skye: hello!! i am soooooooooooooooooooooo uber-sorry!! my computer literally died in september, and i'm only recently back on the internet...my computer's such a bitch...a bitch that i sadly depend upon...well, without further adieu, the next chapter of this fic!! and remember, in case you've forgotten over my 'vacation' so to speak, i don't own yu-gi-oh or any of it's characters, only my deluded hopes that people read and review my fics...

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Shiranai was normally the calmest person in a situation. In order to be a pharaohs bodyguard, one must know how to keep her cool when being bombarded by assassins, or when having fatal spells and incantations hurled at you...

But now, she was pretty damned close to imploding with impatience and anxiety. "Could we please hurry it up?! Are you all deliberately going slower to see how much you can piss off the blue-haired yami?!"

Yugi gently pushed Yami towards Shiranai, and then went back to helping Joey get what was needed, ignoring any of Yami's protests. Hopefully, the former pharaoh could calm Shiranai's nerves a tad, at least until Bakura and Ryou showed up to help them with their search for Pegasus and Amethyst.

Shiranai impatiently tapped her foot while looking out the window, as she traced the Sennen Eye engraved on the top of her Dagger's handle. Yami looked at the hand on the Dagger, attempted to swallow the lump in his throat, and tapped her on the shoulder.

She spun around on her heel and stared down at the smaller spirit. "What??", she all but growled out.

Yami, now extremely aware of the height difference, looked up at Shiranai and tried to speak. But, when his crimson eyes traveled to her own sapphire blue eyes, he saw that their usual happy gleam was missing, and was now replaced with unshed tears. It hurt him to see her in so much pain, and he couldn't find any words to convey it...Other than, "Could we please not go Dagger-happy on the people trying to help us??"

Whoa, was Yami the smooth-talker, he knew how to convey his feelings.

Shiranai just stared at him for a few more seconds, until her lips twitched at the end, and she made an attempt at a smile. "Okay, Yami," she said, a lot more tranquil than her previous snarl, "I'll keep in mind that you are helping me. It's just, I don't know where she is, or what he's doing to her. And even if I knew, I couldn't help. I'm being torn up on the inside, and it hurts. But, thank you."

Yami let out the breath he had been holding and smiled back, happy that his head had not been bitten off, despite previous thoughts of that almost assuredly happening.

A sharp rapping noise was heard at the door, and Yugi dashed off to open it. He returned a moment later with Bakura and Ryou trailing behind. "Guess who we met along the way??", Ryou said, through a small smile.

Before anyone could answer, Mokuba came bounding in towards Shiranai. He grabbed her hand and looked up at her. "Don't worry, Shiranai, me and my big brother will help you find Amethyst with the others. Okay??"

Shiranai put a hand on top of Mokuba's head, and knelt down to eye-level. "Of course, Mokuba. That would be a great help, thank you.", she said, gently ruffling his long, shaggy hair.

She stood up and looked over towards the despondent looking CEO leaning against the doorframe, "And thank you, too, Kaiba."

Seto nodded towards her and went back to surveying the others.

"So", Yugi said, "Are we ready to go now??"

"Yea, Yug, let's get that creep Pegasus.", said Joey, slinging a backpack over his shoulder.

"C'mon then!!", exclaimed Shiranai, "Let's get going!!"

"We're coming, we're coming.", muttered Bakura.

They were about to head down the hall, when another rap upon said door was heard.

"Oh for F***s Sake!! Who in the seven hells could it be?!", cried an exasperated Shiranai, on the brink of a nervous breakdown, as Yugi scurried down the hall to open the door for the person bringing impending doom upon their heads.

"Hmm...Could it be a customer, considering you live in a game store??", Bakura wondered aloud. "I could have sworn that you said you were the brighter one of the family, but I guess senility takes it's toll on immortal bodyguards."

Shiranai grabbed his collar and hit his back to the wall, he just smirked back at her. "I am just so mad, I could...", Shiranai fumbled at words, "I could..." She hugged him hard around the neck. "Thanks, I needed that.", she said, and looked back over to the doorway, where the tips of Yugi's hair could be seen.

"She needed what??", Ryou whispered to Bakura.

Bakura smirked and said, "Somebody to piss her off that she could yell at. Unlike Pegasus, she could throw me against the wall and get mad all she wanted. She can't stand not knowing where Pegasus is, she can't tolerate being in suspense, not knowing what's happening to Amethyst."

"Someone's feeling philosophical today.", Ryou remarked, as he hid his smile behind his hand. Bakura just snorted.

"Joey!!", said the new-comer.

"Serenity, what're you doing here??", asked Joey as his sister hugged him. "Go back home, this is going to be dangerous."

"No, I heard about what happened to that girl Amethyst, I want to help find her with you."

"Who told you??", asked Yami.

"Duke and Tristan.", she answered.

Sure enough, the aforementioned duo appeared in the doorway.

"Yugi told me about Amethyst.", said Tristan.

"Then Tristan told me, and we headed down to see if we could help.", Duke continued. "We met Serenity, and, who could say no to her??"

"Well, I guess more help is a good thing...", said Yugi, trailing off.

"SURE!! It's freakin' marvelous!! I could not be any more pleased!! Now can we please get our asses on the road?!", asked Shiranai.

"Yes, let's go.", Yugi said, ushering the others down the hall.

Finally, the group of six turned eleven, emerged into the streets under the high-noon sun.

"I just hope we're not too late.", Ryou confided to his yami.

Bakura was too busy to answer, being preoccupied with his Ring, and how it was strangely alerting him to a nearby Millenium Item. But before he could ponder further on the strange occurrence...

"STOP LAGGING BEHIND!!", bellowed Shirnai, and Bakura quickened his pace to trail the others.

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skye: YAY!! DONE!! REVIEW PLEASE!!