A Superhero Story Chapter 8: A Sister, a yu-gi-oh fanfic

A/N: Hello, everyone! Well, the summer is almost over… this time next week, I will have done my first day back. (Sigh) That means there will be less time for writing… and, an advance warning, there will be even less time next year, as it is my FINAL one. (Gasp) I remember when I was eleven, starting senior school, knowing only Scooby… (Reminisces) Anyhoo, there will also be less time for reading! I've read, and re-read some good books this summer. The Time Machine, Last of the Sky Pirates, A Chinese Cinderella, The Book of Dead Days, Dark Flight Down, Artemis Fowl- the Lost Colony… I could go on. But, while we're on the subject of AF, who thinks Seto and Artemis should so be introduced? (Imagines) I think they'd get on… or wouldn't… fantastically! (Laughs) Buuuuuuut… back to the point. Another privilege I've enjoyed this holiday is the use of the caravan, and that's why this wasn't updated last Saturday. I got home earlier today and just had a few finishing touches to put on this chapter- namely, the final scenes with Penelope and Seto, and the monologue. That's not to say I wasn't busy at the caravan- I did a little writing; a few paragraphs of this, the beginning paragraphs of a chapter of another fic, and the plan of the first five chapters of A Superhero Story II. Yes, a sequel. There's a few plot creases to iron out yet, though; but hopefully I'll be done with the plan by the time I get done with this. And I won't ever be done if I keep waffling on like this! Moving on…

Disclaimer: I don't own all the usual stuff, and also one of Amane's lines. You'll see… but the last line she says to the editor, I stole off a plaque. It's pretty well known, so you should recognise it, but… meh.

Seven- A Sister

Ryou was not in a good mood as he landed on his room, pulling the stifling mask off at last. He was dusty and dirty from his crawl through the vents, his shirt sleeve was bloody from the near-shooting, and his shoulder hurt unbelievably, as they'd been arguing too much to give him any painkillers following the stitches being put in. He swung open the door from the roof access and pounded downstairs into his room.

"Amane!" He yelled as he went. He decided he would speak in Egyptian. Usually, in public, they'd speak in Japanese, as it was only polite, and at home in English. But today, he was angry, and he wanted to show it. He walked across to open the door to his room, and go out into the hall. "I have just spent my afternoon crawling around in air vents and locked in Penelope Hightman's…" He trailed off. Amane was looking at him in horror from where she stood by the open front door; where she had been trying to convince his well-wishing friends that it was a really, really bad idea for them to visit right now. He stared at them, becoming all too aware of his worn appearance as they gawped back at him, and remembering how bad he was at lying.

"Hi… guys...!" He said, slowly.

This could be… bad.

Luckily, Amane was faster then he was. As the others gave bewildered greetings, she frowned at him and said "Ryou! I thought I told you to get changed!" She rolled her eyes at the others. "He's utterly useless when he's ill! He fell over on his way home, cut his arm, and he just left it until I came home. He gets totally out of it…"

Ryou had no choice but to play along. "Sorry…" He mumbled, trying to sound suitably ill, 'out of it', and scolded. "I meant to change… I must have fallen asleep…"

"Oh, did we wake you?" Téa asked, alarmed; which distracted them all nicely from the fact he was far too dirty to have merely tripped.

"No." Ryou replied, shaking his head, making it sound like he was lying. The others obviously didn't believe him. "I was awake already, Téa, honestly." He gave a weak smile. "Why don't you all come in?"

Dubiously, they did, and soon they were all squashed into the compact living room. Yugi glanced around him, absorbed for the moment in memories. You'd hardly believe this was the same room they'd played Monster World in…

"Everything alright Yugi?" Ryou inquired.

"Fine." Yugi answered hastily, pulling himself back into the group. Conversation flowed, lively and bright; but Ryou was not involved. He didn't ever say much, but he usually listened in. This time, he sat at one end of the sofa, with his eyes closed.

"Maybe we ought to go…" Serenity said slowly, nodding at him. Ryou opened his eyes.

"Oh, I am sorry…" He said, sleepily. "Please don't go on my account…"

Amane rolled her eyes. "Ryou, just go back to bed…"

He nodded, staggering up. "I think perhaps I will. Please excuse me, everyone. I'll see you soon…" He wandered off to his small bedroom, made all the smaller because of the staircase that ran down into it. Once he was in there, with the door shut, he had a closer look at his appearance and decided he really better had get changed. Then, he sat down on his bed, pulling a book from the shelf and opening it to the page he had last read. He sighed ruefully, hating having to act so pathetic in front of his friends, hating to lie to them. But it was necessary, it couldn't be helped.

A short while later, he heard Amane wishing everyone goodbye, and the front door clicking open and shut. He smiled, hearing how quiet they were trying to be for his benefit. What nice people they were…Somehow, that made his guilt at lying to them magnify. Sighing, he read to the end of the chapter, and then went to go and find Amane, who, from the sounds of things, was in the kitchen.

When everyone had got up to leave, they had left behind empty glasses that they had been drinking from, and as Amane had begun to gather them up to wash, Téa had insisted upon helping. Unbeknownst to Ryou, she was still in the flat.

"I wanted to ask…" She said, as Amane began to run water into the sink. "What was it Ryou said when he first came in? I'm sure he mentioned Penelope's name…"

"Um… Well, he said…" Amane thought furiously, but couldn't think of a decent lie. Time for 'Evasion Plan Beta- Distraction'. "Oh!" She cried, dropping a plate. "Crud. I always do that when my gloves get wet…"

Téa had been wondering about that. Amane always wore long, elbow length gloves, without any fingers. She even wore them at school, not taking them off even for gym. She often wondered if her arms didn't get sweaty in them. It was a bit of a strange fashion statement anyway…

"Take them off." Téa suggested. "You'd do a lot better."

Amane took a step back from her. "I'd rather keep them on…"

"Come on, I'm sure your arms are lovely…" Téa joked. "You wear those like a baby keeps hold of a security blanket. You just need some confidence!"

"No, honestly, I'll keep them…" Amane yelped, leaping back as Téa lunged at her.

"Amane, honestly, I'm trying to help…" Téa said, sympathetic but firm. It was unnatural to be so attached to a piece of clothing. It wasn't healthy. She grabbed firmly hold of her right arm, and pulled the glove off.

"So…" Amane whispered. "Is your curiosity satisfied now?"

Téa had instinctively let go of her arm like it was a snake. The skin from just below Amane's elbow all the way down to her palm was a pallet of different colours, from unnaturally white parts to crimson, yellow, pink… The texture was crisp, looking scarred and burnt. After the shock had faded, though, she felt ashamed of her horrified reaction. "I'm sorry…" She said, quietly, and honestly. "I've… invaded your privacy, haven't I?"

"It's fine." Amane said, sighing wryly. "It was bound to happen sometime. The other arm's exactly the same."

"I…"

"Could I have my glove back, please?"

Téa handed it over, and Amane put it gratefully back on. They stood in silence for a moment, as Amane began to wash up the cups and Téa dried them.

"There was a fire at our house." Amane explained. "My arms and back got a little… fried. The stairs collapsed on my mom… I went to look, and ended up trapped myself." She smiled sheepishly. "My mom had told me to get out from upstairs, but, as always, I didn't listen…"

"I see…" Téa answered, softly. Ryou never talked about what had become of his family. They hadn't even known about Amane beyond one or two passing mentions of a sister until she turned up. He didn't seem to be one for talking about his problems…

And, speaking of Ryou, he came into the kitchen now. His school shirt had long sleeves on it, but the T-shirt he wore not did not. He had a lot of bandages around his arm. Too many for just a little cut

"Ryou!" She said, alarmed. "What happened!" Then, the questions began to flow steadily, each one opening up another dubious avenue that didn't quite run to where the map claimed. "Why was there so much blood from a small cut, anyway? Why were you so dirty just from tripping over?" She bit her lip, thinking. "Ryou…You didn't fall over, did you? And… and you're not sick either. I've seen you sick, this isn't what you look like… Ryou, what are you keeping from us?"

Ryou and Amane stared at each other. Amane dropped it first.

"Ryou, I don't think we can lie our way out of this…"

He nodded, sadly. "Alright… Téa, I can't tell you. I have to… I am so, so, sorry…" He whispered, using his powers.

Téa didn't answer. She was suddenly very short of breath. She panted, but couldn't quite get enough air in… Slowly, she tipped over and blacked out. Amane went to her immediately, sitting her up so her head wasn't on the floor.

"How long will she be out?" Amane asked. Ryou was still looking silently at the floor, obviously in serious doubt that he should have done that. "Ryou! It's alright. You had to. But how long will she be out?"

"A few minutes." Ryou said, bitterly.

"Okay. You'd better go do the sick act again…"

He nodded, heading back towards his room, and not a moment too soon, as Téa groaned then, and sat up on her own.

"Oh, great!" Amane said, happily. "I was just about to phone an ambulance." She helped Téa to her feet. "You alright?"

"…What happened…?" Téa asked, disorientated.

"You took off my glove…" Amane informed her. "I guess the sight didn't agree with you, 'cause the next thing I knew you were out-cold on my kitchen floor!"
"I… fainted…?"

"When you saw my oh-so-attractive burns, yes."

"Oh!" Téa said, ashamed. "Amane, I am so sorry!"

"It's alright. Natural reaction and all that. I've only just got used to it myself…"

"But…" Téa began, slowly. "I could have sworn Ryou was in here. We were talking…"

"What?" Amane asked, hoping she looked suitably confused. "Téa, Ryou's still in bed."

"I'm sure he was here…"

Amane sighed, trying to look pitying. "Honestly, he's still in bed. He hasn't moved… Come on, look." She took the girl by the arm, steering her towards Ryou's room. She quietly, slowly, pushed the door back to reveal the boy lying in bed, eyes closed in sleep. She shut the door again. "You see?"

"Yeah." Téa sighed ruefully, rubbing the back of her head. "Guess I'm just going a little crazy…"
"Well, do you want to go to the doctors or something?" Amane checked. "You could be concussed!"

"No, no, I'm fine!" Téa assured her.

"Still… Maybe you ought to go home and rest up." Amane tried, and felt grateful when Téa did indeed agree that it was time to go. She shut the door behind her, and a moment later, Ryou emerged from his room again. The twins regarded each other.

"That was close." Ryou said, speaking English now, slumping against his door.

"Way too close." Amane agreed, in a very similar position against the front door. "You have got to be more careful. Téa has now got to convince herself she dreamt that conversation with you, or accept she's losing her mind. Go us- makes you feel good, doesn't it?"

"I feel so bad about it…" Ryou muttered.

"I know." Amane agreed sombrely, and then brightened a little. "Still- at least tomorrow should be fun! Just what you need!"

Ryou looked at her quizzically. "What are we doing tomorrow?" he asked.

"We're going to the cinema with Joey and Serenity!" Amane informed him happily. "Just make sure you wear a long sleeved shirt… What happened to you, anyway?"

"Why?" Ryou asked, still caught up in the first half of her dialogue.

"Well, you said you wanted to see 'Reflections of Chaos', so I thought-"

"No," Ryou interrupted. "Why Serenity and Joey? Don't the whole group usually come to this sort of thing?"

"I guess…" Amane shrugged, frowning. "But it hardly seems their kind of thing. I just knew Serenity wanted to see it to, and it seemed weird to invite her and not her brother. It's not like Joey's an enemy of ours, is it? He's our friend, after all; he's funny and friendly and…" She trailed off, noticing Ryou was looking at her strangely. "What?"

"Usually, it follows through to the rest of the group. If you invite Joey, you feel obliged to invite Yugi and Tristan, and then Téa…" He bit his lip, knowing this next part was a little delicate. "Amane… Just…Tell me you're not falling for Joey…"

"'Falling for Joey'? No!" Amane laughed, not really thinking about it. But something about his expression, his tone, his words… they got to her. It sounded almost accusatory. She moved closer to him. "But what if I was? What's wrong with that!"
"Don't get me wrong." Ryou answered, hastily. "Joey's a good friend of mine. I just… thought you liked Jason."

"Jason!" Amane echoed. "Ryou, we were kids then! I liked him when we were ten for the three years until you took him away from us! Don't bring him into this- you just don't like it because you're after Serenity but have too high morals to act upon it when she's two years younger then us!"

"It wasn't my fault!" Ryou shouted back, concentrating on Jason still. "Don't blame this on me, Amane! You were in the game to! You were just as capable of stopping it as I was! I didn't know anymore then you what was going to happen! It wasn't my fault! Or don't you believe me!"

"I believe you, but I don't care!" Amane snapped. As she got more agitated, she began to fall into Egyptian, so the end result was a sentence with mashed up languages that would have made Dr Johnson wince. "You shouldn't bring him up! You still went and played with all those other kids after! Maybe I did like Jay! And maybe… maybe when we were older, there could have been something more! But I haven't seen him for years! I won't ever see him! I can't keep holding onto him like you seem to expect! I just can't!"

"I saw Jason this afternoon! He's worse then dead! I can't believe you would just forget him!" Ryou answered, turning away. Amane grabbed his shoulder, flinging him angrily round as she glared into his eyes.

"I haven't forgotten, but unlike you, I'm trying to get over the past!"

"You're burying your head in the sand, Amane! It won't change a thing!"

"I'm burying my head in the sand! You're the one who just lied to one of your best friends to cover your 'superhero' backside! Why not tell them, Ryou! To protect them! Don't be so arrogant! I know, and nothing's happened to me, because this isn't a comic book where you're dealing with super villains. Face facts! You chase petty thieves! They'd be in no danger if you told them!"

"You don't know that! How could you know! You're not out there! You're here, doing nothing!" Ryou yelled at her. He had never spoken that harshly to her before. In fact, he rarely said that many words in one go. And he couldn't say he didn't deserve it when she gave him a slap.

She slammed into her room, and slammed the door in his face as he tried to follow. Ryou headed numbly into the living room, turning on one of his Blues CDs hoping it would pull its usual trick of healing his soul. It didn't. He buried his head in his arms. Perhaps he had been better off when he hadn't been a hero. First Penelope, and now Amane… he never used to lose his temper like that. He never used to have a temper. But… it was just seeing Jason like that, and knowing it was, indirectly, his fault… And then his shoulder, and the guys getting away… He shouldn't take it out on Amane, he knew, but it was so hard…

This wasn't turning out as a very good afternoon.

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Amane lay on her bed, trying to stop herself from crying. She hadn't cried for a long time, certainly not in these past few weeks since she had found her brother. She couldn't remember the last time they'd argued like that. She wasn't certain they ever had. She was just so… confused.

She missed Jason. She really did. She had been so happy to see Penny, her oldest, best friend again; but every time she saw her, she still expected to see Jason at her side, like in the old days. But he was never there. She hadn't found out what had become of him yet, but she feared the worst. Worse then dead, Ryou had yelled somewhere in the midst of it all. The tears continued to fall as she cried for her old friend. She had once had a crush on him, certainly, but like most ten year old girls, it was almost for the sake of it. He hadn't been any different to any of her other, old, dear friends; except that, sometimes, when she had a problem she couldn't talk to Ryou about, that Penelope wouldn't understand, she went to him. He usually didn't understand either, and probably didn't really want to listen, but he always did. Somehow, that had always cheered her up. He had been like another brother to her, just like Penelope was a sister to her. Back then, the four of them had been a family, almost. Their father was always away on digs, the Hightman's always flying to some far off, exotic place. They had clung to each other, been so close.

But that was a long time ago.

She had come a long way since then, across the world in fact. She missed Jason, but he wasn't here now. There was no point in thinking about him, about what she may or may not have felt back then, about what she may or may not have felt had been here now. Because he wasn't here.

But that left a void. And now, from what Ryou was suggesting… She didn't know. Did she like Joey? It seemed a laughable idea, but then she hadn't really thought about it. He was a friend of hers, but she hadn't thought about it. She had no desire to think about it. It was too confusing. But now she couldn't help it…

"Stupid Ryou…" She muttered, groaning into the pillows, and at that very moment, he came knocking on her bedroom door.

"Amane…?" She gave no response, and he took that as an invitation to come in, sitting on the bed next to her motionless form, still lying on her stomach with her face buried. "I'm sorry." He whispered. "Amane, I… Well. Let's not make any excuses. I shouldn't have said that- any of it." She didn't answer, so, swallowing, he changed tack. "I will come to the cinema with you guys tomorrow. And… If you don't like Jason anymore, that's alright." He closed his eyes. "If you like Joey now, that's alright. And… if you don't, that's alright to. Even if you have no idea… that's alright."

Amane couldn't help but laugh, although still fighting back tears. "You're really bad at this." She commented, sitting up. "But… that's alright. I'm sorry I said all that stuff about…everything… about Jay… I just…" She sighed, resting her head miserably on her brother's good shoulder. "I really miss him. I really miss the old days."

"I know. Me to." Ryou answered calmly.

Amane suddenly giggled again. "This is just like when we were kids. Only when I was upset then, you always cheered me up by putting on a posh accent and saying 'Come on, now, Amy. Chin up'…"

"'Stiff upper lip, and the like'…" Ryou completed, smiling slightly.

"That was it." Amane sighed. "I was so easily amused back then. But after you got the Ring… it just got so much more complicated… more confusing…"

"It did." Ryou agreed, sombrely.

"But, even so…" Amane sat up properly. "We need to try and have some fun along the way. That's why we should go tomorrow, try to relax a little. I hope you have a nice shirt to wear."

Ryou rolled his eyes. "Does it really matter what I wear? We'll be in a dark room most of the time."

"Of course it does!" Amane chirruped. "If you're going to impress Sere-"

He pressed a hand over her mouth, blushing. "Be quiet!" He commanded. "It's not like that!"

"Sure…" Amane teased lightly. As his blush faded, his cheek remained red. She'd hit him hard. "Oh… um… sorry about the slap."

"I think I deserved it." Ryou admitted.

"It's not like you to be so…" She trailed off.

"I know. Sorry." Ryou apologised again, rubbing a hand over his face tiredly. "It's just been… a hard day."

"Tell me." Amane commanded, getting herself into a comfortable listening position, hugging her slightly damp pillow to her stomach. "I want to know what you meant when you said Jason was 'worse then dead'. And how you got hurt, for that matter."

Ryou sighed, the exhalation making his bangs fly upwards, and flopped back onto the bed as he told her. When he got to the bit with Jason, she began to cry again, for her friend's fate. This time, she didn't try to stop herself, and neither did Ryou. Some things just had to come out naturally, lest they explode again. Eventually, Ryou stood up to leave. It was his turn to cook.

"I was thinking I might make donburi…" He tried.

"As long as it isn't fish." Amane replied, having had some trouble adjusting to traditional Japanese diets. "I'm sick of fish."

"Actually, I was going to make chicken donburi."

"Oh, okay."

Ryou headed off, deciding not to tell her that this donburi was just chicken, rice, and vegetables. She had yet to comprehend that almost everything came with rice here, and was always surprised by it. They both knew she'd eat it in the end, so why did she bother complaining…?

"Ryou?" She called after him, suddenly.

"Yes?" He turned around, and she grinned evilly at him.

"I hope you didn't think anything immoral when you saw Penny in a towel…"

Ryou groaned mentally. He knew he should have omitted that bit. He was never going to hear the end of it…

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When Amane and Ryou arrived at the cinema the following morning, the other two were already waiting for them. Amane waved cheerily.

"Sorry we're late!" She smirked. "Ryou couldn't choose what to wear!"

Her brother rolled his eyes. "Every shirt I put on, she decided wasn't suitable." He complained mildly. Serenity laughed at him.

"Ryou, a shirt with 'The Hero's way always leads to the Triforce' is not a cool shirt. It's just weird." She tutted.

"It sounds pretty cool to me…" Joey said, having seen the Legend of Zelda motif in game shops.

"Me to. But they don't do them for girls…" Serenity added.

"See?" Ryou smiled triumphantly, waving at the two.

Amane shrugged. "It's fine, when it's just our friends. We're out in public, here! You should only be a nerd in a closet, where you belong! All those games and stuff that no-one in the real world cares about…"

"Um, excuse me…" Someone said to Joey, nervously. They turned to see a girl wearing a T-shirt with the Megaman logo on it. She grinned. "It is you!" She said happily. "Second at Duellist Kingdom and Battle City, right?"

"Something like that." Joey agreed, deciding not to correct her on his standings at Battle City.

"Cool." She nodded. "You got a good game, man. Hey, wait. You're not too bad either…" She gestured at Ryou. "Um…You were there, weren't you?"

"That's right." Ryou answered, easily.

"Oh, good. Thought you were." She wandered off.

Amane slapped her forehead. "Goodness me, it's an invasion." She sighed, and Serenity laughed. "Well, whatever. Let's go and get tickets already!"

The rest of the trip almost passed without disaster. But, of course, nothing went without disaster anymore. The four sat in a row, with Ryou at one end, followed by Amane, Joey, and finally Serenity. The film was good, which was quite unusual for one based on a novel. This one followed quite closely, but didn't try to be one hundred percent accurate; and it was all the better for it. Constantly, the audience was in tears, or in tears of laughter. It was a very enjoyable experience, or, at least, it started as one.

Half way through, Amane discovered her popcorn box was empty.

"I need a refill." She muttered.

"Me to." Joey replied, and they decided to go while it was a 'slow bit'. They filed past Ryou, leaving his feet sufficiently squashed. He slid down the row next to Serenity, to avoid getting the same treatment twice. In the dark, she rolled her eyes.

"They were large tubs, to." She whispered. "I don't know how they can eat so much…!"

"Nor me." Ryou admitted. "It's a constant mystery to me…"

Meanwhile, Joey and Amane were approaching the snack kiosk.

"The best thing about going in the middle of a film is that there's no que!" Joey pointed out. Amane nodded in agreement.

"Now then… should we get sweet or salted…?" She wondered.

"How about we get one type each, and then mix them up?" Joey suggested, well used to the hated debate.

"That would work." Amane smiled. They went and placed their orders with the man at the kiosk, who had some trouble working the machine. Eventually, though, they had what they wanted, paid, and headed back towards the screen. Amane's mind was working furiously. It had been a different person behind the counter then it had been at the start of the film. He hadn't been wearing a uniform, or a name tag, or anything. He obviously hadn't known how to use the machine. And, now that she thought about it, she hadn't seen any other member of staff in the entire cinema since they went in… They slipped back into their seats, and she muttered something to Ryou, who immediately stood, and headed outside. Serenity watched him leave, wondering if it wouldn't have made more sense for him to go to the toilet when the other two had left. She thought nothing more of it as she turned around to apologise to the people behind, who were becoming understandably irritated at all this up and downing.

In the darkness of the screen, no-one saw Ryou slip something made of grey cloth out of his pocket.

He didn't return to the screen. When the others came out, they were surprised to find that they guy who had served Amane and Joey was now out-cold on the floor, about to be removed by police. The staff were explaining to the officers how they had been threatened with a gun before being locked in the finance office. It had been Masquerade who had opened the door.

"Man, he was right under our noses and we didn't see him!" Joey complained.

"Well, at least the film was good." Amane consoled him.

Serenity nodded. "It was. I wonder why Ryou left?" She sounded a little hurt. "I thought he was enjoying it…"

"I was." Ryou smiled, having appeared seemingly from nowhere. He couldn't go back into the film now that the staff knew that Masquerade was in the cinema. He'd had to make a great show of flying away and then walking back up as himself to meet the others. Of course, he hadn't been allowed into the film half way through, and he would have been forced to buy a new ticket anyway. "But, on my way back, I saw the police everywhere, and they told me it was a hostile situation and escorted me out! I wasn't allowed back in!"

This wasn't strictly true. He had dealt with it far before the police had turned up to make the arrest.

"I see…" Serenity frowned. "Did you happen to catch sight of Masquerade?"

"No." Ryou shook his head. "I looked, but…" he sighed. "I really was enjoying the film… what a disappointment…"

"Never mind, Ryou!" Amane said, hooking an arm around his neck. "It'll be out on DVD in a few months!"

He sighed. This trip had been, according to Amane, to make him relax. That man had ruined it… How very inconsiderate some of these criminals were.

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Penelope had not been able to relax very much either over the weekend. Once the media had followed the bank robbers from the crime to her house, suddenly, every news station and paper had wanted to interview her about her run-in with Masquerade. Well, she wasn't telling anyone. She had taken the phone off the hook, and pulled the plug out from the wall. Her mom had been forced, when she returned home that night, to force her way through a great swarm of reporters, and for the rest of that night and the following day, they'd locked themselves in the house with the curtains drawn. Luckily, by Saturday afternoon, they caught whiff of Masquerade doing his thing at a nearby cinema, and had gone hounding after lots of new people to interview. She thought she had been forgotten, but, of course, when she returned to school on Monday, she had become somewhat a celebrity. Battling her way up the corridor through people dying to know all the details that she really didn't care to divulge, she finally made it to her form room, only to find the entire school newspaper team in there. Some, she saw, were interviewing Joey.

"Well, I didn't see him…" Joey was saying. "But I saw the guy that done it! I brought popcorn from him!" He gestured wildly in an attempt to make it sound more impressive.

"Do you seriously expect me to believe that he managed to get even more money then what he was about to steal by selling you popcorn?"

"Yeah! Ask Amane! She was there to!"

Hoping she would go unnoticed even longer, Penelope from the doorway towards her desk. It was a bad idea. Immediately, the editor of the paper was upon her.

"Penelope! Thank goodness! You met him, didn't you? Come on, give us the full story!"

"No." Penelope said flatly.

The editor leaned in. "Come on… I know you wouldn't sell out to the big papers, but we're not like that. We don't even pay for our stories! But Masquerade is gripping the imagination of Domino High, and it's our duty to fuel it!"

"No." Penelope repeated, dully.

"Why won't you tell anyone what happened?" The editor sighed. "Come on! The world- well, the school- needs to know! Unless something unscrupulous went on…!" She scratched an imaginary beard.

"What are you talking about?" Penelope sighed. "Actually- I hate to think what you're thinking! But that doesn't mean I'm going to tell you."

"But, Penelope-"

"She said no." Amane said, appearing to help. "No-one gets an interview with Penny without an appointment!"

"An appointment?" The editor said, indcredously, as Amane blatantly picked up her school planner and turned to the week's page. "Fine… When can I interview her?"

"Well, tell me when you want, and I'll see when you can be fitted in…" Amane, the self-appointed Manager, smiled sweetly. Penelope elbowed her anxiously, mouthing 'no interviews!'.

"How about lunchtime?"

"Sorry, we're fully booked till the twelfth of Never." Amane shrugged.

"What! That's rubbish!"

"Look, I can only please on person a day." Amane sighed. "Today is not your day. Tomorrow doesn't look good either."

Finally, the bell signifying the end of form rang, and Penelope hurried out. On the way, she brushed past Ryou, knocking his shoulder. Although she carried on walking without so much as batting an eye, he bit down on a shout of pain, clutching the affected shoulder. The stitches were the sort that would eventually dissolve, so at least he didn't need them removed, but it was certainly going to be sore for a while, and probably leave yet another scar on his body.

Penelope didn't notice the pain she had caused him. She wouldn't notice until it was pointed out to her.

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One day down, four to go, and then it was the weekend again. Trudging on, Penelope sighed. Why did the week have to be so long…?

It wasn't that she was ungrateful to Masquerade. It was just that she didn't really want to let on that she had been wearing nothing but a bath towel with a paw-print pattern at the time. Besides, if she was honest, that wasn't even her major concern.

She didn't want the whole school to know about Jason. She was sure that the more unkind students would use it against him and against her, and even the kinder ones would suddenly become overbearingly sympathetic. And then there was the inevitable question of what had happened to him- as much as Ryou might deserve to be shunned, that would then reflect onto Amane. Penelope didn't want that.

But… if she really stopped to think about it, she wasn't entirely sure that it was purely for Amane. Maybe, maybe, there was a tiny part of her, way down inside, that had seen Ryou with his sister, and was reminded of the old, happier, times. Maybe that part was also beginning to recognise that she had no idea what had happened that day; and if she didn't know, how could she put the blame on him…?

She shook the thoughts away. That part was just pining after days that would never return. Ryou had been the one to do this to her brother. She might not know the how, or even the why, but she knew it in her gut instinct. She couldn't forget it.

Penelope pulled her thoughts back to Masquerade, and safer territory. Having met him, she wasn't sure what all the fuss was about. For one thing, he was just a kid, probably no older then her. He hadn't even been able to get them out of the bathroom, until he blew the door off its hinges and caused thousands of pounds of damage. Then, there was the niggling detail that he was so similar to Faceless, who had once worked with a couple of other heroes in the UK, all three of which had disappeared one after the other. She was certain they were the same- the powers matched precisely. Now, how many Australian kids were there living locally that had once lived in England? Not that many, she should imagine. Penelope snorted as she thought of all the difficulties the press were having trying to track him down. For goodness sake, she could do it herself within five minutes on the internet- or at least take a good guess! Still…

For all his faults, Masquerade had saved her brother. She had to give him that one. She'd never forget it.

As she continued up the hill towards the old train station, the very place where Ryou and Amane had been reunited, there was a man waiting for her. He had been waiting for her, and an opportunity like this for a long time. She drew level with him, and he called out in English.

"Excuse me…" Penelope turned, imagining he was going to ask for the time or something. His words shocked her. "I think you can help me, Penelope…"

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There was also someone waiting for Seto as he walked into his office at Kaiba Corp. This time, it was not the man, but a woman, little older then Seto himself. She received no more friendly a greeting. In fact, he did not even acknowledge her presence, paying no more attention to her then if she was a potted plant, and began to start up his computer. Not one to give up, she came and perched jauntily on the edge of the desk.

"Seto… Aren't you even going to look at me?" She pouted theatrically, her voice dropping to a whisper. "You might like what you see…"

"You evidently know how to use a door. Do so." Seto commanded, still not looking up. Suddenly, her smile faded, and she jerked his face upwards, not letting go of his chin. Knowing he had no chance of breaking free, Seto didn't try- instead meeting her gaze levelly. "What do you want?"

"It's been so long…" She said, using her spare hand to stroke his face. "What if I just want to catch up?"

"Give it up." Seto snorted. "And stop degrading yourself. You would never flirt with me unless he put you up to it. Tell me what you really want, so I can decline, and you can get out of here."

"Same attitude." She dismissed scathingly, carelessly tossing his face away. Then she pushed her face up close into his. "Seto, I'm supposed to convince you to come back with me."

Seto glared back. "Never." He hissed.

She tried the cute approach again, trying out the 'puppy dog' look. "But… Seto… we're the only family you ever had. We saved you…"

Seto raised an eyebrow, and stood up. "You did not 'save' me, you condemned me! I was no better off with your lot then I was with the rest! Is it any wonder I wanted out?"

"How about after that?" She asked, innocently, tapping her chin. "I seem to recall a certain disastrous trip to England with your step father… Wasn't it 'my lot' that rescued you?"

Seto snorted. "No. Don't try to fool me- he was a free agent. The only role you played in it was the one out to kill me. And, I suspect, the only reason I'm not dead now is that people world-wide would notice if I was gone."

"I wonder if they'd notice Mokuba was gone." She snapped, maliciously. Seto's eyes narrowed.

"Is that a threat?"

"It might be."

Seto shrugged, pointedly opening the office door. "Tell him this- you never 'had' me to begin with, and you never will. I'm out to unmask Masquerade for my own purposes, and what he does after that is his own business."

"But, Seto, if you do that; it could be really bad for us. Really bad for everyone… particularly your brother."

"Give it up." Seto said, tiredly. "We both know you won't do a thing- I'm not going to waste my breath repeating myself."

"That makes you our enemy."

"I'm aware of that." Seto smirked. "So be it."

She huffed nosily, and pushed past him to the door, pressing unnecessarily close to him as she went. She smiled predatorily.

"Fine… But as to how I would 'never' flirt with you…" She said, slowly. "Don't count on it. You've aged well." She sighed. "When did you become a man…?"

"Perhaps around the same time you became a slut." Seto answered, coolly, turning away from her all-too-revealing top. She scowled.

"Heh. One day, Seto, I'll ruin that pretty face of yours… I promise."

With that, she was gone.

Seto sank down into his chair, with no other option then to begin work. Idly, he noted things were becoming more serious. He wondered how much longer he could avoid them. At any rate, he was determined to reach Masquerade first. He would prove to the world this scam.

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"Do I know you?" Penelope asked, civilly, although she took a step backwards, ready to run if she had to.

"Not exactly…" The man shrugged. "We just have a…mutual acquaintance, who I would dearly love to find."

Penelope was suspicious. "Just who are you?"

He took a step closer. "I'm an ally of yours, if you will. I hate Masquerade in precisely the same way that you hate Ryou Bakura."

She backed off properly now, but some small curiosity kept her from straying too far. "What?"

"Come on…" He sighed. "You're a clever girl, aren't you? I know that your brother is in a right state; and that the one responsible is Ryou."

"…How do you know?" She asked, appalled and intrigued all at once.

"It's my business to know." He answered, softly. "He's hurt so many homes like he has yours… and I'm out to stop him hurting any more. But I need your help."

"I…" Penelope wavered.

"Please!" he begged, desperately. "Penelope, he's Masquerade!"

Penelope jolted in surprise. "What?" She gasped.

"Think girl, think!" He answered. "Didn't Faceless disappear the same day Ryou did? The day that the fire killed his mother and nearly got his sister? He fled, Penelope, he fled here- and now he's taken on a new alias and he's at it again! Please, we have to stop him."

"It… you must be lying." Penelope shook her head, staring at him like he was mad. "Masquerade saved Jay… It can't be Ryou…"

"He was just feeling guilty! A minor relapse!" The man insisted, grabbing hold of her arm. Repulsed, Penelope began to pull away, but there was something almost hypnotic in her eyes, and she stopped. It was starting to make sense… "What about the day of the bank robbery? Didn't Ryou go home sick? Or at the cinema- he was there at the time! And when you bumped into him, didn't you see the pain it caused him? He's got a wound there! If you don't believe me, look, tomorrow."

"I…" Penelope said, slowly. Then, shaking slightly, she was struck with the truth of his words. "His powers… is that what he did to Jay?"

The man nodded earnestly. "And to so many others… Please, I'm the only real 'good guy'. I can't stop him alone."

Penelope was still trying to comprehend all this. There was once a time when she would have never believed Ryou was evil, but now… now, she just didn't know what to believe anymore. And it explained how he did what he did to Jay. If she knew what it was, perhaps she could fix it. That was why they'd come to Japan to begin with- there was the world's best health care here, perhaps they could help Jason- but it was no good. Yet, if it was Ryou… Masquerade… that had done this, perhaps he could undo it. But first, they had to catch him, stop him from doing it again.

Penelope was confused. She didn't know anything anymore. She wasn't sure she believed a word this man was saying. But ever since Jay had collapsed, she had known it was something to do with Ryou, and had grown to hate him for it. She clung to that now, as she nodded dubiously.

"Alright. I'll help." Then, seeking some assurance to assuage the doubts this was the moral thing to do, she added "But, at least tell me your name!"

"My name?" he sounded almost surprised. But then he smiled, and, nervously, she thought she saw a trace of madness in it. "My name is Tom."

"Okay…" He was looking at her expectantly. "Um… hello, Tom."

"Hello." He smiled still. "So, Penelope Grace Hightman, are you ready to start?"

"What do I have to do?" She asked, cautiously.

"It's perfectly simple. I just need some information…"

"Like what?"

His smiled broadened even more. "Why…Whatever you can give me, my dear."

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Destiny, I've always found, is such a funny idea. And yet, it is one of the most international philosophies. In Western countries, that were either given Christianity under the Roman empire or later, when the Europeans invaded and 'civilised' them, I guess it stems from the belief that God had a preordained plan for you. There was very little emphasis on the free will concept in those days, so I suppose the idea of fate and destiny came from that. In other countries, like here in Japan, where it is predominantly Buddhism and traditionally Shinto, I believe the concept of 'destiny' is almost as old as time itself. Still… I'm not sure I believe in it myself. Maybe I don't want to- would that mean I had no choice in the matter? Although, lately, I have been feeling my life is slipping out of my control… It could all be bizarre coincidence. Maybe it was all 'meant to be', in the eye of God, or in the alignment of the stars, or whatever else. Perhaps that isn't so important. I'm living through it regardless, and I have to try my best. I can't sit back and blame any bad decisions or consequences on 'fate'. I have to take responsibility for myself. God has given free will; to decide everything from the little choices to the big ones. And then I shall have to live with the effects.

I think I like it that way; with no-one to blame but myself. This way, I cannot dwell on the problems and become bitter. I just have to get on with it. Perhaps that is the best thing for everyone.

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A/N: On a completely random note, this fic has just completed it's one hundredth page on the word 'effects'. It seems we'll be looking at something of WyG proportions here, everybody… (Sweatdrop) But now, I have something ultra special for you! An OUTTAKE! Well, not exactly. The scene when Ryou first enters at the start of this chapter and the end of the previous one, was originally going to run as follows; but I changed it because it didn't quite… oh, never mind. Just take a look…:

"Amane!" He yelled as he went. Usually, in public, they'd speak in Japanese, as it was only polite, and at home in English. True to habit, it was English he spoke now. He walked across to open the door to his room, and go out into the hall. "I have just spent my afternoon crawling around in air vents and locked in Penelope Hightman's…" He trailed off. Amane was looking at him in horror from where she stood by the open front door; where she had been trying to convince his well-wishing friends that it was a really, really bad idea for them to visit right now. He stared at them, becoming all too aware of his worn appearance as they gawped back at him. "…new book!" He completed slightly hysterically, grabbing a random novel from the shelf just inside his room.

His friends, reasonably fluent enough in English to grasp the basics of the final sentence. He smiled sheepishly.

"Oh, hello everyone!" He said, waving the book. "Has anyone read this?"

They slowly shook their heads.

Luckily, Amane was better at lying then he was.

And so on and so forth. In conclusion… rhetorical questions! There's a big maths test coming up, but who will pass and who will fail? When the school is on fire, will they even take it? Who ends up in hospital, who ends up missing, and who ends up trapped? Why is a boy in the girls toilets? Will Masquerade be able to keep up? Things start heating up- please excuse the appalling pun, I couldn't resist- in A Superhero Story Chapter Eight- A Pyromaniac!

…I had to title the chapter that. Just for Scooby. (Smirks) Join me next time, both those who review, and the 'silent readers' my stats tell me are watching this fic! I hope you enjoyed!