A/N: Right! Thank you all! (Especially Lurker, who actually did make me breathe and calm down XDD) I don't feel that the last chapter is the Minefield of Sueness I thought it was. Maybe I should have taken a step back, right? I mean, it's been 49 chapters before they kissed XDDD

LIGHTEST INK: Vell, my darling, I'm doing ALL the arcs aren't I? So the next one is~~DOMA/WAKING THE DRAGONS.

THAT'S RIGHT MY FRIENDS. DARTZ TYME.

Y'know, after some original filler chapters. XD

~XxX~

My friends and I all split up once we got to the Plaza after landing at, well, KaibaCorp, and going back to our houses after three weeks when I thought it would be four. Fortunately I arrived to an empty house, this was fortunate because Mum would have surely clipped me round the ear. While she was generally patient, the last time I'd run away she'd done the same. And that was when I'd only gone to Gran's, not on a blimp in the middle of the sea with people she barely knew while being completely uncontactable.

I'd probably deserve that clip.

Running up to my room after calling out to see if there was anyone home that I'd missed, I caught sight of myself in the tall mirror that was propped up against my wall and sighed.

Was that how I'd looked for the past day?

Jesus, Mary and Joseph in a bloody pear tree.

My blouse looked like I'd taken to the 'ripped shirts and zippers' fashion that had been around in the nineties before stumbling into the set of a zombie movie and being pawed at by the extras. Amongst other things there was a very clear bloody handprint on my collar where I'd pulled it away from my neck.

My hair was so horrifying I wasn't even going to dignify it with a response.

Dark circles under tired eyes.

I yawned.

All in all…I looked terrible, felt exhausted and could feel the possibilities of nightmares about that madman holding a sharp blade to my neck.

I snatched my track clothes from their usual space under my pillow and stumbled haphazardly to the main bathroom for a well-deserved soak…and epilation.

~XxX~

An hour later I was grime-free, hairless, my feet were rubbed raw to get rid of all the dirt and I was certainly more awake than before. Now I just had the problem of the bandage over the stitches on my hand. Going into the kitchen yielded a full roll of gauze and rummaging in the downstairs-bathroom cabinet turned-up a half-used roll of zinc tape. Five minutes after that and I was sat at the island in the kitchen feeling a distinct sense of loss.

My friends…

My…person…

I felt useless now. In the space of two and a half hours I gone from helping save the world to slouching about the house in trackie bottoms and a vest-top. The anti-climax was interstellar, how did Teá and the guys stand this? ! And all over a bloody children's cardgame. The fate of the World had hinged on a cardgame made for children.

A light bulb should have materialised above my head.

I snatched a bottle of Lucozade from the fridge and bolted up the stairs to get my laptop.

Children's cardgames decided the fate of the Earth (and our lives) more than once according to Yugi, so maybe it was time for me to at the very least shunt my skepticism to the side and actually learn it.

In lieu of my champion friends, Google, it would have to be.

~XxX~

I woke up with my head, hair and arms splayed across my desk and my starter deck scattered around me.

I'd come to a conclusion.

This children's cardgame was a load of bollocks.

But it had a basic set of rules and I was more of a visual learner when it came to sport and other games, so maybe it was the way I was approaching it?

Wait.

I just woke up?

But my laptop clock said it was 8PM…

And I hadn't been woken up by someone else…

"Mum?" I called uncertainly after staggering into the hallway on still-sensitive feet.

No answer.

I called everyone's name to the same effect.

"Hnnn." I made a noise like an angry horse before tromping down the stairs to the phone in the hallway. Had I not been slightly wary of what Mum's reaction would be, I would have phoned her, or Sandra. But I was, so I phoned Teá instead.

"Hello? Who is this?" Her voice was one of the most welcome things since I got back home, apart from the bath and the whole 'sleeping without the possibility of a madman murdering us all.'

"Teá, it's Sophie."

"What? ! But your number-"

"Is the home number, phone got blown up, remember?"

"Oh yeah…Wait, why're you phoning?" Teá sounded preoccupied, something that was only to be expected after such an emotional war zone.

I paused. Was I phoning because I wanted to know if she could ask her Mum where my family was? No…not really, I wasn't worried for them, they could just be… doing… something. That's really shabby reasoning you know. My brain chastised me for my cowardice. In all actuality, I just needed some time in the house on my own and I wasn't about to change that. I was worried about not being prepared for the next time a demented person tried to take over the world. Which seemed to happen a lot around my friends.

"Can we all go to Yugi's? I have a favour to ask…"

~XxX~

Two Months Later

"I tribute my Legul to summon my Kazejin!" I set the card down and flipped the magic card I'd had set since the first turn. "I activate Tribute to the Doomed and discard…" I paused and glanced down at my hand cards, "Parrot Dragon to the Graveyard to destroy your Thousand Dragon!" Joey winced as he moved the card to his Graveyard. I shifted on the tarmac and tried to find a dignified position to sit in, opting in the end to copy Teá and fold my legs to one side. Did I mention that I'd taken to wearing the girl's uniform? "And now, beautiful friend, I'm afraid this is the end~" I was feeling smug and sing-song despite my leg insecurities. I had found out a week into trying out the female uniform at Teá's request that you could get blue skirts that stopped a little above the knee rather than at the arse and had decided to wear them instead. "Ow! Bugger." I rubbed one knee after getting gravel lodged in it. Didn't mean it didn't make me any less pissed off by their impracticality.

"Uhh, Soph, Kazejin only has 2400 attack points." Joey frowned at me, obviously suspecting something. "I've got 4000 life left." He laughed and looked down at his cards. "You've got 800 and every card in my hand has over 1500 attack! You're gonna hafta do my grunt work with Tristan!"

Ah yes, our wager: the person who lost this non-practice Duel would do the other's clean-up work for the month.

I grinned.

"Oh put your mop where your mouth is Joseph! I play three magic cards! The first of which…Stim-Pack, the second another Stim-Pack and the third, my lovely, lovely workmate is to be your downfall~" I placed the two Stim-Packs down and then brandished the third card. "Sword of Deep Seated!" I placed it on the mat that was between us, Teá's, Yugi's, Tristan's, Joey's and my bags holding the paper down on the school grounds so it didn't fly away. I looked over to my Jedi Master.

"That's a really good move, Soph! I didn't think you'd have the chance to draw all three!" Yugi had assumed my role of Switzerland and had been cheering us both on. Tristan and Teá, however, seemed to be having an insurmountable amount of fun with taunting Joey in good humour.

Speaking of the blond…

"What does that do?" He leant across to read the card upside-down, his lips moved along with the words silently before he groaned and placed his hand cards on the ground behind him.

"Well, since you asked so nicely," I smiled, "Stim-Pack is a horrible card to have, and two of them are a bitch to play in the first turn, buuut~~" I sang again, setting the Sword card down next to the other two, "at the very end of a Duel they are awesome. 700 A.T.K P's added each." I enunciated each letter like it had a capital, "Anndd my Sword gives 500 to both my A.T.K's and D.E.F'S! Sooo…" I clapped my hands together in a really immature display of childish glee, but I didn't care, I was close to doing what I had only managed once before. "Kazejin gets a boost of 1900 attack points and that makes him one Hulk of a Duel Monster! 4300 points to your 4000 life points?"

A pause.

"Nice one, Soph!" Joey's grin as he started returning all his cards to his deck made mine wider.

"Haven't you forgotten that you're now doing her clean-up stuff, man?" Tristan seemed to be thinking of things he could ask me to get Joey to do. The guy in question paused before groaning again.

"Aww man, I'd just forgotten about that!"

"You won't be forgetting it for a while, Joey!" Teá laughed from my direct right. She'd been eating something out of a Tupperware box with chopsticks as we Dueled and had taunted Joey after he'd said he'd go easy on me because I was a novice by telling him he'd get no more food if he didn't treat me like a man.

I leant across the mat and hugged him, laughing.

"Well, twice out of, like, thirty isn't that bad huh?" I referred to how many time's I'd won against how many times he'd won against me. He offered me a high-five after I pulled away, I turned it into a handshake. Well, they may have made me a more huggy, slightly more informal person, but I was still me.

"And next time it'll be twice out of thirty-one!"

We all stood, brushing off our clothing (legs in my case) and picking up our bags to head home when Yugi pulled three shiny things out of his bag.

"Soph! These are for your birthday!" I glanced at what he was holding out to me, three booster packs. I took them as we started walking as a group.

"Thanks, Yugi! But-"

"It's late." Said Teá, lightly jabbing Yugi in the side as he blushed.

"Well you didn't like Duel Monsters at first and I really didn't know what else you lik-" I gave him an awkward half-hug which was the best thing I could manage for our height difference.

"And now I'm a fully paid-up member of the Duel Monsters fan brigade aren't I?" I smirked. Yep, once I'd phoned Teá and asked them all to meet me at Yugi's I'd explained that I was going to take steps to be prepared for whatever would happen next-time. They'd shifted nervously and said they'd hoped there wouldn't be a next-time. I'd then pointed out there'd always be a next-time if there was an Ancient Egyptian Pharaoh in our group of friends.

And then I'd thrown myself into studying it, playing it, learning everything, watching every Duel on Youtube or on DVD or even VHS, fully immersing myself in the whole sub-culture.

My school-work was secondary now. Besides, it wasn't like I paid attention in class anymore, I still got fairly good grades, not as good as they would have been if I wasn't concentrating on something else, but only because I either knew what they were talking about or got the notes from someone else in class. I didn't have many classes with my friends, maybe one a week, but the rest of the week had had a presence that I'd… liked…

The Kaiba brothers were in America.

In America.

I hadn't thought that I'd find it so odd in class without having someone around who was constantly pissing me off or sarking at me. But it was and I did.

However, a week after we'd all returned to Domino I'd had a package thrown at me by a grumpy postman who'd barked at me to sign a clipboard and then buggered off to make some other poor sod's day start at 5:30AM.

I was back in my room before I'd finally noticed the 'KC' on the side of the box.

Suddenly, I felt very awake.

I'd ripped through the security tape and tipped the contents onto my desk. A small blue oblong and two pieces of paper. I picked up the oblong first and recognised it to be a mobile phone of some sort.

Ohohoho, understatement of the year.

I'd flicked the phone open and been greeted by the silver revolving 'KC' insignia before being directed to the home screen. The silhouette of a certain dragon was my default background. I sighed with a strange mixture of exasperation and something akin to fondness. Honestly. I set the phone down on my desk again and this time turned my attention to the notes. I opened the smaller one first, the handwriting, even though I'd never seen it before, I guessed it to belong to Mokuba. Somehow I didn't imagine Seto to have almost hyper writing.

How could you get your handwriting to be hyper?

Hey Soph! I know that it was your birthday on the finals so I got Seto to replace the phone you lost, hope you like it!

- Mokuba.

What? !

Oh yes…my 'parting words.'

"You owe me a phone you know."

Well, the thought was lovely.

"Thanks, kid." I said aloud, feeling a smile creep onto my face. I could just imagine that conversation. I laughed to myself before picking up the other note and opening it.

I no longer 'owe' you anything, Callaghan.

While Mokuba was the one to influence me into clearing the 'debt,' I anticipated your temper and as such this phone shall survive being thrown at whatever poor fool angers you next. It can also be submerged for up to 40 feet, a precaution in case you wish to fall into another pond.

- K

Huh.

Well.

That was nice of him.

And no mention of anything else?

Well.

That was only courteous, right?

Right?

~XxX~

Two months had changed a lot.

And not just my family dynamic.

I'd of course been grounded for life, just as anticipated, when the rest of my family did finally get back from…well, I'll get round to that. Mum had indeed clipped me round the ear, of course then she hugged me and before banishing to my room.

I never did try explaining the real reason we were gone so long. I told her everything else though, leaving out the whole 'insane murderer/virtual world fiasco/end of the world was nigh' thing. But, the very fact that I now had close friends made Mum happy enough to at the very least not follow up on her resolve to transfer me to the Black Rose Academy for Girls. However, I wasn't allowed out of school hours time with them for an entire month.

An entire month, with my only contact with the people I'd survived the Almost-Apocalypse being school and a stupidly advanced phone.

So I did what any sensible, normal, mentally-stable girl would do in the circumstances. I studied cardgames for one thing…and apparently mellowed out for another.

I mean, honestly, this time last year I would have sooner laughed in Joey's face than hug him after winning. Hell, I would have laughed at him before, when he tried to teach me Duel Monsters.

Now?

Well, now I was a steadily advancing student in Duel Monsters (nowhere near good enough to beat Joey, Yugi or Teá more times than not, but enough to hold my own for a fair set of turns) not to mention the fact that I was actually more outwardly affectionate with my friends, I had even struck up the odd conversation with Tristan. I was also coming home from school and cooking dinner for the family (y'know, when I wasn't hastily doing homework to keep my grades up) something that both brought us all together at the table to talk about our day like one large family and allowed me to play off the bandage around my hand as me being 'clumsy' with the knife while preparing potatoes, as for my chest cut, that had healed a few weeks after the end of Battle City, but left an annoying scar. But thankfully, since it wasn't a deep cut, it would fade shortly. Until that time, however, I was relegated to turtleneck jumpers to hide it.

I slid my new key in the lock and was immediately attacked by a giant furry thing.

"SASHA! Baby! Darling! Sweetie!" I called at my dog, who leapt upwards, nearly knocking me back with the force of her 'hug.' She tried to lick my face so I pushed her head away and scruffled her behind an ear. She returned to all fours, standing impressively at my waist.

That's where everyone was when I came back, they'd all gone to quarantine to get my dog back. When they returned at about 10PM with two sleeping girls and a large Great Dane there had been…raised voices to say the least. For some reason my reaction, instead of something sensible, was straight up belligerence. I put this down to lack of sleep, food and one hell of a month. Unfortunately, that didn't sit well with Mum and had landed me said grounding.

I probably did deserve that.

What none of us deserved, however, was the next day's occurrences.

You know, where we all skipped school to see Yami off before the giant rock became encased in impossible ice and screams from outside alerted us to the fact that Duel Monsters were running rampant about the city.

"I told you there'd be a next time."

~XxX~

A/N: YAY INEFFECTUAL FILLER CHAPTERS!

BTW: Black Rose Academy for Girls is a canon Girl's School in Domino City. It's mentioned in Season 0 as being the school which the Freak Of The Week is from. Their uniform is deep purple with a black bow. XD

~Ava