RESPONSES
Serena the Hikari of Love
Mena: Yay! Thanks for coming! I think it's 'sequel', but I used to spell it 'sequil'!
Toli: Thanks for reviewing!
Mena: And hope you enjoy the next chapter!
Millenniumgrl126
Toli: Ah! You are very perceptive about the silver and gold!
Mena: Yes! Trust Yami to kick a baddie's butt! I'd really like to see that!
Toli: I like Yami kicking butt for sure! Thanks for reviewing!
Mena: You can bet there'll be some Yami butt-kicking in here somewhere!
sabishii kitsune
Mena: Mani's all safe and sound now, so things an get back to normal!
Toli: The silver and gold thing is one of three rather cryptic hints, and the other two haven't been mentioned yet.
Mena: I slam into the fridge a lot during sugar highs. I also slam into walls, doors, floors, parents, teachers, boyfriends, high schools, buses, fish tanks, cellphones, and bookcases!
Toli: (sweatdrop) What a nut.
Silver Moon Phoenix
Toli: Aha! Luna is very perceptive!
Jesselda: So is Silver.
Mena: If that bully were real, I'd be jumping him too! What a meanie!
Toli: There's lots for Yami to mistrust about Seif and Lavell.
Jesselda: But it's going to get worse for the Pharaoh's little partner, isn't it?
Mena: Yeah, that's true.
Toli: No more spoilers, you two! Anyway, thanks for reviewing!
Elizabeth Aiken
Mena: Glad you loved it! But where's Ashley-kun?
Toli: Thanks for reviewing!
silverwolf-bakura13
Mena: (gasps) SUGARY SNACK! (squeals) YAY! (grabs and starts chewing on cookie)
Toli: Awww, plushies! (cuddles Yugi and Mai plushies) Okay, we can update, then!
Mena: (happly gnawing on cookie)
Toli: Thanks for reviewing!
Masami Mistress Of Fire
Toli: Masami! (hugs Masami)
Mani: MASAMI-TWIN! (hugs Masami)
Mena: DAMIE-CHAN-KOI! (glomps Damion)
Jesselda: (waves) What's up, Masami?
Toli: (thinking) 'Jesselda sure is friendly around Masami!'
Mena: I wish you were back in the author's notes too, Damie-chan!
Toli: Yeah, me too! I miss you guys!
Jesselda: Don't type that site, Masami. It's undergoing construction.
Toli: And it's also one of those weirdo private things...(rolls eyes)
Mena: (cuddles Damion)
Mani: (videotaping the action)
Toli: Well, we gotta rumble! Come on, sisters!
Jesselda: Enjoy the update.
Dark Mage of Sea
Toli: Yami's usually right, so it's good to agree with him.
Mena: Hmmm...Toli, I got a feeling too.
Toli: What? Mena, you alreadly know what's going to happen.
Mena: Oh yeah! I do!
Toli: (sweatdrop) Thanks for reviewing.
Linkin-Phoenix
Mena: Sister, let's take a vote. All who think Linkin-Phoenix and Shadow Phoenix always threaten each other, raise your hand. (raises hand)
Toli: (raises hand)
Jesselda: (raises hand)
Mani: (raises hand)
Kitsune: (raises hand)
Mena: Okay, meeting adjourned!
Toli: It's not surprising that Yugi feels guilt, but there's actually a reason that he does.
Mena: Can't tell you why, though!
Toli: No offense taken about Marik, I think he is Yugi's worst blood enemy.
Mena: I think we're going to keep or new name too; we're starting to love it! (and I like Linkin Park a lot too)
Toli: I really hate Quick Edit. It messes up a lot. Like you can't put a question mark and exclamation point or two hyphens together because they delete them both. And sometimes they'll make the whole text bold and italicize stuff that you didn't want italicized.
Mena: It seems like it has a lot of bugs or something!
Toli: Thanks for the compliments on our writing. We appreciate them a lot!
Mena: Oooh, look, tank! (points)
Toli: Hey Mena.
Mena: What?
Toli: Ten bucks says Shadow Phoenix is toast.
Mea: Ten bucks says otherwise!
Toli: You're on!
Mena/Toli: (sit down to watch)
Kitsune: So, what is this thing around your neck again, Mena?
Mena: It's the Millennium Plate! (cuddles Plate) It's how Jesselda got here!
Toli: Um, guys, can we move on to the chapter?
Kitsune: Oh! Sure.
Mena: Yeah, let's get going!
Jesselda: Kazuki Takahashi owns Yu-Gi-Oh. Since none of us go by that name, you know we don't own it. There. Clever enough?
Toli: (nods) It'll pass.
THREE: The Unexplained Murder
THAT EVENING
He slammed his latest victim against the wall. "Where's that ten dollars you owe me?"
The poor boy against the wall adjusted his glasses with a trembling hand. "I didn't get my allowance this week because I flunked my math test..."
"You think that's my problem?" the bully said. "Either you cough up ten bucks, or you cough up blood, you little nerd!"
"I-I don't have ten bucks!" the victim cried. "Please, just wait till tomorrow, and I can get it to you-"
"Not good enough," the bully said. He dropped the boy on the ground. "Your deadline was today. Now you've got to pay the price."
Ten minutes later, the bully walked away, satisfied with his handiwork. The poor victim lay on his side, suffering from a fresh beating. The bully didn't even glance at him as he sauntered away. Now the victim had the rest of the week to get him twenty dollars, or he would get a worse beatdown.
"It's good to be me," the bully said. He checked his watch. "Oh, geez, I better get home before curfew!" He picked up his pace.
"And where are you going?"
The bully stopped in his tracks. He looked over his shoulder and saw no one. "Who's there?" he yelled, turning around.
"We have a little score to settle with you..."
"What's this about?" the bully shouted, not wanting to admit he was being unnerved. "I don't know who you freaks are. Why don't you show yourselves and we'll talk about this little score!"
"Gladly. But our faces will be the last you see..."
The bully raised his fists, not about to go down without a fight. He wasn't afraid of hand-to-hand combat. But he wasn't prepared for what happened next in the least. A streak of black lightning zapped from the darkness and blasted him in the chest, sending him flying. He slammed into a wall and slid to the ground.
Footsteps approached. The bully got to his feet as quickly as he could, not wanting to be caught off guard again. He rose his fists in a fighting stance even as he backed away.
"You aren't leaving. We're not done yet."
Another streak of black lightning came from the darkness and hit him. It knocked him into an alley, colliding with several garbage cans and an innocent cat that yowled before darting off.
The bully groaned as he sat up. Throbbing pain spread throughout his entire body. He looked up and saw two silhouettes walking towards him. "Please, no!" he cried.
"I'm sure similar pleas have fallen on your deaf ears. You may have avoided this little conflict had you not threatened him. It's through your own decisions that you will die tonight."
"Th-Threatened who?" the bully trembled.
"That's no longer important. Prepare to die, idiot."
"You can't do this!" the bully exclaimed. He saw two brief glints, one gold, one silver, right next to each other.
"Watch us."
The air rang briefly with a pained scream before all became silent again.
"And now for our top story, police have found a dead body on Lancaster Street."
Yugi glanced up at the screen as he pulled his other sock on. It was the next morning, and he was getting ready for school. Yami was sitting on the bed in transparent form, keeping him company. "A dead body?" Yugi repeated, pushing the up volume button on the TV in his room.
"Thank you, Julia. I'm here live on the scene where the police have found the body of a teenager who was apparently murdered last night. The body has been identified as 17-year-old Sherman Williams."
Yugi put on his shoes. "Haven't I heard that name somewhere before?" he wondered aloud.
"Police are still investigating what was the cause of his murder, but so far nothing has come up. The body apparently has no gunshot or stab wounds anywhere..."
"Yugi! You'd better hurry up and come down for breakfast!" Grandpa's voice floated up from downstairs. "You don't want to be late for school!"
Yugi turned off the TV and grabbed his backpack off his bed. "Okay, Grandpa!" he shouted back, reaching for his school jacket. He hurried out the door, still think about the name. Sherman Williams...Sherman Williams...where have I heard that name? Yami, do you have any idea?
You know better than to ask ME.
True. Yugi couldn't help a smile. Then he frowned when the name began floating through his mind again. Darn, I know that's going to be bugging me all day.
Maybe you'll figure it out before then.
I hope so, or I won't be able to concentrate in class!
Yugi found his friends waiting for him at the front doors of school when he arrived. He waved at them, and they waved back. For some reason it seemed slightly harder to lift up his hand and wave at them, and he concluded he was tired.
"Hey, Yugi," Tea greeted when he had reached the group. "Did you see the news this morning?"
"About the murder?" They all nodded. "Yeah, I saw that. I have a feeling I know who that guy was, but I can't remember."
"I can tell ya," Joey said. "He's dat bully you had t' tango wit' yesterday. Rememba?"
Suddenly it clicked. "You're right! Wow, so it was him?"
"Looks like," Tristan said. "And according to the news story, the police couldn't figure out how the guy was whacked, even."
"Yet," Tea corrected. "You know they have those really smart investigators for the police. It's not like the kid's heart and brain just decided to quit on him. Somebody did something to him, they just don't know who or what."
"I wonda who did it," Joey wondered aloud.
There was a moment of silence as they considered. Yugi found himself feeling sorry for the guy. Even if he was a bully, nobody deserved to be murdered. Then, somehow, again, he found his thoughts switching to Nona. She didn't deserve to be killed either, right? Even if she had been after him for his life. She was doing it because she felt she had to, to lift the curse of the Puzzle off of herself. Yugi sighed as he tried to get thoughts of Nona out of his mind.
"Come on, guys, let's hurry and get to class," Tea said. "The bell's going to ring any minute, and we don't want to be late."
They headed inside.
"Hey Yugi," Tea said, "are you doing anything after school?"
Yugi shook his head. "Nothing important. Why?"
"We're going to see a movie after school," Tristan said. "Attack Of The Bloodsucking Media. Tea got me and Joey turned on to it."
Yugi's eyebrow raised. "Did you say...bloodsucking media?"
"Yeah," Tea replied. "It's this story about this famous dancer who gets caught up in this scandal and spends every waking moment trying to escape the media. It looks really cool."
"Ya comin', Yug?" Joey asked.
"Sure," Yugi said. "It's something to look forward to after school today."
"Especially for Mr. Flunkie here, eh, Joey?" Tristan teased, nudging Joey in the ribs.
Joey started grumbling about having to spend lunch taking the make up test and how Tristan was the worst kind of friend a guy could have. Yugi told his friends he needed to stop by his locker and get the books he needed, and he would meet them in the next class they had together.
Yugi had gotten the books he needed and was closing his locker when he heard a familiar voice.
"Yugi!"
Yugi turned immediately and saw Lavell, waving at him from a locker three lockers down. He waved back and walked over to her. "Hi, Lavell," he said.
"Hey," Lavell said with a smile, even while she was struggling with the lock on her locker. "How's it going?"
"All right, I guess," Yugi answered. "How about you and Seif?"
"Oh, we're doing pretty well, considering," Lavell said. She finally got her locker open, and had to catch the door before it hit Yugi in the face.
"Considering what?" Yugi asked.
Lavell pulled out some books and swung the locker door shut. She pushed harder than she had been trying to, and the door slammed, echoing down the nearly empty hall. The few kids standing around glanced at the noisemaker. "Whoops," she said. Then she turned back to Yugi. "Oh-well-you know, I'm kinda shy and all, and it's a little hard to make friends..." She trailed off, picking at a loose thread on her uniform blazer.
"It's not too hard to make friends here," Yugi said. "At least I don't think so. I'm kind of shy too, you know, and I have four best friends. Most of the kids are nice, well, except for the bullies."
"Maybe." Lavell turned and leaned against her locker. Yugi saw a flash of gold from her earring, hidden under her hair. "After what happened yesterday, I'm not so sure it'll be real easy for me to warm up to anybody. I mean, besides you, I haven't even talked to any kids here." She looked unhappy.
Yugi leaned on the locker door beside hers. "Don't worry about it, Lavell. You'll meet somebody nice soon enough, I promise you."
Lavell turned and gave him a smile. "I have already, haven't I?"
Yugi blushed and smiled back. He thought he saw a flash of silver behind her head, and directed his gaze to the hallway behind Lavell. He saw a flash of silver around the corner of a wall, and what looked like something black. "Was that your brother?"
"Seif?" Lavell turned and looked. "Maybe. He was supposed to come meet me so we could walk to our first class together. Let's go see." She grabbed his hand and dragged him down the hall. They rounded the corner and found Seif.
"Spying on me again, are you?" Lavell accused.
Seif shrugged his shoulders. "It looked like a moment. I didn't want to interrupt."
Lavell opened her mouth to retort, but the bell rang just then. The few kids started heading for their classes.
"We can argue about it after school," Seif said to Lavell. "Let's go to class. We're all in the same one first, right? We can walk together."
"Okay!" Lavell agreed instantly.
"Sure," Yugi agreed easily.
The bell rang. Kids exploded out of their seats with cheers. It was lunchtime.
Yugi made his way outside to his little cluster of trees. He sat down and sighed. Resting his head against the largest tree, he looked up at the branches over him while holding his lunch in his lap. Little splashes of sunlight filtered through the leaves and shone down on him. He sighed, feeling, for a reason he didn't understand, strangely happier.
You seem cheerful today.
I know. It's a relief. Usually I feel kind of depressed. I'm glad I don't anymore.
So am I. I like it better when you're happy, Yugi. Yami sounded relieved as well. He appeared in transparent form beside Yugi, sitting in a relaxed position.
You know, today I've only thought once about you-know-who. I think that's a new record or something.
Maybe it was just a phase and now it's passing.
That would be great.
"Yugi?"
Yugi looked up and saw Seif and Lavell coming towards him. Yami disappeared back inside the Puzzle as Yugi stood up. "Hi, guys!"
"Hi!" Lavell said. She smiled. "Enjoying another lunch period alone?"
Yugi shrugged. "Yeah. It's what I usually do."
"Oh, well, then, if you wanna be alone, we can, like, go somewhere else," Lavell said, indicating with hand gestures her and her brother leaving. Yugi thought she looked slightly nervous.
Yugi blinked, and in that split second he felt an overwhelming urge to let them join him on the grass. "Oh, you guys don't have to go anywhere!" he said, a smile crossing his face. "You're welcome to join me."
"Really? Awesome!" Lavell looked relieved as she plopped down in the space next to Yugi's in an instant. Seif looked for somewhere comfortable to sit as Yugi sat back down, beside Lavell. "It's really great to have someone besides my brother to hang out with at lunch," she went on, absently combing her fingers through her hair. "I was kinda afraid you'd say no or something."
That must be why she looked nervous, Yugi thought. "You don't have to worry about something like that," he told her. "I don't mind hanging out with other people at lunch, but sometimes I just come out here for a little while to think. Nothing I can't do at home."
Seif had ended up just leaning against a tree beside theirs, hands in his pockets. "So, do you have any family, Yugi?" he asked.
Yugi nodded. "I live with my grandpa," he said.
"What happened to your parents?" Lavell asked.
"They died a while back(1)," Yugi answered.
"Oh." The smile disappeared form Lavell's face. "Sorry I brought it up, Yugi."
Yugi smiled his usual sunny smile. "Don't worry about it. I'm used to people asking. What about you guys?"
"Our dad," Seif said. "He brought us with him to America. Mom's still in Egypt."
"Yeah. They're divorced," Lavell filled in. "Say, Yugi, do you think maybe we could have that quickie tour of the city after school today? Before we get settled in and our dad starts making us look for jobs-"
"Sure," Yugi agreed instantly. "That would be awesome!"
"Cool!" Lavell bounced in her spot like a hyper kindergartener. "But I don't want to go anywhere in this horrible school outfit! I say we all go home and change into more comfortable clothes, then meet up at the school! How about that, Yugi? Seif?"
Seif waved a hand. "Yeah, that should work."
"Okay," Yugi agreed.
"Yugi?"
Yugi looked up from where he was stuffing books in his locker and saw Tea. "Oh, hi, Tea!" he said cheerfully. It was last period, and all the highschoolers were very happy to go home.
Tea smiled. "Well, Joey and Tristan want to stop by the store and get snacks before we go to the movie, but I was thinking we could all go home and change into something besides our school clothes first. What do you think?"
"The movie?" Yugi's eyebrows went up. "Oh...I totally forgot...Listen, Tea, I hate to say this, but I promised Seif and Lavell I'd give them a tour of the city today after school. I'm gonna have to miss the movie."
"Really?" Tea looked disappointed. "Are you sure? Maybe you guys could reschedule?"
"They're really eager to see the city," Yugi told Tea. "Sorry. Maybe we can see it together tomorrow or something."
Tea nodded, but was still frowning. "Okay," she said. "Well, happy touring. I'll call you this evening, okay?"
"Sure," Yugi agreed as Tea walked away. He turned back to stuffing books in his locker.
Why did you lie like that?
Lie like what?
When you made up that excuse about giving the Tourneaus a tour of the city. They weren't "eager" as you put it. They were just pleased.
Yugi felt an unexpected wave of annoyance. How would you know? It wasn't like you were talking to them personally or anything. You were just eavesdropping, as usual.
Silence. Yugi stopped lockerstuffing. He realized just how rude his comment sounded and felt guilty.
Yami, I-
Never mind. It's not my place. Enjoy being a tour guide. Yami sounded a little angry. And don't worry; I won't eavesdrop this time. Then the link closed.
Yugi felt even guiltier. Yami? he tried. Yami, of course, didn't answer. Yami, I'm sorry. I didn't mean it the way it sounded.
Silence.
Yami?
Yugi sighed and let his head hang. After a moment, he went back to lockerstuffing.
END CHAPTER
(1) We don't really know what happened to Yugi's parents. So let's just say they died!
Kitsune: Wow. That's gotta suck.
Mena: And so the plot begins!
Toli: Muahahahahahhahahahaha!...Oh, -ha! Forgot one.
Jesselda: Join us next time, if you dare.
