(also known as: Fuck you; I'm proud of that shitty pun)

This is the annoying obligatory reminder to check out the blog because it's got lame aesthetic posts and more importantly, you can ask Malik stuff... like if he had fun horribly murdering Arkana or not, or whether he wears boxers or briefs.. all y'know... important plot questions and stuff

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Okay and now my lame blog promo is done -Buy my silence permanently: 8000 reviews per month... for 8000 reviews a month, I will stop

The infirmary room was much less crowded than it had been before, but it still felt full, and all the pressure that had built up in my head over the past few hours was still dragging me down. It helped, however, that I had Duke and Tristan flanking me. I did still wonder to what extent I could still trust them, but I knew that I trusted them a hell of a lot more than anyone else in this universe, and it would be awfully lonely if I didn't trust anyone at all. No matter how much my mind tempted me into isolating myself, I had to resist, because I knew very well the kinds of thoughts that came into my head when I was alone. It didn't matter how little I trusted anyone, because I trusted myself the least. Heh… pathetic, huh?

"Lorna, you're… ah… back," Joey remarked flatly, bringing me back to real life. He was sitting on one of the sofas with his younger sister laying down in his lap asleep. I glanced up at his face, his mouth in a strained smile, his brow tightly knit… I couldn't look into his eyes just yet; I still needed more time for that. I nodded slightly in acknowledgement of his statement. "I… I'm really sorry for snapping at you like that. Would you believe it was these two numskulls who snapped me out of it?" he joked with a grin that was very much like the ones I was used to seeing on his face, jerking his thumb in the two boys' direction.

I smiled weakly. "It's… okay. I deserved it. I shouldn't keep things from you… I'm not good at telling people things."

He sighed and ran a hand down his face. I saw his gaze drop down to his sister -Serenity, I think it was. "I want you… to tell me everything. Even if you can't tell Téa… or the Pharaoh… or even those two," He paused and shot a meaningful glance at Duke and Tristan, who exchanged looks and began to retreat into the clinic doorway.

Tell him everything? Surely that would take some time… even if I could remember everything that is. The look on his face told me he'd expect no less than "everything" though. "O-Okay…" I hesitantly told him, wringing my wrist and looking down at the ground uncomfortably.

Once Duke and Tristan had left, I made my way to the door and shut it. I wasn't a big fan of opening up and telling people things, so if I had to do it, Joey would be my only witness. He was watching me more intently than I had ever seen him and I felt like an insect under a microscope. The last time I had seen Joey this serious was after he went missing and we found him.

"Aren't you going to sit down?" he asked, gesturing towards the sofa facing his.

I shuffled in place and folded my arms into myself. I had indeed been eyeing that sofa for a while now, but I felt too restless to sit down. I needed to stand. I stuttered a declination and murmured. "I'm fine… Where do you want me to start?"

"What's the first thing you lied about?" he started, his question shooting through me like an arrow. I did lie, but for him to be so blunt about it… It hurt, but I deserved it…

"The voice… in my head," I replied curtly, and this piqued his interest, causing him to lean forward as much as his sleeping sister would allow. "He's been there from the very first day I got to Domino City… I didn't know it was Marik until today, though… until just now."

"Was he telling you to do stuff?"

"He told me to get to know you guys… but nothing more, I swear." I was still lying. Fuck. He already knew about Marik's hold over me in the duel against Viola, but I was certain I had more free will in that duel than I was letting on. I couldn't tell him that. He would hate me for sure...

"Second lie," he shot.

I sucked in a deep breath and stuffed my hands in my pockets. "Me."

"You?" he asked, his eyes widening. "You… You mean your name? Or… or where you came from -"

"I mean I'm dead, Joey," I snapped, feeling the corner of my eyes moisten. I'd cried bucketfuls already… I didn't need to cry anymore, but alas… classic Lorna. "I've been dead for a week. I'm probably rotting in the ground somewhere back home… If my body's still there..." I grumbled, feeling my nails dig into my hands inside my pockets.

It was a good thing I wasn't bawling yet, so I could see the light leave his eyes like he'd been punched in the gut so hard he could barely breathe. I wondered if I reacted like that when I found out I was dead… "Shit, Lorna…" he hissed, scrunching up his face and looking down at the ground.

For the first time, I felt like I needed to defend myself. Watching the expression on his face change made my stomach curl up into tangled knots. "'Shit'... That the best you can come up with, Joey? I just found out I'm fucking dead and 'shit' is the best you can fucking come up with?" I cried out, feeling the volume of my voice rise and trying to keep the lump in my throat down.

"I…" He sighed and shut his eyes tightly, "I didn't mean it… like that."

Now, before continuing, I need to tell you that I wasn't a very considerate person, nor was I a very empathetic person. In fact, I was probably the worst person ever to tell your problems to because somehow, it would always end up being about me, myself, and I. It's not like I did it on purpose, though I could stand to think a little bit before I spoke. I always ended up guilt tripping the people I was supposed to be apologizing to and I hated it. Maybe being a manipulative piece of trash was in my blood. Maybe Marik and I had more in common than I thought... Needless to say, the rest of this conversation was going to be a lot of whine and cheese if you know what I mean; and I would absolutely despise myself for it tomorrow.

"I'm sorry if my being dead disturbs you," I ranted on. "If it's inconvenient, I'll just go revive myself, because it's that fucking easy."

"I didn't mean it like that. Damn, Lorna. That's just… How are you still here?" he asked, running his hand through his hair anxiously, and leaning back against his seat.

I scoffed. "Well, isn't that the question of the day. Like I fucking know. I was supposed to move on, but for some reason I'm still here. I wonder if it's as easy as jumping off this blimp…" I mused bitterly, glaring at the shut infirmary door. "Not like I'm doing anyone any good anyway… I'm… even more useless dead than when I was alive." I let out a choked laugh and rubbed the balls of my hands over my moist eyes. Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck…

Shut up, Lorna... Just shut up...

"Lorna… Come on, don't say that about yourself!" Joey scolded, sounding almost more angry at me than I was.

"I couldn't even live long enough for graduation… I didn't get married and have a family… I didn't go to college or get a job… I didn't give my parents grandchildren… and now, my parents… my parents…" I struggled to get the words out without feeling that lump in my throat rise higher. "I missed out on everything you're supposed to do before you die… I've never even dated anyone…" I had been virgin, too, in case anyone was wondering -I hadn't even managed to get to first base before kicking the bucket. Not like I was girlfriend material anyway… so maybe I did the world a favor by never reproducing.

I heard Joey growl. "Lorna, you idiot!" Ah, Joey… Ever the tactful one. "This ain't your fault!"

"Then whose is it?" I argued back. "It sure as fuck isn't theirs! If only I had taken my pills like they told me… I wouldn't have been half asleep… I would have…" I felt like throwing up. I wasn't supposed to tell him about that. I wasn't supposed to tell him that I was sick… that most nights I couldn't even sleep… that my best night's sleep in weeks had been in a stranger's house, in a dimension that wasn't even my own. "It doesn't even matter anymore; nothing does," I concluded, wiping my eyes and facing away from him.

He groaned. "You matter, Lorna. You matter a lot. You can't just say stuff like that."

"I lied to you, didn't I? Why are you trying to make me feel better? Shouldn't you despise me right now?" I asked, balling my hands into fists and pushing them into each other anxiously. If there was an award for guilt-tripping, I deserved it.

"Do you want me to despise you?" he asked calmly, his voice igniting pure fury in the deepest, darkest pits of my gut.

"Yes," I barked at him, though the cracking in my voice took a little of the bite out of it.

Something big and warm collided with my back, and I felt all my thoughts leave my brain as two strong arms circled my body. "I could never despise you," he stated matter-of-factly, his breath rustling the tiny hairs behind my ear. He rested his chin on the top of my head and added, "And I'm only mad at you, because you matter to me. To all of us. You're so important and you need to know that. Even if you… don't believe it right now."

I felt my shoulders shudder involuntarily and my hands cautiously travel up to the larger ones laying across my chest. My breath caught in my throat and my mind got caught in the heart beating against my shoulder blades. It was weirdly calming, like my heart was syncing up with his and my breath was slowing down. All that was left of my tantrum was the redness in my cheeks, which I was sure was due to something else entirely. Being this close to someone was new to me, and I didn't necessarily hate it. Maybe... this was the award for guilt-tripping that I mentioned earlier...

"You okay now?" he asked, his voice sending vibrations down my body.

I bit my lip and absent-mindedly fingered his hands. Those bandages around his fingers… were they from my duel against Viola? When he tried to help me? He had to duel with those on, didn't he? "You're hurt," I stated. "You didn't have to -"

"I did," he interrupted me stubbornly. "Are you okay?" he asked again. Shit. Why was he so fucking selfless? Why did he care so much?

I sighed, dropping my hands back down to my sides. "I don't think I can be okay… for a while," I told him in a low voice.

He nodded and pulled away from me, and I immediately missed the warm sensation… God, what was wrong with me?

His hands turned me around to face him and I couldn't help but to look down at my feet again. "I still want to know everything, Lorna," he informed me. "But… maybe we should take it easy, okay?"

I let out a small affirmative noise and followed him back onto the couch facing the sleeping Serenity. "There's not much left to say, though," I mumbled.

"How about you start with what Serenity was doing in that Inbetween place?"

"Serenity?" I asked, looking over at his sister, who was still fast asleep. She was a pretty sound sleeper if you asked me, not that I was complaining. It was embarrassing enough that I had been a crying, snotty mess the entire day; I didn't need to add another person to the list of people whose memories I needed to erase now.

"Specifically why she said you tried to kill her," he added evenly. Kill her? I couldn't remember ever meeting Serenity in the Inbetween, let alone fighting her. He was being awfully chill about this, too… Noting the dazed look on my face, he stated. "She's my sister, and I would never forgive you if you were actually trying to kill her… but I wanna give you the benefit of the doubt."

I gave him a nervous nod and replied, "If I did… I don't remember it. A lot of things happened that I don't remember… And a lot of times… I think my body went on autopilot, though… now that I think about it, it might have been Marik controlling me. It's all fuzzy; I'm sorry."

His expression barely changed, but he did give me half of a smile. "That's all I want to know for now."

I took another glance at Serenity and pursed my lips. "She's a heavy sleeper, eh?"

Joey raised his eyebrows and looked at his sister. "Ah… She's just tired. A huge operation… and all this crap Marik's pulling -it's all too much for her I guess. Normally, she'd snap at you for breathing around her while she's sleeping." He let out a hearty chuckle, still trying to keep it down for fear of waking her.

Serenity winced in her sleep, her hands clenching slightly. "Nightmares?" I murmured. She looked deathly pale -even ill… I felt a heavy and sudden drop in my heart, like the abrupt descent of a roller-coaster, as I stood up to crouch at her side. My hand, half voluntarily and half involuntarily, reached up to her forehead, dropping to her cheeks and then down to her neck. "She's freezing cold, Joey."

In less than a second, Joey was on his knees beside me, examining his sister's temperature himself. His face turned from a healthy red to an icy ivory, his jaw going slack. "Wha- What's wrong with her?"

I almost felt guilty for being the bearer of bad news, but I knew that this wasn't about me; it was about Serenity -and in hindsight, I probably should have adopted that sentiment earlier. My quivering hand went to the pulse point on her wrist next, falling slack in relief when it felt the steady pulse. "She has a pulse," I reassured.

Joey seemed less reassured, however, and more panicked. "She'd better have a pulse!" he bellowed, his hands cupping her face in an attempt to phase some of his body heat into her.

"She… She must be in the Inbetween," I reasoned, trying to join his effort in returning the heat to her freezing body. "I remember the last time I went… I…" I woke up in a morgue. But that was the last thing Joey needed to hear… I mean I did wake up, but then again I was dead and she was alive, which was quite a significant difference.

Thankfully, Joey didn't seem to pick up on my half-sentence, because I wasn't too keen on letting him know the end of it. "What do we do? How do we get her out?" he demanded, sounding uncharacteristically frantic and absolutely terrified.

"I'll figure it out. I've been there." I wasn't sure how, but I knew without a doubt that I needed to get her out -that I was the only one who could. Serenity must have been one of the anchors Malik mentioned to me, but whose anchor was she? Mine?

"You mean you know how to get her out?" Joey asked, his voice daring to sound hopeful.

I nodded. No, I didn't know, but he made me feel better, and I owed it to him to return the favor. "I have to go in there somehow… and I think I know who can help me." I may not have trusted Sun and Zephyr, but they were the only people who could help me -the only people who weren't Malik.

I got to my feet and informed Joey. "I'm going to go figure out how to save her. I know… I can do this." I turned on my heel and began heading for the door, but before I could lay my hand on the handle, I dropped to the ground, almost like I was tripping on air. My head suddenly felt very light, in stark contrast to the heaviness of before, and I felt like I couldn't even walk straight.

"Lorna!" He was at my side again before I could even get up. "What's happening?" His hands wrapped around my own as he helped me back to my feet and I felt even more lightheaded than before.

I gripped his elbow lightly, trying to keep myself steady. I blinked slowly, trying to make the room stop spinning. It didn't take long for me to recover, but I still had to wonder what had just come over me. "I'm fine. I just…"

"It's pretty late. You're probably tired," he told me quietly. "You can sleep in my room… I'm not going to sleep in it tonight."

No, no, no… I realized what was happening here. No, I couldn't just go to sleep. Something was happening to Serenity and I was her only hope. Why was he making me go to sleep? "I'm fine Joey. I spent the entire day sleeping."

"Unconscious isn't sleeping," he informed me.

"I'm going to help your sister, Joey," I told him firmly, snatching my hands out of his grasp. I was doing this for the wrong reasons. I should have been helping his sister because I wanted to see her safe, but I knew that was bullshit. I mean, obviously I wanted to see her safe, and I'd be an asshole if I didn't… but more than that, I wanted to be someone they could rely on -all of them. I didn't want to be the burden that I've been from the moment I got here. I had to make something of myself and this was my moment; if I saved Serenity from certain death along the way, that was just another plus.

It didn't take me long to find Sun; in fact she was exactly where I left her, conveniently enough -in the lounge. She didn't seem surprised to see me either, which made this a lot easier. "You need to send me into the Inbetween again," I brusquely told her.

"You want to go there… willingly?" she asked, crossing her arms and casting a disbelieving look at me.

"Do you know what you're asking?" Ishizu piped up, her hand reaching for her necklace as she spoke. "That place is dangerous."

I fervently nodded. "I know. That's why I have to go. I have to find someone."

Sun snorted. "Do you know how big the Inbetween is?" she retorted. "Finding someone in there is nearly impossible. And besides, being in the Inbetween may have healed physical injuries on your body, but your brain has been active the entire time. Maybe you ought to get some sleep."

Sleep? Not them, too… I didn't have time. "You don't understand!" I almost yelled. "She could die!"

"Who?" Ishizu inquired, her tone laced with concern. It seemed my words were reaching her much more easily than they were reaching Sun.

"Joey's sister," I informed her. "She's not awake… and she's ice cold. I just know she's in the Inbetween… and something is happening to her; I can feel it." It was just then that I realized something, so I added in a more quiet voice, "She's my anchor, isn't she?"

The two older women exchanged looks and then, almost like their actions were rehearsed beforehand, they nodded simultaneously. "She is," Sun told me. "But so long as she's alive, she must be fighting back."

"So how do we get in there?" I urged. "We need to help her before it's too late."

After a couple of seconds of hesitation, Sun let out a long and defeated sigh, brushing her long, silky hair behind her ear. "Take me to her, now," she ordered, and she didn't need to tell me twice.

We didn't waste any time making our way to the clinic, my heart beating itself into a frenzy with every step I took. I didn't really want to go to the Inbetween again, let alone fight something in there. I wondered if I could save Serenity before I had a heart attack and died again.

When we burst into the room, Joey was still exactly the same way as before, holding on to his sister's hand and barely even noticing our presence. It was Sun that immediately rushed to the front of our cavalry and got down on her knees beside him. "May I?" she quietly asked, getting a small uncertain nod from him.

I didn't like seeing Joey so silent like that, but what could I do? I wasn't like them; I couldn't just be a comforting presence, but I still needed to go see what Sun had to say about Serenity, so I got down to her level and watched Sun. She reached over to Serenity's forehead, scrunching up her brow slightly, then gently pried open her lids, taking a look at her eyes. Serenity's pupils were dilated and the whites of her eyes were covered in branching red veins.

Stepping away and crossing her arms, Sun declared, "There is a way to get into the Inbetween and go to the exact place she's in, but it'll need a lot of concentration." She then pulled a cellphone out of her pocket. "And I need to call Zephyr. You're not going in there alone."

I couldn't exactly complain, because I knew there was no way I could do this alone; though it certainly felt less heroic having Sun and Zephyr babysitting me in there. "Alright."

Ishizu stepped closer to us and took a seat on the empty sofa, her hand touching her necklace delicately, and her eyes shutting. She did that a lot. It seemed almost like a nervous tick. If I recalled, she could use that necklace to get visions of the future. I watched her with curiosity. Was she trying to predict what we would find in there? Or was she trying to figure out where Serenity was? Could her necklace even do that much?

She breathed heavily and tightened her grip on her millennium item. "Wait, Sun!" she called out, interrupting the other woman, who held her phone away from her ear and waited for Ishizu to speak.

Before another word could be spoken, Serenity tore up into a sitting position, staring straight ahead at the hospital beds in front of her. She was breathing heavily and shivering like a kitten in a snowstorm. Crossing her arms over her bust, she tried to rub away the gooseflesh that covered her skin. Her head turned slowly and she cast her gaze over the four of us, revealing the fear in her deep brown, bloodshot eyes. "Wh-Wha? What happened?" Her gaze then stopped on my face, making me feel incredibly self-conscious. "You…"

I coughed uncomfortably and tugged at my hair anxiously (and it really was much shorter than before). "Yeah… me," I replied dryly.

"Hey, sis," Joey brought her attention away from me. "Are you alright?" His hand grabbed hers and his fingers rubbed her pale skin softly.

She nodded reluctantly. "Yes, but…" She trailed off and looked over at the occupied beds.

"What is it?"Joey egged her on tenderly. "Did you see something?"

Her head moved again haltingly, awkwardly. "I saw Bakura. He's not safe in there. There's some kind of demon… I… I was attacked, but I don't remember getting out…" she said, ending her sentence with unease.

"Maybe getting attacked made you jump back into your body," I offered uncertainly.

My statement was met with a shake of Sun's head. "Impossible," she informed me. "She can't pass through realms without going through the Gatekeepers first."

I raised my eyebrow skeptically. "And what makes you an expert?"

She sighed. "Because I pay attention. Either Serenity's lost her memories, or something has hijacked her subconscious. Am I right Ishizu?" she asked.

Ishizu nodded solemnly. "It would appear so." So Ishizu knew a lot about this Inbetween business? Sun sure was clever getting to her as soon as she could. Come to think of it, Sun must have been trying to figure everything out from the very beginning, while I spent all my time messing around and feeling sorry for myself. Perhaps she had the right idea…

"Is that a good thing?" Joey asked, still on edge from the scare he suffered earlier. "Does that mean she's safe now?"

Ishizu brought her hands together in her lap and absent-mindedly crossed and uncrossed her fingers. "Well, the fact that she's in control of her body right now means that she's in no immediate danger." Then to Serenity she added, "Be very conscious of any changes in your body right now, however. Things that happen to you in the Inbetween can affect your physical body, so if anything changes, please come and talk to either Sun or me. If something truly has taken over your subconscious, then you'll eventually have to go back and leave the proper way- through one of the Gatekeepers."

"Y-You mean like… Mystical Elf?" she asked in small voice, prompting Ishizu to nod. There was a slight quiver in Serenity's voice when she replied, "Alright, but what about Bakura! He's stuck in there and he's badly hurt."

Sun blew a puff of air into her bangs and placed one hand on her hip. "He's fine," she told her nonchalantly.

"H-How can you say that?" Serenity objected, a bit of hysteria leaking into her voice. What did she see in there? "He was -"

"Lorna, tell her," Sun commanded, interrupting Serenity rudely.

I cleared my throat and scratched the back of my head, taking a seat on the sofa beside Ishizu. Interrupting Serenity was rude enough, but now I felt like an accomplice to the formation of that knot in Serenity's brow. "Um… Well, she's… uh… right," I said uselessly. "This is what's supposed to happen. He'll get better in no time," I tried to say with as sunny a disposition as I could force. Was I sure about anything I was saying? Nope. But him being unconscious at this point was canon, so perhaps I wasn't too far off.

Serenity's big eyes scrutinized me silently, making me shrink back into the couch. She clearly thought everything I was saying was bonafide bullshit. My saving grace was the clinic's intercom calling out, "The last match of the semi-finals between Seto Kaiba and Ishizu Ishtar will start in five minutes. We kindly ask that both contestants get in their positions. The match is about to start."

Ishizu rose to her feet and smoothed down the skirt of her dress. "It is time for us to leave, Sun," she declared, turning her head towards Sun. With polite nods, the two women turned and exited the room.

I got up as well, shuffling towards the door nervously. They probably needed their space, so I would let them talk and come back later… or never. Maybe I could take up Joey's offer on that bed if it was still available. I'd have to figure out where his room was, but at least if Zephyr found me wandering, I could, to a fair degree of certainty, say that he wouldn't drug me and knock me out.

"Lorna, wait."

My body froze, my hands instinctively going to my elbows. "Yes?" I replied to him sheepishly.

"Can you stay?" he pleaded, sending shockwaves through my already drained body. "We didn't get to spend any time with you today."

"Oh… o-okay," I murmured. Serenity's eyes still followed me warily as I moved back towards them and plopped back down on my couch.

There was a short moment of silence before either of us made a move; luckily, it ended with Joey beaming at me before saying, "So… Tristan tells me you were pretty badass today."

"Was I?" Source? When was this? That didn't sound like me at all.

"He said you kicked Rex Raptor's ass and sent him crying home," he boasted, lounging in his seat and giving me that warm Joey Wheeler smile that I had grown so accustomed to.

"I guess I did send that sexist pile of worms crying, didn't I?" I agreed, giving him a smile of my own. I looked around for my backpack to show him the card I won, but it was neither on my back nor anywhere else in the room. "Shit… I left my bag with Duke and Tristan. I was going to show you the card I won." There was a hint of dejection in my voice, but I shook it off and put on my relaxed face.

"Do you wanna go get it?" he asked.

I shrugged. "It's… not that important. Tell me how your duels went today," I said and, the moment he began to recount his own adventures to me, I felt all my tension disappear. I doubted all of this was my creepy and thinly veiled feelings for him being reciprocated; his eyes still wandered every so often over to the beautiful comatose woman in one of the infirmary beds. But this was... nice.

I'm only somewhat satisfied with this chapter -mostly because what is up with the word "exited"? Like shouldn't the past tense of "exit" have two t's? Am I right or am I right, guys?

Also isn't Joey dreamy? Foolish... oblivious... totally-not-the-love-interest Joey...

(plot twist: there's no LI and I'm just dragging you along -ha ha jk I'm not THAT much of a dick... or am I?)

Here's a fun game though (since the msgo blog is not reaching its true potential), if you have any theories on what you think will happen or what you think should happen, go to the msgo blog, click on the submit button (the tiny icon under the description that looks like a teeny newspaper) and write to your heart's content... or send it to the ask box, either way, I'm literally always online except for when I'm sleeping soooo [gets on my hands and knees] PLEASE PLEASE GIVE ME ATTENTION