WSJ: @_@ Mon français devoir est prendre par-dessus moi! Je suis française...

Amoura: *blinku* Non, je ne suis pas d'accord, SJ. Tu est americaine. Faire tu pas avoir géometrie à faire?

WSJ: *scowls* Zut Amoura! C'est-à-dire un secréte! Je faire pas désirer à!

Amoura: *sarcasticly* Tu rigoles!

WSJ: *shakes her head sharply* Sorry about that. ^^ Having French class as the second to last class of the day never helps much when I'm coming straight home to write. I appologise too for the attrocious grammar, I was trying to put all that together from the meager glossary at the back of my text book...

Amoura: *mutters something sarcastic and stalks off*

WSJ: ^^; Anyway... We have a guest this chapter!

Ryou: *blinks* What? A guest?

WSJ: *snickers and pulls Kaze out from where he'd been trying to hide under her desk* Kidnapping is fun... And with Kawari getting all the attention I thought Kaze deserved at least a bit. :p

Kaze: -_-; This is embarrassing... *is dressed completely in tight black leather, and is shackled to the leg of WSJ's desk*

Ryou: *twitches* Well, at least SJ's not stalking me anymore... ^o^ Sucks be to you.

Kaze: -_-+ I'll get you for that you telepathic runt...

Ryou: *grins and tsk tsks*

WSJ: :p Ryou, don't antagonize the bishonen. Or I'll give you to Mahaado to play with.

Ryou: ¬¬ Yes ma'am... *edges away from the closet, where Mahaado is currently penned up*

WSJ: ^o^ For those of you who don't know who Kaze *pauses to huggle the grumbling Negative* and Kawari are then go read High Crystal Guardian's fics, they're hers. :p And now on to a few questions I've received...

On the matter of Fate/Angeline and Anjil: *laughs evilly* So I have managed to confuse you, eh? *smirks* It'll be explained. Not for awhile yet, but it will be explained... ^^ Can you wait until Ryou and Serenity get to Switzerland (about 4/5 chapters from now)? You can't? Aw, sorry. :p I will give you a hint though. Waaaaaay back in chapters 16/17 of VotH, Bakura and Ryou (and later Yami) speculated that Anjil was reincarnated as Angeline. And last chapter Fate came right out and said that she lived back in ancient Egypt. So her comment to chibi-Ryou in chapter 16 ("Bakura was someone I loved... very much...") would be justified without her necessarily having to be Anjil. ^~ But anyway, it will be explained in time, so just chill a little and be patient.

Disclaimer: I don't own YGO, but the OCs and Elements are mine. Kitty is owned by Mortae, and Syne & Alexi are owned by Sesca3. Amoura, Lisa, and various others belong to Brood Mayran.

WSJ: *puts her head in her hands and shakes her head wearily* My little brother's Megablocks Dragons are attacking my little sister's "Fort Barbie"... *shudders*

Kaze: *sweatdrop* And, on that note, roll fic!

()()()()()

Home Sweet Home

Chapter 10 -- When Ski Poles Attack!

Quote of the Chapter:

"I will never understand. Does it matter? It's a game! It's big burly men in tight pants and no brains knocking their heads together like billy goats! Hey! Stop screaming at the TV and listen to me!"
~(Me, trying to figure out why my father and grandfather like to watch football)

Gwen sighed in slight exasperation as she ducked out of another of the mall's resturants. "Where in heck would they be?!" she muttered, glancing at her watch. "It's almost 12:30. I've got to find them sometime in the next half hour and then meet the others at the grand stand."

Not watching where she was going the blond darted around one of the many stalls set up to sell Duel Monsters cards and ran straight into a much shorter body. Gwen quickly caught her balance, even as the shorter girl fell over onto her butt.

"~Geez, sorry.~" Gwen said, offering her hand to help the other up. "~I wasn't watching where I-~" she broke off and grinned. "~So there you are Syne!~"

(Okay, this is already getting annoying. ~_~' For now I'm just going to have them talk in regular quote marks. I'll go back to noting English and Jap when they meet back up with the Ishtars and Hiro, okay?)

"Hi Gwen." Syne took her taller friend's hand and pulled herself to her feet. She dusted off her Water Omotics costume and then grinned widely. "Dressed as Witty Phantom again this year?"

Gwen shrugged. "Hey, don't knock it till you've tried it. Say, are you up for a tag-team duel with me and some friends? One of the commissioners asked me to participate, and when we needed a fourth person I thought immediately of you. You did bring your deck, right?"

"Tch, do I leave home without it? I'll beat you yet Gwendolyn Kennady!"

"Ha! I'd like to see you try Syne."

"Hey Gwen, long time no see!"

Both Gwen and Syne turned to face a tall girl with long, wavy black hair dressed up in a Maiden of the Aqua costume. She was carrying two ice creame bars shaped like little Duel Monsters cards, and she handed one of them to Syne before unwrapping the other for herself. This was Syne's little sister, Alexi. They really made quite an odd trio. Syne, although the shortest, was actually the oldest of the three. Gwen was only a few weeks younger then her, but was a good five inches taller. Alexi, who was younger then the other two by a couple years, topped Gwen by at least three inches in height.

"What's this I hear about you two beating each other up all over the arena again?" Alexi inquired, raising an eyebrow in Gwen's direction.

Gwen grinned widely. "I need Syne to tag-team with me and my friends. The duel starts in..." She checked her watch. "About forty-five minutes."

"And THIS time I'm going to beat you!" Syne declared, waving her ice creame around dramaticly as the three of them started toward the grand stand.

Gwen snorted. "Two words Syne-chan: you wish."

"Hey," Alexi said suddenly, trying to diffuse a potentially explosive situation. Whenever her sister and Gwen started in on their dueling records, things could get a little ugly. "You've been in Japan for the last year, haven't you? So who are these friends you have with you today? Someone you met in Japan?"

"But of course," Gwen said, grinning as she readjusted the waist coat on her outfit. "Actually Syne, I've been meaning to write you for awhile. I'm actually going to college with Yugi Moto and a whole lot of his friends!"

Alexi's and Syne's eyes both widened. "You're kidding!"

Gwen shook her head. "Nope, I'm not. And in fact, the two guys we'll be dueling with today were both finalists in Battle City." She noticed Syne's ever-widening eyes and grinned a little. "Do the names "Yami Ishtar" and "Malik Ishtar" ring any bells with you Syne?"

Syne bit down on a squeal. "You're serious Gwen?! Oh my gosh, this is so awesome! I'm actually going to meet Yami and Malik Ishtar!!"

"Mm-hm." Gwen said, nodding. "In fact..." She waved her hands over her head, and saw Hiro put his own hand up in acknowledgement. The two groups began weaving toward each other, and met just outside the main entrance to the grand stand.

"Hi Gwen," Malik said in Japanese. "We were beginning to worry you couldn't find your friend."

"Pffft..." Gwen said, waving her hand in front of her. "Right. Syne's always around somewhere at cons like these. Oh, speaking of Syne, you guys this is my good friend Syne Smith. She's the second best duelist in California, and one of my very best American friends. And this is her sister Alexi. ~Syne,~" she said, turning to the other two American girls and switching back to English. "~This is Hiro Kawigami, a very good friend of mine but a terrible duelist. And this is Malik, and Yami Ishtar.~"

"~Nice to meet you.~" Alexi and Syne chimed, sticking out their hands in near unison. The three men just blinked at them until Gwen nudged Hiro with her elbow. Remembering the American custom, Hiro grabbed Alexi's hand and shook it. A brief nudge later and Syne was shaking Ishtar's hand as well.

"~Very good, very good, you've all met each other.~" The same official from before walked up to them, carrying a Duel Disk in each arm. Malik and Ishtar were both still wearing theirs from the cosplay, and in fact the one Malik wore was the same one he and Ishtar had used in Battle City. The official handed one of the Disks to Gwen, who happily slid it onto her arm, and then looked over at Syne. "~I assume you'll be the forth duelist?~" When Syne nodded he gave her the forth and final Duel Disk.

"~Now then,~" he said. "~If you'll please follow me... You two can go on in to the grand stand.~" he told Hiro and Alexi. "~We have front row seats reserved for you.~" The two nodded and headed into the quickly filling arena. Word had gone out, and everyone wanted to see this duel. Not only were two Japanese celebreties competing, but two of California's top duelists as well. (Not to mention the fact that Ishtar and Malik were both still dressed in their mostly-leather cosplay costumes, Syne was in a revealing Water Omotics costume, and Gwen was in a purple tuxedo. Can anyone say "fanservice"?)

As the official led the four backstage, they each slid their decks into the slots on their Disks and flipped them on. They exchanged excited glances, each of them mentally preparing for the duel that lay ahead. The official (what the hey, we'll call him Stu) motioned for them to wait and then stepped through the door and into the arena.

"~Ladies and gentlemen!~" Stu said loudly, the microphone pinned to his collar picking up his words and transporting them to the PA system. "~What you are about to witness will astound, confound, and amaze you. Four dueling legends go head-to-head in a grueling death match, where only one team of two can come out the victor. Even the duelists themselves don't know who they'll be paired with, this paper in my hand holds the names of the pairs. If our four duelists would plase come out as I call their names and take their positions next to their partners on opposite ends of the field.

"~From Cairo, Egypt, more lately of Domino, Japan, finalist in the Battle City tournement, a weapons major at Tokyo University, let's give a big round of applause to Yami Ishtar!~"

A nudge in the back from Gwen sent Ishtar out among screaming fans, wild applause, and many many flashbulbs. He chuckled weakly, waving and nodding to the crowds as he took his place at the south-west corner of the field. At least his hair was back to being blond now. While Gwen had been running around trying to find Syne he'd taken the opportunity to head into a bathroom and commendeer a sink to wash the temporary dye out of his hair.

Stu continued his speech, reading off the next bit of info on his paper. "~Playing opposite his brother, also from Cairo, Egypt, but more recently of Domino, Japan, also a finalist in Battle City and a close friend of Yugi Moto himself, a journelism major at Tokyo University, let's get some clapping up for Malik Ishtar!~"

Malik, with only a little prodding from Gwen, made his way out onto the field and took his place opposite his yami, grinning widely at the spirit. He said something in Arabic, and Ishtar frowned and spat something in return. This whole exchange was viewed with cheers and squeals by the crowd as Stu began his next oration.

"~Playing together with Malik Ishtar and opposite Yami Ishtar, from San Fransisco, California, lately of Domino City, Japan, top duelist in California, 18th place in the National Duel Monsters Championchips and an English lit major at Tokyo University, Gwen Kennady!~"

Gwen bounced out onto the field amongst wild cheers. She'd shed the tie and hat from her costume, but was still wearing the purple jacket and orange shirt with the purple slacks. Flashbulbs went off again, and Gwen waved happily to the crowd as she took her place next to Malik on the north-east corner of the field.

"~And last but not least, playing with Yami Ishtar and opposite Gwen and Malik, from San Fransisco, California, second top duelist in California and long time friend and rival of Gwen, a creative writing major at San Diego University, Syne Smith!~"

Syne ran out to stand beside Ishtar. The three gaijin-Japanese bowed to each other, and quickly Syne followed suit. They slipped their decks into the Duel Disk slots and waited for the holographic pods to set themselves up. Ishtar and Malik were grinning at each other cockily and yelling what had to be either insults or a bet of some kind (or possibly both) in Arabic. Gwen looked absolutely exstatic to be back on the dueling field after so long, and was grinning widely. Syne had a poker face firmly in place, but there was a small smile tugging at the corners of her mouth.

"~All right duelsists,~" Stu said, and waiting for Gwen to repeat it in Japanese for the benefit of Malik and Ishtar. "~Battle City rules; sacrifice summon, direct damage, and deck master. Duelists please choose your deck masters.~" The four duelists shuffled through their decks, looking for their deck master monster.

Gwen found hers right away. "~I choose Dunames Dark Witch!~" The metal-clad woman appeared next to her, her arms crossed indifferantly.

"The Bistro Butcher!" Malik called his deck master as the blue-skinned chef appeared next to him. Thankfully the Duel Disks were advanced enough to recognise not only both Japanese and English cards, but spoken commands in both languages as well.

"Dragon Seeker!" Ishtar's deck master hovered behind him, roaring at the opponants.

"~Princess of Tsurugi!~" Syne's deck master appeared next to her, giggling a little behind her fans.

"~Very well,~" Stu nodded. "~The deck masters have been chosen. I will now flip a coin, Gwen's call, on which team will go first.~" He pulled a quarter out of his pocket and flipped it. Gwen called it heads in the air, and it landed tails. "~Ishtar will make first move!~" Stu announced. "~Followed by Gwen, Syne, and Malik. The first team with one player to lose all their life points loses. Each duelist starts with 6000 LP. Duelists cannot be directly attacked unless neither partner has a monster on the field. Game start!~"

Each of the duelists drew their first hand of cards. Malik frowned sharply, but was reassured by Gwen's triumphant grin at her own hand. Ishtar grinned widely in delight, and Syne made sure to keep her face neutral as she looked over her cards.

Ishtar selected a card from his hand to play, shooting a feral grin at Malik as he did. "Let's do this."

~*~

((Warning: This section of the chapter contains mild cursing, violence, and blood. You have been warned.))

There were about ten of them, lounging around the abandonned skate park. Several of them were smoking, and the ground was littered with beer bottles. Joey gulped quietly. There was no way this was going to be easy. But it was too late to back out now, they'd already spotted him aproaching and were climbing to their feet.

Joey stopped about ten feet away from them as the Black Tigers fanned out in front of him. Frowning, he flicked his eyes over them, trying to pick out their leader. Ah, that had to be him, the one with the slutty brunette practically hanging off him. Jeez, no wonder Mai had insulted her. "I have a score to settle with Hisoka Watsuki." he said loudly, trying to watch all the gang members at once.

The one who he'd guessed was leader stepped forward, prying the girl off him. "What business do you have with the leader of the Black Tigers? I don't remember ever seeing your ugly mug around here before, pup."

Joey grimaced, trying to ignore the insult he'd almost come to expect. 'What is it about me that always screams dog?' he wondered. "My business doesn't matter." he said aloud. "I demand a fight from you, as revenge for someone you once killed."

Hisoka, leader of the Black Tigers, sneered at him. "That's a good amount of people, pup. Why add your name to the list?"

Joey growled at the man's arrogance. "I have no intention of losing." he said. "The honor of my girl demands I defeat you." Sure, it had been a long time since his and Tristan's old gang days, but he was pretty sure he could whip this punk easily, and without having to kill him. Heh, funny how Mai had suddenly become 'his girl' again.

"Honor doesn't exist around these parts," Hisoka sneered, motioning for the rest of his gang to spread out and encircle the two of them. "And I'll be sure to deliver your body to this girl of yours as soon as I'm through."

"We'll see." Joey said, clenching his fists and dropping into a fighting stance. Smirking, his opponant did the same.

"Joey!"

Joey half-turned to see Mai running up the street, Scott just behind her. The gang members moved forward to block their way, stopping them from getting close to Joey. "Ahhh," Hisoka said, shifting his eyes to Mai. "I think I understand now, I remember that face. So bitch, come to have your new dog fight for your old one?"

"You shut up," Before Mai could answer or Hisoka could react, Joey ran forward and delivered a solid punch to the man's chin, jumping back before Hisoka could retaliate.

"Mutt," Hisoka spat, wiping a trickle of blood off his lip. "That hurt." He leaped forward, swinging a fist at Joey. The blond ducked, and repaid in like. Very soon the two were a rolling ball of dust in the center of a circle of cheering, hooting gang members. Scott and Mai could only watch helplessly, as four of the biggest men had them surrounded.

"Oh Joey..." Mai moaned. "How could you be so stupid?"

"What's this all about, anyway?" Scott asked, wincing slightly as Joey got hit hard in the stomach. "Why's Joey fighting some gang leader?"

"He thinks he can play hero!" Mai said. "This gang leader once killed... somone I knew, and Joey thinks he can get revenge for me..." She fell quiet, biting her lip as she watched the fight. She knew this would end in a death. She just hoped for her heart's sake that it wasn't Joey's.

Joey found to his own surprise that he was enjoying this fight somewhat. It had been a long time since he'd gone all out like this, not since he and Tristan had once fought about Serenity, back before she'd been going out with Ryou. There was just something about the undisciplined feeling of swinging your fists that set Joey free in a way the strict orders of martial arts never could. He laughed as he got a good grip on Hisoka, driving his knee into the other man's gut. Hisoka grunted, but let himself fall forward, causing Joey to slam onto his back on the pavement, momentarily getting the breath knocked out of him.

Gasping for air, Joey rolled out of the way as Hisoka tried to bring his booted foot down on the blond's head. Rolling to his knees, Joey remembered a move that Bakura had once taught him and lashed out backward with one foot, catching Hisoka by the ankles and throwing him to the ground. Spinning, Joey then leaped on top of the stunned gang leader, wrapping his hands around the man's neck. If he could just get Hisoka unconcious without having to really hurt him...

Hisoka gasped as stars appeared in front of his eyes and his vision began to waver. He clawed at Joey's hands with no results. Weakly he reached for his last line of defence, a ghastly smile lighting his face. He slashed upward and Joey cried out, stumbling off of him. Hisoka climbed to his feet, laughing hoarsely and rubbing his neck. "No one gets the better of Hisoka Watsuki!"

Joey growled, holding a hand over his slashed shirt and trying to ignore the cries of Scott and Mai. The wound was shallow, but the matter still stood. He was at a major disadvantage now. That dirty rotten cheater!

Hisoka had drawn a switchblade on him.

~*~

Seto's eyes widened and he took a step back from the ghost of his former step father. "B-but you're - you're-"

"Dead?" Gozenboru sneered, his voice echoing strangely amidst the wind and rain that beat down upon the house. "Yes, I suppose to you I would be. Unfortunately, you and I seem to be a lot alike Seto, neither of us know when to die!" He stepped toward Seto menicingly, cracking his knuckles as the elder Kaiba brother shivered in slight fear. Still slightly shocked at his step-father's appearance, Seto was unable o get out of the way as Gozenboru gave him a mighty shove, sending him backward down three flights of stairs to land in a cursing heap not twenty feet from where Mokuba, Lisa, and Rebecca still sat huddled on the couch. In spectral form Seto couldn't really come to any physical harm, but it still hurt like hell. The teenage ghost climbed to his feet, rubbing his pounding head as Gozenboru followed him leasurely down the stairs.

The elder CEO cast a dismissive glance at the three mortals on the couch, then turned his attention back to Seto. "Twice now you've tried to do away with me boy, but each time I've come back! Eventually Seto, your luck will run out."

"Well you know what they say," Seto said, setting himself for a fight. "Third time's the charm!" He charged Gozenboru, using the older man's great bulk against him and managing to knock him backward into a lamp, which fell to the ground with a crash. With a roar, Gozenboru regained his footing and leaped at him.

On the couch, Lisa squeaked in fear as the lamp fell over, seemingly by itself. If they listened hard, it seemed almost like they could hear faint voices over the cacophony of the storm. Lightning flashed, and the three of them clung together in fear. "I-I see them!" Rebecca said in a high, fearful whisper. "Look, over there!"

"I see them too!" Lisa exclaimed. "Oh Mokuba, Kebby-kun's fighting someone!"

Mokuba nodded nombly, his hands balled into tight fists to keep them from trembling. He could see the two ghosts much better than either of the girls could, and what he saw had him scared. Gozenboru? Back again? And Seto was fighting him! There was nothing Mokuba could do except trying to calm the girls, a job he didn't relish. Why couldn't he help Seto fight? It wasn't fair!

Lisa squeaked again in fear as Gozenboru managed to pin Seto spread-eagled against one of the walls. Seto kneed him in the groin and leaped out of the way, turning on one foot to deliver a kick to the back of Gozenboru's head. Both girls let out a cheer, even though Gozenboru was again struggling to his feet. The older man swung a heavy fist at Seto, managing to catch him in the side of the head. Seto stumbled and then fell to one knee as Gozenboru stood over him, a dark smirk on his ugly face.

Seto wiped a trickle of blood off the corner of his mouth and stared up at his step father, his eyes defiant. "Why have you come back Gozenboru? Noa is no longer here, Mokuba is CEO of Kaiba Corp. I'm dead, although I choose to linger. Mokuba and I got over you a long time ago Gozenboru, you're no longer feared here. Together my brother and I can do anything, and that includes getting rid of you once and for all."

Rising to his feet, Seto turned to look at his fifteen year old brother. Mokuba swallowed, knowing what he had to do. He pried Rebecca and Lisa off him and stood up from the couch, despite their loud protests. He stepped away and turned his back on them, leaving the two girls clinging to each other on the couch. He walked forward until he was standing next to Seto, facing Gozenboru. Even though he knew Seto was right, and he had to face his fear, he couldn't help that his knees knocked and his palms were sweaty.

Gozenboru scowled at Seto. "No fear?" he asked haughtily. "Your poor little brother's shaking like a leaf. Why don't you go run off and tend to him Seto?"

Seto's jaw tightened, but he didn't answer. Instead, he simply looked at Mokuba. The teen swallowed, then his eyes hardened in resignation. "Onii-sama's right." he said. "I'm not scared of you anymore, because I know Seto will always be around when I need him."

Seto smiled softly and nodded, and took his brother's flesh and blood hand in his own transparant one. Together they turned to face Gozenboru and held out their free hands, almost as if they intended to try and Mind Crush the ghost. Instead, a bright light shone from their hands, striking Gozenboru square in the chest. The ghost screamed and dropped to his knees, and a second later he was gone.

Gone for good.

The light of love had barely faded from around them when Mokuba suddenly found himself glomped. Seto had faded back into the shadows in the corner of the room, watching with a strange expression on his face as his little brother was hugged enthusiasticly by both Lisa and Rebecca. However, unlike Lisa, who let go almost right away and turned her back on him, Rebecca held on. Mokuba returned the embrace as Rebecca babbled, almost giddy with relief. "Oh Mokie-kun, that was so scary! You beat the ghost or demon or whatever it was! You were fantastic!" Standing up on her tip-toes and probably surprising them both, Rebecca kissed him.

Seto's eyebrows drew together in an expression something akin to sorrow. Since he and Mokuba shared a body, even if he wasn't currently in it, he could feel Mokuba's surprise and sudden happiness at being kissed. Seto groaned slightly, trying not to remember how it felt to be held, to be kissed, since he'd never have a chance to be loved again. The thought of love brought another bitter thought to Seto's mind as he watched his brother and Rebecca. Someday... someday Mokuba was going to get married and have kids of his own. Where would Seto be then?

He sighed and dropped his head, letting himself fade into his soul room where he could at least lock the door and try to ignore what was going on outside. Mokie-kun. She'd called him Mokie. That had always been Seto's nickname for him. Mokuba's earlier words echoed bitterly in Seto's mind.

"I know Seto will always be around when I need him."

Seto flopped down on the giant stuffed lion[1] that was in his soul room, burying his face in its mane. What if Mokuba didn't need him anymore?

~*~

Mako sweatdropped a little, wondering if this had been such a good idea after all. He'd called everyone he could think of who'd've been stupid enough to venture out into the storm, and most of them had since drunken themselves into oblivion. Rex and Weevil were in the corner giggling together like school girls, and Espa Roba was curled up on the couch sucking his thumb.

Mako sighed and scratched the back of his head, debating whether or not just to throw them out and be done with it.

~*~

"wwwwwwwaaaaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Bakura glanced around nervously, wondering what that sound was. The white-haired man was standing at the bottom of the ski slope, rather amazed he'd managed to stay on his feet all the way down. Sakura and Kitty had been giving the group crash courses in skiing and snowboarding for the past two hours, with Amoura helping as best she could. Bakura frowned as the scream drew nearer. That really sounded like...

"WATCH OUT YOU STUPID TOMB ROBBER!!!!!"

...Yami.

The ex-pharaoh was wobbling dramaticly, his arms waving in all directions as he attempted to keep his balance on the snowboard. Bakura groaned slightly as he realized Yami was coming right for him, and there was no way he'd be able to get out of the way in time. He debated knocking Yami out of the way with his ski poles, but then sighed, realizing that Tea probably wouldn't like having Yami out cold in the snow, and would most likely make Bakura drag him back to the cabin. Bakura sighed again and braced for impact.

Ten seconds later Bakura spit out a mouthful of snow and drummed his fingers against the ground impatiently. "Yami, get off."

"Believe me," the pharaoh grunted from his possition on top of Bakura. "I'm trying." He pushed himself to his feet, only to lose his balance and fall back on top of Bakura again, causing the latter of the two to curse at being flattened again.

Yugi slid to a stop near them from his own trip down the slope, laughing a little at their predicament. "Guess that gives a new meaning to the words 'crash course', huh Yami?"

"Urusai..." Yami muttered. "For once aibou, I think I really hate you."

Yugi laughed, knowing his other was only kidding. Yugi had taken to his snowboard like a duck takes to water, and was already eager to head over to the specially designed area where snowboarders could learn and practice tricks. Kitty had already promised to teach him a few. Tea was doing pretty well on her skiis too, or at least she wasn't falling over nearly as many times as Yami and Bakura were.

"Harumph..." Bakura snorted, finally able to get to his feet as Yugi pulled Yami off him. "I was not made to feel comfortable in snow. Snow is an unnatural phenominon, and should never have to be encountered."

"Amen!" Yami exclaimed, slapping Bakura on the back and nearly sending him face-first into the snow again. Bakura wobbled precariously for a moment, but regained his balance. He turned to look at Yami, a strange gleam in his eyes. Scooping up a fistful of snow, he hurled a snowball Yami's way before the ancient spirit knew what was coming.

"Ack!" Yami clawed at his face until the majority of the snow was gone. "You dirty tomb robber..." Eyeing Bakura, he started to grab a snowball of his own when he was hit again, this time from the back. Twisting around and trying not to fall over with his feet strapped to a snowboard, Yami's eyes widened in surprise. "Aibou!"

Yugi grinned, already shaping another snowball in his gloved hands. "Sorry Yami! I couldn't help it!" He threw another snowball, this one impacting Bakura, who'd doubled over laughing at Yugi's sneak attack on Yami.

"Hey!" Bakura yelped, brushing off the front of his coat. "All right you little pipsqueaks, this means war!" In one deft movement he bent over, unlocking the straps that held his boots to the skiis. Fortunately, these were the type of skiis where you locked your own boots onto them, not the kind where the boots were already fastened to the skiis and unable to come off. Shaking his feet free of the skiis, Bakura made another snowball and tossed it at Yugi. Seeing that Bakura could now move about freely, Yami hurridly bent over to free his own feet. In so doing he teetered for a moment, before falling over backward into the snow. Trying to ignore the way Bakura and Yugi were laughing at him, Yami sat up and managed to unlock his boots, climbing to his feet snowboard free. Launching a snowball at Bakura's unprotected back, Yami laughed and dashed away. Bakura and Yugi (who'd also pulled his feet off his board) chased after him, flinging snowballs back and forth.

All at once, a snowball hit Bakura in the side of the head, causing him to yelp and hop around, franticly brushing the cold wet stuff away from his face and hair. He heard laughter from behind him and turned to see Amoura and Tea, who'd apparently heard the comotion and come to "help". Both girls were holding snowballs. Yugi, Yami, and Bakura froze, and as one adopted a classic "deer in the headlights" look before turning and running full tilt the way they'd came, Amoura and Tea on their heels.

After being pelted with a few more snowballs, Bakura decided he'd had enough. Turning, he charged Amoura, catching her fully off guard. He tackled her, and together they rolled down a small hill and into a snow drift, laughing all the way. Bakura landed on his back, with Amoura on top of him. Their laughter faded as they stared at each other. Some of Amoura's hair fell into Bakura's face, and when she reached up to brush it away her hand lingured near his face, idly running her fingers down the scar on his cheek.

Bakura felt as if his breath had been stolen away as he looked at her, so close... Reaching up, he caught her hand in his, their fingers intertwining. "Amoura, I-"

"Shhh..." Amoura leaned forward, her breath warm on his face. Their lips had just barely brushed together when someone catcalled from above them. Blushing furiously, they jerked apart and sat up, looking up at Yami, Tea, and Yugi who were watching from the top of the hill. Yami was smirking, and it was apparently him who'd interrupted them.

"Didn't know you had it in you, you dog!" Yami laughed, directing his comment at Bakura.

Still blushing, the mortal tomb thief jumped to his feet. "Yami..." he growled warningly. Glancing around, Bakura's eyes suddenly lit up with a mischievious light. Running over to a nearby tree, he scooped up some snow from its base, all the time thanking Osirus that he was wearing gloves. Deftly forming it into a ball, he hurled it at Yami, crowing in triumph as he watch it splatter across the spirit's coat.

Yami blanced as he glanced down at his coat. "TOMB ROBBER! How dare you hit me with a yellow snowball!" the enraged pharaoh took off after Bakura, who was cackling almost like he had back in the 'old days'.

Tea and Yugi watched them run off among the trees, then shook their heads sadly and turned back to where Amoura was still sitting in the snow. They exchanged glances, then slid down the small slope to sit next to her. "Amoura, what's wrong?" Yugi asked, putting a hand on her shoulder.

Amoura turned toward him, a dreamy grin on her face and a faint blush still visible on her cheeks. "Nothing at all Yugi-kun, nothing at all."

~*~

Ishtar grinned as he looked over the cards in his hand. This was almost too perfect to be true! The Winged Dragon of Ra in his hand already! After Battle City the God Cards had ceased to hold as much power as they used to, and they were certainly no longer as dangerous, but they were still very formidable cards. Yugi had held onto Ra for a short time, but had given it back to Malik the same time he'd formally returned the Tauk to Isis. Malik, claiming he wanted to build his dueling skills without having to resort to a Kami no Cardo had thus turned Ra over to Ishtar. The blond yami chuckled darkly. Oh how his hikari would come to regret that... As far as Ishtar knew, Yugi and Yami still had Saint Dragon of Osiris, and Kaiba still had Obelisk.

Moving his eyes to the other cards in his hand, his grin widened further as he selected several to put onto his Duel Disk. "I play a card face down, and I place a monster in defence mode. Turn end."

Gwen, after relaying all this in English, drew a card for her own turn. She laughed out loud, leveling a cocky grin at Syne. "~Looks like you'll get beaten again, my friend!~"

Syne smiled. "~We'll see. Make your move, Gwen.~"

Gwen nodded sharply, turning her attention back to her cards. The one weakness in her deck was that it was made up mostly of magic cards. Luckily, while she'd had four magic cards in her hand to start and had just drawn a trap, she did have one of her monsters in hand, and it was one of her better ones. "~I lay two cards face down, and I summon Warrior Dai Grepher (1700/1600), in attack mode! Dai Grepher, attack Ishtar's face down card!~" The dark haired warrior materialized in front of her and slashed Ishtar's face down monster in two, sending his White Magical Hats to the Graveyard. Gwen grinned and snapped her fingers, ending her turn.

Syne moved to draw her own card, and allowed herself a small smile as she saw what it was. "~I play a monster face down, and end my turn.~"

Malik grinned as he drew a card, not so worried now about his terrible starting hand. Gwen's Dai Grepher wasn't going anywhere, and from what he'd seen of Gwen dueling in the past, she was a pretty good strategist (although not nearly as good as Yugi. She'd gotten her butt kicked in ten moves when she foolishly challenged him to chess). His face brightened as he looked at the card he'd just drawn. He didn't have any monsters under five stars in his hand, but this sure could help. "I set one card face down and end my turn."

It'd come back around to Ishtar again, and he drew his next card. "Aha! Vorse Raider (1900/1200), attack mode! Destroy Gwen's Warrior Dai Grepher!"

Gwen winced as Ishtar took a small chunk out of her life points before ending his turn. Frowning and praying for another monster card, Gwen drew a card. She let out a quiet sigh of relief. It wasn't a monster, but it gave her a chance. "~I play Pot of Greed.~" Drawing another two cards, she couldn't help but squeal in delight. Just what she needed! "~I play Maha Vailo (1550/1400), in attack mode, and I equip it with Horn of the Unicorn, which raises its attack and defence by 700 points! But wait, there's more.~" She grinned cheesily. "~In accordance with Maha Vailo's effect, I add another 500 attack points for every card equiped to it, bringing its points total to 2750/2100! Now, Maha Vailo, attack and destroy Ishtar's Vorse Raider! Ha! Beat that Syne!~"

Syne frowned and glanced at Ishtar as she prepared to draw. The Egyptian was sputtering indignantly, most likely at the LP he was now missing. Either that, or at Malik, whow as laughing hystericly at his other. Syne shook her head and drew. She knew Gwen's deck almost as well as she knew her own, and now that Gwen had one of her Maha Vailos out they were in real trouble.

"Hehehe..." Gwen giggled, grinning as Malik gave her a thumbs up. "Thank you Amoura! Never thought that card would be more appreciated..."

Gwen: 5800
Syne: 6000
Malik: 6000
Ishtar: 5150

~*~

Duke groaned slightly and sat back in his chair, rotating his tired shoulder muscles as the con officials began to herd protesting kids away from the booth where he sat in preparation for closing down the con for the night. He'd spent the last three days playing promotional games, signing autographs, and having his picture taken with fans. He'd been alternatively glomped, tackled, hugged, and groped, and although he always got a buzz from the rush of the crowds, he was very glad that the week was half over.

Standing up Duke stretched his arms over his head, working out the kinks that had developed in his back. And what a week it had been so far! While he'd been naively signing autographs, the Sailor Senshi had been in a nearly disasterous fight that Duke hadn't found out about until much later. It seemed that the Outer Senshi, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto, were after something called the Talismens, and that they'd finally been found. Rei'd also said something about Sailor Moon being able to transform into a stronger form and one of their main enemies, the Witch Eudiel, being defeated. Duke hadn't even tried to understand, he'd just nodded in the appropriate places. He'd given up on even that when Usagi showed up at the temple with a pink-haired little kid that looked a lot like her, who'd apparently just arrived the night before while Duke had been off enjoying the Kimono Festival with Minako on one arm and Makoto on the other. Then the attempted explanations got really confusing, so Duke had just blocked them out altogether.

He sighed and shook his head, wondering how in the world anyone could cope with so much weirdness in their lives and still appear mostly normal. Ryou, Yugi, and Malik sure seemed to manage it well enough. Duke was just glad his own life wasn't so stressed out and weird. Not that being good friends with a telepath, an ancient pharaoh, and a former psycopathic murderer didn't count as weird.

"Duke! Hey, Duke!"

Duke turned away from the booth he'd be occupying again the next day and grinned as Minako trotted up to him. She'd offered to meet him for coffee after the con finished for the day, and he'd happily accepted. Minako was a nice girl, and Duke was happy for a chance to get to know her better without her friend Makoto around. Sometimes the brunette could be just a little too forceful, even if she was a good cook.

"Hi Minako, ready to go? There's a really great coffee shop right near here. I figured we'd just head over there, since it's raining so hard."

Minako nodded as the two of them headed for the door. "It's really strange how bad the weather's been lately. Usually we don't get monsoons this far north."

Duke shook his head as he opened up the umbrella he'd brought with him and the two of them made ready to duck out the door. "It's not monsoon season Mina-chan. I don't know what's going on, but it's not just here. I heard on the news that it's unusually hot in Africa, there hasn't been a cloud spotted for days anywhere in America, and snow storms are sweeping across the Alps. The whole world's weather is going to pot all of a sudden."

Speech was made impossible then as the two of them dashed through the rain to the coffee shop which was, indeed, right across the street. They paused be the door to shake off the excess water and hang up their rain slickers before finding a table. Duke went to the counter to order coffee for himself and a smoothie for Minako, and a minute later brought them back to where Minako was sitting by the window, staring dismally out at the driving rain. They sat in silence for some minutes, sipping at their drinks, before Minako ventured to speak.

"I wonder if this has anything to do with the Talismens being found? Sailor Pluto keeps talking about what's going to happen if Sailor Saturn, the last of the planetary senshi, gets found. According to her, Sailor Saturn could cause the world to end. Rei-chan's premonitions seem to point to Sailor Saturn's awakening, so maybe the weather is just preparing for the end of the ages."

Duke looked thoughtful, absently wondering if the quiet, thoughtful girl in front of him was the same one as the hyper, boy-crazy blonde she was around her friends. In a way, Minako really reminded him of Gwen, and he silently vowed never to let them get together. "I don't think the world's going to end, Mina-chan." he said seriously. "Fate-sama would never stand for it."

"Fate-sama?" Minako asked, puzzled. "That angel lady who showed up when you and Ryou were hurt? Who was she anyway, we never could get a straight answer from Ryou."

Duke pursed his lips, wondering how to explain about the Elementals without saying too much about the Millenium Items. "Fate-sama's a goddess who's taken a special intrest in Ryou's life for reasons I can't say. She and her brother Time lead a group of gods and goddesses known as the Elementals, and we've encountered them quite a bit. It all balances out," he said, settling back in his seat. "Everything that happens has a counter-weight, even if it's in another dimention. Someone dies, then in another realm someone else has to die in an attempt to keep it all equal, if opposite at times. I don't think it's possible for a world to just end without meaning the end of all the realms in a cataclysmic attempt to restore balance."

"A goddess? You mean she's in every dimension at once?" Duke nodded, and Minako continued, "So what you're saying," Minako puzzled through Duke's semi-lecture. "Is that everything I do is reacted to in some way? Like the butterfly effect?"

Duke nodded. "I've heard that theory. In fact, Bakura, Ryou's older brother, wrote a paper on it for high school a couple years ago. I think both of them, Ryou and Bakura, are firm believers in it, if only because they've met Fate." he chuckled. "But the theory is a good one. Okay, here's an example. I know a pair of brothers, Mokuba and Seto Kaiba. Of course, Seto's dead. You've probably heard that story." He waited for Minako to nod. "Well, in reality, he died because in another realm Mokuba was unjustly murdered. It had to balance out, even if it was unfair. Or so Fate-sama says."

"Gosh... Doesn't that seem a little... ruthless?" Minako asked.

"Not really, not if you think about it." Duke said. "Gods, Ryou'd a much better person to explain this than I am. He understands it all. What do you think would happen if things tipped out of balance toward the darker side of life? Untold death and destruction, right? When that happens, war breaks out in an attempt to restore balance, people are killed, and all around nasty stuff happens. What about if it got tipped toward the light? You'd think that'd be good, but it isn't in the long run. Everything would be a utopia for awhile, but to balance it out some great evil would rise up to smash it all to pieces. Do you get what I'm saying?"

Minako frowned whistfully, thinking of what had happened when she and the other Senshi had traveled in time to Chibi-Usa's future. That had been a perfect kingdom of light, and yes, an evil force had arrived to strike it down... She nodded slowly. "Yeah, I think I do. You're saying that true euphoria only exists in a perfect state of harmony between good and evil."

Duke nodded, grinning. "Exactly! You've got a pretty good grasp of philosophy for a sixteen-year-old."

Minako blushed under the praise. "You really think so?"

Duke nodded. "Yup! I don't think I could have had a discussion like that with anyone but Ryou, and he's always running off to save the world."

"Which isn't as glamorous as it seems." Minako said sadly, staring off into the middle distance. "Duke, do you believe in pre-determined destiny? That our lives are all planned out before we're even born? That we have no way to change the path our lives are going in?"

Duke sat back in his seat, seriously pondering the question, which surprised Minako slightly. If she'd asked any of her friends, particularly Usagi or Rei, they'd have given her an automatic two-minute speech about how we all have the power to change our destinies, blah blah blah. Duke was actually thinking about the question.

"Well, I may be speaking from biased experience of course, but I do believe we all have a destiny to fulfill. That's not the same thing as pre-detemined destiny though, just gimme a minute to explain. Pre-determined destiny is when every single move, every decision, every step of ours is planned out by some High God sitting on a throne somewhere. No, I don't believe in that. What I do believe is that we're all created for a purpose, but we all have our own choise on which path we take to fulfill that destiny. Like... Oh I dunno, we'll take Ryou as an example again. Maybe his destiny is to defeat the True Pharaoh we've been having run-ins with for the past year or so. There's a lot of different ways he could go about that, some more noble than others. He could defeat the Pharaoh in honorable one-on-one combat, or he could hire an assasin to knock the Pharaoh off. Both ways fulfill his destiny, but those are two very different ways of getting there, and he had the choice of which path he took. Do you undertand what I'm saying Mina-chan?"

"I think so," she said, nodding and giving him a slightly sad smile. "It's just... I've been Sailor V since I was thirteen. It's practically all I can remember. There has to be more to life than being a super-hero. There's times I just wish I could forget all about the Dark Kingdom, the Moon Princess, and my powers. I just want to be a normal teenager. I want to be a model, a pop star! Is that too much to ask?"

She looked almost ready to burst into tears, and Duke smiled gently. "Minako, you have your own destiny to fulfill. Maybe it's being a magical girl. Maybe it's not. And no matter what your destiny is, there's always alternate routes to get there." Standing up he left some money on the table to pay for the bill and leaned over to give Minako a soft kiss on the cheek before heading back out into the driving rain, leaving her alone with her thoughts. [2]

~*~

"Come back here and fight like a man!"

Bakura laughed at Yami's continued taunts, always managing to stay just one step ahead of the ex-pharaoh. Yami wasn't really mad, he knew, they were just chasing each other for the sake of the chase, as was almost always the case. Over the years the two had really become fast friends, although neither one would readily admit it.

They were nearing the lodge now, and Bakura slowed down a little, allowing Yami to catch up with him. "Do you want some hot chocolate?" he asked, grinning a little as Yami socked him a fake punch on the shoulder. The shorter spirit nodded wordlessly, and the two headed for the lodge. Stepping inside, both sighed in thankfulness at the warmth. Taking off their coats, gloves, and scarves the two hung them up on a rack by the door and then moved to take seats near the fireplace. Nearby a long table was set up with a large vat of hot chocolate, several pots of coffee, and a couple plates of cookies for the skiiers. Yami settled down on a coach near the fire as Bakura went to collect some food. Technically Yami didn't need to eat, but he was able to, even in false form.

He poured a cup of hot cocoa for Yami and a cup of coffee for himself, taking the time to load it down with creames and sugars until it was more sweets than coffee, just the way he liked it. He then put about a dozen or so cookies on a plate for himself and Yami to share. Somehow managing to balance all this without dropping it, he headed back for Yami. Sitting down next to the spirit, he set the food on the coffee table in front of them and handed Yami his drink.

Yami nodded gratefully and sipped at the steaming cup, letting the drink and the warmth from the fire thaw out his frozen parts. The two sat in silence for some time, Yami in a half-asleep state and Bakura wondering how to broach the subject he wanted to talk about. Finally he decided just to say it. "Yami, why do you want to be mortal?"

Yami blinked and sat up, turning to look at his white-haired friend. "What do you mean? Why do you think I want to be mortal?" he asked.

Bakura sighed. "Don't get defencive with me, Yami. You and I have known each other for a long, long time,"

"Too long," Yami muttered.

Bakura glared at him for the interruption. "And I've learned how to read you by now. What you said in Paris, about letting myself love again, for both our sakes. Is that why you want to be mortal? So you can love?"

Yami looked down at the floor, idly tracing the pattern of the carpet with the toe of his boot. "I'm not sure, to be truthful. I think that may be part of it, but..." he shook his head. "The things Yugi does every day and takes for granted seem to strike me in the oddest ways. Brushing his hair, picking out his clothes, eating and drinking... They're all things you mortals do automaticly, but I never can."

"You never could," Bakura corrected, and smiled at Yami's surprised look. "Think about it Yami. Four years ago you could only seperate from Yugi in a spectral form only he could see. Three years ago you could only stay solid for a few hours or so before you tired and had to return to the Puzzle. Two years ago anybody could see you, but if they touched you thier hands went right through. Last year you couldn't eat or drink. Now you spend almost all your time in false form. You hardly ever return to the Puzzle, and you eat and drink just like us mortals. And..." Taking advantage of the moment, Bakura grinned and slapped Yami on the back of the head, making his final point to the protesting pharaoh. "You felt that. Something big is going on Yami. You and Ishtar both are becoming more and more solid every day."

Yami nodded, thoughtfully rubbing the back of his head where Bakura had hit him. "You're right, Bakura. Before, during, and even after Battle City Ishtar couldn't seperate from Malik at all, not even in spectral form, and now he's just like me, becoming more and more mortal..." He trailed off into silence and Bakura spoke up after a minute.

"Not just that. I never wanted to say anything before, especially not with Malik or Ishtar around, but they're a lot... well, a lot saner than they used to be." Yami shot him a glance that clearly said 'and you're one to talk?' but Bakura held up his hands in protest. "Sometime around the Locking Rituals, when I truly realized how much Ryou meant to me, something snapped deep inside. I no longer thought of him as just a landlord or a slave, now he was a friend... a brother. He's the one who really brought me back from the darkness of the shadows." He smiled fondly, thinking of his former hikari. "But Malik and Ishtar... Ishtar especially. When did he stop wanting to destroy the world?"

Yami's eyes lit up in understanding. "Right around the time of the Locking Rituals, when he and I fought together against Kuroi Karasu."

Bakura nodded, chuckling ruefully. "Fate-sama sure has a way with timing these things." Yami chuckled and nodded, and they sat quiet for a long few minutes, until Bakura abruptly got to his feet. "Well, ready to hit the slopes?"

Yami groaned, and Bakura chuckled. "Come on, don't be such a wuss. It's actually kinda fun once you get the hang of it. Just don't crash into me again..."

The two headed for the door, stopping by the coat rack to get bundled up again. They were just about ready to step outside when Bakura cursed suddenly, doubling over in pain. Yami cried out in alarm, and Bakura gritted his teeth as the pain passed, almost as quickly as it had come. Slowly he drew his hand out from where he'd instinctively clutched it against him, pulling the glove off as he did, and Yami gasped as he caught sight of Bakura's left hand covered in blood. "What in hell's name...?"

Bakura just stared at his hand, his face grim. "Yami, gimme that cell phone Tea gave you for Christmas. Something's happened to Ryou."

Yami looked shocked and nodded, fumbling in his coat pockets as Bakura grabbed a few napkins to wipe the blood off his hands, where there was, of course, no wound. As he sat back down Yami handed him the phone, and Bakura frowned in thought, recalling the number of Shaadi's cell phone, which he'd gotten from Shen before flying out for France. He knew Ryou was in Egypt, because he'd gotten an e-mail from him a couple days before, stating that he'd be going to help his dad on the dig.

As the phone rang in his ear, Bakura's agitation grew until he was muttering curses under his breath. Yami winced at a few of the harsher exclamations. "You might not want to call Osiris-sama that, Bakura..."

The ex-thief paid no attention whatsoever, and as soon as the phone was picked up, he began shouting various Egyptian curses over the phone. Yami sighed and tugged on his arm, trying to get him to calm down. Finally Bakura switched to Japanese, cussed the other person out a little more, and then went silent altogether, apparently listening to what the other person, presumably Shaadi, had to say. Then he shouted "Fate-sama's there? For the love of Egypt Shaadi, put her on!"

Yami just sighed and shook his head, waiting for Bakura to get off the phone and give it back to him. When Bakura finally hung up, a worried expression had drawn his white eyebrows together into a scowl. "Your stupid priest has done something to my hikari, and if it isn't fixed soon I'm flying down to Egypt myself to do what I should have done 5,000 years ago."

"Which priest?" Yami asked with some resentment, although he was already pretty sure which one. He was right. Mahaado. Yami shook his head in wonder. "Mahaado's still alive... I think you're right Bakura, we'll definately need to fly down eventually."

"We?" Bakura asked, still scowling. Yami just gave him a penetrating stare, and Bakura's expression softened a fraction of a degree. The ex-thief sighed. "Thank you Yami. I just hope Ryou's all right..."

"I'm sure he will be," Yami soothed, mentally reminding himself to tell Yugi, Tea, and Amoura to cheer Bakura up in any way possible until they found out about Ryou's condition. "He's gotten through a lot worse before."

Bakura nodded tiredly, but Yami couldn't miss the single tear that shimmered on the pale man's cheek. "But before, I was always there to look out for him. Yami, I should have been there! What am I going to do if he... if he..." He couldn't go on, and buried his face in his hands.

Not knowing what else to do, Yami sat down beside him and put an arm around the other man's shoulders, holding Bakura close as he cried.

~*~

"This is all your fault pipsqueak!" Keith growled, vainly tugging at the chains that held him.

"My fault?" Tristan asked, sitting up inside the small hut that was apparently shared by all male slaves, which at the moment consisted of Keith and himself. "How is it my fault?"

"I'm not sure." Keith muttered. "But it is. Somehow."

Tristan snorted and leaned back against the pillows that served as their beds. "So what are you doing here?"

"Summer job gone horribly wrong." Keith said, scowling. "You?"

Tristan sighed, and a slightly dreamy expression appeared on his face. "Miho came to visit some family of hers. She didn't invite me, but I know she wanted me to come along, I could see it in her eyes even as she told me to get lost."

Keith looked at him, a semi-stunned expression on his face. "Man, are you ever clueless..."

Just then the door to the hut opened and both Keith and Tristan jumped to their feet as two spear-weilding Amazons entered. One of them said something in Chinese, and both Tristan and Keith shook their heads to show they didn't understand. The one on the left frowned and then spoke in haulting Japanese.

"Pointy Hair Man and Stupid American Man come with us. Matriarch not here, but Elder Council see you now."

As the Amazons took hold of Tristan and Keith's chains, leading them like some sort of trained dogs on metal leashes, Tristan glanced over at the blond. "Pointy Hair Man?"

Keith shrugged and rolled his eyes. "Better than calling you Mr. Puffy Pants....[3]"

~*~

"I dunno... What would Fate-chan say if she knew we were getting involved with mortals?"

What could she say? She "gets involved with mortals" all the time.

"Good point. And I don't think the Child would like it very much if his brother-to-be got killed in such a fool idiotic quest."

Exactly. Now you're seeing it my way. Let's go.

~*~

"JOEY!!!" Scott threw himself at the nearest of the gang members, only to be shooken off and glared at. "Come on! That's hardly fair! Joey doesn't stand a chance unarmed against a knife!"

"Exactly." the teen leered, cracking his knuckles menisingly. Scott hissed and stepped back, his fists clenched in helpless anger. Mai put her hand on his arm, her eyes worried. "Scott..." Scott shook his head wordlessly, not knowing what else to do. He and Mai turned anxiously back to the fight, where Joey was desperately dodging knife thrusts made by the enraged gang leader.

Hisoka, in all his years of fighting, had never been hit as hard as what Joey had hit him with. And even worse, this guy was working with, or for, that blonde girl of Kale's. Kale had been a well-loved and respected man, even being a gang leader, and there were quite a few people who had been mad at Hisoka for killing him, to say the least. He'd had several people approach and challenge him to fights on the basis of revenge for Kale. All of them had died, of course, but this one was putting up a good fight. Frankly, that had Hisoka pissed.

Hisoka dove forward, and was rewarded as his knife struck a deep blow across Joey's side, causing the blonde to hiss in pain and fall to one knee, clutching at his bleeding side. Hisoka crowed in triumph, rearing back for the final thrust and ignoring the shouts of the blonde broad and the guy she was with, when all of a sudden a bright light struck him full in the face. He cried out and fell back a step, dropping his knife out of pure instinct and raising his hands to cover his eyes. All around him he could hear the screams of pain from his gang as they too were hit with the same piercing light.

Squinting from between his hands, Hisoka thought he could make out two figures in the light. One of them was short and skinny, while the other was tall, though equally skinny. The tall one took a step toward Hisoka and raised something over his head. Even with the blinding light, Hisoka could plainly tell that it was a blade. Not the quick blades of the samurai or ninja, but a long, curving scythe that came only from nightmares. The figure took another step forward as if to bring down the scythe on Hisoka's head, and in so doing the figure's bulk blocked whatever was causing the light. For just an instant Hisoka could see the figure's face, and he screamed.

The eyes were just empty sockets, burning with a cold blue fire and set in a grinning, bone white skull. Among the cowls of the black robe the figure wore, Hisoka saw Death.

~*~

[1] Why is there a giant stuffed lion in Seto's soul room? *shrugs* I have no clue, I just thought it'd be cute. *^^* He needs something to represent the side of him that's still a child, and a stuffed Blue Eyes just seemed kind-of cliché. :p

[2] *_* I'm a sucker for long theological/philosiphical debates. So sue me. Oh wait, don't, I'm saving my money for the next Rurouni Kenshin manga. :P Anyway, don't ask me where those theories came from, I just pulled them off the top of my head. Personally, I do believe in the Butterfly Effect (the theory, not the movie), and I also agree with Duke's version of Pre-Ordained Destiny. I'm not sure whether I believe in the Ultimate Balance Theory or not... I'm also a firm believer in the Theory of L-Space, but that's a much different story. *grins and ducks the flying objects Myotismon13 is probably chucking her way*

[3] Mr. Puffy Pants - This is a joke between me and my little sister. She's ten, and she can't pronounce the Japanese names in most of the animes we watch, so she comes up with her own. *snicker* "Mr. Puffy Pants" is actually what she calls Inu Yasha. I couldn't help but put a reference in. *waves at her sister* Hi Kate!

()()()()()

WSJ: *__* *falls over in a frazzled bundle and starts twitching*

Kaze: ^^; Don't mind her, she has semester exams Thursday and Friday, and Monday she starts at a new school almost four times as big as her old one, so she's a little wiped out at the moment...

Bakura: *snorts* No wonder she got this chapter done, she's been using her writing to escape from the real world again...

Kaze: *tentatively pokes SJ* Don't you have finals to be studying for?

WSJ: Gaaaaaah... *pulls herself off the floor* Please don't remind me... *shuffles off to dig out her geometry book, only to discover she left it at school* ^o^ Oh well! No loss! *Bakura and Kaze sweatdrop* Let's see... Notes... The Duke chapter was probably my favorite to write this time, although I loved doing the two French chapters too. Sooooooo sorry this took so long! I actually had it done a couple days ago, but my internet's been all screwed up. *bashes computer* It would have been fixed last night, but daddy got home from work too late to call the internet company to see what he has to do to fix it. -_-; Oh well, it's done now. :p Ciao! Watch for the next chapter of Hot Sands, Warm Arms, as well as a new one-shot about Ryou called The New Kid, which should be coming soon! Ta ta! *grumbles as her dad makes her go study for her English exam*

Chapter 11: WSJ: (V/O) Well, we're just about caught up to where we last left Ryou, but we've still got a couple events to go. For instance...

Mai: *screams as Joey collapses in her arms*

WSJ: (V/O) And...

Amoura: Bakura, come skiing vith me. I vant to talk to you.

Bakura: *doesn't notice the gathering snow clouds overhead* Okay Amoura-chan.

WSJ: (V/O) And also...

Ishtar: *laughs harshly as he raises a card over his head* THIS IS YOUR DOWNFALL!!

WSJ: (V/O) Past, present, and future collide when the Sailor Senshi battle their toughest enemy yet, and of course Duke's oblivious. There's snow in the air and blood on the ground in the next chapter of Home Sweet Home!

God bless minna-san!