Six Years Later:

Seto rushed around the Palace, looking in rooms, closets, sarcophaguses... anywhere a young child might hide.

"Koujo? Koujo, damn it, where are you? Your father's going to kill me, you realize that?!" A child's giggle filled the palace halls, but as to where it was coming from- not a clue. "The Pharaoh had to leave her with me today," he muttered. "He couldn't take her to town, leave her with Jou or something. He had to leave her with me..."

"You can't find me, Onshi!" called a small voice. Seto let out an angered sigh- she called him her "honored teacher," but did not treat him as such.

"Koujo, I really don't have time for this!" he yelled. "You come out and I mean now!" He heard quick footsteps run behind him and turned around just in time to see a small figure with brown hair, wearing a white dress and gold sandals dash into the throne room. He smirked. "I have you now, Princess." He rushed into the room. "Ah-ha! Wait..." The room was empty. "What the hell..." Suddenly, he heard the door begin to creak, and seconds later, it slammed shut. Seto could hear the metal bar lock on the outside slide into place. She had been hiding behind the door. "KOUJO!"

"I caught you, Onshi!" she called, laughing to her hearts content. "I caught you!" Seto shook his head.

"Yes, Koujo," he said. "You caught me. Now let me out." Another giggle.

"No."

"Koujo, you have got to let me out. If your father comes back and I'm still in here..."

"You'll never hear the end of it." Seto let out an angered sigh and pounded his head on the door.

"Why me?" he asked himself. "Why, oh why?"

"Daddy!" Koujo ran over to him and leapt into his open arms. Yami lifted her into the air and spun her around, listening to her happy laugh. "I caught Onshi, Daddy!" she exclaimed as he set her down. "I caught him!" Yami laughed.

"Yes, you did Koujo," he said, proudly. "But, we're going to have to let him go now." She began to pout, her blue eyes narrowing as she brushed her brown hair out of her face.

"Do we have to?" Yami chuckled.

"Yes, Koujo we have to..." Seto's angry voice suddenly echoed out into the hall.

"Koujo, as soon as I get out of here, I'm turning you into a frog!" Koujo let out an "eep" and clung onto her father's leg, hiding herself in his cape.

"No frog, Daddy!" she cried. "Please, no frog!" Her father sighed.

"For that, Seto," he said in an annoyed tone. "I should leave you in there."

"For the love of Ra, I was kidding!" Koujo looked up, fear in her eyes.

"Pwomise?" she asked.

"Yeah, Seto, pwomise?" asked Yami. He heard Seto sigh.

"Yes, I promise. I won't turn you into a frog." Koujo let go of her father's leg, then cautiously walked over to the door. She grabbed hold of the handle on the metal bar and pulled it back, unlocking the door. Once she had done that, she ran back over to Yami and hid under his cape.

"'Kay, Onshi!" Seto burst out of the door, looking fit to kill. But, when he saw Koujo cowering behind her father, he softened and sighed.

"It's all right, Koujo," he said. "I'm not going to turn you into a frog. I promised, didn't I?" Koujo peeked out from behind Yami's cape, still skeptical.

"I was only playin'," she said. "I was gonna let you out... sometime." Seto flashed an evil grin and scooped her up into his arms.

"And you," he said, tickling her. "You make Anubis seem compassionate... sometimes." Koujo laughed, delightfully then begged Seto to stop. Yami shook his head- Seto could be nice. When he wanted to.

"Daddy!" squealed Koujo. "Daddy, make 'em stop!" Yami chuckled.

"All right, Seto," he said. "Put her down."

"Yeah, all right Seto!" his daughter echoed. "Put me down!" Seto rolled his eyes, but he put the young princess on the ground.

"She so much like you, it's scary," he said to Yami. "And that's not a compliment. That is the highest form of insult." Koujo stuck out her tongue and blew him a raspberry. Yami laughed.

"Well, we see what she thinks of you, Seto. What made her lock you in there, anyway?" Seto scowled and muttered something. "Beg pardon?"

"I wouldn't play dress up with her!" he exclaimed. "I wasn't about to degrade myself by wearing women's clothes and playing with dolls!"

"Jou does it!" Koujo said happily. "Jou plays with me!" Seto began to smirk.

"My point, exactly."

"Someone call my name?" Koujo turned around to see the now General Jou standing in the doorway.

"Jou!" she cried as she ran over to him. "Did you come to play with me, huh, didja?!" Jou laughed and rubbed the top of her head with his hand, messing up her hair.

"Sorry, Princess," he said. "But I've got to talk to your dad about some things." Koujo nodded sadly, then grabbed Seto's hand.

"C'mon Onshi! You said you'd teach me a new spell!"

"Oh lord, not again..." As Koujo dragged Seto off, Jou looked at Yami and shook his head.

"The word is," he stated plainly. "If you don't sign the treaty, Titan will come after Princess Koujo." Yami let out an angered groan. Titan was the Emperor of Sudan and had been trying to hustle Yami into giving up some of his power and lands in return for peace. This was the first time Titan had ever gotten personal.

"Their treaty is preposterous," Yami cried. "I lose all my lands, my people, our honor... for what?!"

"The way Titan's playing?" asked Jou. "Your daughter's life." Yami let out an angered growl.

"They WILL NOT get my daughter. As long as I live, no harm will come to her!"

"DADDY!" Yami let out a gasp, then rushed down the hall towards Koujo's bedroom. When he stepped inside, he saw his daughter standing in front of a small tiger cub. She looked up at her father, petrified. "I didn't mean to Daddy!" she cried. "I was trying to do the float spell he taught me... I'm really sorry!" Yami let out another sigh. Seto had told him that Koujo had the potential to be a great Sorceress, but times like these really made him wonder. Then again, she was only six years old.

Right then, Jou walked in the door. He saw Koujo standing in front of the cub, her small Tiger's Head staff in her hands, and instantly put two and two together. He burst out laughing. The cub narrowed his eyes, then transformed back into Seto.

"Koujo," he said. "Remember that new spell I taught you? The transformation one?" Koujo nodded eagerly. "Good- use it on Jou. Now." Yami's eyes widened.

"Koujo, no!" But it was too late. Koujo pointed her staff at Jou.

"Inu!" There was a puff of black smoke in Jou's general area. When it cleared away, there wasn't a burnt body like Yami had expected- instead, there was a small white puppy with a black spot around his left eye and a black right paw. It was now Seto's turn to laugh... which he did.

"Now that, is funny."