Disclaimer: I still own nothing (these disclaimers are really annoying.)
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Joey slowly opened his eyes. He had an instant reaction to what he saw. His reaction was
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! WHAT IS THAT!"
It seemed to be a large blue ogre. It said "My name is George."
"YOU'VE GOT A NAME!" Joey couldn't help being shocked. First demons and now ogres? I'm never goin' to one of Kaiba's sleepovers ever again….Joey thought.
"Okay, okay. First of all, where are Kaede and the others, and why did they fail to tell me that there's ogres on Earth, too?" Joey asked. George sighed. He then closed his eyes as if he went through this hour after hour. He did.
"You can let me handle it from here, George." A girl wearing a pink kimono approached Joey and George. She smiled, and cleared her throat. "Joey, there aren't ogres on Earth, but there are in the spirit world, our current location. You're dead, Joey."
"I'm dead? If I'm dead, then why am I…." Joey trailed off as the sights of spirit world amazed him. He then remembered about the baboon pelt.
"However, Joey, you weren't supposed to die until Wednesday, October 14, 2078. You may also be revived, due to the fact that you tried to protect something very important." He was told about the jewel shards, and what they could do. He was also informed that he protected it without hesitation, because it was in his nature. That nature would reward him the revival of his life. He would be given a body that looked just like his for the test.
"What test?" he asked. "If you want to live again, then you have to prove that it won't be a waste of lord Koenma's time. You will be given a task."
He was. It was to reunite the four spirit detectives, before their next mission. They had all argued about a young schoolgirl named Keiko Yurikima. Currently, they weren't talking to each other.
Joey was given a long steel pole in replace of his branch. It was about his height in length, and was also really light. Joey was uncomfortable in this fake body. The girl, who called herself Botan, said that it was only because it was artificial and that he shouldn't worry. "The tests time limit is…."
"Nobody said anything about a time limit!" Joey exclaimed.
"Were not going to wait forever, Joey, you're not that special," She replied. Joey made a face. "You've got three spirit world days, which is only one Earth day."
"One earth day! How am I supposed to do that in one day!" Botan smiled. "That's what this test is all about!" she said. Man, I cannot wait to get my hands on that Moneybags, Joey thought.
"Ready…" Joey got on one knee as if he were just about to compete in the Olympic races.
"GO!"
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Mokuba watched as the cold blue eyes of his big brother opened seemed colder as they turned to look at him. "Mokuba……"
"Seto, you shouldn't move so much…..the doctor said that you only caught the flu because you were outside too long, and you weren't dressed properly….. so….you're not gonna die….." Mokuba used the softest possible voice he muster. The flu was nothing for Seto. He could always find a way to get through it. Each year.
"Mokuba….I'm sorry." Mokuba wasn't mad anymore. He apologized for running off like he did, and Seto said sorry, too. He knew it was his fault Joey disappeared.
"Disappeared?" Mokuba opened his eyes wider. Seto made a face. I should have made Roland clean that basement a long time ago…. He thought.
"Mokuba, do you know why you couldn't find Joey? Do you know that he his not in our time stream anymore? Do you know that he could be gone forever?"
"What!"
"That's right. The time machine, the one that almost was the first one ever made, the one we thought was a failure, actually threw Joey into another time, because he couldn't keep his hands away from it?" Seto looked down at his little brother, who looked away. "This is all my fault…I couldn't let him just ram the streets all week…I…I…" Mokuba burst into tears as he buried his face in Seto's chest. He felt strong arms wrapped around him, and one of them was pulling him closer. Mokuba really felt loved then.
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Joey pushed through crowds of people as he left the train station. It felt good to be back in present day, but he can't rest for long. He hadto pass this test. He had to get back to life. He had to give rich boy a fit.
"That boy…..He's not normal…" A particular pair of eyes watched Joey from a tree, and you bet they were interested in what this boy really was. This person followed him until the crowds cleared. He then landed in front of Joey in a fighting pose.
"Who are you? Don't play innocent with me. I know you're not human."
"You must be Hiei. Botan was right. Anybody could recognize that attitude."
Hiei was not amused. He was not in the mood for smart alecks, either. He and his good friends currently weren't talking to each other, and they all were in bad moods. This was not the time to be getting smart with him.
"Look, I need you and your friends to make up by today," Joey said. Hiei stood up straight. "Why? Why do you even care?" he asked. Joey looked up.
"Because…I need to pass this test." Joey looked so pitiful that Hiei couldn't help being nice for a change. He pointed towards the bus stop.
"If you ride the thing that comes every ten minutes, you'll see large building. Yusuke goes there nearly every day to learn, I think. You can find him there."
Hiei then disappeared, and Joey, feeling as if he was running low on time…..chased the bus he just missed all the way to the next stop.
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"Mokuba, do you realize that we have no idea where that low life ended up? He could be on mars for all we know," Seto said. Mokuba made a face.
"We have to find him, because it's all our fault he's gone. So we can't just leave him out there all alone."
Seto closed his eyes. Mokuba had a point. If he had never left their half-finished time machine in the basement, and if Mokuba had never tried to hide him there, Joey wouldn't be wandering another dimension at this point. Mokuba turned to Seto. They both were worried about were he could be, but Seto seemed more worried about what he could be messing up.
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Joey looked up. The principal said that Yusuke was most likely breaking out of detention again, so he should wait at the fifth to the last window on the left side of the school. Joey didn't have the time to wait. He broke in.
"You Yusuke Urameshi?" He should have tried a different approach, but he didn't have the time to be formal. It was almost noon, and he hadn't convinced any of them, yet.
"Can you please make up with you're friends? I really would appreciate it." Yusuke was not convinced.
"Alright, if I beat you in a fight, you gotta make up with them. But if you win you don't have to ever talk to them again, unless you want to, got it?"
Yusuke looked up with interest. He didn't seem to mind fighting anyone today, but he did mind this nobody kid just coming out of nowhere playing the peacemaker role. This fight would surely teach him a thing or two.
What are you doin'? Why are you putting your life on the line for theses guys? Ain't this what got you killed in the first place? Joey couldn't understand why he always made rash decisions to get what he wanted.
Yusuke cracked his knuckles, stretched his arms out, and tilted his head both ways to work out the kinks in his body. They agreed on no weapons or powers, so Joey had to rely on his past fights with Honda and rich boy to win this one. Yusuke made the first move. He ran toward Joey so fast that Joey had no time to dodge.
"Stand up you wimp. Don't challenge people if you can't fight all." Joey pushed himself off the ground. "I'm the toughest in Sariyaski High. Remember that." Yusuke turned to walk away.
I can't let him do that. Normally, the toughest kid in any high wouldn't turn their back on an opponent. I can't let him be so reckless. I…can't…
Joey lay unconscious on the ground. He lay there for a while flashing back on his friends, and rich boy, along with all the times they saved the world together. He remembered Shizuka and his dad. He laughed at the time Yugi saved him and Honda (well tried to, since that bully beat him up, too.)
Yusuke turned to look at Joey one last time before he kept walking. He turned back and came face to face with Botan. "What are you doing here?"
"Yusuke, you may not know this, but that boy's got a heavy weight on his shoulders, trust me. After watching him for awhile, Koenma has decided that he is a decent person, and that he can be revived." Botan smiled. She walked around Yusuke to get Joey, but he wasn't there.
"Where did he go? He couldn't have gotten up and walked off, I hit him too hard for that," Yusuke said. He and Botan looked around, but to no avail did they find him.
"The artificial affect of the body must have worn off. We have to find his spirit, Yusuke," Yusuke nodded Botan said.
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"What's the matter, Mokuba?" Seto looked at his little brother. The chatty little kid was quiet today…
"Seto, how do you think Joey feels when it comes to Christmas? I mean… his dad always visits Shizuka, and his mom never visits him, because he looks like his dad, and you know how that goes….he never gets any gifts, he says…"
Seto didn't seem to be listening. Mokuba kept quiet again.
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Is that ironic, or what? When I start making the chapters longer, the lines stop showing up. Sigh…..flames are welcome. And next chapter, is going to be long, too. See you then.