I apologize to all of those who were confused by the religious undertones in the last chapter. . . but there will be more to come. Just watch closely, because there is a point (for there is a plot), and I'll make a point to avoid preference.

That being said, enjoy your crappy fan fiction. :D (and for those who grow impatient, there will be Kaiba in the next chapter)

Looking back on it, Aglaia couldn't remember being grounded before.

Maybe for forgetting chores, or not doing homework. But never for getting drunk.

Did she get drunk? She couldn't remember.

She woke up the next morning with a massive migraine and her parents ordaining all sorts of punishment.

They lectured her on her behavior and interrogated her mercilessly, but she was far too drowsy to respond.

Because Hiroto couldn't be late for his date with the Kaiba Corp. cubicle, and Kalliope was deeply required at the hospital, they allowed Aglaia to stay home from school to recuperate and let Kenichi stay home to take care of her. (Though he would never let anyway know, he was very grateful for this.)

When Aglaia found herself able to function as an average human again, her brother went straight to questioning her.

"Why'd you do it?"

"Do what? . . ." she droned as she poured herself a glass of orange juice, but dropped the carton and spilt it all over the floor.

She took a moment to stare at it, then nonchalantly sat down in the kitchen island to sip from the half-empty glass.

"Go out, get drunk, whatever the hell you did. It's those new friends of those, isn't it? That Muto group."

"What? No, no. . ." Aglaia thought that she ought to fight for her friends' honor more fervently but she wasn't in the mood to do much fighting right then. . .

"Fame must get into their heads. And that Wheeler guy never struck me as a good guy."

"It's not them," she whined into her hands.

"Then what?" He was quickly losing his apathetic older brother facade.

"I don't know. . ."

"You don't know?!"

"I don't remember. . . "

"Oh. Is that it."

"I really don't. Why don't you trust me?"

"Because you showed up on the porch last night passed out!"

Aglaia's mind flashed to the neighbors who she was sure overheard them. But in this neighborhood, it wasn't much of a surprise.

"I don't know what happened. . ."

"What do you know!?" He threw his arms above his head.

Aglaia stared at him for a moment, finally summoning some emotion.

"I'm sorry. . ." He put his hand to his face. "But really, what do you know?"

"Last night, I was on the computer, and then Mom came and said something to me . . ."

Images from the seemingly uneventful night before began to appear from a cloud in her mind. The wind blew and thing became clearer. Her ring.

"Then I went up to my room. . ." Aglaia watched Kenichi watching her for every detail. "I lied down on my bed. . ."

He nodded slowly.

"And I don't remember."

Kenichi's eyebrows twitched slightly. Had something in her expression given her away?

He walked out of the room, dissatisfied.

She didn't hear what he said on his way out. She didn't think that she wanted to.

Later that night, after an obvious discussion over Aglaia between her parents and brother, said parents called her in for long, long, long talk of a given nature.

They eased her punishment ever so slightly, allowing her freedom in a month from the doubt, and, what they all had been expecting, Aglaia began to cry from emotional overload.

Kalliope gave her disciplinary husband a pleading look. He reluctantly nodded, and she went straight to comforting her daughter.

Aya Kohaku pondered the nature of modern day drug use.

If the strange girl who had visited the night before was under the influence of any peculiar substances, then she would have fallen into a deep sleep, and then into sobriety.

At least, that was one of the effects.

The conundrum was that the second effect was to free a mortal human from the effects of any. . . supernatural being.

But still, no one appeared the next night.

The next day at school, things for Aglaia were extremely. . . difficult.

"What do you mean you can't hang out after school anymore?" Joey questioned.

"I'm grounded. . ." the poor girl mumbled into her desk.

"For how long?" asked Tea.

"About a month. . ."

"What for?" Yugi submitted, but a sad look from the asked turned him away.

"I'm not quite sure. . ."

"It's okay if you don't want to talk about it," the brunette girl eased.

Aglaia nodded.

"Anyway. . ." Joey threw off the awkwardness. "So Yug, wanna show me that new card'a yours?"

"Oh, you mean the one Professor Hawkins sent?"

"That's the one!"

And as the boys immersed themselves in Duel Monsters, Tea examined Aglaia.

Something was most definitely up.

"So. . . it looks like Kimura isn't here today," Tea informed Aglaia.

"Oh-- yeah. I think there's a bug going around. A lot of people are missing."

"Yeah. Aisha is out, too, and Keiji wasn't here after sixth period."

"Seto isn't here either. . ." Aglaia added.

"Who?"

"I mean, um, Kaiba. . ."