Wow. I haven't update this fast in a long while. Just goes to show how much free time can be gained when college classes are finished. I'm hoping that this will happen with the rest of the stories I have failed to update recently.

AnimeGirl4891- I'll think about it, but I have to say that I'm trying to make this more of friendship/adventure story. There will be some romance, but to be honest, I'm not sure if I feel comfortable with applying Yami Yugi into romance, at least into the plot line of the TV show arch. It's not that I am against it, I just don't think I could pull off something like that without damaging what I have planned.

Guest- Well, from the looks of this, wish granted. Don't worry. I'm on summer vacation now and have plenty of time to spare. I can't say that this story will have an update every few days since I have other stories will need updated as well. Still though, I hope to keep you guys entertained. Things are about to start heating up starting in the next chapter.

I don't own Yu-gi-oh! I only own my OCs (human, animal, spirit, Millenium item, Duel Monster, or otherwise). Hope you enjoy and be sure to fav, follow, and review if you wish.

"You can't be serious! You mean to tell me dat rich punk Kaiba is throwin' his own exclusive Duel Monsters tournament?" Joey exclaimed incredulously. The five friends were at school in the courtyard and Yugi and Anya had explained their invitations to participate.

"Yup," Yugi nodded.

"Pretty much," Anya shrugged.

"And the whole thing kicks off in less than a week," Teá added.

Clenching his fists tightly, Joey growled out, "Ohhh...I can't believe money bags didn't send an invite to me! I was da runner-up at Duelist Kingdom! Where's da respect?!"

Leaning up against the wire fence, Tristan pointed out, "Here's a news flash for you, Joey-Kaiba doesn't like you."

"I'll give him somethin' not ta like!"

Anya whispered to Yugi, "See? I knew he was going to react this way..."

"You know, this is exactly how he wants you to react," Tristan said.

A look of realization came across Joey's face, "You got a good point there, Tristan. Maybe I don't need to enter Kaiba's snooty competition. What about you, Yuge? Are you and Anya gonna enter the tournament?"

"I have to," Yugi nodded. "I just found out that entering Kaiba's Battle City Tournament is the only way I can achieve my destiny."

"Your destiny? What are ya talkin' about?"

"It's kind of a long story," Yugi said.

"I got nowhere to go," Joey shrugged.

Yugi then turned serious and explained, "All right. Some kind of evil force is coming back from the past, and I'm destined to join this tournament and defeat it."

Anya then interjected, "And it's kind of my destiny to help him, so of course I'm in."

"Then it's my destiny to help, too!" Joey exclaimed reaching into his jacket pocket. "I got just da card! I'm talkin' Red-Eyes Black Dragon, folks!"

However, everyone around him seemed to be uneasy about his enthusiasm. Tristan then asked, "So what you're saying is you've changed your mind again and now you are gonna enter Kaiba's tournament."

Joey let out another growl and answered, "Dat's what I'm sayin', all right. Yugi inspired me, and wit dis baby in my deck, I got it made."

Anya's eyebrows arched as he actually kissed the card and said, "Isn't that right, my little Red Eyes? Who's gonna help me kick some major Kaiba butt?"

Yeesh. Even I don't obsess over my cards like that...

"What's da matter? Ya never saw a guy kiss a card? With my Red Eyes, I'll put Kaiba ta shame!"

Everyone had faces that just made it obvious that they were speechless. Teá was the first to reply, "Didn't you learn your lesson the last time you dueled Kaiba?"

"Teá's right, Joey," Yugi said. "You're Red Eyes is a powerful card, but it doesn't guarantee that you'll beat Kaiba."

"Yeah. You got a point."

"You'll need to have a little patience. First you should get used to his new, more-advanced version of the duel disc."

Joey replied in slight despair, "The old ones were too advanced for me. They cost me da duel!"

Anya patted his shoulder, "Then you better get practicin', hun."

Anya knew how badly Joey wanted this and just how big of a hit he took when he lost that particular duel. That was one of his all-time lows in his career as a duelist. Of course, she also knew that he was still so rash and thick-skulled. She knew he had it in him to master the new system and make it in the tournament. All he needed was a bit of a push. She would gladly oblige if she needed to, but was also sure he could figure it out for himself. After all, he was stubborn in that way of doing things for himself.

"You're a much better duelist now than you were then, Joey," Yugi commented, "but before you jump right into another duel with Kaiba, you should practice with the new duel disc."

"Then what're we waitin' for? I gotta try and sign up for dis thing!" Joey shouted before taking off. The rest of the group looked off after him before turning to each other. This couldn't end too well.

In downtown Domino City, it was clear that there were many places in which to register for Battle City and obtain a new duel disc. Of course, word was traveling very fast about how good the tournament was going to be.

"Oh, hey!" Teá pointed. "Looks like the registration office is over there."

"Battle City Tournament, here I come!" Joey bolted off in said direction, Tristan tailing him.

"You think they'll let Joey sign up for the tournament?" Yugi asked Teá and Anya.

Teá merely answered, "I don't know, but I gotta say, that boy sure is determined."

"I'll say," Anya smirked, glancing off after the blonde boy. "I have to admit it, though, it's one of his best qualities."

"If you don't mind my asking, is this coming from the friend aspect or girlfriend aspect?" Yugi asked.

She shrugged as she went off after the boys, "Both."

And to think it wasn't long ago that Anya couldn't stand being in the same room as those two, Yugi and Teá laughed and went at their own pace to catch up with them. Yugi then told Teá, "By the way, thanks for taking Yami to the Egyptian exhibit yesterday. I knew spending the day with you would help."

"I still can't believe he was an ancient Egyptian pharaoh."

"Yup, and he saved the entire world, too."

Teá was silent after that, leaving her with her own thoughts, Yugi doesn't seem worried at all. But if what Ishizu told us about the past is true, there's so much danger ahead.

"Teá?" Yugi asked, grabbing her attention once again. "Ya know Kaiba's new rule that the winner of each duel gets to take the loser's rarest card? On one hand, it's an awesome idea 'cause the winnder of the whole tournament gets the ultimate prize-a super-deck made up of the rarest cards in Duel Monsters, but on the other hand, I put my heart in this deck. I don't want to lose any of my cards to another duelist, especially my Dark Magician, but the fate of the whole world depends on Yami and me, so I'll play by whatever rules I have to."

Teá knew exactly what Yugi was talking about. It kind of reminded her of when he had dueled Weevil in Duelist Kingdom and how he had bet his grandfather's deck with his one star chip. She knew that it wasn't something he was necessarily comfortable with, but the same basic principles applied. He was playing by any rules that he had to in order to do the right thing.

"Hey, I think we sign up here!" Yugi suddenly exclaimed.

"I'm just gonna play dumb," Joey said, peering into the window of the building.

"Play dumb?" Tristan snickered, earning an indignant 'hey' from his buddy.

Anya sighed with a smile as she entered first. It appeared to look like any other electronics store, but it was clear from the duel discs that were stacked behind the counter that this was the right place.

"May I be of some assistance?" the clerk asked as the teens entered the shop.

"Hi," Yugi greeted. "We came to register for the Battle City Tournament and get our duel discs."

"Well, then, my young friends, you've entered into the correct place. You are fortunate since I have three duel discs left on my shelf, but first I have to make sure you're qualified to register."

Joey suddenly tensed up. Qualified? Qualified?! Why didn't anyone tell him that he needed to be qualified to enter?! He took in a deep breath, regaining his cool and reassuring himself that he had more than enough to make him qualified for the tournament.

"Okay, I'm Yugi Muto." The clerk clicked away at his keyboard and brought up his dueling stats up onto the screen, "Not bad. You've got five stars. That's the highest rank."

It was then that Yugi asked the question that puzzled the rest of them, "Where does this information come from?"

"Kaibacorp performed extensive research on duelists around the world and compiled the results into a database. This shows your skill level and the rarest card you've ever played in a duel. To ensure that only the best duelists enter, Mr. Kaiba has gone to great lengths to learn everything about you and your decks," the clerk replied. The computer monitor was turned around to show them. Yugi's picture was posted along with five golden stars and the Dark Magician as his rarest card on display.

There was a collective number of gasps, "Everything? Knowing every card in our decks gives an unfair advantage to Kaiba."

"That's not cool," Teá said.

Anya crossed her arms, "What did you expect? At least we know now so we can readjust our decks."

"Well, as promised, since you qualify to enter, you get this-Kaibacorp's new and improved Duel Disc System," the man said, holding out a large package to Yugi, who took it gratefully.

"Awesome! Thank you."

"My turn!" Anya stepped up to the counter. "I'm Anya Mirov."

Once again, the man had typed the information into the computer and all of Anya's states came up. This included a picture, a ranking of 4.5/5 stars, and her rarest card (so the system says), Saffira, Queen of Dragons, "Four and a half stars. Very impressive. Best of luck to you in the Battle City Tournament."

"Thanks!" Anya smiled as she accepted the duel disk box. She was just a bit startled when Joey pushed his way to the counter. It seemed he was especially eager to get registered if he could since there was only one duel disc left.

"I wanna register, also. Joey Wheeler's da name!"

"Let me see, Joey Wheeler..." he muttered, putting in the name. The good news was that his name was in the database. The bad news...well, he only had one star to his name. "I'm sorry. You've only got one star. Your ranking is much too low to enter."

This caused quite a bit of reactions from the group, but none so more dramatic than Joey's, "That can't be! Kaiba fixed those results! I came in second at Duelist Kingdom!"

Tristan grabbed onto him when his arms began to get frantic, "Just calm down! Quit havin' a cow!"

"It is weird that he doesn't qualify," Teá said out loud, yet Anya replied to that,

"Not really. It's like Tristan said earlier that Kaiba doesn't like him, so why would he let him into the tournament?"

Of course, the clerk was an observer in the spectacle, but there was something that caught his attention about this duelist. Although Joey had only one star, the rarest card he had was the Red-Eyes Black Dragon.

He holds the rare Red-Eyes Black Dragon. My master will surely be interested, he thought to himself. Of course, getting the card wouldn't really be possible unless he was registered for the tournament, so he needed to...make an exception. As discretely as possible, he typed away to override the results, So, you want to duel, Joey Wheeler? And so, the amount of stars in Joey's record went up from one to four,

"I'm sorry, Joey. It appears that my hard drive was malfunctioning and you actually have four stars. Congratulations, you qualify."

Everyone turned back shocked, but Joey did not share the same opinion, "Yeah! I knew it! Lemme see those beautiful stars!"

He turned the monitor around for the rest of the teens to see, "Hey, my kisser ain't lookin' too bad, either! I knew the computer was wrong. That's how I was able to stay relaxed and keep my cool while he fixed it."

Anya sweatdropped as she blandly commented, "Yes, because you really didn't look like the guy in front of you got the last free taco. You were so calm and composed."

"Got that right, babe!" Joey grinned, grabbing onto the duel disc box as he did so. She sighed, shaking her head and looking down slightly. "Aw, yeah!"

"Battle City Tournament, here we come!" Yugi said with a smile.

"Whose da man?" Joey cheered.

"Way to keep your cool, Joey," Teá teased.

"We're lucky we got the last three discs," Yugi said.

As the doors slid shut, the clerk smirked and had a phone up to his ear, "Send over the Rare Hunters. The boy with the Red Eyes just left."

It was close to sundown when the group was about to part ways for the day. While there was a big commotion just a while ago, it seemed that the entire plaza was now barren of life.

"Guys, I've gotta get goin'," Joey said suddenly. "My sister Serenity's operation is tomorrow, and I told her I'd stay at the hospital tonight."

"Okay, wish Serenity luck for me, Joey," Yugi nodded. "I'm sure everything's gonna be fine."

"Same here. I'm only hoping for the best for the both of you," Anya gave a thumb's up.

"Thank's a lot, guys. Later!" He waved before running off.

Teá waved back, "Bye, Joey. Good Luck."

"I hope he's all right. Going to that hospital is not an easy thing for him to do," Tristan spoke up. Yugi, Anya, and Teá turned to him confused, to which he explained, "Joey's mother is gonna be at that hospital too, guys. She was the one who separated Joey and Serenity when they were kids. He hasn't spoken to his mother since."

Teá and Anya gasped as Yugi exclaimed, "No way! But that means that Joey hasn't seen or spoken to his mother in almost seven years!"

Tristan clenched his fists and said with the utmost confidence, "Yes, but I'll make sure that the Wheeler family unites once again!"

"Someone's feeling chivalrous," Anya muttered.

"Aren't you getting just a little carried away there, Tristan?" Teá arched an eyebrow."

"Not if he's trying to be a hero to impress Joey's sister Serenity," Yugi said.

Ah, now the world made sense again. It was the 'hero gets the girl in the end' principle at work here. It was obvious at the nervous look that suddenly came upon Tristan's face as Yugi figured it out for the rest of them.

"Yeah, maybe you should try that out by actually being there at the hospital for extra support. That's what I'm gonna do," Anya said.

This had definitely caught their attention, "Really?"

"Why?" Teá asked.

Anya closed her eyes and said, "If it's really going be that tough for Joey, then I want to be there if he needs me."

"Well I think that's really nice of you, Anya," Yugi nodded. "It amazes me at how far the two of you have come in such a short time. It feels like it was only yesterday that the two of you couldn't stand each other."

"I hope that guy knows how lucky he is to have a girl like you, Anya," Tristan stated. "Even if half the time he doesn't have a clue."

Joey panted harshly, running with his duel disc package in hand down a dark alley. It probably wasn't the wisest place to be running into at that time of night, but he did make a promise to his little sister he would be there at a certain time and this was the quickest route he could take.

I'd better hustle. I promised Serenity I'd be at the hospital in a few minutes and I've never let her down!

He looked up and nearly skidded to a stop at what he saw was ahead, nearly being the appropriate word. A trio of dark-cloaked men that seemed to be waiting for something, or someone. Still he kept running to get to the end.

"Excuse me," he called out, trying to run around them, but was blocked by one man, making him back up and glare hard, "Hey, what's the big idea? Outta my way! I'm in a hurry!"

The center man chuckled in a sinister way, "You won't be going anywhere for a while."

"What do you freaks want with me?"

With another laugh, he said, "You're a feisty little one, aren't you, Joey Wheeler? I see you've never met a Rare Hunter. We stalk our prey and take what we desire-in this case, your Red-Eyes Black Dragon! Now prepare to duel for it!"

Rare Hunters? Who da heck do these guys think they're scarin'? Bunch of hooded freaks! Joey thought before barking out, "How'd you know about my Red Eyes? Look, just step aside!"

However, none of the men moved at all. Man, if it were just one of these guys that was in his way, he wouldn't have a problem taking them out with force. Clearly, though, they used numbers to give their "prey" no choice but to fight on their terms.

"If you'd like to leave here in one piece, I'd suggest you do as we say and duel."

However, Joey smirked at this little opportunity, "You're not givin' me a choice, are ya? Den I guess I accept!"

The Rare Hunter brought out his arm, revealing the new duel disc, "Then let the hunt continue! Now, we'll duel by the Battle City rules. That way, when we win, we'll get your Red-Eyes Black Dragon. I'd suggest you prepare yourself for the hunt."

Joey unpacked the duel disc and tossed the box to the side, setting the duel disc on his arm and activating it, "Let's get dis over with. I got somewhere I gotta be!"

"Time to duel!"

LP: 4000/4000

Meanwhile, in the hospital nearby...

Serenity Wheeler groaned and moaned softly as she shifted uncomfortably in bed. It was getting a bit late and her big brother still hadn't shown up. Her mother noticed this and turned to her as she was arranging flowers in the vase.

"Serenity, what's the matter, dear?"

She sat up, sighing a bit as she explained, "Well, I guess I'm just really terrified about getting this eye operation, mom, but I know once Joey gets to the hospital, I'll feel so much better. He should be on his way!"

A glint of pain came into the mother's eyes, "Joseph's coming?"

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door, making them both look up. Serenity had a look of pure excitement while her mother appeared to be nearly terrified at whoever was on the other side. The door opened and Anya entered through, looking just a bit nervous herself.

"I'm sorry, dear, but I think you have the wrong room."

Anya shook her head, "I don't think so. I'm looking for Serenity Wheeler. I'm a friend of her brother's."

"Really? You know Joey?" Serenity asked happily. "That's so cool!"

Anya smiled and came up to the bed, "And you must be her. I have to say, you're just like Joey described you. My name is Anya. It's very nice to meet you, Serenity."

"I'll get dis party started by playing my Panther Warrior (2000/1600) in attack mode!" Joey exclaimed, throwing his card down on the duel disc. The violet-furred warrior emerged onto the field via holographic projection that surrounded the dueling field.

"It's the predator's move," the Rare Hunter said as he drew from his deck. "I place one card in defense mode."

The face-down monster appeared on the field, but the strange thing was he made no further move. However, Joey wasn't worried as he made his next move, "Not much of a predator so far. Hmm...these little fur-balls may not look like much, but they're just what I need right now. Scapegoat!"

After placing the magic card face-up on the field, the four little goats came up behind Panther Warrior; blue, yellow, pink, and orange, "Panther Warrior can't attack unless I make a sacrifice first, so b'bye, Scapegoat, hello, Panther Attack!"

Panther Warrior leapt and struck at the face-down monster, Hannibal Necromancer (1400/1800). It disappeared in a shower of light.

"Looks like my Panther Warrior's the real hunter in this duel. Now what?" Joey smirked as the Rare Hunter made his next move.

"The Graceful Charity card allows me to draw three new cards," he said as he drew three new cards from his deck and discarded two of them as per the rules of the card. "Just what I needed. My deck is filled with surprises. And soon I'll be adding your Red Eyes to my collection."

I'm gonna kill him, Anya thought to herself. This time, I don't care what Yugi says. I'm going to kill him.

She was currently sitting on the side of Serenity's bed, an arm over her should as an act of comfort as the time grew later and later. When she arrived, she did find it odd that Joey wasn't there yet, but then again, Joey was the type to get easily distracted. However, per Serenity's request, she decided to stay until her brother arrived. Anya didn't blame her. Surgery was a scary idea, even if she hasn't been through it herself.

"Anya? Do you think Joey could be in trouble?" Serenity asked, her arms hugging her knees close to her chest.

With the size of his mouth, I can only imagine, Anya said to herself. Of course, this was her big brother, so that would only make her feel worse, "I couldn't imagine he'd do that on an important night like this. The only way you get into trouble is if you go looking for it, and I don't think he'd be that careless. I'm sure he's fine."

"Could you tell me a story Anya? Just to calm my nerves," Serenity asked.

"Uhh..sure, Serenity. What do you want to hear?"

"Well, how did you and Joey meet?"

Anya tensed at that one. Hey, for the first two years that she knew Joey was filled with shouting, slapping (mostly on her part), fighting, and glaring. She wouldn't want to hear anything about her brother being a bully to Yugi, either.

"Well...it was actually because of this card game called Duel Monsters that we first started to get to know each other better..."

"There's someone out there who needs my help, so I'm gonna end dis duel once and for all!" Joey growled making his next move, which was setting down another monster, "I play Alligator's Sword (1500/1200) in attack mode and I'm ganna sacrifice another Scapegoat so Panther Warrior can attack again!"

And so, another Scapegoat was absorbed into Panther Warrior, which went on the attack at the Rare Hunter's face-down monster. The monster rose while still in defense mode to reveal that it was Three-Headed Geedo (1200/1400). It didn't stand a chance against the blade of the cat-like warrior.

"So, you guys wanna play by Battle City rules, huh? Well I just heard that when you have no monsters on the field you can attack your opponent's life points directly," Joey explained. "Alligator's Sword, attack now! Direct attack on da hooded freak!"

The reptilian warrior lunged forward, swinging his sword right at the Rare Hunter as if he were attacking a monster, "Give up yet?"

LP: 4000/2500

"No, not quite," the Rare Hunter calmly took his turn. "I play Graceful Charity again."

"Again?"

"Yes, a good hunter must acquire strong hounds to replace the weak ones," he said as he drew three more cards and discarded two from his hand. "So I discard two old cards and place this one in defense mode."

As the face-down monster came up onto the field, Joey groaned, "Booooooorrrriiing! Gimme a break! I'm fallin' asleep! How many times ya gonna keep throwin' the same lousy cards down? You duel as badly as ya dress! Time ta end this pathetic duel so I can get back to what I was doin'!"

I'm gonna wipde da street with dis bum! Joey thought giddily as he looked at his hand for his next move. Wait a second! When Yugi was telling me about Battle City rules today, he said something about havin' to sacrifice weaker monsters so you can summon stronger monsters. I think I can offer up those two guys ta bring out my secret weapon!

"Now for your worst nightmare-the moment I've been waitin' for! I summon Red-Eyes Black Dragon (2400/2000)!" he cried out. Alligator's Sword and Panther Warrior were absorbed into the card and then the mighty monster came forth with a ferocious roar.

For the most part, the Rare Hunter was in awe, which of course just boosted Joey's ego tenfold, "So you wanted ta see my Red Eyes, huh? Guess you got your wish. Now take a look at dis. Red-Eyes Black Dragon! Attack!"

The dragon let out it's signature Inferno Fire Blast at the face-down monster, destroying the Death Hand (800/600), "I think this was my easiest duel ever. While you were busy pickin' cards and playin' defense, I was blastin' you away!"

"Foolish boy. I've been leading you through this hunt, waiting for the right moment to pounce!"

"What're you talkin' about. I think you got your cape on too tight. I've been cremating ya!"

However, the Rare Hunter was still not convinced, "Wrong. I'm about to finish you off."

Joey jumped back a little bit in shock, "Say what?!"

"It's my move now," the Rare Hunter said, drawing his card. "And it's time for me to unleash the ultimate beast. I summon Exodia the Forbidden One!"

"No way! It's all over!" Joey yelped. "Not Exodia!"

But it was. The field collected dust as the wind picked up and the dreaded lines formed the star in which Exodia would emerge. First came his arms, then his legs, and finally his head.

"No! How can it be!" Joey was speechless. How could someone like him have something as powerful as Exodia?

"Exodia! Obliterate!"

The monster let out his powerful blast, completely dominating Joey's Red-Eyes Black Dragon. And just like that, it was over.

LP: 0/2500

Joey grunted as he was thrown back by the force of the blast. He sat back up and growled out, "Exodia's the rarest card I know. How did you get it in your deck?"

"It is true that the individual pieces of Exodia the Forbidden One are extremely rare cards, but Rare Hunters thrive on relieving duelists of their rarest cards," the Rare Hunter explained showing all of the Exodia cards. "That's how I've assembled three complete sets of Exodia in one single deck of cards."

"You won them all?" Joey was severely confused. How could someone win that many cards if they were that rare?

"Let's just say. We acquire them by whatever means necessary. Now we'll take our prize-your Red Eyes."

Getting up slowly, Joey noticed the hunters gathering around him, "Hey, I'll get it."

However, they didn't back down, "We prefer to take it by force."

"I said I'll get it-AH!" Joey was thrown to the ground as his most valuable card was taken from him by the Hunter he dueled while being held down by the other two.

"Ah, the thrill of the hunt," he said as he held the card in his hand, "And now your precious Red-Eyes Black Dragon is mine."

Sitting up, Joey weakly called out, "My Red-Eyes Black Dragon..."

He fell to the ground in a crumpled lump as the Rare Hunters took their leave, laughing haughtily at their victory and the defeat of their prey.

"Anya! Anya!"

The dragon duelist snapped awake at the fear in Serenity's voice, "What? What's going on?!"

"Joey still hasn't shown up. I'm so scared that he's hurt!" she sobbed, hugging Anya in the side. Suddenly, there was a turning of the knob and the knock at the door, but it never opened.

"Serenity, open the door right now. Please let me in," that was Mrs. Wheeler, Anya realized. So this was how scared Serenity was? She was willing to lock everyone else out even if it meant getting the help she needed? "Serenity, please!"

The young girl, however, shook her head and shouted, "I won't! I'm not going to have the operation until Joey gets here!"

"Better give him a call again," Anya took out her phone and pressed the speed dial for Joey's home phone. It rung...and rung...and rung some more. However, the other end never answered the call.

"Joey, I swear, if you show up, you're gonna be sorry," Anya growled as she hung up and dialed the only other person she could think of who could know where he was. Lucky for her, he was there to pick up the phone.

"Hello?"

"Yugi. We've got a problem."

"Huh? Anya?"

"It's Joey. He never showed up at the hospital."

"Joey never showed up?! Don't worry. We'll figure this out!"

"We better. Just find him soon, please. Serenity's not letting anyone in her room until he gets here."

It was still a while before anything actually happened. Doctors and nurses alike tried to talk Serenity out of the room, but none had succeeded. Anya would have done it herself, but what could she do? She was obviously too scared to go and if Joey being there for her was what she needed, then by all means she would keep them away from her until that stubborn, thick-skulled idiot arrived.

"Serenity, open the door this instant," Mrs. Wheeler said as she tried to open the locked door once again.

"I have other patients. I can't wait any longer," the doctor said to her. She turned back to him pleadingly,

"Doctor, please!"

Turning his back to leave, the doctor managed to get a few feet away before they all heard, "Yeah. Hang on there, doc."

They turned and were astounded to see Joey. He looked a bit worse for wear with cuts, bruises, and tears in his jacket, but the important thing was that he was there to make things right.

Mrs. Wheeler gasped softly, "Joseph..."

"That's right. Let me take care of this one, Ma," Joey said before knocking on the door. "Serenity, it's me, Joey."

Serenity looked up at the door and Anya did the same as they heard, "Listen, sis. I know you're upset, but you gotta open dis door so we can talk."

"No! I'm not opening the door!" Serenity answered, Anya stroking her back soothingly as she went on, "You said that would be here last night, Joey, and I was so worried about you! I need you to help me through this!"

On the outside of the door, Joey was crushed. He hung his head as he told her, "I'm sorry. I know I let ya down, sis, but please lemme explain, please. I was on my way to da hospital yesterday, just like I promised, but I ran into some creeps downtown. All I could think about was comin' to see ya, but that gang of punks wouldn't let me leave. They cornered me and forced me into a duel. Then they took the best card in my whole deck. I can't do anything right!"

By now, tears, actual tears, were gathering at the corner of Joey's eyes, "Somehow, I managed to let down the most important person in my life on the day that she needed me the most. I must be the worst big brother in the history of the world! But you gotta believe me, Serenity, I'd never do anything ta hurt ya. You're more than just my little sister, you're my friend. And there's nothing in the world that can break the bond between us!"

He stood up and asked, "Now open dis door and give your big brother a hug, huh?"

In the room, Anya set her hands on Serenity's shoulders and said, "I'll be right behind you."

And so, Serenity unlocked the door and opened it to reveal her big brother. Anya's eyebrows arched at the shape he was in, but would save those questions for later. Right now, Serenity was basically in tears of happiness and relief at seeing her older brother.

"Joey!" she ran to him, enveloping him in a hug which he gladly returned.

Mrs. Wheeler was happy to see her children safe and sound. She brought her daughter into a hug when they were finished. Joey gulped a little bit as he greeted, "It's, uh, nice ta see ya, Ma."

"It's nice to see you. Thanks, son."

Joey grunted as he felt his shoulder being shoved roughly from behind. He turned growling, thinking it was Tristan, but then froze as he saw who it really was. Anya, hands on her waist, narrowed her aquamarine eyes at him.

"Babe! Wh-what're you doin' here?"

"I wanted to surprise you and meet your family," she explained, her face not softening up in the slightest. To Joey, that was never a good sign. That meant that someone was about to get hurt, and it was usually him. She scanned his body up and down and told him, "I would say that you're due for a beating, but it looks like someone beat me to it."

"You don't know the half of it," Joey blew out a sigh of relief.

Anya let out a sigh of her own as she grabbed his arm and proceeded to pull him, "Well, come on. Let's go get you a first-aid kit."

"Huh?" he blinked. "You're draggin' me by the arm...just ta get me patched up?"

"If you prefer, I could always drag you by the ear."

"No, no! The arm's just fine..."

"Hey, Joey. Serenity's operation went well?" Yugi asked from the other end of the hospital payphone.

"Yup. Went by just fine. She's in the recovery room now."

"Who were those guys last night, Joey?"

Joey's face took on a dark expression, "You mean those three butt-ugly chumps who forced me to duel? All I know is I'm gonna find'em and win back by Red Eyes."

Yugi, of course, should have objected to Joey being so rash. Still, after everything he's been through, he thought it would be best for now to just support his friend's decision, Well, I'll be there to help you, Joey."

"I know you will, pal," Joey said with a smile. "Listen, Anya and I'll stop by on the way home."

"You got it. Bye."

Joey hung up the phone, turning back to sit down in his seat. He sighed as he plopped down next to Anya, who was going through her Duel Monsters deck. He glanced over at her and asked, "What'cha doin', babe?"

"Thinking of some the cards I've got at home that Kaiba hasn't seen me use yet. I want to try to spice up my deck but also keep the cards I can't bear to duel without," she replied. "It's not really fair that he has researched our decks, but there's nothing we can do about it."

At the thought of cards, Joey's eyes widened and his hands frantically went to his jacket pockets. She frowned and sat up a little straighter as she asked, "Joey? What's wrong?"

Tell me they didn't get it! Tell me they didn't get-aha! He breathed out in relief as he pulled out an item. It was a small, thin crimson box that was topped with black ribbon.

"Tell me, what's so special about little box, there?"

He cringed as he turned to face her, a curious look on her face, "Uh...well I-I went and...I got it just for you."

Joey gave her the box, in which she took it and lifted the lid. Her face suddenly became unreadable as she dropped the lid. The card inside was the one that Joey had gotten from Solomon just days ago, The Queen Angel of Roses (2400/1300).

"I've...I've been searching for this card for months..." she finally said before turning to him. "Joey...where did you get this?"

"Uh...I just, ya know...somethin' I happened ta pick up. Not a big deal," he yelped a bit when Anya slapped him lightly, a stern look on her face.

"This is not a big deal. Nobody's known about I've been trying to find this card. Not even Yugi. How...how did you know?"

He gulped a little bit before saying, "I...lucky guess?"

Anya's serious demeanor disappeared just like that and she rolled her eyes. She smiled a bit and said, "Well thanks...but I can't accept it."

It was as if some sort of invisible glass was shattered in Joey's mind. What did she just say? After careful picking of that card and after all he's been through these past two days, she's gonna say no?

"What?! Are ya out of yer mind?!" he snapped out, but then instantly went silent when she set the box in one hand and took his other on to cover up the card. She smiled fondly and said,

"I know. You've been through a lot and you even lost your Red Eyes. I couldn't imagine how hard it would be for me if I lost my Black Rose Dragon or even my Silent Magician. I want you to keep that card until you get your Red-Eyes Black Dragon back. And if you need to use it to get yourself out of a tight spot, then do it. Think of it this way: it'll be like I'll be there with you when you're dueling even when I'm not. Please do this, for me?"

"Nyeeeeh...Ya know I can't say no ta that face," he laughed aloud. "Fine, but only until Red Eyes is back where it belongs."