Shinimegami: 200 REVIEWS!!! (faints)
Yami: Well that's just great. She faints before she even posts the chapter.
Bakura: She seems to do that sometimes...
Tristan: How long do you think it'll be?
Bakura: (checks watch) I'd say right about... now.
Shinimegami: (gets up) A BIG thanks to everyone who reviewed! I really appreciate it!
Bakura: Told you.
Shinimegami: And I know I said I was gonna work on "Return of the Shadow Games" first, but I just had to get this chapter done. But a little warning before you read on... If you don't like the idea of little animals dying, you might want to skip over a bit of this chapter... Aw, crap, that just gave most of the chapter away. Oh well. Just read and try to enjoy...
Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh.
............................................................................ .......................
On the fourth sunny day in a row in the city of Domino, all was well. It was a peaceful Wednesday afternoon, particularly beautiful in the midst of the town. All was relatively quiet... minus the numerous giggles emitting from the backyard behind the Game Shop.
Kurai threw the multicolored cat ball across the yard again, giggling when Kitty scampered clumsily after it. The kitten pounced, tackling the ball and proceeding to gnaw on it. Kurai ran over and stroked the grey fur, earning a light purr from Kitty.
Yami smiled from his seat in the deck chair, laughing lightly when Kurai threw the toy again. The child seemed to adore that little cat. Kitty didn't seem to mind Kurai, either. The two appeared to be made for one another. They got along so well... which was especially good news for when Yugi went to school.
Before Kitty was brought in, Kurai had always protested when Yugi went to school. But who could blame the little mage? Yugi was the person he was most familiar with, the one Kurai chose to be his protector and playmate. It was a miracle that Kitty came into Kurai's life... He never had to be lonely anymore...
Yami snapped out of his thoughts as Yugi's grandpa opened the patio door.
"Yami, you've got a phone call," he said. "It's Seto Kaiba. He says something about wanting a rematch." Yami silently cursed under his breath and stood. He stretched briefly and turned to the door. Taking one last look over his shoulder to check on Kurai, he left the backyard.
Soon, the makeshift game of fetch became tiresome, and Kurai fell out onto the grass. He panted slightly, turning to look where Kitty went off to. He was over by the flower bed, crouched down, staring at something.
"Kitty?" Kurai asked, sitting up. He slowly made it onto his feet and walked over to see what Kitty was looking at. No sooner did Kurai lower his head, something colorful flew out of the midst of the flowers, fluttering away. Kurai tilted his head to the side. He'd seen these things before!
"Budderfwy!" he cried happily. Kitty was apparently happy, too. His tail twitched at the end, and he bounded after the butterfly, occasionally jumping and swiping at it. Both cat and mage followed the insect, until it flew over the fence and out of their reach.
"Bye-bye, budderfwy!" Kurai called, waving good-bye. Kitty, however, seemed to have other plans. The young cat scampered over to the bottom of the fence, where a reasonably-small hole stood out. Kitty instantly ran through it, continuing his chase of the butterfly.
"Kitty, no!" Kurai exclaimed, bending down to look through the hole. Getting onto his hands and knees, the chibi crawled through the hole as well, standing up to find himself on the sidewalk of an empty street. He glanced around for any sign of the grey kitten, quickly turning at the faint mewling sound. Kitty was down the sidewalk, jumping at his prey.
"Kitty!" Kurai ran forward towards Kitty, hoping to catch him before he ran away again. However, the butterfly flew quickly to the left, causing Kitty to follow. Kurai stopped to catch his breath, turning to watch Kitty run into the street...
...and into the path of an oncoming car.
Kurai's eyes grew.
The butterfly out of his reach, Kitty looked up.
Time stopped.
Kurai quickly buried his face in his hands as the car passed, never attempting to stop, but the damage was done. The little mage peeked through his tiny fingers, his shocked blue eyes locking onto the small bundle of grey fur that lay in the middle of the street. Kurai lowered his hands slowly, hesitantly, afraid to move. No more cars were coming, so he stepped out onto the street.
To Kurai, Kitty appeared to be sleeping. The kitten lay unmoving on the pavement, a large section of its middle appearing to be flattened. Kurai bent down and fearfully lifted the cat up, holding it as he would any other time.
"Kitty...?"
There was no response. The kitten still ceased to move. It was clear that Kitty wasn't breathing; his chest wasn't rising or falling.
"...Kitty...?"
Still nothing. Tears dripped down the chibi's cheeks, some into the midst of the grey fur. Kurai carefully carried Kitty out of the street, onto the sidewalk. What was he supposed to do? Why wasn't Kitty moving...?
"...Kitty..."
Kurai began to walk down the sidewalk, reaching the corner where the Game Shop was. He turned and walked up to the entrance, reaching up with one hand for the door handle. He couldn't reach it. A whimper caught in his throat, Kurai leaned against the shop's wall. Surely Yami and Grandpa didn't know where he was... and Yugi was at school... Kurai slid down to the ground and hugged the kitten to him.
He would just have to wait for Okaa-san to get home...
.................................................
When Yugi reached his street, he could already tell something was wrong. He picked up the pace, walking more quickly. He could see people glancing towards the Game Shop door, but why? They seemed worried... and people don't look worried when admiring a game exhibit.
He could see why when he was mere feet from home: Kurai sat outside the door, something curled up in his arms, and he looked like he had been crying... Yugi finished the distance with a run; Kurai instantly looked up.
"Kurai, what are you doing out here?" Yugi cried, bending down. "How long have you been out here? What—" He stopped talking when Kurai held out something to him.
"Kitty won't wake up," Kurai said quietly. "Why?" Yugi's face fell. He slowly reached out and took the kitten from Kurai. The boy could tell what was wrong the instant he touched the animal's body.
"Oh no..."
"Yugi...?" Yugi looked up at Kurai, his expression saddened.
"Kurai, I'm so sorry..." he said, barely above a whisper. "Kitty... Kitty's dead..." Kurai sniffled.
"Dead...?" he said with apparent confusion. Yugi nodded.
"Yeah, it means..." Yugi struggled with words. "It's like... being asleep, forever... never waking up..." Kurai's eyes filled with unshed tears.
"No come back...?"
"No, Kurai..." Yugi said with sorrow. "He won't come back..."
Kurai began to cry. Yugi placed Kitty's body beside his knee, reaching over and pulling Kurai into his arms. The child sobbed helplessly into his protector's shirt, his back hitching roughly. Passerby cast them worried glances, but Yugi paid them no attention. All that mattered to him at that moment was Kurai... He held him for what seemed like eternity, soothing the child down to muffled whimpers. Yugi finally sighed; it was beginning to get dark.
/Yami.../
-/Yugi? Good, you're home. Listen, we can't find Kurai. He's been missing for almost two hours—/-
/He's right here, Yami.../ Yugi replied. /I've got him.../
-/Oh, thank Ra, Grandpa and I were so worried. Is Kitty there, too?/-
/.../
-/...Yugi?/-
/...Go and find a shoe box, Yami.../
-/Yugi? Why—/-
/Please, Yami, just get a shoe box... I can't talk about it right now.../
-/...Alright, aibou./-
.................................................
"So... he's still thinkin' about it?"
"Yeah... he's been sitting at the window almost all day today... I'm worried, Joey."
"Yeah, I know what ya mean. It's hard for kids when dey experience death at an age dat early..."
"I know..." Yugi nervously twirled the phone cord around his fingers. "I just wish there was something I could do..." On the other line, Joey sounded like he was thinking.
"Well, I could round up da guys and we could come ova..." Joey offered. "We could think of somethin' to do to cheer 'im up."
"Okay... it'd be worth a shot," Yugi replied. "Come over any time."
"Alright..." Joey quietly agreed. "I'll see ya in a bit, Yuge."
"Bye..." Yugi hung up the phone, sighing as he turned back to Kurai. The chibi was sitting at the glass patio door, looking out into the backyard and into the flower bed where Kitty was buried. For the past few days, Kurai had done the exact same thing: just sitting and watching Kitty's grave. Yugi had dismissed it the first day, since he knew how much Kurai loved Kitty, but now he was worrisome.
Yugi collapsed onto the couch, sighing again in exhaustion. He couldn't remember any other day he felt this depressed. His violet eyes glanced around the room randomly... landing on the Dark Magician plushie on the coffee table. Yugi shut his eyes tightly, pinching the bridge of his nose. He missed how happy Kurai used to be before Kitty died. He wanted it all to come back...
The sound of Kurai getting up off the floor sounded in Yugi's ears, and he felt partly relieved; at least Kurai seemed to be moving around a bit more. The sound of Kurai moving traveled to what Yugi assumed was the coffee table, then back over to the couch... where Yugi was.
Yugi opened his eyes to find himself being greeted with Kurai standing in front of him, holding out the Dark Magician plushie to him. Yugi smiled, reaching out and taking the toy. Kurai hoisted himself onto the couch and crawled up next to Yugi, leaning into the boy's side. Yugi placed an arm around Kurai's shoulder, hugging him to him.
"Yugi?" Kurai asked quietly.
"Mm?" Yugi said, relieved that Kurai was still talking to him.
"Where Kitty now?" Yugi took a breath, wondering how to explain.
"He's... in Heaven," he replied, finally. At Kurai's confused look, he added, "It's a big, beautiful place, where no one gets hurt and everyone's happy... Nothing bad can happen..."
"Kitty happy?"
"Yes..." Yugi said, pulling Kurai closer. "Kitty's happy. And he's always watching you, Kurai. Even if you can't see him, he's watching you..." Yugi playfully poked Kurai's nose, earning a small giggle. "You know, someday you might get to play with him again..." Kurai seemed to perk up at the statement.
"When?"
"Probably not for a long, long time," Yugi said, smiling slightly. "But... I'll always be here for you." Kurai smiled and snuggled deeper into Yugi's side.
"Aways?"
"...Always."
.................................................
By the time Joey and the others had shown up, Kurai had perked up considerably. Just the knowledge that Kitty was somewhere safe had cheered him up greatly. The others were happy to hear the news; they hadn't come up with any ways of cheering Kurai up on their own, so it gave them one less thing to do.
But on the other hand... everyone was now bored. B-O-R-E-D. Bored.
"Guys, I'm bored," Tristan said.
"We know, Tristan," Téa said through gritted teeth. "We've only known the past forty-three times you've said so."
"Oh... sorry," Tristan said, sheepishly.
"Maybe we could go out and do something...?" Bakura suggested. "It's better than sitting here and listening to how bored Tristan is."
"Or we could cook somethin' again!" Joey suddenly exclaimed, rising from his seat. "Maybe this time, we could make—" The blonde was suddenly cut off as a couch cushion made direct contact with his face.
"Nice shot, little guy!" Tristan cried, giving Kurai a high-five. Kurai giggled.
"Aw, c'mon, guys!" Joey pleaded. "You didn't think I actually meant it, right? I mean—" Another cushion hit him in the eyes. "Yugi!"
"Sorry, Joey," Yugi said, obviously not sorry at all.
"Guys, seriously this isn't—" Two more cushions from Téa and Bakura. Joey growled.
"Dat's it, guys, stop it!" Joey shouted, reaching down and picking up two of the cushions. "Either dat, or prepare yourselves for da most unpleasant pillow fight of ya lives!"
Silenced filled the room for about a minute, finally broken by a sudden outburst from Bakura.
"PILLOW FIGHT!!!"
For the next hour and a half, the living room of the Mutoh residence was a war zone. Pillows and cushions were flying, as well as the occasional Joseph Wheeler, while the pillow war commenced. It would have gone on longer, had Yami not walked in and gotten one right in the face. Of course, being the Game King, Yami joined in, quickly kicking the stuffing out of all who opposed him, with the acceptation of Kurai, who merely giggled himself to death on the sidelines.
Now, the gang plus Kurai lay spread out on the living room floor, completely exhausted. The only sounds that could be heard were the many panting breaths and the sprinkling rain outside. Wait... it was raining?
"Hey, you guys, look!" Téa said, pointing outside. "It's raining, but the sun's still out!" The others got up to look outside.
"I've heard of this happening," Bakura said. "Sometimes, you can tell it's going to rain soon if it sprinkles while the sun's still out. If the rain is warm, you can tell there's going to be a downpour later." (A/N. I think this is actually true. It's happened where I live sometimes. Warm rain is so cool! It's fun to play in! Which is why...)
"Then let's get out dere before it gets cold!" Joey exclaimed, heading for the door. Sure enough, when everyone got outside, the rain was warm. The rain began to come down harder over time, getting a little colder, until the sun disappeared behind rain clouds. Nevertheless, the gang continued to dance in the rain, splashing each other in newly formed puddles.
Kurai suddenly ran over, tackling Téa, who then ran into Tristan, causing him to knock over Yugi, who fell into Bakura, who tripped and accidentally pushed Joey into a HUGE puddle. The blonde pushed himself up, spitting out rain water. He turned a playful glare to the others.
"You know what dis means, right...?" After a small silence, Joey finally grabbed Bakura and pushed him into another puddle. The silver- haired teen shook his head vigorously, quickly getting up and pushing Joey back into the puddle, who, this time, grabbed Tristan. And when both were up again, they grabbed someone else... and so on and so forth... until the entire gang was drenched in the rain.
Soon, thunder was heard above the skies. The five teens and chibi, who were now soaked to the bone, finally decided to call it quits and go back inside.
Mr. Mutoh brought in several blankets, and even prepared hot chocolate for them all. They thanked him and, after drying off as best they could, settled underneath the weight of the warm blankets. Kurai curled up in Yugi's lap, thankful for the extra warmth, and extremely grateful when Joey and Tristan sat on either side of Yugi, adding more.
"Did you have fun?" Yugi asked, pulling another blanket around Kurai and himself.
"Mm-hmm..." Kurai answered, nuzzling into Yugi's chest.
"Me, too." Yugi relaxed on the couch, content with all of the warmth surrounding him. He slowly began to drift off into sleep, yet still fully aware of the resting child in his lap. Yugi smiled, about to close his eyes and welcome the embrace of sleep...
Then Kurai vanished.
............................................................................ .......................
Shinimegami: DUN DUN DUUUUUNNN!!!
Yugi: Kurai? (looks around desperately) Kurai! (runs over to Shinimegami and proceeds to strangle her) WHAT HAVE YOU DONE WITH KURAI??!?
Shinimegami: Ack... It's... just... part of... the story line (manages to point) He's... right... over there...
Kurai: (sitting in his seat, watching Yugi)
Yugi: (let's Shinimegami go) Oh... never mind. (sits back down)
Shinimegami: Uh... anyway, I hope you enjoyed the chapter! I pulled it all off in a one-niter, just so you know...
Yami Bakura: You killed Kitty!
Shinimegami: Um, yeah, I know. I felt really bad and stuff, but— (pause) Waiiiiit a minute... you don't even LIKE Kitty!
Yami Bakura: (flushes and stammers out) I have a soft side, okay?!
Shinimegami: (smirks) Yeah, okay. (turns back to readers) Yes, I'm SORRY I killed Kitty... but the idea wouldn't leave me ALONE!!! I just had to make it into a chapter! I still feel guilty, for those of you who think that just because I'm the Goddess of Death I'm heartless! (pause) Because, well, technically, I AM, but still—
Yugi: (whacks Shinimegami with the Unnecessarily Large Mallet of DOOM) Shut up. Just remember to review and tell Shinimegami what you thought. Thanks!
Kurai: Bye-bye! (waves to you cutely)
Yami: Well that's just great. She faints before she even posts the chapter.
Bakura: She seems to do that sometimes...
Tristan: How long do you think it'll be?
Bakura: (checks watch) I'd say right about... now.
Shinimegami: (gets up) A BIG thanks to everyone who reviewed! I really appreciate it!
Bakura: Told you.
Shinimegami: And I know I said I was gonna work on "Return of the Shadow Games" first, but I just had to get this chapter done. But a little warning before you read on... If you don't like the idea of little animals dying, you might want to skip over a bit of this chapter... Aw, crap, that just gave most of the chapter away. Oh well. Just read and try to enjoy...
Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh.
............................................................................ .......................
On the fourth sunny day in a row in the city of Domino, all was well. It was a peaceful Wednesday afternoon, particularly beautiful in the midst of the town. All was relatively quiet... minus the numerous giggles emitting from the backyard behind the Game Shop.
Kurai threw the multicolored cat ball across the yard again, giggling when Kitty scampered clumsily after it. The kitten pounced, tackling the ball and proceeding to gnaw on it. Kurai ran over and stroked the grey fur, earning a light purr from Kitty.
Yami smiled from his seat in the deck chair, laughing lightly when Kurai threw the toy again. The child seemed to adore that little cat. Kitty didn't seem to mind Kurai, either. The two appeared to be made for one another. They got along so well... which was especially good news for when Yugi went to school.
Before Kitty was brought in, Kurai had always protested when Yugi went to school. But who could blame the little mage? Yugi was the person he was most familiar with, the one Kurai chose to be his protector and playmate. It was a miracle that Kitty came into Kurai's life... He never had to be lonely anymore...
Yami snapped out of his thoughts as Yugi's grandpa opened the patio door.
"Yami, you've got a phone call," he said. "It's Seto Kaiba. He says something about wanting a rematch." Yami silently cursed under his breath and stood. He stretched briefly and turned to the door. Taking one last look over his shoulder to check on Kurai, he left the backyard.
Soon, the makeshift game of fetch became tiresome, and Kurai fell out onto the grass. He panted slightly, turning to look where Kitty went off to. He was over by the flower bed, crouched down, staring at something.
"Kitty?" Kurai asked, sitting up. He slowly made it onto his feet and walked over to see what Kitty was looking at. No sooner did Kurai lower his head, something colorful flew out of the midst of the flowers, fluttering away. Kurai tilted his head to the side. He'd seen these things before!
"Budderfwy!" he cried happily. Kitty was apparently happy, too. His tail twitched at the end, and he bounded after the butterfly, occasionally jumping and swiping at it. Both cat and mage followed the insect, until it flew over the fence and out of their reach.
"Bye-bye, budderfwy!" Kurai called, waving good-bye. Kitty, however, seemed to have other plans. The young cat scampered over to the bottom of the fence, where a reasonably-small hole stood out. Kitty instantly ran through it, continuing his chase of the butterfly.
"Kitty, no!" Kurai exclaimed, bending down to look through the hole. Getting onto his hands and knees, the chibi crawled through the hole as well, standing up to find himself on the sidewalk of an empty street. He glanced around for any sign of the grey kitten, quickly turning at the faint mewling sound. Kitty was down the sidewalk, jumping at his prey.
"Kitty!" Kurai ran forward towards Kitty, hoping to catch him before he ran away again. However, the butterfly flew quickly to the left, causing Kitty to follow. Kurai stopped to catch his breath, turning to watch Kitty run into the street...
...and into the path of an oncoming car.
Kurai's eyes grew.
The butterfly out of his reach, Kitty looked up.
Time stopped.
Kurai quickly buried his face in his hands as the car passed, never attempting to stop, but the damage was done. The little mage peeked through his tiny fingers, his shocked blue eyes locking onto the small bundle of grey fur that lay in the middle of the street. Kurai lowered his hands slowly, hesitantly, afraid to move. No more cars were coming, so he stepped out onto the street.
To Kurai, Kitty appeared to be sleeping. The kitten lay unmoving on the pavement, a large section of its middle appearing to be flattened. Kurai bent down and fearfully lifted the cat up, holding it as he would any other time.
"Kitty...?"
There was no response. The kitten still ceased to move. It was clear that Kitty wasn't breathing; his chest wasn't rising or falling.
"...Kitty...?"
Still nothing. Tears dripped down the chibi's cheeks, some into the midst of the grey fur. Kurai carefully carried Kitty out of the street, onto the sidewalk. What was he supposed to do? Why wasn't Kitty moving...?
"...Kitty..."
Kurai began to walk down the sidewalk, reaching the corner where the Game Shop was. He turned and walked up to the entrance, reaching up with one hand for the door handle. He couldn't reach it. A whimper caught in his throat, Kurai leaned against the shop's wall. Surely Yami and Grandpa didn't know where he was... and Yugi was at school... Kurai slid down to the ground and hugged the kitten to him.
He would just have to wait for Okaa-san to get home...
.................................................
When Yugi reached his street, he could already tell something was wrong. He picked up the pace, walking more quickly. He could see people glancing towards the Game Shop door, but why? They seemed worried... and people don't look worried when admiring a game exhibit.
He could see why when he was mere feet from home: Kurai sat outside the door, something curled up in his arms, and he looked like he had been crying... Yugi finished the distance with a run; Kurai instantly looked up.
"Kurai, what are you doing out here?" Yugi cried, bending down. "How long have you been out here? What—" He stopped talking when Kurai held out something to him.
"Kitty won't wake up," Kurai said quietly. "Why?" Yugi's face fell. He slowly reached out and took the kitten from Kurai. The boy could tell what was wrong the instant he touched the animal's body.
"Oh no..."
"Yugi...?" Yugi looked up at Kurai, his expression saddened.
"Kurai, I'm so sorry..." he said, barely above a whisper. "Kitty... Kitty's dead..." Kurai sniffled.
"Dead...?" he said with apparent confusion. Yugi nodded.
"Yeah, it means..." Yugi struggled with words. "It's like... being asleep, forever... never waking up..." Kurai's eyes filled with unshed tears.
"No come back...?"
"No, Kurai..." Yugi said with sorrow. "He won't come back..."
Kurai began to cry. Yugi placed Kitty's body beside his knee, reaching over and pulling Kurai into his arms. The child sobbed helplessly into his protector's shirt, his back hitching roughly. Passerby cast them worried glances, but Yugi paid them no attention. All that mattered to him at that moment was Kurai... He held him for what seemed like eternity, soothing the child down to muffled whimpers. Yugi finally sighed; it was beginning to get dark.
/Yami.../
-/Yugi? Good, you're home. Listen, we can't find Kurai. He's been missing for almost two hours—/-
/He's right here, Yami.../ Yugi replied. /I've got him.../
-/Oh, thank Ra, Grandpa and I were so worried. Is Kitty there, too?/-
/.../
-/...Yugi?/-
/...Go and find a shoe box, Yami.../
-/Yugi? Why—/-
/Please, Yami, just get a shoe box... I can't talk about it right now.../
-/...Alright, aibou./-
.................................................
"So... he's still thinkin' about it?"
"Yeah... he's been sitting at the window almost all day today... I'm worried, Joey."
"Yeah, I know what ya mean. It's hard for kids when dey experience death at an age dat early..."
"I know..." Yugi nervously twirled the phone cord around his fingers. "I just wish there was something I could do..." On the other line, Joey sounded like he was thinking.
"Well, I could round up da guys and we could come ova..." Joey offered. "We could think of somethin' to do to cheer 'im up."
"Okay... it'd be worth a shot," Yugi replied. "Come over any time."
"Alright..." Joey quietly agreed. "I'll see ya in a bit, Yuge."
"Bye..." Yugi hung up the phone, sighing as he turned back to Kurai. The chibi was sitting at the glass patio door, looking out into the backyard and into the flower bed where Kitty was buried. For the past few days, Kurai had done the exact same thing: just sitting and watching Kitty's grave. Yugi had dismissed it the first day, since he knew how much Kurai loved Kitty, but now he was worrisome.
Yugi collapsed onto the couch, sighing again in exhaustion. He couldn't remember any other day he felt this depressed. His violet eyes glanced around the room randomly... landing on the Dark Magician plushie on the coffee table. Yugi shut his eyes tightly, pinching the bridge of his nose. He missed how happy Kurai used to be before Kitty died. He wanted it all to come back...
The sound of Kurai getting up off the floor sounded in Yugi's ears, and he felt partly relieved; at least Kurai seemed to be moving around a bit more. The sound of Kurai moving traveled to what Yugi assumed was the coffee table, then back over to the couch... where Yugi was.
Yugi opened his eyes to find himself being greeted with Kurai standing in front of him, holding out the Dark Magician plushie to him. Yugi smiled, reaching out and taking the toy. Kurai hoisted himself onto the couch and crawled up next to Yugi, leaning into the boy's side. Yugi placed an arm around Kurai's shoulder, hugging him to him.
"Yugi?" Kurai asked quietly.
"Mm?" Yugi said, relieved that Kurai was still talking to him.
"Where Kitty now?" Yugi took a breath, wondering how to explain.
"He's... in Heaven," he replied, finally. At Kurai's confused look, he added, "It's a big, beautiful place, where no one gets hurt and everyone's happy... Nothing bad can happen..."
"Kitty happy?"
"Yes..." Yugi said, pulling Kurai closer. "Kitty's happy. And he's always watching you, Kurai. Even if you can't see him, he's watching you..." Yugi playfully poked Kurai's nose, earning a small giggle. "You know, someday you might get to play with him again..." Kurai seemed to perk up at the statement.
"When?"
"Probably not for a long, long time," Yugi said, smiling slightly. "But... I'll always be here for you." Kurai smiled and snuggled deeper into Yugi's side.
"Aways?"
"...Always."
.................................................
By the time Joey and the others had shown up, Kurai had perked up considerably. Just the knowledge that Kitty was somewhere safe had cheered him up greatly. The others were happy to hear the news; they hadn't come up with any ways of cheering Kurai up on their own, so it gave them one less thing to do.
But on the other hand... everyone was now bored. B-O-R-E-D. Bored.
"Guys, I'm bored," Tristan said.
"We know, Tristan," Téa said through gritted teeth. "We've only known the past forty-three times you've said so."
"Oh... sorry," Tristan said, sheepishly.
"Maybe we could go out and do something...?" Bakura suggested. "It's better than sitting here and listening to how bored Tristan is."
"Or we could cook somethin' again!" Joey suddenly exclaimed, rising from his seat. "Maybe this time, we could make—" The blonde was suddenly cut off as a couch cushion made direct contact with his face.
"Nice shot, little guy!" Tristan cried, giving Kurai a high-five. Kurai giggled.
"Aw, c'mon, guys!" Joey pleaded. "You didn't think I actually meant it, right? I mean—" Another cushion hit him in the eyes. "Yugi!"
"Sorry, Joey," Yugi said, obviously not sorry at all.
"Guys, seriously this isn't—" Two more cushions from Téa and Bakura. Joey growled.
"Dat's it, guys, stop it!" Joey shouted, reaching down and picking up two of the cushions. "Either dat, or prepare yourselves for da most unpleasant pillow fight of ya lives!"
Silenced filled the room for about a minute, finally broken by a sudden outburst from Bakura.
"PILLOW FIGHT!!!"
For the next hour and a half, the living room of the Mutoh residence was a war zone. Pillows and cushions were flying, as well as the occasional Joseph Wheeler, while the pillow war commenced. It would have gone on longer, had Yami not walked in and gotten one right in the face. Of course, being the Game King, Yami joined in, quickly kicking the stuffing out of all who opposed him, with the acceptation of Kurai, who merely giggled himself to death on the sidelines.
Now, the gang plus Kurai lay spread out on the living room floor, completely exhausted. The only sounds that could be heard were the many panting breaths and the sprinkling rain outside. Wait... it was raining?
"Hey, you guys, look!" Téa said, pointing outside. "It's raining, but the sun's still out!" The others got up to look outside.
"I've heard of this happening," Bakura said. "Sometimes, you can tell it's going to rain soon if it sprinkles while the sun's still out. If the rain is warm, you can tell there's going to be a downpour later." (A/N. I think this is actually true. It's happened where I live sometimes. Warm rain is so cool! It's fun to play in! Which is why...)
"Then let's get out dere before it gets cold!" Joey exclaimed, heading for the door. Sure enough, when everyone got outside, the rain was warm. The rain began to come down harder over time, getting a little colder, until the sun disappeared behind rain clouds. Nevertheless, the gang continued to dance in the rain, splashing each other in newly formed puddles.
Kurai suddenly ran over, tackling Téa, who then ran into Tristan, causing him to knock over Yugi, who fell into Bakura, who tripped and accidentally pushed Joey into a HUGE puddle. The blonde pushed himself up, spitting out rain water. He turned a playful glare to the others.
"You know what dis means, right...?" After a small silence, Joey finally grabbed Bakura and pushed him into another puddle. The silver- haired teen shook his head vigorously, quickly getting up and pushing Joey back into the puddle, who, this time, grabbed Tristan. And when both were up again, they grabbed someone else... and so on and so forth... until the entire gang was drenched in the rain.
Soon, thunder was heard above the skies. The five teens and chibi, who were now soaked to the bone, finally decided to call it quits and go back inside.
Mr. Mutoh brought in several blankets, and even prepared hot chocolate for them all. They thanked him and, after drying off as best they could, settled underneath the weight of the warm blankets. Kurai curled up in Yugi's lap, thankful for the extra warmth, and extremely grateful when Joey and Tristan sat on either side of Yugi, adding more.
"Did you have fun?" Yugi asked, pulling another blanket around Kurai and himself.
"Mm-hmm..." Kurai answered, nuzzling into Yugi's chest.
"Me, too." Yugi relaxed on the couch, content with all of the warmth surrounding him. He slowly began to drift off into sleep, yet still fully aware of the resting child in his lap. Yugi smiled, about to close his eyes and welcome the embrace of sleep...
Then Kurai vanished.
............................................................................ .......................
Shinimegami: DUN DUN DUUUUUNNN!!!
Yugi: Kurai? (looks around desperately) Kurai! (runs over to Shinimegami and proceeds to strangle her) WHAT HAVE YOU DONE WITH KURAI??!?
Shinimegami: Ack... It's... just... part of... the story line (manages to point) He's... right... over there...
Kurai: (sitting in his seat, watching Yugi)
Yugi: (let's Shinimegami go) Oh... never mind. (sits back down)
Shinimegami: Uh... anyway, I hope you enjoyed the chapter! I pulled it all off in a one-niter, just so you know...
Yami Bakura: You killed Kitty!
Shinimegami: Um, yeah, I know. I felt really bad and stuff, but— (pause) Waiiiiit a minute... you don't even LIKE Kitty!
Yami Bakura: (flushes and stammers out) I have a soft side, okay?!
Shinimegami: (smirks) Yeah, okay. (turns back to readers) Yes, I'm SORRY I killed Kitty... but the idea wouldn't leave me ALONE!!! I just had to make it into a chapter! I still feel guilty, for those of you who think that just because I'm the Goddess of Death I'm heartless! (pause) Because, well, technically, I AM, but still—
Yugi: (whacks Shinimegami with the Unnecessarily Large Mallet of DOOM) Shut up. Just remember to review and tell Shinimegami what you thought. Thanks!
Kurai: Bye-bye! (waves to you cutely)