The Game of Life
By: Rogue Fox
Part Fourteen... A Dangerous Stench
*+*+*Seto*+*+*
I admit it. I was jealous. Very jealous. First, Yuki had Honda hanging all over her. Now, there was this guy from America who had come to "visit" her. If I'd had my way, the guy would have been unconscious on the next flight back to America. But naturally, with Yuki all but attached to him, that wasn't happening. So what did I have to do? Grin and bear it.
If anyone was more upset than me about Zack's turning up, it was Yami. Of course, he had a protective streak like an over-territorial alpha wolf. And it may have just been my jealousy talking, but there was something really not right about that guy. He wore black all the time. And his eyes seemed too bright. In a way, he reminded me of Yuki. But not very much. Normally, I wouldn't have cared. But anyone so close to Yuki had to pass my tests.
" Seto, we're bored. Will you take us to the park?" Mokuba pleaded, pulling at my arm. I opened my eyes and smiled slightly at the sight of the three of them. Yoshi was tallest, at twelve years old and just hitting his first growth spurts. Mokuba was ten, and only a few inches shorter than Yoshi. He was obviously going to take after me in height and build. Yukio was the smallest, only six. He had Yuki's big, innocent eyes. Not their unique color, but their look. He would probably lose it as he grew, and that was a shame. Yukio would be the kind of guy that just attracted girls, though. He knew how to play people like video games. Mokuba was still at the age where girls were kept as far away as possible. Yoshi, though, had already brought home a few girls, playing off of his bright blue eyes and charming dimpled smile, his quick wits and freeborn attitude. I lifted a lazy hand and ruffled Yukio's hair.
" You three are growing up too fast." I muttered.
" Not fast enough, if you ask me." Yoshi growled. He was far more aggressive than Yuki. But just as stubborn. He would be rebellious as he got to his teenage years.
" To start with, I didn't ask you. For another, you need to be thankful for what you've got." I said, standing. It was a standard speech for that kid. " You've only got so much time left to be a kid. And when you are grown up, you'll be like me. You'll know more than you think you want to and you'll be sitting alone thinking about how you wish you were a kid again." I said. Yoshi looked up at me. He wouldn't be looking up much longer. The men in Yuki's family were all huge, the shortest stood at six foot five. And Yoshi would be no exception.
" I like being a kid." Mokuba volunteered. Yukio nodded and Yoshi resigned for now. I smiled sadly. A heck of a childhood they'd had. Sure, Yuki and I had tried to create a normal family atmosphere for them. But when your sister plays as your mother and your brother plays as your father, you can't help but know it's not normal. And then you look at it from Yuki and my point of view. We have no authority figure. We are the authority figure. We don't have a parent to run to when we're scared or upset. We have each other. Maybe that's why I was so protective of her. I didn't want to lose my balance and stability in a world that was only concerned with me because of what I could do for it.
" I can't take you out today, but I promise I'll take you all out for dinner tonight. We'll go someplace fun, okay?" I asked. Yukio clapped happily, but he's easy to please. Yoshi looked a little upset, and Mokuba took it as it came. He was used to this, more so than Yoshi or Yukio. They weren't used to both Yuki and I being too busy. " Yoshi, don't look at me like that. I've got to work and you know it." I protested.
" You've always got to work!" Yoshi cried. I sighed. Mokuba had done this too. I had been just waiting for it to happen with Yoshi.
" Yeah, I do. It doesn't mean I like working more than I like being with you guys. I'd rather go to the park or the arcade with you any day. I hate it as much as you do. But we all have to suck it up and bear it." I said.
They left soon after. Yoshi was still sulking, but he was "bearing it." I finally made my way home, wondering what surprises awaited me there. It turned out to be the biggest surprise of all; nothing. There was nothing special going on, no guests, nothing. Just my family. Yuki was waiting for me at the door, that big silly grin that I loved plastered on her soft face. I grinned back at her as she leaped into my arms. I dropped my briefcase just in time to catch her.
" Well, hello to you too." I said.
" Hi!" Yuki cried belatedly into my chest.
" Where's your friend?" I asked.
" Zack? He insisted on staying in a hotel and he wouldn't tell me why." She explained, frowning.
" Maybe he likes his privacy." I suggested.
" He's one of those people that seek other people." Yuki protested.
" Don't worry about it tonight, okay?" I pleaded. Yuki smiled again from her position with my arms around her. " Let's all go out to dinner. Just us and the boys." I demanded.
" Seto! We don't have any reservations-" Yuki started to protest, but I cut her off.
" Taken care of." I said.
" I don't have anything to wear-"
" Just throw on that black one, with the spaghetti straps." I advised.
" Will you quit overthrowing all my reasons not to go?" Yuki asked, her grin ruining the act. I hugged her close to me and breathed in her scent, thankful to Bakura for the millionth time that day alone that he saved her life.
" You're good for me. You know that, right?" I asked. Yuki nodded into my chest. I hated to think what I would be without her. Still that cold- hearted ruthless shell of a man that everyone saw. Yuki made me human. She made me happy, she made me conscious of my heart. I traced the rough patch of skin that marked her scar with my finger, feeling the stiff smoothness that made me angry at Machiko all over again. I felt the traitorous heat in my cheeks. As much as I felt for Yuki, I didn't love her. I didn't. Did I?
*+*+*Yugi*+*+*
" You're doing great, Anzu. Just keep it up." I encouraged Anzu gently. Her face scrunched up with the effort. She lifted her leg gracefully, so that her foot pointed almost straight up. She winced as she lowered it, but didn't miss a beat. Both of us were mentally counting every single beat. She skipped gracefully across the back room of an abandoned warehouse we had converted into her personal dance studio. Kaiba had even found out about it and had one wall tiled with mirrors, and there were even rails circling the room. Honda and Jou had both worked with the plumbing so that the room now got running water for the first time in what must have been a few decades. Mai had stashed some leotards in the room incase Anzu ever felt the need for a change of wardrobe. Yami had dragged in an old couch he had found in some garage sale. It was stained and saggy, but it was a great couch anyway. Yuki and Himeko had teamed up and decorated the room with posters of great dancers to inspire Anzu. Ryou had donated his old stereo and one of those small fridges so Anzu could have actual music and cold drinks, and Yami Bakura had some surprise he planned to get us all with, but not even Ryou knew what it was. My contribution? Endless hours sitting on that old couch or jogging beside Anzu, encouraging her and keeping track of beats, helping her stretch and checking to make sure she did things right.
This was where Anzu was in the process of making her dream come true. I was determined to help her. She started on the second part of the piece she was performing, which she was learning off one of the videos Yuki supplied to her. The part she was on required her to do a full leap across the room, and Anzu took a bit of a stiff run to make it. However, she never got to the actual leap. Her ankle bent over just before she made it and she hit the ground.
" Ow!" she cried sharply, somewhere between pain and a distressed sob. I ran over to her, hitting my knees next to her.
" Are you okay? I saw that! Your ankle bent almost all the way over!" I cried.
" I don't know." Anzu sniffled, pulling her ankle up for me to see. She was in the dancing shoes her mother had gotten her for her last birthday. I inspected it gently. " Please, don't tell me it's sprained. I just can't afford an injury right now." Anzu begged. I looked up.
" I don't think it's sprained. But your definitely not going to be able to dance any more tonight. Maybe not tomorrow either." I said slowly. Anzu let out a wail.
" Yugi, I have to practice!" she cried, standing up. She went right back down.
" Anzu, you're going to make it worse! Just stay still. I'll go get some ice." I said.
" Yugi, why do you come here for me all the time?" she asked. I sighed and turned back to her, wrapping some ice up in a few towels.
" Because you're my friend and I know you'd do the same for me." I said. Because you're the most beautiful creature in the world and I'd die for you, I added silently.
" You're my best friend, Yugi." Anzu said, smiling at me as I gently set the ice down on her ankle. She breathed in sharply. " That stings."
" Sorry." I said automatically. We sat together in silence for a few moments.
" I guess we better go home then, huh?" Anzu said finally.
" Yeah, I guess so." I agreed. I stood up. " Let me help you." I offered. Anzu ended up having to use me as a sort of crutch, so I had to walk her all the way home.
" Wow, look at the moon." Anzu said as we were about halfway to her house. I looked up at the moon. It was round and full, brighter than I ever remembered it being.
" It's pretty." I said out loud. Then I noticed that the world around us had gone totally silent. No frogs croaking, no crickets chirping. The only sound that could be heard was our own footsteps. I swallowed hard and took a deep breath.
" Yugi..." Anzu murmured my name, as though just by saying it she could make herself feel safer. It didn't make me feel safer. It made me feel worse. If we got into trouble, could I protect her? I forced a small laugh.
" We're just scaring ourselves, Anzu. That's all. Nothing to worry about." I said. Anzu nodded, her attention directed to dark alleyways and hidden corners around us. I turned us abruptly into the park. It was out of our way and would mean more time getting to Anzu's house, but it was brightly lit and chances were that there would be people. Anzu didn't protest my change in direction. Unfortunately, there were no people. There wasn't a single living creature in sight.
" Yugi, this is really creeping me out." Anzu muttered.
" I'm sure it's nothing." I assured her. I wasn't really all that sure. In reality, I was pretty scared. We both jerked as we heard something move in the brush.
" Ugh! Yugi, what's that smell?" Anzu asked, covering her nose with her hands. I did the same.
" It smells like rotting meat!" I choked. We both looked at each other.
" Maybe we should just go." Anzu said slowly.
" We should at least look. I mean, it's our duty as good citizens, right?" I suggested.
" Yeah, but it's also our duty to stay safe. And I've got a bad feeling about this." Anzu intoned.
" I do too." I agreed. I shuddered. My sixth sense was going wild, screaming at me to run as fast as I could. " Wait, there's someone over there!" I cried, pointing to a spot where I saw a leg sticking out of a bush.
" Oh my God!" Anzu cried, hobbling after me as I dashed over. I pushed the brush aside and peered in, Anzu leaning over me. And then, Anzu's scream echoed over the entire city.
*+*+*Yuki*+*+*
I hate wearing dresses and skirts. But as much as I hate that, I hate running in them worse. They just keep getting in the way. But that night, I didn't care. I ran anyway, Yukio in my arms. Running in a dress, barefoot (I had taken off my dress shoes and left them in the limo after we had gotten the call), and carrying a six-year-old is not an easy thing to do. I kept hitting my toes on things.
We got to the police station later than almost everyone else. Ryou and Bakura had yet to show apparently, but everyone else was there. They weren't letting us talk to Anzu or Yugi.
" We're here!" I cried, running into the room. I tried to come to an abrupt stop, but the funny thing was, my feet stopped and the rest of me kept moving. I did a sort of flip in midair and landed on my back so that instead of me falling on Yukio, Yukio fell on me.
" Smooth move, Grace." Himeko cracked dryly.
" Yukio, honey, could you get off me?" I asked hoarsely. All the air had been knocked out of me.
" You look funny, sis." I was told in response.
" I don't feel funny, buddy." I told him. Seto scooped him off.
" Let your sister breathe." He told Yukio reprimandingly. I climbed to my feet, just as the door behind us all opened. We all turned to it as Yugi led Anzu out. Mai practically stormed them.
" Oh my God! You scared us all so much! Are you okay? Do you feel ill? Was it scary? Oh, it must have been terrible! You both look pale-" she shot off ninety to nothing. I had to interrupt her.
" Mai, give them a chance to breathe." I said. Then I turned to Yugi and Anzu. " Sorry, we're all a little excited. How do you feel?" I asked gently. Yugi smiled at me gratefully, but Anzu grimaced.
" A little sick. I just want to go home." She moaned. Seto stepped up behind me.
" Would you two feel better if you slept at the mansion?" he asked. Jou was the next to step up and pat Yugi on the shoulder. We were all being very careful not to crowd them.
" No thank you, Kaiba. I'm kind of anxious to get home." Yugi murmured quietly. Yami got a hold of him next, asking him questions like " You're sure you're okay? You're absolutely positive? Do you feel sick? You're absolutely, totally sure you're okay?"
" Thanks, but I really want to sleep in my bed tonight." Anzu said.
" That's understandable." Seto said gently. Mai rushed to give Anzu a hug.
" What a crappy thing to happen!" she cried, as though angry that something like that should happen to one of her friends. Anzu smiled, though.
" Kaiba, Yuki? I do need a ride home. My mom went to visit my aunt in Osaka and I don't have another way home. And I really don't want to walk." Anzu asked over Mai's shoulder.
" Of course we'll give you a ride." Seto said, beating me to it. Anzu stared at him for a moment. " What?" he asked.
" Nothing." Anzu responded quickly. We ended up letting Anzu ride in the limo, after Bakura and Ryou showed up. Ryou was very concerned for them both, but Bakura was more interested in what they had actually seen. In explanation, he told us all that it felt weird to him. Anzu was gracious enough to not mention the whole thing in front of the boys. We dropped her off at her house and then went home.
" So much for my bright idea." Seto muttered as we walked in the door.
" Get ready for bed." I instructed the boys, then turned to Seto. " I had fun." I informed him. Seto smiled at me and patted my head.
" What would I do without you?" he asked.
" Develop a really big ulcer?" I suggested. Seto laughed.
" I think I might already have one." He told me. I nodded.
" Yeah, I can understand that." I said with a rueful laugh. After that, I went upstairs to tuck the boys in, then returned to the downstairs living room to find Seto watching the news. It was his nightly practice. I usually curled up with him and read a book, but tonight I wasn't in the mood to read, so I just sat down and silently began to watch the TV.
" And in local news, a pair of local teenagers stumbled onto the scene of a brutal murder." The news anchor said dully. Like it didn't matter. I winced. Those were my friends she was talking about. " The two teens wish to have their names kept secret, but while walking home together, the pair claim to have heard strange noises. They fled to the park because it was brightly lit and they thought there would be people. While there, one teen saw a person lying in some brush. When the two inspected the area, they found an elderly man, brutally mauled. When asked to comment, the police said that the victim looked more like a wolf or a lion had been tearing at his body than if he were just murdered-" At that point, Seto turned it off. We sat in the darkened room in silence, both of us considering what we had heard.
" What do you think?" Seto asked at last. I sighed.
" I think what Bakura thinks. This smells funny." I said truthfully.
" I knew the peacefulness was too good to last." Seto said sadly. " It felt almost like we were normal for a while."
" Us, normal?" I said with a short laugh. " You must be really tired, Seto." I said.
" Hm." Seto murmured gently in my ear. I liked it when he nuzzled me. It made me feel safe and warm. " I am. Long day at the office." He told me. His breath smelled like the breath mint he had popped into his mouth on the way to the police station. He, himself, smelled like soap, the faint scent of laundry detergent on his clothes, and the distinct yet somehow subtle scent that I associated with Seto alone. " Did you know your hair smells like vanilla?" he asked me.
" I use vanilla scented shampoo." I told him.
" I love vanilla." Seto muttered. I glanced up at the clock.
" Do I have to make you go to bed like the boys?" I asked, smiling gently.
" Oh, fine. I like using you as a pillow better, though." Seto said, releasing me from his grip. He smiled at me as I stood, then stood with me. " Screw the rest of the world. Let's just take the boys and run away. We can hide where no one else can find us." He told me, taking both my hands in his.
" This is really bothering you, Seto." I said, sighing.
" Yes, it is." Seto admitted. " I hate this. I sit here and watch you get thinner and paler and sicker. And the entire time, I feel so helpless." He said through gritted teeth. I brushed my fingers over his right cheek, wondering what he thought of the scar that tainted my own features.
" Don't worry about me, Seto." I told him. He laughed a little. We both went to bed afterwards. Yes, I was getting paler and thinner and sicker all the time. It was hard for me to get out of bed. I was getting sick, and I knew it. But I was afraid to tell anyone. In a strange, morbid way, I already knew the truth. There was a reason no one before me had ever summoned the Key of Ra. It has a terrible price that its holder has to pay. And little by little, I was paying it.
*+*+*Himeko*+*+*
I turned into the hallway, my eyes still glued shut with sleep. Out of habit, I started down the stairs. Unfortunately, my inner map of the house did not prepare me for Ammon's male habits.
" Ah!" I cried, going head over heels all the way to the bottom of the stairs. Once there, Grandpa discovered me on my head. " Ow..."
" Himeko, the trick to using the stairs is not to use your head in any way." he told me. I glared up at him as best I could from my position, just before flopping over to my side.
" Ow." I muttered, then stood up. " What'd I trip over?" I wondered out loud. Then I discovered Ammon's school jacket on the floor near me. " Ammon!" I bellowed.
" Yami!" Grandpa corrected me. They were all trying to get us used to calling one another by our modern names.
" Yami!" I conceded, storming into the kitchen. Ammon, I mean Yami, looked up at me in question from his seat at the table. I shoved the jacket up into his face.
" That would be my jacket. Any other questions?" Yami asked, smirking up at me. I glared at him, and Yugi chuckled over his cereal.
" No, that's all I needed to know." I said. " Now I can get revenge!" I cried, lunging at him and knocking him to the floor. " Your dumb jacket almost killed me!" I yelled at him.
" And that's my fault?!" he asked angrily.
" Yes!" I told him. " You need to learn how to pick up your stuff!"
" So do you!" Yami returned. I kicked him off me.
" G'morning, Yugi. How do you feel?" I asked sociably while Yami lunged at me.
" I feel fine. There was another body found last night. They think it was the same killer. The victim was torn to pieces." Yugi informed me.
Yami and I settled our little fight later and went to the Kaiba mansion with Yugi. The whole group was supposed to gather there. Yuki greeted us with a weak smile. I winced. She looked so much weaker than three days ago. Honda, Anzu, Ryou and Tepe had already arrived. And I don't care what they want, I will always know him as Tepemkau.
" So what are we looking at? A modern, Jack-The-Ripper wannabe?" Ryou asked after Yugi told him what was on the morning news. Just then, Mai walked in with Jou. Those two had taken to arriving in a pair.
" I'm guessing you guys heard the news?" Jou asked. I nodded.
" Yep." I said.
" This still feels weird to me." Tepe broke in.
" What feels weird?" Seto asked, coming down the stairs, the state of his hair telling me he had slept late. Yuki explained to him, and he grimaced. " Seems like we can't have any peace around here." He muttered.
" Screw it. It's none of our business. Leave it to the cops." Honda said, with a dismissive wave of his hand.
" This isn't a normal serial killer." Yugi interrupted. " The whole place stank of something not normal last night." He added, wincing at the memory of what he and Anzu had seen.
" All I smelled was-was-" Anzu stuttered, gulping and looking a little green.
" We get the idea, Anzu." I said.
" Sixth sense sort of smell." Yugi clarified.
" Like I said. This feels weird." Tepe said. Ryou nodded his agreement.
" So what? Even if it does, we aren't detectives. And we aren't being threatened directly, so we have no right to butt into business that isn't ours." Jou protested.
" You know what I think?" I said suddenly. Every head turned to me. " Well, isn't it kind of funny? That guy Zack shows up out of the blue, and all of the sudden, a bunch of brutal murders occur." I shrugged.
" No!" Yuki cried, her strength returning to her as she leapt to her feet from the armchair she had been sitting in. " Zack would never hurt anyone!"
" This from the girl that knew him almost eight months ago." I said. Tepe nodded with me. " A lot can change a person in eight months. You, of all people, ought to know that." I said, tapping Yuki's right cheek to emphasize my point.
" You have no proof!" Yuki cried. She seemed genuinely upset.
" You're right." I said, stepping back from her. " I have no proof. But talk to him yourself. You know when people lie to you. So go see if he lies to you." I said. Yuki glared at me, and I looked away. She could get anyone to do anything with that glare.
" Fine. I'll show you. You're all too paranoid." Yuki said, storming out of the house. Seto was halfway to the door to follow her when Jou dragged him back.
" This is something she needs to do on her own." Jou growled at Seto, who was struggling. " You can't always hover over her and protect her from every hurt that comes her way. You'll only do her more harm than protect her in the end." Seto jerked his arm out of Jou's grip.
" I know! Trust me, I know, probably better than anyone else in the room." He said. I gave him a steady look. " Almost anyone else." He corrected himself.
" Yuki likes to believe the best about people. She hates having to believe something bad about anyone, even if they would hurt her. She needs to learn that not everyone is nice and life isn't always easy." I said softly. " I'm her yami, her darkness. It's my job to protect her as best I can, and that's an urge every other yami I know can relate to. It's as primal and undeniable as the need to breathe." I said the mortals and lights present. Tepe and Yami nodded. " I'm not sure what purpose we were created for, but I do know that purpose includes protecting our lights. But it also includes guiding them, teaching them what no one else can."
" In my case, it's teaching Ryou to be stronger." Tepe said, so soft his voice was almost a whisper.
" Or in mine, pointing Yugi in the right direction." Yami was quick to add, not to be beaten by Tepe.
" And in mine, teaching Yuki about life in general." I said, smiling at Tepe and Yami.
" You guys sure have a funny teaching method." Ryou said, crossing his arms over his chest. Tepe blinked and then laughed.
" Well, it worked!" he cried.
" Gotta give him that." Yami admitted.
" Wow! He just said something nice about Bakura!" Yugi cried.
" Oh my God! Stock up on canned foods! The world as we know it is coming to an end!" Jou cried. Seto laughed.
" Better invest in a bomb shelter!" he said.
" Should we be insulted?" Tepe asked Yami.
" Yeah." Yami said. Everyone laughed, and the serious air was lifted from the room.
*+*+*Yuki*+*+*
" Thank you." I said to the driver, climbing out of the limo. I stared up at the hotel Zack was staying in. I knew his room number was 656, but I had no idea where exactly that was.
I was annoyed with my friends' behavior. They were just being paranoid. I was surprised Seto didn't try to follow me, but then, maybe he realized that this was one of those things I had to do on my own.
" Excuse me." I said politely to the lady at the front desk. She turned me and smiled expectantly. " My friend is staying in room 656, could you please tell me what floor that's on?" I asked.
" Of course." The lady said, tapping at the computer in front of her. " That's on the sixth floor. Should be about in the middle of the hall." I was informed. I bowed thankfully.
" Thank you very much." I said, starting toward the elevator.
I found Zack's room pretty easily. I knocked on the door, wondering if he was awake. He always was a night owl, up late and late to rise. The door opened rather suddenly, revealing Zack in his usually baggy black clothes.
" Yuki!" he cried, looking dismayed at my arrival. I figured maybe I had caught him at a bad time.
" Hi, Zack. Can I talk to you?" I asked. Zack looked a little stressed for a moment, then he shrugged and opened the door wide enough to allow me past.
*+*+*Seto*+*+*
" I win again, Jou." I said calmly.
" No way! How could you beat me fifteen times in a row?!" Jou shrilled, falling over backwards.
" Obviously, my superior gaming techniques. Chihuahua." I said, flashing my friend a grin. We were both seated in front of one of the big screen TVs, playing one of those dumb fighting games that Jou loves. I forget what it was called.
" I've won, like, twenty tournaments! There's no way you can beat me at a game you've never even played! And I am not a dog!" Jou cried, sitting up and glaring at me. I glared back, rising to the unspoken challenge.
To the casual observer, Jou and I look like we utterly abhor one another. We fight almost non-stop, and we're always insulting each other. But, anyone who really knows us knows that's just our way of showing our friendship. Before Jou and I became friends, I only really loosened up around Yuki. But back in Egypt, the two of us faced some really bad stuff together. Our friendship was born out of murder, by love of another. We both killed for someone we loved, and today, we look at each other with a new respect. I still call him a Chihuahua. And he still calls me an arrogant jerk. But there's a new tone to it, the way two best friends fight about something trivial. Just because we can, just because we're both there.
I kicked Jou off of me as the doorbell rang. He grinned at me.
" I win!" he cried triumphantly.
" You just keep telling yourself that, wittle puppy-dog." I said, grinning innocently. Jou would have tackled me, had I not been so quick on my feet. I jogged up to the door and threw it open, expecting to find someone from Kaiba Corp. there with some message about the company. Instead, I came face to face with two girls I recognized from a distant memory.
" Seto Kaiba?" the shorter, light brunette girl asked. Her eyes were warm brown, flecked with green near the pupil, and her skin was very pale. The other was slightly taller, with black hair cut very short, a dark complexion, and mahogany eyes.
" Sarah? Lauren?" I asked, cocking my head curiously. Just then, Jou stepped up behind me.
" Someone you know, Kaiba?" he asked me, leaning on my right shoulder. I shoved him off. Sarah was the paler one, the dark one was Lauren. I could clearly remember them now. Sarah and Lauren were two of Yuki's best friends from America. Yuki had introduced me to them on one of my visits when we were about fourteen. They had both changed some, but not so much that I didn't recognize them.
" Wow, I didn't think you'd recognize us." Sarah said, breathing a sigh of relief.
" Can we come in? We really need to talk to you about something." Lauren said. I nodded, stepped aside and held the door open for both of them.
" It's nice to see you, and Yuki will love to see you again, but... Why didn't you call and warn us?" I asked.
" It was really a spur of the moment thing." Lauren said, eyeing Jou.
" This is Katsuya Jounouchi." I said belatedly, purposely choosing to put Jou's real first name before his surname so the girls would understand better.
" Nice to meet you, Katsuya." Sarah said politely, while Lauren nodded at him.
" Call me Jou, please." Jou said.
" What brings you here?" I asked the two of them, as Yami came into the room, stopped, grinned at me, and turned back to Bakura and Himeko behind him.
" Kaiba and Jou have some female visitors!" he called.
" Yami!" Jou bellowed.
" We... came to see if Zack had shown up here." Sarah said, watching Jou chase Yami around while Himeko and Bakura laughed.
" Yeah, he came around yesterday to see Yuki." I said. Sarah and Lauren both exchanged a look.
" Where's Yuki right now?" Lauren asked quickly.
" She just went to see him." I said, a little taken aback.
" We need to find her right away. She could be in a lot of danger." Lauren explained. I felt like my heart had frozen into a solid block of ice.
By: Rogue Fox
Part Fourteen... A Dangerous Stench
*+*+*Seto*+*+*
I admit it. I was jealous. Very jealous. First, Yuki had Honda hanging all over her. Now, there was this guy from America who had come to "visit" her. If I'd had my way, the guy would have been unconscious on the next flight back to America. But naturally, with Yuki all but attached to him, that wasn't happening. So what did I have to do? Grin and bear it.
If anyone was more upset than me about Zack's turning up, it was Yami. Of course, he had a protective streak like an over-territorial alpha wolf. And it may have just been my jealousy talking, but there was something really not right about that guy. He wore black all the time. And his eyes seemed too bright. In a way, he reminded me of Yuki. But not very much. Normally, I wouldn't have cared. But anyone so close to Yuki had to pass my tests.
" Seto, we're bored. Will you take us to the park?" Mokuba pleaded, pulling at my arm. I opened my eyes and smiled slightly at the sight of the three of them. Yoshi was tallest, at twelve years old and just hitting his first growth spurts. Mokuba was ten, and only a few inches shorter than Yoshi. He was obviously going to take after me in height and build. Yukio was the smallest, only six. He had Yuki's big, innocent eyes. Not their unique color, but their look. He would probably lose it as he grew, and that was a shame. Yukio would be the kind of guy that just attracted girls, though. He knew how to play people like video games. Mokuba was still at the age where girls were kept as far away as possible. Yoshi, though, had already brought home a few girls, playing off of his bright blue eyes and charming dimpled smile, his quick wits and freeborn attitude. I lifted a lazy hand and ruffled Yukio's hair.
" You three are growing up too fast." I muttered.
" Not fast enough, if you ask me." Yoshi growled. He was far more aggressive than Yuki. But just as stubborn. He would be rebellious as he got to his teenage years.
" To start with, I didn't ask you. For another, you need to be thankful for what you've got." I said, standing. It was a standard speech for that kid. " You've only got so much time left to be a kid. And when you are grown up, you'll be like me. You'll know more than you think you want to and you'll be sitting alone thinking about how you wish you were a kid again." I said. Yoshi looked up at me. He wouldn't be looking up much longer. The men in Yuki's family were all huge, the shortest stood at six foot five. And Yoshi would be no exception.
" I like being a kid." Mokuba volunteered. Yukio nodded and Yoshi resigned for now. I smiled sadly. A heck of a childhood they'd had. Sure, Yuki and I had tried to create a normal family atmosphere for them. But when your sister plays as your mother and your brother plays as your father, you can't help but know it's not normal. And then you look at it from Yuki and my point of view. We have no authority figure. We are the authority figure. We don't have a parent to run to when we're scared or upset. We have each other. Maybe that's why I was so protective of her. I didn't want to lose my balance and stability in a world that was only concerned with me because of what I could do for it.
" I can't take you out today, but I promise I'll take you all out for dinner tonight. We'll go someplace fun, okay?" I asked. Yukio clapped happily, but he's easy to please. Yoshi looked a little upset, and Mokuba took it as it came. He was used to this, more so than Yoshi or Yukio. They weren't used to both Yuki and I being too busy. " Yoshi, don't look at me like that. I've got to work and you know it." I protested.
" You've always got to work!" Yoshi cried. I sighed. Mokuba had done this too. I had been just waiting for it to happen with Yoshi.
" Yeah, I do. It doesn't mean I like working more than I like being with you guys. I'd rather go to the park or the arcade with you any day. I hate it as much as you do. But we all have to suck it up and bear it." I said.
They left soon after. Yoshi was still sulking, but he was "bearing it." I finally made my way home, wondering what surprises awaited me there. It turned out to be the biggest surprise of all; nothing. There was nothing special going on, no guests, nothing. Just my family. Yuki was waiting for me at the door, that big silly grin that I loved plastered on her soft face. I grinned back at her as she leaped into my arms. I dropped my briefcase just in time to catch her.
" Well, hello to you too." I said.
" Hi!" Yuki cried belatedly into my chest.
" Where's your friend?" I asked.
" Zack? He insisted on staying in a hotel and he wouldn't tell me why." She explained, frowning.
" Maybe he likes his privacy." I suggested.
" He's one of those people that seek other people." Yuki protested.
" Don't worry about it tonight, okay?" I pleaded. Yuki smiled again from her position with my arms around her. " Let's all go out to dinner. Just us and the boys." I demanded.
" Seto! We don't have any reservations-" Yuki started to protest, but I cut her off.
" Taken care of." I said.
" I don't have anything to wear-"
" Just throw on that black one, with the spaghetti straps." I advised.
" Will you quit overthrowing all my reasons not to go?" Yuki asked, her grin ruining the act. I hugged her close to me and breathed in her scent, thankful to Bakura for the millionth time that day alone that he saved her life.
" You're good for me. You know that, right?" I asked. Yuki nodded into my chest. I hated to think what I would be without her. Still that cold- hearted ruthless shell of a man that everyone saw. Yuki made me human. She made me happy, she made me conscious of my heart. I traced the rough patch of skin that marked her scar with my finger, feeling the stiff smoothness that made me angry at Machiko all over again. I felt the traitorous heat in my cheeks. As much as I felt for Yuki, I didn't love her. I didn't. Did I?
*+*+*Yugi*+*+*
" You're doing great, Anzu. Just keep it up." I encouraged Anzu gently. Her face scrunched up with the effort. She lifted her leg gracefully, so that her foot pointed almost straight up. She winced as she lowered it, but didn't miss a beat. Both of us were mentally counting every single beat. She skipped gracefully across the back room of an abandoned warehouse we had converted into her personal dance studio. Kaiba had even found out about it and had one wall tiled with mirrors, and there were even rails circling the room. Honda and Jou had both worked with the plumbing so that the room now got running water for the first time in what must have been a few decades. Mai had stashed some leotards in the room incase Anzu ever felt the need for a change of wardrobe. Yami had dragged in an old couch he had found in some garage sale. It was stained and saggy, but it was a great couch anyway. Yuki and Himeko had teamed up and decorated the room with posters of great dancers to inspire Anzu. Ryou had donated his old stereo and one of those small fridges so Anzu could have actual music and cold drinks, and Yami Bakura had some surprise he planned to get us all with, but not even Ryou knew what it was. My contribution? Endless hours sitting on that old couch or jogging beside Anzu, encouraging her and keeping track of beats, helping her stretch and checking to make sure she did things right.
This was where Anzu was in the process of making her dream come true. I was determined to help her. She started on the second part of the piece she was performing, which she was learning off one of the videos Yuki supplied to her. The part she was on required her to do a full leap across the room, and Anzu took a bit of a stiff run to make it. However, she never got to the actual leap. Her ankle bent over just before she made it and she hit the ground.
" Ow!" she cried sharply, somewhere between pain and a distressed sob. I ran over to her, hitting my knees next to her.
" Are you okay? I saw that! Your ankle bent almost all the way over!" I cried.
" I don't know." Anzu sniffled, pulling her ankle up for me to see. She was in the dancing shoes her mother had gotten her for her last birthday. I inspected it gently. " Please, don't tell me it's sprained. I just can't afford an injury right now." Anzu begged. I looked up.
" I don't think it's sprained. But your definitely not going to be able to dance any more tonight. Maybe not tomorrow either." I said slowly. Anzu let out a wail.
" Yugi, I have to practice!" she cried, standing up. She went right back down.
" Anzu, you're going to make it worse! Just stay still. I'll go get some ice." I said.
" Yugi, why do you come here for me all the time?" she asked. I sighed and turned back to her, wrapping some ice up in a few towels.
" Because you're my friend and I know you'd do the same for me." I said. Because you're the most beautiful creature in the world and I'd die for you, I added silently.
" You're my best friend, Yugi." Anzu said, smiling at me as I gently set the ice down on her ankle. She breathed in sharply. " That stings."
" Sorry." I said automatically. We sat together in silence for a few moments.
" I guess we better go home then, huh?" Anzu said finally.
" Yeah, I guess so." I agreed. I stood up. " Let me help you." I offered. Anzu ended up having to use me as a sort of crutch, so I had to walk her all the way home.
" Wow, look at the moon." Anzu said as we were about halfway to her house. I looked up at the moon. It was round and full, brighter than I ever remembered it being.
" It's pretty." I said out loud. Then I noticed that the world around us had gone totally silent. No frogs croaking, no crickets chirping. The only sound that could be heard was our own footsteps. I swallowed hard and took a deep breath.
" Yugi..." Anzu murmured my name, as though just by saying it she could make herself feel safer. It didn't make me feel safer. It made me feel worse. If we got into trouble, could I protect her? I forced a small laugh.
" We're just scaring ourselves, Anzu. That's all. Nothing to worry about." I said. Anzu nodded, her attention directed to dark alleyways and hidden corners around us. I turned us abruptly into the park. It was out of our way and would mean more time getting to Anzu's house, but it was brightly lit and chances were that there would be people. Anzu didn't protest my change in direction. Unfortunately, there were no people. There wasn't a single living creature in sight.
" Yugi, this is really creeping me out." Anzu muttered.
" I'm sure it's nothing." I assured her. I wasn't really all that sure. In reality, I was pretty scared. We both jerked as we heard something move in the brush.
" Ugh! Yugi, what's that smell?" Anzu asked, covering her nose with her hands. I did the same.
" It smells like rotting meat!" I choked. We both looked at each other.
" Maybe we should just go." Anzu said slowly.
" We should at least look. I mean, it's our duty as good citizens, right?" I suggested.
" Yeah, but it's also our duty to stay safe. And I've got a bad feeling about this." Anzu intoned.
" I do too." I agreed. I shuddered. My sixth sense was going wild, screaming at me to run as fast as I could. " Wait, there's someone over there!" I cried, pointing to a spot where I saw a leg sticking out of a bush.
" Oh my God!" Anzu cried, hobbling after me as I dashed over. I pushed the brush aside and peered in, Anzu leaning over me. And then, Anzu's scream echoed over the entire city.
*+*+*Yuki*+*+*
I hate wearing dresses and skirts. But as much as I hate that, I hate running in them worse. They just keep getting in the way. But that night, I didn't care. I ran anyway, Yukio in my arms. Running in a dress, barefoot (I had taken off my dress shoes and left them in the limo after we had gotten the call), and carrying a six-year-old is not an easy thing to do. I kept hitting my toes on things.
We got to the police station later than almost everyone else. Ryou and Bakura had yet to show apparently, but everyone else was there. They weren't letting us talk to Anzu or Yugi.
" We're here!" I cried, running into the room. I tried to come to an abrupt stop, but the funny thing was, my feet stopped and the rest of me kept moving. I did a sort of flip in midair and landed on my back so that instead of me falling on Yukio, Yukio fell on me.
" Smooth move, Grace." Himeko cracked dryly.
" Yukio, honey, could you get off me?" I asked hoarsely. All the air had been knocked out of me.
" You look funny, sis." I was told in response.
" I don't feel funny, buddy." I told him. Seto scooped him off.
" Let your sister breathe." He told Yukio reprimandingly. I climbed to my feet, just as the door behind us all opened. We all turned to it as Yugi led Anzu out. Mai practically stormed them.
" Oh my God! You scared us all so much! Are you okay? Do you feel ill? Was it scary? Oh, it must have been terrible! You both look pale-" she shot off ninety to nothing. I had to interrupt her.
" Mai, give them a chance to breathe." I said. Then I turned to Yugi and Anzu. " Sorry, we're all a little excited. How do you feel?" I asked gently. Yugi smiled at me gratefully, but Anzu grimaced.
" A little sick. I just want to go home." She moaned. Seto stepped up behind me.
" Would you two feel better if you slept at the mansion?" he asked. Jou was the next to step up and pat Yugi on the shoulder. We were all being very careful not to crowd them.
" No thank you, Kaiba. I'm kind of anxious to get home." Yugi murmured quietly. Yami got a hold of him next, asking him questions like " You're sure you're okay? You're absolutely positive? Do you feel sick? You're absolutely, totally sure you're okay?"
" Thanks, but I really want to sleep in my bed tonight." Anzu said.
" That's understandable." Seto said gently. Mai rushed to give Anzu a hug.
" What a crappy thing to happen!" she cried, as though angry that something like that should happen to one of her friends. Anzu smiled, though.
" Kaiba, Yuki? I do need a ride home. My mom went to visit my aunt in Osaka and I don't have another way home. And I really don't want to walk." Anzu asked over Mai's shoulder.
" Of course we'll give you a ride." Seto said, beating me to it. Anzu stared at him for a moment. " What?" he asked.
" Nothing." Anzu responded quickly. We ended up letting Anzu ride in the limo, after Bakura and Ryou showed up. Ryou was very concerned for them both, but Bakura was more interested in what they had actually seen. In explanation, he told us all that it felt weird to him. Anzu was gracious enough to not mention the whole thing in front of the boys. We dropped her off at her house and then went home.
" So much for my bright idea." Seto muttered as we walked in the door.
" Get ready for bed." I instructed the boys, then turned to Seto. " I had fun." I informed him. Seto smiled at me and patted my head.
" What would I do without you?" he asked.
" Develop a really big ulcer?" I suggested. Seto laughed.
" I think I might already have one." He told me. I nodded.
" Yeah, I can understand that." I said with a rueful laugh. After that, I went upstairs to tuck the boys in, then returned to the downstairs living room to find Seto watching the news. It was his nightly practice. I usually curled up with him and read a book, but tonight I wasn't in the mood to read, so I just sat down and silently began to watch the TV.
" And in local news, a pair of local teenagers stumbled onto the scene of a brutal murder." The news anchor said dully. Like it didn't matter. I winced. Those were my friends she was talking about. " The two teens wish to have their names kept secret, but while walking home together, the pair claim to have heard strange noises. They fled to the park because it was brightly lit and they thought there would be people. While there, one teen saw a person lying in some brush. When the two inspected the area, they found an elderly man, brutally mauled. When asked to comment, the police said that the victim looked more like a wolf or a lion had been tearing at his body than if he were just murdered-" At that point, Seto turned it off. We sat in the darkened room in silence, both of us considering what we had heard.
" What do you think?" Seto asked at last. I sighed.
" I think what Bakura thinks. This smells funny." I said truthfully.
" I knew the peacefulness was too good to last." Seto said sadly. " It felt almost like we were normal for a while."
" Us, normal?" I said with a short laugh. " You must be really tired, Seto." I said.
" Hm." Seto murmured gently in my ear. I liked it when he nuzzled me. It made me feel safe and warm. " I am. Long day at the office." He told me. His breath smelled like the breath mint he had popped into his mouth on the way to the police station. He, himself, smelled like soap, the faint scent of laundry detergent on his clothes, and the distinct yet somehow subtle scent that I associated with Seto alone. " Did you know your hair smells like vanilla?" he asked me.
" I use vanilla scented shampoo." I told him.
" I love vanilla." Seto muttered. I glanced up at the clock.
" Do I have to make you go to bed like the boys?" I asked, smiling gently.
" Oh, fine. I like using you as a pillow better, though." Seto said, releasing me from his grip. He smiled at me as I stood, then stood with me. " Screw the rest of the world. Let's just take the boys and run away. We can hide where no one else can find us." He told me, taking both my hands in his.
" This is really bothering you, Seto." I said, sighing.
" Yes, it is." Seto admitted. " I hate this. I sit here and watch you get thinner and paler and sicker. And the entire time, I feel so helpless." He said through gritted teeth. I brushed my fingers over his right cheek, wondering what he thought of the scar that tainted my own features.
" Don't worry about me, Seto." I told him. He laughed a little. We both went to bed afterwards. Yes, I was getting paler and thinner and sicker all the time. It was hard for me to get out of bed. I was getting sick, and I knew it. But I was afraid to tell anyone. In a strange, morbid way, I already knew the truth. There was a reason no one before me had ever summoned the Key of Ra. It has a terrible price that its holder has to pay. And little by little, I was paying it.
*+*+*Himeko*+*+*
I turned into the hallway, my eyes still glued shut with sleep. Out of habit, I started down the stairs. Unfortunately, my inner map of the house did not prepare me for Ammon's male habits.
" Ah!" I cried, going head over heels all the way to the bottom of the stairs. Once there, Grandpa discovered me on my head. " Ow..."
" Himeko, the trick to using the stairs is not to use your head in any way." he told me. I glared up at him as best I could from my position, just before flopping over to my side.
" Ow." I muttered, then stood up. " What'd I trip over?" I wondered out loud. Then I discovered Ammon's school jacket on the floor near me. " Ammon!" I bellowed.
" Yami!" Grandpa corrected me. They were all trying to get us used to calling one another by our modern names.
" Yami!" I conceded, storming into the kitchen. Ammon, I mean Yami, looked up at me in question from his seat at the table. I shoved the jacket up into his face.
" That would be my jacket. Any other questions?" Yami asked, smirking up at me. I glared at him, and Yugi chuckled over his cereal.
" No, that's all I needed to know." I said. " Now I can get revenge!" I cried, lunging at him and knocking him to the floor. " Your dumb jacket almost killed me!" I yelled at him.
" And that's my fault?!" he asked angrily.
" Yes!" I told him. " You need to learn how to pick up your stuff!"
" So do you!" Yami returned. I kicked him off me.
" G'morning, Yugi. How do you feel?" I asked sociably while Yami lunged at me.
" I feel fine. There was another body found last night. They think it was the same killer. The victim was torn to pieces." Yugi informed me.
Yami and I settled our little fight later and went to the Kaiba mansion with Yugi. The whole group was supposed to gather there. Yuki greeted us with a weak smile. I winced. She looked so much weaker than three days ago. Honda, Anzu, Ryou and Tepe had already arrived. And I don't care what they want, I will always know him as Tepemkau.
" So what are we looking at? A modern, Jack-The-Ripper wannabe?" Ryou asked after Yugi told him what was on the morning news. Just then, Mai walked in with Jou. Those two had taken to arriving in a pair.
" I'm guessing you guys heard the news?" Jou asked. I nodded.
" Yep." I said.
" This still feels weird to me." Tepe broke in.
" What feels weird?" Seto asked, coming down the stairs, the state of his hair telling me he had slept late. Yuki explained to him, and he grimaced. " Seems like we can't have any peace around here." He muttered.
" Screw it. It's none of our business. Leave it to the cops." Honda said, with a dismissive wave of his hand.
" This isn't a normal serial killer." Yugi interrupted. " The whole place stank of something not normal last night." He added, wincing at the memory of what he and Anzu had seen.
" All I smelled was-was-" Anzu stuttered, gulping and looking a little green.
" We get the idea, Anzu." I said.
" Sixth sense sort of smell." Yugi clarified.
" Like I said. This feels weird." Tepe said. Ryou nodded his agreement.
" So what? Even if it does, we aren't detectives. And we aren't being threatened directly, so we have no right to butt into business that isn't ours." Jou protested.
" You know what I think?" I said suddenly. Every head turned to me. " Well, isn't it kind of funny? That guy Zack shows up out of the blue, and all of the sudden, a bunch of brutal murders occur." I shrugged.
" No!" Yuki cried, her strength returning to her as she leapt to her feet from the armchair she had been sitting in. " Zack would never hurt anyone!"
" This from the girl that knew him almost eight months ago." I said. Tepe nodded with me. " A lot can change a person in eight months. You, of all people, ought to know that." I said, tapping Yuki's right cheek to emphasize my point.
" You have no proof!" Yuki cried. She seemed genuinely upset.
" You're right." I said, stepping back from her. " I have no proof. But talk to him yourself. You know when people lie to you. So go see if he lies to you." I said. Yuki glared at me, and I looked away. She could get anyone to do anything with that glare.
" Fine. I'll show you. You're all too paranoid." Yuki said, storming out of the house. Seto was halfway to the door to follow her when Jou dragged him back.
" This is something she needs to do on her own." Jou growled at Seto, who was struggling. " You can't always hover over her and protect her from every hurt that comes her way. You'll only do her more harm than protect her in the end." Seto jerked his arm out of Jou's grip.
" I know! Trust me, I know, probably better than anyone else in the room." He said. I gave him a steady look. " Almost anyone else." He corrected himself.
" Yuki likes to believe the best about people. She hates having to believe something bad about anyone, even if they would hurt her. She needs to learn that not everyone is nice and life isn't always easy." I said softly. " I'm her yami, her darkness. It's my job to protect her as best I can, and that's an urge every other yami I know can relate to. It's as primal and undeniable as the need to breathe." I said the mortals and lights present. Tepe and Yami nodded. " I'm not sure what purpose we were created for, but I do know that purpose includes protecting our lights. But it also includes guiding them, teaching them what no one else can."
" In my case, it's teaching Ryou to be stronger." Tepe said, so soft his voice was almost a whisper.
" Or in mine, pointing Yugi in the right direction." Yami was quick to add, not to be beaten by Tepe.
" And in mine, teaching Yuki about life in general." I said, smiling at Tepe and Yami.
" You guys sure have a funny teaching method." Ryou said, crossing his arms over his chest. Tepe blinked and then laughed.
" Well, it worked!" he cried.
" Gotta give him that." Yami admitted.
" Wow! He just said something nice about Bakura!" Yugi cried.
" Oh my God! Stock up on canned foods! The world as we know it is coming to an end!" Jou cried. Seto laughed.
" Better invest in a bomb shelter!" he said.
" Should we be insulted?" Tepe asked Yami.
" Yeah." Yami said. Everyone laughed, and the serious air was lifted from the room.
*+*+*Yuki*+*+*
" Thank you." I said to the driver, climbing out of the limo. I stared up at the hotel Zack was staying in. I knew his room number was 656, but I had no idea where exactly that was.
I was annoyed with my friends' behavior. They were just being paranoid. I was surprised Seto didn't try to follow me, but then, maybe he realized that this was one of those things I had to do on my own.
" Excuse me." I said politely to the lady at the front desk. She turned me and smiled expectantly. " My friend is staying in room 656, could you please tell me what floor that's on?" I asked.
" Of course." The lady said, tapping at the computer in front of her. " That's on the sixth floor. Should be about in the middle of the hall." I was informed. I bowed thankfully.
" Thank you very much." I said, starting toward the elevator.
I found Zack's room pretty easily. I knocked on the door, wondering if he was awake. He always was a night owl, up late and late to rise. The door opened rather suddenly, revealing Zack in his usually baggy black clothes.
" Yuki!" he cried, looking dismayed at my arrival. I figured maybe I had caught him at a bad time.
" Hi, Zack. Can I talk to you?" I asked. Zack looked a little stressed for a moment, then he shrugged and opened the door wide enough to allow me past.
*+*+*Seto*+*+*
" I win again, Jou." I said calmly.
" No way! How could you beat me fifteen times in a row?!" Jou shrilled, falling over backwards.
" Obviously, my superior gaming techniques. Chihuahua." I said, flashing my friend a grin. We were both seated in front of one of the big screen TVs, playing one of those dumb fighting games that Jou loves. I forget what it was called.
" I've won, like, twenty tournaments! There's no way you can beat me at a game you've never even played! And I am not a dog!" Jou cried, sitting up and glaring at me. I glared back, rising to the unspoken challenge.
To the casual observer, Jou and I look like we utterly abhor one another. We fight almost non-stop, and we're always insulting each other. But, anyone who really knows us knows that's just our way of showing our friendship. Before Jou and I became friends, I only really loosened up around Yuki. But back in Egypt, the two of us faced some really bad stuff together. Our friendship was born out of murder, by love of another. We both killed for someone we loved, and today, we look at each other with a new respect. I still call him a Chihuahua. And he still calls me an arrogant jerk. But there's a new tone to it, the way two best friends fight about something trivial. Just because we can, just because we're both there.
I kicked Jou off of me as the doorbell rang. He grinned at me.
" I win!" he cried triumphantly.
" You just keep telling yourself that, wittle puppy-dog." I said, grinning innocently. Jou would have tackled me, had I not been so quick on my feet. I jogged up to the door and threw it open, expecting to find someone from Kaiba Corp. there with some message about the company. Instead, I came face to face with two girls I recognized from a distant memory.
" Seto Kaiba?" the shorter, light brunette girl asked. Her eyes were warm brown, flecked with green near the pupil, and her skin was very pale. The other was slightly taller, with black hair cut very short, a dark complexion, and mahogany eyes.
" Sarah? Lauren?" I asked, cocking my head curiously. Just then, Jou stepped up behind me.
" Someone you know, Kaiba?" he asked me, leaning on my right shoulder. I shoved him off. Sarah was the paler one, the dark one was Lauren. I could clearly remember them now. Sarah and Lauren were two of Yuki's best friends from America. Yuki had introduced me to them on one of my visits when we were about fourteen. They had both changed some, but not so much that I didn't recognize them.
" Wow, I didn't think you'd recognize us." Sarah said, breathing a sigh of relief.
" Can we come in? We really need to talk to you about something." Lauren said. I nodded, stepped aside and held the door open for both of them.
" It's nice to see you, and Yuki will love to see you again, but... Why didn't you call and warn us?" I asked.
" It was really a spur of the moment thing." Lauren said, eyeing Jou.
" This is Katsuya Jounouchi." I said belatedly, purposely choosing to put Jou's real first name before his surname so the girls would understand better.
" Nice to meet you, Katsuya." Sarah said politely, while Lauren nodded at him.
" Call me Jou, please." Jou said.
" What brings you here?" I asked the two of them, as Yami came into the room, stopped, grinned at me, and turned back to Bakura and Himeko behind him.
" Kaiba and Jou have some female visitors!" he called.
" Yami!" Jou bellowed.
" We... came to see if Zack had shown up here." Sarah said, watching Jou chase Yami around while Himeko and Bakura laughed.
" Yeah, he came around yesterday to see Yuki." I said. Sarah and Lauren both exchanged a look.
" Where's Yuki right now?" Lauren asked quickly.
" She just went to see him." I said, a little taken aback.
" We need to find her right away. She could be in a lot of danger." Lauren explained. I felt like my heart had frozen into a solid block of ice.