The Grains Of Time

by X2yp71c

Seto x Jounouchi Eventually. Summary inside. Still in progress. I'm not really dead. Just lacking the will to write.

2. Painted Guilt

The Grains Of Time
Written By Demonic Angel

Rating ~ R
Possible lemon in future chapters.
Genre ~ Angst, Romance
Pairing ~ Joey/Seto
Disclaimer ~ I do not own any of the characters used in this work of fanfiction. I merely borrow the characters for my own distorted fun. I do, however, own the plot. Please ask permission to use it.

But I AM studying to be a future millionaire! (you know…business management and such?) So watch out, Kazuki Takahashi! Because the day I become CEO of my own multi-billion dollar corporation, is the day where you'll see me on your doorstep, silver suitcase in hand, and wearing a blue trenchcoat; DEMANDING to buy the rights to Seto Kaiba, Jounouchi Katsuya, and all the rest of the characters from YuGiOh! aside from Anzu *shudder* !
BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

Readers (if any): O_o

No, seriously.
It's my goal.
::ignores the obvious snickering in the background::

Seto: Yeah…That'll be the day…*snicker* According to my calculations, it'd take about 16,667 of DM's saved allowances to match a mere ONE million. And her brain's smaller than a pea. DM would NEVER make an efficient self-making millionaire!

…
And THIS is the reason why I torture these characters.
*To Seto* : And don't you dare call me DM again.

Summary ~
For nine years, a depressing secret had been kept in the dark. When it can no longer be concealed, Joey is forced to face the devastating truth. All of his hope had long since been lost and although his friends refuse to believe it, there is nothing that they can do.

Warning ~
Please be aware of severe depression and slight violence.
Also, yaoi pairings (male x male relationships) are present and focused on.

Hi, everybody! I'm back (obviously)! I hope I haven't kept all of you waiting. ::sweatdrop::

But to Blue Lagoon Loon, I am SO sorry! ::whacks head repetitively with a ten pound book:: I knew that this was going to happen when I chose cancer to be Joey's illness. I didn't mean to spark sad thoughts! I just couldn't think of any other sickness that doesn't immediately kill and has symptoms that doesn't show up until the last minute! ::sniffle::

And as long as we're on that subject…While there IS such a thing as a benign tumor, I am completely making up the symptoms and everything else related to Joey's cancer. I have NO idea how it actually feels to die slowly from a growing tumor in the head. So humor me if I've gotten everything wrong. I'm not even exactly sure if you CAN save someone who's had it for ten years without it being treated. I'm technically not a doctor. My badly treated teddy bears are proof enough. -_-;

Chapter Two
Painted Guilt

Suddenly, a loud scream pierced through the noisy cafeteria, automatically silencing all other chatter.

"JOEY!"

Turning around, Joey gasped at who he saw.

"Shizuka, what are you doing here?!"

The thin form of his sister could be plainly seen, running straight through the aisles of eating students towards him with her brown hair flying wildly behind her. As she neared, Joey could see that tears streamed down her pale face in numerous rivulets, ending in glimmering droplets.

Worried that something terrible had happened to her, he rushed forward only to be enveloped by her frail arms, nearly falling backwards from the force with which she used to propel herself towards him.

"Shizuka, what happened? Are you okay?!" He asked frantically, silently vowing to murder anyone who had dared to try and hurt her. But he wasn't prepared for what she did next.

Upon hearing his words, she instantly released her hold on him. Stepping backwards, Shizuka gazed up at him with a fury in her eyes that was so strong, Joey could scarcely believe that she was still the same gentle, caring sister that he knew from long ago.

"Am I okay?!" She practically shouted, oblivious to the stares they were getting from nearly half the entire student population that, at the moment, currently resided in the cafeteria. "What about you?! How could you keep such a secret from me?!"

Joey's mind nearly froze altogether at the accusation. She…She can't…know…Oh, shit…

"Wha-What are you talking about?" He asked nervously, all the while hoping for some sympathetic god to let him seep through the floor and disappear.

"As if you don't know!" Shizuka cried, more tears flowing down her cheeks. "You should know very well what I'm talking about! Mother told me! And after all these years, I never knew..." She trailed off, sobbing.

"Uh, calm down, Shizuka-"

"Calm down?! My only brother has less than a year left to live and you're telling me to calm down?!"

"Joey…" Started Yugi, amethyst eyes wide and questioning. "What's Shizuka talking about?"

"N-Nothing, Yugi." A skeptical look crossed the shorter boy's face.

"Look, Shizuka, let's talk about this somewhere else, okay?"

Placing his hands on her shoulders, Joey slowly steered her towards one of the side exits. Both Yugi and Honda were about to follow the two when he sent them a warning look; one of the rarest expressions that they had ever seen on such a usually cheerful and easygoing person.

And although the complex situation roused more than just a little curiosity and a few questions, his friends respected his obvious wish for privacy and allowed him to lead her away. Quickly, as if nothing had happened, the cafeteria resumed its normal chatter.

"Well, that was sure weird." Anzu stated.

"Yeah, and did you hear what she said?" Said Honda. "Something about Joey with less than a year to live. Do you think maybe that it was some sort of joke or one of them figure of speeches?"

Ryou shook his head, silver locks flying into an even messier fashion than usual. "I highly doubt that. The way she was crying…It just couldn't be a mere prank. I only hope that it was a figure of speech."

Eyes bright, Yugi stared at his plate, silent, worried. Maybe Joey's lack of appetite was contagious because suddenly, he'd lost his appetite as well. With his fork, he began to push the sides of his mashed potatoes in to form a small mountain.

/Hey, Yami. Did you hear all of that?/

//Yes, I did. I'm worried too.//

/Do you actually think that she was being serious?/ He squashed the pile of mashed potatoes.

//I'm not sure. I'm hoping that she wasn't.//

/Me too…/

//…//

/Hey, do you want to play tic tac toe?/

//What's that?//

/Here, I'll teach you./

And he began to draw the required pound sign into his flat patty of mashed potatoes. Yugi could practically feel his Yami smiling in his head.

/What are smiling about?/ Yugi asked, genuinely curious.

//Nothing just…Didn't your grandfather ever teach you not to play with your food?// He taunted.

/Hmph. Yami…If only you were here, I'd throw this handful of mashed potatoes into your face myself./

Yami laughed. //Now is that any way for gentle Yugi to act?// There was an exaggerated gasp. //What would your friends say if they knew that you had an actual violent side?!//

/Oh, shush you./ Smiled Yugi, now in a slightly happier mood thanks to his Yami. /I'm trying to teach you how to play tic tac toe./

//It wouldn't really matter.// Chuckled Yami. //I'd defeat you in that game too. I am after all, the King of Games!//

/We'll see about that./ Yugi considered himself to be an expert at tic tac toe. /…And just because you beat me twelve times in a row at Duel Monsters doesn't give you the right to brag!/

//Hehehe…//

Silence reigned for several minutes as the group continued to finish their food while Yugi mentally taught Yami the basic concepts of the tic tac toe game, using the mashed potatoes as a sort of playing board. That is, until a familiar figure caught Anzu's eye.

"Hey, isn't that Kaiba?" She inquired.

Confused, the three guys turned their heads in the same direction as hers and immediately spotted the tall brunette leaning against a random pillar of the cafeteria, arms crossed and his gaze seemingly to stare towards the doors where Joey was last seen exciting with his sister.

"Has he been there the whole time?" Honda asked.

Ryou shrugged. "I don't know. But it sure seems like it."

Anzu sighed, a hint of frustration and worry in that simple act. "What is up with everyone today?! First Joey loses his appetite…And I repeat: JOEY loses his APPETITE! When, in all the years that we've all known him, has this particular miracle EVER happened?!"

"I'd say um, never?" Yugi offered.

"Exactly! Then Shizuka shows up, acting as if she HATED Joey! Don't know about you guys, but from what I remember, she practically worshipped her brother…At least until now, anyway." They nodded.

"But now even Kaiba's starting to act weird!" She continued. "Can anybody tell me the last time that he even stepped foot into this cafeteria?"

"I think it might have been around three years ago." Ryou stated; his head propped on a fist as he thought. "When we all had that assembly where they welcome new freshman students to their first year of highschool."

Anzu scrunched up her nose, a habit that Yugi only now began to notice. Without even thinking, a picture formed in his mind. Laughing silently, Yami decided to mentally add some voice to his hikari's thoughts.

//Oink!//

/YAMI!/ Yugi blushed, thankful that no one else could hear.

"Come to think of it, did he even attend that assembly?" Anzu wondered.

Before anyone could answer, however, a voice spoke from behind her.

"Having a discussion about me, are we?"

The four friends yelped in surprise and instinctively backed away from Seto as if he'd just announced a threat to kill them all (not that he wouldn't). They had been so caught up in their conversation that they hadn't even noticed Seto's approach.

"Um…uh…Kaiba! How nice to see you!" Anzu stuttered.

Honda snorted. "Since when did you start sneaking up on people and eavesdropping on their private conversations?" There was a definite stress on the word 'private'.

"Can it." Replied Seto, voice harsh. "I just want to know what she's doing here." And he jerked his head towards the side doors.

"What? A sister can't visit her own brother?" Honda retorted, voice equally sharp.

Seto smirked. "To make it simple, she isn't supposed to be here until tomorrow. What's so important that she has to be in such a big rush to see that dog?"

Getting to his feet, Honda glared across the table at the taller teen, angry at the comment made towards his best friend. "First of all, Joey isn't a dog. And second of all, how the Hell would you know if Shizuka would be visiting at all?! You don't even know who she is!"

"I think we'd all like to know that." Interrupted Anzu.

"Wow. I'm actually impressed. I didn't think that all of you would be as dumb as that DOG." Seto challenged. "Didn't stop to remember that I am well more than capable of acquiring any information that I desire, as long as it's in a computer database?"

Anzu scowled. "Whatever, Kaiba. Quit making your head bigger than it already is."

"Look, we know just about as much as you do. So why don't you just bug off?" Said Honda.

"Fine." He shrugged. "I was about to anyway." They watched as Seto walked off, all of them secretly marveling at how calm he can be, even with their comments.

Honda sat back down and Yugi resumed his game with Yami. Always the good observer, Ryou glanced around the place out of slight boredom until something on Yugi's plate caught his eye. Being too courteous and considerate to actually laugh, he settled instead for a soft smile of amusement.

"Um, Yugi…" He inquired lightly. "Are you drawing on your mashed potatoes?"

Looking up, Yugi had just finished erasing the marks on the white mush in order to have a rematch with Yami before fully realizing what Ryou had just asked. He blushed.

"Uh…Actually…I'm kinda playing tic tac toe with Yami…"

Ryou laughed, then. "Oh, I see, good idea. Maybe Bakura would like to try the game. I'll ask him." He said, while gesturing to his own pile of uneaten mush.

/Bakura…?/

//What?!// He snapped back, having just been awakened from a light sleep.

/Oh, I'm sorry for waking you up./ Ryou apologized, slightly sad.

Bakura's demeanor quickly changed. //Forget it. I'm already up. What did you want to say? If anybody's threatening you, just tell me who it is and I'll gladly banish the bastard to the shadow realm…//

Ryou mentally laughed, the merry sound affecting Bakura in a way he didn't like. Stupid emotions. He fumed, but after he'd made sure that there was a barrier protecting THESE thoughts. Who needs them? I wish they'd leave me alone. No, better yet, I wish I didn't have any. Damn Ryou.

/No, that's not what I was going to ask! I just wanted to know if you'd like to play tic tac toe with me…?/

//What the Hell is that?//

/It's a game where the main goal is to get three x's in a row./

//Now why would I want to play some lame ass game like that?// Bakura snorted.

/Well, Yami's playing it with Yugi. I was only hoping that maybe we could challenge them. But then again, if you're not willing…Oh, wells. We probably wouldn't be able to beat them anyway./

//Pf! That pharaoh…defeat me?! Ha! You must be joking!//

/Well, we'll never know. It seems as if that Yami's already had lots of practice with Yugi and here you don't even know how to play the game. It does require a lot of strategy, you know. Maybe you're just too scared to play./

//WHAT?! Me, SCARED?! Listen, I can defeat that pharaoh in anything! How does this dumb game of yours work?!//

Ryou smiled.

~*~

Seto scowled as he walked down the hall and towards the library.

Those idiots hadn't been very informative. And after all that trouble he went to just to walk up to them and ask! His cruel image was now shattered. He knew that some of the school's biggest gossips were watching him when he'd made his inquiry about Joey. They're always watching. Rumors would fly and the question on whether or not he had any friends would be constantly brought up and debated before him.

Practically growling with frustration, he slammed the glass doors open and, ignoring the scandalized look from the librarian, stomped to a certain desk in a far corner and sat down, thumping his briefcase on the polished surface as he did so. Several students who were doing last minute homework assignments glanced briefly up at him before quickly averting their gaze in sheer terror at what he might do should he notice their staring.

There must be some way to repair the damage done to my public reputation. He thought bitterly while retrieving his laptop from the briefcase and turning it on. Why the Hell did I put myself into this position anyway?!

Glancing downwards at the flickering blue light of his screen, Seto immediately grit his teeth and secretly wished that his dignity would allow him to vomit.

MOKUBA! He must have been playing around with my laptop again!

For set as the desktop background and in very plain view of anyone curious enough to notice, was a very large picture of a golden puppy. Glancing around to make sure that no one had seen, he was just about to clear it off when his mind snapped and his own question came echoing back into his mind.

~ Why the Hell did I put myself into this position anyway?! ~

"Katsuya…"

Putting two and two together, the answer was easily as clear as a bell. Seto slammed his fist on the desk; apparently oblivious to the fact that others were still in the library and that he'd just startled ten years off of all of their lives. The librarian stalked over, took one look at the CEO's furious expression, and scolded the innocent student nearest her instead.

Concern over that nitwit?! Never! Just because his sister starts raving about something that seems a bit serious and involves that simpering canine doesn't mean that I should give a damn, either! In fact, I don't. That irritating thing called curiosity tends to bite everyone once in a while!

~ Then why were you in the cafeteria in the first place? If it wasn't to watch over the puppy, then what exactly were you doing, then, hm? I doubt that it was to taste that school's marvelous food. ~

Seto stared at the screen, narrowing his eyes in frustration at the seemingly harmless picture. The puppy stared back, head cocked to one side, the golden fur and playful demeanor reminding him of the very person that he didn't want invading his thoughts.

"I'm grounding Mokuba until he's twenty." He growled softly.

~*~

Situated in the center of the school was a small field, not the large one used for physical education, but more as a place where students could hang out. Amidst the grass and weeds, a few large trees grew from the ground, their twisted trunks rising upward and toward the sun. Beneath several of them were typical wooden benches, some of them covered in graffiti but nevertheless, a perfect place to sit and talk.

Nervously, Joey led his sister to one of them, allowing her to sit down on the polished wood. But instead of taking a seat for himself, he leaned against the trunk of the tree. The tension between them seemed to grow and worsen until it was finally broken by a single word.

Shizuka turned towards him. "Why?"

Joey, his eyes focused on the grass near his feet, said nothing for awhile. Just merely stood there, shuffling his feet and having a mental debate.

"So you know, then." He mumbled.

"Yes. Mother finally told me. But I believe she was a little late in doing so." She replied, slight bitterness in her voice. "But why? Why hadn't either one of you told me?"

Another lie easily fell from his lips, a habit formed from much practice. "I don't know. She just told me never to tell, that's all."

She stood and went to stand before him, trying to catch his gaze. She believed him. He knew she would. Shizuka trusted him too much. And although she was his sister and one of the best at detecting lies from her brother, Joey had had too much experience on the matter…From needing to lie to his closest friends nearly every other day.

"Joey…You should have kept that money…Kept it for yourself. It could have helped you. I didn't need it…" Shizuka started, fresh tears forming in her eyes.

"No." Joey snapped back, finally raising his head to look at her. "Don't think like that. Being blind for the rest of your life is the same as being dead. At least this way one of us gets to live, mainly you. I'm nothing much. But you, you can become great one day. What future do I have?"

But Shizuka wasn't listening. In fact, he had lost her the moment he had raised his head. Her eyes were widened in shock and she had gasped, her left hand lightly covering her mouth. Slowly, she reached upwards with her right hand and gently touched the black bruise on his face. The tears that she had been trying to prevent now flowed freely once again.

Wincing at the simple gesture, Joey stepped back and looked away almost immediately, realizing his mistake. Before, when she'd first approached him, she was in too much emotional turmoil to notice his physical appearance. But now that she'd gotten her bearings, the ugly mark of hatred on his skin had become clearer than light.

"Who did this?" She whispered, almost murderously. When Joey refused to say anything, she rephrased her sentence, pure venom in her voice. "Did he do this to you? Is he doing this again?"

Suddenly, Joey grinned, almost sheepishly, and turned back towards her. "Well, funny story actually. It's not what you think. I had this weird dream last night and when I woke up, I was tangled in the bed sheets. When I tried to get out of bed, I slipped on my history book and banged my head on the bedpost. I'm so clumsy!"

Shizuka shook her head, soaking up the lie like a sponge. "You're not clumsy, Joey. Just messy."

"Well gee, thanks for rubbing it in." He muttered sarcastically.

Mere seconds later, she had already reverted back to her depressed mood and gazed up at him, her large solemn eyes sad and serious. He knew what was coming. But instead of having to explain his warped explanation on why he shouldn't have kept the three million all over again, he quickly asked a question of his own.

"Hey, why did mom suddenly up and tell you about it anyway?"

"I'm not too sure about that…I suppose it was the guilt. It started in the attic of our house..."

~ Begin Flashback Sequence ~

Shizuka struggled strenuously with a heavy box. Apparently, the box had somehow gotten stuck between the dirty wall and a large wooden cabinet. The dust she aroused from all of her movements became so thick that she suddenly sneezed, falling backwards from the force and the box flying out with her. It landed heavily with a thud on the floor beside her, its contents spilled in a jumbled array of old papers and dirty knickknacks.

Her mother was cleaning on the far side of the attic, amidst stacked boxes and old furniture. Glancing up, a rag in one hand, a bottle of cleaning solution in the other, and a look of worry on her face, she called out to her fallen daughter.

"Are you okay, Shizuka?"

"Yes." Shizuka sneezed again before sitting up, trying to dust the dirt from her hands and dress.

After finally regaining her composure, she bent down and slowly collected the scattered items. Lifting a stack of old newspapers, Shizuka found to her mild amusement, an old paper from long ago. Dropping whatever she had in her hands, she gently picked up the single sheet of paper, holding it with the utmost care as if she had just discovered a valuable relic.

And to her, it was. The white sheet, yellowing with age and curling at the edges, was in fact a watercolor painting that Joey had painted quite a few years ago. She knew it was his by the messy scrawl in the upper left-hand corner that was supposed to be his name and date. Smiling affectionately, she walked over to her mother.

"Hey, mother. Look what I found!"

Looking up from the ancient picture frame that she had been cleaning, Joey's mother nearly blanched at the sight of the picture that Shizuka held out towards her. It was a typical child's painting, simple, and crude. But nevertheless, it was clear what Joey had pictured in his mind.

Painted in bright colors, both him and Shizuka stood together in front of the house that they used to live in as a family. On Shizuka's left, stood their mother and on Joey's right, stood their father. And of course, the usual details like a smiling sun, pointy grass, and a giant tree.

But something was wrong with it. A slight yet crucial detail that would have been completely missed if one did not look closely. All of them should have had a happy face but only Joey's messy painting of himself did not. The picture was dated on the same year his condition had been found.

Maybe it was the depressing, childish innocence of it, or perhaps the fact that she'd been harboring years of guilt and knew the upcoming death of someone that she knew her daughter loved, Joey's mother looked sadly at her, an ashamed appearance crossing her features.

"Shizuka…I need to tell you something…"

~ End Flashback Sequence ~

"So, basically, I think it was because of that picture you had painted." Finished Shizuka, a frown appearing on face.

"Really? I can't remember painting that…" Joey stated, scratching the back of his neck. Suddenly, a sharp stab of pain erupted in his head, and he winced. Ignoring it as best he could, he continued. "D-Do you have it with you?"

His sister looked at him oddly, worriedly, as if she had noticed his pain. But she quickly dismissed it and nodded. There was a small bag she had been carrying all along, a simple blue backpack that no one had noticed because of its insignificance. She reached into it now and pulled out a folder.

Meanwhile, Joey's pain had intensified. Gripping his head, he fell to his knees, biting his lower lip to keep from crying out. It steadily worsened, nearly becoming as agonizing as the day before, when his father had struck him. And to Joey, it felt rather like something was trying to claw right out of his head or some angry child was inside banging a hammer around, instead of it just being a mere headache.

A second later and he could hardly see Shizuka through his watery eyes, kneeling next to him in worry. Her lips moved, but somehow he couldn't hear what she was saying or feel her hand resting on his shoulder. A few moments passed and nothing changed. Joey barely realized the fact when she began to run off for help.

~*~

Shizuka ran as fast as she could go, completely bypassing the cafeteria as she went. She hadn't bothered to remember where the main office was in her haste to see her brother as soon as possible. But now she regretted it. And she had no clue as to where the health room was. Instead, she ran practically blindly, hoping to run into a teacher, or at least an adult.

Maybe I should have gone back to the cafeteria. She thought sadly. At least there were a lot of people there and most likely teachers too.

A few minutes of searching came up with nothing. But although devastated, Shizuka still ran. Somehow, she'd made her way into some hallway where student's lockers lined each wall. Thinking she'd seen an adult turn a corner at the far end, she put on a burst of speed and caught up with the person.

Except that it wasn't a teacher. It was one of the students, Seto Kaiba. Shizuka, not knowing who he was and having no other option; was obliged to ask him for help. Running up to him, she tugged desperately on his sleeve.

"Please, you have to help me!" She pleaded when he turned to her. His face held an annoyed expression but quickly changed into surprise when he realized who she was. "It's my brother, something's wrong! And I can't find an adult to help me anywhere! Please, h-he's in pain!"

Seto's mind halted. Something was wrong with Joey. He may hate the guy but he's still a human being. Looking at the sobbing girl, he knew that he had to act fast.

"Your brother, he's Joey, right?" She nodded. "I know him. Hurry, show me where he is."

Immediately, she sprinted off back the way she came and he followed. For the first time ever, Seto started to feel worried towards someone that wasn't Mokuba.

"Stupid mutt." He muttered under his breath.

~ To Be Continued ~

~*~

Demonic Angel: Yay! I finished another chapter! I'm so proud of myself!

Yami: And it's been, what? A month?!

Demonic Angel: Well SORRY for being a naturally slow writer. You people are lucky that I actually got it out this fast!

Yami: Well, I guess you're right…Considering the fact that it took you nearly six months just to type the first chapter…

Demonic Angel: You know, you DIDN'T have to tell them. Now my reputation's ruined. *sniffle* Besides, the reviews actually inspired me! Now I know how other authors feel when positive reviews flood their fic. I'm so happy! Thanks to all of you! I wasn't expecting 25 reviews!

Seto: ::rolls his eyes and switches the television on:: Mushy crap…

Otogi (on the tv screen): *pointing to the dog suit wearing Joey* Ha! You have to stay quiet unless I say so! ::hits Joey with one of his dice:: Sit, dog!

Joey (on the tv screen): ::whimpers in pain and is forced to sit::

Seto: What the f*ck?! That a**hole! ::jumps at the tv and smashes the screen in with his fist:: How dare he steal what's rightfully mine! I'm going to march right over there, kick his soon to be sorry a**, and make him wish that he never saw my puppy!

Yugi: ::is holding onto Seto's arm:: No, Kaiba! You can't! He's our friend now!

Seto: WHAT?! First of all, he's YOUR friend! And second, he deserves to get that arrogant ego of his squashed into a bloody pulp! ::marches out with Yugi still hanging onto him, dragging on the floor::

Yami: Hey, come back here! That's MY aibou you're dragging with you! ::runs after them::

Readers (if any): O.o

Demonic Angel: Thank Ra that Joey hadn't heard any of this. -_-; Let's just all hope that Otogi's still alive after Seto's done with him…Which I seriously and highly doubt. ^-^

?????????: Hi!

Demonic Angel: What the Hell?! WHO LET HER OUT?! Now I have to introduce her!!!

Joey: ::walks in looking embarrassed:: Well…I kind of forgot that she was locked in your closet…And I was sort of hoping to find your secret stash of candy…And…And…

Demonic Angel: ::sighs:: Nevermind…Your damn puppy eyes are too strong. Well, everybody, meet my aibou. Unfortunately, I turned out to be too evil to have my own yami so I got her…She's everything I DON'T want to be, thank Ra. I named her Lacrimare, for those of you who know Latin.

Lacrimare: Hello! ::waves happily and twirls around in her pink dress::

Anzu: *snicker* But if she's everything you aren't, then that must mean that she's got to have loads of appealing qualities for a person! Like generosity and kindness and…

Demonic Angel: Maybe so but one of her bad traits is that she loves to cheat. I dare you to challenge her to a game of poker. =P *whispering* But her absolute worst trait is that she's somewhat like you!

Anzu: WHAT?! I heard that!

~*~

You know, I am so f*cking pissed, right now! Have any of you read SSJ SKY's work? I can't believe that they deleted her fic, A Distant Promise off of ff.net for no reason, whatsoever! How dare they do that to, in my opinion, one of the best Yugioh fanfiction writers to ever grace ff.net!!!

Readers (if any): …

::narrows eyes in suspicion:: If any of you haven't read her fics or don't even know who she is, I suggest you to stop reading my sorry excuse for a fic right now and go cheer her up with lots of reviews! If you don't, I will personally see to it that your intestines are wound around the tree in my front yard like Christmas lights!!!

Readers (if any): O_O ::a few mysteriously disappear::

*Ahem* Now where was I? Oh yes. I am very aware of the fact that I sort of went off track somewhere in the middle of the fic. Sorry. Anyone notice yet? There always seems to be a scene where someone's playing with their food…*sweatdrop*

Bakura: Yes and your stupid tic tac toe tournament reduced me to a weakling!

Ryou: *whispering* He lost against Yami.

Bakura: *glare*

Ehehehe…ANYWAY, looks like Yami Megami (no, you are not stupid) and Vera were right. It did turn out to be Shizuka! ^__^ And not to worry, Alena and Soliflame! I won't let Joey die!…But on the other hand…It would make a very depressing and dramatic ending…Hehehe…

P.S. – Again, if anyone finds any unintended spelling errors in here, let me know and I'll go beat my head with a stick for failing to see it…And I do apologize for any traces of other yaoi pairings…It somehow snuck in when I wasn't looking. I'll try to keep it to a bare minimum, though. Unless of course, if people WANT to see more of it…