The End of the Insanity...Or Maybe Not!

"I have an idea!" Bakura exclaimed. "Why don't we pour water on her face?"

"Nah, that's a dirty trick," Malik replied

John smirked. "Exactly."

Yami sighed, sweatdropping. "Why don't we just wait until she wakes up?"

Terrance groaned. "But that'll take forever—and I'm starving!"

"Terrance!" everyone exclaimed.

"…What?"

We were all sitting in the living room, discussing ways to wake Terra up from her faint, which she'd been in for the past fifteen minutes.

"I have an idea."

We jumped. Kaiba had been off doing his own thing ever since completing his duel with Terra, and we hadn't heard him come back.

"And what's your idea?" Malik asked suspiciously.

Kaiba rolled his eyes. "Just move over."

He crept over to Terra, and whispered in her ear; "Hey…do I see a CSI DVD that you don't have?"

Terra leapt to her feet, looking wildly around. "Where?" The whole room collapsed into laughter.

Kaiba crossed his arms, smirking at her. "What do you mean, where? You already have every movie you can get your hands on—I wouldn't be surprised if you had up-and-coming episodes on pre-order!"

That just made us laugh even harder. Terra shot Kaiba a venomous glare, and looked at her watch. "It's almost noon! Daaang—that's almost twenty-four hours straight spent in this madhouse!"

Mikey looked at her watch. "She's right—it's already eleven forty-five. I've got to go."

"But guys!" Merekai whined.

Jane sighed. "Merekai, you can not tell us that twenty-four hours wasn't enough."

Merekai pouted. "No, it's not! I haven't even introduced you to Blueberry Waffles yet!"

Dean and Dustil looked at each other. "I'm outta here!"

John grinned as everyone except Bakura collected their things, preparing to leave. "This was fun—maybe we could do it again sometime."

"Maybe," everyone said at the same time.

I sighed. "I've got to put everyone's illusions back on, so come over here."

All the characters approached, and I raised my hand. "Dissimulo!" All the illusions flickered to life—except Jonouchi's. I'd forgotten that he didn't have one.

"Uh…yeah. Everyone better stand back while I give Jonouchi his illusion thingy."

Jonouchi fidgeted nervously, stepping forward. I read off the illusion incantation, envisioning Jonouchi's new body. As before, there was a blinding flash of white light, and when it faded, Jonouchi looked different from his original form.

His shaggy blond hair was longer in the back, and more of a sandy brown. His eyes were a little sharper. His body was lank and skinny—you could see his wrist bones.

"Oy!" Jonouchi exclaimed. "What's da big deal! How come I gotta look like a stick!"

I sweatdropped. "Look at it this way, Jonouchi—you have more room to fill up when you eat."

Jonouchi's eyes brightened, and I immediately knew that I should have kept my mouth shut.

Terrance grinned at him. "C'mon, blondy boy—let's get to my place."

Jonouchi looked uneasily at him. "Uh…how 'bout I go wit Mikey, eh?"

Mikey nodded. "Fine with me—I'm done packing now, anyway. Let's go." The two of them walked out John's front door. Terrance followed, grumbling.

Merekai, Ryou, and Jane were next to leave. The two girls were giggling at something, and Ryou was staring between them like they were insane.

Dustil, Malik, and Dean shot each other exasperated glances, before heading out the door as well.

Kaiba sighed as he and Terra finished packing up their things. "Oh, well…over the river and through the woods, to madwoman's house we—OWW! Hey, what the—!"

Terra had grabbed him by the ear, and was pinching it tightly. "Let's go," she growled, yanking him along.

He winced. "All right, all right! Just let go!"

"Uh, let me think about that…no!"

We didn't hear anything else from them, because the door slammed shut.

As soon as it did, the five of us that remained collapsed into laughter.

After about four minutes straight of laughing my head off, I stopped for air. "All right, we'd better go home now—see you all later."

John blinked. "Wait a sec—I know this has nothing to do with anything, but what day is today?"

Bakura glanced at the calendar on the wall. "Tuesday, July tenth," he replied promptly.

John looked at me. "So, that would mean these guys came to this world on…July seventh!" He clapped a hand to his forehead. "I knew I was forgetting something! Miriku, your birthday was on the sixth, right?"

I blushed. "You don't need to worry about it, John—I didn't even get to have a party, anyway! …As usual."

John shrugged. "I'm still getting you a present."

"If you really want to…" I stood up and headed towards the door, Yuugi and Yami in my wake. "See ya."

I collapsed back onto my couch, relieved to be home. That toga party had been…well, crazy. Of course.

I jumped when my phone rang. Who is it now? I thought, picking it up.

"Hello?"

"Miriku! This is so cool!"

"…Terra?"

"Yeah! You know Shining Starr—that karaoke bar down in Homestead that we always go to?"

"Yeah…"

"The one we go to so often that everybody knows who we are?"

"Yeah…"

"Well, it's moving! Here! To Cutler Bay!"

I could have sworn I heard Kaiba groan in the background, "Are you still on about that?", and then yelp as Terra hit him.

My eyes widened. Shining Starr was, like Terra had said, a karaoke bar for kids and teens. Of course, it wasn't a real bar, but it was built like one—and it had a stage for people to go up and sing on. You could also rent out a small, private, soundproofed room for a dollar an hour, and sing to you heart's content where no one could hear you.

"No way!" I exclaimed. "I have got to tell everyone else!"

Terra laughed. "Well, everyone who likes the place, anyway. Ja ne!" There was a click as she hung up.

"Who was it?" Yuugi asked curiously, as he and Yami peered out from the hall.

"Terra—and she had the coolest news! Our favorite karaoke bar is moving up here from Homestead!"

"A karaoke bar, hmm?" Yami murmured thoughtfully.

Yuugi grinned. "Sounds like fun!"

I rolled my eyes. "Of course it's fun! It's a karaoke bar, for goodness' sake!"

On that note, I picked up the phone and began to call more people—more being Dean, Merekai, Dustil, and John. As per John's idea (Omigosh! John had an idea that didn't involve pranking someone! What is the world coming to?), I also called Mikey and explained to her the whole karaoke thing.

"A karaoke bar? …Cool! Are we going to go?"

I laughed. "Of course we are! Just…not today. First off, it's not even open yet. Second, I think we've already had enough insanity for a little while, don't you?"

Mikey sighed. "I guess you're right."

Suddenly, there was a loud crash from the rec room that sent a tremor through the whole apartment, and a shout of pain.

"MIRIKU-SAN!" Yuugi's panicked voice shouted. "HELP!"

I hung up on Mikey, ran as fast as I could to the rec room—and froze. My whole bookshelf had toppled over. It was now laying almost flat on the floor, everything that had been on or in front of it crushed beneath forty pounds of solid oak.

And that everything included Yami.

Yuugi was scrabbling frantically at the edge of the bookshelf, where Yami's hand protruded from the mess of paper and books. "Help me, Miriku!" His voice was frantic.

"Move over!" I exploded, grabbing the edge of the bookshelf. Yuugi ran over to the other side and did the same.

Slowly, we managed to lift the bookshelf—too slowly. Even after six minutes of pulling and shoving, we'd only managed to lift it about a foot. Yami was completely still.

"Hurry, Yuugi—get him out from under there! We can't lift this thing any farther!"

I braced my shoulder against the bookshelf. Quick as a flash, Yuugi snaked his hand underneath it, yanking Yami out by the arm. I let the bookshelf fall back to the floor with a thud, and bent over to examine Yami.

He was obviously unconscious. Bruises were forming on all visible parts of his body—i.e., his arms and face. A long cut ran from the corner of his right eye to just below his lip, bleeding sluggishly. His left wrist was twisted at an odd angle.

I scooped him up and ran to the living room, depositing him gently on the couch. "Go to the bathroom and bring me the blue bag," I snapped at Yuugi. He darted away.

I ran my fingers along Yami's wrist, and grimaced. It was fractured—nothing time and a makeshift splint couldn't fix.

Yuugi tapped on my arm, and held out the bag. It was navy blue, with a red cross on it.

I dug into the bag, pulling out a long roll of bandages. "Come here, and hold Yami's wrist—like this."

Yuugi winced as Yami's wrist popped. "What are you doing?" he asked, horrified.

"Trying to get his wrist bones back in place," I explained patiently. "Now get over here and hold them so I can wrap them up!"

Yuugi complied, grimacing. "Will it hurt when he wakes up?"

I snorted, wrapping the linen as tight as it would go around Yami's wrist. "Hell yeah it'll hurt—trust me. I got a fractured wrist when I was six." I tied off the linen, and reached for a bottle of disinfectant for the cut. "What happened, anyway?"

Yuugi sighed. "Yami was trying to pull out one of the books on the bottom shelf—the one on the far left."

I nearly dropped the bottle. "What was it called?"

Yuugi closed his eyes for a moment. "Ano…I think it was…'The Monster Book of Questions and Answers'…? Hai, that was it. A big blue book."

I clapped a hand to my forehead. "I was using that book to help keep it standing! If you take that book out, the whole bookshelf sags over—and with the weight of all those books, it's no wonder it collapsed!"

Yuugi watched me anxiously. "Shouldn't we take him to a hospital?"

"No—that wouldn't be a very good idea."

"But why not?" I heard the rising panic in his voice.

I turned around and grabbed him by the shoulders. "Calm down, Yuugi. Think. We can't take him to a hospital—they'll want to see his birth records. And he doesn't have any birth records—not even in ancient Egypt. Not in my world."

Yuugi nodded slowly. "You're right…"

"I know." I turned back to Yami, and picked up the bottle of disinfectant and the cotton swab again.

At that moment, someone began to pound on the door. "MIRIKU!" Terra roared.

"Get the door, Yuugi," I snapped. Yuugi darted over to the door, and returned in seconds with Mikey and Terra.

Terra froze, and then ran up to me. "Miriku, what happened here!"

"My bookshelf collapsed," I replied, pressing a clean cloth against the cut to slow the flow of blood out of the cut. "He tried to pull out the support book—the 'Monster Book of Questions and Answers'."

"Oh."

"Where are Jonouchi and Kaiba?"

"Still at the house. Well, Kaiba's still at my house and Jonouchi's still at Mikey's."

I glanced up at them. "How did you know something was wrong?"

Mikey stepped forward. "I can answer that. You see…"

Flashback

Mikey POV

I heard a loud crash on the other end of the line, and Yuugi calling for help. The line went dead—Miriku must have hung up.

I froze, not knowing what to do. Something must have been very wrong for her to just hang up like that.

Jonouchi looked at me. "What's da problem?"

"I think something's happened at Miriku's place!"

Jonouchi's eyes widened. "Well, whattaya waitin' for? We gotta go an' help 'em!"

"But I don't know where she lives!" I wailed, wringing my hands.

Jonouchi rolled his eyes. "Den call someone who does!"

I hadn't even thought of that. I dove into my pocket, pulled out Terra's number, and dialed.

"Hello?"

"Terra!"

"…Mikey?"

"Terra, I think something's gone wrong with Miriku!" I quickly explained to her what I had heard over the phone.

"What the—all right, we need to get over there, fast!"

"But what about the others? Don't you think we should—"

"There's no time!" Terra snapped. "If they're in trouble, we need to get there as fast as possible. Tell Jonouchi to stay put—I'll come and pick you up ASAP. Wait outside." There was a click as she hung up.

"Where are ya goin'?" Jonouchi asked curiously.

"To wait for Terra," I replied shortly. "Stay here, and don't eat everything."

Before he could respond, I stepped out the front door. Not two minutes after I did, there was a loud roar, and Terra zoomed up on a motor scooter.

She tossed me a helmet, lifting the visor of her own. "Hop on!" she shouted over the noise of the scooter, patting the seat behind her. I slid onto the seat, quickly donning the helmet.

"Hold on tight!" Terra advised, before flipping down her visor and hitting the throttle.

End Flashback

Miriku POV

"…And you know the rest of it," Mikey finished. "We got here, the manager agreed to watch the scooter and helmets, and we came up here."

By this time, Yami's cut had stopped bleeding, and a scab was starting to form. I had pulled off Yami's shirt, shoes, and socks, rolled his pants up to the knees, and was rubbing a poultice on his bruises. "Well, as you can see, I've got it mostly under control—but thanks for your concern. Both of you."

"Is there any way we can help?" Terra asked.

I nodded. "You can help Yuugi pick up the bookshelf while I finish up in here."

The two girls nodded, and went off with Yuugi to the rec room.

I watched them go, and gave my head a little shake. Is it me, or is this starting to get a little too dangerous…?

It was at that moment Yami groaned, and I turned my attention back to the business at hand.

Yami's eyes fluttered open, and he groaned again. "Oh, my head…" His voice was raspy. "Where am I?"

I laughed—a little hysterically, I have to admit, but only because I was relieved he was awake. "Not trapped under a forty-pound bookshelf, which you really ought to be thankful for."

He tried to sit up, and hissed in pain. "My wrist—"

"Is fractured," I completed. "You need to take it easy for a while—you're bruised all over the place."

Yami glanced down at his bare chest, and grinned ruefully. "I suppose I am."

He blinked, looking around. "Everything's so blurry—is that supposed to happen?"

I shrugged. "How should I know? I've never had a bookshelf fall on me!" Yami tried to laugh, but ended up gasping in pain.

I looked gravely at him. "Don't exert yourself too much—in fact, just stay here on the couch for a while. Lie down and rest. I've got to go help fix the bookshelf."

OooO

Yami POV

I watched her walk away, rolling up her sleeves in the process. I then lay back down on the couch, staring at my bound wrist.

Miriku was a jack of all trades, if I ever saw one. She could cook; she could write; she could read; she could talk anyone into anything. And now, she also appeared to be a professional nurse.

This girl got more interesting by the day.

Where does she learn so much about everything…? I wondered drowsily.

Because she is special. As are they all.

I jerked my head up—and winced as pain lanced through my chest. "Who's there?" I whispered.

I heard a soft laugh. An old friend, O mighty pharaoh. The voice was full of friendly sarcasm.

My eyes widened. "It can't be—"

You have guessed it. Do not name me aloud, though, for I am not who you remember. Not yet. The arrival of yourself and your friends has awakened me—but for now, my powers lie dormant. You cannot reveal me, or the others, else all be lost.

I bowed my head. "Yes, Mistress…"

She laughed. Do not call me Mistress. It implies inferiority. You are inferior to no one, nor are you superior to them.

I nodded. "I understand."

Then all is well. Goodbye, Atemu—Yami. Goodbye for now.

I felt a presence retreating from the room, and smiled softly.

Goodbye for now…Kimiru, daughter of Bastet…