Author's Note from S.: Okay, first off: Apology. For those of you that didn't read my profile – I've been out of commission the past few months due to an interstate move of my entire family. We are now happily situated in Virginia, and I have turned my attention back to my much-neglected stories.
For those loyal readers and reviewers who are actually giving me another chance despite my lack of timely updates: THANK YOU SO MUCH! andromeda90, DarkPyroGirl, inuyasha0001, AndreAIaRae, Sesshomaru's elf, and Lady Element: Thank you so much for your kind reviews. blue leafy: I don't want to give too much away, but I think I can make you even happier with the story in coming chapters. And Hwoarang Girl: I cannot thank you enough for taking the time to read my story, or for your praise. You have been one of my idols on since I started here, and having your praise is an honor. Thank you.
Additional Note from Onyx: Since we've made you wait so long… I'm going to push my Hikari's ass as far into this computer chair as it will go, and see if we can get another chapter out to you all ASAP - no review requirement.
S: Ever so poetic, Onyx. Uhmmm…. Okay, disclaimer see chapter one, it's still slash, and Bakura is….. where?
(Kuriboh and Bakura go flying by, Kuriboh still carrying the 'Disclaimer See Ch. 1 sign) Eish, you'd think he'd get tired of lugging that thing around… Oh, yeah, WARNING: Mention of body piercing. Okay, that's everything! Roll'em!
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LIVES TO LIVE
Chapter Four: Thinking
After parading themselves through the long streets of Domino City between Kaiba's mansion and the Game shop, most of the Duel monsters were tired despite their exuberance. As they stood in the back rooms of the Game Shop, the major topic of debate was the sleeping arrangements. None of the monsters were willing to take Yami and Yuugi's room, but as there were only three bedrooms, four beds, and eight different beings, that left something of a dilemma.
"Celtos and I can share a room, Master, that isn't a problem" offered Damus, snagging his helmet away from Mirai as the young mage tried to balance it on her nose. The girl giggled in response.
"A bedroom? You two usually share a b " Damus' long hand clamped quickly over his sister's mouth, silencing the girl instantly. It looked like a highly practiced maneuver, and Yami wondered just how many times Damus had been forced to silence his sister in that manner. Shifting his gaze from Damus' hand to his face, he was surprised to see the magician's normally narrow blue eyes were wide with something that looked like panic.
"Sister" the mage began in firm tones"I doubt our Masters are interested in the particular sleeping arrangements of their monsters." Only when the she-mage nodded, looking sheepish, did he remove his hand.
"I can sleep anywhere there is need, Masters, even outside" offered Lustire quietly, and Yuugi jumped. Those were the only words the monster had spoken since telling them his name back at Kaiba's mansion. His voice was rich and deep, but rarely heard and therefore somewhat startling.
"I don't think it will come to that, Lustire" answered Yami with his usual confidence. "Damus and Celtos, you may take Grandfather's room, it is the first one at the top of the stairs. Amystria, Mirai, the guest room has two beds in it, you may have that one. Lustire - are you certain you do not wish a bed" The monster nodded in response, and Yuugi frowned as he examined the living room.
"The couch is fairly comfortable, I've slept there a few nights myself. Do you mind" A slight shake of the brilliantly red-haired head was his only answer, and Yuugi nodded slightly. "Okay, so what about Kuri"
"He'll sleep anywhere" Mirai answered cheerfully. As though to prove her point, the floating monster zoomed merrily by them and settled in a chair, cooing happily. Yami raised an eyebrow and Yuugi shrugged.
"Yami, why don't we go make up the beds? You guys, make yourselves comfortable…" Yuugi trailed off, a 'and don't break anything' clearly implied, although unspoken. The monsters nodded their agreement and quietly dispersed around the room, speaking to each other in soft tones. Sighing slightly, Yami unbuckled his second belt – the one that had his deck on it, in a hip holster – and set it on the coffee table before turning to follow his light up the stairs.
"Yami, how could this have happened?" Yuugi finally asked ten minutes later, as he and his darker half pulled the fitted sheet tight over his grandfather's mattress. Yami looked pensive for several minutes, staring at the corner of the sheet as he smoothed out nonexistent wrinkles.
"Yami?" Yuugi finally prodded him.
"There are a number of ways it could have happened, Aibou," the dark spirit answered, frowning. "The thought that immediately springs to mind is Shadow Majicks."
"But how is that possible? You and Bakura are the only ones that have any real Shadow powers anymore, and Ryou would have told us if Bakura…" Yuugi trailed off with a shrug. Although their friend currently exercised some control over his Yami's destructive impulses, the need for mischief still occasionally overtook the platinum-haired spirit.
"You're forgetting someone."
"I am? Who?"
"Malik's darker half. Isis has been calling him Mariku."
"Aren't they in Egypt, though?"
"Yes, probably trying to find a way into my tomb so they can desecrate it…" came the wry mutter.
"I think Isis would have mentioned something, though, if her brother – brothers? – were tapping into the Shadow Realm. Didn't you seal off his powers, anyway?"
"That is no guarantee where a Tomb Keeper is concerned."
Deciding to drop this uncomfortable line of conversation, Yuugi excused himself to the linen closet, leaving Yami to finish making the bed alone. They joined up again in the guest room a few minutes later, working together on each of the twin beds. This made the work go quickly, but throughout the time, Yami remained stubbornly silent, not meeting Yuugi's gaze. Realizing a change of subject was in order, Yuugi groped for a moment and finally settled on, "Do you think Damus and Celtos will mind sharing a bed?"
Yami blinked once, sharply, and glanced up at his light half. "No," he answered after a moment. "Didn't you hear what Mirai said?"
"Mirai has said kind of a lot," Yuugi pointed out, and Yami restrained a snort of laughter.
"When Damus offered for them to share a bedroom, Mirai was about to say that they usually share a bed," Yami answered, a faint twinkle appearing in his crimson eyes. Yuugi looked blank for a moment, but comprehension dawned quickly on his face.
"Oooh! I get it! They're - "
"Involved, yes. Although I'm not sure they're comfortable with us knowing that quite yet – remember how Damus reacted to his sister nearly exposing that fact?"
"Yeah – he looked a little panicked."
"So I wasn't imagining it."
"Nope, I noticed, too." Shoving the pillows back into place, Yuugi took a last, appraising glance around the room and quickly declared it finished.
"Excellent. Grab some blankets and pillows for Lustire, and we'll head back downstairs."
Nodding cheerfully, the young duelist bounded back to the closet, returning a moment later so laden with pillows and blankets that the pile towered over his head – and hair. Smiling faintly, Yami took the top two blankets off the stack, allowing Yuugi's eyes to peer over the armload of blankets he still carried.
"Shall I take anything else?"
"Nope, I've got it," came the cheerful reply, and Yuugi trotted off for the staircase. Yami shook his head in disbelief and followed.
When the two arrived back downstairs, they were understandably surprised to find Joey sitting on the sofa, deep in a discussion of dueling tactics with the Celtic Guardian.
"..you see, Pot of Greed would only risk further loss of life points in that scenario, because of the effects of the Just Desserts – Hello, Masters."
"Eh? Oh, hey, Yuug, Yami. Your Dark Magician let me in," Joey announced, as though having the door answered by a high-level spellcaster was an everyday occurrence. Turning back to the Elf, he asked simply, "Now, what's the best defense for that?"
And they went back to their discussion. Yuugi and Yami exchanged amazed glances and then scanned the room for the rest of the monsters. Damus, Mirai and Amystria were nowhere in sight. Kuri was dozing on top of the television, and Lustire was sitting on the floor by the window, staring silently out through the glass panes.
"Celtos, where are the rest of you?" Yami inquired, and the Elf glanced up from the table, his amber eyes widening slightly. "Damus and Mirai are in the kitchen, Master, but I do not know where Mysti is."
"Thank you. And please, stop calling me Master. I would prefer to be called Yami."
"Yes, Master Yami," came the too-innocent reply, and Yuugi could have sworn he saw a spark of humor in the Elf's eyes before they dropped back to the table, and the dueling deck that was sitting on it. "Now, in a situation where you are faced with a spellcaster," the Elf continued, reaching into the deck and pulling out two cards, "such as Damus," the mage's card landed face up on the table, "or Mysti," and here he set down the Mystical Elf's – "your best course of action…"
"Hey, how do ya do that?" Joey interrupted. "Pullin' out their cards like that?"
"Well, when you live in a deck for as long as I have," another card was withdrawn and dropped lightly on the table, revealing the title 'Celtic Guardian,' "you learn your way around it." All three of the cards were without a picture, containing only the title and stats. Plucking a couple more cards out of the deck, Celtos recited the names as he set each of the cards down, with unfailing accuracy. "Kuriboh… Mirai… Lustire… Gaia."
As he set down the last card, there was a sound like an explosion and a blinding flash of light. When the occupants of the room cleared their eyes, Joey was nowhere to be seen, and a tall, grey-skinned humanoid monster was standing in the center of the room, looking confused.
It might have been a little less astonishing if he was wearing his full battle armor, like the rest of the monsters had been. However, this monster was clad only from waist to knee in a thick white towel. He was quite handsome without his mask, possessing a strongly planed face with brilliant blue eyes and a narrow nose over a full mouth. His hair, a rich shade of gold, fell nearly to the middle of his back. A few strands had fallen forward over his shoulders, and brushed against his bare chest. Following the golden strands of hair with his eyes, Yuugi caught a glimpse of more gold- a slender golden stud lanced through each of the monster's dark-grey nipples. Yuugi suppressed a wince. Undoubtedly that was Yami's influence – Yuugi knew that piercings had been very common in ancient Egypt, even in males. Just as he was refocusing enough to inquire as to the monster's name, Celt's voice stopped him with a single word.
"Gaia!"
"Celtos?" the grey-skinned monster returned, looking no less stunned than the Elf. "What am I doing here?"
"Gaia?" Joey's disheveled blond head reappeared over the back of the sofa. Apparently, he'd wound up behind it in the confusion following the Knight's arrival. "As in, Gaia the Fierce Knight?"
"Yes, Gaia the Fierce Knight! Celtos, what am I doing here? I was just about to get in the bath!"
"So we can see," came Damus' amused retort. The indigo-haired mage was leaning against the doorway of the kitchen, surveying the grey-skinned knight with clear amusement.
"I don't know what you're doing here! I was showing your card and - "
"You summoned him?" Mirai, peeking around her brother's elbow, stared at the Elf with clear awe.
"I did no such thing!"
"Regardless of how he got here, the fact remains, he is here now," Yami stated with irrefutable logic. Gaia, hearing the sound of the Pharaoh's voice, spun around to face him. Upon seeing his masters, he became so flustered trying to bow and apologize for his appearance all at once that he lost his grip on his towel, and had to grapple to regain it. Amystria blushed purple and turned her back on the sight, and Damus promptly clapped a hand over his sister's eyes. Yami and Yuugi exchanged glances.
"Uhm, Yami? Maybe we should go run Gaia a bath…"
"Yes, Aibou, I think that is a very good idea."
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S: (giggles) Bathtime Gaia! And yes, pierced nipples. Sorry if that squicks anyone… I couldn't resist. Onyx dared me to put a body piercing in somewhere. Initially, it was going to be Celtos who had pierced nipples, but there will be another couple GC-tidbits in the next chapter, and I didn't want to overload him.
Celtos: You're so considerate.
S: If I was considerate, this chapter would have gotten posted before I moved.
Celtos: (refrains from commenting)