[KO: Hiya! KO here with--
Terri: {sarcastically} Really? Could it possibly be you, KO? This is posted on your bio….
KO: -.-' Like I said, KO here with chapter 2 of Friends to the End, or the End of Friends? From now on, the story will be known as FEEF!
Terri: Have I mentioned I hate you?
KO: Repeatedly. Anyway, I think I'm gonna have to change my translation indicators, since FF.net has decided to screw everything up with their QuickEdit....From now on, translations will be bold. Now, on with the fic!]
Chapter 2 - Something Missing
At the Kame Game shop
"Sybil, where did Terri go?" Yami asked as his sister walked in, looking hurt and a bit dazed.
"I don't know," she murmured, barely audible. "All I know is that she left Domino City."
"What happened back there?" Yugi put in. "She looked like she was ready to either start crying or punch somebody."
"Most likely a combination of the two. Oh, Ra, I should've stopped them!" she moaned, sinking into a chair with her head in her hands.
"Stopped who?"
"Terri and Iris! I should have done something to stop them, but I had to let them vent! Why did I have to be such a baka?!"
"It's not your fault, Sybil," Iris said, walking back in, fists clenched. "You know how stubborn she is."
"Part of it does come from me, Iris," Sybil said, standing. She kept a cool tone, her narrowed, crimson eyes the only outward sign of her anger.
"Not enough to make her act like that. Yami, Yugi," she greeted stiffly, nodding to them before quickly walking upstairs.
Whatever did happen must've been bad. I've never seen Sybil that mad at Iris, Yugi said worriedly.
I don't believe I've ever seen her angry at Iris at all, Yami replied. She's--was, rather--almost as close to Iris as Terri herself.
I know. Like I said, it must have been really bad to make Terri leave town.
Elsewhere...."Sumimasen, what time is the next train out of town?"
"Ano, that depends; where did you plan on going?"
"It doesn't matter, really; just far and fast. How much would it cost to get me to...ano, what about...Nagano?"
"Nagano? Aren't you a bit young to be going that far?"
"I'm actually 17; I'm just shorter than most people my size," Terri said with a touch of almost undetectable indignation, pulling out her driver's license as proof. "So, how much is the ticket?"
"It comes to...27, 938.29 yen. Are you sure you really want to go that far?"
"Hai, I'm sure. The farther, the better when you're leaving everything behind."
"Leaving everything behind? What happened? Oh, and the next train to Nagano doesn't leave for a few hours."
"Great," she sighed dejectedly. "Just fantastic." She checked her watch. 5:27 PM. "When you say 'a few hours,' how long are we talkin' about here?"
"It leaves at eight sharp, miss. So, what happened to make you want to go to Nagano?"
"It's complicated....I had a...difference of opinions with an...acquaintance...of mine," she said uneasily.
"'Difference of opinions?' Y'know, that's normally slang for--"
"Iie--iie, I didn't kill anyone! I just meant I got into an enormous argument with someone who was once my friend," she said, looking out over Domino City's harbor. "Everything had been building up over the months, and we just let it out all at once. I hate to leave my other friends, but if I stay I'm worried I might seriously hurt someone. Do you know where I can find something to pass the time? I don't have any plans for the next few hours...."
"Well, there's a store across the street; they sell a bunch of games and books."
"Oh, dômo; that'll be good," she replied, jogging across the street and quickly buying a few magazines, a copy of Fahrenheit 451, and a book of crossword puzzles before returning to the train station. Un, that'll work, she thought. This can keep my mind off everything. Now, will it last through the wait and the ride? she mused, frowning. Oh, well, it'd better; I really don't feel like buying any more.... She gave a halfhearted laugh at her own lethargy.
Back in Domino City, the next day"Oi, Sybil, you look depressed," Jou noted when said yami met the group at Burger World on their lunch break. (A/N: I'm guessing the high school lets them off-campus for lunch.) She didn't reply. "Oi! Sybil? You in there?" he asked, waving a hand in front of her face until she sent him a withering stare.
"I'm fine, Jonouchi," she said slowly and deliberately, her eyes slowly returning to their normal indigo.
"Ah, gomen!" he said hurriedly, drawing back as if she were on fire.
"Iie, I should be apologizing; I overreacted," she quickly corrected, shaking her head.
"Sore de kamaimasen," he shrugged. "But seriously, what's up? You're acting like someone died or something."
"Is it something wrong with Terri? She wasn't at school today," Anzu said, concern in her voice.
"She won't be anymore." Sybil glared pointedly at Iris, her eyes rapidly reverting to an eerie scarlet red. Iris coolly gazed back, then, with infuriating calm, stood, and sauntered out of the restaurant.
"Sybil? Sybil?! Sybil, calm down!" Anzu said urgently, putting her hands over the former queen's own quivering fists.
"Gomen nasai; I should never have let her get to me," she replied, blinking slowly to clear the haze from her eyes, which were gradually recovering their sapphire hue. She sighed shakily and leaned forward, resting her forehead in her hands.
"Sybil, what happened? Why won't Terri be going to school anymore?"
"Because she no longer lives here."
"Nani?!" she, Jou, and Honda repeated in shock.
"Terri has left Domino City," she reiterated sadly.
"Dôshite?" Jou asked.
"She and Iris...they got into an argument yesterday, and Terri left for fear of seriously injuring Iris, who seems to show absolutely no remorse for what happened." For the third time in as many minutes, her eyes began to redden.
"Sybil, calm down," Yami said warningly. She growled in frustration and shook her head again, trying to maintain her composure.
"Why didn't you go after her?" Honda asked.
"She asked me not to, and I respect her enough to honor that request."
"Any idea where she went?" Jou questioned.
"Iie," she responded softly, lowering her eyes. "All she said was that she had to leave, that she may or may not be back, and not to follow her."
"Well, she never said anything about me, did she? I'm not afraid to go after her!" he replied with conviction.
"Neither am I; as I said, it's out of respect that I didn't go after her, not fear. Besides, even if you do find her, you may be doing more harm than good by doing so."
"Well, only one way to find out," he said determinedly. "Wish me luck, everyone, 'cause I'm leaving tomorrow!"
"Are you sure, Jou?" Yugi asked. "Who knows how long it could take to find her?"
"Well, like I said, only one way to find out!" he shrugged, undeterred.
"What would you do financially?" Sybil asked.
"I've still got the leftover prize money from Duelist Kingdom."
"Transportation?" she pressed.
"I can rent a car or take a bus."
"May I speak with you in private?" she sighed. Without waiting for an answer, she dragged him out of earshot. "Do you truly insist on proceeding with this, Jonouchi?" she asked gravely, looking him straight in the eye with an expression that seemed to bore through his soul. "You realize how much danger this could put you in, don't you? Even after you find her, if you find her, you could still be in jeopardy. When she left, she was angry enough to kill; she could take it out on the nearest person. Even--"
"To kill? I've seen her mad before, but mad enough to kill?"
"Trust me, Jonouchi, I saw it in her eyes. I've only seen that kind of fury twice in her, and one of those times, it had the desired result. The other time was dangerously close as well."
"What times?"
"The first was in her soul room the day she dueled Kaiba, when he almost strangled her." She unconsciously brought a hand to her own throat. Quickly realizing what she was doing, she snapped it down, bringing it to a fist at her side. "The second...the second was when Millennia's vessel attacked you." She practically spat the word, unwilling to call Meg Grayson either by name or a hikari of any kind. "Both times, she had a mad look in her eyes. I'm sure you remember the second time, and my own emotions mirrored hers the first."
He swallowed hard. "Un, I remember now."
"If you want to reconsider, I won't hold it against you--"
"Iie! I said I was going after her, so I will!" he cut in fiercely.
"Are you sure, beyond a shadow of a doubt?"
"Un, I told you already! Do you want to come or not? If you do, I'd suggest getting packed tonight. I'll be leaving early."
"Iie, I can't follow her."
"Dôshite iya na no?"
"Believe me, I would if I could, but she asked me not to, and I made a vow to her, if not aloud. My word is my word, and I stand by it. I may regret my decision now, but I value her trust, so I refuse to go back on my promise, no matter what." To Jou's shock, she hurriedly brushed away a tear! "Now, I'll ask you one last time: are you absolutely positive you want to go through with this?"
"Hai."
"Then I wish you the best of luck on your journey. Terri's lucky to have a friend who cares as much about her as you do."
"Well, so does everyone else," he said, blushing a bit.
"As do I, but you're willing to travel the entire country to reassure yourself of her well-being. Come to the Game shop before you leave; I have some advice to give you then."
"All right."
[KO: There, chapter 2 done!
Terri: Yay.
KO: Well, since I can't think of anything for my usual comedy routine, I'll just cut straight to the chase....
Translations from Japanese
Baka - Idiot
Sumimasen - Excuse me
Ano - Uh; um
Dômo - Thanks
Un - Yeah
Oi - Hey
Gomen - Sorry (less formal)
Sore de kamaimasen - Don't worry about it
Nani - What
Dôshite - Why
Dôshite iya na no - Why not
$250 in US dollars; $342.52 in Canadian dollars; ₤137.84 in UK pounds]