Disclaimer: Guess what my name is. I'll give you a hint: it's not Kazuki Takahashi. So any questions about whether I'm the genius who created Yu-Gi-Oh should be answered, though I won't deny being a genius, after all, I discovered fanfiction at one point in my life, and that was pretty smart you have to admit
Also, I would like to add that the song in this chapter and all the songs in the previous chapters are not mine, they are Michelle Branch, so the question of whether I'm a musical genius should be answered, though if having something like 60 c.d.'s counts for being a musical genius, then maybe I am after all
CHAPTER 5: Let it Dry
Maybe I'd be better on my own
No one ever seems to understand me
It's easier for me to be alone
But there's still a piece of me that feels so empty
"Thank you all for coming," Mokuba said cheerfully. They were all gathered in one of the many rooms of Kaiba's mansion, though Mokuba thought it might be the living room. Everyone had showed up except Duke and Tristan who had claimed they were too "busy" but that didn't bother Mokuba. He didn't think anyone else would have fitted around the table.
"I'm sure you're all wondering why I asked you to come. Well, the fact of the matter is two people are in dire need of our help."
"And which two people are we talking about exactly?" Tea asked. "'Cause if you mean Duke and Tristan I have to say they are way beyond help." Snickers went around the table. Mokuba let out a little chuckle before saying," Funny, but no. The two people that we're talking about are my brother and Joey."
"Are we connecting these two people in needing help, or do they have separate problems?" Ryou inquired.
"Does this mean they aren't dating?" Bakura said, sounding delighted.
"He's got the problem right," Mokuba said, sounding slightly depressed. A feeling of shock filled the room. Mouths dropped open and jaws hit the floor. Yugi looked like he was on the verge of fainting.
"Damn," Tea sighed. "It was too much to hope for, wasn't it?"
"What?" Mokuba asked, curious.
"That your brother was straight," Tea informed him.
"If it helps, I think he's bi," Mokuba offered. Everyone grinned at that. Tea let out a small laugh.
"Thanks," she said.
"No problem," Mokuba replied. "Now, let's get down to business. How are we going to get Joey and my brother together?" Yugi and Yami suddenly looked both sad and grave in turn. Mokuba had gone through enough in his short life to know when someone was about to give some bad news.
"As good an idea as this is, Mokuba," Yugi said slowly. "It isn't worth it."
"Why not? I know they like each other," Mokuba said indignantly, however, freezing inside as a sudden fear gripped him with icy fingers, piercing his heart and mind. He took a deep breath and then held it as he waited for Yugi's answer, unable to let it out.
I've been all over the world
I've seen a million different places
But through the crowds and faces
I'm still out there looking for you
"Because he's moving," came instead from Yami.
"Moving?" Tea asked, her voice wavering. "Why didn't he tell me? Or anybody else? Where's he moving?"
"He just found out last night, Tea," Yugi said softly. "And it's really hard from him, he only told me this morning. He was gong to tell you this afternoon, but then Mokuba called and he said he had something to do anyway.
"Tea, he's moving to Brooklyn, he's moving to the United States." Something about that sounded oddly familiar to Mokuba.
"Why's he moving there?" he asked.
"His dad got transferred there," Yugi replied. "The company he works for is opening a new branch and they asked Mr. Wheeler to head it." The fear quickly melted off Mokuba's heart as a flame of hope lit up, he had a slight suspicion that could change everything.
"Who does Mr. Wheeler work for, Yugi?" Mokuba asked. Yugi looked at him, surprised. He couldn't think of why this would be important.
"Um, Shonen Jump," Yugi said. Mokuba grinned suddenly, confusing everyone.
"Perfect," he said triumphantly. "I was right." Seeing everyone's looks he quickly explained himself. "Shonen Jump is part of Kaiba Corp. Seto owns it! Get it? He can get one of the heads here in Tokyo to go to the new branch in Brooklyn and have Mr. Wheeler take over here! It's perfect!"
"But will it work?" Yami said doubtfully. "Why would Kaiba do something like that?"
"If we explain it to him properly, then I'm sure he'll see reason," Mokuba said confidently. "And I know just what will get him to work with us."
"What?" Everyone asked right on cue.
"A party," Mokuba answered with no little amount of satisfaction in his voice.
"A- a party?" Yugi repeated. Mokuba nodded.
"Yeah. See, if we can get Joey and Seto to spend enough time alone there's a good chance one of these things will happen. Either a: they confess their love for one another b: Joey tells Seto he's moving or c: all of the above," Mokuba said happily. "And once Seto realized why Joey's moving, he'll do everything he can to stop it." Bakura stared at Mokuba with an odd sort of respect in his eyes.
"You're brilliant," he said, his voice sounding slightly choked up and emotional. "A real plotter. You'll go far in the world, especially if you let me mentor- ow! Do you always have to hit my, Ryou? I thought you loved me!"
"I do," Ryou answered sweetly. "That's why I'm not going to let you end up in jail once you teach Mokuba to be a thief and the two of you get caught on some ridiculous heist." Bakura glared at his light.
"Um, how about we get back to the party idea," Mokuba suggested. "I was thinking of having it next Friday. You could all come over here." The group looked at each other, nodded at different intervals.
"Sounds good to us," Tea said. "Should we bring anything?" Mokuba thought about it for a moment.
"Yeah," he finally decided. "You should probably bring"
Where are you now?
I'm trying to get by with never knowing at all
What is the chance of finding you out there?
Or do I have to wait forever?
Joey stood outside the art store, looking up into the sign above it proclaiming the building's name, Artist's Window. Interesting name, Joey mused. It was a fairly old brick building, one of the windows had a large crack in it and the door was a sickly green color, but for some reason Joey found the store oddly inviting.
He looked down at his watch. It read 12:59. Then it blinked and changed to 1:00 exactly. Joey looked up and saw some movement in the store. A dark figure moved toward the unbroken window and flipped the sign from 'Closed' to 'Open' then came to the door and unlocked it. He, or was it a she, Joey couldn't quite tell, then seemed to see him standing right outside.
"You coming in?" the figure, it was indeed a man, asked.
"Ah, yeah," Joey said quickly. The man nodded and opened the door. Joey stepped in. The man had already gone to the side of the store, his hand was against the wall, holding something. His hand moved to the left and the store lights flickered to life. Then he turned around and walked over to Joey, holding out his hand.
"Hello," the man said. He was tall and slim, much like Joey, but he had long, black hair pulled back into a loose pony tail and piercing green eyes, unlike Joey's soft brown ones. He had a pale blue vest on, bearing the store's title and a nametag that bared words 'Kazuki Takahashi'. Underneath it, however, was a black shirt with two English words, "Devil's Toy" and baggy black pants. He wore a chain necklace and a spike bracelet but somehow gave off the impression of a very serious artist.
"Welcome to Artist's Window, I'm Kazuki, the only one in the store today, so why don't you just call me Myishi." Joey gaped at him, this was the artist, the one's who mother had died.
I write about things I'll never know
And I can't find a moment just to slow down
It makes me think I'll never have the chance
To figure out what it's all about
"So, what can I do for you today? I've never seen you around here before," Myishi said, looking at him with a fairly expressionless face, but a flicker of curiosity ran across it every so often.
"I need a canvass, some paint'n paint brushes," Joey said, studying the other boy slightly. If he could remember correctly, this boy was only fifteen, two years younger than he was.
"Okay," Myishi said, shrugging. "Any specific colors?"
"Ah, black, light'n dark blue, bright red, white, a bright green too, I guess, maybe some pale gray as well," Joey said, trying to picture what he wanted to paint.
"Coming right up," Myishi said, vanishing into the far reaches of the store for a moment. When he returned he carried a good-sized canvass, the paints and several different paint brushes. He plopped them down by the register.
"This good?" he asked, indicating what he had brought over. Joey scanned the items quickly before nodding. Myishi began to ring the items up.
"If you don't mind me asking," Myishi began as he typed in the sums to the computer. "What do you need all this for? Entering a competition or something? Or is this for a friend?"
"Nah, it's for me," Joey said, smiling slightly. "I'm, er, entering in da Kaiba Corp. charity event for the Children's Hospital." Myishi's eyes widened slightly. He stopped punching in numbers for a minute.
"Really?" he said, sounding amazed, but Joey could hear a far away sadness mixed in too. Joey realized he must have been thinking about his mother. "Me too? What are you going to paint? Oh, don't worry, I've already turned in my entry, I won't steal your idea if that's what you worried about." A grin flashed onto Joey's face. It was true, he had been known he had been looking foreboding and unfriendly as Myishi asked, but not for the reason Myishi thought.
"If it's all da same to you," Joey replied. "I'd rather not say. Don't wanna ruin the surprise." Myishi grinned.
"All right, I gotcha," the fifteen-year-old said, finishing up with the check out. "Well, I promise to look for you at the show. I've gotta know what you're gonna do now."
"All right, I'll look for you too," Joey agreed.
"And the total cost for your lovely purchase is 100 yen," Myishi reported. Joey winced as he dug his wallet out of his pocket and forked over the money. These art supplies weren't cheap. Myishi stuffed at the things in a bag and handed them over to Joey.
"Hope the painting comes out good," he said.
"Thanks," Joey said as he turned away. The bell above the door gave a little jingle as he opened it and stepped out onto the sidewalk, planning his painting down to the very last detail.
He walked down the street toward his house, anxious to begin this project.
Where are you now?
I'm trying to get by with never ever knowing at all
And I still don't know
Where are you now?
I'm trying to get by with never ever knowing at all
What is the chance of finding you out there?
Or do I have to wait
Or do I have to wait
Or do it have to wait forever?
(grins) I couldn't help using it. I bet most of you, if not all of you recgonize that name since it's where Yu-Gi-Oh manga is published.
Again, all of you know that he is the creator of Yu-Gi-Oh, from my disclaimer if nothing else, but it seemed like such an amusing thing to do I couldn't help myself
I don't know how Japanese money converts to American, so I just picked a random number that seemed high to me
Next Chapter: Do the Touch-Ups
"A party? I dunno Yug," Joey said doubtfully as he finished the invitation that the smaller boy had handed him. "I'm kinda busy."
"Ah, come on Joey," Yugi said pleadingly. "You'll be leaving soon. This is one of the last chances we'll have to do this!" His large purple, which seemed to get larger, eyes filled with tears but they did not spill over. Joey bit back a groan. Damn those eyes of his!
And now to answer my pretty reviews: Thank you all- and forgive me for waiting so long to update this time!
Reviews 4 chapter 4:
Kumori Sakusha formerly Saelbu: Don't worry, I never get tired of hearing someone loves my fanfic. grins I'm sure you can understand how awesome it feels to hear someone compliment your work- I read some of your fics, did I review any of them? ponders that for a moment hmm, I don't remember
BarbedWire23: Well, I sort used it. I mean, he is working for Kaiba, he just doesn't have to switch jobs to do it! Let Joey go looks horrified I might. It dependscackles Thanks, glad you enjoyed last chapter, hope you liked this chapter too!
The Immortal Keeper: Yay! A new reviewer- nice penname by the way- anyway, I agree with you. It's always intersting when characters turn out to be artists 'cause then they can be all sensitive and stuff, right? Glad to hear you like my story!
Shin Mao: Wow, I guess it was sad after all! does little happy dance that makes her look like a complete fool so she stops rather quickly I don't know if I'd call it abandoning himI mean, they're sorta doing him community service (without the community) by trying to set him up with Seto AND coming up with a plan to get him to stay in Tokyo
Puppy 'Yaoi Queen' Love: panics Don't die! I need you! You're an awesome reviewer! I hope this satisfied your curiosity, thus saving another innocent life grins anyway, I'm glad you liked the part 'bout Seto's dad. And this still counts as updating soondoesn't it?DOESN'T IT? looks panicked again
Ayamari: I just noticed, your pennames very pretty, how'd you come up with it? Anyway, nah, Joey' not littleYugi is though smiles looks innocent Trouble? Why would he be in any trouble? I mean, just because parties in which people are trying to be set up in usually end in disaster, there's no reason to think he's in any trouble re-reads what she wrote then again, maybe you're right on that pointhehe
Setonjounouchisgal: sniffle I know, it's so sad isn't it! blows her nose brightens but he might not be leaving! So all is well in the world again even though the next chapter will be full of disaster and poor-planned plots! Oops, said to muchmust go now
Yami Jazz: smiles happily Yay! My story is sad! I've finally got the depressing thing down! mouth waters Okay, I promise, there's no way Joey's movingnow can I have the cookies?
Lostlover1: grins I know what msn messenger isnever fear! Though I already told you I don't have it sigh looks happy again Yay! There are people like me in the world, I needed to hear that! Eiri Yuki drools he's soooo awesome, um, nvm. Do you like this song too? The other ones were from Michelle Branch's 1st cd, "The Spirit Room" but this one's from her newer one "Hotel Paper". Oh no! Another dying reviewer! I guess I'll have to post up the next chapter really soon so that question doesn't finish you off before you have the chance to find out it's answerthanks 4 the luck!
kate: Hi! Thanks! I hope this is soon enough for you and I'm working on the more now too!
mandapandabug: looks down shamefully I got lots of reviews, but I didn't update as soon as I usually do feels guilty but see, the chapter wasn't done on Saturday, unfortunately, and on Sunday I wasn't home (though when I went out I did manage to get some excellent manga sighs happily) but I'm updating today, so I hope that okay! Good to know you liked the last chapter, hope you like this one as well. But, sadly, you won't know what Joey paints until the last chapterMuahahahahahahh cough cough cough
Psycho Rooster: grins love your penname, most amusing. Anyway, I'm updating now! Yay!
pisces071: Yes, the artisit types are always so nice, aren't they? Mokuba? Cute? If you want...and it is my theory, that as much as Joey talks like it, he has never lived in Brooklyn. Updating again!
Kat: grins soundproof room? But won't mokuba notice when that's happening, thus traumatizing his little mind even furthur?
animeluvr: nice that you're so enthusatic you reviewd 4 times...though it was the same review, we'll ignore that. Ah, losing the love of his life. What could be more amusing? Updating very soon, well, for you, all my other poor reviewrs have had to wait like two weeks...but oh well...
wails I'm so sorry everyone! I meant to update sooner, I really did! sniffle Please tell me you're all still reading! Don't leave me! I promise to update sooner this time! Really, I will!
Anyway, hope you all liked this chapter. Please review 'cause this time I mean it when I say the more reviews I get = the faster I update! Remo