Into the Dragon's Keep

By: Aliccia

Aliccia: Hello people. This is my first fic, so be nice, please. And it's non-yaoi.
Ryou: You don't have to be nice...
Aliccia: Yes you do! Ryou would you do the honors?
Ryou: -cringes- Do I have to?
Aliccia: -glares daggers at Ryou-
Ryou: I'll take that as a yes. Here it goes: Aliccia does not own Yu-Gi-Oh! and she never, ever will nor does she own any value or product mentioned in this fic, except Sara, who is her own OC.-gasp-
Aliccia: that wasn't to hard was it? On with the fic!
Ryou: -faints-

----------------
Chapter 1

Jack o' lanterns dominated the windows in the homes and shops that lined Domino City streets. Each carved pumpkin was lit by a single long black candle, shining out against the blackness of the night...there was no doubt in anyone's mind that the spirit of Halloween and mischief was in the air.

Yami stubbornly shook his head as he argued with Yugi outside the Kame Game Shop's garage. Yugi Motou, a teen with spiky tri-colored hair, and amethyst eyes, stared at his Yami in disbelief.

"YAMI! PLEASE! You have to carve a pumpkin with us. It's Halloween! Everyone carves pumpkins on Halloween!" Yugi implored to Yami. Tea Gardner and Ryou Bakura, hand in hand, walked up the sidewalk to where Yugi and Yami were still arguing.

"Yugi, I do not carve pumpkins! I haven't carved a pumpkin in almost 5000 years!" Yami argued back with his light. A stern and determined look was upon his face. The pharaoh did not carve pumpkins if he didn't wish to. Personally, Yami was under the belief that carving pumpkins was a waste of good pumpkins...why carve a pumpkin when it could be made into a wonderful tasting pie, which happened to be Yami's favoritepastry treatthat Mrs. Motou made.

"Oh my!" Tea exclaimed. "They shouldn't argue! Friends aren't supposed to argue..."

"Tea, not now! Not again!" Ryou cried out, causing Tea to glare at him, just interupting her friendship speech. He smiled warmly at her and her frown melted away into a sigh. She put her head on Ryou's shoulder as they walked closer to Yami and Yugi.

"Hey Ryou! Hi Tea!" Yugi called as he rushed around Yami to his two close approaching friends and hugged them. Backing away, he told them of the Yami situation.

"Yami! Yugi is right, you have to carve a pumpkin. It's only tradition," Ryou stated matter-of-factly. Tea nodded vigorously. She smiled as she thought of something.

"You know, Yami, Sara is coming and she really wanted to carve a pumpkin with you," Tea grinned from ear to ear. Yami stopped dead in arguing, thinking about the beautiful French exchange student he had fallen in love with, and to a certain messy haired blonde, it looked like Yami was a deer staring into car headlights. He grinned as he walked over and gave Yugi a noogie.

"JOEY! Not the hair; it took me an hour to get it like this!" Yugi wailed, desperately trying to fix his noogie-fyed hair. Joey beamed. Tea smacked him on the head.

"What was dat for?" Joey cried out, rubbing the back of his head where he and Tea's hand had made her final contact.

"Because of what you did to Yugi's hair," Tea exclaimed exasperated at the blonde teen in front of her. Joseph Wheeler had been a part of their little group that the teens had going from the start. Everyone knew that he had a crush on Mai Valentine, a beautiful long haired blonde, who was obviously infatuated with Joey. When they had finally gotten together, all of the gang had sighed in relief. It had been quite hard trying to get those two together.

"Sorry Yuge," Joey said as he looked over at Yami. "Ya gonna carve pumpkins wit us, Yami?"

"No, " Yami said, as Tea, Ryou, and Yugi all said "Yes." Joey stared at the Pharaoh in disbelief.

"But what about Sara?" Tea questioned. Yami glared at her.

"If she shows up...I'll think about it," Yami replied coldly. He slanted his crimson eyes in Yugi's direction. "And that is final, Yugi!"

"Yami, please..." Yugi whined softly to him. The two spiky tri-colored hair teens stared each other down. Yami gave his worst crimson death-glare, that was meant for dueling purposes only, and Yugi gave Yami his best puppy dog eyes. Soon the group all caught on, and Tea, Joey, and Ryou were all giving Yami puppy dog eyes. Ryou wanted to die with laughter. He could tell that Yami was coming dangerously close to either banishing them all to the shadow realm or succumbing to the stares of the innocent pumpkin carvers. Yami, himself, could feel his strength breaking. He had never been able to say 'no' to his hikari about anything, from one more duel to getting him more sugar cookies from the store, even though Yami knew that Yugi would suffer from sugar high that night and the many days to come until they ran out of cookies. Anger boiled inside of him. He could beat top duelist Seto Kaiba, but he couldn't even win a stare down with Yugi.

"FINE! I will carve a pumpkin!" Yami couldn't believe he had just said that. He had so hoped that he would have won this fight just this once, but yet again, Yugi had beat him. Yami felt like an older sibling to his small hikari, unable to refuse his wishes, and no matter how exasperated and tired of Yugi he got, he could never let him down.

"So the pharaoh is carving pumpkins," Mai Valentine teased Yami as she gave Joey a hug, her thick, long, and curly hair fell in front of his face and hiding the red blush that was creeping into Joey's cheeks.

"ACK! Mai! You should give a guy some warning." Joey screamed but gave Mai a hug back.

"What fun would that be then?" Mai asked. Joey as always looked totally perplexed by the question. Mai just gave Joey another hug and buried her face in Joey's green coat. "What am I gonna do with you, Joseph Wheeler?"

Everyone, including Yami for a change, laughed at the two of them. The gang headed to the garage where Yugi's grandpa, Solomon Motou, had laid out tarp for the pumpkin carving and the party that would ensue shortly after on that Friday afternoon. Joey and Mai walked in first, hand in hand. They chose a seat and sat themselves down. Ryou slipped an arm around Tea's waist and the two walked in together. Just as Yami was about to walk in through the garage door, someone from behind him grabbed his forearm and pulled him backward. A loud shout was heard from Yami as he hit the ground. The group peered out of their garage to see a very disgruntaled Yami sitting on his rump, looking very disoriented, and a young girl with black hair and black eyes sat on Yami's lap, smiling mischievously.

"Ma savour! Merci beacoup!" Sara declared as she kissed Yami on the cheek. "Salut, Yugi! What's up?"

"Nothing but the sky!" Yugi teased the small dark haired, black eyed French exchange student that Yami had fallen in love with. Sara was funny, much like Joey was, but she put her own little twist on everything. It was this reason that she and Yami had gotten together. But there was sometimes a problem in communication. She talked so fast that she sometimes spoke in French. But she was getting better.

"Tu est tres amustant, Yugi Motou!" Sara giggled as Yami, having managed to stand up and pick Sara up, carried her into the garage, bridal style with Yugi following shortly behind. Everyone grabbed their pumpkins and sat down in the traditional ceremonial circle of pumpkin carvings. Yami still a bright pink from Sara's light kiss on his cheek, although everyone knew that he would never admit it. Yugi, brought out a plastic bag from the hardware store that was overflowing, and slowly one by one, he began to pass out the ceremonial knifes, spoons, candles, and one match per person. All was silent as Yugi continued to pass the items out of the seemingly never-ending bag...until...

"I'M HERE! " a small but powerful voice screamed. " WAIT FOR ME!" Mokuba Kaiba, raven black hair flying out behind him, ran into Yugi's garage carrying a pumpkin of his own and looked around the group. "Hi, everybody. Sorry I'm late. Seto wouldn't let me out of the house until I cleaned my room. It's gotten so bad that the maids refused to clean it this time." Mokuba smiled as the group chuckled softly at his entrance. Joey seemed to be the most afflicted with giggles and small laughing fits.

"And people say we girls are the worst at maintaining giggle control," Tea smiled as she placed her head on Ryou's shoulder. He in turn kissed her forehead.

"Hey Mokie, glad you could make it. Sit down," Yugi said and patted the tarp next to him. Mokuba grinned and sat down next to Yugi, placing a large orange pumpkin in front of him. Yugi passed Mokuba his very own set of carving materials.

Everyone commenced talking. Mai and Joey talked about his failing grade in geometry and how she could help him.

"You cannot fail geometry! No one fails geometry!"

"I do!"

"I could help you raise your grade, Joey."

Ryou and Tea talked about how they had just celebrated one month of going out together yesterday.

"I cannot believe we have been together this long!"

"I know..."

"Strange isn't it?"

"Yea."

Sara was trying aimlessly to teach Yami French:

"...Bon-jour."

"Finally! Now on to 'what is it'...you say, 'Qu'est-que ce c'est'. You try."

"No."

"YAMI!"

Mokuba was talking to Yugi about how his brother was designing a new type of duel disk:

"It's like the old one, only this time, we have a few more cool gadgets that we have added on. Seto wants to have it out by Christmas."

That caught everyone's attention. The garage went into hushed silence as all of the duelists in the room stared at Mokuba, waiting to hear more about the new system.

"How much does it start at?" Joey asked Mokuba curiously.

"Ni-sama isn't finished with it yet, but he said that it would be more expensive than the last one," Mokuba admitted. "You won't tell anyone about this, will you? Ni-sama would be furious with me. No one is really supposed to know, yet." A smirk crossed Mokuba's face, and he looked so much like Seto is was laughable.

"M.o.k.u.b.a.," Mokuba imitated and angry Kaiba. His eyes went to the famous Kaiba slit and he glared down at an invisible Mokuba. Everyone laughed. "You told THEM!" Joey rolled on the floor with laughter, Yami laughed with Sara and Yugi, Tea giggled like a preschooler, and Ryou grinned at Mokuba.

"Enough! Stop... Mokuba..." Joey breathed through his laughter.

"JOEY!" Mai tried to grab him, but it was to late.

With a sickening, 'SQUISH!', Joey was covered in pumpkin gore and seeds. Now it was Mokuba's turn to laugh along with the others, as Mai, helpless with laughter, tried to clean a very sticky and unhappy Joey up.

-------------------------
Back To Serenity

Placing the last trash bag in the trash can, Serenity walked back up to the front of the house that she called home. She walked in the front door and smelled the fresh scent of Pine-Sol and looked around the living room that she had just cleaned. Every beer can and bottle in the place had been picked up and thrown out. Ashtrays were cleaned out of their ash and cigarette residue and were cleanly polished. All of the wood was well polished and cleansed with Murphey's Oil Soap. The carpet had been vacuumed and she had taken the time to steam clean it and she had let it dry before vacuuming over it again. The old and worn out sofa was neat and in order, no longer did she have to fight through a sea of magazines to sit down. The TV had been glass cleaned as had the front windows. The old wine colored armchair of her fathers was neat and clean. Magazines were piled into racks next to the sofa, and the coffee table was repolished and repainted a toupe color. Serenity was pleased with her handiwork. She had hung Joey's bookbag on the coat rack above his shoes; hers lay in her room.

Next, she walked into the kitchen, hoping that she hadn't missed anything really important. A small table was in the center of the room, nicely polished, with four chairs sitting around it. Even though she and Joey only needed two chairs, Joey was apt to inviting people over, henceforth there were two extra chairs. A black marble countertop sparkled in the afternoon sun. In one corner there was a black refrigerator filled to the brim right now with 'welcome home' dishes, and next to that stood a black dishwasher. The stove stood in the other corner, a black electric stove that she had come to love. The kitchen tile was black, but was illuminated by whitewashed walls and a gorgeous mini chandelier. Serenity sighed again as she looked around her new home. She could hardly believe that someone could trash this house and not clean it. But, she reminded herself, that the uncleanliness was the reason that she and Joey had been able to start making payments so quickly. Serenity was able to hold down a job at a cafe, making and serving the drinks while her friend Tea worked the cashier.

Now Serenity walked around the other rooms of the house. There was the bathroom on the ground level that sparkled, and Joey's room was finally cleaned, thanks to her. The green walls were lightly cleaned and the beige carpet was visible...finally. Her brother's bed was made neatly with his green comforter and sheets, and his desk was organized neatly; his duel deck and card went right on top of the desk. the overhead light was clean and the bulb was brand new, shining in all of its glory. The bathroom on the ground floor was entirely Joey's domain. Serenity was determined that she would clean it once a week, but during the week it was totally up to Joey. All of the walls on the downstairs sections were painted in a splendid shade of toupe. She had designed this herself after Joey had decided that he wanted the lower section of the house as his.

Serenity climbed the stairs, to her floor. Serenity wished for nothing more on this day than to enjoy the solstice and the silence of her room. As she climbed she noticed subtle differences from her brother's floor. The upstairs contained only a small hallway, her large oversized bedroom, and her private bathroom. The walls were painted in a wine color, and the carpet was a blanket of thick and soft white snow. She walked towards her room and opened the door with a happy smile.

"Home at last." Her room was painted in the same wine shade as outside, but it was furnished with black and darkwood accessories. She had a full length mirror on the side of her black door. Her carpet was black and her two dressers and desks were painted and glossed the same color as her door. She loved it here. It was the darker side that her quiet demeanor never got to express in the open. Most thought her to be "that quiet Serenity Wheeler person," the nice, silent little sister of that crazy Joey Wheeler. She loved who she was, but she let herself be expressed in her room and in the colors that she wanted to paint it. She flopped down on her bed and it's soft black sheets. All she wished for was sleep.

Until her phone rang.

"Hello? Serenity Wheeler speaking," she spoke into her cell.

"'Ren are ya comin' to Yuge's for the party? Everybody's here ya know. We were hoping dat you would come on over to the game shop and hang out wit us." Joey chirped. Serenity could hear Mai arguing with Joey over the phone. "No Mai! She's my sista!"

"Serenity? Where are you girl? You had better get your scrawny self over here. Yugi and Yami have been talking about your safety through the mind link." Mai's voice came through the phone in a scream. Serenity held the phone away from her ear.

"Mai, how on earth would you know about that? Yugi and Yami's mind link can't be heard." Serenity said twisting her fingers together in a mixture of board-ism and semi-interest.

"Call it girl's intuition, and Yugi asked me if I knew where you where and how you were doing." Mai added, smiling at the look of concern on Yugi's face for Serenity.

"I'll be right there Mai. See ya soon." Serenity hung up the phone and decided to change clothes from her school uniform. She searched until she found a pair of hip-hugger flares and a small black tee-shirt. She smiled at the appearance she saw in the mirror and grabbing her bookbag, she walked out of her room. Running down the stairs, she stopped only to put on her black high-top boots. She grabbed her keys and walked out the front door into the setting afternoon sun.

At The Game Shop

"She's comin'!" Joey practically screamed on his way into the garage to meet the group. He tripped over the door stop and landed on Ryou's back.

"Joey! " Ryou cried as he tried to regain his composer. "What are you talking about?"

"Serenity is comin'!" Joey said proudly as he pointed to his watch. " And she should be here any minute!"

-Yami/Yugi mindlink-

'Yugi? Does this fact help soothe your mind?'

'Yami, I still worry about her and Joey. They just moved into that new house to get away from their father and all she has been working on lately is that house. I just want her to be happy and to see that she has friends that she can trust.'

'Well she is on her way...'

' I know...and I can hardly wait!'

Back to Serenity

The cool autumn wind whipped Serenity's long auburn hair back from her face as she walked towards the Kame Game Shop. She pressed on down the busy suburban streets, filled with many men and women with little children, each searching for the perfect costume for Halloween trick-or-treating on the special spirit/candy/sugar high night that was not too many days away from occurrence. She was stopped for a moment as a call pierced her ears.

"'Renity! 'Renity!" A little boy screamed running at her. She turned and opened her arms as a little boy jumped into them. She spun him around.

"Hey Sam! Where's your mom?" Serenity asked. Sam was her boss's first and only child.

"Momma is right over there. She and I are picking me out a new costume for Halloween," the brown haired, brown eyed child whispered. "I gotta go though before Mommy sees that I am gone. Bye 'Renity!" and with that the little child had jumped out of her arms and was waddling his three year old form back to his mother's side. Serenity watched as Sam pulled on his mother's sleeve. His mother looked up and waved at Serenity.

"Seren!" She waved her over across the sidewalk. Serenity dutifully came to her managers beckoning call.

"Hi, Mom," Serenity said, using the familiar nickname the woman was given at the cafe, as the short plump middle aged woman pulled her into a tight hug. The woman's real name was Kate Milo. Her blonde hair was pulled back into a pony tail and she wore a pair or blue jeans with a green sweater.

"How are you, honey?" the woman questioned looking very much concerned at Serenity. She was like a makeshift mother to Serenity. But Kate was like that. All of the employees that worked for her were treated with the utmost care and respect, and Kate was nicknamed "Mom" at the cafe. Kate absolutely loved the name and it stuck. "And you can call me 'Mom' even outside the cafe, everyone else does," she smirked.

"I'm great, Mom. Tired, but that's to be expected when you move into a new house," Serenity explained, pulling herself away from the hug and using the wonderfully placed nickname.

"Oh. How is everything going with your brother and his girlfriend...that Mai character," Kate said.

"They are great. Everyone in the group is really happy that they got together. Speaking of the group, I have to meet them for pumpkin carving tonight and I am already late...I gotta run," Serenity said looking distressfully at her watch.

"And not one moment longer shall I keep you, my dear, but can I ask you a favor?" the woman implored.

"Sure, Mom...what is it?"

"Tea called off on Halloween night because she and that nice young man Ryou are going out, and I was wondering if you could fill in for her that night. Please?" the woman asked as she looked down at her son who was showing her a scary costume with blood running down the bones of the fake mask. Serenity smiled at the sight.

"Yeah, I can cover for Tea that night. I am not doing anything. Day shift or graveyard?" Serenity asked.

"Graveyard, I take dayshift because I have to take Sam trick-or-treating that night. So Tristan is watching over the store with you, and I think that you two are capable of being in charge," Kate smiled up at Serenity who's jaw had dropped.

"Tristan!" Serenity thought of the day before when Tristan had been working the counter, he was so intent on staring at her as she delivered the drinks, that he rang up three customers wrong.

"If he starts acting like a love sick puppy, just ignore him. I knew I could count on you Seren," Turning back towards her son, she smiled. "Come on Sammy, let's chose you a costume."

And as soon as it had started it was over. Serenity watched as the two searched for a perfect costume. She turned on her heel and continue walking to the game shop.

"Curse you, Tea. Oh, I am gonna get you back for making me work with him," she muttered underneath her breath, not paying attention to where she was headed. And currently, she was heading straight on at trouble.

Suddenly, Serenity slammed into another person. She fell backwards on her rump to the sidewalk.

"Watch where you're going," a cold voice said. The man turned around and Serenity looked up to see icy blue eyes glaring down at her. She moved her hair nervously out of her face.

"I am very sorry, Mr. Kaiba," Serenity said, her face turning a thousand shades of red from embarrassment. She looked down at her fingers that she had folded into her lap, looking very much like an innocent two year old child. All of the sudden a hand was in her face. She looked at it curiously.

"Are you just going to sit there?" Kaiba asked coldly again. His mood seemed very testy to Serenity and she took his hand and he pulled her up off the ground gracefully with his strong grip. It was then that she realized just how tall Kaiba really was. She was so close that she could feel his warm breath on her forehead, as she looked up at him. She took a step back.

"Thank you for helping me, Mr. Kaiba," She bowed and then quickly continued on her way, never noticing that a certain CEO's eyes had never left her retreating form.

Aliccia: -shaking Ryou- Come on! The first chapter's done!
Ryou: -waking up- Really?
Aliccia: Yea! Yippee for me!
Ryou: Don't you have something that you want to tell them.
Aliccia: Oh yea. The characters ages
Yami: 17
Yugi: 17
Tea: 17
Ryou: 17
Sara:17
Mokuba:14
Serenity: 16
Seto: 18
Seto: It's Kaiba to you...-glares at Aliccia-
Aliccia: I get it! I get it! -runs and hides from Kaiba.-
Ryou: Please read and review