WSJ: .......*turns to glare at Brood* I SO hate you, you know? Curse you for making me write this chapter...!

Brood: *cackles*

WSJ: *looks thoughtful* I wonder if Phantom-san has any spare chandeliers...

Brood: Muahahahahaha.........I just thought I'd throw in some fun things for our lovely plot....

WSJ: *glares!*

Disclaimer: *Brood shoves CJ onto the screen, dressed in a cute chibi-version of his detective outfit*

CJ: Bwood & Wingleadew don't won Yugioh!!! *looks at Brood* Can I go now?

()()()()()

Otogi slipped back into the office to find Jou sipping his tea and reading over his notes, making additional notes in the margins whenever he saw fit. Since the detective was so engrossed in the report he was preparing to send down to Ryou, he didn't notice the self-saticfied smirk on Otogi's face. The raven-haired man took a seat again, waiting politely for Jou to finish up and turn his attention back to him. After several moments of scribbling, Jou looked up again. "Sorry, keep talkin'. You said you could hear what he was mumblin'?"

"Sorta." Otogi said. "I only caught snatches as I was walking by, but it sounded like he was saying something about wishing he could save her, but she just wouldn't listen."

"Her," Jou mused. "Who's 'her'?"

Otogi shrugged. "I don't know. Like I said, I could only hear bits of what he was saying. After awhile he just got up and suddenly left, and he looked angry. I happened to be standing by the door when he passed, and he was saying something about 'paying him back for all he'd done to her'."

Jou's eyes widened as he hurridly made a few more notes. 'This can't be right,' he thought. 'From this it sounds like Umino didn't kill her. But then... who did?'

Jou swallowed and pushed his cup of tea away, suddenly naucious. At first this case had just seemed cut and dried, but now... "Thanks Otogi, you've been a big help. I'll let you know if I need anything else, okay?"

"Sure," Otogi said, nodding and standing to leave. "Anytime Jounochi-kun," he smirked slightly. "Any time..."

~*~

Somehow, Shizuka managed to get through the rest of the day without acting too aired out and distracted, although Ryou and Jou both asked her several times if she was feeling okay. Thankfully though, Ryou was distracted from pursuing the idea after Jou gave him the case file, which he eagerly began to dig through, and which kept him occupied the rest of the evening. Leaving him in his room, Jou and Shizuka made themselves comfortable in the den to watch a movie. Jou was soon so busy cheering for the hobbits that he didn't notice if Shizuka was acting a little more spacey than normal.

Long after she left Jou snoring on the couch, Shizuka was still laying awake, unable to sleep. Every time she closed her eyes she saw them. They were so different, but still so much alike. White hair and black, tan skin and pale, one was a lowly clerk and detective-in-training, and the other co-owned his own business. One was rich, the other had stumbled off the street. But then again.... One had kissed her, the other just flirted. One was nice and sweet and kind, the other she barely knew. The choice should be so obvious, yet still...

She rolled over. She hadn't even gotten to know Otogi Ryuuji yet. She could make her decisions later. And besides! She was only eighteen...

Finally she gave up on sleep and sat up. Stepping into her slippers she made her way downstairs, flipping off the TV which had since gone to static and covering Jou with a light blanket as she went through. She peeked around Ryou's partially open door and had to bite her lip to keep herself from yelling at him. All the drawings from his desk were gone, stacked neatly on a shelf over the dresser. Instead, it was Jou's case file scattered across the desk top. Ryou had obviously fallen asleep while making some notes of his own, because he was hunched over the desk with a pen clutched loosly in one hand, snoring lightly.

"I don't know why I even bother!" Shizuka whispered feircly to herself, throwing up her hands in disgust. Making her way across the dark room, she gently shook Ryou by the shoulder. "Ryou? Ryou-kun?"

"Mmmh?" he asked, stirring slightly under her hands. "I dun' wanna get up yet..."

"It's not even morning yet, you jerk," Shzuka whispered. "You fell asleep at your desk, and there's no way that's good for your stitches. Come on, get into bed."

Ryou allowed himself to be pulled out of his chair and shuffled toward the bed, yawning widely and brushing hair out of his eyes. In a matter of a few minutes Shizuka had him into bed, and he was already mostly asleep again. "G'night 'Zuka-chan... See ya' tomorrow..."

"Good night Ryou," she said softly, closing the door behind her as she left. She stood in the hallway for quite awhile, Ryou's doorknob digging into her lower back as she stared out the nearby window at the stars. What was she going to do?

~*~

The next morning, Shizuka was awake before either of the men, and was puttering restlessly around the kitchen when they came stumbling in, rubbing their eyes and yawning.

"I smell food..." Jou drawled, running his hand through tangled blond hair as he plopped down on a kitchen chair, blinking sleepily at his sister.

"What time is it?" Ryou asked, rubbing his eyes and reaching for the coffee pot.

"Almost seven." Shizuka said, checking on the waffles she had cooking. "You're up early."

"How could we stay asleep when it smelled so good?" Jou whined, looking plaintively at the waffle maker. Shizuka and Ryou both chuckled, knowing well Jou's love of good food. In a few minutes the waffles were ready, and Ryou was a bit more awake after the application of generous amounts of coffee.

"So what are your plans today, Jou-sama?" Ryou asked, sopping up some loose syrup on his plate with the last bit of waffle. "It looks to me like your two main suspects are Nephrite and this Umino guy."

Jou nodded thoughtfully, setting his fork down and leaning back in his chair. "Yeah, but we can't rule out those girls either. Naru was Usagi's best friend, so any of them could have killed her out of jealousy."

Ryou wrinkled his forehead in confusion. "They'd kill her just because of a friendship?"

Jou shrugged. "Who knows the way a woman's mind works."

"Hey!" Shizuka protested good-naturedly, planting her hands on her hips. Then she laughed and relaxed. "Well, you might be home by yourself part of today, Ryou-kun. I have some errands to run. I'll probably leave around noon, grab lunch on the town, and be back about two or three. Will you be okay by yourself?"

Ryou nodded, chuckling dispite himself. "I think I'll make it."

Jou stood up to put his plate in the sink, then grabbed Ryou by the arm. "Come on, I want to go over the case with you. Maybe you can see something I missed." The two of them disappeared into Ryou's room where the case file was still spread out. Shizuka laughed a little and shook her head. It was never dull when you lived with a PI.

She managed to keep herself busy with chores most of the morning. When she got ready to leave, she knocked on Ryou's door and yelled through the wood that she was on her way out. She got a muffled reply that sort-of sounded like "okay", and left it at that.

It was only a short drive to the cafe, and Shizuka had her own car, so she didn't need to borrow Jou's huge black monstrosity. As she pulled into the parking lot she saw Otogi waiting outside on a bench next to the door. He was dressed casually, in a pair of black slacks and a white button-up shirt with a dark purple vest that brought out his eyes. Shizuka climbed out of her car and blushed when she realized Otogi was holding roses. Quickly she glanced at her reflection in the car window, and decided she looked good enough for just a casual lunch meeting (she refused to call it a "date"). She was wearing a knee-length powder pink skirt with a white polo shirt and black suspenders. Her hair was pulled back into a long ginger tail that she could almost sit on.

Otogi stood up as he saw her coming, and shifted nervously from foot to foot. "Hello Miss Jounochi, I'm glad you could make it."

Shizuka laughed in an attempt to hide her own nervousness. "Please Otogi-san, just call me Shizuka." The businessman nodded. There was a short, uncomfotable pause, until Otogi seemed to remember something.

"Oh!" he held out the flowers toward her. "These are for you."

"Thank you," she said, shyly taking the roses from him. "You didn't have to."

He smiled at her, the same smile that had wooed many a woman. "Of course I did."

Shizuka blushed and ducked her face under the pretence of entering the cafe. Malik led them to a corner booth and waited politely as Shizuka looked over the menu. Otogi, of course, knew what they served here from back to front. Malik took their orders and then the Egyptian trotted off toward the kitchens, trying to keep his snickerings to a minimum. It was a Friday afternoon, so the cafe was fairly busy. A young woman with lavendar hair was waiting tables and ferrying orders back to the two men working in the kitchens as Malik lounged behind the counter, working the cash register.

"I thought it was just you and Malik that worked here." Shizuka said, surprised.

Otogi shook his head. "The guys in the kitchens are always there, and usually me and Malik-kun handle everything out here. But we've been so busy lately we hired Miho on as part time. And I have to say, it has been nice having the extra help."

Shizuka nodded absently, glancing around the cafe. Its walls were a soft, ambiant blue, and the ceiling was patterned with clouds. Paintings and drawings of various subjects hung on the walls. Music was playing quietly in the background, probably something of Malik's choosing, as it had a decidedly Middle-Eastern flavor to it. The seats were all upholstered in real cloth, a fine dark blue with abstract swirls of a slightly lighter blue. The tables were all a light blue mock-marble. "This place is really nice."

"Thank you." Otogi said, obviously pleased. He smiled at her. "Really though, the design was mostly Malik's idea. I just supplied the cloth for the chairs."

"What made you decide to go into business?" Shizuka asked, beginning to get over her nervousness.

"That's easy," Malik said, making his way over to them with their orders balanced on a tray he carried in one hand. "My sister and brother are both really gung-ho on people-helping. My sister Isis is a nurse and a captain in the Domino Police, and my big brother Rashiid teaches gym and Middle East history over at Domino High. Both of them are quite a bit older than me, so when I finally got old enough to work I had all these huge expectations piled on top of me." He shrugged and set down their food. "'Togi-kun and I went to college together in Cairo, so after he came home and I decided to move over here myself, it just seemed natural that we'd go into business together." He grinned at her and winked, and then backed off to go handle another customer.

Shizuka turned toward Otogi with wide eyes. "You went to school in Egypt?"

Otogi grinned and nodded. "My parents are rich, and they thought it would be a good experience for me to go overseas for college. In their opinion, America is too stuck-up, England is too far away, Russia's too cold, and China doesn't have enough women," he rolled his eyes dramaticly. "My father's opinion, not my mother's. Anyway, they finally thought of asking me where I might like to go, so I ended up rooming with Malik at Cairo University for four years. Both of us have got degrees in business management. I really wanted to come home and open a game shop, but like Malik said, his family's big on public service, so we started up a resturant instead." He winked and took a sip of his milk shake. "And what a good idea it was!"

Shizuka blinked. "Hold on... If you went to four years of college in Cairo... just how old are you?"

Otogi face-faulted. "Malik and I are both twenty-six." he admitted grudgingly. "You?"

Shizuka found herself blushing. Ryou would be turning twenty-one in a couple months. At least he was closer to her age. "I'm only eighteen."

Otogi blinked at her, as if he hadn't realized she was that young. "Wow, shouldn't you still be in school then?"

Shizuka nodded, looking down at her hands. "I've graduated high school already, and I'm taking classes at the communtiy college just outside of Domino. I'm probably not going to go to university though."

"Why not?"

Shizuka shrugged helplessly. "My big brother Jou's a detective. He's always getting into one scrape or another. Did you hear about the car bombing a few months ago that killed..." she bit her lip, stumbling over the name of the so recently departed friend "That killed M-mariah-chan? Jou could have just as easily been in that car with her! And now that Ryou-kun's around Jou's likely to get into twice as many scrabbles, probably dragging poor Ryou along for the ride. Someone with a sensible head on her shoulders has got to be around to bandage their wounds and knock some common sense into those heads!"

Otogi leaned back in his chair, his eyebrows raised way up into his headband. "Oh, I see," he said, smiling shrewdly at her. "Is that how it is?"

"How what is?" Shizuka asked, trying to fend off a blush.

Otogi clasped his hands together, imitating Shizuka. "Ryou-kun this, Ryou-kun that, oh Ryou-kun!"

"It's not like that at all!" Shizuka said, her cheeks a bright scarlett. "He just stays at our house. He's an orphan with no money, he hasn't got any place else to go!"

"Ohhh!" Otogi cooed. "What a classic story! The freeloader falls in love with the maiden of the household." he placed a hand to his heart. "Such a touching romance."

"He's not a freeloader!" Shizuka defended him. "What were Jou and I supposed to do, leave him on the street to die? And we are not a couple!" 'Not yet, anyway...'

So fast she didn't have time to react, Otogi had leaned across the table and taken her chin gently in his hand. "Then what about me?"

And he kissed her.

~*~

"Cut! Run the scene again! Anzu-chan, I need to get more passion from you!"

Anzu smiled sweetly at her father/director from her place on stage. "Yes daddy!"

Amoura and Gwen, both of whom were sitting in the wings, groaned. Gwen dropped her head into her hands. "I swear she keeps messing up on purpose so she gets to play this scene over and over." the American muttered. "And he's my husband."

Amoura sighed and patted her friend on the shoulder as Anzu and Hiro got ready to run through the kissing scene again. "At zis rate, ve von't be on stage for another two hours. Vant to go for coffee?"

Gwen brightened and stood up, waving to her uncomfortable husband and winking. He gave her a 'don't-leave-me-here' distressed look, but Gwen ignored him as she and Amoura grabbed their coats and headed for the door, telling Director Mazaki they'd be back in an hour or so. Thirty seconds later they emmerged into the afternoon sun and turned left, heading toward the cafe that was only a block or so down from the theatre.

"I vish Ryou vas still around..." Amoura sighed. "He vas zee only one zat could stand up to Anzu and not get chewed out by zee director..."

"And a hell of a lot good that did him..." Gwen muttered, shoving her hands angrily into her pockets. "There are days I just want to shove Anzu-baka off the stage for what she did to him! I wish we could convince him to come back some how."

"'Ee 'as a good job now, vith zat detective. And besides, Anzu vould zee to it zat 'e got run off again if 'e ever came back." Amoura pointed out sadly. "I never understood why she 'ated 'im zo much."

Gwen snickered a little. "Maybe because he always got the parts she wanted?" The two actresses laughed, but it was strained. Neither of them wanted to think about that production. That was when all the trouble had started...

They soon reached the cafe and went inside, only to find the usual after-lunch crowd. A pair of teenage girls toting sketch pads and manga were louging next to the big picture window. A trio of blue-uniformed policemen apparently on their coffee break were sitting at a booth near the door, chatting amiably with one another. Miho the waitress was standing next to the counter, talking to Malik. Over in the corner was Otogi Ryuji, the other owner of the coffee shop, with a young woman that looked vaguely familiar.

"Is that Jounochi Shizuka?" Gwen asked. "The sister of that guy Ryou works for?"

The name clicked with the face and Amoura nodded. "Oui, it is. I 'ope Otogi isn't bugging 'er too much, I zink Ryou really likes 'er."

Gwen shrugged and took off her jacket, sitting down at a small table near the counter. "None of our business."

Amoura nodded. "Vhat do you vant, Gven? I'll get it for us." Gwen gave her her order, and the green-haired girl started toward Malik at the cash register, rummaging through her purse for loose change. She gave the Egyptian propetier their orders, and he called them back to the men working in the kitchen.

"You could have had Miho come take your orders, you know," Malik told her, winking. "Guess you just couldn't resist coming to see my pretty face, eh?"

Amoura snorted, her mouth curving upward into a smile despite herself. "Dream on!"

"Aw, come on now," Malik said, reaching across the counter to grab her wrist. "You find me attractive!"

"No vay, you snake," Amoura said playfully. She, Gwen, and Hiro came to this cafe a lot, and all three of them knew Malik and Otogi quite well. "You should know me by now, I 'ave much better taste zen zat!"

Malik pretended to look hurt. "Oh cherie, that cuts me to the quick, it does," Raising her hand to his face, he placed a kiss on it and then let go, pretending to ignore Amoura's blush. "So where's Hiro-kun today?"

Amoura glanced up at him and simply told him. Malik's eyes widened and his face broke into a smirk. "Oh. Tell him I send my sympathies."

The two chatted a while longer, until Amoura's and Gwen's orders came, and Malik helped the French maiden carry them back to the table. Then he had to get back to work before Miho decided to skin him. They were already short one hand today, what with Otogi on his date over in the corner.

Gwen and Amoura stayed at the shop a awhile longer, talking together about nothing in particular, the way that very good friends do. Suddenly Gwen elbowed her friend and hissed "'Moura, look! That scum of a dice-dealer is kissing Ryou's girl!"

Amoura sweatdropped. "Gven, ve do not know if she is his girl. Juzt because zey live in zee zame 'ouse..."

Gwen waved it off. "Oh of course she's not his girl, not yet. But did you see the way he kept looking at her while we were there the other day? The way his eyes followed her around the room? He's completely smitten with her! I think we should at least tell him that she's taken, so he won't wind up with a broken heart."

"Don't you zink you are over reacting just a bit, Gven?" Amoura asked as Gwen pulled her up out of her seat, the over-enthusiastic blond practicly dragging her toward the door.

"No way," Gwen said, shaking her head. "Ryou-kun's lived too hard a life already, he doesn't need to add heartbreak to the list."

Amoura sighed and let herself be dragged in the direction of Jounochi Katsuya's house.

~*~

Ryou and Jou spent the morning going over the case file with a fine toothed comb, Ryou laying in his bed and Jou sitting in a chair next to it, papers strewn over both their laps. Sometime after Shizuka left, around noon, they hit on a new lead that neither of them had noticed before. Jou left to chase it almost immediately, leaving Ryou alone.

The white haired ex-actor sighed, then winced and placed a hand over his stitches. He really hoped they healed soon, they were beginning to get seriously annoying. Fishing his sketchbook out of the mess of paper on his bed, he settled back against the pillows and took up a pencil. He doodled for nearly an hour, until the doorbell rang.

He nearly yelled for Shizuka to get it, before he remembered that she was out running her errands.

Grumbling slightly, one hand pressed against his injured stomach, Ryou hauled himself out of bed to go answer it. He stopped in the livingroom and glanced briefly up at the picture that was hanging over the fireplace. It'd been taken about two weeks ago, just before the whole Winner fiasco started. It was the three of them, Ryou and Shizuka and Jounochi. Ryou smiled slightly, realizing that he really was part of the family now.

The doorbell rang again and Ryou snapped out of his musings, hurrying to go answer it. He was pleasently surprised to see Gwen and Amoura on the other side. Gwen looked annoyed, and Amoura was rolling her eyes. "Well hello, what are you two doing here?"

Gwen frowned as Ryou ushered them inside. "Ano, Ryou... We have something to tell you..."

"We just don't want you to be hurt," Amoura said quietly as the three of them took seats on the couches in the livingroom.

Ryou looked surprised, and then chuckled. "Oh, these scratches? They're nothing big. I'm fine, really. And you can't talk me into leaving, either. Jou-sama and Shizuka need me here."

"We... we weren't talking about that kind of hurt." Gwen said, looking down at her hands. She'd been the one to suggest this, but now that she was here she didn't want to be. She could just imagine the look on Ryou's face when she told him about Shizuka and Otogi... "You do know, don't you Ryou, that Shizuka has a boyfriend?"

Ryou felt like all the air had been knocked out of him. "What?! Is this some kind of... of a joke, Gwen-chan?"

Gwen shook her head, still looking down at her hands. "I'm afraid not, Ryou-kun. Amoura and I went to Café de Caire and they were there on a date or something. We saw them kiss."

For a moment both girls thought Ryou was going to faint, but then his face transformed into a look of anger. It wasn't often that Ryou Hiroki got mad, but when he did you'd better watch out. "She lied to me... Who was she with?"

Amoura and Gwen exchanged glances. Did they really want to read about a murder in tomorrow's paper? "...."

Ryou frowned. "Never mind, I'll just find out myself. Thanks for telling me, you guys. Say hi to Hiro-kun for me."

This was obviously a dismissal, so the two women got up and left, casting wary glances back toward their friend. Hopefully he wouldn't do anything too stupid.

Once they were gone Ryou couldn't sit still, so he got up and paced around the room like a caged beast, snarling and wondering what had gotten into Shizuka. It was about a half an hour more before he heard Shizuka's car turn into the driveway, and he frowned, crossing his arms. Soon enough there was the jingle of keys in the door, and Shizuka came in, an unidentifiable look on her face. She froze at the acidic tone in Ryou's voice when he spoke.

"Need any help carrying your shopping bags, Shizuka-chan?"

The words hung in the air like smoke rings as Shizuka's jaw dropped. "What's gotten into you, Ryou?"

"You lied to me!" Ryou accused. "You said you were going shopping, but instead you were out trouncing with some guy!"

"How would you know?" Shizuka gasped. "I only went out with him to be nice, because he asked me! Were you spying on me, Ryou Hiroki?"

"No!" Ryou said. "I can't believe you would think that! Gwen and Amoura were in the cafe, and they saw you two, so they thought they should come tell me. And that's another thing! Why the hell were you kissing him if you only went out with him 'to be nice'?" The sarcasm was heavy on the last few words.

Shizuka gasped. She'd never heard Ryou cuss before, and certainly not at her. Her lower lip trembled, but she forced it to stay still, replacing the flood of tears with sudden anger instead. "Did you just assume that? He kissed me!"

"But you didn't pull away."

Shizuka flinched. She hadn't. "Well it's not like you and I are steady or anything! That kiss between you and I was just in the moment."

Ryou swore again. She thought their kiss meant nothing? "So the instant some big beef cake comes along you drop me like two cent cheese and run off with him?!"

"Otogi Ryuuji is not just some low-brained, hormone driven male, but I'm beginning to think you are!" Shizuka said, her voice rising to a yell. "And I think you're just jealous!"

"I am not jealous!" Ryou yelled, his fists clenched at his sides. They were making an awful racket, but no one was around to hear. "You little loud-mouthed fickle female!"

Shizuka screamed something unintelligible at him, and a moment later Ryou was rocked back on his heels from a sound slap and Shizuka was stomping up the stairs to her room.

~*~

As Jou squealed down the road in his Wonder Baby (that's what he called his car. Someone else had named it for him, and he'd hated it, but for some reason, it had stuck.), he swore to himself. How could he have overlooked such a thing!? Sure, he'd only called in for a complete history on the two men the other day, but why did he have to dig this up himself? This was a huge thing, surely it wouldn't have been left out of the files he was sent on purpose!

"Two years in a mental institution....why didn't the police pick up on that!?"

He slammed his breaks in front of the police station, and cut the engine. In a flash, he was inside and barreling towards the offices where Bakura and the Motou brothers were.

"Stop where you are."

The low, calculating voice behind him made him screech to a halt. "Seto Kaiba, I ain't in the mood to mess with ya right now. I've got a lead on this case and I don't need...."

"Is that what you're in a hurry about? I figured that your little sister had thrown a stick and you were trying to fetch it for her........" Seto shifted his weight, leaning against the doorframe he was in, and smirked at Jou.

"Can it, Kaiba! I gotta get this evidence to the police here! In fact, why are YOU here anywa......."

"LET ME GO!!!!! I DIDN'T DO IT!!!!!! WHY WON'T YOU LET ME TELL YOU THE TRUTH! I WOULD NEVER KILL NARU-CHAN!!!!!!!"

"Calm down Umino-san, we never said that, we just want you for questioning and you're being unreasonable....."

Jou's head whipped around. They had Umino in here? Shoving past Kaiba, ignoring his indignant cry, Jou rushed to the voices heading for the interrogation room. Catching up with the small group of officers, Jou found who he was looking for.

"Hey! Bakura! Get over here! I got some new stuff for ya!!" Jou waved the files and shoved over to the white-haired officer.

"JOUNOCHI! Can't you see we have a suspect right here!?" Bakura looked up from where he was trying to calm Umino, but the word "suspect" set the bespectacled man off again.

"SUSPECT!!?? I DIDN'T KILL NARU-CHAN! I DIDN'T I DIDN'T I DIDN'T!!!!"

Bakura turned from where he was snapping at Jou and went back to Umino. "Hey hey hey, we didn't say that, okay...now just go in there and sit down, alright? Calm down..."

Jou edged up behind the smaller Motou brother and nudged him. "Hey, Yugi, check this out, okay? Get it to your brother and Bakura as soon as you guys get Science boy here calmed down.....I got questions of my own..."

Yugi looked up and Jou and peeked at the file in his hand. His eyes expanded at what was on the paper clipped to the front. "Oro....? I don't believe this....." He took the file and looked over at Bakura. "Ano, Bakura, you really have to see this...."

Bakura sighed and whispered at the officers and Jou so only they could hear. "Guys, Umino here is gonna have to calm down in a cell for tonight. There's no way we're getting anything out of him like he is."

Jou hissed back, "Are you bringin' in Nephrite too?"

Bakura nodded. "Just as soon as we can get a hold of him. Apparently he's visiting family in Kyoto for a day or two, so once we can find him, we're bringing him in."

Jou nodded. "Call me tomorrow when you're ready to question Umino. Like I said to Yugi, I have questions to ask him too."

Bakura nodded again, and Jou simply turned and walked back to his car.

~*~

I sure was surprised when I got home that night. Man, what a cold reception. Ryou was locked in his room, and everytime I mentioned his name Shizzy-chan'd get all kinda stiff and wooden. I wondered if they'd had a fight or something, but neither one of 'em was telling me. Hopefully they'll get it worked out, I'm under enough stress as it is.

When I went into Ryou's room to get the case file later on, the kid was already asleep. It looked like he'd been in the middle of a drawin'. I couldn't help but glance at it as I collected all the papers from the file. Man, that picture was pretty good. It was Shizuka, 'cept she had devil horns and a tail and was applying lipstick, while a whole line of men waiting on her trailed off the page. Usually I'd have yelled at him for drawin' somethin' like that about my sister, but I guessed this was their own business. Jeez, that must have been one hell of a fight.

~*~

Ryou moaned slightly in his sleep, and finally woke up, his face contorted in pain. Rolling out of bed and trying to muffle his cries of pain, he shuffled into the small bathroom he had to himself and flipped on the light. He cursed for the third time that day as he saw blood seeping through his pajama shirt. There was probably quite a bit on his sheets, too. Trying not to yelp as the motion stretched his skin, he pulled of his shirt, already knowing what had happened.

He was right. All that screaming and stomping around earlier in the day and then the slap from Shizuka had made him pull his stitches. The wound in his stomach was oozing blood, and the one in his shoulder had completely reopened. He knew he should call Jou and Shizuka, have them take him back to the hospital to get re-stitched, but he'd be damned if he was going to give Shizuka that satisfaction.

Pulling open the cabinet, he grabbed a roll of gauze and started to bandage himself back up. He didn't know what he was going to do with the bloodied sheets and shirt, but no way would he let Shizuka see them. He was stronger then a few measly gunshots. Never in a million years would he let Shizuka see a potential weakness (forget that she'd already nursed him back to health twice!).

He could handle this on his own.

()()()()()

WSJ: *sweatdrops and looks up at the chapter* Is that hints of Amoura/Malik I see? This is, what, the third love intrest she's had in three stories? In yours she's in love with Seto, in mine she's in love with Bakura, and now this! Yeesh!

Brood: What can I say, when I made Amoura, I made a playa. She needs a nice Red Wine Pimpin' set from Go-Gaia.com......... *eyes widen and she rushes off to find her sketchpad*

Zutsokaki: Oh great. We've gotten her started. By the way, she's been muttering something about "website" lately. Do you know what she means?

God bless minna-san!