SirLarry: Also, we were gonna had Miroku grow a funny beard, but that's just not pleasant for anyone
Bluerain: And it wasn't relevant anyway, so we're still not gonna do it. Enjoy the chapter!
Chapter 11
Serve The Ego
A week later, things seemed to cool down. Kagome and the others had managed to catch up on their missed assignments, and she was already getting ready for Saturday's trip back through the well. But she still had a few loose ends to take care of.
As she entered into the kitchen, she called out, "Mom? Sota? Are there any strawberries left?"
"No," said Sota, coming from the kitchen, "You're puppy ate them all."
"Puppy? Oh no, don't tell me Inu-yasha's back again?" she groaned.
Almost as if on command, Inu-yasha appeared through the kitchen door, shaking an empty box of cereal. "Have you got anything else to eat?"
Kagome sighed, and her mom, standing at the kitchen sink, said, "I swear, Inu-yasha, between you and Joey, we're going to be eaten out of house and home."
"Joey?!" He said, snarling, dropping the cereal box and looking around, sniffing, "He's been here? He hasn't been in my Ramen, has he?"
"Will you drop that?" Kagome demanded, "That was a week ago!"
"And it still hurts, inside," the han-you said, crossing his arms, sitting down at the table, and his ears twitching.
"You big fat liar," Kagome mumbled.
"Look at us now, Kagome," he said to her. "We're fighting all the time again,"
"We fight all the time anyway! What's the difference?"
"The difference is, I thought we'd gotten past all this." He was looking at her that way again. That look of genuine emotion that seldom graced is face. It always made her feel guilty when he looked at her that way after they'd fight. Maybe she should apologize.
'"You shouldn't feel that way,"' Joey's voice said in her memory. '" A girl like you shouldn't be with a guy like that. Especially when he's hurt you before."' That's right! Kagome thought. He's done worse. That hypocrite!
"Stop trying to twist my emotions, Inu-yasha!" she shouted in his face.
"I'm not!" he replied, "I'm trying to understand them. What happened to us, Kagome?"
"Us? There was no 'Us'! There was only You. You, you, you all the time! That's all you ever think about! It's all you care about!" She turned, and ran through the door, outside. He followed her, yelling, "Where are you going?"
"None of your business!"
"Well, fine! I guess things really are over between us, Kagome!"
"Nothing ever started between us!" She yelled over her shoulder as she went down the stairs.. "That's the whole problem!"
---------------Scene Break-----------------
As Inu-yasha watched her disappear down the stairs, Kagome's grandfather came up behind him and suddenly placed the red baseball hat on his head. Then, the old man sighed, and said. "Let her calm down. It wasn't any different between me and her grandmother. She'll be back soon, and ready to talk."
"Thanks old man." Inu-yasha mumbled.
"Now then," the old man said, "Let's get to work."
"Work? What are you talking about, old man?"
"You're going to work off that meal you had a minute ago. With Kagome's new boyfriend eating us poor, do you think you can just waltz in here and eat for free?"
"BOYFRIEND?" Inu-yasha cried. "No one said anything about him being her boyfriend!"
"Calm down, Inu-yasha. Work off that hot temper by sweeping the porch."
"What if I don't feel like it?" Inu-yasha said, crossing his arms. Then, Kagome's grandpa hit him on the head with a rolled up news paper, and said, "Bad dog! You behave, or no supper! Now get that broom and sweep!"
Inu-yasha grabbed the broom, and began to sweep. Kagome's grandpa walked away, and said to himself, "And they say you can't teach an old dog new tricks. Heh heh heh."
--------------Scene Break-------------
Kagome walked down the sidewalk, her head down, in a slight daze. She wondered why Inu-yasha could be such a jerk. She wouldn't have noticed anything going on around her if a familiar, and welcome, voice hadn't called out, "Hey, Kagome!"
She looked up, and saw Joey pull up on his bike. He looked at her, smiled, and said, "Hey Kagome. What's got your beautiful face looking' so sad?"
"Oh, nothing," she replied blushing. She loved how Joey would say things like that. He made her feel so womanly and important.
"Then how about coming with me? I'm meeting the gang at the mall. Mai's dueling there today and we all said we'd show up for support."
"That's sounds like fun," Kagome said, approaching the motorcycle. More fun than fighting with Inu-yasha, anyway, she thought. But then, she stepped back, and said, "But, I left my helmet at home. I can't ride with you," she said disappointed.
"No sweat," Joey said, taking his helmet off. "You can wear mine."
"But- but what if-"
"I don't want to hear any objections. I won't let anything happen to you. I promise."
"Well... " she looked at the hawk painted on the helmet. Then she looked at Joey. Sweet, unselfish Joey. "Ok," she said, putting the helmet on, and getting on the bike behind Joey. She wrapped her arms tight around his waist, and they took off.
When they got to the entrance of the mall, they met up with Yugi and the others, and she was introduced to Joey's sister, Serenity. She really was as sweet as Joey said she was. Then, the group made their way to center, where the duel was about to begin.
---------------Scene Break------------
Mai stood on the new central dueling platform that the mall provided for Duelists. She was pumped. Soon, Joey and the others would be here to cheer her on. She relished the thought of Joey watching her duel. Maybe he would remember what made him fall for her in the first place. Maybe she would win him back this way.
"Hey Mai!" called Yugi. She looked to the right, outside the railings that closed off the dueling area. They were here! Yugi, Tea, Tristan, even young Serenity had all come to watch. But her happiness was short lived. Kagome was here too. What was she doing here? And crowding in so close to Joey! "Calm down Mai", she told herself. Keep your head clear for the game. You need to concentrate."
The duel began. She was up against another amateur who only wanted to show off how good a player he was. This would be easy. Her opponent got his hand, and he said, "I lay a card face down, and another in Face Down-Defense Mode. You're turn."
"I play The Sacred Crane in Attack Mode!" Mai called out, the virtual technology making the beautiful bird materialize on the field. "Attack his face down card!" she ordered, and it lunged at the glowing square. For a minute, the monster, Beaver Warrior, materialized, then, it made a cry, and disappeared as the Crane's tail whipped it back. Mai was feeling pretty good. She even heard her friends cheering her in the crowd. She looked over again, and smiled. But then she saw, and remembered: Kagome was here. That little girl was jumping up and down, acting like a cheerleader, and looking the part in her short skirt. And worse, Joey was looking at her all google-eyed! That made Mai angrier. "That little-!" she sneered.
She was so distracted that she missed her opponent use the opportunity to attack her crane with Neo The Magic Swordsman. When she looked back to the field, her crane was disappearing from the end of Neo's sword. She took a minute to calm down, and concentrate on the game. She needed to take this guy out, fast. So, she drew from her deck, and was delighted to find just the card she needed.
"I play, Harpy's Brother!" she said as the creature appeared on the platform. "Attack Neo!" and he obeyed.
Six turns later, her opponent was down to 500 Life Points. She would take him down in the next turn. "I'll sacrifice one of my Harpy Ladies and Harpy's Brother to play one card in Face Down Defense Mode." she said, laying her Harpy trap. "Your turn."
"I play the magic card Cost Down and sacrifice Rogue Doll to summon Ryu Ran in Attack Mode." he said while the dragon appeared. Mai hadn't expected that. It would be stronger than her Cyber Harpy, which she still had on the field and even with the Equip cards in her hand she couldn't do anything. What she needed was Harpie's Pet Dragon and that's just the card she had face down on the field. Then, she heard each of her friends call out.
"Go Mai," called Yugi.
"You can beat him!" exclaimed Tea.
"Make that dragon mince meat!" Trsitan yelled, followed by Serenity, who said, "Show him what girl-power truly means!"
"I believe in you, Mai!" she heard Joey call. Her heart leaped for joy! He believed in her! She looked over at them, smiling and beyond happy. But then, as she looked at Joey, her heart sank back into the depths of despair. There he was, holding Kagome so close. The way she wished he would hold her. But then, before she let her sadness overcome her, she let rage fill her soul. If that little tramp weren't here-! She's ruining everything! She made her move with fury. "I REVEAL HARPY'S PET DRAGON!!! ATTACK HIM, MY DRAGON!."
There were no lights or effects. The card disappeared from her computer board, and appeared in the open sky overhead. It's head burst through the sky-light, raining glass upon the stands. It looked at the other player, and gave a deafening roar. Then, it went past the virtual images, and brought it's talloned feet down on the other player's console, smashing it to pieces. The young man was on the floor, trying to crawl away, his eyes mad with fear.
---------------Scene Break---------------
The boy's draped their jackets over the girl's heads, and they all ran for cover as the glass rained down over them. Mai's Dragon was totally out of control! If they didn't stop it, then there was no telling what the vicious creature would do.
"This way!" Yugi/Yami cried to the others, leading them to safety. "We have to get to Mai! She's the only one who can stop it!"
"But how?" Kagome cried, "There are too many people! And they're all panicking!"
" They're not the only ones!" Serenity cried out, clinging to Tristan.
"No one panic!" Yugi/Yami said, "Follow me, and stay together!" he commanded above the screaming crowd. Slowly, they fought against the hordes of people who were fleeing in terror. When they eventually made it to the gaming platform, they found Mai, slumped down on her knees, her head in her hands. She was crying!
"Mai, what happened?" Yugi/Yami asked her.
"I don't know" she cried. " I was angry?I wasn't thinking when I said that?I was just so?so?" and everyone saw something that in all their adventures they'd never seen. Mai began to weep. Amid her sobs, she kept saying, "I'm so sorry?I didn't mean to, I swear!"
Joey pushed his way up to Mai, and knelt in front of her, then put his hands on her shoulders. Then, he said, rather harshly, "Mai, snap out of it! You're the only one who can stop that Dragon! It came atyour command, and it will obey what you say! Now get up and command it to stop!"
------------Scene Break--------------
She looked up, and sniffled. As she looked into Joey's eyes, she suddenly felt calmer. Her hysteric tears had stopped. She knew he was right. Harpy's Dragon was HER card, and she knew it would obey. She wiped the tears from her eyes and cheeks, carefully stood up from the glass, and started towards the Dragon.
She stopped a few feet from it, and saw it looming over the other player. It's head was low, it's jaws open, and dripping drool on the marbled floor. It had sniffed out it's supposed enemy. They young man was cowering from the monster, his pants obviously soiled.
Mai took another step, and loudly called out, "Harpy's Dragon! Hear me now!" The dragon stopped, and swung it's head and long neck back towards Mai. Then, she said to it, "Hear me! I command you to yield and return!" And with that, the dragon turned around, making the ground shake as it's mighty foot steps came down. Then, it lifted it's head, spread it's wings, and roared. But not like before. This one was not as loud, and sounded more docile (if such a word could be used on a dragon). Then, it disappeared. Mai looked down, and at her feet was the card. She picked it up, and walked back to her former opponent. He was still crouched, crying and groaning.
"I guess I won, then." she said coldly. Then she turned, and went back to her friends as ambulances, police, and animal control surrounded the building.
-------------Scene Break-------------
After a lot of questioning from the police, news reporters, and doctors, Kagome and the others were allowed to leave. The story everyone concocted was that they didn't know what happened, and that they supposed it was a malfunction in the virtual imaging machinery. People seemed ready to buy that story, so it was left at that. Besides, no one but the small group and the lone duelist saw what had happened between Mai and the Dragon, and that young man had fainted soon after the Dragon had disappeared.
They all headed for the parking lot, to their vehicles. Mai made to get in her car, but little Yugi stopped her.
"Are you sure you'll be ok, Mai?" he asked, concerned.
"Yes," she said calmly, "I just need to get to my hotel room. I'll be fine."
"Joey will follow her," Kagome said just then.
Joey looked over at her, and said, "Won't you mind? It's a long way from your place?"
"I'll drive Kagome home," Tristan said. "We need someone to make sure Mai will be ok."
"Fine," Mai said, getting in her car. Then, everyone got in their vehicles, and headed their separate roads for today
----------------Scene Break---------------
As Mai parked her car in the hotel parking lot, she looked in the rear-view mirror. Joey's bike was still roaring as he stalled behind her. He wasn't leaving until she went in her room.
"Fine," she sighed, as she got out of her car and walked to the door. She slipped the key in, and opened the door. She looked over her shoulder, and waved to Joey as she slipped inside. After she shut the door, she went to the window and peaked out. He was already leaving. Back towards Tokyo.
"He's going to see her again?" Mai asked aloud, her voice growling with anger. "Is that all that's on that stupid jerk's mind!?" Mai threw her purse on the floor with a shriek. As she stood panting, she felt her heart breaking inside her chest. Why? Why had Joey chosen Kagome? Mai flopped down on one of the beds, grabbed a pillow, and her muffled voice whined, "Because I waited too late. I lost him!" She couldn't hold back anymore. Mai let the tears flow. She sobbed into her pillow, alone in the coming night.
--------------Scene Break-
Kagome was waving goodbye to Tea, Yugi, Serenity, and Tristan from the steps of the Shrine as she thought, 'What a day!' The second real duel she'd ever witnessed, and it was more like a typical day in the Feudal Era. She was glad she would be coming home to peace, quiet, and normalcy.
But she couldn't help but worry. Mai was Joey's ex. Would he...?
"Of course not," Kagome said. "He's over her. Why does it matter anyway? He's not really my boyfriend or anything... I guess."
She opened the front door, and smelled dinner in the kitchen. "Ah," she said to herself, "Now to get ready for a quiet night." 'And no Inu-yasha around. Maybe he went home', she thought. But as she opened the door to the kitchen/dinning room, in her spot once again, was that familiar white haired, dog eared head.
That very same head turned and looked up at her, then asked angrily, "So what's this 'Mono' story I've been hearing about?"
"It's, uh..." 'I'm gonna kill Sota,' Kagome thought.
-------------------------Authors' Note--------------------
Bluerain and Sir Larry: PLEASE REVIEW!!!!!!!!!!!