"The greatest aspect of war is not the victory, is not the battle...but the ability to let go and just have fun. I have fought more fights then any man, woman or child alive, and my fondest memories are that times where I merely let my guard down and had a good time."

-Geno Roads

Night Out

"Your in the paper."

Lilka looked up from her book and glanced at her brother. They were in their parents' living room, sitting around and relaxing. Owen had taken the recliner, giving the couch to his sister. She had a feeling he hadn't fought her for it was because he felt bad for allowing Andrew to even lay a finger.

She raised an eyebrow. "In what capacity?"

Owen shuffled the paper. "about you scoring the highest point value in today's games." He smiled, and then pulled the paper away as Lilka reached for it. "Uh...listen, the rest isn't important..."

Lilka's eyes flashed and the paper floated out of his hands. Owen's eyes glowed, and they mentally tugged on it, till Owen finally gave in and let her read it.

"Hmmm...no news about us doing anything wrong...just about Andrew being taken away after he hit me"

"What do you mean, doing anything wrong? We did nothing wrong. He had it coming." Owen said.

Lilka frowned. "I have never been happier that you will never be king of the world. I don't think I want to know how you would rule."

Owen rolled his eyes. "Ha ha ha." He scanned another section, and after a bit, bundled the paper up into a ball and tossed it into the trash. "Yo want to go get something to eat, maybe go to a club?" Lilka shifted in her seat. "We can make fun of stupid white guys who try to dance."

Lilka set her book down and sighed. "Why not...no reason to stick around her." Owen nodded and the two headed to the door. "Hey mom, dad! We're going out!"

Silence.

Owen shrugged, "They must be asleep.... please promise me if I act that like, to shoot me."

"You have my word." Lilka said as she shut the door.

"Are they gone?"

Guy poked his head out from their bedroom, and after a moment, smiled and waved at Raia. The two emerged, Raia in sexy lingerie, Guy in a pair of silk blue pj bottoms, matching robes around them. Raia giggled and popped the champagne cork as Guy brought out two chilled wine glasses with a thought.

"I thought they would never leave!" Guy said as Raia poured him a glass. She giggled, and served herself, then locked the door and dimmed the lights.

"I have been waiting for the tournament season to begin for months. It seems we only get time alone when those guys are off and dueling."

"Ya, and we don't have to send Tressa to a babysitter." Guy said, summoning a rose and running down his wife's nose. She mummers, her eyes half closed.

"Where is our little girl tonight anyway?"

"You brother told her she could come over there and get some tips on using her new dragons" Guy passed the rose along her neck, pausing just short of her bosom. "I always knew Seto was good for something."

Raia smiled softly and took the rose from his hand, and moved in close, holding him to her body. "Tell me god boy, what does the god of protection see in little old me?"

Guy chuckled. A few years after the demon war, he had decided that in order to protect his family, he would need to be more then just a man. As such, he had asked and received form his father the nectar and ambrosia of the gods, and with one sip and bite, had ascended to Guy, God of Protection. Granted, he rarely went into his godly form, as to better stay close to Raia, but he still held power beyond belief in his body.

"I see a beautiful woman, who ahs brains, brawn and cunning to survive any world, be it on the streets, in a duel, in a boardroom or dealing with our demigod children."

Raia smiled, stroking his cheek. It hadn't been easy, being arrived to this man. Not to say Guy wasn't the perfect husband, which he was. He had more understanding then she could ever dream to have. Hell, he managed to deal with the fact his half sister and wife shared the same body and not blink, which either was a sign of understanding or insanity; knowing his family, both.

No, it came from the world she had married into. Raia had once talked to Yam about what it was like to be married to a god, as Gala too had ascended to better protect her family. Yami had found it awe inspiring to wake up next to a being that could snuff out the population of Domino with a thought, and hold them in their arms. He told her you had to have a big ego to believe you could tame someone like that. Yami had, in the end, had learned how to share in his wife's powers, and in a sense ascended. Raia hadn't done that....yet.

But the main "joys" had been her three children. Though they weren't born gods, all three had been incredible powerful since they had been in the womb. Raia smiled as she stroked Guy's back, remember when she was pregnant with Owen and Lilka. All three of her children had gained their parents' telekinesis. As such, one day Raia wakes up, 9 months pregnant...and a baby bottle was bouncing against her stomach. It took only a moment for her to release that Lilka and Owen were trying to get milk. It only got worse when the were born. She remembered days of waking up with them on her stomach, nuzzling her softly and clinging to her shirt.

"mmmm." Raia purred as Guy gently kissed her ear. There were perks to being the wife of a god.

"Go on Lilka."
Lilka looked over at Owen as he spun a Pepsi bottle on the counter. She frowned, and looked back at her friends from college waving her over. "You sure?"

Owen smiled softly. "Whom would you rather hang out with, your friends or your brother?"

"Brother" Lilka said as he finished. Owen shook his head, grinning slightly, and Lilka sighed. "You call me the instant you are bored. We're just going to a club but I will leave..."

"Go!" Owen said with a laugh. "You deserve a fun night, and you don't hang around with those girls enough. I'll hold the bar down."

Lilka smiled and stroked his shoulders. "thanks bro...I'll see you later, ok?" Owen smiled softly and Lilka ran off to hang out with the girls. Owen watched her leave, then turned back to the counter, playing with the bottle. He smiled, and closed the mental link he held with Lilka, leaving a mental equivalent of a "BRB message".

This is your night Lilka. You won the duel, beat up an idiot...have fun. Me, I'm the one who ahs to get psyched up for my duel.

Owen bite into a French fry, savoring the taste. It was one of his few guilty sins; like his father, he rarely drank, if ever, nor did he smoke or do anything sinful. Owen's only guilty pleasure was fast food and sweets.

He looked around the A & W, examining it. With all the duelists coming to Domino, it only made sense to add a few more fast food joints to the place.

"This seat taken?"

Owen looked over at the girl standing net to him, her tray in hand. He pulled it out with his left hand and motioned with his right. "Take it."

The girl smiled and sat down, adjusting her long hair so it fell over the edge of the backrest. She picked up her shake and began to drink from it, sucking the whipped contents up. "Where have I seen you before?"

Owen shrugged. "I have no idea. I remember your face....Kelli!"

Kelli Moto jumped out of her chair, startled. "What?!?"

Owen blushed. "Sorry....I just realized who you were."

Kelli frowned. "Mind clueing me in."

Owen chuckled. "Owen."

"Owe....Owen? Lysandra's cousin?" Owen nodded and Kelli stared at him, shocked. "You look so different when...."

'I'm not breaking a guy's arm?"

Kelli frowned. "Uh...I was going to when you weren't wearing your sunglasses and hat, but what you said is good and creepy."

Owen smirked. "Sorry...I guess I have a lot of stuff on my mind."

"want me to leave?" Owen shook his head. Truth was, he was glad for the company, and really glad it was someone other then his family. "So...ready for your duel tomorrow?"

Owen shrugged. "I'm not not ready, if that helps explain it." Kelli chuckled and he looked at her as she smiled. "Are you making fun of me?" He smirked, her smile warm and inviting.

"NO!" She said with a laugh, her eyes lighting up. "I was merely..."

"I know." Owen said. "What about you? You ready to duel tomorrow?" He watched the bottle spin for a moment, then snatched it and downed the contents. He paused, and then let out a breath from the side of his mouth.

Kelli nodded, the excitement visible all over her face. "I can't wait....god, I'm so jittery!"

"The wait is worse then the battle."

"Hmmm?" Kelli asked, looking up at Owen as he took a bite of his burger. He wiped his mouth with his sleeve, glad Seto wasn't around to whine about his table manner, and took another drink of pop. "Come on Owen, tell me!"

Owen glanced over. "You just a big bundle of energy, aren't you?"

"You'd be too if your mom was Rebecca."

Owen leaned back, looking at the ceiling tiles. "My grandfather use to tell us that it is worse to wait for the fight you know is coming then to actually perform it, because you either psyche yourself up too much or become depressed."

"And you think I am getting my hopes up?" Kelli asked, frowning slightly.

"You...nah. You're just antsy to duel, get it done with before you begin. Same with me...though I down go jumping around like a cartoon character before I duel."

Kelli raised an eyebrow. "So what does the great Owen Roads do when he has to wait for a duel? Meditate? Practice duel? Go over strategies? That's what my dad does. He goes over his deck to make sure it's ready. I use to catch him giving each card a pep talk when I was little, and he would let me come in and cheer the funny little monsters on too." Kelli smiled, leaning back, mimicking Owen. "My mom eats. It's funny...she gets these tubs of Ben and Jerry's and just wolfs them down, then lays on the couch and lets it "go straight to her hips" as she once said."

Owen chuckled at the images. "Well...my mom likes ice cream, but not that much...she normally would take a quick look at her deck and then practice some of the martial arts moves my grandfather taught her. Now, my dad, he's simple."

"What does he do?"

"He shoots. He takes out his guns, goes down to our target range and just blast things. He says it gets him all tired, and allows his mind the quiet it needs to think." Owen finished off the last of his fries. "You want some pie?"

Kelli smiled. "You paying?" Owen flashed a 20 and she nodded. "Cherry, if they got it, with a scoop of vanilla."

Owen waved over the waitress. "Two pies ala mode, one cherry and one apple. Keep the change." He handed her the 20. "And here is another to pay for our meals."

Kelli laughed. "Mr. Roads, are you treating me to a free dinner?"

"It would appear so." Normally, he would make a comment about how he could pay for everyone's dinner in the restaurant and not even feel the loss of the bills...but decided to leave it at that.

"Pie will be ready in a minute."

"What do you do if there is a facedown trap your first turn?"

"Expect a monster killer. Be ready, don't put your biggest gun out first. Instead, wait for them to kill a weaker monster, then attack."

Seto nodded and looked over Tressa's deck again. "That is correct."

"Or, attack with a monster that helps me out, then reborn it and summon a powerhouse. Like, get Kaiser Seahorse dead, use Monster Reborn and summon the Blue Eyes White Dragon."

Seto looked up, a smile forming on his face. "Wow." He looked over at Kenji. "what about you?"

Kenji flashed a grin. "I'd destroy the trap."

Seto frowned as Tea giggled, ruffling her son's hair. "You can't say the kid isn't smart Seto."

"a smart what is the big question." Seto replied. He looked over at Kenji again. "You could have won had you used the Blue Eyes."

Kenji sighed. His father would never give up on his love of the Red Eyes. Ever since he had been able to watch videos, Kenji had happily taken in every duel he had found. And while he marveled at the power of his father's dragon, he had been more impressed with the Red Eyes. Here was a dragon that had no chance of ever beating its brother...yet still tried to win. It was that will to win that had drawn him into collecting 3 red eyes black dragons. The Blue Eyes knew it was powerful, and everyone knew it...the Red Eyes, it needed a master that was willing to make it strong.

"I couldn't have won the championship 2 years ago with it." Kenji still remembered that. After Lilka and Owen had tied for first their very first year, he had come out and won it all against someone using a tough control deck. It had made headlines, the son of Seto taking the title his father never had: King of Games.

"Uncle Seto, "Tressa said, gently placing a hand on his knee. "Kenji just wants to prove that he isn't a winner merely because you gave him everything. Would you have liked to duel if you had to use your step-father's deck?"

Seto sighed and turned back to his deck, Kenji and Tea exchanging a look. I give them friendship speeches for 2 years, they don't listen. But she says a few words, and Seto Kaiba gives up the fight? Tea shook her head. She is magic.

"Mmm." Kelli said, finishing off the last bit of pie on her plate. She licked her lips, slid the plate away and patted her stomach. "Maybe mom has the right idea with the ice cream."

Owen drew his spoon from his lips and smiled. "Maybe she does."

Kelli looked over at him and grinned. "You never answered my question."

Owen steepled his fingers, and closed his eyes. "Well, while Lilka usually likes to curl up with a book, and Tressa likes to talk to people about anything...I am a bit eccentric."

"You? Eccentric? I can't imagine!"

Owen laughed at her sarcasm. "Fine." He stood up. "I'll show you."

Kelli raised an eyebrow. "Show me...where are we going?"

"Don't worry, it's just to this little place I know." He looked over his shoulder, and watched her grab her coat and rush to catch up with him as he held the door.