A/N: Whee, Manga! I found two more shops that sell Manga, and I got volumes 1 and 2 of Yu-Gi-Oh, Wai! I love you, Forbidden Planet! Borders as well! And Nostalgia is good as well! FP has 7 different issues of YGO, and that's where I got mine-Which I'm itching to read- and, best of all, they were selling 3 for £10! That would usually get you about 1 and a chapter. I got the two YGO Manga for me and another, different Manga… Hee hee. Scooby2408, Guess what you're getting for your birthday…
I'm back from holiday, by the way. Heh. Anyways, I had a great time! We went to lots of places, had a lot of laughs, and, in my case, at least, played probably more video games then I should have done. But hey, I never play at home! And finally, after about 7 years, I got around to kicking the Elite Four and completing Pokémon Blue! Mewtwo is mine, mwhahahahaha! A monument us day! And I begun the gem that is Final Fantasy X… They talk! That game freaking rocks, I swear… As in, 23 hours of game play over 4 days, rocks. There were comedians and circuses and trampolines and all sorts… Fun fun fun! If anyone's wondering where yesterday's chapter was, the answer is, that I was sleeping, unpacking a pile of stuff this big, answering a stack of E-mails this big, and catching up on updates of fics and webcoms in a pile THIS big. So sorry about the lack of chapter yesterday, but I'm here now! Although, I wouldn't stake my life on there being a chapter every day… Hmm… I am suspiciously close to developing a social life…
Review Responses: (For Chapter 4 & Fillers)
Scooby2408:Yes, I'd say 4 chapters in five days is pretty impressive... considering that you've written less then that on your fic in zonks. Although, your birthday fic may just give you a few ideas... heh heh heh. Check your E-mail the day I come over, I'll be sending you another teaser that morning... ha! Let's just assume I'm to bring my YGO manga with me for you to borrow, shall we, and save you hinting?
Willowwind: On the subject of them eating dog:- It does suggest otherwise! It says there is no dog on the menu! See, right here:
"I'm glad you like the dog." Seto replied innocently. He had never met anyone from outside Asia yet who wasn't fussy at the idea of eating a dog. He didn't know why they thought it was any worse then eating a pig or cow, but he knew they hated.
The chefs at the restaurant knew that to, and, with a lot of business meetings, just like this one, they served no dog at all. But this jerk didn't have to know that.
Hah! Anyways, my fillers were 'funny, but weird', hey? Well, at least you didn't say 'Ahhhhhhh! My whole perception of reality has been changed!' Like some people...
Dragonlady222: I had a lot of fun on my holidays, thankyou! And have fun with your realtives from Oz! I have nothing against the Aussies, in fact, I think it looks like a way better country then mine... but we're still going to win the Ashes, this year. Hah. Hah. Hah. (Hopes desperatly that she will not have to eat her words)
Disclaimer: Nada... Credit to Kazuki Takahasi and 9E, as usual.
And now, finally onto the next chapter, in witch we meet a new character, we find out what USKFC stands for, and Seto talks to a lamppost! It's been a while, but I am Back!
Five: USKFC
Still June
Azreal was walking innocently along the road when it happened. Or as innocently as she ever was, anyway. She was making her way home, planning to stop at Mokuba's school on the way, as usual. She walked along, feeling happy for no particular reason except that she had no reason not to be, humming a tune under her breath, and, as you might expect, completely unaware that she was being watched from across the street.
She was nearly at Mokuba's school when she saw the group of girls from her class waiting for her. She didn't know them that well, but they weren't enemies. She stopped when she got near them- not that she had much of a choice, seeing as they were more or less blocking the entire pavement.
"Hey." She said, smiling, and going to move past them. But the girls weren't having any of it.
"Wait, Anna, we want to ask you something!" One of the girls insisted, catching her arm. "We've heard these rumours and…" She laughed, as though it was silly. "Well, is it true you're dating Kaiba?"
"Yeah…" She said, trying to push past again.
"Really?" Another girl checked. "Because it doesn't seem like it…"
"We just like to keep our private life private." Anna replied, a little more harshly then necessary. "And I don't care to discuss it in public either." Or with you. She added silently. "So if we're done, I have places to turn up at, people to insult…"
"Oh, go ahead." The girl holding her arm said, letting go. "Don't let us keep you…" But even as Mitsan's figure disappeared down the street, the smiles turned to glares.
Long ago, the USKFCs had made a pact. Soon, it would be time to act on it.
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The strange encounter had completely vanished from her mind by the next day. In fact, she woke up feeling even more optimistic then usual.
"Urrghmmph…" She muttered, stretching and venturing out with her feet onto her bedroom floor. She quite literally rolled out of bed and lay on her carpet for a moment, looking at the ceiling, and sighed happily. "Friday." She whispered. "Another day for life." She sprung to her feet, and calmly lifting her giggling, younger half brother out of the way of the bathroom door, she sent him downstairs and had a shower.
And decided that maybe today she would wear her hair loose. Just to see what people thought.
Even the Shower water was warm when she turned it on; she would not have to wait for it to heat up.
Today was going to be a good day, she just knew it.
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"I'm going to get a dog." He declared happily, and quite certainly. "I'm going to go to the animal sanctuary after school. You guys should come and help me choose. If you want to, of course."
"I'd love to." Anna replied immediately. "I just have to drop Mokuba home and get a change of clothes first. Maybe I can meet you guys there?"
"Sure." Ryou smiled. "Thanks."
Anna did not fail to see the uneasy look that passed between the others, particularly Joey, Téa and Yugi. None of them could quite believe that he wasn't up to anything, but that was their problem. The look went as quickly as it came, and soon they were all agreeing to meet up that day with them.
Just as the arrangements were made, the bell rang for the end of break, and Ryou and Anna headed toward G&T class, their beloved guitar (Ryou had got around to buying one of his own by now, and it had improved his playing tenfold) and sheep doodles.
"So…" Anna ventured. "A dog. In a flat."
Ryou laughed. "Hey, it'll work out."
"Yeah, if it's trained to go out of windows." She snorted. "Wouldn't a cat be better? At least they don't need to go out."
"I am not getting a cat." Ryou said adamantly, rubbing some small red lines on his right palm. She had always assumed that they, like all the other scars on his arms, were Bakura-induced, just not as bad as the others. But maybe…
"That was a cat?" She asked.
"Yes." Ryou agreed. "It was a rash for weeks. Turns out I'm allergic…"
Anna laughed.
"What?" He asked defensively.
"Nothing." She shook her head, still giggling. Ryou, who had a evil spirit festering within him, who had survived the Shadow Realm and numerous comas, was allergic to pussy cats. Suddenly, something occurred to her, and she rolled the sleeve of her jacket up and twisted her arm round to show him a small red circle on her elbow.
"Rabbit." She explained.
"A rabbit?" Ryou echoed. "What? A cute little furry thing?"
"Hey, rabbits are vicious! And this one had it in for me…"
"Yes, I'm sure it was the don of the rabbit mafia."
"Well, I wouldn't put it past it…"
"It's a conspiracy…"
"I'm serious!"
"As am I. I think they're in cahoots with the cats."
"Yes! And dogs are the good guys!"
"Exactly. So I must get a dog to help with the course of justice and fairness and equality for all!"
They weren't half getting some strange looks for that conversation…
"Say," Anna thought suddenly. "Wasn't there a cartoon about super hero dogs once?"
"Superdog." Ryou replied seriously. "I used to watch it as a kid. Superman's dog. I liked it because the cat always got it's just desserts. I remember one time, it was going to drown in a vat of dog food and Superdog…"
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Azreal was shaken from her thoughts very suddenly as, almost at the end of G&T class, Ryou sat down very quickly next to her. That was surprising enough in itself, seeing as he was usually up and playing with the band until the very last second. But there he was, looking stunned.
"What's up?" Anna asked him. He looked at her in blank surprise.
"They want me to join…" He said, voice barely audible.
Anna blinked, not comprehending what he meant.
"The band." He said. "They want me to join. Officially, I mean, not just playing with them in this class. They reckon that I'm good enough to replace their old guitarist. That was why they couldn't do the Christmas show- their guitarist had left. But if I join…"
"Congratulations." Anna smiled.
"Hey, hey!" Ryou said hastily. "I haven't decided yet. I'm not sure if I'm good en-"
"Congratulations." Anna insisted. "Ryou, if you do not do this, I shall have to kick your backside all the way back to your Stoke on Trent."
He looked uncertain, then nodded.
"Alright." He smiled nervously, and headed back to the others to accept. A moment later, their songs were striking up again, and Ryou was playing better then ever before- enough to get the entire room listening.
Azreal grinned happily and went back to drawing Wings. She had just known that today would be great.
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"I wonder what they talk about all the time…?"
"I don't even want to know."
"I mean, he never talks to anyone else… And he's laughing…"
"I don't want to hear it!"
There had been many reactions to Anna's relationship with Seto, but while Téa was bewildered, Joey still did not want to know, and quickly changed the subject.
Seto had been eating lunch on his own, as usual, and then Azreal had came and sat oppisite him, pulling a lunchbox out of her bag. According to Ryou, the school food was abysmal, and she didn't want to try it.
Especially if what he'd told her about the casserole and the fork was true.
"Do you have to eat them like that?" Seto asked, as she began to nibble around the sandwich, eating the crust first all the way round.
"Yes." She nodded seriously. "Hey, do you need me to pick up Mokuba tonight?"
"Please." He nodded. "I have yet another mind-boggling boring meeting to attend. Lucky me."
She laughed. "Well, I'm going to go andbuy Ryou a doggie!"
Seto declined to comment, and changed the subject.
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"Dum de da de de…" She sang absently, not knowing that particular part of the words. "I am one of those melodramatic fools… something something something… It all keeps adding up! I think I'm cracking up!... I went to a shrink…"
She trailed off the bright, if odd tune as she noticed the same group of girls from the day before standing in the same place as yesterday. She felt the warning bells rising in her head, but, trusting as ever, quashed them down. Maybe they just hung out there or something.
"Hi, everyone…" Anna said, trying to push past them, but they weren't having any of it.
"Anna!" The ring leader said, regaining that surprisingly strong grip on her arm. "We wanted to talk to you…"
"I swear, that rabbit died of natural causes!" Anna insisted. They blinked at her in confusion.
"That's not it." The girl said, quickly regaining face. Anna racked her brains for a name, and eventually remembered. Ami, from her PE (Gym?) class.
"Then what's the matter?" Anna asked, beginning to think this was a really, really, bad idea.
"Do you see these, Anna?" Ami hissed, pointing at some badges they were all wearing. They had not been there the day before, or in school, Anna was sure. However, now each one of the girls was wearing a small red or blue rectangular badge, emblazoned with the letters 'USKFC'.
"I see them." She replied steadily. "What of them?"
"Do you know what it stands for?" Ami almost screeched.
"Um…" Anna replied, biting down on a sharp retort. "No."
"Then let me enlighten you." Ami said in false friendliness. "We are the Unofficial Seto Kaiba Fan Club. The fan club of your boyfriend."
She said it with an air of grandeur, the statement was obviously designed to impress. Mitsan, however, did not look at all affected, except for a slight smirk.
Anna, unsurprisingly, was dying to laugh at the absurdity of this entire pathetic situation. However, this action would most likely get her beaten up. And one of her core beliefs was that she should avoid pain as much as possible. So she swallowed the laugh, and the smirk, as quickly as she could.
"Oh, right." She replied, not sure what to make of it all.
Annoyed even more now, Ami continued. "We used to compete to get your boyfriend, you know. But then we realised that it wouldn't work that way. So we decided to team up- we wouldn't try to ruin anyone else's chances. And we'd plan how to do it. One for all and all for one, you see. And we decided that if one of us got Kaiba, the others would back off and leave be. On our honour as USKFCs."
"Well, I'm glad you decided to work together…" Anna tried to edge away. This had gone beyond funny into the plain creepy. These girls (And at least one boy that she could see) were obsessed. Totally and utterly infatuated. The hand tightened on her arm so harshly that she had to bite back a yelp of pain. Things were getting serious.
"That's not all we decided, but more on that in a minute." Ami continued. "We couldn't believe it! We had been working for years and years, in fairness for everyone, it was all planned out, and then you turn up and you've stolen him in less then a month!"
"Ah, don't feel too bad." Anna retorted. "Communism always fails."
At this point, the arm on her elbow transferred to her neck.
I really don't want to hurt you… Anna thought, looking unwavering into her eyes. But Ami was too far gone to notice.
"Do you know what else we decided?" Ami demanded, tightening her hold. "That if anyone outside the club stole him from us, they would have to be… dealt with."
Oh, she's going to die…
"Couldn't I just join the club now?" Anna chocked out, still somehow making it sound sweet.
As one, the group of at least fifteen surged forward, screeching in anger and just waiting for the older girl to give the word.
Anna made calculations. She could probably take Ami, the one with an arm attempting, and failing, to crush her neck, but there was no way that she could take all of them.
Run today… She thought. She hadn't really wanted a fight anyway.
And Anna Mitsan promptly disappeared.
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Things were getting very, very, freaky. Mitsan had just disappeared, into thin air. There was no way she could have run away with none of them noticing, they had had her surrounded. But she had just been there one moment, staring up at Ami, and had then disappeared.
But before that, Ami was sure the girl had winked at her. Which made her very annoyed indeed.
"She disappeared…" One girl muttered in awe.
"I told you!" Another screamed. "I said there was something odd about her! She must have magic powers! No wonder she got Seto to like her! He's cursed!"
"An evil spirit!"
"A demon!"
"Oh, shut up!" Ami yelled at them. "There's nothing to worry about! We'll get her next time…"
"But what do we do now?" Another piped up, whimpering. Many had run away in the panic and the numbers were small now. Only those more scared of Ami then spirits and demons had stayed.
"We try again." She said, eyes narrowed. "She can't hide forever. And when she does come out, we'll get her. And we won't give her time to disappear!"
"But I don't want any curses on my head…"
"You won't!" Ami insisted, exasperated. "She won't get time to pull anything, once I figure out what we're going to do next…"
"How about you move so people can walk?" An icy voice suggested. As one, the group turned to see the figure and icy blue eyes of the one they idolised. "Get out of here." He said, sounding disgusted.
And they went.
"Vultures…" He muttered, thoroughly racked off. Then he looked up at Azreal.
"Hi." She tried.
"Having fun?" He asked, quirking an eyebrow at her.
"So-so." Azreal shrugged. Which was easier said then done, seeing as she was clinging onto a lamppost, wings wrapped around it for extra grip. "I just had a run-in with your fan club." She spread her wings out, and flipped over, dropping the two or three metre drop without hesitation.
"My…What?" Seto demanded, feeling slightly happier when she regained her human form and it didn't look too much like he had been talking to a lamppost.
Azreal did not reply, looking at one of the side alleys.
"They're watching us…" She muttered. "Demon, indeed! How insulting…"
"Let's give them something to watch." Seto said, annoyed. He grabbed Azreal's hand (Not that she was complaining) and they set off at a brisk trot down the road. With his free hand, Seto made a rather insulting gesture at the alleyway.
"Seto!" Azreal tried, struggling. His grip had tightened, his knuckles white and her finger therefore turning blue as the blood drained out. He looked down and let go.
"Ouch…" She moaned, massaging feeling back into her fingers as they stopped just short of Mokuba's school. "What's with you today? You seem to hate the world even more then usual…"
"The Social Workers are coming tonight." Seto ground out.
"What?" She blinked. "But I thought they only came every few months…"
"So did I. I also thought that I was going to an important, but boring meeting tonight, but apparently this is even more important. And they need me personally to be there." He growled in frustration. "Oh, what a wonderful night I have ahead of me."
"Awwww…" Azreal half-laughed. "I don't have anything on tonight, but it'll still be better then yours, I bet…"
Seto looked at her strangely. "Didn't you say you were going to the pet shop or something?"
"Oh, yeah!" Azreal remembered. "Oh well, I don't have to meet them for…" She looked at her watch in disbelief, but the hands stubbornly refused to move backwards. "Fifteen minutes ago! Crud!" She yelled, legging it off down the street. "I'll see you Seto!"
By the time he opened his mouth to reply, she was out of ear shot, and so he closed it again. That girl was just never on time…
Despite the way she had acted, Azreal was worried. It had been hard to sustain her muse form, harder then it should have been. Her powers were fading fast, far more quickly then she expected. They wouldn't last that long now.
But in that case... How long did the rest of her have?
Azreal shook her head, forcing the morbid thoughts away, and running faster.
She'd burn that bridge when she came to it.
Or something like that.
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Anna skidded in next to them, and leant on a lamppost, similar to the one she had hidden on earlier, gasping to get her breath back. "Sorry… sorry…"
"What happened to you?" Tristan asked, looking at her quizzically.
"USKFC." Anna replied, straightening up. From the looks on their faces, they hadn't heard of it either. "Ne'er mind." She shrugged. "Thanks for waiting."
"Well, now that we're all here…" Téa smirked. "Let's go."
With that, Ryou headed into the animal shelter, and the others followed him.
He's excited. Anna thought to herself. I suppose it's lonely living all on his own, but still… Heh. It doesn't matter how mature guys get, they're all little kids really…
Ryou was talking to the owner.
"You'll be wanting a puppy, I take it?" She asked, leading the way into one of the back rooms.
"No," Ryou shook his head. "I'd like an older dog. It's just I live in a flat, and I need a dog that's house-trained and doesn't mind being left on it's own, otherwise it would just be cruel…"
"I see…" The owner replied. "We don't get many people wanting older dogs, you see, everyone wants the cute little puppies, but…" A dog had wandered over and was nudging her leg. "Oh, Cassie, you're too old to be pining to be picked up…" She scolded, but the small floppy-eared Labrador wasn't listening, barking excitedly at the sight of the group of strangers. She began to lick Azreal's shoes.
"Hey!" The girl protested, moving her feet but relenting, bent down and scratched 'Cassie' behind the ears before she ran off to one of the others. "Is she yours?" She asked the owner.
"She might as well be." The woman snorted. "No-one wants her, but I've always had a bit of a soft spot for her. She's a lovely one, really, but she's just living a stupidly long time. We don't have the heart to send her to anyone when she's bound to die soon. She's just too old- and that's why no-one wants her."
Ryou, only half listening as Cassie twisted under his hands, thoroughly enjoying the attention these teenagers were giving her. Suddenly, she looked up at him, the doleful brown eyes, set deep in the black fur, looked up at him.
"Fine…" Ryou muttered to her. "Don't look at me like that."
He turned to the owner. "I want her."
"Really?"
Ryou glanced down at the dog, licking Yugi as though he was a gourmet meal.
"Oh yes. I'm certain."
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"See you tomorrow, guys!" Yugi called, heading up the path to his home. Anna waved, and Ryou nodded, his hands curled around the lead, and the two continued on their way.
"I didn't know you lived around this area." Anna admitted. She had always thought she lived the furthest away from the school… "I mean, I don't ever see you walking around- to school or home or whatever."
"No offence, but do you think maybe that's because you're always late?" Ryou laughed. "But I didn't know you lived anywhere near here either." They reached a three-way cross-road, and they stopped. "Well, this is me." Ryou said, pointing left.
"And this is me." Anna replied, pointing straight ahead with one arm and to the right with the other. Ryou blinked in confusion, and she laughed.
"I live down there." She indicated the road before them. "But I'm heading this way." She pointed to the right.
Ryou glanced where she was pointing. That road lead to the richer suburbs of town. There was only one reason she would be going there…
He bade her goodbye, and after she had satisfied herself by stroking Cassie, she hurried off to where she was headed.
And Ryou headed home, his new pet walking patiently beside him. He didn't know it, but Anna was watching them. And she could already tell that they would be two of a kind.
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Azreal hesitated on the steps. She knew where the spare key to the house was kept, and security knew who she was by now, so she would have no problem getting in on her own, but she didn't just want to burst in if the social workers were still there. So, she plumped for ringing the doorbell instead, reasoning that if Seto was busy, he wouldn't answer it.
But, a moment later, the door opened. One look at his face, and all greetings and tales about Cassie disappeared from her lips.
"What's wrong?" She asked Seto, stepping inside. He closed the door heavily behind her.
Seto considered her, how to tell her, but then gave up. It wasn't like he was going to back away from saying it because it made it seem more real. He needed to deal with it; and he couldn't keep it from her…
"I'm not his official guardian."
"What?" She blinked. "What do you mean? I thought you were!"
"So did I." Seto grimaced. "And so did they, apparently. As it turns out, when Gozaburo died, I was too young to be counted as his guardian. And since I never applied, because I didn't think I needed to…" He trailed off.
"No way…" She murmured, disbelieving. Seto gave a sharp laugh.
"Oh, yes." He continued. "And that's not the half of it. Since I am not his 'legal guardian' after all, every act I've done as such is illegal. Every form I've ever signed, every time I am his 'emergency contact number', I've broken the law. Unless I'm suddenly very lucky, I'm going to end up in court for taking a hostage for all these years."
Silence.
And then she blew up.
"What! That's stupid! You're his brother!"
"I know." Seto spat sarcastically. "But I'm not his guardian."
"Well, screw them all!" She spat venomously. "What the hell are these people smoking!"
"They think that if they can blame the fault on appropriate checks not being made on paper work, they can get me out of it." Seto elaborated. "But, until I make it official, at least, I can do no more acts as his Guardian…" He looked down at her. "Including looking after him. They're coming to get him in the morning, at least temporarily. And the process usually takes at least three months."
Azreal just looked at him. And then she really let rip.
"Those…"
Seto watched as she got angrier and angrier. He had never seen her this angry, or using language this coarse. He had seen anger itself plenty of times, mostly directed at him, but he couldn't remember the last time anyone had felt angry for him. It was a good job she was so annoyed anyway, because he just felt like all emotion had been sucked out of him.
Later, she would privately berate herself for yelling like that. Shouting wouldn't help anything, after all. But she was wrong. Somehow, knowing he wasn't on his own with it, gave Seto a little hope.
"Azreal…" Mokuba appeared from the living room, his face pale under his dark hair, and she stopped abruptly.
"Oh, Mokuba…" She said, slowly. She didn't say how horrible it all was, or how sorry she was that this was happening to them. She just deflated onto the bottom step of the grand old staircase. Mokuba flopped down next to her, and, after a slight hesitation, Seto sat down next to him. Azreal looked at the floor. Mokuba looked dead ahead, staring at the front door. Seto stared up at the ceiling as though the solution was written there. And they stayed that way for many minutes.
"I'm scared." Mokuba muttered eventually. "I don't want to go. I'm happy here, so why do I even have to! I mean…" He felt a bit silly saying it, but the words tumbled out of his mouth before he could stop them. "What if they don't let me come back…?"
No-one replied for some time, until Azreal suddenly sat bolt upright, and sprang to her feet.
"Well, no way are we just going to sit here feeling sorry for ourselves and breaking out the violins! We'll get this straightened out in no time! Somehow…"
There it was again. We. At least, even with Mokuba gone, he would not be on his own this time.
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A/N: Yeek! (Yeek, not Yeerk) What are they going to do? Well, at least it's legal this time… I hope that was long enough to make up for the extreme lack of chapter yesterday, but w/e. Next chapter, the gang take a trip to the beach! What disasters will befall them there…? I'll give you a hint: Rubber, Quavers, and Curry Sauce. Hee hee.
