A/N: well heres part two, and it was fun to write so i hope you like it. so far nothing bad so i guess i'm doing ok. would love to hear from anyone reading this. Well enjoy.
Chapter two
Even though Yugi hadn't been the one to start the fight he was suspended for a week. Grandpa grumbled about the unfairness, but everyone in the Muto household was relieved; Yugi needed a break from that place. For the first day he just slept, not having the will to do anything else. Thankfully Airi had planned her schedule so that she would be home by noon to help grandpa with the shop and be home when Yugi got back from school. Grandpa insisted the she stay with Yugi when she was home, liking an excuse for him to be alone in the shop. He kept complaining that his grandchildren were overly protective of him.
"I'm not so old that I have to be watched all the time." he informed Airi gruffly as he staggered under a pile of boxes when she had offered to help.
So Airi spent her time in the living room so that she could hear if Yugi called. By the second day Yugi felt well enough to lie on the couch and watch TV while she did math, the one subject even with her smarts she hated. By the third day Yugi's face had gone back to its normal shape and he felt well enough to play a few duels with Airi after she finished homework.
In Duel Monsters both siblings were rather evenly matched skill wise. Airi had been in several championship tournaments before she decided that she liked the game more as a hobby. Yugi was just as if not slightly more gifted, but hadn't been in any tournaments. From what Yugi had gathered from his sister description of the competitive world, it didn't sound very glamorous. That was only from what Airi was willing to talk about. Yugi only knew that his sister had stopped dueling because it had started to ware on her. Also from Grandpa's bitter look when he talked about it (when Airi wasn't there) it had something to do with her ex-boy-friend Seto Kaiba. But other then that Yugi was in the dark. He knew that if he wanted to know all he needed to do was ask Airi, but he didn't have the courage. The last thing he wanted was to do was make his sister talk about something that hurt her.
The evening of the third day Yugi felt well enough to join the rest of the family at the table for dinner. Grandpa tried to convince Airi to let them eat in the living room again, but Airi shot that idea down.
"I'm the one who vacuums this place." she pointed out. Eating while watching Dueling Matches on TV often resulted in toppled dishes when someone pulled an incredible stunt. She had permitted eating out of the kitchen the last two days because Yugi felt more comfortable laying down and the table was lonely with out everyone there.
Grandpa would have made more of a fuss, but Yugi knew how to distract him.
"Hey Gramps, after dinner do you want to duel?"
"What kind of question is that?" Grandpa said, the competitive spark in his eyes. Airi had to preoccupy herself with placing dishes on the table so the others wouldn't see her smile. Grandpa vs. Yugi duels were way more intense then her and Yugi. She dueled Yugi to give him practice and just for fun. When Grandpa dueled it was like he was back in the championships. This meant Grandpa could get a little more crazy then he already acted. Seeing how serious he and Yugi both got would be funny if their moves weren't incredible.
The duel was just getting started when the doorbell rang. Airi went to answer it; now that the duel was in session Yugi and grandpa were to absorbed to notice anything else. Wandering who it could be at this time of night, Airi turned on the porch light before opening the door. When she saw who it was, her eyes narrowed.
Standing on the door mat, dripping from head to toe was Joey Wheeler; Well, not dripping wet. His blond hair was just starting to dry and his cloths were sufficiency damp. The wet squelched foot prints leading to the place where he was standing made it evident his had been swimming with them on. She new it was him because Yugi had pointed him out one time when she had to get him after another bully incident. Yugi had never sounded bitter towards Joey even then, but Airi was less forgiving. Compared to others, her ex-boyfriend for example, she didn't hold grudges or get angry with people very often. But with the image of how Yugi had looked when she pick him school still fresh in Airi's mind, Joey had a lot of nerve showing up here. She didn't bother masking her feelings. Eyes narrowed and arm folded, she didn't need height to be intimidating.
Joey was really wishing someone else had answered the door. If he wasn't determined to put things right between him and Yugi he probably would have fallowed his flight instinct and gotten himself as far away from this older sister as possible. He guess she was the sister, she had the same eyes as Yugi and only looked a few years older then himself. Besides that look she was giving him was exactly what he would have given someone who messed with his little sister Serenity. But understanding didn't make being the target for that look any easier.
"May I help you?" Airi said, her tone a sliver away from icy.
"I have something to return to Yugi." Joey managed to get out. The fact she was shorter then him didn't make her any less scary.
"He is busy at the moment." she snapped.
Joey couldn't tell if the was just staying this to get rid of him.
"Could you give this to him then?" he held out something.
Airi's eye's widened. In his hand was a piece of the millennium puzzle. Yugi hadn't said anything about loosing a piece. But now that she thought of it, Yugi had stopped talking about the puzzles progress. This jerk had stolen a priceless artifact and her brothers last hope in finding friends. Feeling how mad she was Joey closed his eyes, waiting for her to do something to him. Airi looked up to let him have the tong lashing of a life time, but paused. His face had an evident black eye. He must have gotten pretty beat up, too. Still she wasn't going give him pity.
"What did you have to do, swim the ocean for it?" she said, coldly.
"Does the canal count?" Joey ask, still not opening his eyes.
This confession shocked Airi. She had been joking, but he wasn't. The canals were all over Domino City and the water in them was far from clean. Joey had gone down into those canals just to get a puzzle piece? Served him right for throwing it in there in the first place, she mused. But then again he had gone to all that trouble and he was far from full health.
"Are you going to hit me or not?" Joey asked, eyes still screwed shut, his hand shaking from being out stretched so long. Airi frowned. Maybe this boy wasn't that bad, or he had changed a lot in the past few days. Still she wasn't going to let him off so easily. If he was going to apologize, he was going to do it properly.
"Take your shoes off." she finally said.
Joey's eyes snapped open.
"What?"
"If your going to come in I don't want you getting the floors wet."
"I'm . . . what?" Joey didn't comprehend what was going on.
"If your going to return this, you'll need to come in. hurry up or you'll freeze. I'm surprised you haven't already."
Finally getting that he wasn't going to die at this moment, Joey quickly removed his shoes and socks.
Airi led Joey up the stairs and told him wait in the kitchen. Back in the living room the duel full swing. Yugi's life points were almost gone and he only had his Kariboh and a face down on the field and Grandpa was sending his Summoned Skull in for a attack.
"Yugi, Joey Wheeler is here to see you."
Both Duelists looked up surprised.
"Joey?" Yugi said, frowning in confusion. Then remembering Grandpa's attack, he flipped over his face down.
"No!" Grandpa said, frustrated, "Not Mirror Force."
"That will keep you off until I get back." Yugi grinned. Airi fallowed him to the kitchen and watched from the door way as he entered.
"Hey Yugi." Joey was still looking nervous, but seemed happier that there was now someone between him and Airi.
"Hi Joey." Yugi's friendly voice did wonders to put Joey at ease.
"Man, don't you look a sight." Joey said, his old confidence back in his voice.
"You should talk."Yugi laughed. Joey joined in, remembering that he looked like a wet dog.
Airi silently slipped away, leaving the boys to themselves. Despite what had happen before, she some how knew Joey was ok. They didn't need her supervision.
Grandpa was still glaring at the playing field when she came in. He didn't even look up as she sat down on the arm of the couch across from him.
"Everything ok?" he asked.
"Just Joey returning something he borrowed." Airi said, picking up Yugi's deck so that grandpa couldn't see the top card he was reaching for.
"Come one, just one peek." Grandpa begged.
"You call yourself a champion duelist?" she froze. Her voice had sounded so much like Seto she scared herself.
Seeing her panic grandpa quickly said. "Quite right, I need to follow my own advise and trust my cards."
Airi still didn't move. "I sounded just like him." she muttered.
"I don't care if you can imitate that stuck up toad. You are nothing like that Kaiba." Grandpa told her firmly. He had never been properly introduced (Kaiba liked staying on his own turf), but he had heard reports of his character and had witnessed the changes in his granddaughter before she finally got the courage to end the relationship.
"I know." Airi didn't look up from the cards she was holding.
"It has only been a couple months, almost a year." Grandpa pointed out. "Everyone we know in our lives becomes a influence on how we act. I know you better than anyone except Yugi and I can tell you honestly, you Airi are no Seto Kaiba. Give yourself some time."
Airi nodded. Her break up with Seto Kaiba had been necessary, but it haunted her how much had rubbed off on her.
Her thoughts were interrupted by Yugi coming back. She quickly hid her emotions. Unlike Yugi she could be very good at deceiving.
'Another trait learned from Seto'. she thought bitterly.
"That didn't take very long." Grandpa said as a smiling Yugi sat back down opposite him.
"Joey said he would come back tomorrow, when he wasn't as wet." Yugi said. he reached for his cards, but they weren't there. Yugi looked puzzled, but then held out a hand towards Airi. Both younger Muto's exchanged a look as she handed back his cards.
"Not again." Yugi sighed.
"What was that for?" Grandpa said.
Airi and Yugi bust out laughing.
"Alright enough jokes." Grandpa huffed, "Lets get back to the duel already."
"Wait, I better put the piece away."
"I'll do it." Airi offered. Putting off the duel any longer would really tick Grandpa off.
Airi placed the piece on the desk. She didn't leave right away. She just stood there looking at the gold eye. Had the strange voice she heard been right? She didn't want to 'count her cards before she drew' as Grandpa would have said, but Joey showing up like this might be the start of better luck for Yugi.
"Thank you." she said to the gold eye looking up at her.
Hearing Yugi calling out an attack by the Dark Magician snapped her back to reality. Not wanting to miss what sounded like one of Yugi's comeback, Airi hurried from the room.
She missed the gold eye flashing a bling of light, almost like the lidless eyes was winking a 'Your welcome'.
A/N: ta da, Airi is Kaiba's ex-girl-friend, another reason why he dislikes the Muto's so much. Now if anyone is reading this i have a favor to ask. if there are any places in the siries where you think it would be fun to have Airi show up please menshion it in a reveiw or message me. should have the next part soon. Thanks for reading! :)
