Seto: *checks watch* She's late.
Joey: Well, DUH, she has school, remember?
Tristan: Hey... waiiiiiiiiit a minute... aren't we supposed to be at school, too?
Joey: ...OH MY GOD, YOU'RE RIGHT!!!
YGO crew (minus Yugi and Kurai): *make a mad dash for the studio door and get stuck in the doorway*
Yugi: -_-;;; *watches as the rest of the crew finally gets through the door* Don't they know it's the weekend?
Kurai: *sucks on a lollipop* ^___^
Shinimegami: *comes in with a HUGE pile of textbooks*
Yugi: ...homework?
Shinimegami: And lots of it. *drops the pile of books onto the floor, causing the entire studio to shake*
Kurai: *continues to eat his lollipop* ^___^
Shinimegami: *suddenly grins* But it's the weekend, so I can put off my homework until Sunday! Whee!!! *goes over to computer and finishes the chapter* DONE!!! ^-^
Yugi: That's good. ^-^
Kurai: *finishes his lollipop* Yummy! ^___^
Shinimegami: *posts chapter* Enjoy, peeps! Cuz I'm gonna go eat something since I'm STARVING...
Disclaimers: Yu-Gi-Oh... *pause of suspense* ...is not mine.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Tiny hands tugged curiously on the high collar of the small, purple turtleneck. The unusual feeling around his neck caused him only minor discomfort, but the small blue jeans and tiny black shoes felt just fine.
Kurai regarded the object in front of him with silent, childlike curiosity. He grabbed the pointed end of the brown thing, lifting it with difficulty. The small bumps along the skin of the oddly-shaped ball only increased the child's curiosity. He broke his gaze from the alien object in his hands to look up at the tall blonde across from him.
"Okay, Kurai, here's your first lesson on bein' a man!" Joey said with enthusiasm. "Learning to play football!"
It was another bright, sunny day in the city of Domino, and the entire gang was outside. The others relaxed on the green grass as Joey made his first attempt on educating Kurai on something. Kitty snoozed peacefully on a deck chair while the high schoolers bathed in the sun.
Joey walked across the length of the backyard and turned back to Kurai, who was still staring at the football in his hands.
"Alright, Kurai," Joey said, causing the chibi to look up at him. "Lesson number one: passin' da ball! Go ahead, pass it to me!" Kurai blinked and remained on the spot for about two more seconds before walking over to Joey and stopping in front of the teen, holding out the football for him to take.
Joey sighed as his friends laughed from their seats on the lawn.
"Uh, let me rephrase that," Joey said, rubbing his temple. "How about you try throwing it to me? Go on back and try it." Kurai smiled innocently and obediently walked back.
"Okay, man, let 'er rip!" Joey cried when Kurai was positioned again. Kurai raised the large ball over his head and threw it with all his might.
The football went two feet.
To the side, Tristan and Bakura broke into hysterical fits of laughter. Kurai frowned and blew raspberries at them. This seemed to only make them laugh harder. Joey jogged over and picked up the ball.
"That was okay, Kurai," Joey said, handing the football back to Kurai. "Just try throwing it a little harder now." Joey ran back to his position. When he gave the signal, Kurai raised the ball over his head again, throwing it even harder then before.
The football went a little farther, but barely.
Kurai frowned, and his blue eyes glistened with unshed tears. Joey quickly ran back over and picked up the ball.
"Don't sweat it, man, it's okay," Joey soothed, ruffling Kurai's silken locks. "It took me just as long to learn how ta throw it, too." He handed the ball to Kurai. "Come on, third time's da charm." Joey winked reassuringly and ran back.
Kurai once again lifted the ball over his head. His quick anger against the inanimate object in his hands fueled the worthwhile throw that was about to come, and he thrusted the ball forward.
Joey's eyes widened as he ducked to avoid the fast-coming football, just as Yami opened the patio door and came outside.
SMACK.
Téa covered her mouth with her hands. Tristan and Bakura stopped laughing. Yugi blanched. Joey uncovered his head and turned to look behind him. In the unusually dead silence, Kurai swallowed nervously.
Yami stood in the doorway, the football lodged in his eye. His hands twitched at his sides. No one dared to make a sound.
"Yugi."
"Um, yes, Yami..."
"Would you please call the hospital?"
Yugi took no time in standing up and running into the house to get to the phone. Joey broke the silence with an uneasy laugh.
"Eh, sorry 'bout dat, Yami..." Joey said. "We was just playin' football, and, uh-"
"Please don't talk to me, Joey," Yami said stiffly. He turned and slowly marched into the house.
Amidst the new silence, Tristan stifled a laugh. Bakura shot him a side glance. Both boys suddenly burst out laughing. Joey, unlike himself, did not join in, but instead walked over the whimpering Kurai.
"Yami mad?" he asked fearfully. Joey crouched in front of him.
"Well, yeah," he said. He quickly added, "but not at you!" when he noticed Kurai's lip tremble. Joey picked up the nervous magician and placed him on his shoulders.
"It'll be okay," he said kind-heartedly. "C'mon, let's go see how Yami's doin'..."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Yami sat alone in the waiting room of the hospital, the offending football still stuck in his left eye. He kept on his dueling face, despite the obvious pain he was in. He did not get hurt, and he never showed pain.
Yami's good eye acknowledged a girl walk into the room on crutches. She glanced at Yami, obviously noticing the object in his eye, before making her way to the empty seat next to him. She picked up a magazine from the coffee table and proceeded to read.
Silence passed. The girl occasionally glanced to the side at Yami, who continued to keep his serious expression.
"So," Yami said, breaking the silence, "what happened to you?" The girl didn't look up from her magazine.
"Car accident," she said. "Broke my leg. I'm here for a checkup." She paused. "What happened to you?"
"Football."
"Ah."
More silence.
"You like football?" the girl asked. Yami slowly turned to face her.
"Not... anymore."
The girl lowered in her seat. "Okay, I was just asking..." she said. "It's a good healthy sport, you know." Yami's good eye twitched.
"You think so?"
"Yeah."
"That's nice."
The doctor walked in. "Yami Mutou?" he called. Yami rose from his chair and walked into the next room.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Back at the Mutou residence, the gang was worried sick about Yami... not.
"HAH! I win again!"
"Man, Yuge, you always beat us!"
"What do you expect? He's a game expert."
"Oh yeah? Well, I'll show ya who's a game expert!"
Joey started another game and was soon at the mercy of Tristan and Yugi. Téa, Bakura, and Kurai sat on the couch and watched the three boys duke it out on Super Smash Bros. Melee. Kurai sat between the two teens, Kitty laying contently in his lap. The game they were watching came quickly to an end, and Yugi once again emerged victorious.
"Hey, you guys?" Téa spoke up. "Do you think Yami's okay?" The others looked over.
"Now that you mention it, he has been gone quite a while," Yugi said. "Do you think it's serious?"
"Nah, he's probably fine," Tristan said. "You can never get that guy down." Yugi smiled.
"You know, Yami's always done so much for us," he said. "Maybe we should do something for him."
"Like what?" asked Joey, turning off the GameCube.
"I dunno, maybe we could make him something..." Yugi said.
"You mean make him some food?" Joey asked eagerly. "Oh, come on, Yuge, can we? Please?!"
"It would be rather fun," Bakura agreed. "But what should we make him?" Kurai gasped in anticipation and waved his hand.
"You have an idea, Kurai?" Yugi asked. Kurai nodded. He lifted the young cat off of him and got off the couch. Grabbing Yugi's hand, he led the teen into the kitchen while the others followed. Kurai gestured to a large, red cookbook on the counter.
"What, this?" Tristan asked, taking the book down for Kurai. Kurai nodded and grabbed it, putting it on the floor. He flipped through the pages until he found what he wanted.
"Cake! Cake!" Kurai cried with excitement, pointing to a recipe. Everyone looked at the page. It was a recipe for a devil's food cake.
"Hey, a devil's food cake would be great!" Téa said.
"You're right!" Yugi agreed. "But... how did Kurai know how to look in a cookbook?"
"Who cares, let's get bakin'!" Joey cried.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Not long afterwards, almost everything was set up. A large bowl was set on the kitchen table, and ingredients were soon added into it.
"Okay, it says we need three squares of unsweetened chocolate..." Yugi said, looking at the list of ingredients. "Téa, can you take care of that?"
"Sure thing, Yugi," Téa said.
"Hmm," Yugi continued, "cake flour, salt, margarine, eggs, we have all that... oh, baking soda. Joey, can you look to see if we have any of that?"
"No prob', Yuge!" Joey said, winking. He left to go search the pantry.
"Okay, Bakura, you can boil the water," Yugi said, pointing to the white- haired teen, "and Tristan can get the frosting and the buttermilk." Both boys went to get their assigned ingredients.
Yugi suddenly felt a small tug on his pant leg. He looked down to see Kurai smiling up at him.
"Me help?" he asked with childish innocence. Yugi smiled, reaching down to pick Kurai up.
"Of course you can," Yugi said. "When we get all the stuff in the bowl, you can help stir, okay?"
"Kay!" Kurai said, hugging the teen around the neck.
Soon, the baking of the cake had begun. All of the ingredients were accounted for, and now they only needed to get the right amount of everything. Kitty was constantly watching the teenagers and the chibi as they prepared the soon-to-be treat. Every now and then he would get free samples of frosting, buttermilk, frosting, buttermilk, margarine, and of course, the buttermilk... and frosting.
As they began to add the chocolate, however, Yugi's ears perked at a familiar sound; someone had entered the Game Shop entrance. Yugi raced to the stairs and listened; he blanched and ran back to the others.
"What is it, Yugi?" Téa asked, aware of Yugi's sudden nervousness.
"You guys, Yami's back!" Yugi cried.
"WHAT?! Oh no, he'll find out about the cake!" Tristan exclaimed.
"Quick! Somebody go get another football!"
"JOEY!!!" everyone cried in unison.
"Sorry..."
"Everyone hide!" Yugi cried. There was a sudden scramble throughout the kitchen to find suitable hiding places. In the end, Joey and Tristan managed to fit together in the oven, which was not on, Kurai and Kitty were hid in the microwave, also not on, Téa went under the table, concealed by the length of the tablecloth, and Bakura... was on the ceiling fan. Don't ask.
Yugi quickly turned as Yami made his way into the kitchen. The short teen had to force back a laugh at the sight of the swelling black eye on Yami's face.
"I don't want to hear it," Yami said, as if reading Yugi's mind. Yami glanced around. "Where is everyone?"
"Um, they left a while ago," Yugi lied. "They said they hoped you'd get better." Yami apparently believed him, because he nodded and leaned back against the wall. It was at that time that Yugi realized all of the baking materials were still about. As if reading his thoughts, a hand silently but quickly shot out of the oven, grabbing the bowl and its contents and pulling it back into the oven. Yugi mentally sighed in relief.
"So, um, what are you going to do now, Yami?" Yugi asked, eager to get him out of the house, which was totally unlike himself to do so. Yami shrugged.
"I don't know," he admitted. "I might just go take a nap... my eye is killing me..." Yugi felt like he was going to have a heart attack. He looked up at Bakura, who signaled that he wouldn't be able to stay on the ceiling fan much longer. Yugi struggled for a line.
"Hey, Yami!" he practically cried. "Don't you have to duel Kaiba today?" Yami paled; his good eye widened. His other was almost swollen shut.
"Oh, Gods, Yugi, why did you have to remind me of that?" Yami moaned. "I suppose I do have to keep my promise... I guess I'll be seeing you-"
"Yep, see you, Yami, break a leg, have a good time, and keep up that winning streak!" Yugi said, all the while pushing Yami down the stairs, into the Game Shop, and out the door. Yami couldn't protest as the door was shut in his face.
Yugi sighed in relief and ran back upstairs. The others were beginning to come out of hiding. Tristan helped Kurai and Kitty out of the microwave. Bakura carefully got down from the ceiling fan.
"So, uh, where were we?" Yugi said as Joey placed the bowl back on the counter.
Everyone was back on track. More and more ingredients were put into the bowl. The cake would be ready soon.
"Tristan... you're supposed to crack the eggs before you put them into the bowl..."
"Oh... whoops."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Sooo... Yami," Seto finally said. "What's your deal?"
"SILENCE! I must concentrate."
"Yami, you've been standing there for over thirty minutes, and you STILL haven't made a move yet," Seto said, getting impatient. "If you're not going to move, you might as well forfeit the duel..."
"You know what, Kaiba?!" Yami said, slamming his cards down. "If you've ever known what it's like to duel with only ONE eye, you'd know how I feel right now."
"Pegasus dueled with only one eye, and he-"
"I don't CARE, Kaiba!" Yami shouted, picking his cards back up. "Just give me another minute or so..." Seto sighed.
This would take a while...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Alright, we're almost there, guys!" Yugi said. "Joey, could you put in the baking soda? The amount's in the cookbook."
"Gotcha, Yugi!" Joey said, bending to read the text. "Okay, whadda we got 'ere... baking soda, '2 t.s.p.'" He paused. "Hm, 't.s.p'? Eh... okay." Joey reached into the bag of baking soda and scooped out the right amount.
"Come on, Kurai, you can help stir," Tristan said, lifting the chibi up. Bakura handed him a wooden spoon and Kurai began to gently stir the batter.
"You got the baking soda yet, Joey?" Yugi asked.
"Yup!" Joey said. "I'll get it in for ya!" Tristan lowered Kurai down to the ground as Joey finished up the rest of the work. The batter was soon collected and put into the cake pan, which was then put into the oven and set to baking.
Everyone seemed to sigh in satisfaction as the cooking task was near to completion. Kitty proceeded to lick up what was left in the bowl as everybody relaxed.
"Well you guys, for once everything turned out great," Tristan said, leaning back against the counter.
"I concur," Bakura said, stretching his arms. "Oh, by the way, Joey, you did remember to put in the baking soda, didn't you?"
"'Course I did!" Joey laughed. "I'm not THAT stupid!" Téa picked up the cookbook.
"Well, we might have put in a little more of everything than what was listed in the book," she said. "Two teaspoons of baking soda should be enough." Joey suddenly paled.
"'Teaspoons?'" he stammered. "You mean that's what those letters meant?" Everyone turned to Joey.
"Well, yeah, Joey," Yugi said. "I mean, what did you think 't.s.p' stood for?"
"Eh... 'ten square pounds?'"
The oven began to shake, slightly at first, but then violently.
"Joey."
"Uh, yeah, Yuge?"
"Remind me to never let you near a cookbook again."
"Eh, sure thing."
The oven door began to rattle loudly. The whole kitchen seemed to shake.
"SHE'S GONNA BLOW!" Tristan shouted.
"TAKE COVER!!!"
Kurai quickly reached up to grab Kitty, and was quickly grabbed by Yugi, who then followed the others out of the kitchen and down the stairs, just as the oven exploded, sending cake batter everywhere. The teens, chibi and cat ran for their lives as the batter began to take over the entire house.
Everyone ran into the Game Shop. Joey turned to shut the door before the batter overcame him. More swept through the doorway until the entire room was flooded with the stuff.
"What do we do, Yugi?!" cried Téa.
"I don't know!" Yugi cried back, trying to keep Kurai above the flowing mess. "It's not like this has ever happened before!"
"We gotta get to the door!" Tristan said, making his way over. He grasped the doorknob and pulled. The door wouldn't budge.
"Just GREAT!" Tristan shouted.
"What is it?" Bakura cried, up to his neck in the chocolate flood.
"We're all gonna drown in cake batter, guys!" Tristan shouted again. "Just be glad this stuff hasn't heated up yet!"
"Aw, come on, guys!" Joey said. "Look on the bright side!" Everyone looked at him. "If we live, we won't get hungry!"
Joey was rewarded with five handfuls of devil's food cake batter aimed at his face.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Yami walked home, a partially-satisfied smirk on his face. He had beaten Seto, yet again, but he had lost so much free time while doing so. The loss of sight in his left eye had forced him into having thirty minute turns throughout the entire duel.
The former pharaoh made his way to the Game Shop entrance. He pulled out his house key and looked down at it. This, and the additional fact he couldn't see in his left eye, caused him to be completely oblivious to the fact that the entire Game Shop was gradually filling with cake batter. However, he continued to stare at the key. He narrowed his one eye.
"You mock me, too?"
He turned the key this way and that for no apparent reason. The Game Shop, meanwhile, was still rapidly filling with the sweet batter. Still, Yami didn't notice, not even when six familiar figures began to pound helplessly on the windows, yelling at him.
Yami was still examining the key. He ran a finger down it and then, just for good measure, ran his tongue across it. He smacked his lips a couple times.
Silence.
Silence...
...and more silence.
"Yep, it's a key alright."
Yami placed the key into the keyhole and turned it.
"Yugi, I'm ho-" He was unable to finish as the tidal wave of cake batter washed over him mercilessly. The six figures inside washed out with it, and soon the width of the street was completely covered.
"FREEDOM!" Joey cried triumphantly as he surfaced. The others surfaced as well.
"Man, if there's one lesson I've learned from all this" Téa said, "it's that you should NEVER cook when Joey's around..." The spot where Yami was located began to move slightly, indicating he was surfacing.
"Uh, guys?" Yugi said. "Maybe we should just, um, go?" He emphasized the word "go". The others quickly agreed and made a swift run for it. Yami finally surfaced. He smacked his lips.
"Devil's food cake?" he said to himself. He sighed and held his head in his hands. "Chibified magicians, kittens, shopping with Kaiba, flying footballs, giant waves of cake batter... I think I should have stayed in the puzzle..."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Shinimegami: Okay, the ending REALLY sucked...
Yami: I licked a key...?
Shinimegami: Okay, readers, if ANYBODY has an idea for a better ending than this one, please let me know in your reviews. If I see one I like, I'll put it in! So please, submit your ideas! The winner will receive, um, this rock. *holds up rock*
Yami: Why did I lick a key...?
Tristan: Please. Nobody's gonna want a rock for a prize.
Shinimegami: Don't push me, kid, I'm improvising here.
Joey: You actually think you can fit 20 lbs² of baking soda into one cake?
Shinimegami: It's funny. That's why I put it in the story. Funny stuff doesn't have to make sense.
Joey. Oh.
Yami: Shinimegami, why did you make me lick a key?
Shinimegami: Oh, uh, see... I sorta came up with the idea when I was brushing my teeth one night... and the thought just wouldn't leave me alone after that... It was just too funny, you know?
Yami: But... I licked a KEY...
Shinimegami: *turns to readers* Okay, peeps, I'll leave you all with an apology for not updating FOREVER. The life of a high school Sophomore is sad, ne? However, I'm planning to update "Return of the Shadow Games" next, for those of you who read that story as well.
Readers who do: FINALLY!!!
Shinimegami: ^-^ Yes, I know. Okay, the little purple button is waiting to be clicked now! Go on, you know you want to! And remember, submit your ideas for an ending for this chapter! Thankies! Ja Ne! ^.~
Joey: Well, DUH, she has school, remember?
Tristan: Hey... waiiiiiiiiit a minute... aren't we supposed to be at school, too?
Joey: ...OH MY GOD, YOU'RE RIGHT!!!
YGO crew (minus Yugi and Kurai): *make a mad dash for the studio door and get stuck in the doorway*
Yugi: -_-;;; *watches as the rest of the crew finally gets through the door* Don't they know it's the weekend?
Kurai: *sucks on a lollipop* ^___^
Shinimegami: *comes in with a HUGE pile of textbooks*
Yugi: ...homework?
Shinimegami: And lots of it. *drops the pile of books onto the floor, causing the entire studio to shake*
Kurai: *continues to eat his lollipop* ^___^
Shinimegami: *suddenly grins* But it's the weekend, so I can put off my homework until Sunday! Whee!!! *goes over to computer and finishes the chapter* DONE!!! ^-^
Yugi: That's good. ^-^
Kurai: *finishes his lollipop* Yummy! ^___^
Shinimegami: *posts chapter* Enjoy, peeps! Cuz I'm gonna go eat something since I'm STARVING...
Disclaimers: Yu-Gi-Oh... *pause of suspense* ...is not mine.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Tiny hands tugged curiously on the high collar of the small, purple turtleneck. The unusual feeling around his neck caused him only minor discomfort, but the small blue jeans and tiny black shoes felt just fine.
Kurai regarded the object in front of him with silent, childlike curiosity. He grabbed the pointed end of the brown thing, lifting it with difficulty. The small bumps along the skin of the oddly-shaped ball only increased the child's curiosity. He broke his gaze from the alien object in his hands to look up at the tall blonde across from him.
"Okay, Kurai, here's your first lesson on bein' a man!" Joey said with enthusiasm. "Learning to play football!"
It was another bright, sunny day in the city of Domino, and the entire gang was outside. The others relaxed on the green grass as Joey made his first attempt on educating Kurai on something. Kitty snoozed peacefully on a deck chair while the high schoolers bathed in the sun.
Joey walked across the length of the backyard and turned back to Kurai, who was still staring at the football in his hands.
"Alright, Kurai," Joey said, causing the chibi to look up at him. "Lesson number one: passin' da ball! Go ahead, pass it to me!" Kurai blinked and remained on the spot for about two more seconds before walking over to Joey and stopping in front of the teen, holding out the football for him to take.
Joey sighed as his friends laughed from their seats on the lawn.
"Uh, let me rephrase that," Joey said, rubbing his temple. "How about you try throwing it to me? Go on back and try it." Kurai smiled innocently and obediently walked back.
"Okay, man, let 'er rip!" Joey cried when Kurai was positioned again. Kurai raised the large ball over his head and threw it with all his might.
The football went two feet.
To the side, Tristan and Bakura broke into hysterical fits of laughter. Kurai frowned and blew raspberries at them. This seemed to only make them laugh harder. Joey jogged over and picked up the ball.
"That was okay, Kurai," Joey said, handing the football back to Kurai. "Just try throwing it a little harder now." Joey ran back to his position. When he gave the signal, Kurai raised the ball over his head again, throwing it even harder then before.
The football went a little farther, but barely.
Kurai frowned, and his blue eyes glistened with unshed tears. Joey quickly ran back over and picked up the ball.
"Don't sweat it, man, it's okay," Joey soothed, ruffling Kurai's silken locks. "It took me just as long to learn how ta throw it, too." He handed the ball to Kurai. "Come on, third time's da charm." Joey winked reassuringly and ran back.
Kurai once again lifted the ball over his head. His quick anger against the inanimate object in his hands fueled the worthwhile throw that was about to come, and he thrusted the ball forward.
Joey's eyes widened as he ducked to avoid the fast-coming football, just as Yami opened the patio door and came outside.
SMACK.
Téa covered her mouth with her hands. Tristan and Bakura stopped laughing. Yugi blanched. Joey uncovered his head and turned to look behind him. In the unusually dead silence, Kurai swallowed nervously.
Yami stood in the doorway, the football lodged in his eye. His hands twitched at his sides. No one dared to make a sound.
"Yugi."
"Um, yes, Yami..."
"Would you please call the hospital?"
Yugi took no time in standing up and running into the house to get to the phone. Joey broke the silence with an uneasy laugh.
"Eh, sorry 'bout dat, Yami..." Joey said. "We was just playin' football, and, uh-"
"Please don't talk to me, Joey," Yami said stiffly. He turned and slowly marched into the house.
Amidst the new silence, Tristan stifled a laugh. Bakura shot him a side glance. Both boys suddenly burst out laughing. Joey, unlike himself, did not join in, but instead walked over the whimpering Kurai.
"Yami mad?" he asked fearfully. Joey crouched in front of him.
"Well, yeah," he said. He quickly added, "but not at you!" when he noticed Kurai's lip tremble. Joey picked up the nervous magician and placed him on his shoulders.
"It'll be okay," he said kind-heartedly. "C'mon, let's go see how Yami's doin'..."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Yami sat alone in the waiting room of the hospital, the offending football still stuck in his left eye. He kept on his dueling face, despite the obvious pain he was in. He did not get hurt, and he never showed pain.
Yami's good eye acknowledged a girl walk into the room on crutches. She glanced at Yami, obviously noticing the object in his eye, before making her way to the empty seat next to him. She picked up a magazine from the coffee table and proceeded to read.
Silence passed. The girl occasionally glanced to the side at Yami, who continued to keep his serious expression.
"So," Yami said, breaking the silence, "what happened to you?" The girl didn't look up from her magazine.
"Car accident," she said. "Broke my leg. I'm here for a checkup." She paused. "What happened to you?"
"Football."
"Ah."
More silence.
"You like football?" the girl asked. Yami slowly turned to face her.
"Not... anymore."
The girl lowered in her seat. "Okay, I was just asking..." she said. "It's a good healthy sport, you know." Yami's good eye twitched.
"You think so?"
"Yeah."
"That's nice."
The doctor walked in. "Yami Mutou?" he called. Yami rose from his chair and walked into the next room.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Back at the Mutou residence, the gang was worried sick about Yami... not.
"HAH! I win again!"
"Man, Yuge, you always beat us!"
"What do you expect? He's a game expert."
"Oh yeah? Well, I'll show ya who's a game expert!"
Joey started another game and was soon at the mercy of Tristan and Yugi. Téa, Bakura, and Kurai sat on the couch and watched the three boys duke it out on Super Smash Bros. Melee. Kurai sat between the two teens, Kitty laying contently in his lap. The game they were watching came quickly to an end, and Yugi once again emerged victorious.
"Hey, you guys?" Téa spoke up. "Do you think Yami's okay?" The others looked over.
"Now that you mention it, he has been gone quite a while," Yugi said. "Do you think it's serious?"
"Nah, he's probably fine," Tristan said. "You can never get that guy down." Yugi smiled.
"You know, Yami's always done so much for us," he said. "Maybe we should do something for him."
"Like what?" asked Joey, turning off the GameCube.
"I dunno, maybe we could make him something..." Yugi said.
"You mean make him some food?" Joey asked eagerly. "Oh, come on, Yuge, can we? Please?!"
"It would be rather fun," Bakura agreed. "But what should we make him?" Kurai gasped in anticipation and waved his hand.
"You have an idea, Kurai?" Yugi asked. Kurai nodded. He lifted the young cat off of him and got off the couch. Grabbing Yugi's hand, he led the teen into the kitchen while the others followed. Kurai gestured to a large, red cookbook on the counter.
"What, this?" Tristan asked, taking the book down for Kurai. Kurai nodded and grabbed it, putting it on the floor. He flipped through the pages until he found what he wanted.
"Cake! Cake!" Kurai cried with excitement, pointing to a recipe. Everyone looked at the page. It was a recipe for a devil's food cake.
"Hey, a devil's food cake would be great!" Téa said.
"You're right!" Yugi agreed. "But... how did Kurai know how to look in a cookbook?"
"Who cares, let's get bakin'!" Joey cried.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Not long afterwards, almost everything was set up. A large bowl was set on the kitchen table, and ingredients were soon added into it.
"Okay, it says we need three squares of unsweetened chocolate..." Yugi said, looking at the list of ingredients. "Téa, can you take care of that?"
"Sure thing, Yugi," Téa said.
"Hmm," Yugi continued, "cake flour, salt, margarine, eggs, we have all that... oh, baking soda. Joey, can you look to see if we have any of that?"
"No prob', Yuge!" Joey said, winking. He left to go search the pantry.
"Okay, Bakura, you can boil the water," Yugi said, pointing to the white- haired teen, "and Tristan can get the frosting and the buttermilk." Both boys went to get their assigned ingredients.
Yugi suddenly felt a small tug on his pant leg. He looked down to see Kurai smiling up at him.
"Me help?" he asked with childish innocence. Yugi smiled, reaching down to pick Kurai up.
"Of course you can," Yugi said. "When we get all the stuff in the bowl, you can help stir, okay?"
"Kay!" Kurai said, hugging the teen around the neck.
Soon, the baking of the cake had begun. All of the ingredients were accounted for, and now they only needed to get the right amount of everything. Kitty was constantly watching the teenagers and the chibi as they prepared the soon-to-be treat. Every now and then he would get free samples of frosting, buttermilk, frosting, buttermilk, margarine, and of course, the buttermilk... and frosting.
As they began to add the chocolate, however, Yugi's ears perked at a familiar sound; someone had entered the Game Shop entrance. Yugi raced to the stairs and listened; he blanched and ran back to the others.
"What is it, Yugi?" Téa asked, aware of Yugi's sudden nervousness.
"You guys, Yami's back!" Yugi cried.
"WHAT?! Oh no, he'll find out about the cake!" Tristan exclaimed.
"Quick! Somebody go get another football!"
"JOEY!!!" everyone cried in unison.
"Sorry..."
"Everyone hide!" Yugi cried. There was a sudden scramble throughout the kitchen to find suitable hiding places. In the end, Joey and Tristan managed to fit together in the oven, which was not on, Kurai and Kitty were hid in the microwave, also not on, Téa went under the table, concealed by the length of the tablecloth, and Bakura... was on the ceiling fan. Don't ask.
Yugi quickly turned as Yami made his way into the kitchen. The short teen had to force back a laugh at the sight of the swelling black eye on Yami's face.
"I don't want to hear it," Yami said, as if reading Yugi's mind. Yami glanced around. "Where is everyone?"
"Um, they left a while ago," Yugi lied. "They said they hoped you'd get better." Yami apparently believed him, because he nodded and leaned back against the wall. It was at that time that Yugi realized all of the baking materials were still about. As if reading his thoughts, a hand silently but quickly shot out of the oven, grabbing the bowl and its contents and pulling it back into the oven. Yugi mentally sighed in relief.
"So, um, what are you going to do now, Yami?" Yugi asked, eager to get him out of the house, which was totally unlike himself to do so. Yami shrugged.
"I don't know," he admitted. "I might just go take a nap... my eye is killing me..." Yugi felt like he was going to have a heart attack. He looked up at Bakura, who signaled that he wouldn't be able to stay on the ceiling fan much longer. Yugi struggled for a line.
"Hey, Yami!" he practically cried. "Don't you have to duel Kaiba today?" Yami paled; his good eye widened. His other was almost swollen shut.
"Oh, Gods, Yugi, why did you have to remind me of that?" Yami moaned. "I suppose I do have to keep my promise... I guess I'll be seeing you-"
"Yep, see you, Yami, break a leg, have a good time, and keep up that winning streak!" Yugi said, all the while pushing Yami down the stairs, into the Game Shop, and out the door. Yami couldn't protest as the door was shut in his face.
Yugi sighed in relief and ran back upstairs. The others were beginning to come out of hiding. Tristan helped Kurai and Kitty out of the microwave. Bakura carefully got down from the ceiling fan.
"So, uh, where were we?" Yugi said as Joey placed the bowl back on the counter.
Everyone was back on track. More and more ingredients were put into the bowl. The cake would be ready soon.
"Tristan... you're supposed to crack the eggs before you put them into the bowl..."
"Oh... whoops."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Sooo... Yami," Seto finally said. "What's your deal?"
"SILENCE! I must concentrate."
"Yami, you've been standing there for over thirty minutes, and you STILL haven't made a move yet," Seto said, getting impatient. "If you're not going to move, you might as well forfeit the duel..."
"You know what, Kaiba?!" Yami said, slamming his cards down. "If you've ever known what it's like to duel with only ONE eye, you'd know how I feel right now."
"Pegasus dueled with only one eye, and he-"
"I don't CARE, Kaiba!" Yami shouted, picking his cards back up. "Just give me another minute or so..." Seto sighed.
This would take a while...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Alright, we're almost there, guys!" Yugi said. "Joey, could you put in the baking soda? The amount's in the cookbook."
"Gotcha, Yugi!" Joey said, bending to read the text. "Okay, whadda we got 'ere... baking soda, '2 t.s.p.'" He paused. "Hm, 't.s.p'? Eh... okay." Joey reached into the bag of baking soda and scooped out the right amount.
"Come on, Kurai, you can help stir," Tristan said, lifting the chibi up. Bakura handed him a wooden spoon and Kurai began to gently stir the batter.
"You got the baking soda yet, Joey?" Yugi asked.
"Yup!" Joey said. "I'll get it in for ya!" Tristan lowered Kurai down to the ground as Joey finished up the rest of the work. The batter was soon collected and put into the cake pan, which was then put into the oven and set to baking.
Everyone seemed to sigh in satisfaction as the cooking task was near to completion. Kitty proceeded to lick up what was left in the bowl as everybody relaxed.
"Well you guys, for once everything turned out great," Tristan said, leaning back against the counter.
"I concur," Bakura said, stretching his arms. "Oh, by the way, Joey, you did remember to put in the baking soda, didn't you?"
"'Course I did!" Joey laughed. "I'm not THAT stupid!" Téa picked up the cookbook.
"Well, we might have put in a little more of everything than what was listed in the book," she said. "Two teaspoons of baking soda should be enough." Joey suddenly paled.
"'Teaspoons?'" he stammered. "You mean that's what those letters meant?" Everyone turned to Joey.
"Well, yeah, Joey," Yugi said. "I mean, what did you think 't.s.p' stood for?"
"Eh... 'ten square pounds?'"
The oven began to shake, slightly at first, but then violently.
"Joey."
"Uh, yeah, Yuge?"
"Remind me to never let you near a cookbook again."
"Eh, sure thing."
The oven door began to rattle loudly. The whole kitchen seemed to shake.
"SHE'S GONNA BLOW!" Tristan shouted.
"TAKE COVER!!!"
Kurai quickly reached up to grab Kitty, and was quickly grabbed by Yugi, who then followed the others out of the kitchen and down the stairs, just as the oven exploded, sending cake batter everywhere. The teens, chibi and cat ran for their lives as the batter began to take over the entire house.
Everyone ran into the Game Shop. Joey turned to shut the door before the batter overcame him. More swept through the doorway until the entire room was flooded with the stuff.
"What do we do, Yugi?!" cried Téa.
"I don't know!" Yugi cried back, trying to keep Kurai above the flowing mess. "It's not like this has ever happened before!"
"We gotta get to the door!" Tristan said, making his way over. He grasped the doorknob and pulled. The door wouldn't budge.
"Just GREAT!" Tristan shouted.
"What is it?" Bakura cried, up to his neck in the chocolate flood.
"We're all gonna drown in cake batter, guys!" Tristan shouted again. "Just be glad this stuff hasn't heated up yet!"
"Aw, come on, guys!" Joey said. "Look on the bright side!" Everyone looked at him. "If we live, we won't get hungry!"
Joey was rewarded with five handfuls of devil's food cake batter aimed at his face.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Yami walked home, a partially-satisfied smirk on his face. He had beaten Seto, yet again, but he had lost so much free time while doing so. The loss of sight in his left eye had forced him into having thirty minute turns throughout the entire duel.
The former pharaoh made his way to the Game Shop entrance. He pulled out his house key and looked down at it. This, and the additional fact he couldn't see in his left eye, caused him to be completely oblivious to the fact that the entire Game Shop was gradually filling with cake batter. However, he continued to stare at the key. He narrowed his one eye.
"You mock me, too?"
He turned the key this way and that for no apparent reason. The Game Shop, meanwhile, was still rapidly filling with the sweet batter. Still, Yami didn't notice, not even when six familiar figures began to pound helplessly on the windows, yelling at him.
Yami was still examining the key. He ran a finger down it and then, just for good measure, ran his tongue across it. He smacked his lips a couple times.
Silence.
Silence...
...and more silence.
"Yep, it's a key alright."
Yami placed the key into the keyhole and turned it.
"Yugi, I'm ho-" He was unable to finish as the tidal wave of cake batter washed over him mercilessly. The six figures inside washed out with it, and soon the width of the street was completely covered.
"FREEDOM!" Joey cried triumphantly as he surfaced. The others surfaced as well.
"Man, if there's one lesson I've learned from all this" Téa said, "it's that you should NEVER cook when Joey's around..." The spot where Yami was located began to move slightly, indicating he was surfacing.
"Uh, guys?" Yugi said. "Maybe we should just, um, go?" He emphasized the word "go". The others quickly agreed and made a swift run for it. Yami finally surfaced. He smacked his lips.
"Devil's food cake?" he said to himself. He sighed and held his head in his hands. "Chibified magicians, kittens, shopping with Kaiba, flying footballs, giant waves of cake batter... I think I should have stayed in the puzzle..."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Shinimegami: Okay, the ending REALLY sucked...
Yami: I licked a key...?
Shinimegami: Okay, readers, if ANYBODY has an idea for a better ending than this one, please let me know in your reviews. If I see one I like, I'll put it in! So please, submit your ideas! The winner will receive, um, this rock. *holds up rock*
Yami: Why did I lick a key...?
Tristan: Please. Nobody's gonna want a rock for a prize.
Shinimegami: Don't push me, kid, I'm improvising here.
Joey: You actually think you can fit 20 lbs² of baking soda into one cake?
Shinimegami: It's funny. That's why I put it in the story. Funny stuff doesn't have to make sense.
Joey. Oh.
Yami: Shinimegami, why did you make me lick a key?
Shinimegami: Oh, uh, see... I sorta came up with the idea when I was brushing my teeth one night... and the thought just wouldn't leave me alone after that... It was just too funny, you know?
Yami: But... I licked a KEY...
Shinimegami: *turns to readers* Okay, peeps, I'll leave you all with an apology for not updating FOREVER. The life of a high school Sophomore is sad, ne? However, I'm planning to update "Return of the Shadow Games" next, for those of you who read that story as well.
Readers who do: FINALLY!!!
Shinimegami: ^-^ Yes, I know. Okay, the little purple button is waiting to be clicked now! Go on, you know you want to! And remember, submit your ideas for an ending for this chapter! Thankies! Ja Ne! ^.~