Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ Psyche ❯ Gifts ( Chapter 3 )

Disclaimer: Yugi-oh is the property of Kazuki Takahashi, who is a genius.

 

This is the third part of the Chrysalis series. You will enjoy this more if you read Chrysalis and Emergence first. You will get lost!

 

Psyche

Chapter Three: Gifts

~*~*~*

Jame

~*~*~*

“As you have noticed I have had extensive experience in all facets of acquisitions.” The woman tapped her finger on the relevant part of her résumé. Her voice, a high, piercing, nasal whine, cut through the ear plugs that Jame had unobtrusively slid into her ears a few minutes into the interview.

 

“Yes, we are quite impressed.” And she was too. This woman fit all the criteria; she was impeccably qualified; she was brilliant and ambitious without being psychotically inclined; she was socially so inept that she insulted nearly everyone she encountered; and, most importantly, she had a voice that could cut through steel girders. Jame loved her. She wanted to clone her and hire each of the clones to be Kaiba's assistants.

 

“I also am proficient at overseeing all aspects of accounting, investing and internal budgeting.” Her voice drilled small holes of pain through James skull.

 

Lovely. Perfect. Wonderful. She stood up and smiled professionally, “I'm sure you'll be hearing from us in a matter of days. I'll be putting your file on Mr. Kaiba's desk this afternoon for final approval.”

 

The woman glided elegantly to her feet. She looked the part of a assistant to one of the worlds largest corporations. She was a tall, willowy brunet, with her hair neatly swept back in a conservative bun. She was dressed impeccably in a dark blue, Armani suit with understated Italian leather shoes. Till the moment she opened her mouth, she was the picture of cool, professional elegance.

 

“I will call tomorrow then.” She deposited a copy of her résumé on Jame's desk and snapped her briefcase shut.

 

“Mr. Kaiba is very busy. You should wait till Monday. If you haven't heard from us then, give Mr. Tanaka a call. He's head of Human Resources.” Jame waved her out the door.

 

“Fine. I'll call Monday.” The woman shrilled and sailed out of her office and down the hall.”

 

Jame retreated into her office, carefully closing the door, and settled into her chair with a evil smile on her face. “Rent to own. Ha!” She looked side-long towards Kaiba's door. “That makes three I've found so far.”

 

Ms. Shrill-voice was her latest find from the applicant pool. The first had been a lovely young man, with a charming habit of twitching nervously. In the short amount of time she had allotted for his interview, he had nearly driven her to strangle him, just to stop the constant fidgeting. The second, an older lady that looked like the stereotypical granny, had been a winner the second she thumped down her oversized purse, eyed the tiny bag of cheetos that had been sitting in the trashcan, and started lecturing Jame on her diet in a steely tone that would have cowed a raging tyrannosaurus rex.

 

Jame cooed in pleasure. Only two more to go. Kaiba couldn't say that she had hired incompetents. Each of her choices was the top of their fields. They all fit the guidelines that Tanaka had unearthed from a dusty file that still had the name Gozoburo Kaiba scribbled on most of the forms. Ms. Shrill was an expert in acquisitions and development, with an expertise on hostile take over strategies. Mr. Fidget was an expert in organizing R&D departments and internal budgeting. The steel granny was the best there was at public relations. Just a couple more and Kaiba would be sitting neatly at the head of a well organized, well staffed, intensely annoying office.

 

She just needed two more. Only two more, annoying, sure to drive Kaiba insane employees and she'd be finished with Project Rent To Own. She just needed two more, one for staffing and the other for overseeing internal and external security. Kado was pushing for that one. He'd been dealing directly with an overstressed, emotionally unstable Kaiba for weeks and had handed her his own personal wish list of qualifications, nearly begging her to find someone, anyone to be a go between. She hadn't found anyone that was sufficiently qualified and annoying, yet.

 

“That's right, I'll get you yet. I'll show you… Not fire me. I deserve to be fired! I've worked hard and this is the thanks I get! Ha! Double ha!” Jame picked up the résumé from her desk and neatly filed it into a folder and put it in the file cabinet. “You'll rue the day you didn't fire me!”

 

~*~*~*

Yami

~*~*~*

Yami eyed the group of small children as they inspected a display of small brightly colored stuffed animals. It was nearly closing time and the small band of urchins had trailed in a few minutes ago, followed by their exhausted mothers. From the slightly frosting smeared faced, to the sugar high, bright eyes, Yami was guessing that this was the tail end of a birthday party that had been held in the park down the street.

 

He eyed the group a second more, noting the women's careful watch over their precious, frosting laden darlings, and returned to his text book. Oddly, things hadn't changed much in the way of schooling since the last time he'd had to study. There were still long lists of people who did things at times that few ever cared to remember. Math was still math, though this time he didn't have the added bonus of macabre calculations for his own tomb. Teachers still drummed literature into heads that were too busy thinking about real life to have interest in pretend lives.

 

Then there was sex ed. The class that every student was supposed to take. The class that in their deepest hearts, interested his classmates the most. The class that would have made him swear off sex, if he hadn't been so very well versed in it before he stepped in the classroom doors. He scowled down at the text book in front of him. Whoever had wrote this thing had obviously never had great sex in their lives. No where was there any reference to the intense feelings, pleasures and sensations that were so much part of sex. All that the text offered was a general, vague term of orgasm. It sounded like a geological formation, not the mind frizzing, sanity shaking, oh-gods-I-think-I-died pleasure he was acquainted with.

 

A small hand deposited a small stuffed toy lion on top of the diagram of correct interpersonal communication -which seemed odd to place in a text about sex-.

 

“Dis one, please.”

 

Yami leaned over the counter to look down into the face of a tiny little girl. “Yes, miss, right away.” He smiled and put the little lion in a bag and took the money the child held up to him. “Anything else I can help you with?”

 

“No, sir. Dank you.” The bag was pulled off the counter and tiny footsteps pattered away.

 

“Papa!”

 

Yami jerked around, half expecting a child to cannon ball into his legs. No one was there. The children were being ushered out of the shop by their mothers. No one else was in the store. He shook his head and rubbed his eyes.

 

He hadn't been getting nearly enough sleep lately and it was catching up to him. All work and no sleep makes Yami a tired pharaoh. He needed to rest. Maybe an entire day of laying in bed with all the shades pulled down, napping and dozing and catching up on all the sleep he was loosing. Maybe he should just retreat into the Shadow Realm, lay by his river and let his tired mind be lulled to sleep. Perhaps he could find Mahado and sit, eat baklava and sip tea while chatting with his friend. No, that would to too far, he needed to stay close.

 

Since Jo had disappeared, Bakura, Marik and he had been keeping careful watch over the hikaris. They rotated in shifts, but three yamis taking eight hour watches and still trying to maintain a mortal's schedule of school, chores and work, was draining. Most of the time Marik didn't even bother staying in the mortal realm, preferring to rest in the shadows to having the strain of maintaining a mortal form. He only slid back into the mortal realm to spend time with Malik, before returning to the shadows. Bakura stayed in his physical form, but skipped school, work and nearly every other activity except lolling on a couch, watching daytime soaps with glassy, stunned eyes and nibbling on popcorn. After listening to the tomb robber seriously discuss how Jessica was trying not to let her husband know that she was carrying his brother's child, Yami wondered if there was some kind of intervention treatment that he and Marik could do after they hunted down the person who had taken Jo.

 

He rubbed his eyes and refocused on the text in front of him. Just twenty more minutes and he'd be able to go upstairs, have a cup of over-caffeinated tea and try to stay awake and be with Yugi. His light was fragile, and getting more fragile by the day. The stress of Jonouchi's disappearance was wearing on his small other and he was worried Yugi would grieve himself sick.

 

The bell over the door tinkled merrily as the mailman nudged his way into the shop. “Mr. Yami Moto?” The man looked doubtfully at the package in his hand. He'd been delivering mail to the Motos for years and this was the first time he had one for a Yami Moto.

 

“Yes,” Yami closed his book, squishing the relieved feeling he had about missing out on the wonders of interpersonal communication charts.

 

“Sign here.” The postman pushed a clipboard across the counter and tapped on a large X.

 

Yami signed and was rewarded with a small rectangular package with postmarks from Egypt. He nodded as the man turned and walked quickly out of the shop and turned the package over in his hands. Something metal thunked around inside. He pried off the tape, ripped off the brown paper packaging and opened the box. Inside there was a carefully folded piece of paper and the Millennium Necklace.

 

She sent them through the mail??? Yami frowned and picked up the paper. It was a letter from Isis.

 

My Pharaoh,

Who is presently working as counter help in a game shop.

I hope this finds you well.

So that you can torment me yourself.

I have seen that you will need the Millennium Necklace.

As well as many other things that you no doubt will spring on me at the worst time you can manage.

You need to give this to the young blond girl that Yugi is attached too.

So you've stooped to being a voyeur in Yugi's personal life, hmmm.

I cannot come to Domino City myself to advise you on this matter.

Halleluiah! I suddenly feel much better.

Your Servant,

I need to get better help.

Isis Ishtar

The conniving wench.

 

Yami picked up the necklace and rolled it over in his hand, then shrugged and shoved it in his pocket. He may not like Isis, but he did trust her and if she said Yuai needed the Millennium Necklace, then it was probably best if the necklace was placed in Yuai's care as soon as he saw the girl. He glanced at the clock and noticed that it was time to close. He flicked off the lights, went to the door and stepping out, locked it behind him. He quickly looked around the street, noting the sun had set into a soft twilight glow of purples, blues and startling oranges, then turned and walked towards Kaiba's.

 

~*~*~*

Kaiba

~*~*~*

 

He hadn't wanted to come home. Yes, Mokuba was waiting for him. Yes, he could use a full nights sleep. Yes, eating a meal that didn't come off a food cart pushed by Mrs. Tsube was tempting, but he dreaded walking in his own front door.

 

“You're early.” Jo bounded up the hall toward him, his amber tinted eyes laughing. “What happened? You get fired for being late again?”

 

He closed his eyes banishing the ghost, as he set his briefcase down on the floor next to the door.

 

“What's the matter, ain't you glad to see me?” Hands pulled at his lapel, trying to draw him forward into a kiss. The soft scent of summer sun whispered around him. Warm breath brushed against his cheek.

 

“Please, leave me alone.” Kaiba breathed, already feeling lips that weren't there brushing across his. “Please.” He didn't know what he was begging for anymore, for those lips to go, or for them to stay. Either way hurt.

 

“You got a package.” Yuai's voice floated down the stairs to him. She was sitting at the top waiting for him, like she had every night for weeks. To his horror and his relief, the phantom lips vanished.

 

He grunted a reply and scooped the mail off the table, a stack of invitations to various social functions, a couple of letters from business men who fancied themselves his friends, an advertisement from a rival company that he'd have to look at later, and a small brown box with messy writing. He tossed the invitations and the letters back onto the table and took the advertisement and the box into the living room. Soft footsteps followed him.

 

“Mokuba is out back. The pool man came by today and readied the pool for the season.”

 

Kaiba nodded and started prying open the package. “Who's out there with him?”

 

“The gardener. I don't know how to swim.”

 

Inside the grubby paper was a equally grubby box. He considered tossing it into the trash. It was probably some pathetic fool who wanted to make friends by sending worthless junk in the mail to him. “Take lessons.”

 

“Yes, sir.” The feet padded away toward the kitchen. “The cook said dinner will be ready in a half hour. Will that be okay?”

 

Kaiba nodded as he pried open the box. “Fi…”

 

A finger fell out and rolled across the floor. A note was tied around it.

 

You owe me and you will pay.

 

The box dropped to the floor as Kaiba stumbled back away from the finger. “No, no, no.”

 

“Kaiba?” Footsteps approached him. “Oh, my god…”

 

Kaiba couldn't hear what she said after that. Someone kept screaming and screaming and screaming.

 

~*~*~*

Yami

~*~*~*

 

There were cop cars everywhere. At least that was the impression that Yami had when he rounded the corner to the Kaiba mansion. They lined both sides of the street, with their slowly flashing blue and red lights. Officers huddled in groups or hurried around in the darkening evening as the streetlights flickered into life.

 

Fingering the necklace, he walked up toward the main gates. There were more officers inside, rushing in and out the front door, carrying small bags and electronic gear.

 

One rather emaciated officer noticed him and rushed over, “You. What are you doing here?”

 

Yami eyed him carefully, briefly considered using magic to get what he wanted, then opted for the truth. Yugi will be proud. “I'm here to see my friend, Yuai.” He nodded toward the hive of activity. “She lives here.”

 

“No one is allowed on the property.” He glared suspiciously at Yami. “What do you want to see her about?”

 

Yami weighed Yugi being proud against sending the idiot to the Shadow Realm. Proud hikari, idiot officer, proud hikari, idiot officer. Maybe Yugi would be proud if he used magic to see Yuai, but didn't send the officious, rude fool to the Shadow Realm. He grinned. Proud hikari.

 

He looked deep into the shallow pools of the police officer's eyes. “I'm allowed in. I'm a good friend of the family. They need me here.” His eyes glowed, shadows swirled lightly around his feet, nibbling on the officers shoes.

 

“A good friend.” The officer blinked, then nodded. “They need you inside.” The officer motioned him to go ahead of him, calling to his fellows. “He's allowed in. He's a friend of the family, they'll need him.”

 

A few of the officers looked curious, but hurried on their way. Yami strolled inside. There were more officers swarming around the living room, taking pictures of the floor.

 

The fool that was escorting him, motioned for him to go up the stairs. “The family is up stairs in Mr. Kaiba's home office.”

 

Yami, wondering what was so interesting about a floor, glided up the stairs and down the hall to where a light shined beneath a door. Mokuba and Yuai were sitting in an armchair. Mokuba was curled into Yaui's small lap, with his eyes glued to a door that led into another room.

 

Yuai, looking squished, was rubbing Mokuba's back making soothing sounds. “It'll be alright. You know he's been pushing himself lately. It's probably good that he's resting right now.”

 

“But Seto, he doesn't …do that. He just doesn't do that.” Mokuba whispered back, his eyes never leaving the door.

 

Yami stepped in. Yuai jerked a bit as she noticed him, alerting Mokuba who pried his eyes away to look at him. “What happened?”

 

Mokuba shivered, looking back and forth between him and the door. “Seto… he.. uh… He's not feeling too good.”

 

Yuai wiggled out from under Mokuba, “Is Yugi here?”

 

“No.” Yami fingered the necklace in his pocket. “I wanted to talk to you myself.”

 

“Oh.” She looked toward the door. “This might not be the best time.”

 

Yami stepped around her and looked into the other door. It opened into a bedroom. Seto was laying quietly on the bed covered by a blanket. Yami frowned and walked through the door.

 

“No, don't. Don't wake him.” Mokuba rushed after him, whispering urgently. Yuai padded at his side, looking worried.

 

Kaiba was dead pale, laying his back with his hands neatly folded over his stomach. Yami stepped closer and nudged him. The brunet never twitched an eyelash. Yami nudged him again harder with the same results.

 

“Somehow I don't think me waking him up is going to be an issue.” He turned and looked at them as they stood huddled together. “Tell me. The police are down stairs. Kaiba is unconscious upstairs and you two look like your on a death watch.” He knew it was a nasty trick. He knew Yugi would probably tear verbal strips out of his hide for it later, but he called on a bit of shadow magic and loomed threateningly over the two cowering forms in front of him. “Tell me what has happened!”

 

“A finger. They sent a finger.” Mokuba babbled hysterically. “They mailed it to Seto. He opened the mail and it was in a box.” Mokuba shivered, starting to cry as he poured out the story to Yami.

 

Yuai's eyes were on Yami's feet. She wondered if Mokuba could see the shadows. Even in the room's dimmed light, they gathered around Yami, almost like a puddle of darkness. The more Mokuba talked, the darker the puddle became, the more fingers the puddle extended. Around them, normally quiet shadows shifted, condensed, gathered.

 

“…drugged him and carried him…”

 

They had teeth. She doubted Mokuba would be standing there, spilling his guts to his friend if he noticed the teeth. They were sharp, long teeth. Each one like a dagger of obsidian. They coiled around eyeing the fools in the room with unseen eyes and those shadow teeth.

 

“Enough.” Yuai stepped forward. Mokuba was her charge and shadows weren't allowed. Magically appearing yamis were one thing. Toothy shadows were another. The world was crazy enough with fingers arriving in boxes, screaming bosses and hysterical Mokubas. There had to be a limit and those shadows were hers. “Let's go back to the office.” She pried Mokuba away from Yami.

 

“Was it Jonouchi's?” Yami seemed to dwindle as the shadows slithered away, calming back down to normal, cozy patches of darkness.

 

“We don't know.” Mokuba wrapped his arms around himself. “They have to do…tests.” He wobbled to the armchair and curled himself back into it. Yuai slipped out the door and into the hall.

 

Yami folded himself elegantly into another chair. “Are you both okay?”

 

Mokuba nodded hesitantly, “Yeah, I'm okay. But big brother…”

 

“Will be fine.” Yami tapped his chin thoughtfully. “We need to talk to the others. They need to know.”

 

Mokuba looked up hopefully. “Do you think they'd come over?” He looked over toward his brother's still form. “They could sleep over. We've got plenty of room and we can go swimming and I got this neat game and we could order pizza, or Chinese food.”

 

“I don't know. We'll have to ask.” Yami eyed the phone doubtfully. “Do you have their numbers?”

 

~*~*~*

Yugi

~*~*~*

It wasn't so much a party, as it was a huddle. The police, after photographing nearly everything in the entire mansion, powdering all the surfaces with black soot, and swabbing every substance that was available to be swabbed, had disappeared in a glitter of flashing lights and growling engines. Kaiba, still sleeping the sleep of the heavily sedated, still lay quietly upstairs in his room. Mokuba, Yugi, Ryou, Yami and Yuai were huddled around the coffee table playing gin, as Honda, Anzu, Bakura, Malik and Marik noshed pizza while watching an old tape of Mystery Science Theater.

 

Yugi scooped up a three and dropped a jack onto the discard pile. “When do you think they'll know.”

 

“I'm sure they'll know soon.” Ryou plucked a card from the pick up deck and laid down a six. “In a way, if it is Jonouchi's it might be a good thing.”

 

“I don't see how.” Honda glanced over, frowning.

 

“If it is Jonouchi's it means he might still be alive.” Ryou frowned back, then rolled his eyes as Bakura whacked Honda.

 

“I heard the police mention it looked like it came from someone who was alive.” Malik was cuddled into one of the comfy armchair with Marik. “Loosing a finger isn't really all that life threatening.”

 

“Yay. So Jo's in the hands of some weirdo that likes to hack off his fingers.” Honda ducked as Bakura half heartedly took another swing at him.

 

“Might be able to track Jonouchi down using the finger.” Marik still watched as Tom Servo attacked Crow with a can giant can opener.

 

Yami took the six and flipped a nine on the pile. “Possible. We'll have to get it from the police before they test it to pieces.”

 

Yuai took a card from the deck and discarded a king. Yugi smiled brilliantly and snatched the king up. “Do you think that they could reattach it?”

 

“Been in the mail too long. It's rotted.” Bakura stretched lazily on the couch, half watching the program and half watching his hikari play.

 

Anzu looked green. “Hey. Let's worry about Jo first, then we'll discuss the finger thing later.” She looked over to Yami. “Can you find Jo, using magic?”

 

Bakura snorted. “We've tried. Didn't work.”

 

“We might not have had something that was connected enough to him.” Yami fingered his cards thoughtfully.

 

Marik shrugged and cuddled down into the chair. “Or we could have been doing the spell wrong.”

 

“Or we could have been blocked.” Bakura eyed the back of Ryou's neck, wondering if he could take a nibble, then decided against it. Image was everything at times. Damn.

 

Yami yawned, picked up a card, discarded an eight, “Gin. We won't know until we try again.”

 

Anzu stood up stretching as the cast started yelling and door started opening. “Well, try again.” She looked up the stairs. “Should we check on Kaiba or something?”

 

“The priest is out for the night.” Bakura flipped over on his stomach, reaching for a piece of pizza and growled. “Leave him alone.”

 

She patted him on the head as she walked by on her way to the bathroom, “Down boy. Good boy.”

 

Marik and Malik snickered. Honda gave her a admiring look. “She's got guts.”

 

“She's got a death wish.” Bakura bit viciously into his pizza.

 

“Anyone want coffee?” Yuai got to her feet and walked toward the kitchen.

 

A chorus of me-s answered her. She nodded briefly and disappeared.

 

Yami, seeing his chance to at least get rid of one problem, stood up and followed her. “I'll help out. Anyone want something stronger?”

 

Honda, Marik and Bakura waved their hands. Yugi looked up hopefully. Yami pointed at him and shook his head. “No.”

 

“But Yami.” Yugi whined, trying to quickly put on his most pitiful kicked puppy look.

 

Yami hurriedly turned his back and rushed into the kitchen calling back. “No. I don't want to have to haul your giggling, semi-conscious body up those stairs. No.”

 

“Yami.” Yugi gave one last pathetic wail, then took a slice of pizza and settled back to watch the show.

 

Yami walked into the spacious kitchen, noticing that Yuai was already pouring water into the coffee maker and snapping the buttons on. He dug in his pocket and pulled out the necklace. “Yuai.” He held the golden item out to her as she turned. “I was sent this to give to you. You need to wear it.”

 

Yuai picked it up, looking at it doubtfully. “I really don't like wearing jewelry.” She held it back to him. “You should keep it.”

 

“It's the Millennium Necklace.” Yami shook his head stepping back. “It was sent for you.”

 

Yuai instantly dropped it onto a counter and stepped away from it. “Is there a spirit or yami or something in it? I don't need a spirit in my life right now. I have enough strangeness, thanks.” Her hand almost went into her pocket to touch the statue that hid there.

 

“No, nothing like that. It lets the person see the future.” Yami turned and took coffee mugs off a mug tree that sat on the counter. “I'm not even sure it will do that for you, since it has already bonded to another.”

 

Yuai looked doubtfully at it. It looked harmless enough. Just a gaudy, gold necklace with a strange eye in it's center. She picked it up. It didn't feel weird either. “Then why send it?”

 

“I don't know.” Yami finished with the cups and started poking around looking for the liquor. “The lady who sent it to me usually only does things for very good reasons. Annoying reasons, but good ones.” He found what he was looking for and set a few bottles on the counter. “Last time she interfered, it was to save the world from being taken over by a psychotic, magic wielding maniac who wanted to enslave the human race.” Yami felt proud that he managed to avoid the topic of who the psychotic loony was. Yuai might not let him give the loony any whisky if she found out.

 

Sighing she slipped it around her neck. “Part of me is just having a fit. If someone had said that to me two months ago, I would have thought they'd lost their mind. Now, I'm standing in a kitchen with a five thousand year old pharaoh telling me I have to wear a necklace or the world as we know it may come to an end, while my boss is upstairs, out cold because someone mailed him a finger.” She adjusted the necklace so that the eye rested in the hollow of her throat. “This is not a good day.”

 

Yami poured whiskey into four of the mugs, “I agree. This is not a good day.”

 

~*~*~*

“Well finally.” The taller man shook his head impatiently. “I thought it would take him forever.”

 

“He had considerable distractions.” The older man rested back into his chair. “The important thing is that the task is accomplished.”

 

The tall man shifted back into his own chair and reached for his wine. “The sooner this mess is straightened out the better. One more day listening to those idiots whine at me and I'm obliterating everything.”

 

“Hmmm. If this doesn't work, everything is going to be obliterated anyway.” The old man closed his eyes tiredly. “The bindings won't hold much longer.”

 

“True. We might not have time for her to figure things out on her own. The time is drawing near too quickly.” The tall one's slender hand traced the designs engraved on his cup. “I might need to go there personally and nudge things along the right track.”

 

“Most likely. Better me then you though.” A gentle smile flashed across the old one's face. “You tend to be a bit…abrupt.”

 

“We don't have time to play nice. Just get it done and let it be over.” The taller one snapped, then took a gulp of wine.

 

“True, but a touch of kindness might hurry things along were impatience would only halt them.” The old man got to his feet. “I'll make arrangements while you keep watch.”

 

The tall man nodded and shifted forward, “Very well, just get it done quickly. You know she has to die in two weeks and I would that it be by our hand and not fates.”

 

~*~*~*

Feed the muses with your reviews or they starve and whimper. It's sad when muses whimper.

 

Yes, this is dark, and yep, it's going to get darker. I promise to all those anxious people out there, somehow, someway things will get better. I love a good, happy ending just as much as the next. Just don't make any predictions about how, what, where, why or when it will happen. This rides just picking up speed now so hold on and trust me. You'll love what I have in store.

 

Dragonlady222: Sadly, more Seto suffering is in store. If it helps, I am not going to turn this into a `pitiful Seto' story. If I make him suffer, it's because it serves a purpose, not because he's just so cute when he's suffering. People grieve when they lose the one they love, and someone wants Seto to lose everything.

 

Bookwormloverjen: Thanks! To get all the references it's really necessary to read the other stories, I purposefully weaved a lot of things here and there through all of them which will all hopefully get tied up neatly in this story. Yes, even the comedies have small clues lurking around in them. I'm just evil that way.

 

Daebird: You defiantly get the prize for the most determined reviewer! I can't see Seto slinking back to his dragony shell peacefully after all that happened between him and Jou. As for the end… sorry no swords, but I think you'll love it, really love it.