Chapter 18

For a few moments Mai just stood there, staring at Duke with a look of complete and utter disbelief strewn across her face. She then gave a strange sounding cough and lowered her gaze for a moment, before flicked it up to meet his again.

'What?'

'You kind of have to come with me to believe it,' he winced. 'You too Jo,' he turned his gaze briefly towards Mai's daughter.

'And you're going to want me around, of course?' Crovell's voice sounded from behind him.

Turning round he saw the lad leaning casually against the doorframe, with a look of pure amusement on his face.

'Crovell,' Mai's voice was laced with warning tones, 'you know you're not supposed to be anywhere near Jo's room.'

'You would have brought her to mine looking for me.'

'That's not the point…'

'Oh please Mai,' he cut her off, 'you need me and you know it. So save the speech for after and help me help my father now.'

'Fine,' Mai made a slightly impatient noise. 'Where did you leave him Duke?'

Giving a heavy sigh, Duke turned and led the way towards where he'd left Joey. As he approached the door to the small room he half wanted to turn and run away. Even after everything he'd been through the situation bordered on being too much for him to deal with. Somehow he managed to take a deep breath in and lead the others into the room. Stood anxiously at the bay window, staring out into the garden beyond was a boy of about sixteen. But a young sixteen year old; one who lacked the confidence or insight Joey had had at that age. He was also a completely different creature to look at; surprisingly young in the face, with large blue-grey eyes and an off kind of sandy blond hair which was cut neatly short. He was dressed in a pair of black school trousers, a white shirt, a black and yellow stripped school tie and a black blazer.

Duke might not have been able to remember much about his encounter with the Boy, but he was certain Joey wasn't currently him. And, for that reason alone, he was almost certain whoever it was stood before them now wasn't going to hurt them.

'Hello,' the lad gave them all a polite little nod, 'I'm sure this must be very confusing for you. I must admit it's a little confusing for me too.'

'Who are you?' Mai asked him calmly.

Instantly the lad's cheeks flamed a deep red and for a moment he appeared to be too baffled too speak. He then gave a nervous cough and lowered his gaze to the ground.

'I believe my name is the Teen,' he somehow managed to out, his voice breaking midsentence, 'and I… I am a new member of the Nameless. The… um… the first Nameless created by the new First. The first Nameless for a long while, new or otherwise.'

'Joey made you?'

The Teen's cheeks reddened further and again he appeared temporarily too embarrassed to get any words out. For a few moments Duke studied his reaction with a strange kind of wonder.

'Did my Dad make you?' Crovell repeated Mai's question when no answer was forth coming.

Instantly the redness left the Teen's cheeks and his gaze calmly rose to meet Crovell's.

'Not intentionally,' the Teen shook his head, his speaking voice perfectly level now, 'but it is one of his specialists' powers. Just like the Pure has the Flip, he has the ability to create and assume identities.'

'How could he unintentionally create you?' Mai stared at him in confusion. 'He's been the First for eighteen years now and…'

'Mai stop,' Duke cut her off, as the Teen again began to squirm in embarrassment, 'I think he's shy of you.'

'What?'

'Look at him. Every time you speak his face turns so red I wouldn't be surprised if it could be seen a million miles away.'

'He's right,' Crovell half glanced in her direction.

'Of course he's right,' Jo spoke for the first time, 'the Teen represents all of Dad's insecurities since he actually became the First.'

'His what?' Mai shot her daughter a strange look.

'Things have changed for him, Kaiba and Yugi or had you forgotten that?'

'No, but…'

'They're all a little insecure about their own identities right now and this is Dad's way of expressing it.'

'But why now?' Mai shook her head almost in disbelief. 'It's been a week since…'

'Exactly.'

'But…'

'I'm sorry Mum,' Jo sighed, 'but you're just going to have to get used to this for a while. The real Dad'll come back soon I'm sure. But until then,' she indicated towards the Teen, 'we're just going to have to live with that.'

Silently Téa sat on the edge of her bed and waited. With everything that had been going on recently she hadn't realised anything was amiss until she'd woken up that morning feeling more than a little queasy. Ever since Lus had been born, Téa had done everything possible to stop herself from becoming pregnant again. She'd never gotten over her guilt of considering aborting Lus. It had always made her feel like a bad mother and she'd been determined that no other child should have to suffer her as a parent.

But with all her worrying about Lus's declining health in recent months she'd become pretty negligent about precautions; but even so it was pretty hard for her to quite believe she was sitting on her bed waiting for the results of a pregnancy test. Especially not when she had no idea where her husband currently was and her sixteen year old son was in the next room…

'Come on, come on,' her voice was low and impatient, 'come on…'

She couldn't say she knew what result she was hoping for exactly; she just needed to know one way or another so she could worry about the finer details after. Anxiously she checked her watch. It was almost crunch time. Holding her breath slightly she stared down at the test.

'Positive,' she breathed, for a moment too overwhelmed to really understand what that meant.

Then there was a strange kind of fluttering in her heart and a smile pulled its way across her face.

'Positive,' she repeated, placing a hand protectively over her stomach, 'I'm pregnant.'

'Hey Drake, want to go see Tay?' Lus grinned at him.

His mother had been so distracted that morning Lus hadn't bothered to tell her he was going anywhere. As far as he was concerned he'd be back home before she'd notice he was gone. And there was something about sneaking out like this which reminded him of how he'd been as a kid. Okay, so maybe his illness hadn't disappeared, but it had been months since he'd had this much energy.

'Do you even need to ask?' Drake stared at him as though the answer were obvious.

'That's what I thought you'd say,' he grinned. 'Come on then.'

'What?'

'We're going up to see him.'

'Now?' Drake's eyes sparkled with excitement.

'Of course now,' Lus grinned, 'I wouldn't be here else, now would I?'