Hey, I'm back! I'm not really dead; for the past two weeks, I've been on vacation. First we drove to Las Vegas, which took a few days, spent a few more days there, then went on an eight-day whitewater rafting trip through the Grand Canyon. So it really isn't my fault I haven't updated; there aren't any computers in the Grand Canyon, especially since wireless connections don't work there, and I didn't have access to a computer while I was in Vegas. Even if I had, I was too busy to type anything out. So…yeah. So much for updating more because it's summer.
Reviewer response time!
Greenwood Dancer: I'm pretty sure I already responded to your review via email, although I can't remember just what I said. So I'll just say thanks for reviewing, and I'll do my best to keep dimension travel as simple and unconfusing as possible.
The1koolkitty: If I recall correctly, I emailed you, too. I hope you enjoy this chapter as much as the other ones, although Cinnamon doesn't make much of an appearance. I'll make it up later.
Laryna6: Hello! I must admit, I was surprised to see that you had come to read this. I understand being put off by OCs, and I'll do my very best not to make her a Sue. I'm certainly glad you think it's worth reading anyway. Hearing that from someone who doesn't care much for OCs is a major ego boost.
Silver Dragon Golden Dragon: Wow, I can't believe you came to read this, too. I know, it's a lot of crossovers, but I intend to keep this story completely Yu-gi-oh based. There will be no gallivanting across the dimensions, except possibly a trip or two to the Shadow Realm, which almost doesn't count. I'll do my very best to include some Seto/Serenity later on, although since the story really doesn't focus much on either of them, it probably won't be much. The sequel focuses more on the Kaiba family, and I can guarantee there'll be plenty of it there. Glad to see you like the cat; she keeps getting better from here on out. And I see you've recognized one of the villains correctly, although I don't quite see why you've missed him. I actually don't like him at all, but I'm more accustomed to writing for him than for others, primarily because of the character from that arc that I do miss, a certain small data-type wizard, who unfortunately does not make an appearance in this fic.
To all readers: So far, I've gotten two guesses for the cards – both from the same person – and one guess for a villain. I'd really like to see what people think about who they are. I'll even give you hints: for every villain, there is a card from the same fandom; the group of fandoms consists of two anime, two book-series-turned-movies, and a video game. All of these fandoms have at least one story on my favorites list.
Sigh Another reason it took so long to get this chapter out is because it's really just filler stuff, not a lot of plot motion, and I hate writing filler. But it has to be done; I know better than to simply skip over the part where she meets the others entirely, although I won't be writing all of it out. So just bear with me, the plot's still getting itself set up.
In case there were any doubts, I still don't own Yu-gi-oh or the other five fandoms. So, without further ado, I bring you…
Ch. 3: Meet the Gang
"All my friends are here with me,
And things are good
As they can be…"
-All We Wanna Do, from the Totally Pokemon CD
That night, at dinner, Solomon pressed Laurel for information about her deck of Magic: The Gathering cards. "Tell me, Laurel, what cards did you have in your deck besides Mirri?"
Her eyes got a far-off look. "Oh, there was a whole assortment of various cats, some elves, cards that had you pick a creature type for their effect to work with, some growth and regeneration spells – lots of green cards – and some red as well, for wildcats and direct damage." She closed her eyes, remembering. "Panther Warriors, Elite Cat Warrior, Uktabi Wildcats. Caller of the Hunt, which has power and toughness each equal to the number of cards of whatever creature type you choose. Waiting in the Weeds, a spell that lets you put a Cat token into play for every forest you control. Might of Oaks, Rancor, and Regeneration. Taunting Elf, Quirion Elves. Canyon Wildcat, Lightning Bolt, Fireball. There were more, but I can't remember exactly what. It's been a while." She opened her eyes again, though not fast enough to see Solomon put away the notebook in which he had been hastily scribbling the names of the cards she mentioned. "I used to be quite a card player; never actually won a tournament or anything, but I got close a couple times." She shook her head, "No sense in dwelling on it now; those days are gone." She looked at Yami and Yugi, "So, how, exactly, do you play Duel Monsters?"
By the time the boys had finished talking her ears off about Duel Monsters, it was time for bed. "Hmm…" Grandpa said, "We don't really have an extra bed, I'm afraid. There are blankets and pillows in the hall closet, but no extra mattresses to put them on."
"That's no problem. As long as it's okay with you, I'll just sleep on the couch," Laurel replied cheerfully.
"Are you sure?" Yugi asked, "If you want, I'll sleep on the couch, and you can have my bed."
She smiled warmly at him, "No, really, it's nice of you to offer, but I don't want to be a bother. I'm the guest here; it would hardly be fair of me to kick you out of your own bedroom. The couch is fine. A real bed would probably be too soft for me to sleep in anyway," she joked.
"Well, if that's settled, then could you get the bedding out of the closet, Yami?" Grandpa said, "I'll see you all in the morning; it's past my bedtime." He yawned and went down the hall, followed by a chorus of 'Goodnight's, and a moment later by Yami, who stopped at a door halfway down the hall and started pulling blankets off the shelves.
Yugi yawned as well. "Goodnight, Laurel. I'll see you in the morning," he said sleepily.
"Goodnight, Yugi. And thank you, for everything. Not many people would take in a complete stranger off the streets even just for a meal, let alone to stay. Believe me, I know." She smiled sardonically.
"Don't mention it. I just do my best to treat everyone the way I would want them to treat me." He smiled, "And I never did care so much what everyone else would do."
Her smile grew warm. "That I can believe. Now go on, get some sleep. I'll be just fine out here."
"Ok. Goodnight, then." He went into the first door in the hallway, which Laurel assumed to be his room. As he left, Yami entered with an armload of blankets and pillows.
"Here you are. These should be enough to keep you warm," he told her, setting them down on the couch.
She eyed the huge pile with amusement, "Warm and then some, I'd say. I'll just take the comforter, and leave the others beside the couch in case I get cold. Thank you." She set two of the blankets aside, and began spreading one out over the couch.
"Is there anything else you want?" he asked.
Her heart twinged with pain for a moment. My sister... my home... my life, she thought. Shaking off the dark thoughts, aloud she said, "No, thank you. All of you have been more than kind already. I just hope someday I can find a way to pay you back."
Yami shook his head, "There's no need for that. It was simply the right thing to do. We could do no less."
Her expression was earnest, "You have no idea what it means to me simply to hear someone say that. There are so many people who would make some logical excuse to get out of it, so many others who simply wouldn't care. But for you…all of you make it seem so easy, so natural; as if it would be harder to send me away for your own safety than it is to keep me here."
"Would you believe me if I told you that that was true?" He shook his head, "Get some rest. You can sleep soundly tonight; you are safe here."
"I know I am," she replied softly, then yawned. "I'll see you in the morning," she said, gathering her nightclothes to go change.
"Goodnight." Yami strode quietly toward the same door that Yugi had entered, and went through.
Laurel barely paid attention to what she was doing as she went into the bathroom and changed into her pajamas. She was deep in thought, contemplating everything that had happened that day. When she was finished, she went back to the couch, only to discover that Cinnamon had taken over her pillow. Moving the cat gently, she lay down, and was almost instantly asleep.
The next morning, Yami was, as usual, the first one up. Yawning as he slipped through his bedroom door wearing his bathrobe, he made his way to the kitchen for breakfast. His bare feet padded lightly over the linoleum.
"Eea?" he heard behind him. Turning, he saw Cinnamon stalking over to sniff at his feet.
"Good morning, milady," he greeted her. It might seem strange to some, but after all, he'd been trained from an early age to be reverent toward cats. Besides, it never hurt to be polite, especially when the cat goddess' sacred item was under the same roof.
The cat ignored his words, choosing instead to begin nuzzling at his feet. It tickled, but was bearable, if slightly annoying. A moment later, however, she upped the stakes once more, by licking his toes with her rough pink tongue. He shifted his feet a little, but the cat followed willingly. He gritted his teeth, By Ra, that tickles! He continued to shuffle his way around the kitchen, being careful not to kick the cat, while at the same time futilely trying to avoid her ministrations. He recalled hearing once about a Roman torture method that involved pouring salty water over a person's feet and having goats lick it off. At the time, he'd scoffed at the idea. He wasn't laughing now.
Suddenly, and to Yami's intense relief, the cat was scooped up. "Cinnamon, are you bugging Yami?" Laurel asked. The amber-eyed feline looked at her for a moment, then started licking her chin. "Ack! Cinnamon, your tongue's all prickly!" She brushed the cat away gently, then started petting her. In the meantime, she grinned at Yami. "Sorry 'bout that. She's very affectionate, you may have noticed."
"A little hard not to," he responded dryly. "You want some cereal? I was getting some anyway."
"Oh, you don't need to go to that much trouble. I can fix my own." She started to put Cinnamon down.
"No, really, I insist. That way, you don't have to put her," he indicated the cat, "back down on the floor, where she will undoubtedly return to her previous occupation. Think of it as repayment for rescuing me from an ignominious death by tickling," he said with a wry smile.
Laurel giggled a little, and went to sit at the table. "In that case, I accept." She sat in silence, stroking Cinnamon attentively until Yami arrived with two bowls of cereal. They ate in silence for a few minutes, broken only by Laurel occasionally scolding the cat for trying to drink her milk.
Yami eventually broke the stillness. "So, what would you like to do today?"
"I don't know…maybe meet some of your friends?" she replied, "They sound like a fun group, from what you told me yesterday."
"That's a good idea, actually, especially if there is evil in the area. We can have the whole group over, and you'll be able to meet them all, as well as warning them to watch their steps." He seemed to think for a moment, "Well, Kaiba probably won't come, but Mokuba will." Laurel noticed that he didn't seem especially disappointed at the idea of Kaiba staying home.
Yugi wandered sleepily into the kitchen, "Hey, guys." He yawned. "What's up?"
"Laurel wants to meet the rest of the group. I thought we could invite them over, all together, and let them know what's going on."
"All of them? That's gonna be one full house!"
"All except the elder Kaiba. We can invite him, too, but you know as well as I do that he won't come," Yami clarified.
"Which is really just as well, considering how well the two of you get along."
"It isn't like I don't respect him," Yami protested, "He's an excellent Duelist, and an honorable person. It's not my fault that he's more arrogant than a peacock and about as personable as a cobra."
"True, but it doesn't help that you tell him so pretty much every time you see him."
Laurel, watching this exchange, had to suppress a smile.
"Anyway," Yugi continued, "he does have powerful magic, and it would be good to have his help. He's more…reliable…than, say, Bakura."
"Don't remind me," Yami growled, "But we can't leave Ryou out, so the Tomb Robber will have to be present."
Laurel was confused. "Can't you just tell the 'Tomb Robber' not to come?"
"No, unfortunately. He shares Ryou's body, and we do want Ryou here. And Bakura's a strong ally, if it's in his own interests to be so," Yugi explained, "Once he hears what's happening, I'm sure he'll agree to help."
"Either that or try to take the Medallion for himself," Yami grumbled.
"We'll just have to keep an eye on him," Yugi replied, knowing it was pointless to argue that Bakura wouldn't try something like that. The former King of Thieves had come by his reputation quite dishonestly.
"Keep an eye on who?" Solomon Moto asked, entering the kitchen with a yawn. "Good morning, everyone. What are you three up to?"
"Planning a get-together," Yugi replied, "Laurel wants to meet everybody, so we're having the whole gang over. Uh, that is, if it's okay with you, Grandpa."
Solomon chuckled, "I must be getting old; people keep making plans without me. Go ahead and invite however many people you want. You boys know the rules."
"Thanks, Grandpa!" Yugi responded cheerfully, "I'll start making phone calls!"
"Finish your breakfast first, Yugi, they won't all be awake yet."
"Oh, right."
Smiling, Laurel excused herself from the table, having finished her own breakfast. She put her bowl in the sink, grabbed some fresh clothes from her pack, and went into the bathroom to change and freshen up. When she was done, she put her nightclothes away and went back into the kitchen. Solomon was now discussing the shop.
"The RPGs are selling well, both tabletop and video games. And I'm expecting an increase in card sales, with the new expansion just out." He paused, "I should mention…every so often, perhaps about once a month, your friend Ryou comes in, apparently looking for you, and every time, something expensive wanders off. It always reappears somewhere else about a week later, so I don't worry – but I can't seem to catch him at it."
Yami sighed, "No, you wouldn't. That isn't Ryou, though; it's Bakura, the Tomb Robber. He can disguise himself to look just like his hikari. We've told you about him, how he used to be the King of Thieves. You'll never actually catch him stealing something; he's too good at what he does."
"Oh, that's right. But…why in the world would he steal something, then bring it back?"
Yugi shrugged. "We think maybe he does it just to keep his skills sharp. Or maybe he's just a kleptomaniac," he explained. "Anyway, returning them unseen is as much of a challenge as taking them in the first place, and if he didn't return most of what he steals, Ryou's house would be crammed full of junk." He rose from the table, "I'm done. I'll go make those phone calls." He carried his plate over to the sink, then crossed the kitchen and picked up the phone.
Grandpa spotted Laurel. "Oh, Laurel, I have a surprise for you. I'm going to get dressed first, then I'll meet you downstairs in the shop. All right?"
Laurel blinked in surprise, "Uh, sure."
A few minutes later, both of them were standing near the shop's glass counter. Yami, now dressed as well, had followed and was at the foot of the stairs. He knew what the surprise was, and wanted to see what would happen.
Grandpa opened a drawer and reached inside. "…Ah, here it is," he said, pulling out a small box of the type used to store various types of cards, "For you." He handed it to her.
She opened it curiously. It was full of Magic cards. Reaching out to touch the first one, she pulled back suddenly. It felt as if the card had shocked her, just a little. She reached out again, accepting the tingle, pulled the card free of the box, and turned it around to see, "Mirri…" she breathed. "Grandpa…did you…where…how…?" she asked, flipping through the rest of the cards, "It's my deck! Down to the last card!"
"Is it? You didn't name all the cards, so I filled in the gaps as well as I could." He smiled, "You like it, then?"
"I love it! Gosh, this must have taken you hours! You did this just for me? Oh, Grandpa!" She suddenly swept the old man up in a huge bear hug, tears squeezing through her eyelids. "Thank you so much," she whispered. Releasing him, she wiped her eyes quickly with the back of her hand, "Oh, I must look so silly, crying over a deck of cards…but it's like a part of me that I've gotten back. I didn't realize until now what it meant to me." She gave a prolonged sniff. "I almost feel like I shouldn't accept this…you've already done so much for me…"
"Nonsense! Those cards belong to you; they would even if I kept them. Besides, you may need them."
Yami watched all of this in silence, observing the flow of energies. The cards themselves pulsed with red and green life; they were similar to, and yet different from, Duel Monsters cards. What was curious was the dim glow inside of Laurel herself, that had burst into life when she touched the cards. It filled her now, green with red streaks, making her aura look like an exotic plant. Grandpa was right; the cards were hers, reaching inside her heart and calling out her dormant magic. And of that she has plenty, he noted, More than an ordinary person, certainly, but less than Kaiba or myself. Most intriguing. Who was she? His recalcitrant memory, however, gave no reply.
Laurel turned, to see him watching from the foot of the stairs. "Hey, Yami," she called, "You know how to play Magic?"
"No, but I'm a fast learner." He smirked.
"Cool. Grandpa, do you have any practice decks he could borrow?"
Grandpa nodded, "Yes, I keep them around so I can show people how the game works." He got them out. "Here you are, Yami, pick one. This one," he indicated the one on the right, "is a blue and white Counterspell deck, geared around suddenly stopping an opponent's move. The other is a black and green Gravedigger deck, geared around getting creatures into play directly from the graveyard. Take your pick."
After a moment's consideration, Yami chose the Counterspell deck. "All right," he turned to Laurel, "How does this game work?"
All right! I'm afraid I'm gonna have to be done with this now; tomorrow I'm going to my dad's for a month, and his computer doesn't have Internet access. It also doesn't have Word. I'll do some typing over there, on that obnoxious Wordperfect program, but I won't be able to post anything. So the actual event this chapter was going to be named for won't happen until next chapter. Sorry!
Remember, review with guesses as to who's who!