Note To Readers: Hey guys! Sorry for the long break. I had a bit of a writer's block but I was able to work through it. School's also been a pain. Studying 4 chapters at a time is NOT easy! I wanted to do a valentines day special but as per usual i'm always one holiday behind. So i'm moving on from Christmas and going to Valentines Day. Hopefully, everyone's ok with that. Without Further To Do Chapter 93!
Chapter 93: Don't Go Where I Can't Reach...
Atem groaned as his eyes flickered open. He could feel a gentle heat on his skin awakening beside a campfire Oblivion tending to it as Loore sat nearby the Pharoah. "It's about time you woke up." the familiar mused. "...My apologies...how long was I asleep?" Atem questioned in return. "...Well, you went up against Efreet and exhausted all your energy...lucky for you Tall Dark and Blindfolded carried you whilst you were rendered unconscious. Pretty nice for a weirdo." Loore lightly teased. "...He did...?" the Pharoah murmured as his gaze turned towards Oblivion.
"Yep...the only question left is...how do we get out of this creepy place?" the familiar twitched her whiskers. "Actually..." Atem began. "While I blacked out I tried to establish a mental connection with Yugi. However, it was a female whom I contacted instead...as a result of her connecting with Yugi's spirit first." the Pharoah told Loore. "...Huh...you don't say..." the familiar murmured. "...An Aura seeker..." Oblivion mouthed as the fire crackled in the darkened silence. "One whom has the power to see, sense, manipulate and control Aura...in other words powerful beings..." "Correct." Loore purred.
"A kind-hearted soul...she reminds me of Yugi...pure...untainted..." Atem murmured softly as a smile manifested on his lips. "There he goes..." the familiar sighed. "Did she say anything to you?" Oblivion questioned. "Yes, she told me that if I so wished it that she could use her powers to guide my spirit back to Yugi's however, in order to do so I needed to open a doorway that she created." the Pharoah explained.
"A link to the Astral Plane and the living world..." Oblivion mouthed as he scratched at his chin. "Precisely," Atem confirmed his thoughts. "...So do you know where we start looking for it?" Loore questioned as she swished her tail back and forth. "...Unfortunately, I don't have the slightest idea..." the Pharoah sighed. "I do..." Oblivion spoke up. "There's an aura trail...we need only follow it and given time...we'll find the doorway soon enough..." he mouthed.
"Then let's get our paws moving!" the familiar suggested. "Don't be hasty...there are several sources of Aura...like it or not...it's going to take time to figure out which path is the one we need..." Oblivion bursted Loore's bubble. "Shoulda known better..." the familiar sighed heavily. "...Interesting...so...you're blind yet you can see Aura?" Atem questioned fascinated by such an ability. "...Yeah..." Oblivion answered simply. "How is that?" the Pharoah inquired. "If only I knew, it remains a mystery to me too," Oblivion told Atem. {If only you knew...} the silver-haired male thought to himself as he attempted to remain focused on distinguishing the one aura trail from all the others.
Oblivion silently sought out the aura that closely resembled that of the Pharaohs. Even it bared a small resemblance. The silver-haired male paused as he noticed an aura that was almost attempting to intertwine itself with Atem's essence. "There! Oblivion cried out thought no words came from his mouth. "Are you certain Oblivion?" the Pharoah asked. "Yeah...positive..." the silver-haired male confirmed. "But we have to hurry. I'm not sure how long the doorway will remain as it is now." "Understood. Then we'll proceed in but a moment..." "Alright but make it brief." "I will," Atem assured Oblivion as he turned towards Loore and picked her up.
"You know I don't need to be carried...I can walk on my OWN four paws." the familiar teased. "Of that, i'm well aware...it is for that very reason that I want you to return to Bloom and the others." the Pharoah told Loore. "I'm so sure, you know you're hopeless without me." the familiar giggled. "Which is why I know that I can rely on you..." "...Come again?" "Until I am with Yugi once again I cannot do anything to lend the others my aid...the enemy has been quiet for far too long...and if something hasn't happened yet...I fear it will soon..." Atem explained simply.
"...In other words, you want me to babysit?...how thrilling...is this what the familiar's have been rendered to these days? If so then I don't like it..." Loore muttered displeased. "Not exactly. I have something ELSE in mind..." Atem told the familiar. "Oh? What have you got up your sleeve? Not me I hope." Loore teased before the Pharoah whispered something in her ear as she twitched it.
"...Oh...so that's what's rattling around in that head of yours..." the familiar's voice trailed off. "...But are you sure...? I mean if you break the contract that binds us...-" "I know how you feel Loore...but finding those Phoenix Ashes Cellos spoke of might take more time than we reasonable have...although...there's no guarantee she'll accept the offer...still...I want you to find her and the others...then when the time is right, tell her exactly what I told you. Is that understood?" "...Well...if you're sure...just...try to come back in one piece ok?" "Right." Atem offered a smile. "Off I go then! Later!" Loore smiled and turned into a glowing green ball before she vanished in a burst of glowing light orbs.
"Be careful too my friend..." Atem murmured before he looked towards Oblivion. "My apologies for the delay. Please lead the way." the Pharoah told the silver-haired male before they began walking. "There's no need to apologize...but I thought I overheard you speak of The Phoenix's Ashes..."Oblivion mouthed. "Indeed you did...i'm searching for them for an ally of mine." "And why is that?" "Because the source of her power comes from a fire not known to this world...thus she needs the fire of this world to relight the flame within her that dims...threatening to go out..." Atem explained. "But so far we've had little success in locating its whereabouts..." the Pharoah sighed.
"That's because the ashes are sacred...very few people know about them beyond mere legend..." Oblivion explained. "So I've heard," Atem told him. "...But... if you want...i'll inquire about the matter further to my superior...perhaps he can offer you a solution to your current predicament." the silver-haired male offered. The Pharoah found himself nearly speechless as he stared in silence at Oblivion.
"...Will you be not reprimanded for such actions? Atem questioned. "After all your mission was merely to be my guide through the Astral Plane is it not?" "Yeah, but in this case, i'll risk it. After all who am I to refuse The King Of Egypt's request?" Oblivion half smirked. The Pharoah ceased movement as his eyes narrowed. Why? Why did those words resonate within his soul? Although no words came from his mouth. It was almost as if he could hear the silver-haired male's voice. Lost with parts of his memory of the past. And chasing after such would lead to nothing but time that had already come and gone. Still. Something told the Pharoah that he knew the eyes hidden under that blindfold. Ones that he trusted with his very life.
Meanwhile In Domino City...
The snow fell gently down throughout the whole city sweethearts hand in hand walking around the stores taking full advantage of the increased number of people that were flooding into Domino City. Bloom silently stood outside of a chocolatier not saying anything as she looked through the window. The rest of the party exchanged glances worried as the faerie's mind turned back to earlier. They had just arrived in Domino's city.
"Aw man! It's good ta be home!" Joey exclaimed. "Hopefully none of those creeps followed us here..." Joey stretched. "The trees don't sense anything dangerous. So I think we're ok for now." Flora assured the blonde. "Good...I don't tink I could take any more crazy taday!" Joey sighed in relief. "Well one thing's for sure the streets pretty busy..." Roxy observed. "Yes. Business for the stores seems to be doing quite well." Raeger smiled. "...I wonder what's going on..." Amourette murmured before she squeaked as Duke got hit in the face with a flyer.
"GAH!" he cried before Layla walked over and pulled it off his face. "Geesh! Where the hell did THAT come from!?" the dice master spat. "From over there it looks like it..." Marik muttered. "Oh! Let me see! Let me see!" Stella exclaimed and grabbed the flyer before she looked at it. "What does it say, Stella?" Bloom questioned as she walked over to her best friend.
"You're Invited To The Grand Opening Of CW Industries...come for an evening of 5-star gourmet dining with music, dancing and a demonstration of our latest products. Oh! It has a contest for one of the companies that sponsor them! They want a new and fresh design that is in the latest trends for stylish women! Oh, I am SO signing up!" Stella beamed as her eyes sparkled before Layla took the flyer back into her hand.
"Yeah, unfortunately, it's by invitation only." the darkly skinned faerie pointed out. "NO WAY!" Stella cried. "There is NO partly that I am NOT invited too!" the princess cried. "Yeah. In Magicks maybe..." Bloom whispered. "This is SO not fair!" Stella pouted. "I'm sure plenty of opportunities will present themselves, Stella. You just have to be patient." Flora told the blonde in a comforting manner. "Still that's one heck of a grand opening party...isn't it Kaiba...Kaiba?" Bloom questioned as her gaze drifted over towards the CEO tinkering with his watch. It didn't take long for his motercycle's GPS system located his location and pulled up to the curb.
"Sorry for cutting this short, but i'm going on ahead to Kaiba Corp. I need to check on Mokuba. There's no telling what lows GoldenWater has already steeped to...and I know my little brother would be his biggest target..." Kaiba muttered. "I'm going with you! That is why we came to Domino City right? After all, you can't go all by yourself it's too dangerous!" Bloom exclaimed. "Which is precisely why you're staying right here...I don't know what that bastard is up to...and by no means do I intend to take any chances..." the CEO told Bloom.
"B-But that's reckless! If you march right into Kaiba Corp you could be waltzing right into a trap!" the faerie cried out worriedly. "My point EXACTLY!" "THEN SHOULDN"T YOU PLACE ASIDE YOUR PRIDE FOR ONCE AND LET ME HELP YOU!?"Bloom raised her voice in frustration. He was always so stubborn! "AND JUST HOW DO YOU PLAN ON DOING THAT!? YOU CAN'T TRANSFORM WITHOUT YOUR POWERS WEAKENING YOU! IN YOUR STATE YOU'LL ONLY GET IN MY WAY!" Kaiba snapped before he paused as he watched tears rim in the faerie's eyes. Joey about ready to explode going off on him.
"YO RICH BOY! SHE'S JUST LOOKIN OUT FOR YA'S YA NO GOOD JERK FACE! BUT I DUNNO WHY SHE EVEN BOTHERS!" Joey huffed angrily as he shook his first at the stubborn jackass. "STAY OUT OF IT WHEELER! This is between ME and BLOOM!" Kaiba fired back as venom dripped off each word he spoke. "...I hate to admit it but he's right Joey..." Duke muttered. "Y-Yeah well...dat don't make it right!" Joey cried. "...I don't like it either...but...Kaiba does have a point..." Roxy admitted. "...Yes...if only Kaiba had more tact at times like this..." Raeger sighed. "I'm worried either way..." Flora frowned. "HELLO! That's putting it mildly! I'm gonna give him a piece of my mi-" Stella was cut off by Marik's hand. "Can I please have duck tape to shut her up...?" the Tombkeeper muttered as Layla had to suppress her laughter. "...M-Marik-San..." Amourette squeaked as her face pailed.
Bloom, however, drowned everyone else out only focused on Kaiba as tears rolled down her cheeks. The blue eyes male cursed himself inwardly for allowing those earlier words for escaping his mouth. Just watching each tear fall was like a dagger striking him each blow more painful than the last. "...I'm...I'm sorry..." Kaiba apologized. "...But I stand by what I say...I don't want anything to happen to you...Golden Water is ruthless...and his link to the underworld makes him all the more deadly...you once mentioned before...that you were scared because you had something to lose...well...that applies to me as well..." the CEO murmured as he took his hand and wiped the tears from the faerie's eyes.
"...Do you understand...?" Kaiba asked as his eyes locked with Bloom's as she lifted her head upwards sniffing. "...Yes..." she murmured softly. "B-But...I don't want to lose you either...and right now...I feel frustrated...scared...and utterly useless..." the faerie choked through her tears breaking down into an uncontrollable sob. The blue-eyed male gently pulled Bloom into his arms. She could feel him trembling within them.
"You're not the only one...believe me..but I can only move forward...if I know that you're safe...so PROMISE me...that you won't go anywhere near Kaiba Corp. PROMISE me, Bloom!" Kaiba told her. Bloom bit her lip as she looked into Kaiba's eye filled with desperation. Fear and uncertainty mixed within them. Perhaps he only allowed her to see the humanity in Seto Kaiba the CEO. Left with no choice Bloom gave into his pleas. "...I...I promise...but before you go...I want to give you something." she told him before the faerie removed a blue heart pendant from her neck. Carefully she tied it around Kaiba tightly securing it as she did.
Kaiba looked down at it as he raised his eyebrow. "What is it?" the blue-eyed male questioned. "It's essence from the Island Of Pyros...it's a place back in Magicks...that is completely ruled by Dragons...it gave me incredible strength and courage when I needed it most...so...I hope that it will grant you that same strength and courage that it gave me...it's the only one I have so you better return it!" Bloom warned before Kaiba chuckled. "...I won't forgive you if you don't..." "Don't worry...i'll give it back...when i'm done with it that is." the CEO half teased before he walked over grasping her by her chin. "In exchange...you owe me a kiss...and we'll call it even..." Bloom tried to keep her face from reddened as he whispered in her ear. {Thank you...}
Unable to delay his trip any longer Kaiba took off on his motorcycle as fast as he possibly could go. "I'LL CONTACT YOU LATER!" he shouted right before he vanished into the falling snow. "I'M GOING TO HOLD YOU TO THAT!" Bloom called back out as she watched Kaiba until he was no longer in her sight running after the motorcycle before ceasing movement out of breath.
The faerie's mind was once taken back to the present time the party taking notice. "She's been like that for a half an hour now..." Flora observed. "Well dis can't go on! Joey's goin in!" Joey exclaimed and snuck up behind Bloom before he looked at his reflection in the glass and started making as many silly faces as humanly possible. Though Bloom didn't seem phased one bit, the Chocolatiers on the other hand on the opposite side of the window couldn't maintain their composure one of the icing packets squirting in the waiter's face from wielding laughing too hard.
Unable to hold it everyone started to laugh well all except Marik. Joey looked behind him and turned red in the face. "GRRRR, WHY IS EVERYONE ELSE LAUGHING!?" the blonde cried "O-Oh Joey you're so funny..." Flora giggled unable to suppress her laughter. "Yeah, i've NEVER seen someone make so many faces..." Roxy laughed as she held her stomach it hurting from laughing so hard. Poor Raeger couldn't even get a word out. "Yeah maybe instead of a dog he should be a clown." Duke snickered.
"WATCH IT!" Joey snarled. "I AINT NO DOG OR CLOWN!" "Well, he's indeed one of a kind." Marik mused. Amourette giggled. "But it certainly is hard to stay gloomy for long with Joey-kun around." the blunette murmured. "That's for sure. Uh well everyone except one person maybe..." Stella agreed as she waved her hand in front of Bloom's face. "Well...I can't really blame her...she's probably worried about Kaiba..." Layla frowned. "Well, I for one can't stand this! BLOOM WAKE UP!"Stella yelled before the redhead nearly jumped three feet in the air as she let out a scream hitting the glass in front of her as she did sliding down it dizzy.
"...Ow...I think I bent my nose..." Bloom groaned as she rubbed at her bruised skin. "Oppie...sorry..." Stella apologized as she made a face before everyone paused as the door opened to the Chocolatier. The same male whom Carlos had come in contact with was standing in the doorway only he was wearing a suit. "Are you alright?" the gentlemen asked Bloom as he helped her to her feet. "O-Oh i'm fine...my friend just startled me by yelling at of a sudden." the faerie laughed off her awareness.
"HELLOOOO Hottie alert!" Stella exclaimed as her eyes were glued to Nathan. "Forget dat. Have ya seen da chocolates in da window?...hehehehe..." Joey drooled. "But look at how beautiful these chocolate sculptures are...i've never seen anything like it before." Flora observed. "I think Joey's more focused on eating it than looking at it." Roxy pointed out. "Back home I always have to keep Artu away from my dad's secret stash of goodies back home. You don't want to be around him if he gets into chocolate...besides the mess, he gets a really bad stomach ache..." the faerie told them.
"I'm inclined to agree," Raeger admitted. "My apologies if we disturbed you. Our friend here was trying to cheer one of our friends up with some funny faces." the Guild Master explained. "Please, there's no need to apologize. It was very amusing. My staff got quite a bit of laughter from that performance." Nathan smiled. "So you own this store?"Amourette questioned. "A dude that runs a chocolatier. NOW i've seen everything..." Duke muttered.
"Yes, I suppose that is a bit odd. But it's only one of the many stores I own. However, i've been requested as one of the caterers to the CW Industries Grand Opening Party. The client quested that they wanted special high-quality chocolates all of the different flavors and visually appealing to the eye of Celebrities and Duelists alike. I'm a bit embarrassed to say that I had many chocolates made...but I don't have the slightest idea as to which ones are suitable to serve." Nathan confessed with a worried frown.
"So...may I ask that you come inside and give your opinion as consumers? Of course, you can eat as much chocolate as you'd like. In return, I only ask you to tell me which ones you enjoy above the others." Nathan requested. "As much chocolate..." Bloom began. "As we want!?" Joey finished excitedly as Flora giggled "I like the sound of that." she admitted as Roxy smiled. "I'm game! This kind of opportunity doesn't come along every day after all!" Roxy silently squealed. "Well, we're not busy. If it'll make you girls happy i'll gladly oblige." Raeger smiled. "It's too bad Yuki-kun didn't come with us...he enjoys sweets as much as the next person." Amourette murmured.
"Ha! That's putting it mildly. Sorry, but i'm not interested in eating candy. In case you forgot my shop could also be under fire so I have to go to my store and make sure Chris GoldenWater doesn't already have his goons sniffing around what belongs to ME!" Duke cried. "The same goes for me..." Marik muttered. "I'm going to see this Chris GoldenWater for myself...if he is indeed as dangerous as Kaiba assumes...then it's something we need to know..." "More chocolate for us then." Layla shrugged. "But you're missing out." "I say good riddance to the buzzkills. We have more important things to do...like try out the chocolate...right girls?" Stella exclaimed with a wink as she flipped her hair in front of the gentleman.
Bloom laughed nervously. "What I THINK Stella means is that you guys should go on ahead. I'm not sure how long Kaiba will be but we'll stick around here while you check on the situation." the faerie told them. "Alright but if anything happens let us know right away," Duke muttered. "Of course. You be careful too." Amourette told them. "Double goes for you, Marik," Layla added. "Very well. We'll meet up later." the Tombkeeper assured her before Duke and Marik left the area.
"Well if that's settled please follow me inside." Nathan offered a smile. "Ya don't have to ask me twice!" Joey beamed before the group made their way inside the chocolatier. A wave of oohs and awes evoked from everyone as they walked into a beautiful restaurant. Each one sitting down as they soaked up the atmosphere. Roses were on each table along with silverware and two pots with lids. "I'll be back in a moment, in the meantime please enjoy yourselves." the gentleman mused before he made his way towards the kitchen.
"Wow...does anyone else feel a little out of place?" Bloom questioned as she looked around. "Yeah no, kiddin! Talk about fancy! Richboy would fit right in with all the snobs that usually dine here I bet..." Joey muttered. "It doesn't look like anyone but us is here though." Flora pointed out. "And It doesn't look much like a choclatier...more like a restaurant..." Roxy observed. "Most likely the chocolatier is combined with the restaurant," Raeger informed them. "Customers come in here to eat and sit while at the chocolatier they buy chocolate and chocolate pastries to take with them. It must not be a coincidence this store has chosen to open this week..." the Guild Master smiled.
"Why is that?" Amourette questioned. "I'm curious about that too." Layla admitted "Valentine's day. It's a holiday where all of the girls give their guys chocolate. It's a way to tell a guy you know...how special he is them...eheh...not that i'd ever really celebrated it. Except with my dad giving a chocolate rose and a stuffed bear." Roxy laughed off her embarrassment. "Aw, how sweet." Flora smiled. "We should make our own Valentines chocolate. It'll be fun!" the faerie of the flowers proposed. Bloom giggled. "I thought we were supposed to be eating chocolate not making it." she reminded Flora. "Yeah, it sounds too messy for my taste!" Stella added.
"So...um...do guys participate in the festivities also...?" Raeger's voice nearly cracked as he tugged nervously on his color his cheeks flushed with red as he spoke. "No that's actually in March called White day. The guys give the girls who gave them chocolate give gifts in return but the preferred return gift is covered white." Roxy explained. "Yeah, what Roxy said," Bloom told them. "I remember all the girls would be in the cooking room working on making chocolates. And then they would present them to their boyfriends. I made some for Andy one year...but he kinda got a stomach ache after he ate it...expired chocolate..." Bloom sweatdropped. "Whoopsie..."
"YIKES!...Man dats gotta be some bad luck!" Joey cried. "What about you Joey-kun? You're from Earth too have you ever received any chocolate from any girls?" Amourette questioned. "...Well...uh...you see...um...there was this..." the blonde grinded his words. Where was Yugi when he needed him!? Poor Joey. Raeger thought before he spoke up."I've read about the holiday but i've never actually experienced it." the Guild Master rescued Joey.
"Maybe when Nathan gets back he can lend us his kitchen as a favor to us for helping him out," Layla suggested. "After all how hard can making chocolate be? If we get to spend more time with that hunky manager then i'm all for it." Stella told the girls as she took out her compact and fixed up her hair. "Oh and remind me to put some laxative in Brandon's. He hasn't called me for weeks now and believe me, I TRIED to contact nerve of him...you just DON'T stop calling ME..." Stella huffed.
"Wait! Brandon stopped contacting you? Timmy wasn't contacting Techna either...I wonder if the guys are busy at Red Fountain or something..." Bloom thought out loud. "If they were as much a prick as dat Sky was den I say good riddance!" Joey exclaimed. "Well, i'm sure everything is fine. If they were in trouble they'd let us know right away." Flora convinced herself. "Flora's right beside we have bigger things to worry about than boys." Roxy agreed though the exchanged glances between Roxy and Raeger weren't very convincing. Amourette giggled before Nathan finally returned with a crystal tray and set down a collection of colorful and artistic chocolate made in many different shapes and sizes.
"Wow...just look at them all!" Bloom cried as she gazed at the variety placed down before her. "Hey look! Day even have duel monster ones!" Joey grinned as he picked up the chocolate Kurebo. "And different kinds of flowers. Just look at the design on this rose. It's absolutly beautiful!" Flora gushed. "Oh Oh! And this panda! I didn't even know you could sculpt animals with chocolate!" Roxy exclaimed. "Yes, you can. They even make dresses out of chocolate." Raeger added in. "CHOCOLATE DRESSES!? NOW THAT'S WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT!" Stella beamed as she got out her sketchbook and began her rampage of creativity. "...Eheheh...they almost look too good to eat..." Amourette laughed nervously. "Yeah, the guys are totally missing out." Layla giggled. Nathan only chuckled softly.
"I'm pleased you approve of the designs. There were several to choose from and since we also wanted to attract duelists we thought we might try our hand at designing duel monsters out of chocolate." Nathan smiled. "Yeah...I just don't know what to try first..." Bloom admitted as she looked around the table and caught sight of one of the chocolates shaped like a Blue Eyes White Dragon.
It was definitely more of the intricate pieces. A softened frown manifesting onto the faerie's lips. The others exchanged worried glances before *MUNCH* Bloom snapped out of it and squeaked as she noticed the dragon was missing its head, the evidence all over Joey's face as he averted his gaze chewing. But Bloom couldn't keep a straight and neither could the rest of the party as they all burst out laughing. Even Nathan couldn't help himself. They were quite the interesting bunch of kids.
Suddenly a green orb appeared and out of it popped Loore landing on the gentleman's head on accident. {Oh boy...} the familiar thought to herself before a sneeze evoked from Nathan as a tail tickled his nose. Everyone froze as their focus went from the chocolate to Nathan's head. "Oh no! Loore!" Roxy squeaked and quickly removed herself from the table and retrieved the familiar. "Whoops! Sorry about that. She likes to climb on people's head. Habit from when she was a kitten. Yeah eheheh..." the faerie quickly apologized. "Oh. No trouble at all. She's welcome to stay. Let me get some cream. I'm certain we still have some for your furry friend." the gentleman offered a smile before shortly leaving again.
"Phew..." Raeger sighed relief. "Lucky for us he likes cats. Not many restaurant owners would want animals inside." Roxy pointed out. "Hmph, you'd think we were riddled with disease like common rats..." Loore scoffed at that remark. "So where exactly did you run off to all of a sudden?" Bloom questioned. "Sorry, I don't leave and tell. I gotta have SOME secrets. Besides, that's between me and Atem...whoops..." looks like the cats out of the bag with that one. "WHA!? DA PHAROAH!?" Joey nearly exploded once he swallowed his mouthful. "What bout Yug!? Is he ok!?" the blonde questioned frantically with worry. But there was no time to answer as Flora spoke up.
"Shhh Nathan is coming back this way...and i'm pretty sure talking to cat isn't normal for people on Earth..." Flora whispered to the others. "We may have brought Magic back to Gardenia...but definitely not the ENTIRE planet...Domino City included..." Roxy admitted. "DON'T get meh started!" Joey cried. "Talkin felines would not even begin to cover da amount of CRAZEH we'd been through!" "Shhh..." Raeger reiterated as Nathan returned with a small bowl of cream. "Here you are Miss kitty." he smiled and pet Loore. The familiar only purred in response as she began to lap up the cream without reserve.
"Come on guys! This chocolate isn't going to eat itself now is it?" Layla reminded them. "Oh! Ri-Right s-sorry Nathan-San we'll start tasting r-right away!" Amourette squeaked and picked up a white chocolate swan and bit into it. "Mmm! It's so creamy...and the sting of peppermint..." the blunette sighed happily. "Ok...well I guess i'll try this one..." Bloom mused as she picked up a pink heart and tossed it into her mouth. "Ooo this one's strawberry!" "Da blue eyes was...was...uh...huh... I guess I just shoved it in my mouth without really tastin it first..." Joey sweatdropped as Flora giggled and picked up the chocolate rose she saw earlier and plucked off a petal.
"...Hmm...this one tastes...crunchy...yet salty..." Flora mused as she tried to figure out what she was tasting. "Let me try!" Joey exclaimed and took a petal off before he made a face. "...Ya know I feel like i've tasted dat flava before..." the blonde nodded. "Me next!" Roxy tried it. "...Hey! I think I know what it is! It's chocolate covered potato chips!" Roxy beamed. "Really?" Raeger questioned before he looked at the other chocolates and tasted one that resembled a chibi dark magician girl. "Now THIS is high-quality chocolate." the Guild Master beamed. Layla tried some too. "Mmm, it is good!...But choosing the best from all of these is gonna be hard..." the darkly skinned faerie confessed.
"No kidding!" Bloom cried before she felt something tug at her skirt. "Huh?" the redhead looked below only to see Loore at her feet. "Pssshhh...I need to chat with you...and no is not an answer i'll accept." Loore whispered from under the table. "Fine..." Bloom sighed though it really was a shame to pulled away from tasting all that delicious chocolate. "Uh excuse me. I'll be right back." Bloom told Nathan before she picked up Loore and walked back outside to the front of the store. "So um...you wanted to talk to me? Is...everything ok with Yugi and Atem!? I know that they went to BriarBlood...so...i'm worried something happened to them... I...I. HATE not having my powers..."
Bloom screamed loudly as she thought back to what Kaiba had told her earlier. "AND JUST HOW DO YOU PLAN ON DOING THAT!? YOU CAN'T TRANSFORM WITHOUT YOUR POWERS WEAKENING YOU! IN YOUR STATE YOU'LL ONLY GET IN MY WAY!"Although it was harsh. It was all too very true. Loore slowly nuzzled the faerie in an effort to comfort her. "Actually that's why Atem sent me." the familiar told Bloom. "...Atem...did?" the redhead questioned. "But why?" "Well, because of your current situation...you see i've been Atem's familiar for many, many, many years now...up until Atem was revived I was pretty much in a state of dormancy. But now that he's returned so have I. But with Yugi, you see Atem really doesn't need me anymore...although that last part stings..." Loore sighed softly as her ears bent slightly.
"That's not true. Atem may not NEED you anymore as far as fighting goes...but you're still one of his precious friends!" Bloom exclaimed. "Hehehe...you're sweet..." Loore offered a smile. "But I can't change his mind...when he's dead set on something there's pretty much no stopping him...Nope...Atem thinks someone else needs me more than him..." "Really? And who's that?" the faerie questioned. "You Bloom." the familiar told the redhead as a matter of factly. Bloom paused as she looked at Loore almost in disbelief. "M-ME!? B-But why!? Without my powers-"
"Be useless? In normal circumstances yes...BUT not if you form a pact with yours truly!" Loore interrupted Bloom. "...A...pact...do you mean like Cellos wanted to form with Kaiba? His offer wasn't exactly in Kaiba's favor either..." the faerie pailed. "Well, kinda...but Cellos is Undine's underling...and he's a higher level spirit than I am...but no...if you form a pact with me you can use my powers that are otherwise enhanced when bonded to a chosen vessel," Loore explained. Bloom took a moment to mull over the offer.
"What's the catch?" Bloom questioned. "There is none. I'm a familiar which is like a guiding spirit...my powers can only fully shine when i'm bonded with an individual. Plus, let's face it...those ashes are gonna be a lot tougher to find than your friends think...and that cute little crystal egg you're carrying around won't sustain you for long until it hatches...can you really risk the enemy showing up to attack you? Cuz they will I can promise you that!" Loore told Bloom.
"I hate it when you're right...but i'm a dragon princess...not a cat princess...though i'm sure Roxy would love that...maybe not her dog..." Bloom laughed drly to herself. "It's only temporary. Once you get your powers back then you can use Celestix the Faerie way and I can return to my rightful owner. But until you do you can use my powers to take on those baddies! So whadya say?" Loore twitched her whiskers. "I SAY LET'S DO IT!" Bloom cried out in determination. Her helplessness ended NOW! "Then there's only way to form the pact. Fight me!" Loore exclaimed as her fur stood on end. "WINX CELESTIX!" Bloom cried before she transformed and charged towards Loore.