Ok readers, I didn't get the 5 reviews I wanted…I still have less than 25…oh well I wanted to update nonetheless because I like the way I wrote this chapter. :) I still will shoot for 30 reviews by the time I post the next chapter…I used lyrics in this chapter: Everytime by Britney Spears. I was going to originally use that Mariah Carey song: We Belong Together but I think the other song fits better. Tell me what you think in a review! Enjoy!

Slipping into the Darkness

Shizuka walked through a sand dune. She couldn't see anything in front of her because of the violent sand storm. She wasn't sure how she ended up in the dune but she knew she was searching for something or someone.

Shizuka shielded her eyes from the rising sand. In the distance she could see the silhouette of a figure walking towards her. It looked like it could possibly be a person, so she called out to them, "Hello? Could you help me?" Just then the windstorm picked up, this time more violent than before, as if her voice stirred up the wind making it angry.

Shizuka fell to the ground giving into gravity and collided with the rough sand. Someone grabbed her arm and pulled her back up to her feet. "Keep quiet Shizuka…He can hear you but I'm partially safe in here…" the person commanded just as the violent storm calmed itself down.

Shizuka recognized the voice; it was Raven. "Raven? Where are we?"

Raven covered Shizuka's mouth, "Shh…please. I need to tell you something, and this is the only way our Leader won't hear." Shizuka nodded wanting to Raven to continue. "Good," she smiled slightly, and then became serious again. "First of all I am not a witch and neither is the Leader, and neither are you. You're not in a coven. What the leader carved on your forehead was the Eye Of Ra, not a pentacle like I told you." She glanced around quickly as if sensing something, satisfied, she continued, "the reason the Leader told you that you would be joining a coven is because he knew you would become a witch but not…" she trailed off.

Shizuka looked at her questionably. What was she saying? Everything that she told her was a lie? Or was she trying to protect her from the Leader? What was she trying to tell her? She couldn't take it anymore, she needed to know so she broke her silence, "What are you saying Raven? What did the Leader do to me?"

Raven looked around quickly with terror in her eyes, "Be quiet Shizuka, please," she pleaded.

She didn't listen and the wind picked up again. "Raven? Who is the Leader, you never told me," she yelled over the howl of wind.

"It's someone you know Shizuka, he was on the roof with you…" Raven yelled, "I tried to tell you." Raven tried her hardest to hold onto Shizuka but her arm slipped through her hand and Shizuka fell to the ground.

"Raven!" she yelped, realizing that she was sinking into the sand. She couldn't see anything in front of her but the sand blowing in her face. She sank deeper and deeper into the sand. She was willing to give anything to be able to get out this nightmare. "Help me! I can't…breathe…I…" she managed to let out one last scream before she completely sank into the sand. She opened her eyes and found herself underwater, struggling to breathe. "Katsuya! Please help me!" she thought to herself as she pictured her brother pulling her from the water.

Shizuka slipped into darkness then suddenly awoke from her nightmare, forgetting everything she just dreamt about. Raven lay in her bed beside her sound asleep. Shizuka felt her clothes, she was soaking wet.

Somehow she had fallen asleep in her school uniform earlier that evening. She and Raven were racking their brain trying to figure out a way to get Kaiba to drink the potion. Shizuka figured that she could fake some kind of injury and trick him that way, but Raven countered by saying that Kaiba would be too smart to fall for that. Raven had suggested that they go to his house early the next morning then they could catch him while he was tired and disoriented. The only problem was that they had to deal with Anzu if she happened to sleep there that night, but they would deal with that problem if and when it came up.

Shizuka carefully climbed out of her bed so she didn't wake Raven. She walked into the bathroom and clicked on the light, which temporally made her shut her eyes. She rubbed her eyes then took off her school uniform and threw it in the laundry hamper. Luckily every student at Domino Jr. High received two sets of their school uniform, otherwise Shizuka would have to be up for two hours doing laundry. She grabbed her robe from behind the door then sat down on the edge of the bathtub. She thought hard about the dream she just had, but nothing came. She thought that maybe thinking of what happened to her that day would make her dream come back to her. It didn't work. She rubbed her forehead. Was it something important? Or was just one of her many dreams—make that fantasies, of Duke Devlin? She couldn't remember and sitting on the side of the bathtub when she should be in bed sleeping wasn't helping the situation. She wanted to run inside her mother's bedroom and cuddle with her, just as she did when she was younger, but her mom told her that she was in Jr. High, and she was too old for that. Shizuka sighed heavily, why was everyone trying to make her grow up faster than she wanted to…or better yet, comfortable with.

Raven walked into the bathroom, she didn't look tired or didn't seem fazed by the bright lights of the bathroom. "Couldn't sleep?" she asked in her normal voice, even though her eyes told a different story. She looked as if she had hope in her eyes…why did Shizuka see that in her eyes?

"I just wanted to change out of my school uniform," she replied softly. She glanced down at herself and noticed that her robe was open revealing her naked body; she quickly wrapped it around her body. "Sorry…" she said slightly embarrassed, not daring to look up into Raven's eyes.

"It's ok. I didn't notice actually…" Raven assured her. "You ready to go back to bed now?" she asked as she stepped closer and held out her hand.

"No I have a dream that I can't remember, and it's driving me crazy because I don't know if it was important…" is what Shizuka wanted to say but she controlled herself. It wasn't that she didn't want to tell Raven about what was bothering her; it was just that she didn't want Raven to think her friend was going crazy. There were lots of dreams she didn't remember, but why did this one keep nagging at her? "I was just thinking about tomorrow morning and the whole Kaiba thing…" she lied, she hopped Raven would believe it and not see past her lying face.

"Ah, so that's what's bothering you," she let her outstretched hand fall back to her side. "I told you that I would help you. There's nothing to worry about. I'm sure everything will work out fine; we will just go over tomorrow morning and then take him to the Leader. It's that simple," she said with full confidence in her voice.

"I wish I was as confident as you are. I'm having second thoughts…maybe this isn't the way. Maybe I should just forget everything." She glanced at Raven, "what do you think?"

"I can't decide for you Shizuka," she looked away, and stared at her reflection in the mirror. She saw something that made her eyes widen and quickly ran out the bathroom, back into the darkness of Shizuka's room.

"What's wrong Raven?" Shizuka asked. She stood up and glanced at the mirror before she turned off the light and joined Raven in her room. "Why did you look at the mirror like you saw a ghost?" Shizuka sat next to Raven on the bed.

"It's nothing, I just noticed that the clock says one o'clock…and we need some sleep," she responded, partially flustered.

Shizuka knew she was lying but she didn't want to push her any further. It was obvious that Raven didn't want to discuss whatever she saw in the mirror.

"Shizuka?" Raven asked interrupting her thoughts.

"Yes?"

"Why do you love Duke?"

The question surprised Shizuka. She had never been asked that question, by Raven anyway, her subconscious was a different story. She had asked herself that question everyday. "Because he means everything to me. At the beginning of the year dance he showed up and danced with me just as I was about to leave in tears because no one wanted to dance with me," she sighed loving the memory. "It was only one song but it felt so much longer than just a few minutes. He even kissed me after the song was over," she blushed and smiled big. "It was so wonderful. Besides he is so sweet to me…" She partially laughed then let out a long sigh, "but I know he will never love me in the way that I want him to…as more than a friend." Shizuka stared at Raven realizing that she had been babbling on without letting her say anything. "I'm sorry, I guess I was rambling. Does that answer your question?"

Raven nodded, "yeah…I understand."

"Have you ever loved someone like that Raven?"

There was a long pause before she spoke. "I…have…I mean am…" she shook her head, "I do love someone, or at least I believe it's love."

"Really? Who is it? How come you didn't tell me?" Shizuka asked excitedly.

"Because Shizuka…I don't know if it is love…" she glanced at her smiling friend then sighed, "I'm in love with a boy that is evil."

"Huh?"

"I know how kind he truly is but he never lets that part of him show. When I first met him he was so kind to me. I had fallen out a tree and he bandaged me up so I could get to hospital. Then he stayed with me while I was in the hospital," she smiled at the pleasant flashback, "I fell in love with him right then, he changed my life so much. Back then I had given up hope that there were good people in the world after my mother was shot and killed…"

Shizuka bit her lower lip. Raven had never told her that before, in fact there was a lot about Raven's life that she didn't know. She didn't know who her parents were, or where she lived or even where she came from. She just showed up one day at school and pulled Shizuka out of her locker after Jin had shoved her in there. Shizuka never really thought to ask about Raven's private life because she was never the type of person to pry, but now, for the first time, she was curious to find out. "Raven?" she asked finally after a few attempts of pushing herself to speak.

"What?"

Shizuka stared at the wall in front of her; she couldn't bear to look at her friend as she spoke. "Why haven't we ever spent the night at your house? We just come over to my house," she asked casually. "It's not that I don't enjoy you coming over!" she quickly added, afraid she had just asked the wrong thing.

"Truth is…I'm…" she shook her head, "I can't say…sorry Shizuka…"

She shrugged, "it's ok, you don't have to tell me. I was just curious."

They were back to their uncomfortable silence once again. Again Raven broke the silence. "Let's get some sleep. We have to get up earlier in the morning."

Shizuka nodded in agreement, "yeah…I guess…" She stood up and walked over to her dresser. She opened the top drawer and pulled out her pj's. She slipped on her bottoms then took off her robe and threw on the shirt that was too big for her. She hung her robe back where it belonged and closed the door. She climbed into bed next to Raven, who was already lying down in a comfortable position. "Raven why did you look like you had hope for me or something while we were in the bathroom?" she asked suddenly remembering the hope she saw in her eyes. It still bewildered her just like the dream she couldn't remember.

"I don't know what you're talking about Shizuka," she replied softly.

"But I swear I saw…something in your eyes when you first came in and asked why I was awake."

"I was tired, maybe that was what you saw," Raven suggested.

This explanation didn't sit well with Shizuka, she knew Raven was hiding something; she just wished she could figure out what she meant. "I'm not going to be able to get back to sleep tonight," she said changing the subject.

"Want me to sing to you?"

Shizuka raised one eyebrow, "Sing?" she laughed. Raven must have been pulling her leg. She didn't just offer to sing to her, did she?

"Yes, my mom used to do it every time I couldn't get to sleep. I think I'm pretty good…good enough to bore you into sleep," she joked.

Shizuka reluctantly agreed; she was curious to find out what she sounded like when she sang. "Alright."

Raven partly sat up and rested her weight on one of her arms. She cleared her throat, then sat up fully; getting out of the uncomfortable position she was in. She sat Indian-style on the mattress and faced Shizuka. "Could you close your eyes? I can't sing when people are looking at me," she smiled. Shizuka nodded, then closed her eyes and waited for her to start singing.

"Hmmm…Oooo…" Raven prepared for her song just like the professional singers. She closed her eyes as if hearing some far off music; with that she started her song, singing softly and perfectly in tune.

Notice me
Take my hand
Why are we
Strangers when
Our love is strong
Why carry on without me?

Every time I try to fly
I fall without my wings
I feel so small
I guess I need you baby
And every time I see you in my dreams
I see your face, you're haunting me
I guess I need you baby

I make believe
That you are here
It's the only way
I see clear
What have I done
You seem to move on easy

Every time I try to fly
I fall without my wings
I feel so small
I guess I need you baby
Every time I see you in my dreams
I see your face, you're haunting me
I guess I need you baby

I may have made it rain
Please forgive me
My weakness caused you pain
And this song is my sorry

At night I pray
That soon your face
Will fade away

Every time I try to fly
I fall without my wings
I feel so small
I guess I need you baby
And every time I see you in my dreams
I see your face, you're haunting me
I guess I need you baby…

Shizuka was calm, she felt like she could drift away into sleep peacefully now. She loved the way Raven sung, she wondered if Raven had made up the song right then and there. It sounded like she did. Shizuka then wondered if the song was about the boy she was in love with, the evil one. Was it a personal story? Or was she trying to tell her something through the song? Shizuka slightly smiled, why is she always trying to find out the deeper meaning in whatever Raven tells her? She let her thoughts about Duke, Kaiba, her mysterious dream, and Raven's song roam in her mind as she slowly drifted into sleep.

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From Anzu's POV the next morning…

Anzu stood on the porch of her house waiting for Kaiba. He was about five minutes late, but that was okay, because she could forgive five minutes. She was more worried about getting to school on time, seeing how she hasn't been to school for two days.

Anzu would have spent the night with Kaiba if it wasn't for her father calling her cell and demanding she eat dinner with her family. She thought back to the night they spent together. First she and Kaiba caught up on their homework. They would have finished it but they started fooling around, then one thing led to another, and they ended up making love in Kaiba's bed. She involuntary smiled at that thought. After that they went his weight room and he helped her practice her self-defense. She was dressed in short little red shorts with a red tank top that matched the red boxing gloves she wore. Kaiba taught her how to punch and kick so she could protect herself from anyone that tried to hurt her. Although twenty minutes into their workout they ended up on the mat making love to one another. "Seto was right," Anzu thought, "we have made love in different places." Anzu glanced at her watch again; class was starting in five minutes and Kaiba's car still wasn't there to pick her up. She sighed. She would have taken a ride with her father if she wasn't still mad at him for making her come home early from her date with Kaiba. They were enjoying dessert when her father called. Anzu was sitting on Kaiba's lap feeding him strawberries with cream when her father called and spoiled their romantic moment.

Anzu had to hurry home; her father told her that she only had fifteen minutes to get home. Kaiba drove home with her last night and kissed her goodnight, promising to see her the next morning. Anzu shook her head that was enough daydreaming, she needed to start walking to school, at least then she would only miss part of her first class. So she walked off her porch and headed towards school. She tried to not worry about Kaiba; she figured he had to handle something for his company. It wouldn't be surprising, when they first started dating he canceled a lot of dates because he had to go to a meeting or handle some sort of emergency. She didn't mind much because he always made up for it by sending her flowers and showering her with gifts. Then after dating for about three months he canceled less and less of their dates, and if there was an emergency they would just have to deal with it until their date was over. This morning was the first time in a year and a half where he didn't even call her and tell her that he couldn't pick her up. She quickened her pace down the street; the worry was getting to her. She needed to know why her boyfriend didn't pick her up this morning. She would call him, but her father took away her cell phone for a week for arguing with him; she now regretted arguing with him.

------

Anzu walked towards the front entrance of the school, she stopped when she noticed Jonouchi riding on the back of a motorcycle. She wouldn't have normally stopped and stared but she recognized the driver of the motorcycle as Mai.

Mai removed her helmet and her luscious blond hair fell perfectly in place. "I told you I'd get you to school during rush hour didn't I?"

"Yes, after going through about…um…lets say…every red light on the way here," Jonouchi responded. He hopped off the bike and adjusted his uniform jacket. "I should've drove."

Mai threw her leg over the side of the bike and faced him. "Yeah…well I know you like riding from behind," she winked.

"Huh-hun…" he smirked, "you know what else I like?" He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer to him.

"What else do you like?" she giggled, placing her hands on his face. She pressed her lips to his, and he willingly kissed her back.

Anzu's eyes widened. She didn't know Jonouchi and Mai were…together. They were a couple? She thought to herself as she backed up knowing it would be awkward to walk through them to get into school. She intended to enter the school from the side entrance.

Anzu walked into the office to get her pass from the attendance office. Mr. Mokoto greeted her with a fake smile as she handed him her I.D. card. "Hello Mr. Mokoto," she smiled with the same fake smile he had given her.

"Hello Ms. Mazaki, welcome back to school." He handed her the pass, "I hope you enjoyed your little vacation," he said coldly. "I hope you know that your absences will turn into truancies unless your mother or father clears them."

"Yes I know," Anzu rolled her eyes. The only reason Mr. Mokoto was so rude to her was because his daughter went out with Kaiba once and things didn't work out between them. Mr. Mokoto was jealous that Kaiba choose her over his own daughter.

Anzu walked out the office with the tardy pass in her hand. She walked down the hallway and up one flight of stairs to the locker hallway. She placed her unneeded books in her locker and carried her Algebra Two book in her arms. She walked to class and took a deep breath before she opened the door.

"Welcome back Ms. Mazaki," the teacher said genuinely. "Please take your seat."

Anzu first glanced at the seat normally occupied by Seto Kaiba, but it was empty today. "Thank you." She handed him her tardy pass and then took her seat next to Yugi.

"Hey Anzu where have you been the past couple of days?" Yugi whispered.

"Yeah, where have you been?" Honda asked.

"Jonouchi was worried about you and—" Duke started to say but the teacher cut him off by telling him to be quiet or that he would give him detention.

"Jonouchi was worried about me?" Anzu thought to herself, "why would he worry about me? Then again he was nice to me that night after the park incident." Anzu stared at the back of Duke's head suddenly remembering Shizuka and the whole ordeal about her joining a coven. She had told all her friends two nights ago about Shizuka but they didn't say much about it. In fact they acted as if she didn't know what she was talking about. "Maybe they just didn't want to believe it," she thought. After all that was understandable. Shizuka wasn't the type to be interested in the Dark Arts of Witchcraft. Or so it seemed, but Anzu was wrong about that apparently.

When the bell rang for brunch everyone immediately stood up and headed for the door. Anzu shook her head, still partly lost in her thoughts.

"You ok Anzu," Yugi asked touching her shoulder.

"Fine," she responded with smile. "I was just daydreaming," she assured him.

"Oh. Well let's go out to the quad with everyone else," he motioned his head towards the door.

Anzu nodded. She gathered up her backpack and Algebra Two book and walked out the classroom with Yugi. When they walked outside to the quad, Anzu noticed her friends standing under a tree waiting for her. "What?"

"Where were you?" Honda asked first.

"Ok, first I didn't want to come to school because I was having problems with Seto…" she responded softly. "Then the second day was because we spent time with each other," she blushed. "Why are you guys so…" she shrugged, "I don't know…worried?"

"Because you are our friend Anzu, and besides Jonouchi said Kaiba had you in the trunk of his car," Honda answered.

Duke spoke before Anzu could say anything, "Jonouchi was kidding, and anyone stupid enough to believe that is…"

"What? Huh? Say it!" Honda threw back.

Yugi stepped between them, "stop it you guys, you're gonna get thrown out of school for fighting."

"Wait Yugi, let's see where this goes," Anzu teased.

"Hey guys," Jonouchi called from the other side of the fence; the side where Domino Jr. High was. He took a few steps back then hopped over the fence and joined the rest of his friends. "What's up?"

"Hey Jonouchi!" Yugi exclaimed happily, "where were you during Algebra Two?"

"I got to school late, so I decided to visit my sister but I couldn't find her, so I decided to come back to school." He scratched his head, "I was with Mai this morning," he smirked.

"Really?" Honda asked stepping closer, "did you bone her?"

Anzu cleared her throat, "excuse me Honda, there is a lady present."

"There is? Where?" he asked as he looked around quickly.

Anzu folded her arms, "funny…you just keep bringing'em. They'll catch up to you one day."

"Is that a threat?" he asked stepping closer.

"No, a promise," she smiled.

"Speaking of threats, where's rich boy at?" Jonouchi asked staring at Anzu.

She looked away, "I'm not sure, I haven't seen him since last night…" she answered softly, now being reminded that Kaiba wasn't at school with her.

"Trouble in bed…" Honda whispered to Duke.

Anzu gave him a look, then rolled her eyes, "that's not…I'm not even dignifying that with an answer." She caught herself before she slipped and told them about her sex life. "Hey guys," she said changing the subject. "What are we going to do about Shizuka?"

"What do you mean?" Jonouchi asked.

"You know about what I told you, about her joining a coven a few days ago…" she responded letting her answer dangle.

"Oh that. I talked to her about it, and she said that she wasn't part of a coven."

"And you believe that?" she asked shaking her head.

"Yeah, she's my sister, and if she says that she's not in a coven then I believe her," he responded.

"But I know what I saw, and I saw her being initiated," she stepped closer to him, "you said yourself that you had noticed a change in her behavior," she countered.

"It doesn't matter," he shrugged, "I trust her."

Anzu's heart sank. How could he doubt her, she knows what she saw and when she tries to help him, he doesn't believe her. "So you believe her over me?" Jonouchi didn't respond. She turned to her friends, "What about you guys?" They didn't respond either; they didn't even look her in the eyes. "Fine," she started to walk away, "don't believe me, but don't blame me when something happens to her because of what she's 'not' apart of."

Anzu then stormed away, back inside the school. She expected her friends to come running after her but to her surprise, they didn't. She glanced back at them, they were still out on the quad laughing and talking like nothing happened. Not even Yugi came after her, and she had known him the longest. She blinked back tears of pain, her friends weren't acting like true friends at the moment, and that hurt the most.

Anzu walked back to the locker hallway and grabbed the books she need for the next few classes. She heard a phone ring and thought it was her cell but then remembered her father's cruel punishment: no cell phone for a week. That was too hard of a punishment for missing dinner for one night. She closed her locker and continued down the hall. She realized the ringing she had mistaken for her cell was coming from one of the pay phones sitting on the wall. She took a quick look around her; maybe it was for someone who was on the pay phone prior to her walking through the hallway. She didn't see anyone. For some odd reason she reached for the phone, she never had before but today she felt like answering it. "Hello?"

"Hello Anzu, I knew you would pick up eventually," the voice answered.

"Who is this?" She glanced around quickly looking for anyone who was using a phone to call her and taunt her. She didn't see anyone, nor did she hear someone talking on a phone near by.

"Does it matter? How is your day so far?"

"You're right, it doesn't," she said calmly, "I'm just going to hang up now."

"I wouldn't do that Anzu…especially if you want to see your love Seto Kaiba again," the voice sneered.

Anzu's heart skipped a beat, did someone kidnap Kaiba and were they holding him for ransom? What was she going to do? No one was near by and she couldn't possibly handle it if Kaiba was dead. "What have you done to him? Where is he?"

"Oh don't worry, he's fine. He's out seeing the town. I just wanted to tell you that I've got him now and I'm not giving him back…" The phone line went dead.

"Hello? Hello?" Anzu frantically clicked the receiver but it was no use, no one was answering, the line was dead. "I've got him now and I'm not giving him back…" the words echoed throughout her mind. She dropped the phone and it collided with the wall with a loud clank. Her breath caught and she fell to the floor. Anzu heard the bell and the sounds of her peers exiting class before she fainted and slipped into the unwanted darkness of unconsciousness.

So what did you think? Did you notice that I put in a little Mai x Jonouchi? I think they are a cute couple. I'll probably make up a story between them later on. :) Have you figured out what Raven truly is? I dropped hints…but it's not easy… You know what readers? The last chapter and this one are my shortest chapters yet…only 10 ½ pages in Word…well anyway I think I will be reaching the climax in the next chapter. I'm not sure really, because ideas just come from air pretty much. First I'm staring at a blank Word Document, then all of a sudden I got ideas…go figure…so if you have taken the time to read this far then you should take the time to leave me a review…it's just one click…ok so maybe 2 or 3 but it's real simple. I live for my reviews…I get jealous when I see other stories with over 100 reviews and mine doesn't even come close to that :tear: well I'm really jealous in a happy way…not an evil way…yes if that even makes sense to anyone out there! LoL well anyways—PLEASE REVIEW! (Oh and p.s.: could someone tell me what 'OC' or 'OOC' means in fanfic terms? Thanx)