Disclaimer: Don't own yugioh, don't own my bedroom, hell I don't even own my own pants. They were all gifts, I tell you! Gifts!! Awwe....except Yugioh that is. =P
AnimeFan: Oh yeah! This is so cool. I'm loving this story more and more. lol. ^-^ Thanks for all of your support peeps and I hope I won't let you down. Mind you school is such a hassle and everything else is a pain in the ass. heh. Well, onto the story before I go ranting on about some more stupid, insignificant stuff called my life.
##############################################################################
Not A Moment To Soon
*
*
*
The Slums
All heads jerked around to face the door of the game shop. A sixteen-year-old Mokuba Kaiba stood in the doorway, hunched over and gasping for air. In a flash, the whole gang dragged the exhausted boy over to sit down and Tea ran to get him some water. After some rest and a drink, Mokuba appeared to have regained himself and stared up at all of them with a whacked out grin shifting between excitement and worry.
Joey pushed himself in so he could get closer, watching as the kid struggled to find his voice. Damn, you'd think he ran a ten mile marathon...
I think I know where my big brother is! Mokuba exclaimed with new found vigor.
A few sighs came from the girls while Yami gave the younger Kaiba a sympathetic look, Mokuba, we've searched all of Tokyo, the airports, the subways, and any other mode of transportation in this town for Kaiba. I think it's about time you let him go...
NO! No Yami, I know we've found him this time! True we've searched everywhere...but not everywhere!' There's this area near downtown Tokyo, almost nobody knows about this place. They call it the Slums. It's a really bad neighborhood supposedly filled with drug dealers, gamblers, gangs, and criminals. I heard it from a couple of police talking with each other in the park. They say people who run away from there homes and lives often go there...because it's a place where no one cares about who you are or what your past is!
Joey's heart gave a painful jolt and he found himself struggling not to back away from them all. He nervously glanced towards Serenity, who seemed to have been watching for his reaction to Mokuba's news. They exchanged silent looks, knowing what the other was saying without verbal expression.
Bakura came over and ruffled Mokuba's hair lightly before holding his chin in a thoughtful manner, A place for runaways, eh? I think you just might be on to something Mokuba. I mean, we know that not one of the city's transportation company logs show a Seto Kaiba hitching a ride out of town so it would make since if he was still in the city...
Ryou continued for his yami, It wouldn't hurt to look once more for Kaiba. We could just go there, look around, and if there's no trace of him we'll come back home.
And I promise to let him go if we don't find him there, Mokuba finished, turning puppy eyes on all of them.
Of course, since Mokuba learned a new version of puppy dog eyes from Yugi, everyone found themselves unable to refuse. Joey had different reasons to go along and search, of course, so he really didn't argue from the start. Yugi went to grab his jacket and everyone headed outside to jump into Joey and Yami's cars.
Halfway out the door, Serenity stopped Joey and gave him a worried look, Maybe you should just stay behind, Joey. I don't think it's a good idea for you to come with us to the Slums.
Don't, Serenity. It'll be ok, we're just looking for Seto and nothing bad can come from that...hopefully. I promise not to get into any trouble. Besides, if Seto is really there...I want to be the one to find him. I just pray he hasn't gotten himself mixed up with those kind of people.
Serenity sighed but let go of him and they left the game shop together in silence. Joey glanced a couple of times at her, feeling guilty inside for causing his sister so much pain and worry. Well, he was never going to make the same mistakes again...never. In the jeep again, he started up the engines and trailed behind Yami's corvette on the long trip to the edge of the city...and the Slums. The whole way there, memories and thoughts...questions and worries bombarded him with new fear of what lay ahead.
After an hour of what seemed like endless minutes, the two cars pulled over in a beaten down, shitty-ass neighborhood. The beginning of the Slums. They all got out and grouped together while Yami and Bakura cast some sort of magic over the two cars to protect them from car jackers.
"So...this is the Slums? Two guesses where the place got its name," Triston joked lightly, failing to hide the nervous crack in his voice.
The others laughed, all failing to hide their uneasiness. Joey silently pitied them all. The Slums was worth every bit of its reputation and name. They were all just lucky to be here in the day. During the night the thieves, cutthroats, and dealers crawled out of their little holes and started sniffing around for victims in the never ending dance of drugs, sex, and death that characterized this place best. A brisk movement from across the streets caused two trash cans to tumble over, beer bottles and junk spilling out into the deserted streets. A battered window pain banged against the side of a rundown house and rats squealed at the loud noise, scurrying into the flood grates at the side of the roads. The sky overhead was cloudy, as if they were about to open up and rain down on the group of misfits standing close together, and somewhere off a crow cried out. All together, Yugi and the gang were seriously reconsidering this idea.
Mokuba shivered slightly but adopted his cutesy grin, "Ok you guys! Let's split up and start looking for nii-san!" (sp?)
Everyone stared at the young Kaiba like he was nuts.
"I don't think it would be smart for us to split up Mokuba..." Yami started.
Mokuba interrupted him quickly with puppy eyes to back him up, "YOU JUST DON'T WANT TO HELP NII-SAN!!! You always did hate him, Yami!!"
"That's not true!"
"Yes it is! You always did! You were always mean to him and rude! You never cared once that there may be more to my brother then what you limited yourself to seeing!!"
"You have no idea what the words coming from your mouth mean, Mokuba. I do care. Now let's figure out who's going with who and start looking."
Joey mentally smirked when he caught the triumphant grin on the smaller Kaiba's face. He also noticed that Yami looked a slight bit guilty for a fleeting moment, before the former pharaoh's face turned neutral and he started to assign groups. Seto...you did well when you raised Mokuba. In the end the groups turned out to be; Yami and Triston in one group, Bakura and he in the other group, while Yugi, Tea, Ryou, Mokuba, and Serenity were appointed car duty.
"But that's not fair!! We can look to, you guys don't have to treat us like we're made of glass!" Serenity protested, sticking out her lower lip.
"Yeah!" The others agreed indignantly.
"There is no way we're going to allow you to walk around this place without protection. Gods know what lurks in the corners of these streets," Yami stated.
Bakura nodded solemnly, "You'll all be safer if you remain in the car with the spell Yami and I had cast."
"But..." Ryou whined, turning his pretty brown eyes on his yami.
"Damnit, Ryou! Don't piss me off," came the thief's warning.
Ryou sighed and gave in. He wasn't going to start his yami's temper up. Seeing the other boy's retreat, Yugi turned his own cherub charm on his yami. Of course, Yami was about as stubborn and hot-tempered as Bakura. So all Yugi got was a kiss and a push towards the car. Tea got the drift long before any of them and was already lounging in the back seat of Joey's jeep, much to the blonde's disgust. Serenity, however, had the stubbornness to put both Yami and Bakura to shame.
"There is no way I'm staying in either of those cars while you're out there, Joey!"
She gave him a look that only he seemed to understand. Sighing, Joey ran his fingers through his hair and gulped down the guilty lump in his throat. She wouldn't be fighting if he hadn't of screwed up so badly ten years ago.
"Serenity...I'll be with Bakura, so you don need ta worry. Jus stay safe, please."
His sister remained stubborn on her decision for another good hour, everyone trying to convince her to stay behind. Finally Joey pulled out his secret weapon and used a pair of his own sad puppy eyes on her. You don't spend your whole life with a little sister without learning at least something. She gave in and retreated to the jeep, pouting the whole way. Sighing in relief, the four boys relaxed then split in different ways to start the search.
"Good gods, those five are worse then an army of kiribo," muttered a sore Yami Bakura.
Joey scoffed and rolled his eyes, "Try arguing with my sis when it's that time of month for women...if ya get my drift."
##############################################################################
AnimeFan: Ahahahaha!!! That wasn't very nice Joey Wheeler. Heh. Anywho, there you all go for chapter three. Now the question is, is Seto-kun in the Slums? And what is up with these looks exchanged between Serenity and Joey that only they understand? Is there some kind of connection between the Slums and Joey? Who knows? I do!! XP Sorry about the OC Bakura. I'm not really big on the whole abusive Yami Bakura thing. I think Bakura's just sexually frustrated. WHAT!! He's been stuck in that damn millennium ring for five thousand years! Then again, the other version of Yugioh says it was three thousand years...still!! That's thousands of years and that's quite a feet for most guys! Right? Right! Anywho... 0_o ... lol. Bye now!