Disclaimer: Seriously, what makes anyone think that the status of this would change since the last update? In other words, nope, still don't own them.

Author's Note: Hey all! Missed you all! So much going on these days. But instead of rambling, I'm going to keep this short and sweet and let you get onto the story… :)

Terms/Culture -

"Sleeping on the job" - Believe it or not, in general, if you were to fall asleep at your desk in exhaustion in Japan, it would be seen as a sign that you're working very hard.

Bathing pattern - In Japan, most people wash themselves outside of the tub first with soap to remove grime or dirt, then once they are finished 'washing', they take a soak in the tub.

Fuji-Q Highland Amusement Park - An amusement park on the outskirts of Mt. Fuji

Mocchi Choco Bread - A Bread with chocolate swirls inside, having almost the consistency of a dough. Literally the best bread ever. Ever.

Suzuya - A Ryokan based off of the famous Kozantei Ubuya, a Ryokan near by Kawaguchiko. The name comes from two kanji, one meaning 'cool and refreshing' and the other meaning 'shop', 'store', or 'room'.

Okami-san/sama – The hostess of a Ryokan

Kaiseki – a traditional Japanese Feast type meal; very fancy, normally including over 6 dishes, though the dishes are rather small.

Fuji-san –how the Japanese refer to Mt. Fuji.

Yukata – Cotton like robe/Kimono, normally worn at onsen and summer festivals.

Shoji doors –The name for the sliding paper doors found in a traditional Japanese home or building. Not normally as thick as Fusuma doors.

Konbini – A Convenience Store, generally really clean with a variety of items available, including meals and snacks. Examples of chains include Lawsons, Family Mart, and 7 Eleven.

Today's Chapter Title "Ryokan" is the term for a Traditional Japanese Inn, which provide a very expensive, but relaxing experience.

-YGO-

"How does a moment last forever?

How does our happiness endure?

Through the darkest of our troubles,

Love is beauty, love is pure.

Love pays no mind to desolation,

It flows like a river through the soul,

Protects, proceeds, and perseveres,

And makes us whole."

-"How Does a Moment Last Forever" by Celine Dion

Chapter Nine: 旅館(Ryokan)

Yugi bolted into the display room only to find all of the lights turned off. He panted, trying desperately to catch his breath. How could he have slept all day?

"Ishizu?" He called out, but his voice returned in an echo.

Sighing, he flipped the switch, hoping somehow even though he was now there after hours that he could do some work which would reveal something. But as he cast his gaze around, his eyes widened. Cautiously moving his feet forward, Yugi found himself unable to tear his eyes away from the broken pieces of tablet in front of him, which were now erect and upright, having only been lifted from where they had fallen. He kneeled down, placed a hand hesitantly on one of the tablets and tried to carefully brush it off.

But there was nothing to brush off.

"Very interesting."

Yugi spun around to see Pegasus standing at the entryway, smiling. His employer stepped forward so that his shadow seemed to engulf Yugi's frame.

"If I recall," He continued, "You said the third tablet had what you believed to be the original carving of the Blue Eyes White Dragon, did you not?"

Yugi swallowed, trying to think fast as Pegasus went on, "But this to me... looks mostly like an empty tablet... a spare perhaps?"

Yugi looked back at the tablet. It was true. The dragon was nowhere to be seen. No imprints. No impressions. No patterns. It was gone. But it had been there. It had been. So where was it... Almost like a puzzle piece snapping into place, Yugi's mind found a likely answer and he did his best poker face to hide it.

"No... you're right..." He said slowly, "This should have had the Blue Eyes on it."

"Hmm..." Pegasus said, bringing a hand up to his chin and nodding, "Then how do you suppose this came to have nothing on it?"

Yugi bit the inside of his lip before hesitatingly giving a 'guess', "Perhaps it has something to do with the impact... Or possibly even sabotage..."

He moved his hand along a dip in the tablet where the Blue Eyes would have been, "Perhaps the fall was too great and it shattered the remaining stone into dust- it was already fragile to begin with..."

Pegasus' eye narrowed, but he gave a slight nod, "And you said sabotage was the other?"

"Well... possibly..." Yugi said standing up, "Perhaps someone was out to frame Kaiba for something... you and him tend to be the victims of many a... vengeful individual's desire for your downfall in this industry... Maybe they had devised a set up and were just waiting for Kaiba to see the stone before they destroyed it. It would make him look very bad and cause strained relations between you and Kaiba Corp."

Pegasus was silent and Yugi prayed that he was buying this on the spot lie that he was trying to sell. He waited for what felt like an eternity before Pegasus spoke again.

"I'll have security look into it," Pegasus finally said, "I'd hate for a rift to grow between Industrial Illusions and Kaiba Corp."

Yugi let out a quiet sigh of relief, though knowing Pegasus, the response was little confirmation that he believed what Yugi was saying. He suddenly realized that Pegasus might have spoken to Ishizu and if he had, his lie had likely been seen right through immediately.

"I'm sorry I don't have more immediate answers," He said.

"Not to worry, boy. Ishizu had mentioned that she was surprised that you weren't here today though. Everything alright?" He asked.

"Oh well, I uh, I accidentally overslept..." He said, rubbing the back of his head apologetically.

He half wondered if the 'sleeping on the job' thing was something that would actually impress Pegasus or not, as the guy was an American, but he'd lived in Japan for quite some time now where it was actually not the worst thing in the world to do while on the job. It showed some immense dedication… Though to be fair, he'd fallen asleep at home and not at a desk.

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that, but you must have been exhausted if that was the case," Pegasus responded, "Don't you even worry about it, why don't you go on home and finish resting up? It'll help you with the rest of the week."

Yugi nodded, but once again looked behind him at the massive pieces of slab that had once been the tablet, now blank of any engravings. As he left, he felt his stomach twist up in knots. Once out of earshot of Pegasus and out of sight, Yugi took out his phone and dialed Ishizu. It rang only two times before his immediate superior answered.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Ishizu?" Yugi asked.

"Yugi, what on earth? Where were you today?" She began.

"I overslept, I'm really sorry. But um, Ishizu, if it's not too much to ask, the tablet, you saw it didn't you?"

The line was quiet for a moment before he received an answer, "Yes, I saw it Yugi."

"Did you happen to, uh, maybe, mention to Pegasus any theories as to what happened to the Blue Eyes engraving?"

On the other end, Ishizu looked around. Though she was off the clock, she was still with those working closely with Pegasus from Industrial Illusions.

"No, I didn't," She said finally, before adding, "Do you know what happened exactly?"

"I have a theory..." Yugi began, "But uh, if you could, uh, fail to mention anything to him, I'd really appreciate that..."

"May I ask why?" Ishizu said under her breath.

"Just, I don't want him jumping to conclusions and... it might involve someone else and their safety..." Yugi said, knowing that Pegasus had a tendency for being... eccentric to say the least.

"You mean the owner?" Ishizu inferring Kaiba.

"No, someone else," Yugi said, getting the message.

Ishizu wanted to ask more, but sensing Yugi's concern, she decided it would be better to inquire on the matter later when they were alone, "Alright, you have my word."

"Thanks, Ishizu, I owe you one," Yugi said, letting go of a breath that he had been holding.

"Just don't get into trouble," Ishizu said, an ironic smile crossing her face.

Yugi could be like Marik in that sense sometimes, easily getting in over his head. It was endearing and yet migraine inducing at times.

"I won't. See ya, Ishizu," He replied.

"See you," She said, before hitting the disconnect button and returning to her present company.

Yugi heard the beep indicating the end of the call and dropped his phone to his side. He walked up the two flights of stairs to the train barrier before swiping his card to get to the platform. He sat on one of the uncomfortable benches with only two bars of metal across the bottom and back, his thumbs stuffed in his two side pockets as his brow furrowed in thought.

The Blue Eyes was gone. That meant it was here. Somewhere. It had to have been released by Kaiba. And he was fairly certain that the fact that Kisara had blue eyes and and white hair could hardly be a coincidence. His immediate instinct was that she was the Blue Eyes White Dragon. But then why didn't she remember anything? Why, if she was the Blue Eyes, did she remember Atem and not the Priest? And how could she not know that she was the Blue Eyes if indeed, that is what she was?

The biggest flaw in his theory though seemed to be that Kisara was not a dragon. Could she have been connected to the Blue Eyes then? Like Mahad had been connected to the Dark Magician? But again, wouldn't she remember then? No, they had to be two different things. Right? And if that was the case, then the dragon was still roaming around somewhere and Kisara was... and that led him back to square one, along with the fear that an actual dragon was out flying around Domino City.

He dropped his head into hands and groaned, when the sound of a train arriving met his ears. He looked up to see the doors opening and passengers filing out. He stood to get in line to board when he noticed a face in the crowd that he hadn't seen in ages. A man, possibly in his thirties, resembling the Ishitars in appearance. But two large earrings hung from his ears and over what looked to be a clean shaven head that seemed to be hidden under a turban. Yugi's eyes widened ten fold.

Shadi.

Immediately, Yugi got out of line and tried to make his way to him, but passers by blocked his way and he struggled to weave through the crowd.

"Shadi!" He called as more people moved in front of him, "Shadi!"

He saw Shadi turn to see him, but he didn't move as Yugi struggled. He continued to maneuver his way towards him though, getting closer with every step. Right as the final passengers boarded in front of him though, allowing Yugi clear sight of the platform, he found no sign of the spirit that he thought had been allowed to cross over to the other side, even though... Atem had finally managed to find peace. He swerved around, looking for any sign of him. For a moment, he wondered if he had imagined him, but the idea quickly left him. No. He had seen Shadi. And if Shadi was here it meant something from the past was coming back.

And it also meant, Yugi realized, that it was possible that Atem was still reachable as well.

He swallowed hard before a determined expression graced his features. His usual demeanor was always happy, bright, and lighthearted. But this, this was an expression that even he knew, made him resemble Atem more than anything. It was filled with a strong resolve to find an answer, solve a mystery, and beat a game. It was times like these that he knew that Atem couldn't just be gone. He was still there. He had to be, because Yugi could practically feel their mutual desire to win pulsing through his body. Their bond wasn't something that could be broken simply by passing beyond the grave. Atem couldn't be gone for good. He knew it.

He knew it.

-YGO-

The long day had thoroughly exhausted Kisara. After getting a new job, she had worked all day with Joey to learn the ins and outs of the shop. She worked to unload new merchandise, stock shelves, assist customers when she could, and clean messy playing tables every now and then. After 6 or so, she had also met what Joey had called the 'usual' round of customers, who all seemed very happy to meet her.

However, she found herself really only to be able to work at full capacity up until a certain point. And after that, she had instantly felt that capacity decrease. Joey didn't seem to notice, but Kisara had. Her brain acted like a sive, barely catching anything Joey was really telling her. She had been scolding herself all day for it. But that moment...

She heard the door to the bathroom open and Tea stepping out, peachy and red all over, covered in a towel.

"Bath's open," She said happily.

Kisara nodded. She took the towel that Tea offered her before stepping into the bathroom. Disrobing and placing her clothes over the bar along with her towel, she turned on the shower head and waited for it to get warm before sitting herself down on the stole and beginning to scrub herself down as Tea had told her to do before getting into the tub, which was much taller than she had first noticed and brimming with hot water. After she had thoroughly gotten the suds out of her hair and cleaned herself, she tentatively dipped her foot, than her leg, then the other into the tub, eventually submerging herself completely in the warm bath. It was incredibly relaxing, but her muscles seemed beant on not allowing her any rest.

Seto Kaiba.

He had to be the man she had seen at the mall barely 24 hours ago. He had to be. But why was she so stuck on him? What was it about him? She kept trying to dive into her lost and hazy memories, wondering if somehow she knew him. But nothing surfaced. She leaned her head back, closing her eyes in irritation and sadness at her inability to recall anything. She tried to remember exactly what she had felt, both at the mall and at the game shop.

At the mall, there was that electric feeling, as she was calling it. And warmth. At the game shop... she had been startled to see him. But also eerily... fixated on him. And unable to break eye contact with him. She felt like he was important, noteworthy, more than just a face passing by... but that wasn't it exactly... She sunk her face half way into the water, letting herself breath out through her nose just enough to make tiny bubbles. Yes, he was important... but that seemed to be on a much more... matter of fact level. No, what had kept her gaze on him wasn't that. It was how incredibly... safe she felt in his presence. Like she could breath a sigh of relief and not worry about all that was going on around her. It was the way he carried himself and the look in his eyes. He was strong-willed, determined, and... she paused, trying to find the word in her mind. Was it kind? Compassionate? Empathetic? No...

Trustworthy?

Kisara sunk her head under the water completely and let the water seep into every crevice of her skin as she held her breath. Finally, she surfaced taking a deep breath. She couldn't believe what she was thinking. She had only just met him. And barely even that... She shouldn't be assigning him adjectives like that... but it didn't change the fact that she did feel like she could trust him. That she was safe around him... She looked at her fingers and noticed that she was beginning to prune. Standing up quickly, she realized her mistake as her skin got goosebumps immediately. She wrapped the towel around her and twisted her hair free of water and after which, drained the tub.

Watching the water spiral down and out of sight, Kisara couldn't help but wish to bring it all back. So it would show itself to her again. Like she wished her memories would. She sighed. She had other things to worry about. Like mastering the responsibilities of the Game Shop. And the Ryokan trip. She didn't even know what a Ryokan was. Tea had briefly told her about it, but if there was anything to be gleaned from that brief conversation, it was clear that she was in for the experience of her life.

-YGO-

Seto Kaiba fumed. He couldn't believe that Mokuba would dare force him to spend time with six of the most obnoxious people on the face of the earth. Needless to say, he was ticked.

Even worse was the three hour drive he was forced to spend in the private bus that Mokuba had hired out to take them all to the ryokan. Seto had originally thought about sneaking out and driving there by himself (all out ditching wasn't an option), but Mokuba had already thought of that and had stolen his various sets of keys and backups in the middle of the night. What baffled Seto most was how he hadn't expected that, considering that Mokuba had been planning to stay up all night so that he could get his body ready and adjusted for the night hike that he and his classmates would be taking.

Perhaps that was the main reason that this trip was already becoming rather unbearable. Mokuba was off with his classmates. While he was mostly wishing that Mokuba would blow it with the latest girl he had his eyes on, Yuzuka or Yuzuha or whatever her name was, as retribution for this torture, deep down he knew that mostly he was just missing that punk. The bus was loud and he had difficulty reading his book as he started to feel sick once they hit the mountainous roads of the Japanese Alps. He had decided to barricade himself off to the back of the bus, away from the rest of the occupants.

Though Seto often found himself re-ranking this list, in order of most annoying to least annoying, the occupants in the bus included: Joey Wheeler, Duke Devlin, Tristan Taylor, Joey Wheeler, Tea Gardner, Yugi Muto, Joey Wheeler, Serenity Wheeler, and Kisara... who, Seto realized, he still hadn't heard her last name. The top three of the list all took turns trading places, though Joey tended to remain at the top of the list. Sometimes Yugi and Tea would switch back and forth, but most of the time, Tea would outrank Yugi purely due to her high pitched squeals that rattled his ear drums.

Serenity was fine, but the fact that she was Joey's sister did nothing in her favor and often Seto would find himself rolling his eyes as she and Tristan flirted, which just boarded on gag worthy whenever he caught sight of it. The only benefit was that it clearly enraged Joey, which gave Seto some kind of small satisfaction. And Kisara... well, Seto found himself avoiding looking at her as much as possible, doing his best to thwart his brother's scheming before it had the chance to begin. To be fair, she really wasn't actually annoying at all, but that's why she was at the bottom of the list.

While most of the time, the gang seemed bent on either playing one another at Duel Monsters, taking selfies on their phones, and singing terrible attempts at acapella Disney karaoke, on occasion, they'd all calm down long enough for Seto to be able to ignore them properly. When he found himself unable to read, he'd do his best to rework some of the various decks he had, being sure to keep his notes out of sight of Yugi and Joey, but especially Yugi. He doubted Joey would know what to do with them even if he got them. Every now and then though, he'd glance up to keep tabs on what was going on. After all, if something broke, he wanted to know who he'd be fining for it.

When they were about 30 minutes away, his eyes shot up to take in his surroundings. The four of the boys were busy playing a game with Serenity torn between rooting for her brother or her boyfriend. Tea was taking a nap and Kisara was sitting off by herself looking out the windows. She seemed to be taking in all of the views with great interest, as though it was her first time seeing mountainous land. Seto briefly wondered if it was, but dismissed the thought.

It was an accurate assumption though. Kisara found her eyes dazzled by the beauty of the mountains and the rivers running between them. As they passed Fuji-Q Highland Amusement Park, she found herself amazed at the twisting turning vehicles that passed over tracks in the air in loops, seeming to defy gravity. She smiled wide. She had been very worried about this trip. In the week that had passed since the trip had been decided upon by Seto's younger brother, she had faced whirlwind of information coming into her brain.

She had learned the inner workings of the game shop, her way to and from Tea's apartment to work on her own, and how to best dry laundry out on the balcony. She had gotten a small 'paycheck' for her first week in cash, which she since had started to spend primarily on food, which allowed her to try all kinds of tasty treats, her favorite of which was the Mocchi Choco Bread sold in the Lawsons konbini store she passed every day on the way from the train station to the shop. It was 110 yen and worth every bit of it, providing her with a little taste of what must be heaven every morning for breakfast.

Every day had given her a new surprise and today was no different. The many foliage present to her eyes were in full bloom, the trees soaking in the warm sun and reflecting its rays into her eyes off of the silken leaves. But even as they passed the beautiful scenery and she tucked her legs under her so she was kneeling down on the seat looking outward, she felt a sense of awkwardness that failed to leave her, just as she continually failed to be able to look at the benefactor of the trip's brother behind her for more than five seconds.

She had yet to figure out what it had been in the mall that day that had caught her attention about Seto. The indescribable factor seemed to enjoy laughing at her in her mind whenever the Kaiba brothers were mentioned, though that seemed to be rare and far in between, save for when they had been discussing the trip. She wanted to ask more about them, but at the same time, she found herself tongue tied at every opportunity.

Much of what she had gleaned regarded their respective reputations amongst the friend group she found herself now a part of. Mokuba Kaiba was regarded as a bit of a 'punk', but with a good heart. Joey also had said on occasion that Mokuba must have the patience of a saint due to having to live with Seto. However, Kisara was also quick to recognize that Joey held the elder brother in rather sore contempt. From what she had noticed in the brief time they had spent in the bus together, if anything, she noticed that Seto seemed a bit standoffish, but not to any real damaging fault.

Aside from what Joey and Tea had said about the two though, she still found herself rather unknowledgeable about them. As before, Tea had told her that the two owned a large gaming conglomerate and that Seto was one of the highest ranked duelists in the world, second only to Yugi, which had caused a rather intense rivalry between the two, the former of which displaying quite a bit of bitterness over the matter. So she knew he was a young business man and that he was a world renowned player at Duel Monsters. And that Joey detested him at times. That was about the extent of all that she had learned, nothing of which was very helpful to her.

She sat back down, letting her feet drop to the floor so that she was sitting normally again. What was not reassuring in any sense though, was that for some reason, the day before the trip, Yugi had approached her to give her a final piece of information and request in regards to the oldest brother.

"Kisara, can you, do me a favor and uh, not tell Seto Kaiba about your uh, how we don't know… how you got here and stuff?" He had asked.

"Why?"

"Seto's uh… really skeptical about these sorts of things. Not that I can blame him, but for now… I'd rather not tell him and cause you any unneeded trouble," Yugi said, seeming to choose his words carefully, "I'd rather tell him in a more… controlled setting."

She wasn't sure what Yugi meant by a 'controlled setting', but she had agreed nonetheless to keep her origins from their acting host. Lost in her thoughts, she almost got scared at a tap she received on her shoulder from a book's spine. Looking up, she saw the very person she had been thinking about before standing above her awkwardly.

"We're here," He said hoarsely, like something was caught in his throat.

She looked around him and noticed that it was just the two of them on the bus. Everyone else had already debarked. She nodded at him before awkwardly standing up and making her way off the bus. She thanked the driver before hopping the last few steps down and out of sight. Behind her, Seto let out a breath that he had been holding. Originally, he had been hoping to just be the last one on the bus. But when Kisara hadn't left, he had had no choice but to say something to her. His chest seemed to relax slightly and he tugged at his collar, trying to loosen it a bit to let air into his lungs more easily. It had been obnoxiously hard to even tap her on the shoulder with his book, let alone speak to her.

Fighting off thoughts of Mokuba saying it was because he 'fancied' her, he disembarked finding himself amongst a noisy crowd of people that he detested. He looked up at the Ryokan. Mokuba had done a good job, he had to give him that. Suzuya was one of the highest ranking and most prestigious Ryokan in the area. It was one that he'd been to before, but only for business reasons. He had not had the chance to enjoy the relaxing Onsen offered by the facility.

He walked forward to meet the Okami-san at the entrance. She was wearing a dark purple Yukata and clearly was the hostess of the establishment, dignified, holding herself well for her age. He bowed slightly to her, resisting the red flush that came to his face out of the sheer embarrassment of Yugi's friends' loud and obnoxious behavior.

"Okami-sama, thank you for your hospitality," He said, politely.

If any of the group in the background had been paying attention, they would have likely been surprised by Seto's attitude. In most business settings, he was generally very forward and held a sense of arrogance about him. But today, it wasn't that Seto was being polite for the sake of being polite. Seto knew that his best chance for a good weekend likely would be held in this hostess' hands. It wasn't because he felt like it, it was his strategy. So, he was polite, even more so than he normally would have been too, considering Mokuba likely already stuffed her pockets with cash, so anything Seto gave her likely wouldn't sway her.

"We welcome you to Suzuya, Mr. Kaiba," The hostess said, "I am Aikawa Arisu, and as our main Okami-san is out on leave, I will be taking care of you this weekend. I take it these are your friends?"

Seto looked back to see the group had calmed down a bit thankfully, though he still was hesitant to call them 'friends'; instead he gave them a term he still wasn't fond of in regards to them, but found better than 'friends', "My associates, yes."

"Thank you for having us," They all added as they bowed to her, though their words did not synchronize, which irritated Seto slightly.

Mrs. Aikawa smiled warmly at them, "Well then, come, let me show you to your rooms."

Seto followed closely behind Aikawa first, after which Yugi and the rest came after. Yugi watched from behind as Seto continued to do his best to disassociate himself from the rest of them. It was disheartening to him. Throughout the whole trip, in addition to feeling guilty and worried for taking off of work, his nerves couldn't help but get worked up, knowing that Seto and Kisara were going to be in the same general vicinity. He wanted to tell Kaiba about where she came from, but not on a weekend getaway where Kaiba could easily leave them all stranded… So he had taken to watching the two out of the corner of his eye and, to his relief, they rarely seemed to interact much.

After passing through the genkan, or entryway of the hotel, they removed their shoes and put on slippers provided to them by the ryokan staff. Seto stooped down, picked up his loafers, then moved to the front of the group again, following Aikawa to their rooms. At the end of the hall on the top floor, Aikawa moved to her left and opened up the door, before bowing and allowing them to enter.

"I apologize, but you've missed the appointed time for your Kaiseki dinner, but hopefully the onsen's refreshing spring water makes up for that," She told them, though her words were quickly forgotten as the group got a glimpse of the room.

There was an audible gasp as the group stepped inside. The room, easily 20 tatami mats big, if not more, was a beautiful blend of both Japanese and Western décor. With low couches circling around a large 180 centimeter-screen television, a kotatsu table, two large California king beds, a large bathroom with a walk in shower, a deck with lounge chairs and full length windows allowing for a full few of Fuji-san and all of her splendor, and finally, a private outdoor onsen bath with glowing mood lights to illuminate the water, the room was in a word, stunning.

Everyone rushed inside, eager to look around, bumping past Seto's arm. The boys quickly went around the whole suite, looking around while Serenity and Tea wasted no time in squealing in delight and testing out the beds. Even as the boys unfolded their navy blue yukata, each perfect in length, Aikawa smiled at the delight she saw on their faces.

"The room meets your expectations?" She asked.

Seto nodded, though he wasn't really paying too much attention. Instead, his eyes had wandered to Kisara, who had gone out to the deck, looking out at the view as her white hair blew in the light breeze gracing her shoulders. However, Aikawa's next sentence startled him back to the here and now.

"This will serve as the boys' room. I'll escort you girls to the identical room next door," Aikawa began, turning to the hallway, when Seto instinctively grabbed her by the arm to stop her.

"Hold on. Are you telling me that I have to share a room with these…" He glanced around, trying to think of the best way to put what he thought of the likes of Joey Wheeler, "Individuals?"

"Mr. Kaiba, your brother requested that I place you with the rest of the gentlemen," She grabbed his hand, firmly squeezing his fingers tightly with a strength Seto hadn't expected, causing him to release her, "And I promised to follow his wishes."

He gasped as she released him and called off to the other girls, "Come now, dears, this way."

Tea and Serenity followed right away, before Tea called back to Kisara, "Kisara, you coming?"

Kisara spun around quickly, her hair doing a massive swoosh around her and Seto found himself forcing his gaze away from her. At this point, he felt he had to at least admit to himself that yes, she was quite pretty, but he had to ignore that. She grabbed her bags and at last the door shut behind her, giving the boys some privacy.

It was at that moment that the door shut, Seto felt like he'd just been sentenced to death as he stood in the room's genkan completely at a loss for words.

"Well," Joey started, pulling his shirt off and throwing it to the ground, "I call one of the beds!"

Seto whipped around so fast that it could have been a superhuman motion, glaring at Joey with the eyes of a demon.

"Floor."

Though the gaze was completely directed at Joey, the other three boys froze up as well, thoroughly mortified for Joey's safety. With that, Seto went to the bed to the left and dropped his bag down to get ready for the evening.

It was going to be a long night.

-YGO-

A/N: So I'm going to try to update one more time this month. Things are getting pretty busy over here, but I hope to keep this story to updating at least once a month. For those of you going through a rough day like Seto was, keep fighting, you'll get through it. Gambatte! (As the Japanese say) Let me know what you thought and I'll update as soon as I can!

Later,

~Rena