty got on her laptop she had brought with her, and read and shared the article. They continued to hang about the house, and Seto worked on his laptop, as usual, until it was time to go back to the hotel.


The next day, Saturday, Misty and Seto tried feeding and giving water to Lulu, while her mom was out and about running errands. The weather outside was dreary and ugly, and it matched the gloomy mood they were feeling perfectly. Lulu had managed to slowly eat something and drink water as Misty poured it from a bottle into her hand over a bowl while Lulu lapped the water in her hand, though it was like pulling teeth to get her to eat and drink. Not but 30 minutes later, she had thrown everything up, in four different spots around the living room.

"Oh Lulu…" Misty bemoaned a bit, and Lulu had a guilty look on her face. Misty sighed heavily and she and Seto started cleaning it up. Seto wasn't thrilled about having to clean up the clear, foamy vomit, but Misty needed help, and he was there to support and help her and her mom during this grievous time. Misty called her mom and let her know that Lulu ate some, but threw up 4 times in different spots. Of course, her mom was exasperated and kind of sad. Luckily, she promised she'd be home soon. In the meantime, Misty and Seto sat on the couch watching TV and cuddling, while Lulu lay on her memory foam dog bed right in front of them. She could hear Lulu's stomach rumbling and she looked so tired and lethargic. When Misty's mom came home, she had brought some barbacoa for them to eat, and Seto got to enjoy it again. The saltiness of the meat combined with some avocado was just what Misty was craving. Misty's mom spent some time taking pictures of Lulu when she was most energetic that day, and then Misty saw something that broke her heart a little more… a cremation pamphlet for pets. It was like salt in an open wound, because it made Lulu's death a lot more of a harsh, extremely imminent reality. Misty then went to pick up Wes so he could have some time to spend with mom and Lulu. Wes told his big sister that he had a dream about Lulu, that she was so confused about why everyone was so sad around her lately, and she asked Wes in a little girl's voice "What's going on? Why is everyone so sad around me?"

"We're trying to take good care you and make you comfortable because you're really sick and dying," Wes replied. He couldn't remember anything else after that, but it was a sad dream.

"Wow," Misty and Seto remarked. Misty then relayed her nightmares to her brother, and Seto confirmed them. Seto noticed that when they weren't lampooning each other, Wes and Misty were actually really sweet and clearly cared about each other. They came back to their mother's house, and Wes hugged their mother and then went to Lulu, who was happy to see him, but then resumed being lethargic. Wes had relayed his dream to their mother, and she got a little emotional. After a little while, Wes was ready to go home, and Misty and Seto were ready to go back to the hotel. Wes honestly was a lot more impressed with Seto's patience with them, and Lulu as of late. Misty dropped her brother off at her father's house, and drove quietly to the hotel, with the exception of the radio playing cheerful tunes. Misty gripped the steering wheel a little tighter as she was trying to hold herself together, and Seto rubbed her shoulders as she drove. She was obviously feeling worse since she saw that stupid pamphlet. He kind of wished he could cheer her up by taking her out and about downtown to see more of the Fiesta stuff, but she was completely swallowed by the tide of grief, so he left her alone. When they came into their room, they took a bath together and then relaxed in their pajamas on the bed, watching local TV. He stroked her back as they lay together, and kissed her head. Misty cuddled closer, and silently rested her head on his chest, listening to his heartbeat.

"I feel like I'm going stir-crazy," he thought feeling a little suffocated by the grief that radiated off of her.

"I know… I am too… but she needs us…" his inner self pointed out reluctantly. He wanted desperately to be stimulated with more of San Antonio food and culture. He was so bored being cooped up in this hotel room, surfing the grievous tide, but he knew that Misty would definitely appreciate the fact that he was here at her weakest and most vulnerable. "Besides, the more patient you are, the more beloved you are by her family," his inner self added. Seto nodded reluctantly. True, "brownie points" with her family were always great, but he wanted stimulation.

"Please cheer up a little…" Seto begged Misty inside his head, though he knew it was rather moot.

Misty, however, felt a little guilty that she felt too heartbroken to take him out and have fun with him in her hometown, but she was grateful that he was being so patient with her, her family, and Lulu.

"You know you're going to have to reward him for being so patient," her inner self prodded.

"I know," Misty agreed despondently.


The next day, Sunday, Lulu could not keep ANYTHING down, not even apples or carrots, which she LOVED eating. Misty's mom had also taken to sleeping downstairs on the couch with Lulu on her memory foam dog bed in front of the couch since it was too painful for her to go up the stairs anymore. She had a couple days at most left. Misty, her mom, and Seto knew Misty would be too overcome with grief, so Misty and Seto packed up to 3 days' worth of clothes and their laptops, and were staying in her old bedroom. It had been pretty much left untouched since she had moved out. Seto had to admit seeing all the stuff she had left behind in her room was fascinating. He also knew that her mom felt a little weird with him staying in Misty's room with Misty, but there was nothing she could do, as it was the only place he could sleep. On the bright side, her mom felt like she could trust him completely. Plus, Misty and Seto wouldn't have it any other way. She had grown so accustomed to sleeping against him every night, and she felt safer and better with him holding her, especially during her nightmares.


That following Tuesday…

It was the day Misty and her family had been dreading… Lulu was lethargic and wasting away, but she still had just enough spunk left. She knew it was her time to go today. She was being as extra affectionate as she could manage. Misty's mom couldn't take any more of watching her beloved fur-baby wasting away, so she called the vet, struggling to keep her composure together. Her hand was shaking as it held her cellphone against her ear.

"Y-yes… I'd like…t-to make…an…ap-appointment for…euth…euthanization…f-for my dog…L-Lulu…" Misty's mom told the vet, her voice cracking a little, and made the appointment for 3:30 that afternoon, since Wes was in school. She wanted him to be there, and he would need to lift her in and out of the car. Overhearing her mom making the appointment, upset Misty even worse. Seto held his weeping fiancée and couldn't help crying himself since the grief was so strong and contagious. Lulu knew they were sad, and licked their hands as she lay on their laps on the couch, with a puppy potty training pad underneath her head to keep their clothes and the couch clean in case she dry-heaved again. Every now and then she would violently gag-cough. As much as Misty didn't want to lose her sweet baby, she couldn't bear to watch her suffering anymore. The hours passed by quietly, with the occasion of one of Lulu's piercing gag-coughs punctuating the silence. Misty and her mom were a little calmer now, and Misty was fit enough to drive. At 2:30 p.m., she was almost too eager to leave to go get her brother, and Seto was relieved to go with her. They needed a short break away from Lulu. When they got there to Wes's school, she popped the trunk for him and Wes in his light blue scrubs put his stuff in the trunk and got in the backseat and gave them a brief hello. He had spoken to mom earlier when he was on a 10-minute break from class, and their mom had told him about Lulu's appointment. He was relatively calm, but it weighed on his mind too. Misty hurried home within legal limits, and saw that their mom and Lulu were outside waiting for them, after a brief walk. Of course, Lulu's legs were shaking from the pain, but she looked utterly happy and energetic, a complete 180 from how she'd been the last few days. Their mom had taken a picture of Lulu with her big smile. They smiled a little at how happy Lulu looked. Misty got in the backseat of her mom's Rogue, on top of the light turquoise quilt while Wes and Seto helped gingerly put Lulu in the backseat. Lulu immediately went over to Misty and lay in her lap happily. Seto then got in the backseat with Lulu and Misty, while Wes sat shotgun in the front seat. Their mom then made sure the house was locked up and shut the garage door that had been open once she was outside. Lucky knew something was up, and he waited by the garage door that led to the house. Misty and Wes's mom then shut the automated garage door and got in the car, sniffling a little. She turned on the car, and drove about a mile away to a nearby veterinary hospital. Misty had tears flowing steadily from her eyes as she stroked Lulu's fur on the way, and she was surprised they had come to this one instead of Lulu's usual hospital. Her mom felt this would be a more personal good-bye here than if they had gone to Lulu's usual hospital, which was in a pet supply store. Misty and Wes understood and nodded; Lulu deserved a special farewell. Wes and Seto helped get Lulu out of the car, and Wes held her leash. Lulu looked happy as she walked beside Wes into the office. Seto immediately held Misty's hand knowing how upset she was, and she squeezed back. Misty and her mom were crying as they checked in for Lulu's appointment, and then they were led to a room with light turquoise blue walls, a monitor with a looping presentation playing of all the services offered by the vet, a stainless steel table near the floor, and there were health posters for cats and dogs on the walls. They had to admit, this was a nice office, and the staff seemed so nice. They shut the horizontally split door and Wes sat on the floor with a cheerful Lulu, hugging on her, and taking some final pictures with her, until she started feeling a little tired. She was utterly relaxed, which was unusual for her whenever she visited the vet. Seto sat beside their mom on the chairs, and Misty had joined her brother and Lulu on the floor. Misty and her mom both looked like Niobe, with their perpetual waterfall-like tears streaming from their chocolate eyes. Seto rubbed Misty's back with one hand as she sat in front of him loving on Lulu, and held their mother's hand with his other. Misty and her mom definitely appreciated it. As Misty and their mom liberally used the tissues, they could not find a trashcan, so they stuffed their tissues into Wes's scrub shirt pockets for now until they could find one. While they were spending their last minutes with Lulu, they reminisced about some of their favorite memories with her, especially the "rare, spotted-lab" story. Seto's ears perked up in curiosity.

"What's that story?" Seto asked, earning a chuckle from Misty, Wes, and their mother, and a tail wag from Lulu. "Tell me, I'm curious," Seto prompted.

"When Lulu was born, she was born to a yellow lab and a chocolate lab. We were surprised when she, 2 of her brothers, and one of her sisters came out SPECKLED. One of her brothers was tan with brown spots, and she and a brother and sister, from that litter, were black and silver like her. We had never seen anything like it before, and I talked to a vet on the phone to see what the vet would make of that, and the vet had never heard of anything like it before, so Wes and I started calling them 'rare, spotted-labs'," Misty began.

"I decided to take Lulu home when she was about 6, 7 weeks-old, after Misty and Wes begged and begged me to let them keep her. We took her to the vet, and the vet in all her years of training had never heard of a rare, spotted-lab. She said that Lulu was part Catahoula. Misty and Wes refused to listen and insisted 'No! She's a rare, spotted-lab!' The vet raised her eyebrows and was like '…okay then.' And while we were in the store, people would come up to us and say 'oh she's such a cute Catahoula puppy!' and of course, Misty and Wes would fight and insist 'No! She's a rare, spotted-lab!' and they all looked at Misty and Wes weird. My coworkers would even poke fun at their insistence when I told them about it. When I had pictures of Lulu on my desk, they would come up and say 'here we have the rare, spotted lab lounging in her natural habitat on her tie-dye bed,' and Misty and Wes would continue to get mad. I had to explain and show them why they would be Catahoula-labs, even when coming from a chocolate and a yellow lab, and eventually, they accepted it and understood, and to this day, it is a running joke in our family. I even told them that my final words on my death-bed would be 'rare, spotted-lab'," their mom added. Seto then started chortling with laughter.

"Wow, you were pretty stubborn!" Seto remarked to Misty. Misty was only semi-amused, but it helped with the heavy sadness in the room.

"Yes, we know," Misty and Wes replied. Seto chuckled for a little bit longer and then calmed down. It had been nice to share in that family memory with them. Lulu had started drooling and coughing violently once again, and it reminded them of why they were there, which made them start crying again. They couldn't take anymore of seeing her and hearing her in pain, so they asked for the vet. The vet was a nice, older lady with tinsel and light brown hair and green eyes, and she sat down on a chair and asked what was going on that made them decide to come here and euthanize Lulu. Misty and Wes's mom then started to explain that she had been having kidney failure for the last year, and the last couple months, it had been accelerating worse and worse, and her creatinine levels were at an 11, which was essentially near-fatal levels. She then explained that she had been unable to keep anything down anymore, and was refusing to eat or drink, she was in extreme pain and could barely move as well anymore, she was lethargic, coughing violently and drooling a lot. Wes had wondered why she was drooling so much, and the vet explained that Lulu is nauseous, and that was her way of expressing that. The vet understood their pain and agreed it was the best thing they could do for Lulu. Seto had to admit that he learned something new about dogs, and knew it would help him and Misty determine if Shadow back home was sick.

"We'll need to teach Mokuba, Sophia, and the staff about how to determine if Shadow is sick," his inner self told him.

"Later…" Seto insisted and made a mental note to tell them later. Right now, Misty, Wes, their mom, and Lulu were more important, especially since Lulu was about to pass in a few minutes. The vet then explained that they were going to put a catheter in Lulu's foreleg and she would be back until they decided it was time for the vet to come back and administer the euthanizing medicine. The vet put a leash on Lulu and Lulu went willingly alongside her to the back, and Misty, Wes, and their mom were crying a bit more. They found a trashcan hidden in the cabinet under the sink and dumped their tissues in it. Seto sat with Misty on the floor and held her close. A few minutes later, the doctor had returned with Lulu, who now had a catheter in her partly shaved foreleg. The catheter was held in place by a sunset-colored, camo Coban tape. Lulu was actually a bit excited.

"I like that bandage on your leg," Wes told Lulu as he gave her a hug and she licked his face.

"Yeah, that's a cool tape," Misty agreed. The vet then let them be so they could say their good-byes to her, and told them to call her when they were ready. An assistant came in and brought in a plush, maroon, memory-foam rug and put it on the floor and brought more tissues for them.

"Look Lulu, you get the red carpet treatment," Misty and Wes's mom said and then had Lulu come and lie on the rug, and she, Misty, and Wes each took a turn giving her a tearful good-bye hug, and they earned a licking back. Seto even took a turn giving her a good-bye, and she licked his face in return. Seto felt his heart ache. They were ready. Wes opened the back door of the room that led to the staff and animal patient hallway and told them they were ready. They were crying and trembling with anticipation. Seto held Misty's hand to offer some comfort, and she squeezed back tight. The vet came in with the syringe and medicine, and prepared it, putting the pink drug in the syringe. The vet pet Lulu a little and then Misty, Wes, and her mom tearfully pet Lulu and kept her still as the vet then put the needle to the catheter, and slowly injected it. Immediately, Lulu put her head down on her paw with the catheter and her eyes closed. Misty, Wes, and their mom broke down a little more as the vet disposed of the needle and told them gently that she would come back in a few minutes. Seto couldn't help crying either as his love, her brother, and their mom sobbed. Misty held Lulu's body close.

"Misty, what are you doing?" her mom demanded.

"I just want to hold her," Misty explained as she cried holding her beloved baby's body. Eventually, Misty let go, and her mom rested her head on top of Lulu's.

"Hers my baby girl… I love you so much… I'm going to miss you," her mom said softly to Lulu's body and sobbed. Wes was standing and sobbing.

"I didn't think a dog could make me cry this much…" Wes said.

"Me either…" Seto agreed; he was more upset seeing his fiancée and her family looking so devastated and sobbing. This was the second death Seto actually witnessed; the first was when Gozaburo committed suicide when he and Mokuba took over the company, and the second was now, watching Lulu pass away. He felt more sadness here, and it rivaled the sadness he felt when he learned his and Mokuba's parents had died. He held Misty close in a comforting embrace, letting her stain his shirt with her tears, while his tears fell into her hair. The vet then came back into the room with her stethoscope and listened for Lulu's heart, only to hear silence.

"She's passed…" the vet informed them, and Misty, Wes, and their mom let out a choking sob. It was official… she was gone. The vet then had 2 assistants come in and told them that they were going to lift Lulu out and prepare her for when she would be taken for cremation.

"I can carry her," Wes offered.

"Are you sure?" his mom asked. Wes nodded and was trying to lift Lulu, but found he struggled a little because he didn't have a good grip on her, and she was falling out of his arms. Wes put Lulu down and the assistants both gingerly picked Lulu up and carried her to the back after Misty and Wes's mom took Lulu's collar off and held it tight in her hands. They took a couple minutes to compose themselves and decided it was time to check out and go. Misty and Wes's mom gave the keys to Misty so she and Wes could sit in the car while she paid the vet bill. Misty and Wes left the office and Misty got in the backseat and left the keys on her mom's seat, while Wes stood outside waiting. Seto had stayed behind with their mom.

"You can go sit in the backseat with Misty if you want…" their mom offered.

"No, let me take care of this…" Seto offered.

"Really?" she asked surprised. Seto nodded. Their mom offered a grateful smile. "Thank you Seto." Seto nodded and looked at the bill that was given to them for the euthanization and cremation services that were picked out. He immediately got out his card and paid for it without hesitation. He signed the merchant copy of the receipt and handed the customer copy to Misty and Wes's mom, along with the bill paper. They all got into the Rogue and Misty and Wes's mom drove them back to the house quietly. When they got to the house and parked in the garage, they shut the garage door and came inside. Lucky was looking behind their mom to see if Lulu was coming in behind them, but she wasn't there. They fed him and then the four of them embraced and broke down sobbing again. Misty and Wes's mom held back, but now she was letting the floodgates open. They were just so devastated and hurt. Seto hadn't wanted to really cry, but he relented and let himself, since it was just his future family here crying with him. They sobbed for a good 5 minutes, before they calmed down a little, and their mom decided to order pizza and a chocolate molten cake, since she nor Misty were up to cooking, and they wanted something quick, easy without going out, plus it was a pizza and molten chocolate cake kind of night. After they ate, Misty, Wes, and Seto gathered their things together and hugged their mom once more before they got into Misty's car. It was quiet in the car with the exception of the radio as Misty drove Wes home. After they dropped Wes off, Misty drove herself and Seto back to the hotel feeling pensive and quiet. Seto rubbed her shoulders as she drove and gave her hand a squeeze.

"How are you feeling?" Seto asked gently. Misty shook her head saying she did not feel like talking right now. She was so hollow and exhausted right now, but she wanted to focus on driving. "Will you talk to me at the hotel?"

"Maybe," Misty replied.

"Alright," Seto relented. When they parked the car and locked it after getting out, Seto held her close as they walked up to their room and settled in. Since they had put a Do Not Disturb sign on the room and informed the management that they would be out for a few days, everything in their room was just as they had left it.

"How about a bath?" Seto offered. Misty nodded because a bath sounded so good right now to help them relax. Misty and Seto got some pajamas and underwear ready, and he readied the bath for them. When it was ready, he called her, and they stripped down and relaxed in the bath.

"I feel so numb and hollow…" Misty explained. "I can't believe my baby girl is gone…"

"I know," Seto said sympathetically as he held her and caressed her gently in a respectful way.

"Thank you…" Misty told him softly. "It meant a lot to me and my family that you've been so patient with us as we were dealing with Lulu's imminent passing." Seto kissed her head.

"You're welcome. I love you," Seto told her softly.

"I love you too," Misty replied and kissed him. They finished their bath, dried off, and dressed and cuddled in bed.

"Misty?" Seto asked.

"Hm?" Misty asked.

"Since Lulu's passed now, may we resume our touristing and planning activities tomorrow evening?" Seto requested.

"Well, maybe tomorrow afternoon we can do some planning, and tomorrow and Thursday evening we can do a little bit of Fiesta activities at NIOSA in La Villita. We can help volunteer at my dad's booth, walk around a little bit, and see all the crazy Fiesta stuff there. Then, Friday we can go to New Braunfels for a bit and even stop at Buc-ee's, and maybe on the way back we can go visit my grandpa, and afterwards we can go to Boot Barn and get Mokuba's hat and boots, and maybe some for you too. Saturday, we can visit Six Flags Fiesta Texas before we have to go that night.

"That sounds good," Seto agreed as he kissed her head. "In the meantime, let's rest. Are you okay?" Seto asked her as he caressed her face and searched her chocolate eyes. He saw that she was exhausted and numb.

"Not really…" Misty answered heavily. "My baby girl is gone and I'm all cried out… I feel so numb and hollow right now…" she answered honestly.

"I understand. Are you sure you want to go out tomorrow?" Seto asked. He would be willing to sacrifice tomorrow to give her time to process and grieve, IF necessary.

"Yes… I have to take my mind off it… and I haven't been up to taking you out and showing you more of my hometown since her deteriorating condition preoccupied my mind. And I owe you that at least. You must've been so bored…" Misty answered.

"Honestly yes," Seto admitted. "But I understood… I wouldn't have wanted to go out if my mind was on someone I love that was sick and dying," he added gently. If he had promised someone, like a client, to take them out but either her or Mokuba were sick and dying, he wouldn't have wanted to go out; he would've wanted to stay at their side, especially if the time was so close. He would've wanted to have as many moments as he could get while he had that time left with them. Misty smiled and nuzzled closer and dozed off to sleep.


Misty was awoken the next morning and she checked the email on her phone and gasped in horror.

"Hm? What is it?" Seto mumbled.

"SOME BASTARD JUST HACKED MY EBAY AND ORDERED SOMETHING!" Misty shrieked in horror.

"WHAT?!" Seto asked fully alert now. Misty was angry and she spent at least an hour trying to fix it. Thankfully, it had only been an hour since the bastard ordered something, before she woke up, it hadn't gone to her bank yet, and her had locked down her account and she immediately started changing her passwords on sites she frequented, opening a dispute on and ensuring the order didn't' go through, and called the bank to not allow the charge to go through, just in case. She also called the police and filed a report with them too. She had also put extra verification layers onto her accounts to prevent further unauthorized access.

Seto was horrified that she had been hacked, and he was also angry. He checked his accounts and thankfully nothing had been ordered through any of his accounts. He saw the email that Misty showed him and thought the idiot was stupid to leave a shipping address. He knew Misty took care to be guarded about her card and accounts, and this was a bad time to make her mad, especially since she just lost her beloved dog. He decided to help her out, and tracked down the thief and dispatched a virus to him.

"Thanks babe," Misty said with relish as she kissed him.

"You're welcome. That'll teach him not to mess with you ever again," Seto said proudly. Misty smiled.

"You got that right. Let's get some breakfast and go," Misty suggested and they each got dressed and went down to get breakfast, and got in the car. Misty and Seto were still a little angry that someone had tried to do that to her, but at least they were satisfied in getting some revenge. They went and explored the museums near Brackenridge Park and the zoo today, and then they went to take care of some other arrangements for the wedding. Thankfully, all the arrangements were finally taken care of, and all they had to do was show up for the rehearsal, wedding, and reception in a month. That really helped take their, especially her, minds off of Lulu's passing and what happened this morning. They then started heading over to the garage by La Villita, parked, and walked around getting tickets for the food and fun for NIOSA tonight. They had their wristbands and volunteer papers and her dad got them in. They went to the booth and started helping him skewer marinated shrimp, onions, and green bell peppers to be grilled for tonight. It was kind of relaxing and cathartic to skewer shrimp, onions, and green bell peppers. When they had a good amount all ready to go, her dad had them stop. He let them go relax and told them they could grab a drink from his cooler in the way back of the booth, which was about 50 yards away. They went to the back, got a couple Cokes, and sat in the comfortable folding chairs and looked around at the currently empty street in front of them on the other side of the wrought-iron fences, save for other volunteers.

A little while later, when things started to pick up, Seto noticed how crowded the pathways were, and how crazy the people looked. It was a fantastic spectacle. Seto noticed everyone was having fun, and he watched Misty's father grilling and dancing, and he was wearing the crazy neon-orange shrimp hat. The other volunteers in the booth, were surprised at how Misty's dad was jamming out to the band's music across the pathway while he grilled and supervised everyone. They had not expected to see this fun side of him; he was so different at work. A little while later, Misty and Seto skewered more shrimp, onions, and green bell peppers until Misty's father told them they had enough for tonight.

As the sun set further down, the more crowded the pathways became. It was like a river of people wearing crazy-huge, colorful, and creative hats and accessories.

"Hey babe, want to go grab something to eat with our tickets and walk around?" Misty asked. Seto was a little unsure about venturing into the river of people, but he was curious about what else was there to see and experience here.

"Alright sure," he agreed. Misty smiled a little. "What is there to eat?" Misty chuckled.

"Pretty much anything you can imagine," Misty answered. "One of our most famous Fiesta foods is chicken fried steak on a stick. If you want, we can get some of our own shrimp parillas. Let's walk around and see what beckons to your belly," Misty offered and took his hand, and wore one of the neon-orange shrimp hats.

"Why are you wearing the shrimp hat?" Seto asked with an eyebrow raised.

"One, you'll be able to spot me easier, two, it's for advertisement," Misty reasoned. Seto nodded as that made sense and he held onto her hand.

"Don't let go of my hand," Seto commanded. He didn't want to lose her in this crowd, or get lost.

"Relax honey, I'll stay close, but even if we get separated, we know where the booth is right?" Misty replied gently.

"Just don't let go of my hand, please," Seto requested.

"Alright," Misty relented and held his hand as they blended into the crowd. Some people complimented her hat as they explored.

"Thanks! There's a grilled shrimp on a stick booth over that way," Misty replied as she pointed in the direction her dad's shrimp booth was.

"Really? Grilled shrimp on a stick? That sounds good. Thanks!" the other people replied. Seto had to admit that was a clever way to promote her dad's booth.

Seto had decided on some French-Cajun food, and they both enjoyed it after paying their tickets for the food. Along with the French-Cajun food, there was a lot of food he'd never tried before, all served here at NIOSA.

"Wow, they pretty much do have everything you can imagine eating here," Seto marveled.

"I told ya," Misty chuckled and they picked up some brownies and strawberries on sticks for dessert. They also got some cash for some of the souvenirs at one of the ATMS. They had a bag full of cool souvenirs they held in their clasped hands and they walked back to the booth. Misty put the hat back on the booth and the bag of souvenirs with her things. They went out to the pathway and danced to the band's music a little bit, then came back inside and relaxed in the chairs watching the people. A little while later, Misty showed him where the port-a-potties for volunteers were, and when they came back to the back of the booth, she gave him some of her hand sanitizer.

They hung out and helped a bit more, particularly when things started to die down and Misty's father needed to clean up until tomorrow. Misty's father appreciated the help and was further impressed with Seto. Once they helped their father with loading the truck with what needed to go home, they went to find her car.

"That was fun," Seto remarked as he held her hand through the parking garage.

"I'm glad you had fun," Misty replied with a smile. "We're doing it again tomorrow night too." Seto nodded and smiled.

"Do you feel better?" Seto asked gingerly.

"Yeah, I do honestly," Misty admitted. Everything that had been on her mind today melted away a bit. Helping her dad with his booth and having Seto along kept her mind busy and off Lulu's passing yesterday, and the stupid thief. Seto smiled and was relieved.

"Good," he nodded satisfied.

"She does look better too," his inner self pointed out.

"She sure does," Seto agreed, but there was something else that he couldn't put his finger on that made her look good too. He didn't worry about it.

"I can't wait to give these souvenirs to Mokuba, Sophia, and the staff," Misty said excitedly as they held the bag of Fiesta souvenirs.

"They'll be excited for sure," Seto agreed and they found her car. Misty drove them about 10 minutes back to their hotel, with the traffic. They got out, locked the car, and went up carrying their treasures from today and her purse. She set her purse and the souvenirs down with their things and felt Seto wrap his arms around her waist. Misty smiled and leaned into him. He held her for a little bit and they went and took their bath as usual to relax. They relaxed and dressed and climbed into bed. Seto gazed into her clear chocolate eyes with his sapphire eyes and caressed her face.

"I'm glad you're feeling better since what happened yesterday, the weeks before, and this morning," Seto told her gently. "And there's something about you that looks good too, but I can't figure it out."

"There is?" Misty asked surprised.

"Yeah. You look good and you look at peace."

"Thanks, but I do push thoughts about Lulu away sometimes. All the stuff we did helped take my mind off it. I know she is no longer suffering, and she'll be waiting for me at the end of the Rainbow Bridge when it's my time to go years from now, but sometimes if I'm not careful, missing her will sneak up on me. I'll just have to keep my mind off it for now," Misty explained.

"Misty, you can mourn her if you want…" Seto encouraged as he caressed her back. "I know you're hurting, but it's okay to mourn her," Seto encouraged.

"Profound coming from you," his inner self pointed out.

"Yeah. Shut up," Seto retorted.

"He's right… you can mourn Lulu… she was your baby girl," Misty's inner self encouraged.

"I've been mourning her the last few weeks… I'm not sure if I have anything left…" Misty protested.

"Sure you do…" her inner self countered.

"Come on. It's ok," Seto encouraged. Misty's lip twitched like she was fighting it. "I know you're fighting it. Stop trying to be so strong and stubborn. I know you would be insisting I let it out if this was reversed." A few tears leaked from Misty's chocolate eyes as she started to slowly let herself succumb to her grief. "That's it," Seto encouraged as he held her. Just like a thunderstorm, the tears started out light, and then more and more came. Like the thunder, sobs escaped her throat and she was full-on crying. Seto held her closer and let her sob into his chest.

"She should've lived longer! She shouldn't have had to die at 10 years old because of kidney failure! We did everything we could to ensure she had a healthy life, but then she got kidney failure and was taken from us! Lucky is a few months' shy of being 12 and still has a good while left, and Riley is 13! Lulu only got 10 years! Her sister, my neighbor's dog, is the same age as she was, and she is still healthy and vibrant!" Misty vented in her sobs. Seto rubbed her back and continued to let her vent and sob. She needed this. He had a lot of things he could say, but they didn't seem right. From what he understood, anger was part of the grieving process. Boy, he knew what it was like to be super angry in grief… he was furious with his family after they abandoned him and Mokuba at the orphanage and left them with nothing, and the fact that his parents were dead… and he was angry that the orphanage staff couldn't have given two shits about them or the others, and he hated Gozaburo for making his life hell and turning him into a cold, machine of a man who could do nothing but work… until Misty came along. She sobbed and vented for a good hour, until she was too exhausted for anything else but sleep. He kissed her forehead and fell asleep holding her tight. She slept peacefully tonight with no nightmares plaguing her mind.


The next day, after a hearty breakfast, they found a bus that would take them along the mission trail so they could visit Mission San Jose, Mission Concepción, Mission San Juan, and Mission Espada, and also the Alamo too. Seto was mildly fascinated seeing the missions and learning a part of San Antonio's obviously rich history. He was surprised when they deviated from Mission San Jose a little to walk into a cemetery.

"Misty, why are we in this cemetery?" Seto asked confused and feeling a little creeped out. He didn't like cemeteries very much. She also seemed relatively calm as she continued walking along at a quick pace. She held his hand as she led him past the various headstones and silk flower urns. "Misty?" Seto asked again, wondering what possessed her. Misty then found the tree she was looking for, and stopped in front of a large, pinkish-granite headstone with an inscription of a deceased woman's name, date of birth and death, a marriage date, and a man's inscription of a date of birth. On the pinkish granite headstone, there was a picture of a beautiful, kind, old woman with soft, curly, brown hair, glasses, and she was wearing a beautiful navy suit dress. On the base of the headstone, there was a vase for silk flowers, and a package of crackers. Seto thought the crackers were odd, and Misty started tearing a little.

"Hi grandma," Misty said to the headstone and squeezed Seto's hand.

"This is your grandma's grave?" Seto asked as he realized what was going on. She brought him here to visit her grandmother's grave with her since they were close by while visiting Mission San Jose. Misty nodded and was tearing a little more. Seto squeezed her hand and she squeezed back a little tighter. Misty started speaking to the grave, telling her grandmother about all that had been going on with her and the fact that she was about to marry Seto. Seto was silent as he watched her conversing to the grave. He thought it was odd, but he wouldn't judge. He figured it was normal behavior to talk to the graves when visiting them, but he wouldn't know. He wondered if he might do the same thing if he visited his parents' graves back home. He had to admit the picture of her grandmother was lovely.

"She's lovely," Seto complimented Misty's grandmother.

"She really was… She had such an open, kind heart… she would've adored you, Mokuba, and Sophia…" Misty replied. "That was EVERYONE'S favorite picture of her, and I was the one that took it. That was at my uncle's wedding, and I was trying to get a picture of her smiling at the camera, but she was distracted by conversation to my left, so I got that picture, and everyone loved it; it made her look queenly," Misty said with a slightly proud smile.

"It sure does. I can tell you had such a close bond with her."

"Yeah, I loved visiting with her. She would've been so excited about our wedding, though she probably is, in Heaven," Misty said with a rueful smile. "I just wish she was there physically."

"I understand," Seto replied gently. The wind had been pretty still and mild all day, but there was suddenly a gusty zephyr that blew in a circle around them and rattled the windchime in the tree nearby, but nowhere else. The zephyr that blew solely around them actually felt warm. It was odd, but it felt like there was an embrace from the warm zephyr.

"Hi grandma," Misty said as the zephyr was around them and she smiled. It was like her grandmother had manifested herself and hugged them. Seto was mystified and puzzled. He couldn't explain what was going on, but it was incredible. It was almost like when he decided to propose to Misty and his mom spoke to him, but there were no words here. They stayed there a little bit, and then resumed their missions journey. As they walked, Seto had to ask "What was with the crackers on the headstone?"

"My grandpa must've visited recently and they hadn't cleaned it. Whenever grandma went out with grandpa on their dates and outings and they went for lunch or dinner, grandma liked to take a bunch of crackers with her," Misty explained. Seto chuckled. "Yeah, it was their little cute thing," Misty agreed with a smile. "What's ours?" she asked him curiously.

"Well, you are like a guardian angel to me, I taught you how to duel, and you are fiery and we were brought closer together by a fire, so maybe a picture of a Wingweaver with a fiery dress instead of the one she wears, riding on the back of a Blue-Eyes White Dragon," Seto suggested. Misty's eyes widened in surprise.

"Wow, that's actually incredible," Misty gasped. Seto chuckled and smirked, as his sapphire eyes had a glowing pride lit in them.

"I'm glad you like it. Maybe you can paint that and I can save that picture. Oh, right, and our first date was at a painting class, so there, another layer to that special token," Seto suggested. Misty smiled.

"That is really profound and awesome," she complimented him.

"Thanks," Seto replied, as his ego swelled just a little. "Though… if you were to pass away before me, it would be absolutely unbearable, especially to visit your grave," he added suddenly morose.

"Well, about that, when I die, I don't want to be buried in a casket. I would rather be cremated and put in a Bios urn and become a tree. I won't be wasting any land, and rotting away in a double-layer box. If I become a tree, I will still be alive, in a different form, and giving back to the earth with oxygen, shade, and fruit, and I wouldn't need a cemetery; you could plant me anywhere and help me grow. If you wanted to, you could hang a small, laminated picture of that image on my branches too," Misty explained. Seto was quiet as he thought about it.

"I like that," he said after a few minutes. Misty smiled. "Though it'll still be painful if I lose you first…How does your grandpa manage?"

"He just does. It helps to talk about grandma and visit her. I guess I can see what I can do to make a deal with God to see if he'll let us go together," Misty suggested. Seto thought that was sweet, but he wasn't sure if it would really happen.

"I don't know if that would happen…" he protested. He wanted to go with her when the time came, but with his luck, he wouldn't get that…; he'd have to suffer without her.

"Then keep praying and ask," Misty suggested. "Don't doubt God."

"Alright," Seto replied. He hoped he would get his request honored. "God" granted his request for help ten-fold when He brought Misty to him and Mokuba, so Seto figured He would grant his request to go with her too, when the time came.


They finished exploring the missions, ending at the Alamo, and did a little more exploring downtown, got a lunch at Whataburger, and went back to the hotel to rest for a little while before they had to go help their dad at NIOSA again tonight. A little while later, they drove to the garage near the Buckhorn and Texas Ranger Museum, parked and put on their wristbands. Misty locked her car and they held hands as they walked to the volunteer entrance, showed their papers to the ones checking the volunteer paperwork, and went to the booth, where her dad and some of his other volunteers were there already.

"Hey babe, hey Seto," her dad greeted them and gave Misty a customary kiss. Misty set her purse down in the back with the chairs, and they washed their hands, put on some hats and gloves, and set to work skewering the shrimp, onions, and bell peppers. It was pretty much the same as last night, except this time, they tried some different, delicious foods.


On Friday, after their hearty breakfast, they drove to New Braunfels and walked around, playing tourist for a couple hours, and then on the way back, Misty set her GPS to find Buc-ee's.

"Time to see the biggest, coolest gas station!" she exclaimed as she drove. Seto chuckled at her enthusiasm, but still wasn't convinced. A little while later, he saw it and his sapphire eyes widened at how big it was. There had to be at least 50 gas pumps, and at least half of them were full. Misty pulled next to a gas pump and pumped gas into the car and cleaned the windows. When she was done pumping gas, she parked the car on the side and locked it so they could come into the store. On the way in, they saw the bronze statue of Buc-ee the beaver. They had a friendly person take their picture with the statue, and once Misty got her phone back, they went into the store. It was the size of a grocery store.

"Wow, this is a big convenience store!" Seto exclaimed. Misty chuckled.

"See? I told you so," Misty replied still chuckling. "Let's look around," she instructed as she held his hand and they slowly meandered through the store.

"They have pretty much everything," Seto remarked as he looked at all the merchandise. Misty picked up some t-shirts and carried them in the basket as they continued to browse. Then they came to the snack side, and Misty immediately got 3 packs of Beaver Nuggets, one for them to snack on, and one each for Mokuba and Sophia, and some other candies, while Seto picked out some of his own snacks. They grabbed a lunch from the deli counter and sat down at one of the tables. The food was so delicious. For dessert, they got some fudge from the bakery counter, and Seto was amazed at how rich it was.

"You were right, Buc-ee's is amazing," Seto told her and Misty chuckled and beamed.

"Yep," Misty agreed. They bought the shirts and snacks, and then went to use the restrooms. Seto was impressed at how clean they were. They got back in the car and Misty had him hold the bag while she was driving back into San Antonio. Since it was still afternoon, she decided to visit her grandfather for a little bit. Her grandpa was happy to see them, and talked as much as he could manage with his artificial trach. Misty also offered some of the beaver nuggets she and Seto has been snacking on, and they hung out with her grandpa for about an hour, and then they headed to Boot Barn to look at good cowboy hats and boots. She wanted to make sure Mokuba had a good hat and a good pair of boots. She got some recommendations from the staff, and found a good black Stetson and a black pair of boots in Mokuba's size that he was sure to be excited about. Seto had been listening to the recommendations and decided to get a white Stetson hat and got a nice pair of brown cowboy boots too. Misty wrapped her arms around his waist and hugged him.

"You look good honey," Misty complimented him and kissed him. Seto smiled.

"Thanks. I guess I'm a Texan now," he chuckled.

"Yeah, it's definitely a start," she agreed. Seto paid for the Stetsons and boots, and they were on the way back to the hotel to relax, after picking up some Bill Miller's Barbecue for dinner. They brought the food and their treasures from today up to the hotel, ate, took their bath, and relaxed watching TV while eating their bag of Beaver Nuggets and snacks for a few hours until they dozed off to sleep.


The next day, Misty drove them to Six Flags Fiesta Texas, and Seto was a bit excited. He wanted to see the other park, and was finally able to. He saw how big the park was, and still had to agree that Kaiba Land was bigger. He was impressed with the different areas of the park, all the rollercoasters, the old train that went around the park, the shows, and the food. He got more ideas to add more rollercoasters and shows to his park, and made a note on his phone. They also went to the antique photo studio where Misty had worked when she worked there. They saw one of her former coworkers, an older lady named Maria, managing the studio, and Misty had a nice catch up moment with her in the empty studio. Misty proudly introduced Seto to her as her fiancé, and Maria was so excited for her. Thankfully, the idea pictures they had taken featuring Misty were still in the photo albums, along with a bunch of other new ones. Misty gushed about her memories working there, and suggested they take an antique photo of the two of them. Seto was a little hesitant, but eventually agreed, and Maria smiled with a wide, buck-toothed grin.

"Which era do you want to do? Western, or Gangster?" Misty asked Seto.

"I guess Western makes sense," Seto agreed. Misty smiled. She loved doing the Western ones the best.

"Okay, do you want me to be the Native American woman, a saloon girl, or a prim and proper lady?" Misty asked as they stood by the rack of costumes.

"Saloon girl," Seto said quickly. Maria chuckled and led Misty to the rack, and Misty picked out the one that seemed closest to her size, which was a cobalt blue, brocade corset and a cobalt, satin skirt. She was also given the black bloomers and she went to the dressing room, and went in and changed. She left her clothes on top of her purse, and put them behind the counter for safekeeping, while Maria helped Seto into the pants and shirt, and tied them shut in the back. Maria put a bandana on him and gave him a duster coat and a hat off the rack. Misty felt sexy in her costume, and gave a playful wolf whistle to Seto in his costume. Seto playfully tipped his hat to Misty, making her chuckle.

"Piano or bar?" Maria asked as she set up the camera and gave them accessories and props, including the prop guns. Misty looked to Seto to decide.

"Bar would be fun," Seto replied.

"Do you want to sit on the barrel or the bar?" Maria asked Misty.

"Bar," Misty said with a smile.

"Of course," Maria answered and gave her a wink. Misty winked back, already getting an idea for the fun picture.

"What's that wink for?" Seto asked as he noticed.

"You'll see honey," Misty replied with a smile.

"Alright, first, we will do a serious picture, then a smiling picture, and the third is anything that's appropriate," Maria instructed. Seto and Misty nodded and got in position. Seto held a moneybag prop and some paper cash and his pistol, and had his serious face, while Misty held a moneybag and a prop rifle with a serious expression. Then they had a smiling picture, but Seto was more focused on Misty with his smile and kissed her hand, and she smiled flirtatiously back at him, with a lace fan in front of her face, instead of the rifle in her hands this time.

"Alright Seto, please step back," Maria instructed. Seto moved out of the way and Maria brought the wooden chair to the bar to help Misty get footing, and Misty shifted her body so her back was against the shelves of the bar and had her feet on the chair. She scooted a bit and held onto the bar with her hands and slowly shifted her body so she was lying on the bar under the shelf. She then slowly slid her butt to where she had been sitting for the other two pictures in the corner of the bar, and lifted her legs so they rested against the corner of the bar, and crossed her ankles. Maria then fixed the skirt, and had Misty tilt her head upwards, and one arm extended behind her head. With the hand that was behind her head, Misty held a silk rose. Maria then moved the wooden chair away. Seto stood beside the bar at Misty's side with one foot up on a stool, and had the pistol, pushing his hat up a little, and gave a serious expression to the camera. Maria took the photo at a 45° angle, and then put the camera down on the tripod. She and Seto then helped Misty off the bar and to the floor.

"You looked hot," Seto complimented Misty. Misty chuckled.

"Wait until you see the picture," she replied and then once she was down, they went to the computer screen on the counter and let Maria pull up the pictures and watched as she edited them, one at a time. Misty smiled when the third picture came up.

"That looks hot," Misty remarked.

"It does," Seto agreed, but then again maybe it was too hot.

"I love that picture!" Maria exclaimed.

"Me too!" Misty and Seto's inner selves agreed.

"Alright… but only for our bedroom," Seto agreed. "I like the other two, too, but I also had a funny idea I wanted to try."

"Oh? What do you want to try?" Misty asked curiously.

"I saw one where the cowboy was carrying the girl off." Maria and Misty chuckled.

"You said we could do a funny one, that's funny, and it does kinda show a playful and sexy side of our relationship," Seto reasoned.

"Alright," Misty and Maria agreed and they got the bar backdrop set up so it would look like he was carrying her over his shoulder. Maria had her stand on the big stool, and Seto knelt down a little so that she could easily bend over his shoulder. Seto held her in a comfortable position so he could carry her safely. Maria got the camera ready and hid the stool with the money bags and put some bottles and cards on the barrel. She then got behind the camera, and gave Seto the cue to stand up. Misty balanced on his shoulder and pretended to act like she was kicking and screaming in a funny way as he was carrying her in the direction of the dressing room.

"Got it!" Maria exclaimed. Seto gingerly knelt down and let her get her balance and put her feet on the floor.

"Let's check it out," Misty said and went to the screen. Maria pulled up the picture and touched it up and Seto and Misty chuckled at their picture.

"Hilarious!" Misty exclaimed. Seto smiled. It came out great and funny.

"I like it," Seto said and ordered 2 8x10s each of all 4 pictures, with the main one being the one where he was carrying her away. Maria put the order in and Seto paid, and they started printing. Misty got her clothes and things from behind the counter and put the accessories down on the accessory counter before going back in the dressing room to get dressed, while Maria went to help Seto out of his costume.

"Thank you," Seto replied.

"You're welcome," Maria replied with a smile as she put the costume away on the rack. Misty came out a few minutes later in her clothes, and sat in the chair and put her shoes back on. Maria got the receipt and put it in the folder with the pictures, selected the images, and put them on a card with a barcode so they could access them later. She put the folder of the pictures in the bag with the card and hugged Misty.

"It was so good to see you again! This was fun! And congratulations on your engagement!" Maria told her.

"Yeah! Thank you!" Misty replied and they finished the hug. They left the studio and got more souvenirs for Mokuba and Sophia in the DC store near the Boardwalk section. Misty found a cute Harley and Joker couples hat set and decided to get that for them, even though she did not agree they were the most ideal couple. She did have to admit that the artwork on the hats was pretty great.

"See anything you like?" Misty asked Seto as she eyed the superhero stuff. Seto was idly flipping through the shirts on the rack and chuckled as he found a Batman shirt he loved. It had black raglan sleeves on a white base, with an image of Batman running and the words "Screw the Rules, I'm Batman!" in black letters above Batman.

"I love this!" Seto exclaimed and continued to chuckle and he found one in his size. Misty had to admit it was totally perfect for him, and his joy at finding it was adorable. She snapped a quick picture of his reaction.

"Get it honey," Misty encouraged. Seto nodded and put that in the handbasket with the hats. Misty found a Batman and Catwoman shirt and decided to get that.

"Catwoman?" Seto asked curiously. "I figured you'd pick Wonder Woman, since you are a Wonder Woman." Misty chuckled and kissed him.

"Well, Batman did have a romance with Catwoman though, but I can get a Wonder Woman shirt too," Misty agreed and Seto nodded. They paid for those souvenirs and went to the store at the front of the park and looked at Looney Tunes stuff. Misty picked a Bugs Bunny shirt for Mokuba, and a Lola Bunny shirt for Sophia, and they got that and left.


They then went back to the hotel to get their things, check out, and called a limo chauffeur to pick them up from her mom's house in a little while to take them to the airport. Misty drove to her father's house to say good-bye for now to her dad and brother and promised them they would return near the end of May. Then they went to her mother's house to say good-bye for now. Her mom gave her and Seto a tight hug. They also noticed that her mother had picked up Lulu's ashes, in a light wooden box, along with a clay impression of her pawprint, and they were on display in the center console of the entertainment center, next to a framed picture of Lulu in a photo cube beside the box. Lulu's purple collar was wrapped around the wooden box.

"My Lulu…" Misty said and she picked up Lulu's ash box and hugged it close to her chest for a few minutes. Seto rubbed her shoulders as she cried over the box for a few minutes. When she was done, she put the box back where it had been, and as she did, there was a small gust of air approximately Lulu's size that circled in between Misty's arms.

"Whoa! Lulu?" Misty asked in surprise.

"Huh?" Seto and her mom asked confused.

"I just felt a circle of air about her size in my arms just now," Misty explained. Her mom's eyes widened and tears crept up in the corners of her eyes, and Seto had stared wide-eyed. "I love you Lulu," Misty said, and there was another faint sensation. Misty smiled. Seto gasped when he felt something invisible at his leg, and then her mother felt something against her leg too. "She's watching over us," Misty declared and smiled. Her mom cried a little.

"My girl!" her mom exclaimed. A few minutes later, Seto got a text that the chauffeur was there.

"The chauffeur's here," Seto said. Misty nodded and hugged her mom once more.

"Okay mom, we'll be back near the end of May for the wedding. Love you," Misty promised.

"Okay babe, love you too," her mom replied and kissed her cheek. "Thank you so much for coming. I'm glad y'all were here for her."

"I wouldn't have missed it," Misty replied.

"It was a pleasure to meet you," Seto chimed in and hugged her mom.

"Likewise. Thank you for your help," her mom thanked him.

"You're welcome. Well, we better go," Seto replied. Misty then grabbed her things and purse and they went and got the stuff out of the trunk of her car and loaded it into the trunk of the limo. When they finished, her mom remotely locked the car until the horn beeped. They thanked the chauffeur as he held the door for them, and then they were on the way, and made it through the security checks. The flight crew got his plane out of the hangar and started loading their bags except their carry-ons into the cargo compartment. They fueled the plane, and Seto and Misty were allowed up the steps onto the plane. Their pilot greeted them, and they all got situated for the long flight home and started going down the runway and ascending.

"So, honey, what did you think about San Antonio?" Misty asked.

"It was amazing!" Seto remarked. "You know, our first day here, I almost wondered if you'd want to stay here," he admitted. Misty chuckled.

"Nah, you're stuck with me at your side," Misty joked. Seto chuckled and kissed her.

"Good. I think Mokuba and Sophia are going to go crazy with all their souvenirs," Seto predicted.

"I think you're right. But in the meantime, let's just relax and rest," Misty suggested as they looked out the window at her glittering hometown as they ascended. Once they were high enough out of San Antonio airspace, she cuddled up against him and they ended up falling asleep peacefully, looking forward to their return home in Domino City.


I hope you enjoyed your FEELS trip in Chapter 14. Don't forget to review! Fresh reviews=new chapters!

And WARNING: Next chapter will also be emotional and rocky. You will see Misty and Sophia at a low, but Seto and Mokuba will be at their lowest and most vulnerable. Stay with me; I have a plan for it.