Wow i made it to chapter 10, DANCE PARTY! ok never mind.

Thank you everyone who answered my plea for help at the end of the last chapter and everyone who reviewed. I LOVE READING REVIEWS! :) thank you so much!

mostly this chapter is an intrduction to things and a proof that insperation can come from your most boaring class. speacial thanks to my Natural Reasorses class for giving the deffinition of ecology, which lead to my favorite Joey line in this chapter.

Anyway, enjoy.

Chapter 10

Since Yugi had been excused from school for a week anyway he took advantage of being home. Even if Gramps kept insisting that he didn't need any help in the shop, both his grand kids spent all their time in the game shop. Even if they weren't busy all the time, it was a chance for the family to spend together. Yami even came out a couple times, mostly when grandpa went up stairs for a short 'rest', which often lasted a few hours. His excuse for only coming out then was so that he wouldn't distract them with the mind link. He often would stand behind the Yugi when he was minding the counter, trying figure out how a 'cash register' and a 'account book' worked. Both Yugi and Airi did their best to explain, but in the end it worked better if he just watched them working. Yami seemed to loosen up slightly when when it was just the three of them, but he would fade as soon as Yugi's friends showed up. His excise was that Yugi should be with his friends.

Yugi's friends unfortunately didn't have the stay home option. Taking off for a tournament with only a note of explanation didn't sit well with their parents. Though Joey, Tristan, and Tea were all able to convince them that it had been for a good cause, each of their parents decided they would still have to go to school for the rest of the week. Luckily they were allowed to come over to the game shop after school to do homework. Airi joined them, but since she wasn't in the same academic class with them it felt rather like an outsider. She liked Yugi's friends and she did enjoy talking to Tea, mostly in the kitchen when the two needed to get away from the the guys. Even so she could still tell there was a gap.

It was Sunday night. Yugi was already asleep. Yami was laying on the floor in his puzzle, glaring up at the ceiling. He didn't feel like resting. He wasn't even sure if he could even truly rest. He had walked up and down his maze of passages for longer than he could remember, and had found most of the passages, even if they did look all alike. He had to admit it. He was bored, which had never happened before. Yugi had had trouble getting to sleep a few nights back and he and Yami had stayed up talking. But tonight Yugi was asleep and he needed his rest if he was going to start school again tomorrow. Seeing that staring at the maze above him wasn't making him feel any better, Yami sat up. It must be late. Yugi must have been asleep for several hours by now. He detached himself to look at Yugi's bedside clock. It was only 10:00. it had only been half an hour since Yugi had fallen asleep. Yami had to keep himself from groaning out loud. It would be another 9 hours before Yugi woke up. It hadn't been this bad when he was just a presence in Yugi's mind, but now that the two of them were friends Yami could really feel a difference.

An idea came to him. He could see how far away he could get from his puzzle. He knew he could detach, but he never really knew how far he could walk from it. No one was awake, and grandpa couldn't see him anyway. Silently Yami walked out of the room. He paused when he got to the bottom of the steps that lead to the attic room. Turn left and he would go towards the main part of the house and the shop. Right and he would go towards the other bedrooms. He turned left. He only got to the doorway of the living room before he had to stop. He put his hand up to push the invisible barrier, but still he couldn't get any farther. Ok, so now the other way. He walk back to the foot of the steps, mentally measuring the distance. Back at the stairs he paused, eying the distance he had just traveled. Then he turned and looked down the right side of the hall way. From what could gather, he should be able to get to that one door until he was stopped. He started down. When he got to the door closed door, a large snore from grandpa erupted. Yami quietly laughed. It was amazing anyone could sleep during this.

"Loud isn't he?"

Yami looked up, to see Airi in her dressing gown standing in the door way of the door slightly farther down the hall.

"Airi. I'm sorry if I disturbed you." Yami said, taking a few steps towards her.

"Don't worry about it. I was reading and didn't see the time. I was going to get a drink. What are you doing?"

"I was just seeing how far I could travel from my puzzle. I didn't think anyone was awake." Yami suddenly realized that he was farther then his estimated point. He looked back. He couldn't have over calculated.

"Is something wrong?" Airi asked, seeing his look of puzzlement, if it was possible for him to ever look puzzled.

"I just, I though that my range of motion was less then this."

"How far could you go in the other way?"

"To the living room."

"hmm." Airi walked to where he was standing. She looked down the hall, frowning slightly as she eyed the distance. "It looks like you should have stopped being able to move forward at grandpa's door." she said, looking up at him, he was slightly taller then her.

"That's what I thought."

"But then how are you able to be almost to my room?"

"I'm not all knowing."

"No, really?" she said, giving him a wide eyed look.

Yami couldn't help smiling. Then he frowned slightly.

"Figure it out?"

"Maybe." he turned and started to walk towards her room. He hit the barrier after only a few steps. "I think it has something to do with you."

"Me?" she frowned. "Do you think this is another thing to do with the Millennium Puzzle?"

"It make sense. You and I can hear each others thoughts when wanted and your the only other person besides Yugi who can see or hear me when I'm detached from the puzzle." Airi caught the slight hint of loneliness in his voice.

"It is rather gloomy after dark around here." she commented, looking around the dark hall way. "Would you mind walking with me to the kitchen?"

"If you would like me to."

They walked together down the hallway. They passed the living room with out Yami feeling any resistance. His theory must be correct.

They sat an the kitchen table, not really talking about anything in particular.

"So why are you wandering around like a ghost?" Airi finally asked.

"Is there any other way I can wander around?" he said, raising his eyebrows.

"Ok, bad choice of words on my part." she admitted, laughing. "It's just, I've never see you out of the puzzle without Yugi close by."

"Yugi needs his sleep. And being in my puzzle wasn't very interesting."

"You got bored?"

"Yes."

Airi took a sip of water.

"You don't like being alone but when your others are around you disappear. A little inconsistent." seeing the look on his face she went red. "Sorry Yami. I didn't mean that to sound bad. I just was, well, just making a statement."

He smiled sadly.

"I'm not offended, Airi. I'm only sorry that what you say is the truth. I'm sorry if I make you or Yugi think I'm shunning both of you. The truth is, I don't want to be in the way."

"Don't take this the wrong way, but it is rather hard to trip over you."

Yami stared at her. Then he started laughing. Airi blinked. She had never heard him laugh out right before.

"I didn't think it was that funny." she said, turning redder.

"Sorry." Yami finally managed to speak. He saw she was staring at him. "Is something wrong?"

"It's just never heard you laugh before." said said, and she liked hearing it, too.

"I hope I didn't wake Yugi up." Yami looked towards the door way.

"He would have shown up by now if you had. And don't worry about grandpa, he could sleep through the end of the world."

Yami chuckled at that, then he went serious again.

"So I act like I'm too good for them something?"

"Not really. I just think some people could interpret it like you though they were acting to young and immature for you. Come to think of it, how old are you?"

Yami didn't look up from glaring at the table top.

"I don't know."

"What?"

"I don't know how old I am." he clarified. Now that he thought of it, the furthest back her could remember was when Yugi started putting his puzzle together, and even that was faint.

"Well, I guess being stuck in a bunch of gold pieces would make you loose track of time." she said, quickly, seeing that this was upsetting him. "Lets see." she stared at him carefully, frowning in concentration. "You don't look to much older that me."

"But I'm still older."

"Are you calling me old?"

"No, that's not what I meant." Yami stopped trying to explain himself when he saw she was laughing. He liked hearing her laugh as well.

"I'm teasing Yami." she said, still laughing.

"I don't know why your so nosy. I see that you don't really seem comfortable hanging out with them either." Yami said, a little annoyed.

Airi looked down at the table, not saying anything.

"Airi I apologize, it wasn't my place to say those things." Yami said, scared he had really offended her.

"Its alright, Yami. I guess we are both guilty." she said, looking up as she spoke. "I'm not that good at hanging out with people my age. Yugi was always my best friend, but he's also my brother so I guess a lot of people wouldn't count that. The only friend I ever had who was my age was Seto, and that didn't exactly end well." She gripped her glass tightly. "Needless to say, I didn't get much chance for socialization when I was with him. After we broke up, I didn't really feel like letting anyone else in. Yugi's friends have been the closest thing to friends I've had in a long time." Seeing his sad face, she smiled, hoping to make him feel better. "and even then I can tell that it isn't the same. I guess we are kind of in the same boat?"

"Boat?"

"I mean that we kind of are on the out skirts of the group, with Yugi our only link in."

"My only link in." Yami corrected, but not harshly. "You can interact with them all the time. Only if Yugi lets me take control can I interact with the others."

"Yugi would let you if you asked him. Your his friend, and if your Yugi's friend, then the others are your friend too."

"I know. But it is his life. I know they acknowledge my existence, but they are still Yugi's friends."

Airi was silent, looking at her glass intently.

"Yami, would you call us friends?"

Yami looked up, his red eyes questioning.

"I'm asking if you consider me your friend?" she was looking at him now, Violet eyes not leaving his face.

He wasn't sure what to say.

"Because, you're my friend."

Yami looked her right in the eye. He could tell that she meant it.

"I consider you my friend as well." he told her, also being completely honest.

"Friends then." she held her hand out across the table. Yami nodded, smiling as he shook it.

"This means you can't just go sneaking off just because the others are around."

"Wont it look odd of you're talking to yourself all the time?"

"Why do you think we have this?" she said over the mind link, grinning at him.

He laughed again.

"Alright, I'll try not to."

Out side of the kitchen, Yugi stood listening. He had heard the two of them and had sneaked down to see what was going on. He had tried to get Yami to be with his group of friends, but the spirit just didn't want to intrude into Yugi's life any more then he had to. He felt guilty leaving Yami out of things, he was one his best friends. At least now Yami had another friend besides him.

Yami sensed him standing outside. Seeing the questioning look on Airi's face, he indicated Yugi's hiding place with his thumb. Airi frowned, then smiled as she realized what he was telling her.

"You can come out, Yugi." she said.

"Not fair." he said coming out into the open.

"You should be asleep."

"I'm sorry we woke you." Yami said.

"Its ok." Yugi went over and stood by Yami. "I'm sorry if I've been keeping you out of . . ."

Knowing what he was going to say, Yami held up a hand.

"Yugi, you are my friend and your friends are also. But all of you deserve to have fun together without me getting in the way." he shot a glance at Airi, who couldn't help blushing again. "I really don't mind."

"I glad to know now you wont be disappearing all the time." Yugi said, cheering up.

"Well I want both of you to 'disappear' up into your room." Airi announced, standing. "We all need some sleep."

"Ok." Yugi gave her a hug. "Thanks sis." he whispered, so that Yami couldn't hear.

She smiled and squeezed him tighter.

"Good night, Airi." Yami said, rising from his chair. "Thank your for talking."

"No problem, glad I could help."

When they were up in his room, Yugi turned to his friend.

"Do you feel better?"

Yami paused, considering.

"Yes." he answered.

"Airi is great at that."

"Yes she is."


It was good to be able to get back to normal things like homework. But that didn't mean that the work got any easier. Later that week was another homework party at the Muto's, though the concentration scowls on all of their faces it seemed less like a party and more like an actual test.

"Will you pay attention!" Tea screeched at the boys. Joey and Tristan had some how ended up under the table and were playing hangman. Yugi was on the couch hanging over the edge watching them.

"We are." Joey informed her.

"By playing word games under the table. That will really go over well in biology."

"For your information, we are using vocabulary words." Tristan said, adding the final leg.

"Well that's the end." Yugi said.

"No it isn't." Joey said.. "I still have one more chance. I still have the jacket left."

"The jacket?" Airi looked up from the work sheet she was filling out. Yami was standing behind her and they had been 'talking' until the odd comment from Joey made them look up.

"Yeah, you can't end until all of him is there?"

"Wait, what version of hangman are you playing?" Tea demanded.

"Hang Kaiba of course. I still have that stupid cape thing his has before it is over."

Everyone jumped as Airi burst out laughing. She was laughing so hard the tears came. After the first shock everyone else joined in. even Tea could help it. Yami, though he didn't laugh our right, smiled as he shook his head. Joey and Tristan could come up with the most ridiculous things.

"What is going on in here?" Grandpa's poked in from the door way. "I could hear you all in the shop."

"Sorry Gramps." Yugi said, still grinning. He didn't think making fun of Kaiba was very nice, but he couldn't help laughing with the others.

"Well keep it down, or come down so I can enjoy it with you." Grandpa disappeared again.

"Can we get back to studying." Tea said, getting back to business.

"We told you we are." Tristan held up his note book, which they were using as the stick Kaiba's execution ground. "This is one of the words from the study guide. It isn't my fault Joey can't figure it out."

"Look who's talking." Joey said, indignantly. "you were the one who couldn't guess Tilapia. I even gave you hints."

"How was I supposed to know that it was a fish."

"What is this word?" Tea said, getting off he chair and getting on the floor by them.

"So far they have E._.O.L.O.G.Y." Yugi said pointing.

"Can't figure out what it is." Joey said, indicating all the previous tries.

"Ecology." Tea said.

"How did ya know?"

"It's obvious, Nimrod." she said.

"Ha, you loose." Tristan said, drawing a very bad rendition of Kaiba's long jacket.

"Alright, now what does it mean?" Tea said.

All three boys looked blank.

"Uh, your going to tell us, right?" Tristan said.

"Why do even bother studying with you guys?" Tea shook her head.

"Because were ya friends and ya like us." Joey said, trying puppy eyes.

"Sorry Tea." Yugi said. "I guess we aren't the best study partners."

"It's ok Yugi." she said, smiling at him. "You guys really aren't but I would get bored if I did this at my house and then I wouldn't get anything done."

"So are you going to tell us the answer or not?" Tristan said.

"Ecology means 'the study of the relationship between two organisms'." Tea said, reading her notes.

"Why would we care about a germs love life?" Joey said.

That made Yugi and Airi burst our laughing again.

"Never mind, just learn it." Tea said, rolling her eyes, but smiling anyway.

Airi shook her head. She finished off her work sheet and put it aside, stood and stretched.

"I'm going to see how grandpa is doing." she told them.

Gramps was checking inventory.

"Need to get some more starter decks, can't seem to have enough. Ever since Duelist Kingdom dueling seemed to have had an awakening."

"Guess kids are starting to look at dueling as cool now. Of course Yugi will deny his spectacular win help with this." Airi said, looking over his shoulder. "he seemed to forget that he is the King of Games."

"Probably a good thing." Gramps said. "All that fame might get to his head."

"Gramps, this is Yugi we're talking about."

"I guess your right."

Both laughed.

"It's really dark for afternoon." Airi commented, looking out the glass door at the rain.

"Quite a storm." Grandpa agreed, still looking at the paper in front of him. "Haven't had that many people for that reason."

As soon as he had said it the door opened. Leaning against the door frame, dripping wet, was Mokuba Kaiba.

"Mokuba?" Airi was to him in a second, pulling him completely inside. "What are you doing here?"

"Help me, please." he said, out of breath. "Airi, . . .you've . . .got to . . . help me."

"Whats going . . . Mokuba?" Yugi said. He had felt his sisters shock and worry had come down to see, Yami and the others right behind him.

"Yugi," Mokuba gasped out. "Please help me."

"What is it?" Airi said, putting her hands on Mokuba's shoulders. "what's the matter?"

"Seto." Mokuba started to get a hold of his breathing.

"What about Seto?"

"Oh, Airi." Mokuba through his arms around her, trembling. "They've trapped him and he can't get out."

"Seto's trapped?" Airi, though she still didn't like him, felt herself chill go cold. "By who?"

"The Big Five."

That really got Airi's attention.

"Come on." she said kindly, standing up, arms still around him. "Lets go upstairs and you can tell us what happened."

As she lead him upstairs Yugi picked up something that landed on the floor. It seemed to be a rectangle in Mokuba's bandana. It had been tucked up his sweater and hand fallen out when he had hugged Airi. As he picked it up, the turquoise cloth fell off. Yugi's eyes widened as he saw he was holding Kaiba's deck. Things must be bad.

Once Mokuba had been dried off and been given a hot drink the story came out. The Big Five, after having been gone for almost a week, had finally shown back up. They had put on a whole front about being fooled by Pegasus and how they were still loyal to Seto. They had even told him that his new gaming pod was ready. It was a new game had come up with which transported the players into a virtual world. Airi remembered that Seto had started work on it soon after he had become the president of the company. Once he heard that Seto, though still not convinced by their story, was to intent on seeing his new game he hadn't thought it through.

'idiot.' Airi though. 'who goes walking into a game their enemy has finished for them.'

"And once he was in I found out the program had been rewritten. Those creep changed it. And now he is trapped in that game with no way out. I managed to get his deck and escape before they came to get me." Mokuba finished. He turned to look at Yugi and Airi, who were both sitting on either side of him. "You will help him, wont you?"

"Of course we will." Yugi said.

"We're what?" Joey said. "Yugi, your just going to go running off to help that jerk?"

"If you don't want to help, I'm not asking you." Mokuba said, eyes flashing at the insult towards his brother.

"Airi, are you going to help?" Tea asked.

Airi looked at the floor, considering the situation.

"Seto may be a jerk, and his ego may be unbearable sometimes, but he was my friend and Mokuba came to us." She looked up. "Me and Yugi will go and get him out. You guys don't have to come."

"Don't you two get thick headed." Joey said. "Of course were coming with you."

"Yeah, Kaiba doesn't deserve that." Tristan said, glancing in direction of the couch where his note book with the Hanging Kaiba had been kicked under.

"We're in this together." Tea said.

The group left soon after, huddled under umbrellas, heading for the direction of Kaiba Land. Seto had some old pods from when he had first started to design his new virtual technology. They were in his old lab. Seto had created the lab in some old KaibaCorp building, mostly a refuge from his demanding step father. These building had become Kaiba Land.

They all stood in front of the gates.

"So do we ring the doorbell?" Tristan said.

"Not funny Tristan." Tea informed him, wanting to get out of the rain as fast as possible.

"I guess we can climb over. See, just use the bars." Mokuba said. He tried to demonstrate, but they were too slick with the rain.

"Now what?" Joey asked.

"Aren't you guys coming?" Airi said, from the other side of the fence, Yugi standing next to her.

"How?" Everyone was staring at them.

"Come on guys. Give me some credit for being the ex-girl friend." she said. She indicated a part of the wall that had been hallowed out, creating a passage way inside. "I was the only other person in the world beside Seto who knows about this. His way of weeding out unwanted callers."

"How come I didn't know about this?" Mokuba demanded.

"By the time he would have told you, he had KaibaCorp. Why come back to this old place?"

"But this needs a key and I'm sure they would have shut down all ways in." Mokuba said as he climbed through after the others.

"It's on a separated security system." Airi said simply, as the passage closed. 'I guess Seto never suspected I would brake into his old lab.' she thought, slipping a silver rectangle into her pocket. 'must be why my locket still works.'

The old lab was still connected to the power source, much to Airi and Mokuba's surprise

"That means they will know we are here when we start up the system." Mokuba said, setting up the computers.

"They probably already knew were coming." Yugi said, eying the pods with interest.

"Who is going in?" Joey said, looking around at the four available pods.

"I am. I need to give my brother his deck." Mokuba said, holding up the cards.

"I'm going." Yugi said.

"Then I'm in." Joey said.

"I'm going." Airi said.

"Are you sure? Wont Kaiba freak when he see's you?" Tea said.

"Then I want to see his face." Airi said, going over to one of the pods. "Besides, even though he let me suggest things he would never let me anywhere his precocious new project. I want to see how he did."

Mokuba instructed Tristan and Tea on how to work the controls.

"Everyone, insert your deck into the digital Card reader." a little slot opened and the rescue team put their cards inside.

"Ok, here we go." Joey said.

"Be careful." Tea said, worried.

"Don't worry, Tea. We'll be back in no time." Yugi reassured her.

Airi leaned back, closing her eyes, not sure what to expect.

"Ok, good luck you guys."

Tristan through the switch.

A/N: yes i am stoping it there. mostly because i have to figure out how to rewrite all of Legindary Hero's. what did i get myself into. anyway, any ideas or requests of what you would like to see in the next chapter i would like to hear them. oh, great, now i have to deside if she gets zapped by the big five or not. what did i get myself into. :(

well it will be fun not matter what.

Anyway, hope you like this chapter. PLEASE REVIEW!