1A/N: Just one more final exam tomorrow, and then I'm free for three and a half weeks of break! That's a good thing, too, because I've been having to pay more attention to school than to fanfiction lately.

I have taken the time to think up a few new ideas for this fic. I have another character cameo in mind, and expect everyone's favorite goggle-wearing, syphilitic maniac to make another appearance soon. Oh yeah, there's Takuma too. Can't forget him.

Just a reminder: This takes place in 1991, so while the Siegfried and Roy show isn't running now, it was at its height of popularity when the fic takes place.

Another reminder: when people are speaking in English, it's in italics (except when italics are being used for emphasis in thoughts and stuff). Okay, I'll shut up now.

Disclaimer: I own neither GX nor any Las Vegas attractions mentioned in this chapter. I did do a bit of research on said attractions, so I'll try my best to not put any major anachronisms/inaccuracies in here. Please forgive me if some slip in here anyway.

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It was nearly dinnertime, and Chosaku was bored out of his mind. Mom and Dad were busy looking at what looked to be hundreds of brochures obtained from the hotel's lobby. Most likely, all the said brochures detailed "kid-friendly" activities that would make Chosaku want to hurl. Hey, he was almost a MAN! He didn't want to be lumped with his kid brothers!

Chosaku's fears were confirmed at dinnertime. In the middle of the meal, Mom said, "Guess what fun thing we're going to do tonight?"

Chosaku crossed his fingers, hoping beyond hope that it wasn't that dumb show with the two guys and the tigers.

Mom continued, "We're going to see Siegfried and Roy! Doesn't that sound exciting?"

Chosaku facefaulted. Mom asked him if anything was wrong.

"No, nothing's wrong at all," snapped Chosaku as he picked himself up from the floor, "Everything is absolutely perfect."

Mom was oblivious to the sarcasm. This may have had something to do with the fact that Jun had eaten his food too quickly and was starting to gag yet again.

As Mom hurried Jun off to the bathroom, Chosaku started plotting his escape. For about two milliseconds, he had actually considered being nice and enduring the magic show. But then he realized that it was a bit dumb to even consider. He had every right to some REAL entertainment, and he wouldn't rest until he found it!

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After what seemed to be a million years of Mom and Dad getting lost again, they finally made it to...um...what exactly DID that sign say? Chosaku had never seen that word in English textbooks.

He attempted sounding the word out.

"Mir-ah-gee?" he tried.

Mom promptly corrected him by saying, "No, it says 'Mirage'."

Heh. That was a funny word. But what was Chosaku thinking? He couldn't let that word distract him! He had to plan his escape soon before he had to face the magic show of utter peril and cheesiness!

Fortunately for Chosaku, the room that was the site of the show was extremely noisy and crowded. It would be easy for him to lose himself in the crowd.

As if sensing what Chosaku was thinking, Mom said, "Stay close to me, boys. You don't want to get lost!"

But there was one flaw in Mom's plan-she had three children and only two hands. She was using one arm to hold Jun, and the other was guiding Shoji by the shoulder.

For just a split second, Chosaku reveled in the fact that Mom considered him old and mature enough to be responsible for himself.

Then he shook his head. Maturity be damned-he was out of here! When Mom was occupied finding their seats, Chosaku did a U-turn and ran back out to the lobby. Well, he walked briskly at least. It was too crowded for him to do actual running.

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Finally! Freedom!

Now, all Chosaku had to do was figure out which attraction would be best for an almost-adult like him.

There was one room where people were engrossed in playing table games like poker. Chosaku shook his head. There was no way he would ever be caught DEAD playing a card game! They were for old people!

A bit farther down, there was a room that contained slot machines. Now THAT was more like it!

There was a large sign outside the room. Chosaku took a few minutes to try to decipher the English lettering on the sign. The basic gist seemed to be this:

"Attention! This casino follows Las Vegas gambling laws. You must be twenty-one or over to enjoy our slot machines!"

So? Chosaku looked twenty-one, right? Okay, sure, his facial hair hadn't come in yet, and he was only about 160 centimeters (5'3'') in height, and his voice was only just beginning to crack, and...

Chosaku reassured himself that a lot of adult men were short and didn't sport facial hair. So all he had to do was keep his mouth shut.

With that thought, he walked up to a slot machine and started putting quarters in. It was a good thing he had gotten a lot of spending money when Dad converted their yen into dollars at the airport.

About five minutes in, the machine had already consumed half of Chosaku's quarters. But he wasn't planning to leave anytime soon. He was glued to his spot. In fact, one might almost say he was hypnotized by the movement and colors of the machine.

He had almost run out when suddenly he managed to get a row of matching symbols. It was hardly the jackpot, but at least Chosaku got five of his quarters back. It didn't occur to him that maybe the machine had meant to do that so he wouldn't have to leave.

He was gathering up the small amount of loot when he heard voices.

"So who are we looking for again?"

Someone made rustling noises with some sheets of paper.

"Thirteen-year-old kid who got away from his family. He's from Japan, but can speak a bit of English. Most likely snuck away to one of the casino rooms. Dark hair and eyes. Short."

Hey, Chosaku was NOT SHORT! He just hadn't finished growing yet.

Hey...wait a minute...they were on to him! His parents had noticed his disappearance quicker than he had anticipated.

He had to get out of here!

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After a few minutes of running, Chosaku looked over his shoulder.

No one seemed to be following him. Good.

Just to be on the safe side, he ducked into the first doorway he saw.

It looked to be a restaurant of some sort. People in formalwear were sitting at tables. Some people were eating or talking, but most of them were...

Drinking! Cool, this place had alcohol! Chosaku had always wanted to try it, but his stupid parents never let him even have a sip of wine at parties.

Chosaku promptly walked over to the bar and ordered a beer.

The barkeeper seemed a bit reluctant to fill the order. He asked, "How old are you, young man?"

Chosaku replied, "Twenty-one."

Hey, you never knew. Maybe the guy would buy it.

But the barkeeper still didn't seem convinced. He then asked, "Do you have a reservation?"

Chosaku said that he did. For all he knew, he could have, because he wasn't quite sure what a "reservation" was.

The barkeeper nodded and went into a back room. He returned not with a beer, but with some soda and a bowl of bar snacks.

"These are just to whet your appetite, until you decide which kind of beer you want," he explained.

Well, it sounded fair enough. But, unbeknownst to Chosaku, the barkeeper knew more than he was letting on.

While Chosaku was occupied with deciphering the menu, the barkeeper went to a phone and called security.

"I think I have the kid you were looking for. He actually thought he fooled me into thinking he was twenty-one!"

Some chuckling came from the other side of the phone line, then a guard answered, "Excellent. I'll go tell his parents now."

Ten minutes later, Chosaku was still pondering the long list of beer names, oblivious to the fact that he had been found out.

He had just decided to pick a beer type randomly when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He thought it was the barkeeper asking if he was ready to order, so he turned around.

It wasn't the barkeeper. It was Dad. And he didn't look happy at all.

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The rest of the night was one Chosaku would have liked to erase from his memory. It wasn't that his parents screamed at him until they were hoarse. In fact, that might have been more bearable than what they were actually doing.

After they oh-so-politely informed Chosaku that he would be grounded for a month when they got back to Japan, they drove back to the other hotel in icy silence. Chosaku had been banished to the backseat again.

Shoji, on the other hand, was far from silent.

"You missed it, Chosaku! It was really cool! There were all these lights and stuff, and the tigers stood on their hind legs and roared, and there were all these cool magic tricks! Jun got a bit scared, though. That was when we noticed you weren't there. Too bad, because I think you would've liked it! Because it was really, really, really..."

"SHUT UP!" Chosaku finally growled. Shoji did as he said, but didn't seem too perturbed.

Chosaku grumbled as he thought that maybe he should have just gone to the dumb show anyway. It would have been worth it to see Jun be scared of the tigers.