Warning for my own protection: This chapter contains rape. It is NOT detailed, (not hentai, in other words), the scene itself isn't even in here, and it is not pointless stuff that I tossed in to appeal to people's twisted minds. Some people object to rape in stories, and so I'm offering you the chance to skip this chapter with your hands, (and minds), clean. If you skip this one, (though I do not recommend doing so!), I'm fairly sure you can pick up at the next chapter without too much confusion, so don't read this if you've got a majour aversion, and if you do, don't be getting mad at me, since I gave you fair warning. That said, enjoy the update!

A Requiem for Innocence
Chapter Ten

When Yugi came to, he was in a grungy room that had the walls of a mobile home, the kind that didn't fully reach the ceiling. Before him stood a young man that he recognized as Yami's opponent from the tournament before, flanked by two other boys. One looked far older than Akkei, he was thin with a pointed face framed in dark hair and dull green eyes. He bore strong resemblance to Akkei and was probably related somehow. The other was around the same age, this one a blue-eyed, blond-haired, husky fellow.

"Hello, Yugi." Akkei greeted him.

"You know me?"

"Only in passing." He shrugged.

Yugi scowled. "Then why'd you kidnap me for?"

"That's beside the point." Akkei was in a good mood, imagining himself as an interrogator on TV. His real life was so crappy, he often imagined himself in important roles in a fictional world. They were his safe place, and he now assumed the imposing voice of an interrogator he'd once seen on Court TV, asking, "So, Yugi, tell me about Yami. Are you two related?"

"I'm not going to answer any of your questions." Yugi replied defiantly, and with an annoyed edge to his voice too. God, he was so sick of people acting like they had power over him! His mother, his father, now this guy and his friends, when would it end?

Akkei pulled a pistol from the waistband of his jeans and aimed at Yugi's head, assuming now what he hoped was a haughty expression. "Will you reconsider that?"

The older boy with black hair began snickering. Akkei gave him a bad look. "Shut up, bro."

Bro…so, he's Akkei's older brother. That explains the resemblance.

"Quit the bad-cop routine." The blond said, annoyed. "Either shoot him, or ask the questions and let us get on with it. We're wasting time, your parents could be home soon."

"Not likely, they won't be back for ages. They're off on a binge again." Akkei's brother put in.

Akkei himself looked put-out at this interruption, but turned his attention back to Yugi, about to say something, when Yugi burst out,

"Ah ha! Now I know why the name of this town seemed so familiar! At the tournament, they announced the hometowns of the players, and this is yours!"

Akkei frowned. "Yeah, yeah, you're brilliant. Now answer my question! Don't think I don't know how to use this gun."

Although Yugi didn't relish the idea of being shot, he was equally ticked off about the idea of just giving in. Still, he was starting to feel cold pangs of fear in his chest. Akkei did look like he knew what he was doing.

"No, we're not related." he finally replied.

For some strange reason, Akkei looked relieved about that. Yugi didn't bother to wonder about why.

"But you're lovers, right?"

"Why should I tell you?" Yugi demanded peevishly.

"Because otherwise my little brother's going to blow a hole in your head." The older boy replied, running his hands through his hair. "Just answer his goddamn questions, I've got a headache, and I want to get to the good part of this before it gets too annoying."

"If you laid off the dope-" Akkei began.

"Just ask the goddamn questions!"

"God, you're as bad as our parents."

"And you're not?"

"Excuse me…" Yugi began again, completely bewildered. "But-"

"I'm asking the questions here!" Akkei turned and shouted at him. "Now are you and Yami lovers or not? I saw you two kissing!" He was waving the gun rather dangerously which made Yugi decide that to rile him up probably would not be smart.

"Yes, we are."

"And Yami is the duelist that beat me, correct? The world-champion or whatnot?"

"Yep, he's the best in the world." Yugi couldn't resist adding the last part with a bit of pride. Maybe Yami didn't like to talk about his titles, but Yugi was proud of him all the same.

Akkei scowled, but continued: "And how old are you?"

"Seventeen."

"So you're a seventeen year old…and you're Yami's lover, who is the world Duel Monsters champion?"

"That's about the just of it."

"And that's one-hundred percent true?"

"Yes, it's true, okay? So are you done with me or not?"

Now Akkei smiled, which was creepy in itself. His lip had been cut once in a fistfight with his brother and a scar remained, making his smile look more like a leer. Out of the pockets of his baggy jeans he pulled a small black box and turned it on, and their conversation echoed back in between bits of static. It was a miniature tape recorder. He'd bought it just that day, spent all the money he owned, (and some he had stolen from his brother), on it, but this made it worth it.

"You recorded that?" Yugi asked, aghast.

"Indeed. And do you know what I plan to do with this?"

Yugi didn't answer, he was just thinking miserably, Oh crap…I just blew this all to hell, didn't I?

"Well I'll tell you. I'm going to take this recording to every TV and radio News station I can, let them make a copy, and by next week the entire world will know that their Duel Monsters hero is not only gay, but he's getting it on with a high school kid that's underage."

"No!" Yugi lunged forward, trying to grab the recorder. He couldn't let Akkei get away with that, not after Yami had worked so hard to make it this far, and not after they'd given up so much just to finally be together…

Surprised, Akkei pulled back and kicked Yugi in the ribs. Yugi doubled over and fell to the floor, gasping.

"Man, why'd you do that for?" the blond asked. "That's our job!"

"I didn't expect him to jump at me like that!"

"Then what did you expect?" His older brother bent down and lifted Yugi by the back of his shirt. "Hey, kid, you still conscious?"

"Go to hell." Yugi snapped, trying again to get to the recorder.

"He's possessed!" Akkei leapt back further.

"Nah, he's not possessed, he's just a guy who cares about his boyfriend's rep. Cute stuff." Akkei's brother dropped him back to the carpeted floor and dusted off his hands. "Better keep that recorder in a safe place."

Akkei left the room and returned quickly, empty handed. Yugi was sitting up, trying to catch his breath after being thrown back on the floor for the second time. Retrieving the gun, Akkei squatted down to get eye-to-eye with him.

"Okay, Yugi, you know what sort of ammunition I'm packing. And I'm guessing you don't want me to release that tape to the public, do you?"

"No."

"Well, then that's good news. Because there's an alternative!" He clapped his hands. "You, my friend, are going to deliver a message to your lover for me, that's all you have to do, and as long as that message is delivered, and as long as it's heeded, the world will never hear that tape."

"What's the message?" Yugi asked guardedly.

"You will tell Yami, that he must never enter another tournament to play Duel Monsters again."

"This is about losing to him, isn't it?" Yugi demanded from his place on the floor. "Geez, get over it, already! He's the best in the world, his talent is inborn. He was just the better duelist. You don't have to feel bad about that!"

"I'll teach you what feeling bad is!" Akkei snarled back. "Bad is when you've got nothing at all! This game is what I've got and I deserved that money more than he did. I deserved it a lot more than him, the freak that he is, did!"

"Yami's not a-"

"Oh, shut up!" Akkei back-handed him across the face. "You don't understand! Now you'll take that message to Yami, do you hear me? If you don't take that message to him, you'll regret it. We'll release that tape. We'll ruin his rep. And we might even do worse to him than what we're going to do to you."

"And what are you going to do to me?" Yugi asked, sitting back up and feeling nervous. He hadn't liked the looks of the other two people from the moment they met.

Akkei motioned to his brother and his friend, and they stepped forward, looking more excited than they had all evening.

Without thinking about it, Yugi scooted back against the wall, away from them. They weren't holding guns, but for some reason gave off the aura of being more dangerous, more sinister than Akkei.

"Hey, there's no reason to be scared." The older boy said, grabbing his arm and pulling him to his feet. "Unlike my brother, we're not in this to kill you or get revenge or anything."

"Then what do you want from me?" Yugi demanded shakily, unable to twist away from him. "Why not just let me go home? Your brother gave me the information I need, I'll go tell Yami that…what else could you want?"

"He needs something to back it up." the blond replied, pulling Yugi's head back by his hair. "Something to prove he's not all talk. And I think sending you home battered and broken will be what Akkei needs. According to him, you're Yami's 'inspiration'. So he's paying us to do this job and make a point that will catch Yami's attention. Anyone can make threats. This is to make sure that Yami knows our threats aren't empty ones."

"So you're going to rape me?" Yugi replied, striving to keep his voice steady. "That's supposed to prove your point? You watch too many movies!" He attempted to twist away again, but it still wouldn't work. "Let me go!"

"Not exactly, but close enough. We're going to give Yami a warning in a form he can't ignore. Make him realize that my bro can take away everything important to him and make it ours instead. And that includes you. Now if you'll stop struggling, this'll be fun for all of us, you know."

"Hey…" Akkei looked startled. "I never agreed to let you guys rape him, that wasn't part of the deal I paid you for, I told you to beat him up, not-"

"Tough cookies, I guess we'll just throw the service in for free." His brother replied. "You said make an impression little bro, and this'll make an impression."

Akkei looked uneasy, but said nothing.

"I told you to let go of me!" Yugi bit Akkei's bother as hard as he could. The older boy gasped and yanked his arm away. The effort was unrewarded though, as the blond-haired boy latched onto Yugi tighter and said,

"Now look here. Struggling isn't going to make this easier. Why don't you just calm down? This won't be that bad in the long run. Close your eyes and pretend like I'm Yami if it'll make you feel better."

"You're not Yami, Yami would never treat me like this, leave me alone! Just leave us alone!" He glared at Akkei. "If you want to hurt me or whatever, get your kicks, fine, then do it, but leave Yami out of it! He loves dueling, it's not fair to make him give it up just because you've got some stupid grudge."

"Maybe, but he loves you even more." Akkei was standing at the door as he said this. "Look, I'm not any happier than you are about it, kid, I just told them to beat you up-"

"Yeah, like that's going to make a point!" the blond scoffed. "Please Akkei, you're just soft. You want to get Yami's attention and make him realize he shouldn't mess with you? Then you can't afford to act like a sissy. Besides, he deserves it, doesn't he?" Hepointed at Yugi."If it wasn't for him, you never would have known Yami was gay. So can'twe agree that this is a better idea?"

"But-" Akkei paused, then shrugged. "Whatever. Doesn't matter to me what exactly you do, just make sure he gets home so he can tell Yami what he needs to tell him. That's all I care about."

"Yeah, I know, I know." His brother replied irritably as he studied the bite mark on his arm, wondering if it could get infected. "Just go away so we can have some privacy here!"

Akkei went, shouting over his shoulder, "You'd better not leave bloodstains in the carpet either, or Dad will be pissed!"

With the gun gone from the room, Yugi tried one last time to struggle away from the young men, knowing that even if he did escape, there was nothing he could do. He had no idea where he was, Akkei still had that recording, and there seemed to be no way around the fact that their secret was out. And after everything Yami had done for him...

Yugi knew that hurting Yami would be worse than anything these people could possibly do to him. Pain and injuries could fade, but he'd never be able to forgive himself if something happened to Yami. Especially if it was something that he could have avoided.

Evening turned to dusk, which faded to the darkness of the late evening. By nine o'clock, Yugi had been gone for over three hours. Yami had gone out looking for him, but found no trace. The clerk at the store said he'd seen Yugi three hours before, buying salt, but not since. Yami was worried sick. He wanted to call the police, but to give out Yugi's name would be a dangerous risk. His parents would no doubt be notified and their run would be over and for nothing. He himself would probably get arrested for kidnapping if Yugi's parents had any say in it. Still, if Yugi went missing long enough, Yami knew he'd call the police anyway. Yugi's safety was far more important than staying hidden.

He was sitting at the table in the kitchen thinking this, when he heard what sounded like handfuls of rocks hitting the door. Worried and irritated that now of all times the bratty kids in the hotel would choose to pick on him, he got to his feet, left the room, and flung the front door open, intending to go have a good long yell at them and their parents.

Then he saw who was really in his driveway, and felt his heart stop for a moment.

Yugi didn't know where he was, what he was doing, or even who he was. After the two unnamed young men had had their way with him, they'd been sure to follow Akkei's orders and had beaten him to the point that he forgot why he was being hit, where he was supposed to be, even his own name. Then they'd shoved him out the door into the night, told him to go home, and to be sure to deliver their message to someone named "Yami". Yami? Who was that? He remembered the message…they said they would hurt this person. Whoever he was, Yami was in danger. Yugi was lost and confused, but he understood one thing clearly: he had to go give Yami their message. It was the only thing he could dredge up in his shaken mind through the pain all over his body. Yami…Yami…he had to give the message to Yami…but where was Yami? Who was he? The name was sort of familiar, but he honestly couldn't drag up the information. Did he even live here?

He didn't know where he was, but for some reason his feet seemed to understand where they were going, so he trusted them, and gradually he started to vaguely recognize the streets. His feet took him to a hotel, to the gravelly driveway of one of the efficiencies, where he finally dropped to the ground beside a silver van, unable to move anymore. His clothes were torn and sticky with blood, his memory fogged and confused. But for some reason he felt like this place was familiar. Maybe it was his home? Did he have a home here? And a family maybe that was worried about him? He didn't know. Quite frankly, he didn't care. He just wanted the pain to go away. The lights inside were still on. Picking up handfuls of the gravel, he began tossing them toward the door, using up all the strength he had left to get the people inside's attention, trying to call for help.

The door was thrown open furiously and for a moment he could see someone standing, silhouetted in it. Then he ran out of energy and collapsed to the ground, cutting off the view. Far off he heard the sound of rocks crunching and someone's voice, a very low, gentle voice that was awfully familiar, only it was speaking now in panicked tones, "Yugi…Yugi, oh my god, what happened to you? Yugi, can you hear me?"

I have to give that message to the person named Yami. This person might know who Yami is…I should ask him…

He tried to ask, but something was wrong with his voice. It caught in his throat someplace. And the stranger, whom he couldn't focus on, said quickly,

"It's okay Yugi, you're going to be okay. Lie still, I'll get you inside."

Yugi? Is that my name? This person knows me?

He wanted to ask, but couldn't. It was a helpless feeling. Then he felt himself being lifted into the air, and for a moment had a recollection of being held in someone's strong arms like this before. It was so close…but the possible memory vanished before he could grasp it.

He must have been brought inside because suddenly it was very bright all around him, and he felt the stranger set him down on something soft. There was the sound of water running, and then the feel of a wet cloth being applied to scrapes on his face.

"You're going to be all right, Yugi. You're going to be fine. I'll take care of you, I promise." The stranger kept saying.

By now he'd figured out that "Yugi" must be his name, and the person must know him. He still couldn't see the person clearly, but Yugi instinctively felt that he was safe here. The person had warm arms and a kind voice, and even though he still hurt, the pain was fading into exhaustion. He hoped he'd fall asleep fast, it would be welcome right about now.

Then he remembered: Wait…I still have to tell the person named Yami something…something really important…

"Ya…Yami…" he summoned up the energy to finally whisper. "I…"

"I'm right here, Yugi." He felt the person touch his face, but the voice was oddly cloudy. "Yugi, can you hear me? I'm right here, you're going to be okay. Yugi?"

But Yugi had already surrendered to unconsciousness.

A few hours had passed. Yami now sat beside their bed, where he'd put Yugi an hour or so before, after he'd passed out. He was so covered in blood and scratches that Yami couldn't take seeing him like that. So he'd undressed him, given him a bath and taken care of his injuries as best he could, and then lay him in bed to stay warm till whenever he came out of his reverie.

Yami was no fool. Given the blood, bruises, and the locations of both, he had pieced together pretty well what had happened to Yugi. He first wanted to call the hospital, and an equally strong impulse at the same time was to hunt down whoever had done this and kill them. Not threaten them, not hurt them, but kill them.

In the end, and after a vicious internal struggle, he did neither. Yugi would not want him to call the hospital and risk giving out their location to his parents, and he wasn't going to leave Yugi alone here, not even for revenge, not to mention he had no idea who it had been. So he just sat beside the bed holding Yugi's limp hand and stroking his hair.

He was still sitting like this when Yugi finally did wake up and blinked sleepily at him, making a soft sound under his breath that was neither a sigh nor a moan, but something in between.

"Ah, you're awake! Are you feeling better?" Yami asked, attempting cheerfulness.

Yugi was very quiet for a moment as he seemed to be trying to get his bearings, and finally asked the obvious question,

"Where are my clothes?"

"Your other clothes were torn up and bloody, I didn't think you'd want to stay in them. I've given you a bath and washed your cuts out too, they shouldn't get infected now. Sorry about the lack of attire, but it was difficult enough to get those shorts and top on you while you were unconscious. I wasn't about to try to get you back into jeans. Besides, I figured you'd be more comfortable in underclothes."

"Oh…thank you." Yugi wasn't feeling well enough to worry about having been seen naked by this stranger. "Where…where am I anyway?"

"The bedroom. Another reason you needed a bath, I didn't want you getting blood all over everything." He chuckled.

Yugi felt extremely grateful to this person who had taken him in like he was family, but now he remembered why he had tried to get the guy's attention in the first place.

"I-I need to…talk to Yami."

"I'm right here Yugi, you can talk to me all you want."

"Have to…give a message…to him. Do…you know him?"

Yami suddenly realized that Yugi had no idea who he was. Something had happened to him to make him forget. He'd been kicked that hard?

"Yugi, that's me, I'm Yami." He finally replied softly. "You came home tonight, you're at home. And I'm right here, so you can tell me whatever you need to."

"You're…you're Yami?"

"Yes, yes I am." He tightened his hold on Yugi's hand. "I know someone hurt you today, but you have to remember me, Yugi. Don't you remember? We love each other. We ran away to this place so your parents couldn't follow us."

"I…" Yugi squeezed his eyes shut. The voice, the face, the hands…they were so familiar. He knew this person. He remembered one of the boys saying, You're Yami's 'inspiration'.

And then, in a voice he now recognized, he clearly remembered hearing: You're my inspiration, Yugi.

And then it all came flooding back. His eight years he'd spent solving the puzzle. All their hardships. The Ceremonial Battle. Yami incarnating himself and forfeiting his powers. Their first kiss that night outside the shop. Moving…visiting…the tournament…running away…

"Yami!" he cried, his voice stronger than it had been. "I do, I do remember you!"

"You do?" Yami looked relieved. "That's great!"

For a moment, Yugi was thrilled just to have his memory. With that he'd not only remembered Yami, but the rest of his entire past, and it was a relief to have it all back. But suddenly, he remembered also why he had to give Yami that message, and felt his eyes fill with tears against his will.

"Yugi, what's wrong?" Yami asked. "Do you hurt? Should I get you medicine?"

Yugi shook his head, wishing he could somehow avoid having to tell him. "No…no…I just…"

"Yugi." Yami took his face with both his hands and said firmly, "Yugi, please tell me what's wrong."

"They…they gave me a message." Yugi whispered. "The guys that did…this. They said you can never enter another tournament again…or they'll…they'll tell the world about our relationship. They know…about us. I told them and they recorded it and they'll tell the News if you don't stop dueling. And they also…threatened to kill you even." His eyes filled with tears as he spoke. "I'm sorry Yami, I'm so sorry, I ruined everything…" He rolled painfully onto his stomach and hid his face in the pillow, his sobs and voice muffled. "I'm so sorry, Yami…I deserved the rape, they were right and they didn't even know it, because…because if it wasn't for me, they wouldn't have found out…"

Up till this point Yami had been nodding to Yugi's outbusts, trying to sound calm in his replies. It was perfectly obvious he was upset enough and didn't need Yami to rile him up more. But at those words, he grabbed Yugi's shoulders roughly and practically shook him, snapping,

"No, that's not true! No one deserves this. I never want to hear you say that again, Yugi. Do you understand me? Never."

Yugi stared at him, and his eyes filled with tears again despite his constant attempts to make them stop. "But…"

"No, no buts." Yami said more softly and held Yugi in a protective embrace. "You didn't deserve it. You did nothing wrong. I'm okay with not dueling anymore, and even though I don't understand why it happened…that's okay too. Yugi, please…never tell yourself you deserved anything they did to you tonight. Never. Because you didn't deserve this at all. And I'm so sorry it had to happen to you."

Yugi nodded and rested his head on Yami's shoulder, closing his eyes as Yami held him tighter…and for the first time through the pain and confusion of the night, he felt safe again.

To Be Continued…

Author's Notes:

You know, I think the Keys have the favour of lady luck, really. Rita could-and honestly, should-have hit us directly and done a lot more damage, and somehow we managed to escape with nary a power outage. (Of course I do feel sorry for the people in Texas and wish them the best of luck in making it through this thing, but…I'm still very glad it didn't his us like that.) Thus, this wasn't delayed after all! I mean, I didn't have anything better to do, considering I was suck in the house for two days, the internet wasn't working, and there was nothing good on TV in the morning. I'm telling you, we need an anime channel!

Ahh…can you believe it? That sore loser with the incredibly obvious, (and apparently hard to remember), name had Yugi beat up, and coincidentally raped! Grrr…I want to kill him for that, dammit:is sharpening her machete as she types: I'm always creating characters I want to kill. Go figure. I think Sorcha and Shane are the only developed OCs I've created that I didn't either hate or kill, (or, more often, both…). Although Akkei did not actually plan that part of it…I still blame him for the whole ordeal.

Well, one thing's for sure, Yami's attention was gotten.

I was really nervous about posting this. In the last week, believe me, I considered re-writing the sl and avoiding this part of it somehow, because it's somewhat cliché, not to mention putting me in danger of losing some of my readers. But the fic itself lost something when I did that…and I decided to keep it, however touchy it might become. Rape is another controversial sl, so that means I've got…uh…:counts:…four different, (main), controversial sls going on all in the same fic, and I'm about to add a fifth next chapter. This is quite the touchy story, isn't it? If it was a real novel, it would SO be on the ban list!

Besides, my writer's magazine says that you should never leave out scenes just because you're afraid to write them. I was not scared to write this, but I was sure as hell scared to post it, because it means I'm duty bound now to see this part of the sl through, but I think in the end it's the right thing to do, and I also think you all will agree once you've seen where this goes. I know it looks overdone now, but this will all make sense later. Because of this…and however angry with me you might be right now, please stick with us, okay?

Soooo…what will happen now? You'll find out next week!

Replies!

Brave Rae: Well my friend, I'm afraid I couldn't honour either of your requests. The rape scene was, I admit, cliché in some ways, but it was also important to where this sl is going, and if I backed off on it now, I'd be letting down the fic itself. Besides, I plan to add a good deal of other things to make this sl much more original. And unfortunetly, I don't write lemon. That scene in chapter 5 is about as close as I'm willing to get. I feel rather bad, since you're a great reviewer and I'd hate to lose your support of this fic after all this time. I decided to compensate by putting a warning at the top of this chapter, so that you could decide to skip it if you wanted, and keep your sanity intact, (though if you're reading my stuff…good luck with that!) Oh, and congrats one last time on the 500 reviews thing, too. ;)

Marikslildevil: Yes! He's so cute, and so huggable…eee, I can hardly stand it. Yep, I have them, and that movie! Now you just have to save up money. :niko: Thanks again so much for sending me the episodes too. Do you have any idea how difficult it is to find nice-quality raw memory arc eps? Sooo hard! You have saved the day…for my AMVs anyway. Ah, yeah, I noticed Mokuba underwent a definite voice change…it sounds like he has a permanent sore throat. I've been trying to find information on why his old VA isn't voicing him anymore…but haven't been able to. :mutters about lack of priorities in the information super highway: Yugi's too cute to kill, but fun to torture, (I sounded like such a sadist there, didn't I? O.o)…but not kill. It's hard to kill off such a kawaii charrah! Eek, school…well, I only had two days of it this week thanks to Rita…but I still don't like it!

Spidy007: Hey, strange characters get people's attention! And obviously it's working considering the number of people that hate Akkei already…You, by the way, are one of the few who gets his name right, too! xD Thanks for the encouragement, I will!

Darkyami7: Yep…I told you I was going a bit off the beaten path. Teeheehee. But really, clichés aren't always all that bad! You can add your own stuff to them and make them original in the end…though, I agree that Yami never seemed like much the chef. However, he's had plenty of time to practice a bit, and it was only pasta. xD Yeah, she is a bit dense…don't let that fool you though. I plan to draw out her character a bit more in the later chapters. You might be surprised! Yeah, I was very afraid indeed to post this. It's sort of…not my usual fic sl. Oh well…it's only going to get darker, so might as well strap down for the long haul. Friday is a good day!

Yami Yuugi: Well, it is a rather confusing name…unfortunately, I didn't have a whole lot of choice when I was picking it. xD Yes…then again, I squeel like mad if they merely look at each other, (which they've been doing a lot of in this arc…), but I would like to see some more interaction myself. Well, I know it'll come in ep 198, I've seen screencaps!

Yami Riyunoa: No prob! I like to keep things interesting…cause if not, then it'd be boring…and that would be bad! Yeah…Yugi grew up a bit. :fondly: Well, after everything he's been through, I definitely think he's matured. Plus gotten a bit reckless…but that just makes him all the more loveable.

Serena the Hikari of Love: Oh boy…xD Well, I'm glad you like it!

LiNes: Uh huh…right. xD Well, I don't want her to be completely hateable…so that's good at least. And the angst will come, whether you want it or not! As for those lines…actually, I didn't intentionally steal them from Lilo and Stitch. I knew it was similar to a movie I'd seen, but I'd forgotten which one. Only now I remember that scene in the movie, so you're right. xD I'm a born moocher, what can I say…yay, a fic in my honour! I feel so special…good luck with that!

Fallen-Angel-of-Repression: Yeah…they might as well admit it. I always thought it would be cute if they admitted it in the last ep, but then that would have made the last ep even MORE sad, because not only are they friends, but they're also in love, and then Yami has to die anyway…:sniffle: Oh well. Us puzzleshipping fans all know the truth!

Pharaohess1: Eh, yeah, that puzzled me a bit too. Yugioh is way more interesting! And besides, there's a million coconuts where I live. If I want to watch one, all I have to do is go outside…they should have left Yugioh on at 11:00! I just about died waiting the extra half hour…:sigh: Sorry about the wait…but I promise to only make you wait a week and nothing longer!

You Know Us: Mwahaha…a double review! How fun…Yeah, Akkei's a real pain in the bum. He's as bad as Yugi's father. I'm having a hard time deciding which of them I hate more…hmmn…The cheese! xDDD Man, now that I know the whole story…I will never think of cheese the same way again. :wink: Yep, people will do what they can to get into affordable housing, as we've all learned from Mr. sneaky Yami. Key West would be fun for them! They would have a great time, and would be able to walk around holding hands without fear of getting shot, (and only minor dangers of me randomly glomping them…). Perhaps they'll take another vacation there someday. I figured you'd probably feel sorry for her, considering both of you are mothers…but that's okay, because she's supposed to win some sympathy! You figured out her character right away, but it's true that if she did stand up for herself, this might not have happened. Yes yes, the slap was a truly contemptible thing. Yami has not forgotten it either.

Neko Yoka: Well, that's one way of looking at it!

Padfoot13: Eek, I'd be like, GAH, myself if I was looking at all that work…

Red Dragon of Egypt: Oh indeed, I'm fairly sure that Yami won't let this attack go unpunished, magic or no magic.

Yami Adritha: :niko: Yay, thank you! I work real hard on it…very fond of this one too. :pats the fic: Eek…I thought the landlord reminded me a bit of my grandma…I guess everyone knows someone like that, eh? Thanks again, I will!

Sansi: Oh yes…I can't help but think Yugi has to work really hard to appear to weak, when we all know he's stronger than anyone else. It is possible, though, that he's using that to his advantage after all. I mean, Yami likes to protect people, and so if Yugi pretended to need protection…well, it's a theory! Yes, this was a rather quick twist…but it'll come together in its own way, you just see! Oh, and no, Yami is magic-free in this fic, unless you count human spirit as a type of magic, in which case he has a good deal of that…but no shadow powers. Good luck with your studying!

Cherry Romancer: Sounds like it's a good thing Akkei lives in a fictional world…otherwise I rather fear what you might do to him! Not that I really mind though, since I don't like the guy…

Kari-sama: :niko: Yay! I'm so glad you find it inspiring, and I like to do good things!

Phoenix51: Plot twists rock. :wink: I'm very glad to hear that, and I certainly will continue! Thanks also for your best wishes in schooling. :smile: I'm hanging in there!

Well I'll tell ya…this has been one veeerryyyy strange week. First we're going to get a hurricane…then everyone panics and starts leaving the Keys like mad…so the Keys are cleared out except us locals that never leave anyway…then the stupid thing doesn't even hit us, (I'm not complaining about that though!)…school is out for three days, (not complaining about that either…)…so on Wednesday we randomly decided to drive up to Miami, (this is like, a two hour drive, and not something we commonly do on a lark), and pick up my dad's new truck he ordered…I go to school for two days, and now here we are at Friday. I dunno, it's just all been very strange. Not what I honestly expected the week to be like, to tell you the truth.

Well my loves, I have two AMV requests, a chem project, a math project, and Chapter 11 calling out to have my attention, so I'll see you all, same time, same place, next week!

Oh...andNEW episodes tomorrow…WOOT!