Author's Note: 'Ello~! ^^' How are you guys? Oh man...who likes math? O_O I certainly don't. It's a pain in my bahookie. xD But it's a pretty cool subject, I'll have to admit; at times though. xD Anyway, hope you like this chapter. ^^ Thanks for opening the link to it! x'D

Sarah realizes something important.

Disclaimer!: Fanfiction, and I do NOT get any money out of it either. Thanks. ^^

Battle City-New Evil Emerges, Old Friends Reunite Chapter 16

I was lying awake at 3 am, with my arms behind my head and my eyes staring up at the ceiling in a glassy thought. I had that dream again. The one of the Battle of the Nile. Again, I witnessed the opposing man's hateful words to the Pharaoh. Again, I witnessed me using myself as the shield. Again, I felt the piercing pain in my abdomen where the arrow struck, sinking deeper through my body with every passing minute. It was painful, having to watch that memory, like a horror film, all over again. But instead of feeling the horror or pain, I had a strange feeling about it all. I didn't know what though and it was bothering me. There was a voice in the back of my mind, nagging me irritably about something, but I can't seem to figure out what it is.

The whole reason I wasn't going back to sleep in the first place was because both the nagging and a realized thought were aggravating me to no end. I don't know what the murmuring voice in my mind was trying to tell me, but I definitely know what my thought was. And how suspicious it is.

I never had an armour back in Ancient Egypt.

I can't believe it's taken me so long to state the obvious—I should have realized it when I first had the dream, but I just thought I was imagining the armour on my body. Gosh...I'm so stupid.

Back in Ancient Egypt, as common sense; who would want to wear an armour in the blazing hot sun? Unless everyone wants to be fried to a crisp. And though I was Guardian, using such protection wasn't that necessary. The arrow still struck me down, as I saw from my dream.

Back then, I only wore a long white dress made entirely from linen. Down both sides was a gap so my legs weren't trapped inside the dress and I can move about more freely. Isis had told me it was an outfit worn by warriors, and I loved it so much. That was the only thing I wore all the time, and when that would get dirty or something, I'd wash it down or fix it back up. Every year I always got a new one from Isis for a birthday present. It would make sense if I was wearing that white dress instead of the armour.

So why in the world would the dream show me wearing that armour? Sure, it played out in my dream like it was originally there but my memory serves stronger and I remember never wearing one. The nagging in the back of my brain grew stronger, until it was an annoying throb. This isn't helping me any. It was so confusing. I didn't understand it at all. It didn't make sense.

One question, being the realized thought, was bugging me to some extent: Why would my dream show me wearing an armour? Was it trying to show me something? Maybe even remind me of something? If so, then what?

OK...maybe it's more than one question, but it is one thought that's bothering me; the armour.

Why an armour?

Why not a giant poster with words and pictures on it telling me what it was I needed to know?

I stopped thinking and blinked curiously through the dark room Yami and I were currently inhabiting. My scarlet eyes were already used to the dark but I still looked about, hoping an idea would jump out at me, providing me with a solution to my problem. My eyes scanned over the open bedroom door, just at the foot of my makeshift bed, leading into the deserted hallway. I could see the faint bluish-white light of the moon, shining through the living room window, ribbon along the floor. Then my eyes slowly wandered to the window in the bedroom, displaying how much the mysterious moon was lowering into the horizon to make some room for the sun in the coming morning. The moon looked secret, almost like it knew something no one else did. I'm sure it does; because the moon and sun always witness everything that happens. All except Fate, that is.

Speaking of Fate, I found my eyes travelling along the hill of comforter, from the end of the bed all the way to the pillow Yami's head was resting on. Though his stunning and assertive crimson eyes were hidden away behind his eyelids, I could tell just by the calm look on his face that he was dreaming peacefully. So that probably meant he wasn't dreaming of the River Nile battle again. I couldn't see any signs of stress either—the usual creased brows or pursed lips normal people possess when they have stress—on his slim structured face. He looked like all the trouble in the world was lifted from his shoulders, and he was a man free of burden. I just had to give the scene a small smile. I have never seen him look this care free before. I suppose it's only possible when he's asleep. Poor guy... Normally, he carries stress and burden with him everywhere he goes, and there's proof of it in his eyes. They show incredible depth and each 'level' seen seems brighter or darker than the ones before. Not only does he bear the stress from the rebirth, all because of him having questions about his past—and future—but he also keeps determination. I've never seen anyone with the same amount of bravery as the Pharaoh.

He looked like a whole different person when he's sleeping, and I had to remind myself that it's because it's the first time I've actually seen him sleep. Does it seem stalkerish? Nah...he's in my room, anyway. His breathing was regular; long and light with no trouble. The comforter rose with every breath he took and fell with every breath he lets go. It was incredible to witness the Pharaoh of Egypt looking this calm and normal. I'm glad he's having a good night's sleep.

But the troubling thought still remained as my eyes came to land on my card sheathe lying precariously on the floor beside the bedside table, or at the head of my sleeping bag. I don't know why, but my eyes wouldn't move anywhere else anymore; like I've already searched the entire room and this is the answer. My gaze was glued onto it. The card sheathe was my...answer? But...I don't understand—

Then it hit me like a fast wind. It hit me with a wave of sudden realization, so fast in fact, my heart almost skipped a beat. My hands automatically grasped the card sheathe and flipped it open to bring out my deck. I leafed through all the cards until I got to the last one. That annoying badger at the back of my mind immediately vanished at the sight of the card.

The nagging was trying to remind me that I had seen the armour before my dream, too. That it wasn't just a trick of my imagination I saw the armour in my dream. I had seen it before.

On the card Ishizu had given me.

"The Pharaoh's Guardian", meaning the person who looks a lot like me in the card, had on a golden armour, which I can see was probably constructed from a mix of copper and bronze. Ishizu must have gotten Pegasus to create this card in order to give it to me. And according to her note, she wants me to give the card to Yami.

With a portion of my soul in it.

I don't understand how the dream reminding me of the card was supposed to do anything. I mean, I still have no idea when to give it to Yami. Certainly this sort of thing can only be given at a certain time; like when he needs it the most. Maybe I'll have to give it to him in Kaiba's tournament, seeing as how it's the tournament that will supposedly hold our answers. That had to be it, otherwise, I had no other lead and I'm at a dead end.

But...why would I need to put in a bit of my soul?

That part still confuses me greatly.

So, now I know that the armour I'm wearing in my dream was to remind me of the card, so I don't forget I still have to give it to Yami. It must play some important part if I was given such a vivid reminder.

But when will the right time be to give the card to the Pharaoh? This card has to mean something, it just HAS to!

...and speaking of cards... My eyes then fell onto my cell phone which had the Dark Magician key ring attached to it. A small idea formed in my mind.

The morning that followed was bright and sunny, with blue skies making everything gleam happily. When Yami and I had woken up, we immediately began getting ready to head over to the Game Shop. Mr. Muto needed to know that everything was fine. Yami had switched back with Yugi by then, who was wide awake when I told him about everything that had happened after he had fallen asleep. He couldn't stop blushing all the way to school. (xD)

That same day, lunch came just around the corner. When the bell rang, the students all flooded out of the classrooms, finally free from papers and teachers—until the next bell rings. The gang and I met up on the roof of the school to talk about what had happened yesterday, thinking it was best if we talked about it as soon as possible. Yugi and I left out the parts of the attack last night, Yugi/Yami staying over at my place, and about me being the Pharaoh's Guardian. It just wasn't the right time yet. I didn't feel comfortable telling them. It left me guilty, but I didn't want to say anything. So that only left us with the tournament and about the evil Ishizu talked about. Oh, and we told them Eric would be there, making Joey just about blow his top.

"If that bastard lays even his eyes on you and on any of the wrong places, I'll send him to Hell myself!" shouted Joey angrily, clenching his fists and preventing himself from murdering anything right then and there. Everyone took a step back for extra caution.

I tilted my head slightly to the side with an innocent blush on my face and a sweat drop. Joey was acting a lot like...like an older brother; protecting his sister from boys as mischievous as Eric. He almost was like an older brother to me, a lot like my own blood brother who's been taken from me. They're both kind, protective, and most of all, caring. I missed experiencing those qualities.

Tristan nodded at his best friend. "Right," he said just as confidently. He gave me an encouraging look. "If he comes near you, yell for help. We'll arrive at the scene even faster than the police."

"Maybe one of us should stay with Sarah and Téa the whole time at the tournament." suggested Yugi, only thinking it would be best for us.

While the three boys went on talking about the subject we had fallen into, I slowly strided up to Téa, who was looking at the boys with a blinking expression and a sweat drop. She acknowledged me with a small smile and we began watching the scene before us; consisting of debates, suggestions, and thoughts.

"They're so nice," I sighed with a smile as we kept watching Joey glare at the thought of Eric. Nope. No one seemed to be very fond of the guy.

Téa nodded with an amused smile on her face. "We're so loved, Sarah." she said thoughtfully, but the way she said it made we want to laugh. "I guess it just comes naturally with guys. They just want the girls to be safe no matter what. You'll get used to it soon, don't worry."

It was my turn to nod, and when I thought about what Téa said, I felt the inside of my stomach warm up a little bit at the reassurance. It was fascinating to think I could still be loved by friends even though my family had disappeared.

"Yeah," I said dreamily, clapping my hands together. "So very much loved. A lot in fact, I feel like flying."

Téa tapped Yugi on the shoulder to get his attention. "Sarah's going to fly away if you keep talking about Eric. Have you even thought much on how you were going to register?"

The three boys blinked. "Now that you mention it; no, not really." muttered Yugi quietly.

Téa crossed her arms. "Well, you should be thinking more on that than whatever else. We'll be fine anyway."

Joey, Tristan and Yugi looked to each other. With a sweat drop on the side of their faces, they included us back into the group discussions. "We know you guys can take care of yourselves," said Tristan, "but a little more caution never hurts either..."

I playfully tapped my knuckles onto his shoulder. "Thanks man. And you guys." I said, nodding in Joey's and Yugi's direction. "Alright, so how do we approach this tournament? Anyone have any ideas?"

Yugi blinked. "We...register...?"

Joey put a hand onto my forehead, as if he was checking my temperature. "Are you feeling all right, Sarah?" he asked curiously.

"...why wouldn't I be?"

Joey shrugged. "Because you're talking nonsense. You and Yugi both had invites to Kaiba's tournament, yet you have no idea how to register?"

I brushed off Joey's hand from my face and glared at him accusingly. "I know what we're doing!" I opposed defiantly. "It just...never crossed my mind how..."

"We just go to the registration office next to Domino Square." said Yugi suddenly.

"...oh..."

"Do you know what I don't get, far from Sarah's little brain fart?" asked Joey a bit angrily. He missed the glare I shot him from his comment. "Rich-boy's invitation to me! He didn't send me one! And I was the runner up at Duelist Kingdom!"

"Here's a news flash, Joey," reminded Tristan. "Kaiba doesn't like you."

"I'll give him something not to like..."

"You see? This is exactly how he wants you to react. He wants you to be angry at the fact that he didn't invite you."

With anger boiling in his blood, Joey huffed and crossed his arms defiantly over his chest. "Fine. I don't have to enter Kaiba's snooty contest anyway. Are you joining, Yugi? Sarah?"

Yugi nodded. "Of course I do." he said. "It's Destiny. Some sort of evil is threatening us and we need to enter in order to fight it."

Joey got wide eyed. "Then I am definitely not going to leave you hanging! Count me in!"

"How are you going to enter, Joey?" asked Téa. "Kaiba might have put up some walls to keep you out. You never know."

Joey made a conquering fist. "Then I'll just have to bash them down until I can get in! There's no way I'm going to leave Yugi to go in alone."

In a moment, Joey had taken his Red Eyes Black Dragon from out of his blazer pocket. "Me and Red-Eyes will fight alongside you, Yugi. Then we can tell Kaiba for sure we're not a group to be messed with." Unexpectedly, and causing me to pretend gag, Joey cheerily kissed the card and held it up to his face, like he was baby-talking it. "Isn't that right, Red-Eyes? Who's going to help me kick some major Kaiba butt?"

By this time, everyone grew a little seasick.

"Card tricks aren't the only thing needed to win, Joey." I said, ending my gag run. "You need to get used to Kaiba's newest technology. He calls it the "Duel Disk"."

Joey puts his Red-Eyes away. "So, Rich-boy's made something new?" he asks curiously.

"Does that mean there's no more platforms?" asked Tristan.

Yugi nodded. "Yup. According to him, we can duel wherever, whenever—as long as we wear those Duel Disks."

"Have you got them yet?" Téa asked me.

I shook my head. "No, we need to get them at the registration office." I said. "We can go there after school, that way we'll be registered into their files as soon as possible. And we can pick up our Duel Disks too."

"That sounds like a well thought out plan." Tristan commented suspiciously. Joey raised a brow at me.

An anime anger mark pounded on the side of my head. "Yes, I know! I can think strategically! Don't you dare ask me if I'm all right!"

Sweatdrops rested on their heads.

"Gosh...you guys enjoy teasing me..."

Joey momentarily ruffled my hair. "That's the beauty of friendship." he said cheekily. I heaved a long sigh.

"The bell's about to ring." said Tristan, looking over the fence of the roof at all the kids below. Some were heading back into the school while others were quickly finishing up their lunches. "So, are we all going to that office after school?"

"Of course we are!" said Téa. "We're not about to leave these guys with all the excitement. Plus, I want to see Joey's plan on getting into the tournament."

"...let me think of one first."

After school, everyone headed out to Downtown Domino. The streets were crowded with shoppers, holding bags of newly bought items, or men in suits, running around to go to work. There were casual people too, just out on a nice day like today to take a stroll around the city. It was pretty cool to see so many normal people just taking it easy.

We were walking down one of those streets, just eyeing around, enjoying each other's company, keeping a lookout for the card shop that supposedly is also the registration office. Yugi and I ended up walking alongside each other near the back of the group.

"Oh, by the way, thanks for talking to the Pharaoh." said Yugi suddenly. "I can't believe he's an Ancient Egyptian Pharaoh. It's so crazy how Ishizu had put it all yesterday."

I gave him a short nod. "My pleasure," I smiled. "I'm glad I told him who I was. It was great to finally get it off my chest."

"Now you two can work together without any question."

I nodded. "Yeah, it would be great."

"But what about the rest of the gang?" whispered Yugi. Concern was evident in his eyes.

I know it was horrible to keep something like this from them too, but truthfully, I don't really think it's the right time. Maybe they would understand, but I need a specific moment. A moment I'm not to sure when Destiny will give me.

I shook my head. "I'm sorry." I said with a frown. "I want to tell them, Yugi, I really do. But I don't think it's right at the moment. Can you please give me some more time?"

Yugi smiled. "Of course. It's not my decision anyway. It's all up to you, because it's your duty."

I smiled, grateful from not being pressured. "Thank you, Yugi."

"Hey, check that out!" came Joey's voice, breaking the calm silence. Next thing we knew, both him and Tristan were drooling over the Duel Monster cards in a nearby shop window.

"Looks like they found the office." I muttered with a sweat drop.

Téa laughed kindheartedly. "Aren't they magnets?" she commented with a smile. "They can't stay away from Duel Monsters for more than a few hours."

I blinked as Yugi joined them. All three boys were gazing almost starry eyed at the rare cards. Téa and I face-palmed.

"See anything you guys like?" I asked conspicuously.

Joey quickly nodded, still eyeing the cards like a hungry dog. "Yeah! But there so many of them, I can't choose!"

Without another word, Téa and I disappeared into the shop. The three boys blinked at the spot we were once standing at before scampering in after us.

Once the gang assembled inside, the first thing we noticed was how cozy the shop was. There was a counter near the end of the room with shelves and cases of Duel Monster cards lining down the length. A man wearing an yellow bandanna on his head and round glasses was moving white boxes onto a shelf behind him. A computer sat off to one side of the counter.

At the sound of the door bell ringing, the shopkeeper turned around. His rimmed glasses shone under the store lights with a weird shade.

"Can I help you?" said the man, noticing us in the doorway.

Yugi decided to speak for all of us. "We're here to register for the Battle City Tournament." he said.

The man pushed his glasses onto the bridge of his nose. "Ah, I see." he said, then turning to the computer, he typed something in. "You've come to the right place. Please state your names."

"Yugi Muto." said Yugi, and he waited for the man to finish typing.

A little musical beep was heard before the man said anything. At once, his face looked as if he was impressed. "Ah yes, Yugi Muto. It says here you have 5 stars—the highest rank."

Yugi curiously looked at the man. "Oh, where does this information come from?"

"Kaiba Corp. has performed extensive research into duelists around the world," he says. "including tournaments they've competed in and what cards they use, and compiled the results into a database."

"That gives Kaiba an unfair advantage," said Yugi. "He can tap into the information and know what cards the other duelists have in their decks."

"I assure you, Mr. Kaiba has kept the information safe." answered the man. "And no matter what the data is, he has promised not to let any information leak. He is determined to keep the files with your personal information top secret, so you won't have a problem. And he won't want to use that information either, because he knows it's not very honourable."

Yugi shrugged. "True." he said.

The man reached for one of the white boxes on the shelf behind him and brought it onto the counter. On the top was a picture of the Duel Disk Kaiba had shown on the night he invited us to Domino Square. "Congratulations, you qualify." he said, before handing it over to Yugi. "You kids are lucky, I only had these three left."

Yugi thanked the man and stepped away from the counter for me. The man looked to me when he was ready for my name.

"Sarah Wind." I said, as clearly as I could. It felt odd, but for some reason when I said my name, I felt a bit strange. It was probably because it isn't even my real name. During that dream of the Nile Battle, Yami didn't even recognize what Isis had called me. Maybe he didn't hear my actual name. Maybe it was even better if he didn't.

The strangeness soon disappeared and the man was typing in my name. "Well..." he said, rereading the screen. "I thought it was one thing when the King of Games came into my shop to register, but with the Dueling Legend as well? Fantastic!"

I sheepishly smiled and earned a playful punch from Joey in the back. I almost turned around and tackled him. xD

"The both of you pass with the highest ranks," said the man, also handing me a similar box to Yugi;s. "Congratulations, you qualify as well." I thanked him and stepped back beside Yugi and Téa. The box was kind of light, but inside, was a Duel Disk just waiting to be used. I grew a little excited at the thought of being able to use one of them.

Next, it was Joey. With a cool stride, Joey was at the counter with a smirk plastered onto his face. "I'd like to register, too." he said. "Joey Wheeler's the name."

The man searched the computer and when it beeped a third time since our arrival, he didn't really look happy.

"My apologies," he said. "You only have 1 star. I'm afraid that's much to low a rank for you to be qualified."

I thought Joey might blow a gasket from the amount of steam billowing from his ears. "What?" he cried in outrage. "I came in second at Duelist Kingdom! How is my rank so far down!"

"Calm down, Joey!" said Téa, trying to get him to cool down.

Tristan locked the blonde's arms behind him. "Yeah! You should have seen this coming! Kaiba probably did this on purpose!"

Joey carried on throwing a fit, while Yugi and I backed away, wanting to stay out of his rampaging way. "Does Kaiba really hate him so much?" I asked no one in particular.

Yugi shrugged, still perplexed by Joey's reaction. "I guess so. They've never seen eye to eye exactly."

Then, all of a sudden, a chill ran down my spine. It prodded my back like it wanted me to turn around, and to top it off, my Millennium Locket produced a single second of light, warming the skin on my collar bone. What the hek was that? What if it was something bad?

Could it be...another one of those hooded figures?

While Joey was trying to be pinned down by Tristan, and Téa and Yugi were idly watching by, I turned my head to look over my shoulder. Instead of seeing any mysterious person holding a sword or kunai, I simply saw the shopkeeper who was attending with our needs for registration. That was odd. What was that feeling...

The man clicked away on his computer for a moment and stopped nearly a minute later. He called over to Joey. "It appears the computer had a slight malfunction." he said, and at his words, Joey immediately stopped his badgering. He stayed as still as a tree, then. "You actually have 4 stars. Congratulations, you qualify."

Joey punched his fist into the air, making Tristan unlatch his arm lock around his pal. Everyone heaved long sighs as the boy celebrated.

"Alright! Hey, let me see those beautiful stars." he cried happily, running for the counter to turn the computer screen around. On the screen, was Joey's picture to one side and his rarest card on the other. Underneath both was his rank; which is apparently 4 stars. "Hey, my kisser ain't looking too bad either.

"I knew the computer was wrong." said Joey coolly, running his hand through his hair. "That's how I was able to stay relaxed and keep my cool while he fixed it."

Yeah...some cool. You nearly popped a blood vessel...

The shopkeeper turned around with the last box n his hands. "Best of luck." he said, before handing it to Joey. The blonde swept it up from his hands gleefully.

"Come to papa!" he laughed, holding the box up like it was a trophy. "Who's the man!"

"Way to keep your cool, Joey." commented Téa with an amused expression.

Joey smiled widely. "Thanks!" he said.

I merely blinked at him. Yugi laughed joyously with his friend. "Battle City Tournament, here we come!" he said.

Then, I remembered my idea. It was when I took a second look at all those cards displayed in the window when I recalled. Before everyone disappeared out the doors, I pulled Téa back. She looked at me a little confused.

"Er...we'll catch up to you guys in a moment." I said to the boys, who were just turning around to see where we had gone. We disappeared back into the shop, causing the boys to blink uncomprehendingly at the doors.

A few minutes later, Téa and I emerged from the shop, both holding the handle to a small plastic bag. I told Téa all about my plan, and she was more than delighted to help out. We thought it would be a great way to start off the new tournament. All the boys looked up and blinked at us again.

"Er...what took you two so long?" asked Yugi, who found the innocent smiles on our faces a little too innocent.

"Hm? Oh, just a little shopping." I said, holding the small bag up for him to see, bringing Téa's arm up too.

"Do the both of you really need to hold a handle each?" asked Tristan with his chin in hand. "I mean, the bag doesn't look all that heavy..."

"But it's from the both of us." Téa said with a smile. "So we both have to hold onto it." Our innocent smiles disappeared, and soon, we were holding real smiles on our faces. The boys eased up a bit, thinking that I had no mischievous plan in mind.

"Oh? And what would that be?" asked Joey.

Téa and I reached our hands into the bag and pulled out four packages of Duel Monster cards. I gave two to Joey and Téa gave two to Yugi. Both boys blinked curiously at the plastic packages we handed them. Tristan looked over their shoulders.

"Cards?" said Yugi.

Téa and I nodded. "Yup!" we said in unison. "It's a good luck present for the tournament."

Joey's and Yugi's eyes softened at the notion. "Oh...thanks guys." said Joey, hugging the both of our shoulders with one arm, seeing as he needed the other to hold his Duel Disk.

"Yeah, that's awfully thoughtful." said Yugi casting us a smile.

Téa and I returned the smile. "It was nothing." I said.

Tristan looked like he was going to start crying. "What, just because I'm not in the tournament, doesn't mean that I get some? Oh, that's so fair you two."

We shared a sweat drop. Then I brought out one more package of cards and held it out for Tristan.

"Of course we got you one! What, you think we'd forget about you?"

Tristan blinked, holding the package. "No, I was just kidding." he said. Then he hugged me to death while waterfall after waterfall of water poured out of his eyes. "But this is so nice of you guys! Thank you so much!"

I struggled to breathe, seeing as how his arms were around my neck, nearly choking the life out of me. "OK! OK! I feel the love! ...I can't breathe..."

The sun was lower in the sky by now as the afternoon slowly drifted into the evening. The five of us made our way down the streets of Domino and back into the residential avenues. There was one block left when Joey decided to take off.

"Hey guys, I'll catch up with you later." he said before disconnecting from the group. His feet were starting to lead him into the direction of an alley separating the two blocks. It was a bit dark and eerie, and every time I blinked into it, a shiver goes down my spine.

"Where are you going?" I asked intelligently.

"To my sister's operation." he replied. "I told her I'd be at the hospital tonight and in time for her operation tomorrow morning."

"All the best, Joey." said Téa encouragingly. I shook his hand for formality and said the same.

"Say hi to Serenity for us." said Yugi.

Joey nodded. "I will, thanks guys. I'll catch up with you tomorrow." With his Duel Disk under his arm, we gave him a final wave off. He disappeared into the alleyway, and we stood there waiting until we can longer see his running form.

"I hope he'll be all right." said Tristan, shoving his hands into his pockets as we started moving again. "Joey's mom is going to be there too, and since he and his sister have been separated, they haven't spoken to each other."

Yugi looked down. "Was it...seven years ago? Man, that's a long time."

Téa nodded a little uneasily, but her eyes showed hope. "They're going to be fine." she said.

I have no idea what Joey might have gone through when his parents divorced. To me, it's a lot like losing your family, but they're still there; only miles apart. No matter how much I might think about it, I'll never understand. Joey's a tough guy. And it's only right that his heart fights through all that pain.

"I vow to see that the Wheeler family reunites!" announced Tristan with a raised hand and more waterfalls falling through his eyes.

"Or are you only trying to be a hero to impress Serenity?" Yugi said with a smirk. I couldn't help it. I had to laugh at the bewildered and blushing expression on Tristan's face. Everyone joined in with me.

Though we were goofing around, our best wishes and prayers were with Joey, Serenity, and their family. I hope everything goes all right...

That night when I lay in bed, thinking over the day's events, I found myself wandering back to the alley Joey took as a shortcut to get to the hospital. It seemed awkward to me for some reason, and my Locket wouldn't stop burning my skin, which usually happens if a dark source of some sort is near. But it's not near here...maybe it's just a bad feeling?

I hope I'm wrong. I couldn't bear something happening to Joey—who's a lot like a brother. Caring, gentle, yet determined and protective. This is probably how Serenity must be feeling.

Anxiety. Fierce Anxiety.

Author's Note: Oh, gosh. O_O I wonder what's gonna happen... I'm incredibly sorry for this incredibly late update. And I'm even more incredibly sorry if this chapter was sketchy. I couldn't really...wrap my mind around this part. I don't know why.

Criticism is always welcomed, but not enjoyed. lol. But it's great to know people aren't afraid to say what they want. Oh, but please don't swear. Personally, I don't think cussing should be allowed in reviews. ^^' I've seen on a couple stories' reviews once, and the person who wrote them were really rude. They swore every word under the sun and it drove me insane! Thank you. :)

Anyway, thanks for reading. ^^' Reviews are appreciated! Thanks everyone.

(It took me a few extra days because the site wasn't letting me load on the file. -.- Gr... Sorry about that. Some "error" thing kept coming up. If you're getting the same thing when trying to add a new chapter to your stories, write the word "content" in place of the word "property" on the error window's URL bar that pops up. ^^' Figured it out on Google. I think it's a glitch or something. I sent an e-mail in case, but nothing's happened. lol. xDD It's crazy. .)