Me: Sorry I haven't updated, but I've been sick.

Kalin: You just want an excuse for not updating.

Me: I'm not lying! *Coughs twice* Anywho, I'm taking my anger/sadness out in this chapter.

Crow: That doesn't sound good.

Me: It isn't.

Wobbufet: That's right!

Jack: Get out of here.

*Wobbufet disappears*

Me: Oh… I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh 5ds but I do own Sky. And the story line. Also, the mysterious person who was in the author note thingy of last chapter doesn't come until next chapter.

?: Why?

Me: So that this chapter could have a bigger cliffhanger. On with the story!

Chapter 10

I roll over in my bed for the umpteenth time tonight. I can't sleep at all; the warnings of both the voices echoing in my head. 'How can I leave them all?' I think. 'Especially Yusei. He's my family—the only family I have left—and isn't family supposed to stick together?'

Somehow, sleep finally comes to me. But it's not good sleep, because I have a vision instead. One that I remember from a long time ago—and the reason that Kalin looked so familiar the first time I saw him!

A plan to prevent what the evil presence said forms in my mind. The event I just re-watched will make an excellent cover. It will hurt a lot… but definitely not as much as having to lose them all forever.

XXX

Several days later, my chance comes.

"Hey kid!" Kalin shouts. "Get off my turf, you don't belong here!"

I look at the kid; it's the leader from a Duel Gang we beat a few months ago. He's pretty much scared half to death, and can't move. Even though every ounce of me wants to interfere right now, I know that Yusei is going to stop Kalin, and that's how it has to play out or else my plan won't work.

Yusei does try to stop Kalin; in fact, he tackles him when the icy-blue haired teen tries to kick the poor kid.

The kid runs away as fast as he possibly can.

I don't know what gets into Kalin, but he goes full-on angry at Yusei. I want to help even more now, because it's my brother who is getting beat up, and he isn't fighting back. That is, until he blocks a punch thrown at his face and throws Kalin away.

This time, it's Kalin that tackles Yusei, and they get oh-so-dangerously close to the edge of the cliff. Both of them stand up, trying to catch their breath, when…

CCCRRRAAACCCKKK!

"What was that?" Yusei asks.

"You think I have any idea?" Kalin replies.

'Now!' I think, running out from my hiding place.

At the exact same time I start running, the cliff—with Yusei on it—starts to disappear from view. 'They have to think this is real,' I remind myself. "No! Yusei!" I shout, feigning shock.

I jump off the remainder of the cliff, narrowly catching the edge of it… and one of Yusei's arms.

Yusei looks up at me. "Sky?"

"If you think I'm going to let my brother fall off a cliff and possibly die, you've got another thing coming," I reply, offering him a smile even though we're in such a position.

My grip on the cliffside loosens, but Kalin must realize what's going on because he grabs my arm before I lose my grip completely. "You have a death wish or something?" he grunts.

"No, but I didn't want Yusei to…" I reply, trailing off.

"Wait, you caught him?!"

"She did," my brother replies.

Kalin heaves a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness. I wouldn't be able to forgive myself if… Sorry about that, Yusei. I really don't know what came over me."

"It's fine. But if you could pull us up, that would be lovely," Yusei says.

"Right." He tries to pull the two of us up in several different fashions, but each time, the part of the cliff he is on starts to shake a little and lose some of the lower layers. It can't support him for much longer, and it certainly can't support all three of us.

"D***it," Kalin mutters. "The cliff is going to collapse even more, any moment now. Trying to pull you both up is making it worse."

'Just like I suspected,' I think. I squeeze my eyes shut and say,"Yusei, I have an idea, but you aren't going to like it. Is there any way you can climb up and over me? Or even get on the cliffside and climb up it?"

"Maybe?"

He tries, and grabs my ankle with his free hand. Then he lets go of my hand, wavers for a few seconds, and grabs my ankle with both hands instead. The cliff has ample numbers of hand and footholds, though, and he transfers himself to the cliff instead.

'Heh, thank goodness one of the activities the guys liked doing was climbing up and down this cliff,' I think gratefully. Yusei is able to pull himself over a more stable part of it.

"Okay, your turn Sky," Kalin says. But the cliff starts to crumble even more…

"Kalin, don't risk it," I warn him. "Just… just let me go. The others shouldn't have to lose two friends because—"

"Well, we shouldn't have to lose one friend because of a f***ing mistake I made," he replies. "I'm not going to let go—"

While he was speaking, I found footholds and had placed my feet in them. Now, I let my feet slip out of them. It puts more strain on Kalin that he doesn't expect to happen, and my arm slips out of his hand. I watch his face fill with horror and him try to grab me again, but he's several inches too far.

I fall, preparing myself for the pain I'm going to receive when I land. No magic, not yet anyways. Time to fake my death.

XXX

The impact with the water and the rocks—the tall, jagged rocks—that litter the water hurts a lot more than I expected it to, and I pass out for several moments. Maybe longer than several moments. All I know is that I only come to when someone presses their fingers to my throat—likely to feel for my pulse—and Yusei's voice, really quietly, saying, "Sky… Oh Sky, please wake up…"

My eyes flutter open with that, and I realize that Yusei was actually speaking normally, I just didn't hear him properly. "Yu…sei? That you?"

"Yes! Yes, it's me!" His face fills my vision, worry written all over it. "You stay awake, alright? We're going to get you help. I know you don't like doctors but…"

"It's too late, Yusei," I mumble in reply, wincing as I talk.

Casting spells in my family is usually limited to speaking the words out loud. But in extreme cases, if one concentrates hard enough, it's possible to think the words and it happens. 'Fake… my… death…'

"What are you talking about?" Yusei asks. "There's still time! Are you giving up?"

"No, I really… mean there… is no time…" I say. A small orb of light rises out of my chest, floats in front of Yusei's face, and vanishes. Another one soon follows, along with another, and another, and another. They just keep coming, slowly getting more frequent.

"What… what are these lights?" Yusei asks, puzzled as another one disappears in front of his face.

"They occur… when… someone from our family… is dying. It's a c-curse of sorts… because there's almost… no chance… to save the person… once the first one comes…" I say with extreme difficulty. The spell only gives me a certain amount of time before it teleports me away, to a place where no one is, and I know the time is almost up.

"But there still is a chance, right? I can't… I can't lose you, Sky," he says, his eyes filling up with teas

I shake my head, just a little because it hurts so much to do so. "Not for… me… I'm sorry I can't… be stronger…"

The tears slowly start streaming down his face, and Yusei shakes his head. "You're the strongest person I know, Sky. Don't apologize for this. It isn't your fault."

"It's not… Kalin's either, okay? …Make sure he… knows that…" With the strength I have left, I put a hand to the necklace on my neck and manage to take it off. I press it into Yusei's hand. "Here… it will… keep you safe when… when it's needed most…"

Yusei stares at the necklace and doesn't say anything.

"Be… brave… Yusei…" With that, the spell fully works, and teleports me to some cave. 'I can't believe it worked. But… Yusei…' Exhausted from what just happened, I manage to fall asleep.

To be continued…

Yusei: This chapter is…just…

Crow: Messed up?

Jack: Screwed?

Me: Oh, this chapter isn't half as bad as the sequel is going to be.

Crow: You're going to right a sequel that's worse than this chapter?

Me: Yes. *Whispers something in Crow's ear*

Crow: *Eyes widen* If that's what your sequel is going to be like, your mind is totally whack.

Me: Not whack. Screwed. Oh, please review before Crow tries to kill me.

Crow: That isn't such a bad idea…

Me: I'm out of here!

Me: Huh… my ideas for the sequel are definitely different now. Evil, still, but different. Oh well. Review!