"At sacri-crifa-ficing my Ja-Giant Tur-tur-Turtle and my Dark La-Lady Asssssssailant of Flames, I cah-can now sa-sa-summon my Da-Dark-dark Magician!"

The familiar purple figure appeared on the battle field, a rather uncanny smirk on his face, shifting his peaking hat over in a cocky dare to his opponent, the average Summoned Skull. The two were of the same attack, but that didn't matter, they hated each other just the same. That was inbred into them, and in the school hallway, it somehow amplified it.

Maybe the two of them were claustrophobics! Who knows.

"Dada-Dark Mmmagician! Attack!"

"Sorry Ashai, but these two monsters have the same attack level!" Her school mate pointed an accusing finger, his smirk almost as confident as Ashai's Dark Magician. "They'll both be destroyed when you attack!!"

"Na…Naha-not sah-so f-fa-fast!" Smiling, she flipped her face down card. "I acti-tivate mah-my f-f-face down cah-card, Rrrrrrrush Reck-luuuus-lessly!" The squealing of a large boar echoed up and down the concrete hallway, the holographic boar fading out as the now very mirthful Dark Magician, his attack points upped by 700, aimed carefully (while casually giving the Summoned Skull the bird) and fired, the Summoned Skull crumbling from the attack.

What was left of her opponents hit points plummeted to 0, as did his expression. Ashai snickered, her Dark Magician gaining her smile of triumph. They were on quite the roll…

"…Fine." Her fellow 17 year old forked over his Summoned Skull, worn and old from so much use. Ashai smiled, pushing the card back. Her Dark Magician, still out, looked on with surprised interest.

"What? Take it. I need no pity from you!" He snarled, only to receive a glare from Ashai's DM. She simply shook her head, her smile remaining.

"I know the rul-rules, bah-bah-but I can sah-ssssee that. . ." She paused, gathering up her mind to try and speak clearly. Her stuttering problem made it hard for anyone to understand the 17 year old student. "You-your rather fah-fond of that card, just as I am with my own Dah-dark Magician… Keepit."

Her classmate stared at her as though she was insane, as did her own Dark Magician. The card hologram shrugged, however, retracting back into his home card for a well deserved rest. The remaining opponent tried not to smile, snorting and running off down the empty hallway…

Ashai watched him go before retracting her Duel-Disk, slipping the new model into her pocket before pulling out the card that had been winning her duels…

And helping her along through her darker hours. . .

She pulled out her Dark Magician, holding it to her chest as she pushed through the doors of the Genes High, walking cautiously down the graffiti marked sidewalks, thanking whomever was running the world for making sure she didn't loose that match.

Her victorious smile grew wider as she turned towards the alleyway to see the ragged open-air market place again. Her only real shelter from world lay here, in a dusty old alley in the heart of Battle City. People here barely scraped a living from selling fresh vegetables, but they were a family, willing to take in a stranger in need if the siduation arose.

Ashai had happened to be one of those cases.

Nonetheless, she gave a nod to her landlord, an older woman who was generous enough to lend the schoolgirl the space under her small booth. She extended a hand and brushed aside the cloth covering, smiling at her shabby but still comfortable home.

She had covered the ground with a length of old fabric to create a makeshift carpet, the quiet blue of the thick fabric being illuminated by the battery camping light. A large reed basket sat in the far corner, her books, study supplies, and her deck box stored within. It lay directly next to a fairly old looking mattress, a tattered old comforter draped over it with attempted neatness care. Next to it was the only piece of jewelry she owned, a small steel locket, old pictures of her parents and her younger brother glued inside. The edges were frayed and water-smudged, but she didn't care, nor did she care about her very shabby abode. It was home. . . Her own home…

She set her binder and deck box down, taking out her favorite Dark Magician, fingering the cover before sliding it into her own holographic projector. He flickered into view, that tale tell grin on his face. Ashai smiled, looking up into his face, knowing what that smile meant.

'I thought you got over being scared of the dark.'

"I knnnnnnow, but I all-always feel a little beh-bah-better when you're he-he-he-here."

'I'm only a hologram, Ashai. Not a real human being. . ."

"….yeah….Yeah," Sighed, she settled into her tattered mattress, clicking the lamp off. It was still only about 5, but she could never sleep much anyway.

"Too bah-be-bad…. you aren't a rrr-real pep-person….."

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"Horus?"

The Egyptian god looked up from his 'Immortal Weekly' newspaper with an annoyed expression on his hawk's head, removing the cheap sunglasses to glare angrily from his home depot lawn chair.

"Isis. . .if it's about your husband's soul laundering again, you can just forget about-"

"No no no!" The female immortal kicked at the cheap lawn chair fabric, very nearly flipping it over. "Look, it's about this girl."

"Please. . .don't tell me your becoming a pedophile like Seth. . ."

"Oh gods no! By heaven and earth, I simply want to grant her a favor." This caught the sun god's attention, putting aside the gold-printed news paper, staring up at the purple robed goddess in mild interest.

"We haven't been dealing in favors for a few millennia. We've been letting the newer gods take things like that."

"I know…" She looked rather uncomfortable. "But this is different." She dipped to her knees, running a finger over the marble floor to open up a screen through the billowing floor. Like the ancient monochrome televisions, the screen was black and white, but showed a rather clear image. A curled up form on a old mattress under a woebegone comforter, a smile slightly imprinting the fair and pale features. Horus tilted his head.

"Ok, so you're showing a rather pretty girl. Is she a sacrifice or something?" Isis gave his a rather sharp smack, glaring angrily at him.

"We're not the Aztecs, Horus!!" He evaded the next blow, his hawk eyes glaring angrily.

"Fine fine, so there's a poor girl down there with no money and no food. That happens all the time!" Isis sighed, pointing at the hologram to the side, still watching dutifully over his master. Horus blinked, then eyed his fellow diety for a moment before starting to laugh.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

"Does it involve fun for us and embarrassment for the mortals?"

"And a bit of romance possibilities and tragedy to boot!" The both of them gave an insane giggle as the holographic dark magician settled next to it's master, holding her as best it could with it's arms made of color. This was not out of some emotion, just out of a grudging duty. The two deities glanced at each other, a mischievous sparkle in both the amber and the brown eyes.

Oh the possibilities…

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There was a knock of a stamping foot overhead, announcing the 6 am awakening for Ashai, sleeping below. Her grimace and annoyed glare told all. She had been sleeping like a rock for once and she had to be woken up for school! This thought was what made her pause in the first.

She never slept well. . .

The deep sapphire eyes opened in alarm, the strange opalescent sheen glittering slightly in shock, scanning around like a pair of fidgety marbles. It was only when she happened to glance down at her waist did she see the rather lithe pair of arms encircling her. . .

Ashai could feel her face getting searing hot, turning cherry as she rolled over VERY slowly, wide-eyed and terrified. . .

----

The shifting of cloth in his arms began to bring his back to consciousness, a small smile coming to his lips. Master would be pleased with him. He had done his job well, and kept her from those virus things. . . Those nightmare-whatchamacallits. He stirred a bit, clinging quietly and drawing her into himself before finally opening his eyes.

And realizing that the world wasn't red to his vision. No lines, no numbers. . .nothing. There was color, there was shape, definition, shadow, and no opposing monster. Where was his opponent? Another pause, looking down in marvel at the black hair. What was this color! It shone like a mirror, yet it had no real shade of it's own! He pondered this as Master rolled over, the electric blue locking on the sapphire. DM tilted his head, studying her face like a painter with his pallet. All of these new colors, just on master's face alone! The only color he really knew was the color of red, and he couldn't compare any of these new tints to those he knew before. . .

Well, except for master's face. That was red alright!

He sat up, tilting his head with a small smile, like a curious child in an adult's body.

An entirely nude adult body.

Ashai let out a high pitched squeak, scrambling away in alarm at this entirely clothing-less man sitting in front of her, who staring at her like a confused purple haired dog.

Wait….PURPLE HAIR?!?!

Her shock relaxed about three hairs, staring at his shoulders, especially his face, trying her best NOT to look downward. Her blush faded almost immediately, recognizing that usually smirking face.

"….Dar…Dark Magi-gition?" Her head fell, her fingers rubbing her temples.

'Oh god….what am I going to do now….?'

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Finally! That chapter is DONE! ^^ Give me feed back, what do you think? Should I continue? It all depends on you, the reader!