Disclaimer: It is now beyond common knowledge that I don't, and, if all likelihood continues, I never will own Yu-Gi-Oh. Looks back cautiously at the lawyers, who have pitchforks and torches ready Was that good? Lawyers nod Phew! I thought for sure that they would kill me for- remembers lawyers are still standing there ugh, never mind! So, on with the story which I'm pretty sure no one is actually reading anymore because this long and annoying disclaimer is making them all very bugged, so I'm just gonna say it one more time- for the lawyers, of course- that I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh, and never will (if my plan doesn't work…)!

Chapter Nine

There were times that she really didn't know why she had given up her life before, times she didn't know why she had been so insecure, so foolish… but those thoughts were quickly hushed by the knowledge that it didn't matter now, that she couldn't do anything about the past, no matter how much she wished she could.

She sighed and gently rubbed her temples, trying to stop a headache that was quickly forming. She knew that all of these thoughts and regrets were doing nothing for her, but sometimes they were so hard to avoid. She missed her friends, she missed everyone so much, what she would have done just to see Kaiba making fun of Joey again, to see Tristen and Duke flirting with Serenity, to see Yami and Yugi…

Shaking her head, she tried to make those torturous thoughts leave her, oh, how she missed those two. That didn't matter, though, Yugi was in the Shadow Realm, for God's sake, she couldn't do anything about that! And Yami- she couldn't even imagine what state he was in now, first he had lost his other half, the light side, and then he lost another friend… maybe something even more important that a friend…

He lost his daughter, too, she remembered with a sudden jolt. Then again, he didn't even know Kida existed, so, could you even lose something that you never even knew you had? She almost laughed, that wasn't something she could speak of; she didn't know anything about that, now did she?

Rirsi walked slowly down the road, his mind was still reeling from the information that it sought to correctly absorb. So many thoughts were spiraling through his head, trying to grasp the situation at hand. It seemed as if he played a minor part in the game that was just now revealing itself to him.

He sighed and ran a hand through his hair, he was not only confused, but on a high level of frustration, most of which was directed at his brother, and a small amount towards Kida's mother. Why had his brother never talked about this, why hadn't he said anything about it to him? His brother always told him everything, and what he didn't voluntarily tell was squeezed out of him forcefully. How had Ryou managed to hide something as, well, twisted as this from him?

Thoughts such as these were still tangled around his brain when he entered his home. These thoughts, though, were interrupted by his over-concerned brother enveloping him in a bone-crushing hug. Rirsi just gave him a cold stare as he started interrogating him.

Ryou finally seemed to notice Rirsi's violent gaze as he asked, "What's wrong? Did I do something?"

Rirsi nodded, "Yeah, I guess you could say you did 'something'," He said coldly.

She had looked everywhere. School, the arcade (Rirsi had always enjoyed shooting virtual people), she had ever checked the mall! Now that proved that she was desperate. She had never liked shopping- most other girls thought her crazy for that- and she knew that Rirsi wasn't particularly fond of the mall either.

That should earn the understatement of the year award.

Kida sighed, sitting down on a bench outside of the most girly-looking clothes store she had seen all day. She leaned her head back over the bench and her tri-color hair tumbled over, looking curiously like some sort of fancy rug.

She rubbed her temples to try and ease away a coming headache, she already had enough to deal with, and she didn't want a headache distracting her.

Ryou looked at his little brother with confusion written plainly in his eyes. What could he have possibly done to get his little brother so upset? Had he forgotten his birthday or something?

Ryou felt unnerved by the cool glare his brother had been giving him ever since he got back. Ryou was seriously thinking of letting his yami take his place to deal with his brother.

He finally got up the nerve to ask his brother what he had done. "Rirsi… what did I do? I'm starting to get a little freaked out about the way you're looking at me."

Rirsi just continued glaring at him, until he finally answered. "It's not just what you did to me, Ryou. It's what you did to Kida."

"Okay," Ryou said, switching from one foot to another nervously, almost twitching from the tension in the room. "Now I'm really confused. What did I do to Kida? I don't think that I forgot her birthday this year," he said sarcastically.

Rirsi rolled his eyes, but said in a voice that clearly said that he didn't think that his brother's comment was amusing, "Really, big brother, it's more of what you didn't tell her. More of what you've been hiding from her. What you and her mother have been keeping from her for so long."

It was in that moment that Ryou realized what his brother was hinting at. "You're talking about Kida's father, aren't you?"

Rirsi nodded, "Yup."

For so long, he had been alone. He had been alone for twelve years.

You don't have to be by yourself to be lonely.

No, he had been with those whom he had called his friends for a long time, even after he had started to have this feeling. That didn't mean that they could make his feel welcome. Feel wanted.

No, he hadn't felt that way for a very long time. He had stopped believing in the talks of friendship that he had not only received, but given. He had stopped believing that anyone could ever love him, not since she left.

She had left him feeling empty, but now, he finally had the chance to feel full again. He could finally feel love again, because now he could find her.

As he stood outside the door of her apartment, he felt a rush of emotions come onto him. He felt a rush of excitement, and a relief that he could finally be with her again, no longer alone. At the same time he felt sadness, and regret that when he walked into that door he may be walking into a life that he could never be in.

He didn't want to feel like that, and he didn't want to intrude. But he had to. He needed her.

He finally knocked on the door, and as he heard the click of a door unlocking, his heart raced. He would finally see her again.

A head popped out of the door, soon followed by a body. It was a woman: she had long brown hair, and chocolate brown eyes. She had a slim figure, with noticeable curves that could make any man drool. It was her.

"Tea…" he said softly.

Her eyes widened, "Yami!"

A/N: Hello, all! Look, I finally updated! You all must be so happy. I am SO SORRY THAT I DIDN'T UPDATE SOONER! I just didn't have much inspiration. At least now I finally have one more chapter on the internet.

Okay, you should all know that I want AT LEAST 20 REVIEWS ON THIS CHAPTER before I update, or the next one won't come for a really long time. I don't care if you all have to review like 4 times just to do it, I just really want the reviews, so that I can have at least some motivation to finish the story besides that fact that I'm been writing it for almost a whole year.

Okay, I'll try to update quicker this time! R&R!