Moon Shadow: Yeah, yeah, yeah, we don't own Yu-Gi-Oh. OK? I admit it.
Endless Myth: That would sorta explain why we're writing fanfiction, now wouldn't it?
Moon Shadow: Now, now, be nice to the kind readers.
Endless Myth: Oh, fine. Please read and review!
Moon Shadow: Key word being: REVIEW
Endless Myth: Yeah! I did!
Moon Shadow: You doofus. How many times have I told you: Don't review your own stories!!
* * *
Chapter Two
"I've given you my answer!"
"Mr. Kaiba, perhaps you could reconsider our offer-"
"No."
"Maybe you don't understand how much your company will profit from-"
"No. Maybe you don't understand how dangerous that tournament was!"
"Strange, you've never been concerned with safety before!"
"Now that I have a daughter in the game, it's like I've been dealt a whole new hand."
The man smiled. "Ah, yes, but please remember that your daughter cannot duel due to this new law.am I correct?"
Seto Kaiba leaned over his desk and stared the man in the eye. "That law is ridiculous and hopefully will be destroyed before any real damage can come of it! Now, I suggest you get out of my office before I lose my temper!"
"We will take our offer to Industrial Illusions!"
"Good. Now get the heck out of here!"
The man stood up. "Thank you for your time, Mr. Kaiba."
"Leave!"
As the man walked towards the elevator, he saw a tall, blonde haired woman knock softly on the door of Seto Kaiba's office. "Seto?" she walked in without waiting for an answer, something that was never done. The man looked at the elevator, then back at the door. He tiptoed towards the office door and stationed himself just outside it.
"Seto."
A rustling of paper.
"Mai. It's good to see you again."
"And you. But I don't have time to chat, I'm afraid. I need to talk to you about my son."
"Timothy?"
"Yes."
"What about him?"
"Well.I'm leaving. I'd hope'd that you could get this message to him. "
"What? Mai, where are you going? "
"New York. I have to get away from Peter, Seto! Even if it means leaving behind ____" Seto had slammed a book down on the table and the man couldn't hear the last word.
"Crud, Mai-"
"I've made my decision, and there's nothing you can do about it! We both know that I can be just as stubborn as you."
The salesman had heard enough. He got into the elevator and rode down to the lobby, thinking about what he'd just heard.
Tim Lear burst into his house, bringing a draft of the warm spring air in with him. He slammed the door. Instantly, he heard a voice ring through the house.
"Mommy, Tim's home!" It came from a small brown-haired girl of about six- his sister Hope. She came galloping down the stairs and landed on his back.
"Ow! God, Hope! Get off!"
"Why?"
"Because I have to go see my mother, that's why!" He snapped back at her.
"Oh." Hope slid off Tim's back and landed ungracefully on the floor. "You mean Ms. Valentine?"
"Yes. My mother." Tim started into the kitchen but turned back when he saw the look on Hope's face. Of all five of his adoptive brothers and sisters, she was his favorite. He sighed and went back to Hope. Hoisting her up on his shoulders, he kicked off his shoes and slid across the hardwood floor in his socks.
"Whooaa-" It was hard to slow down, and Tm found himself careening towards the wall, and instinctively held out his hands to stop himself. He hit the wall with a crash, looked behind him to see if Hope was okay. She was, but she was staring, surprised, through the doorframe. Tim peered around the corner and saw Cindy, his foster mother, sitting on a couch across from a woman.
"Ah, Tim," Cindy called, "Come here. There's someone I'd like you to meet."
"Sure." Tim set Hope down, and whispered, "Go find Christa and see if she'll play Parcheesi with you, okay?"
"Okay!" Hope set off down the hall, calling, "Chris-ta! Where are you?"
Tim watched her for a second, then turned and walked into the living room. Cindy, a tall, brown haired woman, sat, legs crossed, watching him come in. The woman sitting across from her had raven black hair and an unreadable expression.
"Tim," Cindy said, "This is Mrs. Ora. She's your mother's attorney."
Tim smiled weakly and shook Mrs. Ora's outstretched hand. "It's nice to meet you."
"And you. But there is something we need to discuss, and I'm a very busy woman." She opened her briefcase and took out an envelope, clearly addressed to "Tim Lear". She handed it to him, but took her hand away when he reached for it.
"Tim." She said, sighing, "I should warn you that you might not like what is in here."
"What is it?" Cindy spoke up, her voice dangerously quiet.
"Open it and see." Mrs. Ora said, handing it to him. "You'll see."
Tim carefully tore open the envelope. A letter and two cards fell out. He pushed the cards to the side and unfolded the letter, aware of Mrs. Ora and Cindy watching him. He sat down.
Dear Tim, (the letter said)
I'm sorry to tell you that I'm leaving Nahway for a while. I'm going to New York City. I'm sorry that I could not be here for your birthday. Sixteen! Your father (had he known) would've been very proud of you, just like I am. Congratulations, darling, and happy birthday!
Love, Your mother, Mai Valentine
Tim nodded and set the letter on the table, turning over the two duel monsters cards that had fallen out and studying them closely. He saw, out of the corner of his eye, Cindy pick up the letter-his letter-an read it silently. He turned back to the cards. Mirror Wall and Shadow of Eyes. Two of his mother's favorites. Slipping the cards into his pocket, he stood up slowly from the couch, and said to Mrs. Ora,
"Well. Thank you. I hope I'll see you again sometime soon."
She nodded and gave him a weak smile. He had no doubt that she knew the contents of the letter, and he also knew that she felt sorry for him. People were always feeling sorry for him.
Cindy, finishing the letter, set it down in disbelief. Tim shook Mrs. Ora's hand again and walked to the door without a word.
"Oh dear." Cindy put her hand to her cheek. "I should go after him." She started to follow him, but Mrs. Ora stopped her.
"No, don't. He'll be okay." She gathered her briefcase and coat. "I'll just see myself out, then." She nodded to Cindy and left the house, taking with her any feelings of happiness, leaving only despair.
Once in the room he shared with Jonathan, Tim flung himself on his bed, and, clutching his mother's cards to his chest, cried his heart out.
Tim had, during her frequent visits, questioned his mother about his father. Who is he where is he, why did he go, what was he like- and Mai could offer no answer but to say that Tim had been born when she was fifteen, and she had no choice but to give him up for adoption. She would say, with her eyes lowered, that she wasn't entirely sure who his father was. But Tim knew that wasn't true, he knew that almost as surely as he knew his own name. She knew, all right. She just wasn't going to tell. And he held onto that fact like a mouse to a woodchip in a flowing river.
Lee's mother called Joey almost immediately after Matt had called Lee, so she was spared, somewhat, having to tell her uncle and Yugi about Dan. In her cal, Serenity Kaiba had explained that, in honor of Lee's birthday tomorrow, Joey and Yugi were invited over for dinner.
Now, sitting in the living room of the huge Kaiba house, Yami, riding along in Yugi's puzzle as always, felt a disturbance.
Yugi.
Yes?
Let me take over. Please.
Why?
I'm worried about Lee. I'm afraid she's going to do something stupid.
Sure. I trust you.
Good. They switched minds. The shuffle was almost undetectable now, after nearly fifteen years of practice.
"And so then she says something so-Oh, Seto, you're home." Serenity had been talking about the parent-teacher conference she had had with Lee's math teacher when her husband had ran in the door, late as usual.
"Yes, and you wouldn't believe the traffic on the way. Hello, Joey, Yugi." He dropped his briefcase in the corner and then sat down by his wife.
Yugi.
What now?
I can't shake that feeling.
"And I go the most horrible reports about-Oh, Yugi-"
"Yes?"
"Could you go see what that daughter of mine is doing? I really don't understand how changing into a drier shirt can take so long!"
"Oh, I'll go get her." Joey half rose from his seat, but Yami beat him to it.
"No, I will." He smiled. "I'd be delighted."
"Thank you. Now, like I was saying, Mrs. Connors kept telling me how horribly Lebecca behaves in her class, and." Yami started up the stairs.
Lee was sitting on the roof outside her bedroom window, the wind blowing through her hair. She looked up at the stars in the night sky.
"So immense." she murmured to herself. "So big." She reached into her sweatshirt pocket and pulled out a glass sphere, filled with cloudy smoke and with a golden eye etched on the front. She cradled it to her and rubbed her fingers at it. Then-
"Show me the future," she commanded, and the smoke inside turned bright red, then faded to a milky white. "Tim Lear." She said, and saw a clear picture of her.friend.lying on his bed, looking into.Lee gasped. No.but it was.he was peering into a sphere identical to her own. And in his sphere, she could see, over his shoulder-
"The powers of a millennium item are not to be used lightly, Lebecca," a soft voice came from behind her. She whirled around, and the picture in her sphere faded until it was just gray smoke.
"Yami-" She said, surprised, but he simply came and sat down beside her on the edge of the roof.
"They're beautiful, aren't they. " he said, looking up.
"Yeah."
He looked directly at her. "You like him, don't you." It wasn't a question.
"What? I-no!"
Yami laughed. "Okay. You don't have to tell me." When she glared at him, he added, "Hey, calm down. I could read Yugi's mind when he was a teenager, you know."
Lee blushed, but then when she saw he was teasing her, she laughed and said, "Yeah. I notice neither he nor my uncle has been in any rush to get married."
"Maybe." Yami stood up, and walked back towards the window. "Come on. Your mother's worried about you." All signs of teasing were gone from his voice.
"What? What did I say?" Lee jumped up and followed him. "Yami, what's wrong?"
He faced her. How could they not notice? It was so obvious, the resemblance. He studied her face carefully. Her profile was sharp and clear. He brushed her blonde hair out of her eyes and leaned forward to kiss her forehead. "Nothing. Just.hey, don't forget, Joey could tell you a thing or two about romance, if you'd only ask."
Lee stared at him, but he ducked back in through the window. "C'mon, Lee, your mother has dinner on the table." She nodded and followed him, taking one lingering glance up at the stars before entering the safety of the house.
Tim lay on his bed, hands wrapped tightly around a glass sphere. "Show me the past," he whispered. When the glass had gone from gray, to red, to white, he whispered, "Lebecca Kaiba." The glass showed her, blonde hair being whipped around by the wind. He got a glimpse of what she was doing- staring, mesmerized; in to a sphere not unlike his own-before the picture went blank. Then it cleared, and he saw her, eating dinner with her family.
Tim sighed. "Wish I had a family like that," he muttered to himself, and just had time to shove his sphere behind his pillow as Hope came rushing into the room.
"Tim-"
"Not now-"
"Tim, Lizzie-Beth is crying and Mommy is asleep! She won't stop!"
"Well, get Maddie-"
"She's not here!"
"Christa, than, or Jon-" He tried again.
Hope just stared at him.
He sighed. "Fine, fine." He rose wearily from his bed and ran into the next room, a pink blur of teddy bears and dolls. Cries rose from the cradle in the corner. He went and lifted his sister up and rocked her back and forth.
"Hey, Lizzie, hey Lizzie-Beth," he crooned, and gradually the cries weakened and stopped.
Tim sat down in a rocking chair in the corner and silently rocked her, his own tears falling on to the baby's cheeks. As she fell asleep, he hugged her close and whispered,
"I'll always be here, Lizzie, always; I'll never go off and leave you." But the infant couldn't understand his words, or his pain, and simply turned over in her sleep, leaving Tim completely and utterly alone.
** *
"Don't go, please!" He begged her, tears filling his brown eyes as he clutched her hands.
"I have to, really.I'm sorry." She freed herself from his tight hold and set off towards he forest, but the look in his eyes was so bitter that she turned and flung herself in his arms.
"Please," He whispered, his face buried in her blonde hair. "Don't leave me here, I love you."
"And I you," She stroked his face. "But I should never have come and I plan to leave. Now." She turned her face up for one last kiss, and then left, the same way she had come, shattering his heart into a million pieces.
Joey Wheeler never saw Mai Valentine again.
***
Endless Myth: Well.
Moon Shadow: Oh come on. It wasn't that bad!
Endless Myth: Could've been worse, I admit it.
Moon Shadow: Picky, picky, picky.
Endless Myth: *sighing at partner's lack of intelligence* Please review, people!
Endless Myth: That would sorta explain why we're writing fanfiction, now wouldn't it?
Moon Shadow: Now, now, be nice to the kind readers.
Endless Myth: Oh, fine. Please read and review!
Moon Shadow: Key word being: REVIEW
Endless Myth: Yeah! I did!
Moon Shadow: You doofus. How many times have I told you: Don't review your own stories!!
* * *
Chapter Two
"I've given you my answer!"
"Mr. Kaiba, perhaps you could reconsider our offer-"
"No."
"Maybe you don't understand how much your company will profit from-"
"No. Maybe you don't understand how dangerous that tournament was!"
"Strange, you've never been concerned with safety before!"
"Now that I have a daughter in the game, it's like I've been dealt a whole new hand."
The man smiled. "Ah, yes, but please remember that your daughter cannot duel due to this new law.am I correct?"
Seto Kaiba leaned over his desk and stared the man in the eye. "That law is ridiculous and hopefully will be destroyed before any real damage can come of it! Now, I suggest you get out of my office before I lose my temper!"
"We will take our offer to Industrial Illusions!"
"Good. Now get the heck out of here!"
The man stood up. "Thank you for your time, Mr. Kaiba."
"Leave!"
As the man walked towards the elevator, he saw a tall, blonde haired woman knock softly on the door of Seto Kaiba's office. "Seto?" she walked in without waiting for an answer, something that was never done. The man looked at the elevator, then back at the door. He tiptoed towards the office door and stationed himself just outside it.
"Seto."
A rustling of paper.
"Mai. It's good to see you again."
"And you. But I don't have time to chat, I'm afraid. I need to talk to you about my son."
"Timothy?"
"Yes."
"What about him?"
"Well.I'm leaving. I'd hope'd that you could get this message to him. "
"What? Mai, where are you going? "
"New York. I have to get away from Peter, Seto! Even if it means leaving behind ____" Seto had slammed a book down on the table and the man couldn't hear the last word.
"Crud, Mai-"
"I've made my decision, and there's nothing you can do about it! We both know that I can be just as stubborn as you."
The salesman had heard enough. He got into the elevator and rode down to the lobby, thinking about what he'd just heard.
Tim Lear burst into his house, bringing a draft of the warm spring air in with him. He slammed the door. Instantly, he heard a voice ring through the house.
"Mommy, Tim's home!" It came from a small brown-haired girl of about six- his sister Hope. She came galloping down the stairs and landed on his back.
"Ow! God, Hope! Get off!"
"Why?"
"Because I have to go see my mother, that's why!" He snapped back at her.
"Oh." Hope slid off Tim's back and landed ungracefully on the floor. "You mean Ms. Valentine?"
"Yes. My mother." Tim started into the kitchen but turned back when he saw the look on Hope's face. Of all five of his adoptive brothers and sisters, she was his favorite. He sighed and went back to Hope. Hoisting her up on his shoulders, he kicked off his shoes and slid across the hardwood floor in his socks.
"Whooaa-" It was hard to slow down, and Tm found himself careening towards the wall, and instinctively held out his hands to stop himself. He hit the wall with a crash, looked behind him to see if Hope was okay. She was, but she was staring, surprised, through the doorframe. Tim peered around the corner and saw Cindy, his foster mother, sitting on a couch across from a woman.
"Ah, Tim," Cindy called, "Come here. There's someone I'd like you to meet."
"Sure." Tim set Hope down, and whispered, "Go find Christa and see if she'll play Parcheesi with you, okay?"
"Okay!" Hope set off down the hall, calling, "Chris-ta! Where are you?"
Tim watched her for a second, then turned and walked into the living room. Cindy, a tall, brown haired woman, sat, legs crossed, watching him come in. The woman sitting across from her had raven black hair and an unreadable expression.
"Tim," Cindy said, "This is Mrs. Ora. She's your mother's attorney."
Tim smiled weakly and shook Mrs. Ora's outstretched hand. "It's nice to meet you."
"And you. But there is something we need to discuss, and I'm a very busy woman." She opened her briefcase and took out an envelope, clearly addressed to "Tim Lear". She handed it to him, but took her hand away when he reached for it.
"Tim." She said, sighing, "I should warn you that you might not like what is in here."
"What is it?" Cindy spoke up, her voice dangerously quiet.
"Open it and see." Mrs. Ora said, handing it to him. "You'll see."
Tim carefully tore open the envelope. A letter and two cards fell out. He pushed the cards to the side and unfolded the letter, aware of Mrs. Ora and Cindy watching him. He sat down.
Dear Tim, (the letter said)
I'm sorry to tell you that I'm leaving Nahway for a while. I'm going to New York City. I'm sorry that I could not be here for your birthday. Sixteen! Your father (had he known) would've been very proud of you, just like I am. Congratulations, darling, and happy birthday!
Love, Your mother, Mai Valentine
Tim nodded and set the letter on the table, turning over the two duel monsters cards that had fallen out and studying them closely. He saw, out of the corner of his eye, Cindy pick up the letter-his letter-an read it silently. He turned back to the cards. Mirror Wall and Shadow of Eyes. Two of his mother's favorites. Slipping the cards into his pocket, he stood up slowly from the couch, and said to Mrs. Ora,
"Well. Thank you. I hope I'll see you again sometime soon."
She nodded and gave him a weak smile. He had no doubt that she knew the contents of the letter, and he also knew that she felt sorry for him. People were always feeling sorry for him.
Cindy, finishing the letter, set it down in disbelief. Tim shook Mrs. Ora's hand again and walked to the door without a word.
"Oh dear." Cindy put her hand to her cheek. "I should go after him." She started to follow him, but Mrs. Ora stopped her.
"No, don't. He'll be okay." She gathered her briefcase and coat. "I'll just see myself out, then." She nodded to Cindy and left the house, taking with her any feelings of happiness, leaving only despair.
Once in the room he shared with Jonathan, Tim flung himself on his bed, and, clutching his mother's cards to his chest, cried his heart out.
Tim had, during her frequent visits, questioned his mother about his father. Who is he where is he, why did he go, what was he like- and Mai could offer no answer but to say that Tim had been born when she was fifteen, and she had no choice but to give him up for adoption. She would say, with her eyes lowered, that she wasn't entirely sure who his father was. But Tim knew that wasn't true, he knew that almost as surely as he knew his own name. She knew, all right. She just wasn't going to tell. And he held onto that fact like a mouse to a woodchip in a flowing river.
Lee's mother called Joey almost immediately after Matt had called Lee, so she was spared, somewhat, having to tell her uncle and Yugi about Dan. In her cal, Serenity Kaiba had explained that, in honor of Lee's birthday tomorrow, Joey and Yugi were invited over for dinner.
Now, sitting in the living room of the huge Kaiba house, Yami, riding along in Yugi's puzzle as always, felt a disturbance.
Yugi.
Yes?
Let me take over. Please.
Why?
I'm worried about Lee. I'm afraid she's going to do something stupid.
Sure. I trust you.
Good. They switched minds. The shuffle was almost undetectable now, after nearly fifteen years of practice.
"And so then she says something so-Oh, Seto, you're home." Serenity had been talking about the parent-teacher conference she had had with Lee's math teacher when her husband had ran in the door, late as usual.
"Yes, and you wouldn't believe the traffic on the way. Hello, Joey, Yugi." He dropped his briefcase in the corner and then sat down by his wife.
Yugi.
What now?
I can't shake that feeling.
"And I go the most horrible reports about-Oh, Yugi-"
"Yes?"
"Could you go see what that daughter of mine is doing? I really don't understand how changing into a drier shirt can take so long!"
"Oh, I'll go get her." Joey half rose from his seat, but Yami beat him to it.
"No, I will." He smiled. "I'd be delighted."
"Thank you. Now, like I was saying, Mrs. Connors kept telling me how horribly Lebecca behaves in her class, and." Yami started up the stairs.
Lee was sitting on the roof outside her bedroom window, the wind blowing through her hair. She looked up at the stars in the night sky.
"So immense." she murmured to herself. "So big." She reached into her sweatshirt pocket and pulled out a glass sphere, filled with cloudy smoke and with a golden eye etched on the front. She cradled it to her and rubbed her fingers at it. Then-
"Show me the future," she commanded, and the smoke inside turned bright red, then faded to a milky white. "Tim Lear." She said, and saw a clear picture of her.friend.lying on his bed, looking into.Lee gasped. No.but it was.he was peering into a sphere identical to her own. And in his sphere, she could see, over his shoulder-
"The powers of a millennium item are not to be used lightly, Lebecca," a soft voice came from behind her. She whirled around, and the picture in her sphere faded until it was just gray smoke.
"Yami-" She said, surprised, but he simply came and sat down beside her on the edge of the roof.
"They're beautiful, aren't they. " he said, looking up.
"Yeah."
He looked directly at her. "You like him, don't you." It wasn't a question.
"What? I-no!"
Yami laughed. "Okay. You don't have to tell me." When she glared at him, he added, "Hey, calm down. I could read Yugi's mind when he was a teenager, you know."
Lee blushed, but then when she saw he was teasing her, she laughed and said, "Yeah. I notice neither he nor my uncle has been in any rush to get married."
"Maybe." Yami stood up, and walked back towards the window. "Come on. Your mother's worried about you." All signs of teasing were gone from his voice.
"What? What did I say?" Lee jumped up and followed him. "Yami, what's wrong?"
He faced her. How could they not notice? It was so obvious, the resemblance. He studied her face carefully. Her profile was sharp and clear. He brushed her blonde hair out of her eyes and leaned forward to kiss her forehead. "Nothing. Just.hey, don't forget, Joey could tell you a thing or two about romance, if you'd only ask."
Lee stared at him, but he ducked back in through the window. "C'mon, Lee, your mother has dinner on the table." She nodded and followed him, taking one lingering glance up at the stars before entering the safety of the house.
Tim lay on his bed, hands wrapped tightly around a glass sphere. "Show me the past," he whispered. When the glass had gone from gray, to red, to white, he whispered, "Lebecca Kaiba." The glass showed her, blonde hair being whipped around by the wind. He got a glimpse of what she was doing- staring, mesmerized; in to a sphere not unlike his own-before the picture went blank. Then it cleared, and he saw her, eating dinner with her family.
Tim sighed. "Wish I had a family like that," he muttered to himself, and just had time to shove his sphere behind his pillow as Hope came rushing into the room.
"Tim-"
"Not now-"
"Tim, Lizzie-Beth is crying and Mommy is asleep! She won't stop!"
"Well, get Maddie-"
"She's not here!"
"Christa, than, or Jon-" He tried again.
Hope just stared at him.
He sighed. "Fine, fine." He rose wearily from his bed and ran into the next room, a pink blur of teddy bears and dolls. Cries rose from the cradle in the corner. He went and lifted his sister up and rocked her back and forth.
"Hey, Lizzie, hey Lizzie-Beth," he crooned, and gradually the cries weakened and stopped.
Tim sat down in a rocking chair in the corner and silently rocked her, his own tears falling on to the baby's cheeks. As she fell asleep, he hugged her close and whispered,
"I'll always be here, Lizzie, always; I'll never go off and leave you." But the infant couldn't understand his words, or his pain, and simply turned over in her sleep, leaving Tim completely and utterly alone.
** *
"Don't go, please!" He begged her, tears filling his brown eyes as he clutched her hands.
"I have to, really.I'm sorry." She freed herself from his tight hold and set off towards he forest, but the look in his eyes was so bitter that she turned and flung herself in his arms.
"Please," He whispered, his face buried in her blonde hair. "Don't leave me here, I love you."
"And I you," She stroked his face. "But I should never have come and I plan to leave. Now." She turned her face up for one last kiss, and then left, the same way she had come, shattering his heart into a million pieces.
Joey Wheeler never saw Mai Valentine again.
***
Endless Myth: Well.
Moon Shadow: Oh come on. It wasn't that bad!
Endless Myth: Could've been worse, I admit it.
Moon Shadow: Picky, picky, picky.
Endless Myth: *sighing at partner's lack of intelligence* Please review, people!