�I�m so bored!� ProtoMan moaned. �When will we get there?�
Ryou smiled weakly. �Well, Florida is far away, ProtoMan. It�ll probably be three more hours before we get there.�
The swordsman rolled his eyes behind dark sunglasses. �Damn it, Bakura! We�ve already been here for�well, I don�t know how long, but it feels like forever. What can we do to make this plane ride go faster?�
Yami cackled under his breath as he turned the page of his magazine. �I was trapped in a blasted necklace for three thousand years, my friend. Three hours is nothing.�
�But,� Ryou said, stopping an argument before it began, �I just so happen to have a game that we can all play together that�ll be great fun. Have either of you played Drop the Hatchet?�
Both boys shook their white-haired heads.
�Well then, I�ll just have to teach you how. First off, does anyone else want to play?�
Gaara stopped eating his �Good to go� soup, and turned to his brothers. �I�ll play,� he said, face covered in broth.
�Yeah, us too,� Kilk spoke up. Elvion sat next to him, nodding his head.
Ryou, though a bit overwhelmed with this popularity, continued on. �The rules are simple: One person makes up a storyline, and then he says, �Drop the hatchet on...� whoever he chooses to continue the story from where he left off. Simple enough, right?� The others gave muffled agreements. �Why doesn�t ProtoMan start first?�
ProtoMan cleared his throat. �Okay, so there are these two little kids walkin� down this trail in a big ol� forest. At first, they know where they are, but as they keep goin� forward, they veer off the trail and get lost in the woods. Drop the hatchet on Ryou.�
�The children soon realize that the landscape isn�t familiar at all, and they begin to panic. Luckily, however, the oldest�whose name is Jeffrey�manages to keep a level head, even when terrified, and tries to regain orientation. Finally, after an hour of wandering about, they find themselves back on the trail. However, they�ve lost their sense of direction, so they decide to walk forward, and if they reach the end of the trail, they�ll just go back. If they happen to be going the other way, they�ll end up back home. Drop the hatchet on Elvion.�
The elderly elf gave a warm smile, and closed his eyes as he continued the tale. �Jeffery and his sister walk on for what seems like an eternity, but, eventually, they find that the trail ends at what appears to be a deserted cottage in the middle of the forest. Jeffery looks up at the sky, and sees that it is getting late, so he and his sister think it would be a good idea to spend the night in the shelter of the cottage. Wasting no time, they step inside. Surprisingly, the inside is perfectly clean and furnished. It even looks charming. But, on the shelf above the oven there is a...� He paused. �Drop the hatched on�� Shooting a warning glance at Yami, he finished. �Rakikai.�
Yami smirked. �Thank you for calling me by my actual name, Elvion.� The word came out like pancakes with sarcasm syrup. �Anyway, on the shelf above the oven there is a bloody corpse��
�Mou hitori no boku!� Ryou cried. �No! Be reasonable.�
�Fine,� Yami spat. �On the shelf, there is a door knob.� He watched the looks on the others� faces change from interested to confused. �The children wonder where the door this knob belongs to might be, so they wander about the small house in search of an unopenable door, and eventually find it. Skelli, Jeffrey�s sister, puts the knob in its hole, and finds that it clings to the door on its own without the help of screws. Deeply intrigued, the two turn the handle, and swing the door open.� The others waited for him to continue. �Drop the hatchet on Gaara.�
�When Skelli opens the door, she finds shelves stacked with cans filled to the brim... with fresh soup!� His audience groaned.
�How could we ever guess?� Yami said wryly.
Gaara blushed, but didn�t stop. �There�s every kind of soup on the shelves: Chicken noodle, tomato, chowders, pea soup, cream of onion... The kids are really hungry, so Jeffery pulls the lid off of a soup can to cook up and eat. Drop the hatchet on Kilk. Soup...�
Kilk grinned, and crossed his arms. �Instead of normal soup packed down inside the can like normal, the can�s empty. Well, at first, anyway. Five seconds later, purple smoke billows from the can, and a hot babe pops out! She sits on top of a violet cloud, and looks down at the kids with stern eyes. �You have released me from my prison,� she says. �In return, I will give you three wishes. No more and no less.� Drop the hatchet on Ryou.�
�The kids know they�re tired, and they�ll be able to make better decisions when they�re more alert in the morning, so they tell the genie to wait until tomorrow, and they settle down on a couch in the living room. The two think of all the wishes they could possibly give. Skelli thinks of the pretty ponies she�d seen at the zoo, and how the sign said �DON�T PET THE ANIMALS.� Jeffery thinks of the racecars he sees on television all the time, zooming around the racetrack at light speed. They look at each other with tired eyes, as if to read the opposite�s thoughts. Drop the hatchet on ProtoMan.
ProtoMan took a minute to think, but got going immediately once he formed an idea. ��I can�t sleep,� Skelli says. �I�m too busy thinkin� �bout all my wishes.� Jeffery nods. �Yeah, me too. What will you wish for?� Skelli smiles like she already has her wish. �I�m gonna wish for a magic wand, and a pet unicorn,
and�� Jeff sits up straight. �Hey, no way! You ain�t gettin� no stupid girly junk. We�re gonna get a rocket ship and laser guns and stuff.� Soon, the kids start arguin�, and have to split up. Drop the hatchet on Yami.�
�Jeffery storms off into the only room with a bed, and throws himself onto the mattress with a small grunt. �Stupid Skelli. She�ll waste all my wishes on her dumb fairy tale crud.� Meanwhile, Skelli grumbles her own complaints. �I don�t want a rocket ship,� she snivels. �I want a unicorn.� Then, at the same time, they both say, �I wish I didn�t have to share my wishes with anyone.� Hearing her orders, the genie nods solemnly. �I have heard my masters� wishes. Therefore, I shall obey.� And, in a blink of an eye, both Jeffery and Skelli disappear.�
Kilk�s eyes widened. �Dude...� he choked out. �Awesome...�
Yami sneered. �I like it when people die,� he said, eerie snickers causing shudders to tickle everyone�s spines.
�How much longer until the plane lands?� ProtoMan asked, changing the subject.
Ryou laughed. �About five minutes.�