Hazzah! This is a story worth its keep! Too bad I'm in no mood anymore for my longer stories. ;P I feel kinda guilty. Okay, time for thanks:
Serafina Moon – Always infinitely a pleasure! Don't be afraid to give away spoilers in your reviews of the chapter ... just don't spoil anything I've told you from a future chapter!
Shibby-One – Wow, you have 50 people IMing you at once? O.O Cool! Power to ya!
Digigirl-izumi – Welcome to the group! I'm so glad dear Serafina is getting my stories public! Thank you! I've already written about seven more chapters. The faster I get reviews, the faster I update. You draw!? Send me something and I'll send you something, okay? ^_^
Kuso Netaba – Predictions, hm? Can't wait to see if they come true or not! ^_~
Cassandra Pegasus – Hi again! Thanks for returning!
Kyoko-san – Congrats! You responded first to my e-mail! You get the grand prize = Publicity dirt cheap!!
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Story of the chapter = "The Seven Curses of Egypt" by Kyoko-san. It's starring Ryou, Malik, and their respective yamis all in Egypt exploring an archeological dig. All goes smoothly until Ryou almost gets possessed by another evil spirit that not even Bakura can control! storyid=1504715 She even dedicated a chapter to me! T_T So cool! This story actually changed my mind on Yami Bakura. I'm starting to like him.
Don't tell Yami!
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Bardock: Hey guys! Surprised to see me here? Well, Yami's still out-of-it, so Una asked me to do today's intro.
Yugi: Just get on with it, monkey-boy!
Bardock: Fine! Last time on Yu-Gi-Oh, Yami and Nazo faced off in a private card battle, when Yami spilled that he thinks Nazo's sexy! Nazo took it the wrong way and played him a Penalty Game where he saw –
Yugi: Yeah?
Bardock: -something Yugi ain't supposed ta know!
Yugi: *pouts* Rats!
.
Chapter 5
Jonouchi's Mistake
The next day, Yugi was forbidden to use the telephone to call the others about his absence. Mrs. Moto phoned the school to excuse her son, and went about her daily chores around the apartment and shop.
In the meantime, Yugi borrowed some games from the shop and tried not to think of the events of the past night. Seeing his yami laying there on the ground shaking with misery and beaten as if tortured made Yugi wonder about the true extent of Nazo's powers. And if she did have all this power, could she control it all? Did she know about the items? And if she was after him, what of his pals at school that day?
Yugi slammed his fist into a crossword puzzle he worked on. 'KUSO!! Why did mom have to keep me home from school?! I need to make sure the others are okay!'
//She's concerned for you, Aibou.//
Yugi's head snapped up and he gave a laugh of delight. Yami's projection sat on his dresser, eyes downcast. He wore the exact same thing as Yugi: Striped pajama pants, a white over-shirt, and a whole lot of bandages.
/Mou hitori no boku! What took you so long? I thought you'd gone crazy!/
Yami didn't move. //I only came out to make sure you're okay. You didn't have the Puzzle on, so I couldn't tell on my own.//
/Ha! Of course I'm okay, Yami! Why wouldn't I be? Especially since Mom kept me home. And all these wounds are healing a whole lot faster then normal. Maybe they're only temporary, like you-/ Yugi realized that Yami still hadn't even looked at him. /What's up?/
Yami stood up, avoiding eye contact. //Just keep the Puzzle on, alright? In case you need me for anything.//
/Mou hitori no boku? What's wrong? You cried yesterday. I've never seen you cry before. What'd you see? Tell me!/
The spirit ignored the questions and disappeared back into the Puzzle, leaving a very lonely and very annoyed teenager behind.
.
.
Yugi had expected Jonouchi-tachi to walk into the game shop after school asking for him. But 3 o'clock came, and then 4, then 5, and Yugi started pacing around in his room. Not so much as a phone call intercepted by his mom!
At around half-past 5, Yugi went into his bathroom and took off some of his bandages. "Whew," he sighed. "The marks are starting to disappear! And I thought they were so bad, they'd leave scars!"
He put on his shirt, and walked out in time to hear a shout from downstairs. "B-but Mrs. Moto!" It was Honda!
"I'm sorry, Honda, but Yugi isn't feeling well enough to have any visitors," said Mrs. Moto.
'Like fun I'm not,' thought Yugi.
"I only need a minute-"
"Honda," she said, a bite in her voice, "I've told you now three times to get off the property. Now leave before I have you escorted out by the police!"
There was a silence, then the sound of the shop door closing.
`No,' Yugi screamed in his head. He hurried back to his bedroom, climbed on his desk, and looked out of the window. Honda stood feet away from the shop, hands in his pockets, kicking some stray rocks out into the street.
Yugi tried waving to get his attention. When that failed, he grabbed a shoe and threw it out at him. Luckily, Yugi missed Honda's head, but not the mailbox next to him!
Honda jumped at the clatter. "What the-" Then he looked up and saw Yugi. "Meet me in the garage," mouthed Yugi. Honda flashed him a thumbs-up, and walked away as if nothing happened.
Yugi crept downstairs, made sure his mother was in the kitchen busy with dinner, then snuck into the garage.
Honda was there waiting. "Oy Yugi," he whispered, "you don't look that bad. I used to do a better job on ya!"
"Never mind that, Honda-kun. Where's Jonouchi and Anzu?"
Honda looked towards the door, making sure no one overheard them. "Anzu was in the office when your mother called, saying you got beat up last night. She said she sounded like she wanted the school to find out who done it.
"Well, we can't ignore such a request! Jounouchi and I started askin' people what they knew about it, and one kid from Class A said he saw you and Tanaka playing cards last night around 10:30. We cornered Tanaka, but she wouldn't tell us nothin'."
Yugi groaned softly. He definitely saw were this was going!
"Jonouchi lost his cool - you know how he gets when one of us gets hurt - and, uh, roughed her up a bit." Honda paused, and then looked at Yugi more seriously. "Did you know she has a Millennium Item?"
Yugi nodded.
"We didn't. She challenged him to a game. Something about building a card castle the fastest. Jonouchi lost." Honda stopped again.
"What ... what happened to Jonouchi?"
Honda licked his lips and closed his eyes. "You'll probably find out later anyway.
"Remember how his mom and sister left him with his dad all those years ago? Well, he ... tried to kill himself ... tried slitting his wrists, ya know? But it didn't work out. When I first met him, he still had the scars. They disappeared years ago, before we met you even." Honda shook his head. "He didn't want you guys to know about that, ever!"
Honda stood up taller, recalling the events of that day. "After he lost, she touched him with her left hand, the one with that bracelet with the eye. And ... it was like he'd turned back into a kid again. Like he didn't know he was really sixteen!"
Yugi's eyes widened. "Oh God!"
Honda put his fists in his pockets. "I'm glad you weren't there, Yugi. He wouldn't've wanted you to see him like that. Know what the scariest thing about it was? After she let him go, he had those scars on his wrists again."
Yugi stared off into space. "And Anzu?"
"She said she'd take Jonouchi home and then find out more about this bitch." Honda spat. "Goddammit, Yugi! What the fuck are we dealing with now?!"
Yugi shook his head. "I don't know, Honda-kun. Wish I did."
.
.
Nazo Tanaka walked quickly onto her doorstep at a quarter to 6. She heard Nellie mention her father would be home that evening, and she wanted to get to her room before he arrived. Out of habit, she checked the door for traps, then in the bushes, before unlocking it and stepping inside.
"I'm home," she called out. "Nellie? Mummy? Anyone here?" Her senses flared. `What if there is someone,' she thought. `He must have followed me! If Mum is hurt, I swear to God I'll-`
"Nazo, darling," a drawling, sing-song voice called out. Mrs. Tanaka walked into the room putting on a large, diamond studded earring. Tall, prim, and proper, she reminded most she met of a dark-skinned Mrs. Howl from `Gilligan's Island.' Tonight, she wore a scarlet evening gown, black high-heels, white and red scarves, a feathered red hat, and loads of silver/diamond jewelry.
She walked up to her daughter, kissed the air in front of her, and asked in a slightly interested voice, "How was your day?"
"Nothing too big," she lied. Nazo couldn't shake the terrible feeling of guilt she had over dueling that bully earlier. `He deserved it,' she had to repeat to herself. `He hurt me! He deserved it!'
"That's good," said Mrs. Tanaka, not having heard a word Nazo said. "Anyway darling, I'm going to a little get together over in Osawa, and I may not be home until late. Do make sure you tuck yourself in, won't you?"
`Been doing it as long as I can remember,' she thought. But outwardly she smiled and said, "Of course, Mummy Dearest!" Nazo started up the stairs.
"Oh, and I almost forgot. One of your little friends from school came around. I sent her upstairs with Nellie."
Nazo froze. `Who would be coming for me? Is it one of THEM in disguise? No, they can't talk. Perhaps a strong bit of magic sent up as an illusion to catch me off-guard? I'd have sensed it with my Bracelet by now.'
"Darling," asked Mrs. Tanaka, in that voice that sounded more like `Dahling'. "Everything alright?"
"Yes."
"You remember where your room is?"
"Yes."
"You've taken your medicine?"
"Yes," she lied.
"Good. Well, I'm off!" And the grand Mrs. Tanaka left to call Daisuke, their butler and limo driver.
With extreme caution, Nazo walked upstairs. Perhaps she had been followed. After all, HE would do something as casual as enter her home. HIS arrogance made the hairs on the back of Nazo's neck stand on end, and HIS manner chilled her soul.
Every sound in the house seemed magnified as Nazo strained to hear who had come. She was ready! She'd make sure not to be captured again!
"Of course it was the fire that did it," came Nellie's voice from inside Nazo's room. "A beam fell and hit her in the back of the head. Poor girl had to break open a window and jump to safety, three stories up! I thought she'd died!"
"I never knew," said a familiar voice from inside the room.
Nazo froze again. She knew that voice. A girl from school, wasn't it?
"Changed her personality, it did," continued Nellie. "Poor thing couldn't even remember how to eat properly, and it took months before she could talk again! Like being born all over. Sad. But the schooling did her good. She learned everything so fast. She's almost caught up completely. But somedays she's really bad. Can't remember a name or a face."
Nazo had heard enough. She opened the door. There was Nellie chatting with Masaki Anzu from her homeroom class.
Nellie jumped to her feet. "Ah! Nazo-sama! Good evening, ma'am! Can I get you-"
"You've done enough for one day, Nellie," Nazo replied in an icy voice. "Just go."
Nellie paused, but then whispered as she passed, "I'll warn you when the Master comes."
Nazo felt like slamming the door after her. How dare she?! How DARE she talk to a complete stranger about her past?! She had NO RIGHT!!
Nazo turned and glared at the girl. Anzu recoiled, biting into a small tea cake Nellie made for her. Her head cocked to one side like an innocent, curious puppy. 'How much does she know,' though Nazo.
"What are you doing here," she snarled. She knew she shouldn't be angry at Anzu, but with so much anger pent up inside, she had to release it on someone. "What do you want with me!?"
"I-I just c-came t-to talk to you," stammered Anzu.
"Why? If its about your friend, the scars will vanish in a day or so." She opened the door to kick Anzu out, but Nellie's voice shouted from the living room, "Master Tanaka's just arrived, Miss. Nazo!"
Nazo closed the door again. `No! Not now!' She studied Anzu. `If I keep her here, maybe Father won't do anything to me.' "You can stay," she said. "But don't touch anything."
"Alright."
The silence was deafening in the room. Both had so much to ask each other, but Nazo obviously didn't want to get friendly. Finally, Anzu cleared her throat and said, "Um, your room is really nice."
"Thanks, I guess. My mother likes lace, so she put it over my bed."
"I wish I could afford something so classy," said Anzu in earnest. "I have a part-time job, but that's barely even enough money for posters!" Anzu scanned the room for something else to talk about. "All of your posters are about different things. Dancing, flowers, paintings - what do you like to do?"
Nazo pointed to the back of her door. On it was a corkboard with sketches of Duel Monster cards, printouts of strategies, lists of various monsters and their stats, notes scribbled down, and newspaper articles of various kinds. Anzu ran over to study the articles. Three were on Isis Ishtar's exhibits. One was on Pegasus' discovery of the god cards. The rest were on Yugi and his various tournament titles.
"Amazing," said Anzu. "You must really be into Duel Monsters if you study it so much! How come you never play?"
"My parents want to get me interested in other things," said Nazo, gesturing to the various posters on the walls. "They hate that I like to gamble. Its been that way ever since - well - you know."
"Since when?"
Nazo snorted. Anzu was really starting to bug. "Listen, I don't want to talk about it! It's not that important."
"Sure it is," said Anzu, lifting up the drawing of Dark Magician Girl. "If you really love something, it's important. Plain as that." She smiled. "You sure have a lot of stuff on Yugi's duels, Nazo-chan!"
"That reminds me, who was it I dueled last night?"
"Nani? You dueled Yugi, of course! That's why he didn't come to school."
"Don't think I'm dumb! I fought a different guy! He was taller, stronger, had different (but similar) hair, and was a lot more handsome." Nazo blushed. "I mean, he was older!"
Anzu gaped. "Another person? You sure?"
"Duh! Who was he? A brother? A cousin?"
Anzu suddenly looked uncomfortable. "Yeah! Yeah that's it! It was Yugi's cousin! They're both duelists, but Yugi gets all the credit!"
Nazo leaned against the dresser. `Now at least we're getting somewhere.' "Really? Shy guy, huh? Keh! He didn't seem so shy last night. What's his name? Does he live around here?"
"Uh, yeah. His name - his name is - uh - Yami. He's staying at Yugi's house for - um - for a little while."
"Why? Vacation?"
"Sort of. He - Yami I mean - is trying to find information about his family."
"I see." Nazo thought about the man she dueled last night. She could still hear his sweet voice say, "I thought all sexy girls were popular." She almost blushed again. `He is definitely hott, but I can't get attached to anyone! THEY might find him and torture him to get at me!!'
Anzu changed the subject. "I like Duel Monsters too. Where are your cards?"
"My dad took them from me when he heard I was going to participate in Battle City. He's gonna sell them to Kaiba pretty soon, and I'm never going to see them again." She turned around. `Fuck, why do I hafta get so emotional when I talk about my cards! It's just a game!'
"I understand, Nazo-chan" said Anzu. "My dream is to dance in America someday, but my dad is trying to stop me. He's only worried, that's all. It's what parents do, ne?" Anzu noticed her bedside dresser. It was covered with all sorts of pill bottles and pictures of Nazo's parents. "Wow. You don't have to take all those pills, do you?"
Nazo whirled around, eyes flashing. "Look, why are you really here? Why do you pretend to be so nice?"
"I'm not pretending."
"Oh, don't gimme that `Let's be friends' bullshit!" Nazo's teeth clenched. "Every person who has tried to make friends with me ends up stabbing me in the back! I'm not gonna fall for that anymore!"
"Nazo-chan," whispered Anzu. What was that look in her eyes? Was it pity? Did this girl actually feel sorry for her? After all she's done?
The door suddenly opened. The man who emerged was big and beefy with a square jaw, sleek black hair with a gray streak, huge broad shoulders, pale skin, and tiny, wrinkled, harsh eyes. His voice, in contrast to his appearance, was deep but very soft, and had a forced politeness to it. "Good evening, Nazo-chan."
Anzu noticed Nazo take a few steps away. "Good evening, Father."
Mr. Tanaka's tiny pupils shifted towards Anzu. "Oh, good, you've made a friend. What's her name?"
"Father, this is Masaki Anzu. Anzu, this is my father, Tanaka Hitoshi."
Nazo looked intently at Anzu, praying the other teenage girl understood. Alarms seemed to be going off in Anzu's brain. Nazo didn't like this man. Her face gave it away. Instead of honest respect Anzu saw a hint of terror in her face. Anzu felt like running away, or asking Nazo what was wrong, but she knew better. She knew Nazo only kept Anzu around this long because she didn't want to be left alone with this man.
"Nazo," said Mr. Tanaka, "how are you doing in school?"
"Very well, Father. And how was your day?" It was a programmed response; no feeling or thought went into it.
"Fine. Have you taken anything you shouldn't have lately?"
"No sir."
"Have you bought anything you shouldn't have?"
Nazo didn't respond.
"Let me see." Nazo turned out her inside pocket and pulled out a small pack of Duel Monster cards. Mr. Tanaka took it away. "Anything else?"
"No sir."
He raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure? You know I hate it when you lie to me. I'd better check. Arms up."
Nazo raised her arms, and Mr. Tanaka proceeded to search his daughter. To Anzu's horror, she saw him touch every inch of Nazo's person, including fondling her bosom, checking for hidden cards. "Very good," he said, in a kinder yet still frightening tone. "You didn't lie to me. Now, take your medicine, my precious little one. And Daddy will take these to his office, away from your hands." To both girls' relief, he turned to leave.
"Um, Mr. Tanaka, sir," piped up Anzu.
He turned around, and Nazo stared at Anzu with anxiety. `Why'd she call him back!?!'
"Can I spend the night?"
The question seemed to surprise all three. "Spend the night," asked Mr. Tanaka.
"Yes, well, you see, Nazo and I are getting along so well, and we have a lot of homework to study, I thought maybe we could have a sleep-over." Anzu gulped. "I could really use the help. Please?"
Mr. Tanaka smiled, which looked unnatural. "Of course you may, my dear girl. I'll be in my study if you need anything." He finally left.
Nazo stared at Anzu incredulously. "Why?"
Anzu took Nazo's hand. "I'm proving to you that I want to be friends." Anzu flipped open her cell phone and pressed a button. "Hi, Dad? It's Anzu. I'm staying over at a friend's house, okay? Tanaka Nazo. Yes. Yeah, I do. Okay. Love you! Bye!" She closed her phone. "That's that! What's wrong?"
"I - I just wanted -," Nazo said, shuffling her feet. "Thank you."
Anzu sat on the bed. "Does he ever-,"
"No," said Nazo immediately. "But he's really mean, though. He's threatened to."
But something told Nazo that Anzu didn't believe her lie. "Do you know how to play `Egyptian Wrath'?"
"Yeah. As long as its not a Shadow Game!"
"What's a Shadow Game?"
"Oh, nothing! Just don't use your Bracelet on me, okay?"
"I won't," said Nazo, shuffling and smiling genuinely for the first time. "You're nice to me!"
.
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The next day, Yugi, Jonouchi, Honda, Bakura, and Honda spent all of break and most of lunch talking about the events of the past two chapters. Jonouchi wore gloves, ignoring the subject of his attempted suicide years before and concentrating on the matter at hand.
"You spent the NIGHT with HER," screamed Jonouchi.
"That girl is dangerous, Anzu," insisted Honda, agreeing with Jonouchi. "Look at what she did to `the other Yugi' and Jonouchi!"
"Didn't any of you consider WHY she attacked you guys," Anzu asked.
"Because she's a crazy-ass bitch," said Jonouchi.
"Because you provoked her," said Anzu. "What did the other Yugi say to her anyway?"
Yugi couldn't hold back a laugh. "He said she was sexy, but tried to take it back to save face!"
All of the others blinked twice before responding. Ryou tilted his head in confusion. Jonouchi's jaw dropped. Honda laughed. Anzu smiled, and asked, "Exactly what did he say?"
"Something like, 'I thought all sexy girls were popular with men.'"
Honda let out a whoop. "She probably thought he meant a different kinda popular, if ya know what I mean!" Ryou joined in the laughter.
Yugi grinned. "Good thing Nazo thinks he's my cousin and not me! Moto Yami! That was smart, Anzu!"
"Yeah, that's somethin' else I don't get," said Jonouchi. "How could she tell the difference so fast? We didn't get it `til he transformed in front of us!"
Yugi shrugged. "Who knows!"
"Listen, she's a lot nicer once you prove you can be her friend. Its like she's putting on a charade so she can't get hurt." Anzu hadn't told the others about what Mr. Tanaka had done to Nazo, but it still lingered on her mind. 'If Nazo is so messed up, she needs the support of a lot of friends, whether she thinks so or not!' "Boys," she said with a wink, "I know how you guys can get on her good side no problem!"
"How?"
"Well, remember how she said her Duel Monster cards were locked up?"
"Yeah," said Jonouchi.
"Let's try and get them back!" All of the boys stared at Anzu. "What," asked Anzu innocently.
"Are you completely out of your mind," yelled Yugi.
"Oh come on! We know his name and position. We've snuck into Kaiba Corp. before, remember? The security system is done with a set program. And its bound to be less heavily guarded with Kaiba in America."
There was silence while everyone thought about it. "Alright," said Jonouchi. "I'm in!"
"You're gonna forgive her already," asked Honda.
"Not really. But I'd like to see her cards!"
"I'll do it," said Ryou. "Maybe I can be a look out or something."
"If Jonouchi's in, so am I," said Honda.
Yugi sighed. "I'll do my best to sneak out of the house tonight."
"Great," exclaimed Anzu. "Good luck you guys!"
Honda raised an eyebrow. "Why aren't you coming?"
"I don't have to prove myself anymore. I'm her friend already!"
Jonouchi shrugged. "That's fine. We'll all meet at midnight tonight, outside of the Bay Leaf coffee shop a block from Kaiba Corp."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~``
Yugi: Ohaiyo minna-san! All us guys are going to break into Kaiba Corp. to steal back Nazo's cards. Is it just me, or are Jonouchi and Honda taking this very seriously?
Next time, "Mission Improbable; The Rescuing of the DM Cards!"
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Yugi: Long chapter today.
Una: -_-' Yeah. The next one is just as long.
Bardock: What's it about?
Una: Uh-uh-uh! No spoilers without reviews!
Serafina Moon – Always infinitely a pleasure! Don't be afraid to give away spoilers in your reviews of the chapter ... just don't spoil anything I've told you from a future chapter!
Shibby-One – Wow, you have 50 people IMing you at once? O.O Cool! Power to ya!
Digigirl-izumi – Welcome to the group! I'm so glad dear Serafina is getting my stories public! Thank you! I've already written about seven more chapters. The faster I get reviews, the faster I update. You draw!? Send me something and I'll send you something, okay? ^_^
Kuso Netaba – Predictions, hm? Can't wait to see if they come true or not! ^_~
Cassandra Pegasus – Hi again! Thanks for returning!
Kyoko-san – Congrats! You responded first to my e-mail! You get the grand prize = Publicity dirt cheap!!
.
Story of the chapter = "The Seven Curses of Egypt" by Kyoko-san. It's starring Ryou, Malik, and their respective yamis all in Egypt exploring an archeological dig. All goes smoothly until Ryou almost gets possessed by another evil spirit that not even Bakura can control! storyid=1504715 She even dedicated a chapter to me! T_T So cool! This story actually changed my mind on Yami Bakura. I'm starting to like him.
Don't tell Yami!
.
.
Bardock: Hey guys! Surprised to see me here? Well, Yami's still out-of-it, so Una asked me to do today's intro.
Yugi: Just get on with it, monkey-boy!
Bardock: Fine! Last time on Yu-Gi-Oh, Yami and Nazo faced off in a private card battle, when Yami spilled that he thinks Nazo's sexy! Nazo took it the wrong way and played him a Penalty Game where he saw –
Yugi: Yeah?
Bardock: -something Yugi ain't supposed ta know!
Yugi: *pouts* Rats!
.
Chapter 5
Jonouchi's Mistake
The next day, Yugi was forbidden to use the telephone to call the others about his absence. Mrs. Moto phoned the school to excuse her son, and went about her daily chores around the apartment and shop.
In the meantime, Yugi borrowed some games from the shop and tried not to think of the events of the past night. Seeing his yami laying there on the ground shaking with misery and beaten as if tortured made Yugi wonder about the true extent of Nazo's powers. And if she did have all this power, could she control it all? Did she know about the items? And if she was after him, what of his pals at school that day?
Yugi slammed his fist into a crossword puzzle he worked on. 'KUSO!! Why did mom have to keep me home from school?! I need to make sure the others are okay!'
//She's concerned for you, Aibou.//
Yugi's head snapped up and he gave a laugh of delight. Yami's projection sat on his dresser, eyes downcast. He wore the exact same thing as Yugi: Striped pajama pants, a white over-shirt, and a whole lot of bandages.
/Mou hitori no boku! What took you so long? I thought you'd gone crazy!/
Yami didn't move. //I only came out to make sure you're okay. You didn't have the Puzzle on, so I couldn't tell on my own.//
/Ha! Of course I'm okay, Yami! Why wouldn't I be? Especially since Mom kept me home. And all these wounds are healing a whole lot faster then normal. Maybe they're only temporary, like you-/ Yugi realized that Yami still hadn't even looked at him. /What's up?/
Yami stood up, avoiding eye contact. //Just keep the Puzzle on, alright? In case you need me for anything.//
/Mou hitori no boku? What's wrong? You cried yesterday. I've never seen you cry before. What'd you see? Tell me!/
The spirit ignored the questions and disappeared back into the Puzzle, leaving a very lonely and very annoyed teenager behind.
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Yugi had expected Jonouchi-tachi to walk into the game shop after school asking for him. But 3 o'clock came, and then 4, then 5, and Yugi started pacing around in his room. Not so much as a phone call intercepted by his mom!
At around half-past 5, Yugi went into his bathroom and took off some of his bandages. "Whew," he sighed. "The marks are starting to disappear! And I thought they were so bad, they'd leave scars!"
He put on his shirt, and walked out in time to hear a shout from downstairs. "B-but Mrs. Moto!" It was Honda!
"I'm sorry, Honda, but Yugi isn't feeling well enough to have any visitors," said Mrs. Moto.
'Like fun I'm not,' thought Yugi.
"I only need a minute-"
"Honda," she said, a bite in her voice, "I've told you now three times to get off the property. Now leave before I have you escorted out by the police!"
There was a silence, then the sound of the shop door closing.
`No,' Yugi screamed in his head. He hurried back to his bedroom, climbed on his desk, and looked out of the window. Honda stood feet away from the shop, hands in his pockets, kicking some stray rocks out into the street.
Yugi tried waving to get his attention. When that failed, he grabbed a shoe and threw it out at him. Luckily, Yugi missed Honda's head, but not the mailbox next to him!
Honda jumped at the clatter. "What the-" Then he looked up and saw Yugi. "Meet me in the garage," mouthed Yugi. Honda flashed him a thumbs-up, and walked away as if nothing happened.
Yugi crept downstairs, made sure his mother was in the kitchen busy with dinner, then snuck into the garage.
Honda was there waiting. "Oy Yugi," he whispered, "you don't look that bad. I used to do a better job on ya!"
"Never mind that, Honda-kun. Where's Jonouchi and Anzu?"
Honda looked towards the door, making sure no one overheard them. "Anzu was in the office when your mother called, saying you got beat up last night. She said she sounded like she wanted the school to find out who done it.
"Well, we can't ignore such a request! Jounouchi and I started askin' people what they knew about it, and one kid from Class A said he saw you and Tanaka playing cards last night around 10:30. We cornered Tanaka, but she wouldn't tell us nothin'."
Yugi groaned softly. He definitely saw were this was going!
"Jonouchi lost his cool - you know how he gets when one of us gets hurt - and, uh, roughed her up a bit." Honda paused, and then looked at Yugi more seriously. "Did you know she has a Millennium Item?"
Yugi nodded.
"We didn't. She challenged him to a game. Something about building a card castle the fastest. Jonouchi lost." Honda stopped again.
"What ... what happened to Jonouchi?"
Honda licked his lips and closed his eyes. "You'll probably find out later anyway.
"Remember how his mom and sister left him with his dad all those years ago? Well, he ... tried to kill himself ... tried slitting his wrists, ya know? But it didn't work out. When I first met him, he still had the scars. They disappeared years ago, before we met you even." Honda shook his head. "He didn't want you guys to know about that, ever!"
Honda stood up taller, recalling the events of that day. "After he lost, she touched him with her left hand, the one with that bracelet with the eye. And ... it was like he'd turned back into a kid again. Like he didn't know he was really sixteen!"
Yugi's eyes widened. "Oh God!"
Honda put his fists in his pockets. "I'm glad you weren't there, Yugi. He wouldn't've wanted you to see him like that. Know what the scariest thing about it was? After she let him go, he had those scars on his wrists again."
Yugi stared off into space. "And Anzu?"
"She said she'd take Jonouchi home and then find out more about this bitch." Honda spat. "Goddammit, Yugi! What the fuck are we dealing with now?!"
Yugi shook his head. "I don't know, Honda-kun. Wish I did."
.
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Nazo Tanaka walked quickly onto her doorstep at a quarter to 6. She heard Nellie mention her father would be home that evening, and she wanted to get to her room before he arrived. Out of habit, she checked the door for traps, then in the bushes, before unlocking it and stepping inside.
"I'm home," she called out. "Nellie? Mummy? Anyone here?" Her senses flared. `What if there is someone,' she thought. `He must have followed me! If Mum is hurt, I swear to God I'll-`
"Nazo, darling," a drawling, sing-song voice called out. Mrs. Tanaka walked into the room putting on a large, diamond studded earring. Tall, prim, and proper, she reminded most she met of a dark-skinned Mrs. Howl from `Gilligan's Island.' Tonight, she wore a scarlet evening gown, black high-heels, white and red scarves, a feathered red hat, and loads of silver/diamond jewelry.
She walked up to her daughter, kissed the air in front of her, and asked in a slightly interested voice, "How was your day?"
"Nothing too big," she lied. Nazo couldn't shake the terrible feeling of guilt she had over dueling that bully earlier. `He deserved it,' she had to repeat to herself. `He hurt me! He deserved it!'
"That's good," said Mrs. Tanaka, not having heard a word Nazo said. "Anyway darling, I'm going to a little get together over in Osawa, and I may not be home until late. Do make sure you tuck yourself in, won't you?"
`Been doing it as long as I can remember,' she thought. But outwardly she smiled and said, "Of course, Mummy Dearest!" Nazo started up the stairs.
"Oh, and I almost forgot. One of your little friends from school came around. I sent her upstairs with Nellie."
Nazo froze. `Who would be coming for me? Is it one of THEM in disguise? No, they can't talk. Perhaps a strong bit of magic sent up as an illusion to catch me off-guard? I'd have sensed it with my Bracelet by now.'
"Darling," asked Mrs. Tanaka, in that voice that sounded more like `Dahling'. "Everything alright?"
"Yes."
"You remember where your room is?"
"Yes."
"You've taken your medicine?"
"Yes," she lied.
"Good. Well, I'm off!" And the grand Mrs. Tanaka left to call Daisuke, their butler and limo driver.
With extreme caution, Nazo walked upstairs. Perhaps she had been followed. After all, HE would do something as casual as enter her home. HIS arrogance made the hairs on the back of Nazo's neck stand on end, and HIS manner chilled her soul.
Every sound in the house seemed magnified as Nazo strained to hear who had come. She was ready! She'd make sure not to be captured again!
"Of course it was the fire that did it," came Nellie's voice from inside Nazo's room. "A beam fell and hit her in the back of the head. Poor girl had to break open a window and jump to safety, three stories up! I thought she'd died!"
"I never knew," said a familiar voice from inside the room.
Nazo froze again. She knew that voice. A girl from school, wasn't it?
"Changed her personality, it did," continued Nellie. "Poor thing couldn't even remember how to eat properly, and it took months before she could talk again! Like being born all over. Sad. But the schooling did her good. She learned everything so fast. She's almost caught up completely. But somedays she's really bad. Can't remember a name or a face."
Nazo had heard enough. She opened the door. There was Nellie chatting with Masaki Anzu from her homeroom class.
Nellie jumped to her feet. "Ah! Nazo-sama! Good evening, ma'am! Can I get you-"
"You've done enough for one day, Nellie," Nazo replied in an icy voice. "Just go."
Nellie paused, but then whispered as she passed, "I'll warn you when the Master comes."
Nazo felt like slamming the door after her. How dare she?! How DARE she talk to a complete stranger about her past?! She had NO RIGHT!!
Nazo turned and glared at the girl. Anzu recoiled, biting into a small tea cake Nellie made for her. Her head cocked to one side like an innocent, curious puppy. 'How much does she know,' though Nazo.
"What are you doing here," she snarled. She knew she shouldn't be angry at Anzu, but with so much anger pent up inside, she had to release it on someone. "What do you want with me!?"
"I-I just c-came t-to talk to you," stammered Anzu.
"Why? If its about your friend, the scars will vanish in a day or so." She opened the door to kick Anzu out, but Nellie's voice shouted from the living room, "Master Tanaka's just arrived, Miss. Nazo!"
Nazo closed the door again. `No! Not now!' She studied Anzu. `If I keep her here, maybe Father won't do anything to me.' "You can stay," she said. "But don't touch anything."
"Alright."
The silence was deafening in the room. Both had so much to ask each other, but Nazo obviously didn't want to get friendly. Finally, Anzu cleared her throat and said, "Um, your room is really nice."
"Thanks, I guess. My mother likes lace, so she put it over my bed."
"I wish I could afford something so classy," said Anzu in earnest. "I have a part-time job, but that's barely even enough money for posters!" Anzu scanned the room for something else to talk about. "All of your posters are about different things. Dancing, flowers, paintings - what do you like to do?"
Nazo pointed to the back of her door. On it was a corkboard with sketches of Duel Monster cards, printouts of strategies, lists of various monsters and their stats, notes scribbled down, and newspaper articles of various kinds. Anzu ran over to study the articles. Three were on Isis Ishtar's exhibits. One was on Pegasus' discovery of the god cards. The rest were on Yugi and his various tournament titles.
"Amazing," said Anzu. "You must really be into Duel Monsters if you study it so much! How come you never play?"
"My parents want to get me interested in other things," said Nazo, gesturing to the various posters on the walls. "They hate that I like to gamble. Its been that way ever since - well - you know."
"Since when?"
Nazo snorted. Anzu was really starting to bug. "Listen, I don't want to talk about it! It's not that important."
"Sure it is," said Anzu, lifting up the drawing of Dark Magician Girl. "If you really love something, it's important. Plain as that." She smiled. "You sure have a lot of stuff on Yugi's duels, Nazo-chan!"
"That reminds me, who was it I dueled last night?"
"Nani? You dueled Yugi, of course! That's why he didn't come to school."
"Don't think I'm dumb! I fought a different guy! He was taller, stronger, had different (but similar) hair, and was a lot more handsome." Nazo blushed. "I mean, he was older!"
Anzu gaped. "Another person? You sure?"
"Duh! Who was he? A brother? A cousin?"
Anzu suddenly looked uncomfortable. "Yeah! Yeah that's it! It was Yugi's cousin! They're both duelists, but Yugi gets all the credit!"
Nazo leaned against the dresser. `Now at least we're getting somewhere.' "Really? Shy guy, huh? Keh! He didn't seem so shy last night. What's his name? Does he live around here?"
"Uh, yeah. His name - his name is - uh - Yami. He's staying at Yugi's house for - um - for a little while."
"Why? Vacation?"
"Sort of. He - Yami I mean - is trying to find information about his family."
"I see." Nazo thought about the man she dueled last night. She could still hear his sweet voice say, "I thought all sexy girls were popular." She almost blushed again. `He is definitely hott, but I can't get attached to anyone! THEY might find him and torture him to get at me!!'
Anzu changed the subject. "I like Duel Monsters too. Where are your cards?"
"My dad took them from me when he heard I was going to participate in Battle City. He's gonna sell them to Kaiba pretty soon, and I'm never going to see them again." She turned around. `Fuck, why do I hafta get so emotional when I talk about my cards! It's just a game!'
"I understand, Nazo-chan" said Anzu. "My dream is to dance in America someday, but my dad is trying to stop me. He's only worried, that's all. It's what parents do, ne?" Anzu noticed her bedside dresser. It was covered with all sorts of pill bottles and pictures of Nazo's parents. "Wow. You don't have to take all those pills, do you?"
Nazo whirled around, eyes flashing. "Look, why are you really here? Why do you pretend to be so nice?"
"I'm not pretending."
"Oh, don't gimme that `Let's be friends' bullshit!" Nazo's teeth clenched. "Every person who has tried to make friends with me ends up stabbing me in the back! I'm not gonna fall for that anymore!"
"Nazo-chan," whispered Anzu. What was that look in her eyes? Was it pity? Did this girl actually feel sorry for her? After all she's done?
The door suddenly opened. The man who emerged was big and beefy with a square jaw, sleek black hair with a gray streak, huge broad shoulders, pale skin, and tiny, wrinkled, harsh eyes. His voice, in contrast to his appearance, was deep but very soft, and had a forced politeness to it. "Good evening, Nazo-chan."
Anzu noticed Nazo take a few steps away. "Good evening, Father."
Mr. Tanaka's tiny pupils shifted towards Anzu. "Oh, good, you've made a friend. What's her name?"
"Father, this is Masaki Anzu. Anzu, this is my father, Tanaka Hitoshi."
Nazo looked intently at Anzu, praying the other teenage girl understood. Alarms seemed to be going off in Anzu's brain. Nazo didn't like this man. Her face gave it away. Instead of honest respect Anzu saw a hint of terror in her face. Anzu felt like running away, or asking Nazo what was wrong, but she knew better. She knew Nazo only kept Anzu around this long because she didn't want to be left alone with this man.
"Nazo," said Mr. Tanaka, "how are you doing in school?"
"Very well, Father. And how was your day?" It was a programmed response; no feeling or thought went into it.
"Fine. Have you taken anything you shouldn't have lately?"
"No sir."
"Have you bought anything you shouldn't have?"
Nazo didn't respond.
"Let me see." Nazo turned out her inside pocket and pulled out a small pack of Duel Monster cards. Mr. Tanaka took it away. "Anything else?"
"No sir."
He raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure? You know I hate it when you lie to me. I'd better check. Arms up."
Nazo raised her arms, and Mr. Tanaka proceeded to search his daughter. To Anzu's horror, she saw him touch every inch of Nazo's person, including fondling her bosom, checking for hidden cards. "Very good," he said, in a kinder yet still frightening tone. "You didn't lie to me. Now, take your medicine, my precious little one. And Daddy will take these to his office, away from your hands." To both girls' relief, he turned to leave.
"Um, Mr. Tanaka, sir," piped up Anzu.
He turned around, and Nazo stared at Anzu with anxiety. `Why'd she call him back!?!'
"Can I spend the night?"
The question seemed to surprise all three. "Spend the night," asked Mr. Tanaka.
"Yes, well, you see, Nazo and I are getting along so well, and we have a lot of homework to study, I thought maybe we could have a sleep-over." Anzu gulped. "I could really use the help. Please?"
Mr. Tanaka smiled, which looked unnatural. "Of course you may, my dear girl. I'll be in my study if you need anything." He finally left.
Nazo stared at Anzu incredulously. "Why?"
Anzu took Nazo's hand. "I'm proving to you that I want to be friends." Anzu flipped open her cell phone and pressed a button. "Hi, Dad? It's Anzu. I'm staying over at a friend's house, okay? Tanaka Nazo. Yes. Yeah, I do. Okay. Love you! Bye!" She closed her phone. "That's that! What's wrong?"
"I - I just wanted -," Nazo said, shuffling her feet. "Thank you."
Anzu sat on the bed. "Does he ever-,"
"No," said Nazo immediately. "But he's really mean, though. He's threatened to."
But something told Nazo that Anzu didn't believe her lie. "Do you know how to play `Egyptian Wrath'?"
"Yeah. As long as its not a Shadow Game!"
"What's a Shadow Game?"
"Oh, nothing! Just don't use your Bracelet on me, okay?"
"I won't," said Nazo, shuffling and smiling genuinely for the first time. "You're nice to me!"
.
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The next day, Yugi, Jonouchi, Honda, Bakura, and Honda spent all of break and most of lunch talking about the events of the past two chapters. Jonouchi wore gloves, ignoring the subject of his attempted suicide years before and concentrating on the matter at hand.
"You spent the NIGHT with HER," screamed Jonouchi.
"That girl is dangerous, Anzu," insisted Honda, agreeing with Jonouchi. "Look at what she did to `the other Yugi' and Jonouchi!"
"Didn't any of you consider WHY she attacked you guys," Anzu asked.
"Because she's a crazy-ass bitch," said Jonouchi.
"Because you provoked her," said Anzu. "What did the other Yugi say to her anyway?"
Yugi couldn't hold back a laugh. "He said she was sexy, but tried to take it back to save face!"
All of the others blinked twice before responding. Ryou tilted his head in confusion. Jonouchi's jaw dropped. Honda laughed. Anzu smiled, and asked, "Exactly what did he say?"
"Something like, 'I thought all sexy girls were popular with men.'"
Honda let out a whoop. "She probably thought he meant a different kinda popular, if ya know what I mean!" Ryou joined in the laughter.
Yugi grinned. "Good thing Nazo thinks he's my cousin and not me! Moto Yami! That was smart, Anzu!"
"Yeah, that's somethin' else I don't get," said Jonouchi. "How could she tell the difference so fast? We didn't get it `til he transformed in front of us!"
Yugi shrugged. "Who knows!"
"Listen, she's a lot nicer once you prove you can be her friend. Its like she's putting on a charade so she can't get hurt." Anzu hadn't told the others about what Mr. Tanaka had done to Nazo, but it still lingered on her mind. 'If Nazo is so messed up, she needs the support of a lot of friends, whether she thinks so or not!' "Boys," she said with a wink, "I know how you guys can get on her good side no problem!"
"How?"
"Well, remember how she said her Duel Monster cards were locked up?"
"Yeah," said Jonouchi.
"Let's try and get them back!" All of the boys stared at Anzu. "What," asked Anzu innocently.
"Are you completely out of your mind," yelled Yugi.
"Oh come on! We know his name and position. We've snuck into Kaiba Corp. before, remember? The security system is done with a set program. And its bound to be less heavily guarded with Kaiba in America."
There was silence while everyone thought about it. "Alright," said Jonouchi. "I'm in!"
"You're gonna forgive her already," asked Honda.
"Not really. But I'd like to see her cards!"
"I'll do it," said Ryou. "Maybe I can be a look out or something."
"If Jonouchi's in, so am I," said Honda.
Yugi sighed. "I'll do my best to sneak out of the house tonight."
"Great," exclaimed Anzu. "Good luck you guys!"
Honda raised an eyebrow. "Why aren't you coming?"
"I don't have to prove myself anymore. I'm her friend already!"
Jonouchi shrugged. "That's fine. We'll all meet at midnight tonight, outside of the Bay Leaf coffee shop a block from Kaiba Corp."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~``
Yugi: Ohaiyo minna-san! All us guys are going to break into Kaiba Corp. to steal back Nazo's cards. Is it just me, or are Jonouchi and Honda taking this very seriously?
Next time, "Mission Improbable; The Rescuing of the DM Cards!"
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Yugi: Long chapter today.
Una: -_-' Yeah. The next one is just as long.
Bardock: What's it about?
Una: Uh-uh-uh! No spoilers without reviews!