Lianda (Tea [Anzu]/Dark Magician):

Tea frowned and wrung her hands in despair. Blushing a deep red, she walked up to where Yugi was sitting. Tea cleared her throat. "Yugi?"

Yugi looked up and smiled gently. "Yes, Tea?"

Tea shooked her head. "I'm in trouble."

Yugi looked worried. "What's the matter?"

Tea leaned towards Yugi. "I..."

"Yes?"

"I..."

"YES?"

"Oh HELL YUGI!" yelled Tea flushed and uncomfortable. "I'M IN LOVE WITH YOUR DARK MAGICIAN!"

Yugi's mouth dropped open. "WHAT?!?!?!!?!"

Suddenly, a whoosh! sound came from Yugi's Duel Monsters deck, and the Dark Magician materialized into the air. "Teeeeaaaaaaa...." It said.

Tea gasped. "D-dark Magician!" Oh, she thought. He's HOT! "You'reeee....hoooott....tooooooo...."

Tea clapped her hands. "Oh Dark Magician. I know you're not real, but we can still make it!"

Yugi raised his eyebrow. "Do you hear what you're saying, Tea?"

"Shut up, YUGI! What do YOU know about love?!"

Yugi eyed the Dark Magician and coughed. "Ah...nevermind."

Riko (Joey [Jounichi]/Yugi):

Jounichi still tries to be tough sometimes. He swears and threatens and fills old beer bottles up with juice so he can drink and still look macho. Sometimes, he and Honda still try to peek under Anzu's skirt when she's explain calculus to Yugi.

Jounichi still tries to be tough, but it's getting harder all the time. Like when he throws an arm around Yugi's shoulder and tells him they'll always be friends, no - matter - what. And Yugi smiles up at him, and Jounichi feels himself blush.

Or like when he's checking out Yugi's ass, which is phenomenal in all that leather he's been wearing these days.

"Are you all right, Jounichi?" Yugi asks, in a voice that still sounds innocent even after all the shit he's been put through.

"I'm just fine, Yug," Jounichi replies and squeaks a little. "Why?"

And for all the years of practice, it's very hard for Jounichi to maintain any level of manliness when Yugi aims a level gaze at him and says, "You were looking at my ass again."

"Oh."

"Indeed."

"Um."

"I would say so."

Then they both laugh, uneasily, dismissively, and take off down the streets of Battle City again. Something will come of it sooner or later, probably, but for now, they are two boys, too manly and tough to admit that there maybe, might be, could be something there.

Lianda (Grandpa/Serenity):

Serenity got up early specifically to jog. Why not, she told herself. She wants to be everything that she can be. Strong like her brother, determined like Yugi, with Tea's conviction and Tristan's heart. Why not start with jogging. As she ran down the street, she passed by a little Games shop. Curious, she walked in. "Hello?"

"Hello!" waved Serenity brightly. "My name's Serenity."

"What a lovely name," said the old man, wagging his eyebrows suggestively. You can call me "Grandpa."

"Um," replied Serenity with a hesitant nod. "Thank you...um...Grandpa."

"Well then. What can I do for you today?"

"Oh, aah..." Serenity floundered. "I was just look--oh! Are those duel monster cards?" She pointed at the casement in front of her.

"Yes, in fact." replied the old man. "Aren't they nice?"

Serenity looked in wonder and spied a card called "Winged Fairy Sorceress The Kickass Chick Trap Card".

Seeing the young innocent girl oggling at the card, the old man got a brilliant idea. "I'll give you that card..." he said.

Serenity was overjoyed. "Oh...really?!"

"...If you have sex with me! Ho ho ho!"

"EW! You dirty old phogey!"

The old man shook his head. "Don't judge a man by his age. I'm still fairly spritely in the sack!" He moved closer to Serenity.

Serenity held out her hand. "No!! Don't come any closer!! Joey..help me!!"

Just then, Joey and Yugi walked into the door.

"GRANDPA!" cried Yugi, aghast. "What are you doing to Serenity?!"

"Grandpa" coughed. "Aah..well..yes...you see..."

"PLEASE, JOEY! Help me!!!" cried Serenity.

Joey looked at Serenity. Then he looked at "Grandpa." "I can't.." he moaned.

"HUH?! WHY NOT?!"

"Cuz...cuz it's GRANDPA! I can't hit an old phogey!!"

"BUT he's gonna RAPE me!"

"Morals are morals Serenity."

"Yay!" said Grandpa.

Riko (Pharaoh [Yami Yugi]/Marik):

The delta was flooding. Throughout Thebes, Pharaoh's jewel, the smells of mud and myrrh and linen blended with the more ordinary smells of cattle and grain. Marik dodged through the crowd of market goers, laughing as Ishizu lagged behind. Soon, though, he was lost in the winding streets that were so foreign to his feet. He had wanted rare freedom for the day, freedom from father's tyranny, from /his/ destiny, but not like this. For all the training and practice, Marik felt fear in the form of strange alleys and peoples.

"Are you all right?" a voice from behind asked.

Marik turned and fell to his knees, almost in once motion. "Mighty pharaoh," he whispered, hushed and reverent.

The man-boy stepped forward and cocked an eyebrow. "Yes, that's me. Are /you/ all right?"

"I am content and happy under the Pharaoh's just and mighty rule." A snort. "You are doing a very good job of avoiding my question. Are /you/ all right? I won't ask again."

Marik opened his mouth and then snapped it shut. He pressed his forehead close to the ground and hoped for the best. "I am...lost, my Pharaoh."

Marik heard the smile of contentment pass across the other boy's face. "Ah, well that I can help with. Where are you trying to go?"

"Where ever you would will me to go, Pharaoh."

"Not this again," Pharaoh said, frustrated but amused as well, and he crouched down on the dusty street so that Marik had no choice but to look at him. "You are lost. I can help, but you have to tell me what you want. /You/ have to tell /me/."

"Pharaoh..."

"Take your freedom, don't wait for it to come to you."

For a moment, Marik paused and then, slowly, he nodded. "Very well."

Lianda (Tristan [Honda]/Pegasus):

The moonlight shone through a small window above and landed on the bed. In the light, you should see little bits of dust floating, and the dark was not really dark, but more of a deep grey. Tristan floated in a bubbly post-coital haze, wrapped in his own little coccoon. Unfortunately, as always, there was something nagging him at the back of his head. Tristan turned his mind's eye to face the problem dead-on. The painting. I need to know. Frowning, he turned his head to the dozing man beside him. "Love?"

Pegasus opened his eye. "Yes, Tristy-darling?"

Tristan sighed. "What am I to you?"

"Why, Tristan," Pegasus pouted. "Whatever do you mean?"

Tristan grimaced. "I...I saw that girl. The painting. I should say SHRINE, rather." Tristan continued bitterly. "Candles, gentle music. It was all there. Around the painting of the girl. Who is she? And...and if you love her, what in GOd's name are we?!"

Pegasus turned so that he lay on his side and propped himself up on his elbow. Then he studied the boy beside him. "Tristan, Tristan..." Pegasus drawled lightly. "How could you doubt my love after what we just DID?!"

Tristan blushed. "Well," he stammered. "Tell about about her anyway."

Pegasus frowned. "She was my wife. I loved her more than anything. But she's gone now. I've moved on."

"Oh." said Tristan. "Huh." He lay on his back.

"Huh?"

"Yeah. For a second there, I thought that maybe you weren't...I mean...that you were..."

"...straight?" Pegasus raised an eyebrow. "Think darling. Listen to my voice. Look at my HAIR. I wear a PINKY-RED suit."

"Oh. Point taken."

Pegasus smiled. "Good. Now, where were we?"

(And then, there was more sex.)

-and then Riko's computer drove her nuts and she was hospitalized-