Masaka: *moping only slightly* Missed another Christmas deadline…didn't I?
Yami Masaka: *enjoying the many Bath & Bodywork gifts she got with her hikari's visa giftcard* Well…you weren't IGNORING the story, you were just busy
Jason: And then you were tired because honestly 'Saka it is only during breaks and Saturdays that you allow yourself to collapse so completely into a cute, pajama-clad, snuggly, slender-
Yami Masaka: *glowering* Is there an end to this little rant or do you want some privacy and a censor-bar for your dirty mouth
Jason: *blushing* I'm good
Masaka: Ah well I'm still in a pretty good mood about this story despite the delays. I'm gonna keep working on it but I know that it will only ever get done when it gets done
Jason: …Whatever that means
CHAPTERSTART
Anzu looked nervously over the lunch-table at her friends. It was only two days until Christmas and yet everyone seemed less than jolly. Bakura looked like he hadn't been sleeping since the now notorious –among their group anyway—Murakami baiting incident, Ryou looked harassed and panicked like his mind was stuck in an eternal conflict over supporting his father or his dark. Jou was being atypically quiet as he constantly muttered to himself over the complete set of formal silverware at his place setting.
Honda looked livelier than the others at least as he was discussing the route he was going to take to his brother's cabin with Serenity all the while keeping an eye on his blonde friend.
Then there were the Motus… Anzu wasn't sure how to begin thinking about those two. Atem looked happy but strained, as if he wasn't getting something he really wanted even though it was right in front of him (A/N: A Rebecca Hawkins in the house is by far the best way to preserve Yugi's virginity).
As for Yugi well…her short friend looked…he looked like some of the more contemplative statues of Buddha. It was a serious sort of contemplation that Anzu was almost loath to interrupt…however, since she only had about fifteen more minutes until she'd have to return for final dress-rehearsals at the dance theater, Anzu decided to just bring it up anyway and damn the consequences.
"So uh…the Ishtars got our package already," the brunette broke the silence nervously.
"O-Oh…they did?" Ryou jolted and desperately fixed onto the conversation. "That's amazing of you Anzu-chan. I mean with the holiday rush I-I would have figured our gifts would arrive after the holiday."
"Yah well what can I say," Anzu preened in nerdish delight. "I was downtown for a costume-fitting anyway so I just decided to take care of the gifts."
"Eh…what did we get 'em?" Jou broke away from his staring-contest with the cutlery, adjusting his hooded jacket as he turned. Anzu glowered momentarily at the annoying article of clothing that Jou had for some reason decided to wear every day for the last week despite its rather form-devouring shape then sighed and answered.
"I got Ishizu a new camera for her scrapbooking hobby, I got Malik a new pair of motorcycle gloves and I figured Raishido would get as much a giggle out of The Mummy trilogy as Ya-I mean Atem and Bakura did."
"If we get a letter from Malik detailing how Raishido has had nightmares about it, I wouldn't be surprised." Bakura chuckled in a strangely sedated tone, "Unlike the pharaoh and I, Raishido hasn't had the best sampling of Egyptian curses."
"Well I didn't know what else to buy him," Anzu whined, "I mean can anyone here tell me something that man might like?"
Silence swept through the café, even consuming the members of the conversation that hadn't been paying attention.
"A certificate for a tattoo removal?" Honda suggested cattishly. Serenity punched him in the shoulder while the others just rolled their eyes.
"Raishido's whole world has been Malik for so many years," Yugi finally spoke up in a quiet, mild tone. "I'm not sure he's ever thought about his own desires at all. Your gift is as good a guess as any, though I'd figure that with Malik's returned sanity Raishido really does have everything he could ever want."
"Since when have you been so fixated on the Ishtars, aibou?" Atem asked his other with a smile so warm that even Anzu could feel its heat from a whole table-length away.
(A/N: Could Yami have pettishly arranged the seating to keep Anzu at a distance from his aibou? …Naaaah not OUR Yami *snicker*)
Yugi ignored his other's question to smile at Anzu; "I'm really glad they got their gifts before the rush, it makes things a little less complicated. Veering off from that, how are your practices coming along Anzu?"
"Beautifully," Anzu sighed dreamily. "Being in the production of the Nutcracker is everything I wished it would be. I'm nervous and yet at the same time I can't wait until the curtain opens."
Before Anzu could start in on the details, however, a cold wind blew through the coffee shop as the door was thrown open for a new customer.
"F-father!" Ryou jolted to his feet at his elder's entrance.
"Oh just great," Bakura grumbled.
Fortunately before Lawrence could say a single word, more figures came in from the snow as well. Professor Hawkins and his children, alongside Mrs. Masaki and Mr. Honda, and also Rebecca and Leon and Grandpa, all came tromping in from the white. It should be noted that they all looked much merrier than the dour history professor.
"Yugi!" Rebecca dove right at the short duelist. "Oh Yugi it's looking so great, you'll absolutely love it!"
"Hey you!" Atem snarled at the small blonde. Rebecca's only response was to stick out her tongue at the ex-pharaoh.
"What's she going on about, kid? What's going to be so great?" Bakura asked Leon as the purple-haired boy devotedly walked over to help Rebecca out of her thick winter-jacket.
"Wouldn't you like to know," Rebecca interrupted her beau. Her focus then returned to Atem and she frowned. "Hey, why aren't you wearing the sweater I got you."
No doubt inspired as a sort of vengeance against Atem for taking 'her' Yugi, Rebecca had given the former pharaoh an early Christmas gift. It was a sweater that was even worse than the stupid reindeer sweater that Yugi had charmed him into. What exactly the initial pattern had been neither puzzle-master could determine but in the end it didn't matter because nothing on earth was going to get Atem to wear something with that much pink in the threading. Nothing.
"I-It's my fault Becca," Yugi dove in, "I uh…I was supposed to do the laundry this week and well, you know the sweater must have gotten thrown in the hamper with the rest and now …well give me a week to find it will you?"
"Oh don't rush Yugi-sweetie, that sweater isn't holiday themed so as long as it gets cleaned before spring-thaw I'd expect Yami to get some use out of it."
"…Like hell," Atem muttered under his breath while Mrs. Masaki distracted Rebecca's attention by giving her daughter a very affectionate hug and squealing: "oooh I'm sorry my precious ballerina but it's time we get going or else you'll be late."
Anzu felt her entire head heated in embarrassment at her mother's antics. Her mother's uber friendly streak often times got out of hand, though it was even worse for Anzu to admit that she was just as bad for being sweet.
(A/N: See people, overly emotional affection is just part of the Masaki genetic-code)
"Yah, you better get outta here too Hirito, if you and your girl want to get to the lodge in time," Mr. Honda said, walking over to his son to give the boy an affectionate clap on the shoulder.
"S-sure thing pop," Honda smiled, nervously checking over his shoulder for Jou's reaction. By sheer dumb luck the blonde was back to counting the number of fork's teeth on each of his formal silverware accoutrements.
"Yugi, I've just spoken with Arthur and I'm going to be spending the evening with him and the Hawkins if you don't need me for anything," Grandpa looked pleadingly over with Yugi.
It was Atem who answered with a very quick; "that would be no problem at all!"
"It would also be nice if you could watch over the younger ones," the old man tacked on at the end.
"No problem at all," Yugi laughed nervously while Atem wilted into the table.
"Oh don't worry too much about us," Leon spoke up for the depressed pharaoh's sake. "Rebecca and I are planning to spend the eve at the Kaiba Manor with Mokuba. It's very rare that the whole pre-teen dueling squad can get together."
Rebecca groaned and flopped her head affectionately against Leon's shoulder, causing the thirteen-year-old to blush maroon; "I've told you already Leon-bear. We aren't the pre-teen dueling squad we're the next generation dueling royalty, please stop underestimating us."
"R-Right…ne-next generation dueling ro-royalty," Leon wheezed in joyful embarrassment.
"Not to be the cynic of the group but…aren't the von Shrouders still at odds with the Kaibas?" Serenity spoke up as she was getting on her own winter-coat to follow Honda out to the car.
"Mokuba talked to his brother about it or I think he did anyway. And even if he didn't…I'm not my brother," Leon said with icy resolve.
"Besides if Mister Battery-Acid-For-Blood has a problem with it I'll just kick the jerk's teeth in. I've been taking judo lessons lately and I'm pretty sure my third level black-belt tops Kaiba's stupid card-shuriken trick," Rebecca said, mindfully keeping her eyes on Atem.
Atem tactfully didn't say anything and even more tactfully pushed his chair an inch away from Yugi's.
Ho-Ho-Ho-Ho
Seto was happy. Which was weird. As a general rule Seto Kaiba didn't do 'happy'. He could work 'satisfaction' into his controlled sense of self, but 'happiness' had always seemed too juvenile an emotion to really bother with. And it seemed that Akio Emichō was the root of this behavior, though it was too depressing for Seto to imagine that a little play-time with a child was all that his mind had been needing to get over years of mental traumas.
It had become something of a routine between them. Seto would spend his morning with Mokuba, come into work for an hour or two –just long enough to send his secretary into hysterics—and then he'd spend the entire afternoon in the arcade with this strange little boy.
What was even more bewildering was how the two of them always ended up having philosophical discussions. Most were about how Seto needed to get over himself –not that Akio was ever quite that blunt—but a fair few had actually been Seto's advise towards Akio's own issues:
"It's not that fighting with emotion is bad, but if you're not careful to hold yourself back a little it can be very easy for you to misconstrued a situation that has more to it than what you first see," Kaiba had actually told the boy after a particularly merciless game of VR Zombie-Hunters.
"I-I know," Akio had grunted in an embarrassed tone, "i-it's just that…well I seem to make MORE mistakes if I secretly try to calculate for what the enemy is secretively contemplating, you know?"
Today, Seto and his little companion were playing a few of the lesser games within the arcade. It had been on account of Mokuba's damn near martyrdom during planning stages that Kaiba had bothered included some so-called 'classic' games. Whack-a-mole and pinball had always seemed a bit too low-tech for Seto but the way Akio played the machines was rather…intriguing… in a disaster-spectacle sort of way.
"You know if you hit the machine any harder you might actually manage to keep the mole from ever popping out again," Seto pointed out after watching Akio's thin young arms tremble from the recoil of his strike for the third time.
The boy didn't respond other than to agitatedly push his hair out of his eyes and glower at the taunting mechanical giggles of the electronic rodents.
"This wouldn't have anything to do with the dinner you're having with your mother…would it?" Seto goaded further.
"So what if it is, huh! She's the one who has the making up to do to ME! I can act as bratty as I want because she-"
Seto dropped to his knees so that he would be just about at eye-level to Akio. The CEO was surprised at how much effort it took to keep Akio from shrugged the CEO's hand off his shoulders and running off.
"Akio, stop this," Seto said bluntly in the authoritative tone that he generally only used in the boardroom or when he had to play the 'parent' role with Mokuba.
"…I-I don't wanna go. I mean…I mean I remember all the stuff you said, about her just being scared but…I-I'm so ANGRY and-and…w-what if you're wrong? What if she isn't scared and she just doesn't like me? Huh? I-I mean…s-she doesn't have to like me…i-it's not like it's a rule or nothing and…" Akio started to tear-up immediately.
Before Seto could even think of how to react Akio had already thrown himself up against Seto's body burying his snotty little face into Seto's jacket.
Strangely Seto didn't mind. And it was really a good jacket too.
"Emichō-sa… Emichō… Akio, you need to stop crying like this," Seto frowned down at the figure pressed against his chest.
The boy just let out a heartbroken muffled sob that made Seto terribly aware of the fact that he had no idea what sort of behavior was expected of him in this situation. His arms felt particularly useless hanging at his sides.
"Crap, this is Mokuba's forte. He's the only one between the two of us that has any notable interpersonal skills," Seto muttered darkly.
As if summoned by these words, Mokuba Kaiba came bounding along into the arcade with a look of urgent joy on his face.
"Nii-san! Nii-san! You'll never guess who…uh…why are you letting that kid use you as a human handi-wipe?" Mokuba's brilliant introduction tampered off into a tone of plain curiosity.
"Mokuba, this is Akio Emichō, the kid I told you about. He's having a few last minute worries about meeting with his mother," Seto said desperately. His eyes detailed all the facts that his mouth couldn't say.
Mokuba, being both Seto's best-friend and his blood-brother, was able to interpret the entire sub-conversation in less than a minute and the boy quickly took action.
"Oh well, if he's scared of being alone with his mother, why can't you go with him?"
The suggestion was so surprising that Akio stopped mid-sob to join Seto in staring at Mokuba in bewilderment.
"Mokuba, that dinner is going to take place on Christmas Eve…the day you and I spend together no matter what the distractions of the other 364 days of the year," Seto reminded the boy.
"Well you're not going to be going in on Christmas Day this year so technically I have you for two days out of the 365 of the year," Mokuba smirked cheeky.
"B-but I mean…I-I don't wanna break up a-anyone's Christmas," Akio said, pulling a handkerchief out of his jeans and rubbing his eyes in an overly conscientious way.
(A/N: It's a boy-pride thing. After the tears are shed we are all supposed to act like nothing happened)
"Well you see that's the thing that I was coming to talk to Seto about in the first place. Rebecca Hawkins and Leon von Shrouder are visiting for the holidays and because I never see them I was really hoping to spend the Eve with THEM and well…you know…not my brother?" Mokuba finished by looking directly at Seto with his specially patented "weepy princess in distress" eyes.
It was that level of emotional blackmail that his brother had over him that made Seto entirely unrepentant about the original Kaiba Land VR Adventure and its notorious gender-bent star-character.
"It…wouldn't disturb your mother to have me along would it?" Seto's lips somehow formed the words without his brain ever backing up the orders.
Princess Adrienna was so making a come-back in the next game.
"N-NO! NO PROBLEM AT ALL! I mean..." Akio coughed awkwardly and tried to mask his face as if Seto hadn't just promised him something as precious as the sun, "I will be glad to make the arrangements with my mother's assistant tonight and will contact you if there are any problems."
"Awh only half-a-week and he's starting to sound like you," Mokuba grinned tauntingly at the duo.
"Don't you have another shipment of possessed Kuribohs to be shipping off," Seto blushed puce.
"Nope the Smart Kuribohs© are all safe in their crates…though there was this other duel-monster thing that came up that I thought should mention," Mokuba rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
Whatever news the younger Kaiba was going to impart, however, was interrupted by Higa Younger and Elder running towards the Kaiba brothers with equal expressions of horror.
"Misters Kaiba, Misters Kaiba, something terrible has happened!"
HO-HO-HO
Ryou didn't like leaving Bakura and his father alone. Bakura could have seen that even without their fate-bound mental-link. However, Bakura knew that Ryou still had a few things to do before this disaster of a holiday really kicked into gear and the ex-thief was NOT going to be the one keeping Ryou from getting the holiday he deserved.
"You're just going to pick up the paychecks from KaibaCorp, pick up a last minute gift and also grab that holiday dinner you ordered from the restaurant you spent the last week searching for because it reminded you of your mother's cooking so much. Doing all that shouldn't take you more than, what, three hours? Me and the old man won't be able to do much more than bruise one another in that sort of time," Bakura had tried to reassure his lover as he scooted the boy towards the door.
"B-But I really would just feel better-"
"Getting through the to-do list, yes I know," Bakura hadn't let Ryou get a word in edgewise.
"Okay well…bye."
"Bye."
"I love you."
"Me too…now go!"
Unfortunately as important as it had been for Ryou to leave, it had quickly become apparent to Bakura that it was only his light's presence that had kept Leonardo and Bakura's bickering in check. And the real sad part of it was that despite his protests, Bakura had known that things would be this bad. Leonardo Bakura's dour behavior that morning at the coffee-shop should have made Bakura wary. Hell, just the man's facial-expression should have made Bakura wary. But Bakura had refused to believe that Leonardo was a big enough jackass that The Kamenwati Kul-Elna Bakura, King of the Egyptian Night, Phantom Silencer of a Hundred Royal Names, Scourge of the Alchemists of Horus, couldn't handle him.
As the hours had ticked by, however, Leo had begun to prove utterly beyond any thief's ability to handle. The man just didn't let up about anything, taking every single action or inaction on Bakura's part as some sort of sign of guilt.
The man could make putting down a coffee mug without a coaster into a mortal offense.
Bakura managed to deal with it for the first hour through sheer willpower, the second hour by drowning himself in egg-nog but when Ryou didn't come home in the third hour Bakura had just had it and decided to screw making a good impression and just leapt on the issues as he saw them.
"LISTEN YOU COCKLESS ACADEMIC-MISER!" Bakura roared over the almost dainty looking older man as he sat with his cup of tea –which the man hadn't wanted until after Bakura had already offered to make it twice-over—"YOU KEEP GOING ON AND ON ABOUT HOW I AM IMMATURE, AND YOU MAKE ALL THESE RIGHTEOUS ARGUMENTS AGAINST ME TO RY, BUT I KNOW THE TRUTH! YOU'RE JUST A GODSDAMN BIGOT AND YOU'RE PISSED OFF THAT I'M BUGGERING YOUR SON!"
As calm and collected as a executioner Leonardo put down his cup –onto its saucer onto a coaster onto the table—and brushed out a few imaginary wrinkles on his slacks.
"The state of 'buggery' going on between you and my son, considering that the boy is of legal age, really has little to do with my opinions. The problem I have with you, Mister Kamenwati Kul-El-Na Bakura …has to do with something more grave than sex-drive."
"Like what?"
"Like the fact that you once sold your soul for power, and how I believe such a man as that is far too irresponsible to be trusted with the well-being of another," Leonardo said sharply.
Bakura would have preferred being hit in the gut. He would have preferred if the man did say he hated seeing his son's sex-life betray the norm. He would had preferred if Leonardo somehow combine those two possibilities and wrestled Bakura into a freaking chastity-belt –which really did say something considering Bakura had once taken a 14th century noble woman as a host and had a painfully clear idea of what metal-panties felt like-.
Bakura would have preferred anything…because any other argument wouldn't have hit Bakura with the same weight as this one. Any other curse or assault would have rolled off Bakura's shoulder in a way this accusation of spiritual irresponsibility…just couldn't.
"You don't know a damn thing about my life," Bakura finally spoke after a long moment of tense silence.
"I am a scholar of ancient societies, Kamenwati," Leonardo smirked coldly, "or did you forget that? I spent the last two days blathering on with that unprofessional, irresponsible dolt called Solomon Motu and his equally pathetic cohort Arthur Hawkins so that I could learn everything they knew about you. And I did learn quite a lot."
"…I…I had my reasons," Bakura started to tremble. Though it hadn't happened in a long time, for about as long as he had been back in Ryou's arms, Bakura was starting to hear those damned screams of Kul-Elna's fallen in the back of his mind again.
"You murdered thousands of innocent people to avenge the souls of a hundred blood-soaked thieves. You betrayed friendships, tortured lovers, led armies to slaughter and suppressed souls," Leonardo snorted, casually getting to his feet, "what could possibly excuse that?"
The screams were beginning to get a little louder. Bakura was beginning to pick out individual voices from the din. He could hear the curses of his mother, his foreign-blood mother, searing into his mind.
"It was necessary. The Millennium Items were an abomination that no man would stand to speak against. They brought about the capacity to awaken an evil beyond measure."
Leonardo didn't care that Bakura's eyes were too wide, or that fists were clenched so tightly that his knuckles had split and blood was trickling between the thief's fingers. The professor walked right up to Bakura anyway and he said it; he said that one thing that Bakura could not, would not, allow to be said.
"Yes, it opened up the way for your greater-half didn't it…Zorc?"
Screams poured into his mind. A blood-lust so sublime that it coated Bakura's throat in the metallic tang of ozone rose from the putrid depths of his soul that Bakura had tried so hard to pretend weren't within him.
He could almost see it, as if he had eyes that could peer within as well as without. There was deep black chasm in a grassland which had just barely beginning to blossom with life. Then there was a flash of green at the bottom of that darkness. A rush like the displaced air of a jet flying by. And then there was the sudden explosion of a hundred sunken and twisted faces melted from flesh to glittering gold-coated bone that twisted further and further into more hideous shapes as they came closer and closer to the cusp of Bakura's reality.
Bakura's own family was going to join in on this little holiday celebration, whether Bakura would want them to or not.
The shadows of his people meshed into a tide of energy that pulsed with a need that Bakura's willpower could not suppress and an anger that Bakura could not control. He raised his banishing hand, the portal of his soul's shadow-gate, up from his side and pointed it directly over Leonardo Bakura's heart.
"I AM NOT ZORC NECROPHILIUS!" Bakura screamed as he let fly a concentrated burst of pure thousand-year-old hatred.
Time seemed to slow down for Bakura as he watched that dark orb turn over and over at is axis. It seemed to be dancing through the distance between Bakura and the old professor.
And then, in an act that cut off the calls of Bakura's ancestors as if they had never been there, Ryou came stumbling between the blast and his father.
Bakura barley had time to croak 'no' before the ball of energy hit its mark…and Ryou collapsed to the floor as if he were a puppet whose strings had finally been cut.
Ho-Ho-Ho-You'd-All-Hate-If-I-Stopped-Here-I-Know
Atem was pretty darn sure that he had all his bases covered. To say that he was positive was to certainly bring down disaster, but even so Atem was feeling confident.
Arthur and Grandpa and all the elders were over at the Masaki's apartment swapping stories before the curtain-call for Anzu's performance. Rebecca and Leo were on-route to KaibaCorp where they would be Kaiba's problem for at least five hours. Honda had taken off to the cabin fifteen minutes ago according to the phone-call Yugi had gotten. Jou was off somewhere with an important 'date', Otogi and Mai were…well whatever they were doing they were preoccupied.
Unless the fabric of the universe tore itself open and propelled some pissed-off ancestors forward in time for an impromptu visit, Atem was pretty sure no friends or family were about to interrupt his night.
"Mou hitori no boku, I'm back! Ryou is really thankful that you donated your paycheck without knowing what it was for an –MMMMPH!" Yugi's welcome interrupted with a fiery, dare-I-say desperate, kiss.
"M-Mou hitori-" Yugi whimpered as soon as he had the air to do so.
"We're finally alone, aibou. And you did promise me some attention once that happened. So you better own up to your promises, my dearest light, because I really don't think I can stand this burning desire I have for you any longer," Atem murmured into Yugi's neck, the ex-spirit's lips just ever so lightly grazing across the sensitive skin.
Yugi's knees wobbled terribly as Atem got the mental-update to just how impossibly good his other-half was feeling about all of this.
"Y-Yam…i," Yugi breathed from somewhere behind the cloud of sensation that coated his mind. Something left of the boy's willpower worked its way to the surface because the boy was able to find the wherewithal to pull away far enough to place a plastic bag in Atem's hands.
"I err…may have taken a few dollars from Ryou…f-for a few things we need," Yugi blushed, his eyes almost painfully turned away from the object now in Atem's possession.
"What could we possibly nee-" Atem's words tapered off as he got a good look at what Yugi had just given him.
It was amazing that even though Yugi was straining so much to look away he still managed to see enough of Atem's grin to turn a becoming shade of crimson.
"A king-sized, eh? How fitting…but I don't think we'll need this just this moment," Atem chuckled, backing away a few steps from his prey to put the bag down on the couch.
As Atem had anticipated he would, Yugi stumbled closer, compelled by curiosity and need. Just one more step and Atem could tip Yugi over onto the sea of cushions the ex-pharaoh had prepared in front of the fireplace.
"W-we won't…need it? I-I don't think I-I understand what it is you want," Yugi panted, "I-I mean you want…you want to…d-don't you? A-and I mean we'll n-need to-"
"Ah but the activity which demands your little item," Atem pulled Yugi back in against his chest and crooned into the boy's sensitive ears, "is the apex of the evening, it is the dessert of this feast if you will. I intent to enjoy a long, long, deliciously long buffet of the other delectable portions your body before I finally let you gain that particular…satisfaction."
And as Atem had hoped, Yugi's knees finally collapsed under Atem's carefully planned seduction and it took very little manipulation to bring them both into the cushions piled on the floor.
"Aaaaatem!" Yugi wailed, arching his back wildly which in turn helped Atem to strip the boy of his sweater.
"Yes, my dear aibou, you're the one who restored that name to me, and it is fitting that you be the one to wear it ragged as you plead to whatever gods you recognize to make this whirlwind of sensation stop…to not stop…to-" Atem was heading forward full-steam and then…
It happened.
The world interrupted! Just like Atem had tried to plan against! Just like he'd been afraid it was going to despite his planning against it!
"Forget it," Yugi noted Atem's agitation and pulled the dark-one close in to his embrace. "There is such a thing as an answering machine."
As if invoked by the hikari's need –which wasn't entirely impossible since the mechanics of light-energy were still a bit of a mystery—the traditional message filled the air, bidding whatever interrupting force that was on the other end of the phone to leave their message and bugger-off.
"Yugi, Atem, I know you're there. This is Kaiba. You're friend Ryou…has been in an accident. The details are still unclear but it seems as if he has sustained a …severe injury of the type that my doctors have not had to deal with since Battle City. Being as this is YOUR area of expertise and that Bakura seems a little too distraught to provide the answers I need, it is imperative that you respond to this message as soon as you are able… …I can't handle it without your knowledge."
Ho-Ho-Ho
Masaka: *huddled over, prepared for the assault of the fans* I really tried to keep the chapter going but there is a significant time-break that happens here!
Yami Masaka: But just so you can all be at ease, Ryou isn't really hurt…I mean he IS hurt but not more than hikaris end up beaten up during any point in the series anyway. He won't even wake up mad.
Masaka: Shadow-magic is a terribly powerful force that both Bakura and Yami have to fight against every day. And occasionally even their best-efforts are not enough to keep accidents from happening.
Jason: The medical read-outs are so good even that all Yugi's friends can go back to their Christmas plans after Bakura screams at them all that he doesn't want Ryou to wake up blaming him for ruining everyone's holiday plans
Yami Masaka: Though I do think Honda and Serenity end up in a snowy ditch coming back to Domino because of this
Masaka: Which is emergency romance! The most down-and-dirty kind there is! …Er…not that I think there are many het-romance fans in this particular audience.
Yami Masaka: Well SCREW THEM! I like horn-head! He's a support-staff character! Jou's best-pal, the second pair of knuckles, the dude who sneaks around Pegasus's castle in a full suit of armor without breaking a sweat-
Jason: *giving Yami Masaka a sarcastic look* Anyway, it will all turn out alright, so just keep reading,