Everything

By: ChocolateEclar

Disclaimer: Obviously I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! or anything that has to do with the anime/manga.

Claimer: I fully own Ichidou Yachitose and her family, Mrs. Suteki Iyashii, Suteki's deceased father and mother, Ryougi, Karei, Sumizome, Komayaka Mada-Tafunesu, Ke-ki and her gang, Miss Jishi, Nenriki "Riki," Tomobito, Kurisutaru "Kuri" Susume, Nekura Kyouran, Neferetiabet, Miw-sher, Hasha, and Great Wife Netikerty. Please don't use any of them in any form without my permission.

To Blank: Yea, "men are dirt" sometimes. ^_^

I always try to steer away from sappy scenes otherwise they get out of hand or sound OOC. I do get a little sappy at the beginning of this chapter though. ^_-

Ke-ki does seem to be a would-be murdered, doesn't she? Drowning sure isn't fun let me tell you. *shudders* I still swear to my mom that my swim instructors back when I was four were trying to kill me. (She still doesn't believe me. She says I'm exaggerating on the part about the pool being over six feet deep and that I was just a short four-year-old. ^_^;;)

But enough about that, we both have good points. Maybe I'll combine them somehow. Thanks for another thought-provoking review! ^__^

To littlewolfsyaoran: *laughs* It's only been 5 days or so since you last reviewed so don't feel too bad. ^_^ I have to agree on your "Kawaii" comment. Hehe. ^__- Arigatou!

To Artemis*Obscure: Hmm. I'm not sure when he'll be back, but I'm pretty sure Malik will make another appearance eventually. As for the Egyptian flashback, there should be one in the Monumental Chapter Twenty©. *laughs* Otherwise there should be one sometime soon. I just figure things out as I go along after all. ^__^ Thanks again!

Duel Nineteen: A Third Close Encounter

"It's a good idea!" Ichidou yelled.

"It's an imprudent idea!" retorted Yami.

"It is not!" Ichidou riposted.

"You're proposing we confront Hasha and Yami Malik at a basketball game so soon! Of course it's an impudent idea!"

"You're a worrywart."

Yami sighed and began to say, "Ideas like that'll get you kill-"

Ichidou silenced him with a kiss.

"Stop that," grunted Yami.

"Why?" asked Ichidou innocently.

"It makes me want to do whatever you say."

"And that's a bad thing?" Ichidou chuckled, as Yami grabbed her and pulled her into another kiss.

'Oh, what Riki and Kuri would think if they knew my boyfriend was this three thousand year spirit,' thought Ichidou, smirking.

"Promise me you won't do it though, aibou," insisted Yami.

"Of course," Ichidou replied, her fingers crossed behind her back.

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"Ooi, 'Kaasan! 'You home early?" Ichidou called out after school on Thursday.

"I'm in here, Ichi," replied Kyouko from the living room. Sitting in front of the computer at her desk, she looked up as her ojousan* entered. "How was school?" (A/N: Ojousan=daughter)

"Fine," muttered Ichidou. She had never told her okaasan about Ke-ki and her gang nor, as such, had she ever mentioned their attempted drowning of her. Ichidou wasn't sure herself why she didn't say anything. Whether it was because she wanted to keep her okaasan safe, or she didn't feel it was important she had no idea. Only deep down did she acknowledge how severely it bothered her.

"You look tired."

"Yea," yawned Ichidou. She plopped down on the armchair across the room from the desk. "I'm staying after school tomorrow for the basketball game," she added, barring her soul room door to keep her yami from earshot.

"Okay. 'Home by four thirty then?"

"Hai."

"Is Komayaka having you work on Saturday?"

"Hai. Only 'til lunch though," answered Ichidou.

"Alright. On Saturday I'm going shopping with Obaasan at ten. You want us to pick up anything for you?"

"Nah. I'm good," said Ichidou, snatching up the backpack she's dumped on her own lap. "I'll be in my room."

"Ichi?"

"Hai?"

"I haven't seen Riki and Kuri around for awhile. Is anything wrong?" asked Kyouko carefully.

"No. There-They've just been dating. That's all," replied Ichidou impassively.

"Oh?"

"Yea."

"Daijoubu ka?"

"I'm fine with it. It just means less time to hang out with me," said Ichidou, leaving the room.

Nodding, Kyouko sighed, watching her short, wiry ojousan exit.

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'Can I go through with this?' thought Ichidou. 'Can I go against Yami again?'

She leaned against the side of the school. 'I either go home, or I stay here, watch basketball, and risk a face-off with Hasha and Yami Malik…Yea, right. Like I'm going to pass this up…' She stepped into the gymnasium and watched as a few of the basketball players practice on the court – Hasha wasn't one of them. She walked over to the brown, wooden bleachers beside Kuri and Riki who guiltily released their grasp on each other's lips.

Ichidou grimaced as Hasha stepped onto the court. He was as tall as ever with his hair spikier than before (but not as pointed as Yami's). His tawny-eyed gaze alighted onto the bleachers as if by instinct and reached Ichidou before pausing. He smirked and Ichidou squirmed. 'Definitely a Yami Malik smirk, but where's the Millennium Rod then?' she thought.

"Aibou," hissed a voice.

Ichidou grimaced. "It's too hard to keep secrets from you," she muttered to Yami.

Particularly livid at the moment, Yami snapped, "I've lived longer than you, Ichidou."

"Lived? If you mean your soul is older than mine you're incorrect," replied Ichidou. "Aren't souls the same when their bodies reincarnate? That would make me older than you since my first life as Neferetiabet was older than you were at the time."

"Don't attempt to distract me, aibou," retorted the Pharaoh.

Ichidou sighed and stood up in her soul room. She faced Yami and said, "I need to do this."

"No, you don't."

"Okay, you're right, but that doesn't mean I'm listening," Ichidou answered. "You're not like Ryou's yami. You won't try to overpower me."

Yami, who had folded his arms, scowled and scoffed at her, "This is foolhardy, aibou."

"I'm just keeping an eye on him."

"He's already seen you, Ichidou," said Yami. "Now he'll come after you here."

Ichidou grumbled an expletive and turned to the court. She didn't watch most of the game but grimaced every time Hasha succeeded in scoring. 'He's pretty good, but brutal to everyone. Even his own teammates,' she thought.

Yami snorted and said dryly, "How do you think he'll behave towards you?"

"Stop that. No reading my thoughts, remember?" protested Ichidou.

Yami made no reply whatsoever. He simply stared at Ichidou without any emotion, his violet eyes uncommonly deep.

Ichidou shrugged off his look though, trying to compress a creeping feeling in the pit of her stomach. She had a notion that it was Yami, not herself, that was causing her brain to subconsciously keep repeating the same thing over and over.

This is wrong.

Wrong. Wrong.

It was as if he were beating it time and again onto the drum of their link.

A teammate passed Hasha the basketball, who took the shot and made it. Beside Ichidou, Kuri groaned and Riki booed. Ichidou gripped her knees.

Wrong. Wrong.

 

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The game was over, and Ichidou had lost her nerve. She attempted to hightail it out of the gym before everyone else to no avail. She had turned down a trip to the movie theater with Riki and Kuri for lack of a desire of observing their smooch-fests. Now she sourly wished she hadn't. Anything would've been better.

Wrong. Wrong.

She clenched a little squeak at the sight of Hasha directly in her path. She attempted to push past him as if she hadn't seen him, but Hasha wouldn't be blown off. She thought she heard an angry muttered, "I told you so," from Yami as Hasha grabbed her wrist.

"Goin' somewhere, doll?" Hasha queried. "I could give you a lift."

"Not a chance. Let go," grunted Ichidou, her eyes flashing purple as Yami defenses rose within her.

"Aw. Give it a rest, doll," said Hasha without letting go. "You're attracted to me an' you know it."

Ichidou let out an outraged snort, while Yami looked murderous. "You're full of it," riposted Ichidou.

"Are you so sure or would you rather your life end all "fairy tale-like." You marrying your yami and havin' a couple kids. Well, it's not gonna happen, doll. He doesn't even have a body!" explained Hasha.

"I've thought of that," Ichidou replied truthfully.

"And?"

"And I don't give a damn! Now let go!" yelled Ichidou. She then took off through the crowds of other students and off school grounds. Pounding footsteps alerted her to his presence and she jumped over a bush and into someone's yard. She loped through the lawn, past a house, and onto another street. To her chagrin no one was on the road for her to blend in with. She didn't stop her pace though ran down the lane.

Wrong. Wrong.

Ichidou stopped abruptly as he ran out in front of her, trying to cut her off. Her senses had given her enough warning, so she was dashing into the other direction in no time.

Hasha was fitter and had longer legs though. He reached out and gripped her backpack. Ichidou tried to squirm out of the straps to no avail. She was trapped.

Wrong! Wrong!

Ichidou's mind was buzzing with the word as Yami Malik whispered in her ear, "It's time for that fun we've been promising you." Ichidou stilled her struggle in horror before lashing out harder than ever at her captor.

He didn't release his grasp though and hauled his captive to the vehicle parked at the corner. Ichidou froze and asked, "How did you know I'd run this way?"

"You could say I…influenced you," replied Hasha, holding up the glinting Millennium Rod in his other hand and smirking. "I had a lot of trouble doing it too, what with the Pharaoh inside you and defending you and all," he added.

Reminding Ichidou very much of a canine with its haunches raised, Yami clutched her shoulder. "Let me take over. I'll keep him from doing anything else more easily that way," he explained.

Ichidou nodded and stepped backwards. Outside, Ichidou's hair was now veined with blonde and her eyes became violet. "What do you want with us, Hasha?" snarled Yami.

Hasha tossed Ichidou into the car and replied, "Just having fun, remember, Pharaoh?"

Yami scowled while Ichidou grimaced. Yami tried to get them out of the car, but Hasha shut and locked the door. Before either of them could do anything more, Hasha was driving away with them. Yami tried to unlock the door to no benefit.

"Child safety lock," Hasha said, grinning.

Ichidou huffed and kicked at one if the blue pillows in the corner of her soul room. She swore under her breath and turned to Yami. "That's better. Now, I have a plan," she said, smiling. "Watch me."

She retook control of her body and sprain forward. She grabbed the steering wheel causing Hasha to curse. He shoved Ichidou away and braked, but not before Ichidou flicked off the child lock for the back and flung open the backdoor. She leaped out of the automobile and ran down the street. She hurried to a house she knew well and rang the doorbell as Hasha stepped out of his car. He spotted her quickly and ran towards her. It was then that Riki's otousan answered the door. A veteran gym instructor, he was a formidable character even in sweats. He had divorced his wife of thirteen years, Riki's okaasan, at the age of thirty-nine and remarried at fourty-one. As such, he had had six kodomotachi* with his first wife and three with his second. Now, at the age of fifty-two, he had gray hair and nine kodomotachi running around the house. (A/N: Kodomotachi=children)

"Oh, ooi, Ichidou. It's been awhile-" greeted the old man before stopping abruptly at the sight of Hasha running towards them. "Is everything alright?" he whispered to Ichidou.

"Non, not really," muttered Ichidou with a bit of panic in her voice. 'What if I've endangered him? Hasha might try something with the Rod,' she thought.

"Come on in then," said aged Mr. Tomobito. Ichidou complied and heaved a relieved sigh as Mr. Tomobito shut the door as Hasha drew near instead of confronting him. "Who was that boy?" he asked.

"Hasha Gaichuu," replied Ichidou as she followed him into the kitchen. It was cluttered. After all, with nine kodomotachi and two adults, it was quick to become dirty. Floundering around for a few moments in piles of magazines, the collection of Riki's oneesan, he discovered a cordless phone.

"I'm calling the cops," said Mr. Tomobito. "That kid looked like trouble. Just stay there. They'll probably ask you a few questions."

"Alright," replied Ichidou wearily. She moved some notepads off a chair and onto the table and sat on the chair. While she waited, she absently opened a pad to find several doodles by Riki's oldest stepsister, Hikidashi. A picture of herself beamed back at her. Ichidou remembered the day she'd posed for it. Presently nine years old, Hikidashi always ran around asking people she knew to model for her. In the drawing, Ichidou's hair was cascading brown squiggles, while her eyes were green dots. She was wearing a blank tank top and raggedy blue jeans.

"I see the likeness," remarked Yami. He'd remained silent until then and now he said, "You could've killed yourself with that stunt with the steering wheel."

"I needed a good distraction," Ichidou stated, shrugging. Truth be told she was still a little shaken up.

"About what he said…" Yami began.

"Don't worry. It's all right," interrupted Ichidou. "Hey, maybe we'll find a way to get you your own body someday."

"Maybe," said Yami skeptically.

"Oh, come on. You've been without a body of your own for so long. You know you want one," teased Ichidou, chortling.

Yami laughed and said, "But there's no way we know of."

"Yea, but good things come to those who wait for it," Ichidou pointed out.

"Hai, I suppose you're correct," whispered Yami.

Ichidou turned away as Mr. Tomobito handed her the phone so she could speak with the police and, as a result, missed the doleful look he gave her. 'It doesn't matter how long we wait,' he thought. 'It will never occur.'

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A/N: And I'm back to a depressing ending. Jeez, I'm fickle. ^_^ Here's the only translation:

Hikidashi=drawer

A/N 2: Here's the preview for the Monumental Chapter Twenty©:

So, it's Yami Malik and Hasha's third failed attempt at harming Ichidou and Yami. Will they try again? Will Hasha get arrested? Why's Yami being so pessimistic all of a sudden? Is he going through one of those "I-can't-have-her episodes" some guys have? By the way, who the heck is that tan, bejeweled Ichidou look alike? Neferetiabet…?

Stay tuned for "Duel Twenty!"

A/N 3: REVIEW!!! And prepare for the Monumental Chapter Twenty©!