DISCLAIMER: This is a work of fanfiction produced for entertainment purposes only. Yu-Gi-Oh! and all related characters are the creations of Kazuki Takahashi.

AUTHOR'S NOTE 1: I use the shortened forms of my fic titles in this, so here's the list to avoid any confusion. 'Source' - 'Another Source of Magic'. 'Hearts' - 'Hearts, Souls and Shadows'. 'Library' - 'The Shadow Library'. 'Shadows' - 'The Shadow Tournament'. Any others are named in full.

.

Interview with an Authoress
Chapter 3: The Third Show

By Shadow's Mirror

.

Show aired June 6, 2004

The camera pans slowly around the library of the Dark Magician's tower, taking in the overflowing bookshelves and the stacks of books and papers spread across the floor like a sea of parchment. The camera's focus shifts to the two comfortably padded armchairs set before the cheerfully crackling fire. One of the chairs is occupied by a figure in a hooded black cloak. The other chair is empty.

"Um… Shadow's Mirror… where's the Dark Magician?" D Human looks out from behind the camera, a puzzled look on his face. "He does know that we're filming this tonight, right?"

Shadow's Mirror looks up, distracted from her thoughtful gazing into the fire's heart. "Hmm? Oh, yes. He knows. He was here earlier. Before you arrived. When he heard you come in, he said something about making sure that the interview wasn't 'interrupted by unwelcome visitors'.

D Human blinks, then sighs. "In other words, he's gone to set up an 'Anti Dark Witch' spell."

"Probably. Although you'd think he'd know by now that sort of thing never works the way he intends it to." Shadow's Mirror and D Human share a wry grin.

"That reminds me… when are you going to tell the audience why those two argue so much?"

Shadow's Mirror grins mischievously. "Oh, I'm sure it will work its way into a story sooner or later." Her look turns thoughtful. "I'd say probably towards the end of 'Hearts', since that's when it happened."

D Human sighs. "Yes. I remember." He stares down at the floor, apparently lost in his memories. Judging by his expression, his memories are not happy ones.

"While we're waiting, why don't you come sit down by the fire? It's rather cold tonight." Shadow's Mirror smiles gently at the Shadow Monster. D Human nods and joins her, sinking into the other chair with a relieved sigh.

"You're right. Even though it's only a small room, the fire isn't quite big enough to warm it completely. Darak usually enhances it with a spell… Oh!" D Human suddenly gasps, looking horrified. He gives Shadow's Mirror a sheepish look. "I'm sorry. I forgot I'm not supposed to call him that."

"That's okay. I've slipped it in a few times myself. I like to keep the audience on their toes." Shadow's Mirror winks at D Human, who grins back.

"You do that a lot, don't you? Include small clues about things that are coming up, or things that are going to happen in other stories."

Shadow's Mirror laughs and nods. "Yes, I guess it's my worst habit. Well, that and linking stories together. I just can't help myself! When I figure out something that's coming up, I just can't keep it a secret! I have to tell someone! But at the same time, I don't like ruining the surprise. So I write a hint in whatever chapter I happen to be writing at the time. Sometimes it's something so small that I don't even realise it's there until the final proofread! Other times…" she pauses, suddenly looking uncomfortable.

"Other times, it's a written version of a large mallet." D Human smirks.

Shadow's Mirror winces. "Er… yes."

D Human's eyes sparkle with mischief as he leans forward. "What's your most obvious so far?"

A laugh is Shadow's Mirror immediate response, but her answer isn't far behind it. "In chapter 4 of 'Source', Bakura complains to Ryou about him being overprotective. He says," Shadow's Mirror snaps her fingers and Bakura's voice suddenly fills the room, speaking his lines. "'I don't need a baby-sitter. What do you think I am? Some pathetic little stray that needs looking after? Some defenceless little girl that needs protecting from the big bad world? Some pitiful, helpless human without any… magic…'" Shadow's Mirror's eyes gleam as she sits back, waiting for D Human's reaction.

D Human blinks. Then he bursts out laughing. "Oh! You put everything that he was going to become in that one section!" He starts ticking them off on his fingers. "'Baby-sitter' refers to him becoming a chibi. 'Pathetic little stray' is him as a kitten. 'Defenceless little girl' is him as Kura… although I don't know if I'd call her 'defenceless' exactly… What she did to those guys who kept asking her to dance was rather painful. But the rest referred to him as he was at the time, a regular human. The only thing you didn't put in was the Christmas part." D Human looks at Shadow's Mirror in awe.

Shadow's Mirror blushes at the look, then smirks. "I did and I didn't. That line about the 'defenceless little girl' also refers to Morgan, but at the time I wrote it, I didn't know that she was going to be in that story, or that I was going to have those Christmas chapters. But I knew that Morgan existed and I knew that Bakura would meet her. So, when I wrote that line in 'Source' 4, I included the part about 'the big bad world' as a reference to Morgan. I just didn't know at the time that she was going to be in that story."

"So, if she wasn't going to be in 'Source', when was Bakura going to meet her?" D Human looks at Shadow's Mirror in confusion. The girl grins.

"Morgan's part in things is bigger than it seems. She was originally supposed to be introduced in a lead-up story to 'Shadows', along with her Fire Sorcerer card."

D Human nods slowly as he thinks it through. "Your plans changed."

"Yes. It was coming up to Christmas and I started noticing Christmas-themed fanfics. I decided to try my hand at one, but I needed a storyline. My original plot was simpler, and shorter. I started writing it. I even had a working title for it, 'Bakura's Christmas Gift', catchy huh?" She grins. "It was supposed to be about eight pages long. By the second page, I knew I'd done it again. I'd rambled my way into an unexpected plot development."

"That happens a lot with you." D Human smirks as Shadow's Mirror laughs and nods.

"Yes, it certainly does! Anyway, at that point I just thought it was going to be longer… and late. I knew I wouldn't have it finished in time for Christmas. That annoyed me."

"So when did you realise what you were writing?"

A distant look enters Shadow's Mirror's eyes as she gazes into the fire, remembering. "I had pulled an all-nighter. I'd gone from page six to page eighteen in one sitting. That's rare for me. When I sat down to write again the next night, I started off by reading over what I had so far, as I always do. By the time I'd finished reading, I knew that it was based on 'Source', which I hadn't intended. But it wasn't until I did the first full read through, after I'd finished writing it, that I realised it was in fact part of 'Source'."

D Human nods. "So that's why you posted eight chapters at once. Because you wrote them as one story. I had wondered."

Shadow's Mirror grins sheepishly. "I got a few comments about that. Apparently it's customary to upload one chapter at a time. I learned my lesson though. I'm uploading 'Conversations' more slowly."

"I like that story. Although I'm not in it yet." D Human pouts for a moment, then blinks. "Wait a minute. Do you mean that you're holding out on the audience? Do you have chapters ready to go that you haven't posted yet?" He frowns unhappily at Shadow's Mirror, who blushes slightly.

"It's not like that! Really! I'm posting chapter 15 as this goes to air. I have the rest of it, chapters 16 to 20, in rough draft form. So I'll be uploading one every couple of days until the story's..."

When Shadow's Mirror pauses, D Humans helpfully offers, "Complete?" He blinks in surprise when Shadow's Mirror shakes her head.

"Not exactly… It's not really that kind of story."

D Human looks very confused. "Not the kind of story that can be completed? What do you mean?"

"I mean that the story will 'finish', but it won't be 'complete'." Seeing D Human's continued confusion, Shadow's Mirror explains. "You see, it's the way it's written. 'Conversations' is literally a series of scenes that seem random at first, but eventually they weave together to form a story. Only, it's not the whole thing. It's as though I've taken a story, then chosen a few scenes that represent the key parts of it. So you get the overall idea of what the story is about, but nothing is gone into in full detail. Some things are resolved, some aren't. Some things are mentioned once and then they don't appear again. So when the last chapter is posted, there will be questions left unanswered. There will be things that haven't been explained or haven't been done or that hint at things that aren't told. That's what this story is like. That's the price that is paid for writing it in this way."

D Human slowly nods. "Instead of the complete story, we're really just getting the highlights." He frowns slightly and looks at her. "You wouldn't be satisfied with that," he adds with certainty.

Shadow's Mirror gives him a warm smile. "You know me too well. You're right. I have no wish to ruin the story by adding in chapters that don't fit the rest of it, but my first draft of chapter 19 gave me an idea. It was no good for 'Conversations'. Not enough humour and too much angst. But there was nothing wrong with it as a story overall. So, I'm toying with the idea of a sequel to 'Conversations'. The working title is 'Consequences'."

"The consequences of what happens in each chapter of 'Conversations'?" D Human starts to smile, obviously liking the idea.

"Exactly." Shadow's Mirror pauses, staring reflectively into the fire. "Some of the chapters didn't really have consequences though. Others had more than I could cover, within a single chapter, in as much detail as I'd like. So it might not end up a series of chapters. It might end up a series of companion stories. I won't know until I start working on it, and that won't be for a little while. I really want to get some of my other ongoing stories finished off before I start on anything new."

"I can't say I blame you! How many is it now, nine?" D Human winces at the thought.

"Nine ongoing fanfics, yes. But that's not all I write. I have four co-stories and five other stories ongoing, as well as an art thingy I've been trying to get done, and I've been neglecting them all shamefully while I've been focused on fanfiction. It's very hard to balance writing fanfiction with doing other things, sometimes." Shadow's Mirror sighs heavily. D Human nods in sympathy.

"Sounds like you're busy. Will you have any time at all to write for a while?"

Shadow's Mirror grins. "Are you kidding? I always find time for writing, no matter how busy I am! 'Consequences' will be easy from here on. I just have to proofread, spellcheck and reformat each chapter before uploading it. I can do that in my sleep. And I'm pretty sure I did once… I don't remember uploading one of the earlier 'Source' chapters and I woke up with my head on my keyboard and the chapter online. That was weird." She blinks and shakes the thought away. "Anyway, apart from that, everything else is under control right now. I've started 'Hearts', 'Library' almost boiled over last week and is currently off the heat while I test it for consistency, the rest are currently simmering away nicely, and I've sorted out what I need to tie up in 'Source' 29… all seventeen pages of it…"

D Human blinks, looking stunned. "Seventeen pages?" Shadow's Mirror nods and gives a wry grin.

"Yes. That surprised me too. I didn't think I'd left quite so much unexplained. Mind you, a lot of that is just for reference, so I know exactly what I have to cover and at what point in the story it happened. I have a feeling I'm going to be doing a lot of flashbacks though." She sighs. "I hate flashbacks."

"I'm curious to see what you say about Bakura's parents. You haven't said much about them so far, but they don't sound very nice." D Human frowns at the thought, but Shadow's Mirror looks thoughtful.

"I don't think I'll be saying much more about them than I already have. I really need to keep things general when it comes to Ancient Egypt and Bakura's past. Yami's past too, for that matter."

"I thought… isn't there information available about that sort of thing now?" D Human looks puzzled.

Shadow's Mirror sighs and nods. "Yes… and no. The information comes from the Japanese manga version, which has just finished in Japan. The problem is, my stories are based on the American dubbed anime version. At least, for the most part. I use 'Ryou', 'Malik' and 'Isis' out of personal preference." At D Human's smirk, Shadow's Mirror shrugs and grins. "Well, I had to call Bakura and Marik's lights something, didn't I? As for 'Isis'… It's an Egyptian name and I've never seen any reason for the change. Also, it's a lot easier to spell than 'Ishizu'. It has a better ring to it too. 'Isis Ishtar', 'Ishizu Ishtar', no contest really. But getting back to the information and version problem… there's a huge difference between the Japanese manga and the American anime. By the time the series ends in America, there's no telling what will change. I don't want to have to come back to these stories in a year or so's time and rewrite them. At the same time, I don't want them to become Alternate Universe fics simply because I got my facts wrong. So I'm sticking with the things that I know for certain."

D Human shifts as though suddenly uncomfortable. He glances at Shadow's Mirror, then looks away again, biting his lower lip as his whole body tenses. Shadow's Mirror studies him for a moment, then smiles wryly. "Whatever it is you have to say, you'd better say it… before you explode or something."

"Well… it's just that… what if something you've already written turns out to be… wrong?" He stares into the fire as though it's the most fascinating thing in the Shadow Realm.

Shadow's Mirror also looks into the fire as she contemplates her response. "It's happened," she admits quietly. "I've fixed what mistakes I could. Things that definitely were mistakes. But there are a few things that I don't see in that light."

She pauses for a moment. "A few months ago, I learned something that shattered my plans for one of my ongoing stories. I found out that what I had planned for 'Hearts' would turn it, 'Source', 'Shadows' and 'Library', at least, into Alternate Universe fics if I went through with it. There is something in the Japanese manga that contradicts what I was going to do. I gave serious consideration to scrapping 'Hearts', but I realised that there was a way to work around it. In fact, I can use it to my advantage and tie in a few other things at the same time. I like that. So, it worked out for the best. The same thing happened a week ago, when I learned something about one of the Shadow Monsters that contradicted something I'd written. I couldn't change it, so that left finding an explanation for it. I did. Actually, it's one of the things that tie in with the solution to the 'Hearts' problem. That worked in nicely."

Shadow's Mirror looks over at D Human and smiles. "I'm only human, so I'm not perfect. But I do try to keep my stories as in-character and as factual as possible."

D Human smirks. "Except for Bakura."

"Including Bakura, actually. If he acts out-of-character, it's because of something in the story that's affected him and how he acts. For example, if he's gentle with Ryou, then it's because he's come to realise, either earlier in the story or in a connected story, that he wants to be gentle with Ryou. If he seems nicer in my stories, it's because something has happened to make him nicer. I won't always say what that something is. Take 'Source' for example. I start the story six months after Battle City and Bakura has spent that time learning to live in peace with Ryou. Of course he's changed. That sort of thing would change anyone. It's not something I've just done on a whim or done so his character fits a storyline that I want to write. I don't work that way. If a storyline has a character acting oddly, then I either write in a reason for it, or I change the storyline. Every action has a consequence. It's simple cause and effect. It's also based on the anime. Look at the way Yami is when he first appears. It isn't until he and Yugi start working together that he becomes the nice Yami that we're familiar with. It's as though he and Yugi are influencing each other's personality. A little light going into the darkness and a little darkness going into the light. Yami becomes less 'you have trespassed on my soul and must be punished' and Yugi becomes more confident."

"So how do you explain Téa's change from 'friendship girl' in Duelist Kingdom to 'sarcasm queen' in the Virtual World?" D Human raises an eyebrow as he challenges Shadow's Mirror.

"Well, she had been controlled by Marik for a while at that point, and he hadn't completely released her. It's possible that his attitude was influencing her slightly." Shadow's Mirror smirks at D Human.

"Okay, I'll give you that one," D Human reluctantly agrees.

"Gee… thanks…" Shadow's Mirror shakes her head, chuckling softly.

"So what about the relationships or pairings? You seem to be focusing on Bakura/Ryou and Marik/Malik but there have been hints of Isis/Shadi, Isis/Seto, Mai/Joey, Seto/Joey, Téa/Seto and Tristan/Serenity in 'Conversations'. There's a lot going on in that one."

"You know, it sounds bad when they're listed all together like that! Although… you actually missed a couple that come up in later chapters." Shadow's Mirror grins and winks at D Human, who laughs. "I could run through them all, if you like?"

D Human's eyes light up and he leans forward, grinning eagerly. "Oh yes please!"

Shadow's Mirror laughs again. "Ah, the eagerness of a Shadow Monster. All right then. Let me think… Marik and Malik, now there's a pairing that I could devote several stories and a number of interviews to and still not completely cover why I write them the way that I do. Basically, they are two of my main sources of potential chaos. I covered some of the reasons for their changes in behaviour in two of my earliest fanfics 'Lost' and 'Found', but there is more to tell. I'm just waiting for the right time."

D Human nods and Shadow's Mirror moves on to the next pairing. "Isis and Shadi… that one was really just in there for comic relief, but there was a scene in the anime that put it in my mind to begin with. I don't think I'll be taking it anywhere in particular, but it may pop up as a running gag."

When D Human finishes laughing, Shadow's Mirror grins and continues, "Isis and Seto are just friends in 'Conversations', but I'll leave it at that because I don't want to give away too much. I do have a story idea for them both, but then again I have a lot of ideas so I might not ever end up writing it."

Shadow's Mirror shrugs and moves on. "Mai and Joey… well that one is rather obviously based on the anime, as is Tristan and Serenity. I'm not planning anything in particular with Tristan, but I do have something with Joey in my 'not for public display because it is too embarrassing' folder, and it's one of the ones I'm considering rewriting. So that one you might get to see at some point."

D Human smiles happily and Shadow's Mirror grins back at him. "Seto and Téa is something that my mind pointed out to me while watching several episodes of the anime. Yes, sometimes I even scare myself. I don't want to say too much because I'm planning on doing something with this… eventually."

As D Human nods, Shadow's Mirror looks thoughtful. "Seto and Joey was about challenge, power and contest. Nothing more. That's one of the gaps I have to fill in with 'Consequences'."

She smiles. "Finally, Bakura and Ryou are my favourite characters. I write them together because I can't really see either of them with any other character. Bakura is way too possessive to willingly share Ryou with anyone else, and as the Spirit of the Ring he and Ryou are kind of a two-for-one deal anyway. I don't know if anyone could put up with him for longer than five minutes, apart from Ryou!"

"Good point."

"I thought so. Anyway, 'Source' is 'their' story. I'm starting to think that it will have a sequel, purely because I have another Bakura/Ryou story that's currently in that 'too embarrassing' folder I mentioned earlier. I'm thinking of reworking it. I'm debating with myself over it… and I think I'm winning. But I also came up with a story in the week that I was offline recently." Shadow's Mirror pauses.

D Human studies her for a moment. "What's wrong? You don't look happy. Was the idea that bad?"

Shadow's Mirror gazes into the fire. When she speaks, her voice is very soft. "It wasn't an idea. It was a story. A complete story. It came to me word for word late one night. I didn't write it down because it doesn't fit the way that I see Bakura and Ryou. But it hasn't gone away. It's haunting me. I keep seeing the image of Bakura standing over Ryou, laughing as his light…" Shadow's Mirror pauses abruptly and sighs. "If I did write it, I'd have to rate it 'R'. The storyline… it's intense."

"Angst?" D Human asks in obvious concern. Shadow's Mirror's mood seems to have darkened slightly.

"Oh yeah." Shadow's Mirror frowns into the fire. "A part of me doesn't want to write it. But another part of me is saying that I need to. I have a feeling that it's connected to 'Source' somehow. I'm just not sure what the connection is yet." She shakes off her dark mood and smiles at D Human. "But anyway, I have to finish 'Source' first! And a couple of my others, for that matter. I really should get to work…" She looks around, her frown returning although this time it's more concerned than thoughtful. "I wonder where the Dark Magician is? It's almost time for me to go, and he's still not back."

D Human frowns too as he realises how much time has passed. "You're right. I don't like this. He's been gone too long. Something is not right." He stands and starts for the door. "I'll go look for him!"

Shadow's Mirror jumps to her feet. "Wait a minute, I'll come with you! I'm an Authoress. I can do all sorts of useful things."

When D Human opens the front door, they both blink in surprise. The Shadow Realm is covered with a thick layer of snow and a wild rainstorm is raging, with the wind howling through the trees in the nearby forest like a pack of Gigatech Wolves. D Human sighs. "All day, when it hasn't been snowing, it's been raining." He peers out into the storm, then frowns. "That's odd…" He thrusts his arm out into the driving rain and winces. "Ow!" Pulling his arm back in, he rubs it, still wincing. "Oh great. Looks like we can add 'prickly hail' to the growing list of weird weather conditions we've been having lately."

Shadow's Mirror frowns. "That could explain why the Dark Magician hasn't returned. He might have had to take shelter when the storm hit."

D Human freezes as his eyes widen in shock. "Wait a minute… he went out to set an 'Anti Dark Witch' spell, remember? What if… Oh no… What if Dark Witch is trapped out in the open in this storm? I have to find her!" He starts to head out into the storm, but Shadow's Mirror catches his arm.

"Whoa! Hold on, D Human! I know you love her but you can't just go rushing out there! It's too dangerous! Those hailstones are doing damage like they were the Fairy Meteor Crush! Let's think this through for a moment. Where would the Dark Magician have gone?"

"Into the forest. He knows that's the way Dark Witch always takes when she visits him."

"So that's where they probably are now. The trees will give them some protection from the hail or… isn't there a cave in there somewhere?" Shadow's Mirror frowns as she tries to remember details.

"I… Yes! There's a big cave near Trent's clearing. He and the Ancient Tree of Enlightenment go there whenever there's a…" realisation dawns in his eyes and he looks out at the wild weather, "really bad storm…" He looks at Shadow's Mirror. "Do you think they could be there?"

"Give me a moment to deal with this weather and we'll go see." Shadow's Mirror raises her head up to the sky. Her brown eyes flash silver and the hail begins to die down, although the rest of the storm continues on. She smiles slightly as she turns to D Human. "There are advantages to being an Authoress, but I can't go too far. If I stopped the storm completely, it would be unrealistic. Let's go!"

D Human nods eagerly and together he and Shadow's Mirror head off into the storm in search of the Dark Magician and Dark Witch.

.

to be continued…