Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ Past Never Dies ❯ Chapter 2

Joey woke up to his stomach growling to the smell of food. He got up and made his way to the small kitchen.

"Morning, Joey!" Krystal chirped happily as she effortlessly flipped pancakes.

"Morning," he yawned in response as he slumped into a chair.

"Not a morning person are ya love?" she asked absently. Joey felt the blood rise in his cheeks.

"Not really… Listen, Krys I'll be out of your hair by tonight. I'll just go and stay at Tristan's."

"As I have said, you are welcome to stay here if you want Joey," she told him walking over and presenting the plate with a flourish. "Tsukisiro Americana! House specialty." She was very happy that Joey liked it.

"You sure you're okay Krys?" he asked as she put the dishes in the sink and began to wash them.

"Fine," she murmured trying to concentrate on the task she set for herself.

"Okay I may be dumb, but I know something's wrong… You're just too quiet Krys…"

She drew in a shaky breath, "I'm fine. Honest…"

"Krystal, talk to me. What's wrong? Did I say or do something? Not say something?" Joey asked cornering her against the counter.

"Joey it wasn't you! I've got something on my mind," she sighed.

"Like? What's got you all bummed out?"

"Not now, Joey!" she growled ducking under his arm and going back to the dishes. She waited till he left the room to show signs of her crying. She started at the sound of pounding on the door. As she moved to answer it, she noticed the faint green glow of one of the crystals in her necklace. ~'Why do I not like the looks of this?'~ she thought opening the door. "Hel- OW!" She winced in pain as she gathered herself to stand back up from where the man had pushed her. Alcohol assaulted her senses. "HEY!" He pulled her off her knees to his level, her feet dangling off the ground. She knew then that Joey had left, ~'Probably through my window again…'~

"Where is he slut?" the man hissed out, spitting in her face as he talked.

"Who?" she asked, trying to get him to let go of her shirt.

"My son!" She stopped dead.

"WHAT?"

"I saw you with him yesterday! Where is he?" He shook her violently as he yelled into her face.

"I don't know!" she cried bringing her knee up to connect with his crotch. He let her go but got a slap into her face; he took his leave swaying slightly. She closed the door the punched the wall next to it in frustration. She picked up the phone and dialed a number she knew by heart.

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"Yugi! Slow down!" Ryou said, puffing as they ran. Yugi stopped and turned to face him.

"But she got hurt, I know it! She needs to talk to us about something. Ryou, she never wants to admit the she needs help to me, and she just did! Something's wrong with Krystal so I need to get over there now!" Yugi told him desperately.

"What's wrong with Krystal?" someone asked from behind them.

"Hello Joey…" Ryou said. Yugi just shook his head and took off towards Krystal's again. "I don't think he knows entirely," the white haired boy revealed as they followed their friend.

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"Where's Ryou? Wasn't he coming too?" she asked opening the door for him.

"Talking with Joey." He noticed the look she gave when he said the name; wince, smile, scowl. "What?"

"I think I just met Dad," she said pulling back her fallen braids. The adjustment revealed a large bruising mark on her left check under her eye. Her friend's eyes nearly popped out of his head. "It's that bad?"

"No! What's wrong other than that? There's more, I can tell."

"Promise not to flip out or anything?" she asked sitting on the arm of her couch as Yugi stood in front of her, eyes wide and listening.

"Of course! Why would I?"

"I've got it bad for Joey…"

"I was expecting something we didn't know… Ryou actually figured it out, but the arcade was a big hint," Yugi explained at her odd look.

"But I don't know how to, you know the drill. And with him here last night… but unreachable… Torture!" she sighed. "And me thinking on it so much today… I just don't want him mad…"

"Don't worry, Krystal. We'll talk to him," Yugi said with an understanding smile.

"Are you a scitzo? I mean, you keep saying we," she pointed out.

Yugi blushed quickly as Ryou and Joey entered. Joey saw the bruise forming on her cheek and asked about it, but Krystal tried to just brush it off. "Uh, Ryou! What is this big serect thing you and Yu have to tell me?"

"Ummm well, Yugi she is your friend so you should be the one to tell her," Ryou said nudging the smaller teen forward a bit.

"Well, Krystal it's about the-"

"Millennium items? Wait a minute, you mean to tell me that YOU have YAMIS?!" asked Krystal jumping up.

"Do not yell at my light!" snapped Yami appearing beside Yugi.

"But that's about the only way to get you out!" she said. "So, you go by what? I know who they all were but not in which they were sealed."

"Why should I tell you?"

"So that we all know which spirits we're still looking for! I mean, there's so much that could be explained!" Krystal said in a rush. "The knowledge of Ancient Egypt!! It could help so many people and underdeveloped countries and-"

"I am not here to help them. I am here to help Yugi and his friends."

"But I'm a friend and it would help me to know who you were!" she said in ancient Egyptian.

"But you are annoying," he countered.

"ANNOYING?? You obviously haven't met Malik… THAT'S annoying. And that's coming from his best friend! But he knows that… he strives for that…. So what is your name?"

"Yami. That is all that is needed to be known." Krystal had a weird look on her face before it twisted into a pout.

"But it's so juicy, Yami!" The other three had a weird look on their faces as they watched the interchange. It went on for a few moments before Yami noticed her necklace and asked about it. "This?" she asked in normal Japanese.

"Yes that. Where did you get it?" Yami said.

"Malik and Isis sent it to me… They found it with Dad while on a dig… it's in amazing condition for something from the time of Pharaoh Yamen."

"It belonged to Kalhet," Yami said tartly.

"Ah so you are from that time? Interesting…." She switched back to ancient Egyptian.

"To you maybe…. What do you know about it?"

"The necklace? It belonged to Kalhet, the personal magi of Yugazitz, who was in love with Yamen. It was to show when Yamen, Yugazitz, Kalhet or Hekmefune was in danger…. Did I miss anything?" she asked staring at him intently.

"The fact that no one but Kalhet should ever wear it." Krystal winced.

"Then why did it glow earlier?" she asked quietly.

"WHAT?" Yami asked eyes wide. Yugi could tell that whatever Krystal had said really got to Yami. He quickly placed a hand on Yami's arm.

"Right before I got the bruise…. It glowed, as if to warn me something was going to happen… it was the green crystal…" she said.

"Kalhet's stone."

"But I'm not Kalhet. I'm almost positive that my soul is a new one. Not a reborn." Krystal paused a moment before continuing in Japanese once more. "Do we really need to bicker?"

"I think now that wouldn't be advised," Yami said disappearing into the Puzzle again.

"Krystal, what was that all about?"

"Nothing… I have a knack for upsetting yamis… though, upsetting isn't the word he used… He called me ANNOYING!!!" she said looking cross.

"how did you know about the yamis Krystal?" asked Joey.

"I did help bring the items out and translate the hieroglyphics."

"Really?" Ryou asked.

"Yes on my first trip there actually." Once again Yami appeared, somber, thankfully.

"Where did you find them?" he asked staring her in the eye. Any of the others except Yugi might have reacted to this but she stares right back at him.

"In a temple near Aklehar Oasis. There were no burials there…" she answered. "You have something else to say?"

"Man, how can she not be uneasy with him staring at her?" Joey muttered.

"Not now," Yami said disappearing.

"Ugh… they're all so weird! Why can't they ever once be NORMAL?!" she asked directing the question to Yugi's puzzle as if to dare Yami to come back out.

"Can we not piss off Yami? Please?" Joey asked.

"I s'pose.." Krystal muttered sitting down in a chair. "So, what is on the agenda now?" she asked.

"How you got the bruise," Joey said before anyone could say anything.

"Hey, I got it. End of story okay? If you hadn't just climbed out the window, you would have known!" she snapped back.

"That sure explains a lot!"

"Yeah it does. How about why you left in the first place?! I'd like to know that since it happened first!"

"What does that have to do with your bruise?!" Ryou and Yugi watched the bickering before just sitting down and looking rather bored.

"Hey, just because I'd like to know when people are climbing through my fucking bedroom window is not a crime! And the bruise is there! Not a god-damn thing you can do about it now, so get over it!"

"But you got hurt! And you are a friend of mine, Krystal. I just would like to know what happened," Joey said through clenched teeth.

"I got hit okay!" she yelled before stalking into a room and slamming the door shut behind her.

"Yug' you was here. What happened? Did she tell you?" the blonde asked the small teen.

"Umm yes. But I think you should just let this whole thing drop." Joey scowled and sat down on the couch. "Joey. How do you feel about Krystal?"

"What do you mean?"

"Exactly what I said," Yugi answered.

"I, hell I'm not sure," Joey said.

"You need to take Krystal 101," Yugi said watching his friend. "Why did you leave through her window anyway?"

"Because you had said, when she's got something on her mind she'd rather be alone to work it out. She seemed real caught up with something so I thought it was best and I figured I should keep my distance. That was as distant as I could get."

"Alright I'll take damage control," Yugi muttered getting up and walking into the room ignoring the outpouring of curses and such being yelled at him before stopping with an 'oh it's just you.'

"She hates me. Great."

"I don't believe she hates you Joey," Ryou said.

"Then what? She's seriously pissed off at me if she doesn't…" Joey said leaning back on the couch and crossing his arms. Muffled yelling could be heard in the brief silence between the two teens. "Seriously pissed off." There was a knock at the door and Joey got up to answer it.

"Hey Krys I came by to… Oh Hi Joey!" Alexis said happily as she brushed past him into the apartment. "Hello, Ryou, right?" she asked. He nodded.

"Hello Alexis," he said.

"Where's Krys?"

"Complaining about me to Yugi in that room," Joey responded sitting back down on the couch after he closed the door.

"Then you can talk to me and then me and Yugi will switch and fix the lov- little quarrel you're having," she said sitting next to him after she removed her coat and hung it on the rack. "So, go ahead." Joey sighed as he told her what his side of the story was. "Okay then. Well, my advice would be to tell her outright how you feel because if you two aren't on the same page then you'll never be able to work things out."

"Hey Joey Krystal says that… Hello Alexis."

"Hello Yugi. You can talk to Joey about what Krystal probably yelled and I'll talk to the demonic girl myself!" she announced as she entered the room saying something that they didn't understand.

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"Joey likes you big time sister and you're so gaga over him that you might as well jump him there in the living room! Now stop being a petty little bitch and talk with him!!" Alexis screeched at Krystal before the girl could even blink at her coming in calling Damned Angel Beasts, that being the name of her sister Nikki's band.

"Umm Okay then… you suggest I walk myself out there and just, kiss him after screaming at him?" The blue-nette nodded. "And they say you're the smart one out of the trio!"

"Honey, what good is it that you are avoiding telling him. He's so worried something really bad happened to you and that something worse will happen if you don't tell him. He knows very well that you can take care of yourself, but he wants to help you do that…. He wants you to lean on his shoulder like he has on yours already… Can't you let that happen or will the world meet its end?"

"I'm not used to a boyfriend figure, I guess. I mean, Malik and Emanuel are both like brothers, as is Yugi like my little brother…. But Joey's just so different, I feel kind of drawn to him… Almost like he was a magnet…"

"Well, he's worried that you hate him… Or are really pissed at him.. So, out of curiosity, how did you get that bruise?"

"His dad paid a little visit…" Krystal muttered softly.

"My god!"

"Yeah…. Ra help me…. I can't believe it but I was almost like a kitten when he showed up… I didn't want him to hurt me, but I couldn't hurt him… No matter how much I'm beginning to hate him!"

"Go and talk to Joey and then I'll tell you about my new boyfriend," Alexis said in a chipper voice.

"Deal." Krystal gave Alexis a quick hug before the other girl left and Krystal looked over at her easel. A sketch of Joey was on the paper. Her sketchbook lay next to it open to the sketch of Yugi and Joey. She reached over and picked up the brown pastel and colored in one eye. It had the same slight smile in it now that it had when he hugged her the night before. @*"How do I look?" "Beautiful…"*@ 'I'm falling in love with Joey and he seems to like me a lot so what the heck.. I'll talk to him…'

She got up and put the pastel down before exiting the room to find only Joey sitting in her living room. "Where's everybody else?" she asked quietly.

"Yugi and Ryou had to leave," he told her looking at her with shuttered eyes. "If you haven't noticed, it's now late afternoon. And Alexis left once she finished talking to you."

"We need to talk."

"I said that earlier this morning."

"I know. I'm sorry. Even living with my dad who keeps trying to bring me out of my shell, I'm still pretty much a tough cookie to break into."

"I don't wanna seem too forward here, Krystal, but I want a chance to break you open.. To see what's inside the shell you've got around you…" Joey said.

"You sure?" she asked hesitantly. Joey nodded, and she smiled a bit walking over and sitting next him. "Then go ahead. Find out who I am…as long as I can find out who you are too…"

"I wouldn't want it to all be one-sided," Joey murmured as he leaned in and kissed her. 'She's so sweet…Like candy…'

"Are you staying tonight?"

"I may not be able to leave afterwards…"

"So?" she asked arching an eyebrow leaning in for another kiss. Joey chuckled and kissed her again before they parted and Krystal started dinner, Joey near her at all times as if she were fragile or something. Though she did kinda like it…

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"I bet you that by now, they're kissing," Tristan said as he leaned against Yugi's desk.

"I'm almost positive they are," Yugi said with a smile. "It will do her good."

"Where is Téa?" Ryou asked looking around.

"What do you mean?" she asked walking in with a smile. "Why'd you call Yugi? I've got a lot of practice time to get in to be in the performance with my class."

"We were going to talk about Joey and Krystal," Tristan said smiling to her.

"Tsukisiro? The wonder-girl of the art department and Joey? I'm not seeing the connection," she said with a scowl.

"They're dating now… or soon will be," Yugi explained.

"But she only dates people to get something. She's like a leach or something," Téa said picking up her bag. "Joey's much better off with out her." With that Téa left.

"That was different," Ryou said.