Yu-Gi-Oh!

Return to New Orleans

By Lucky_Ladybug

Notes: The characters from the show are not mine. The other characters and the story are mine! This is part of my post-series Pendulum Swings verse, which redeems Yami Bakura and the Big Five. This is also a direct sequel to my story Obsession in New Orleans. And I drop a note for newcomers that I embrace the dub's localization to America and set Domino City in Oregon.

Chapter One

"Man, I knew we were gonna have to come back here, but I've been dreading it ever since we left." Joey studied the New Orleans skyline as he and the rest of the group stepped off of Seto's private jet. The day was overcast, but not precipitating.

"At least the weather is relatively pleasant," Gansley grunted.

Lector nodded. "It won't be long now and things will heat up enough that most of you probably won't enjoy it. Hopefully we'll be gone by then."

"Maybe." Joey stretched. "These complicated court trials can go on for months, can't they?!"

"Years, even," Johnson intoned. Glancing to Lector, he quickly added, "But I don't think that will happen with this case."

"Hey, with Lector's dad, who knows," Joey said in disgust.

"Joey!" Téa exclaimed. This was hard enough on Lector without commentary like that!

Lector sighed, rubbing his forehead. It still seemed so unreal, the way his father had treated him—sending for him to be a target of the corrupt vodun priest Dr. Raven's wrath to keep the rest of the family safe. . . . Sometimes he could still scarcely believe it had really happened. But it had, and he had almost died, and now they were here to testify against both his father and Dr. Raven in court. To say he wasn't looking forward to it was an understatement.

"Oh, Johnson, I was just thinking of something," Joey blurted. "What if like, Dr. Raven's attorney or Lector's dad's attorney gets me on the stand and pins me down with questions about what kind of attorney you are? What do I tell 'em? I mean, you were real crooked until just recently. I saw it firsthand, and you also told me about some of the stuff you did. In the past I would've been real happy to rat on you, but now I don't know, especially considering the stakes." He folded his arms.

He wasn't expecting his former enemy to cringe, but Johnson did. "Hopefully that won't be an issue, Joseph."

"But what if it is?!" Crump exclaimed. "I never thought about that!"

Johnson turned away. "I did," he said stiffly. "I'm sure they'll try to discredit all of us, but I'm probably the only one that anything could be proven against. Magical and science-fiction crimes can't be prosecuted. Crimes in court can."

Joey frowned. ". . . So . . . how bad were you, Johnson? Did innocent people go to jail because of you?"

". . . Well," Johnson said slowly, "that case I told you about, with the man who supposedly stole a boat, he was a criminal attacking the company I worked for at the time and I couldn't get anything on him. I got him convicted of stealing a boat because I couldn't nail him on anything bigger. But that doesn't change that I twisted the law many times and also had witnesses lie under oath and I enjoyed all of it." He turned away, stiffly. "With any luck, I won't be called on as a witness."

The groups climbed into the waiting rental vehicles and were soon leaving the airport to head for where they were going to stay while in town. Johnson leaned back, staring out the window while running a hand down his face.

"You've been worrying about this for a while, haven't you," Lector frowned in realization.

"And not saying anything!" Crump accused.

"I'm just sure Dr. Raven will have a lawyer as crooked as I was, and I know how crooked lawyers think," Johnson replied. "And on the other hand, if Lector's father has an honest lawyer, he'll probably think it's his duty to prove my past in court. Last night, while I was packing, I got a phone call from a famous lawyer in Los Angeles."

"Not Perry Mason." Gansley quirked an eyebrow.

Johnson nodded. "I met him once, when he was vacationing in Domino City and took a case for a friend of his. Since he often vacations in Oregon and often runs into people needing help, he has a license to practice law there as well as in California. He suspected I wasn't being fully honest in the courtroom, but he could never prove anything."

"But you said you'd never lost a case," Crump said. "Does that mean . . . ?!"

"Yes, I won the case," Johnson said. "Perry Mason doesn't always win, although yes, he usually does. 'Usually' wasn't good enough for me, so whenever it looked like I wouldn't win, I started pulling out my tricks."

"What kind of case was it?" Lector frowned. "Doesn't he usually handle murder cases?"

"This time it was much more innocuous," Johnson said, "a simple case of breaking and entering. You know, I honestly don't know whether the kid did it or not. Mason believed he was innocent, naturally. I was representing the company he was supposed to have broken into. It was a first offense, so he got probation."

". . . What did Mason say on the phone?" Gansley asked, almost dreading the answer.

"He said he'd heard about the case and hoped that all would go well; of course he found Mr. Leichter's and Dr. Raven's actions abominable," Johnson said. "He also said he hoped the case against them could be won with no trickery. Of course I knew what he was insinuating."

"You don't suppose he'll make any trouble, do you?" Lector said warily.

"I don't think so," Johnson said. "He believes we're in the right here. He wouldn't want to jeopardize your father and Dr. Raven being convicted." He sighed and leaned back. "But I wonder a lot about all the people I've hurt through the years. What if I sent innocent people to prison? I don't actually know that I did, but I never really dug to find out. It looked like they were guilty, or at least that they could be, and I ran with that. It was my job to properly represent the companies that hired me, so I didn't concern myself with much other than what they wanted of me."

Gansley sighed and shook his head. "You can't know about those people. Naturally they'd all claim they were innocent, and in some cases, all you'd have would be their word. All you can really do is move forward into the future with a new outlook."

"Anyway, anyone you sent to prison is probably out now," Nesbitt said. "If anyone went to prison at all. Weren't your cases mostly about settlements?"

"Not always, like the boat case," Johnson said. "And even a little time spent in prison would be Hell." He shuddered. "All of us know what it's like to be trapped and unable to get out. And as horrible as virtual reality was, prison is likely worse."

No one could deny that.

". . . Hey," Crump said, breaking the uncomfortable silence, "is that the place?"

Everyone stared out the window at a large plantation mansion with white pillars in the front. Lector nodded. "That's it."

They pulled into the long driveway, the others' vehicles following close behind. As the cars stopped, the front doors opened and Lector's younger sister Evangeline rushed out of the house. "Démas!"

Lector caught her in a hug when they met. "How are you?" he asked. "Has living at our great-great-grandmother's family home been working out for you?"

Evangeline nodded. "You have no idea how amazing it feels to be out from under our father's thumb. And Angelique has really been enjoying it here too. She's at the restaurant right now, but she'll be back later."

"Are you serious?!" Joey exclaimed as he exited the van he had been in with many of the others. "You two really live in a place like this?!"

"Well . . ." Evangeline gave him a teasing look. "I'll admit it's pretty big for just the two of us, but it's going to be pretty filled up for a while now."

"There's really enough room for all of us?" Téa said in awe.

"Most of you will have to double up, but there's enough room," Evangeline assured her.

They all started up the walkway and onto the large porch.

Joey swallowed hard. "This place isn't . . . haunted, is it?" He shivered as they stepped inside.

Evangeline hesitated again, far too long to suit him.

"It is haunted!" Joey deduced.

". . . That's not unusual for New Orleans," Evangeline said slowly.

"Yeah, yeah, I remember. Everybody acts like the ghosts are just a normal part of living here," Joey said. "Well, they're not for me!"

"We're not positive it's haunted," Evangeline said. "But we have been hearing strange noises at night that sounds like someone's looking for something. We always get up and look around, but we can't find anything. And one night Angelique swore she saw a figure in white walking down the hall and around a corner, but she's not positive she wasn't dreaming and I'm not positive it wasn't just me."

Joey wailed. "We're in a haunted house!"

"Calm down, Joey," Serenity soothed. "It sounds like if there are any ghosts, they don't mean any harm. Maybe it's just Mr. Lector's and Evangeline's great-great-grandmother or another relative."

"What worries me is, if it is, it seems like they're trying to find something," Evangeline said. "Maybe it's important." She sighed and shut the door once everyone was in the entryway.

"Maybe Yami could try to talk to them and find out?" Bakura suggested.

Yami Bakura scowled. "We'll see." He set Oreo down and she started walking through the entryway out of utter curiosity. "Or the cat will find them."

"I hope it's really alright that we brought Oreo," Bakura said. "Father is traveling again. . . ."

"It's fine," Evangeline smiled. "She seemed to be very well-behaved last time."

"She is," Bakura agreed.

Mai looked to Evangeline. "So, how were you able to get a place like this?" she asked. "It's incredible."

Evangeline smiled. "It's stayed in the family, but it's been vacant for a long time. When I wanted to move out of our parents' home, I thought it would be the perfect place. I remember coming here as a little girl when our great-grandmother was still alive, and how much I loved it. After she died, no one else ever moved in."

". . . She didn't die in the house, did she?" Joey gulped.

"Joey!" Téa exclaimed in exasperation.

"Several generations of people lived and died in this house, Mr. Wheeler," Lector pointed out.

Joey stared at him in utter horror. "What?!"

"Ugh. This house is from the 19th Century," Téa said with an exasperated facepalm.

"I'll take all of you on a tour later," Evangeline said. "Right now, why don't you all go upstairs and get settled in your rooms? You can choose whatever rooms you want . . . aside from my room and Angelique's room, of course," she added with a chuckle and a wink. "And you can pair up however you want."

Seto nodded in approval. "Mokuba and I'll stay together," he said, to no one's surprise.

Everyone headed up the old staircase and to the second floor, which sprawled out in both directions.

"Did you ever come here?" Crump wondered, looking to Lector.

"I remember coming here as a child, yes," Lector said. He looked up and down the halls. "Nothing seems to have changed much. Evangeline said she wanted to keep it just as it was."

"You know, I've been wondering," Crump said. "You said Mokuba was the only kid you've ever really liked, but what about Marie and Evangeline? Weren't you around when they were kids?" He pushed open the nearest door and headed inside.

Lector followed him. "To be honest, Marie was a handful," he said. "I found it extremely overwhelming trying to take care of her. Evangeline was much sweeter, but when she was a child, I wasn't around so much."

"And yet she's so nuts about you?" Crump blinked.

"Sometimes I wonder if that's why," Lector said with a shake of his head. "She just never knew me enough to be familiar with my bad side."

"I don't think so," Crump insisted. "She knew all the crummy stuff you did and she loves you anyway. She still sees the good in you too, just like all of us do."

Lector smiled a bit. "I suppose."

"To tell you the truth . . ." Crump looked around nervously, then lowered his voice. "I'm kind of worried about Johnson. Do you think he's gonna be okay?"

"I think so," Lector said. "What worries me is if he and Mr. Wheeler are right about the opposing lawyers planning to bring up his past. It's possible, you know."

"Yeah, I guess so," Crump frowned. "I never thought about it, but they'd probably do it if they thought it'd give them an edge."

"I suppose we have to be grateful that no one can prove any of our shenanigans in virtual reality," Lector frowned. "Although it's possible our collusion with Pegasus could be brought up."

Crump made a face. "Pegasus really boxed us into a corner, making the company's reputation go down by spreading the story about Yugi beating Kaiba and then coming to us to say that we had to turn all our holdings over to him, that it was the only way to save the company."

"And maybe it was, but we should have balked as soon as he announced he was taking Mokuba." Lector sank onto one of the beds, holding a hand to his forehead. "I didn't feel right about it, of course, but I was angry enough at Mr. Kaiba and confident enough that Pegasus wouldn't hurt Mokuba that I let it go."

"That's not how I remember it," Crump said. "I remember you got mad and jumped up, demanding to know what Pegasus thought he was doing. And sure, even if you didn't keep trying to actually stop it, you stayed upset and you still had a lot of misgivings about it."

"That doesn't matter. I shouldn't have let it happen." Lector shook his head. "It was bad enough when we found out Mokuba was a prisoner in the dungeon, but do you know what he told me later?" A haunted look came into his eyes. "He said Pegasus actually stole his soul out of his body."

Crump stared at him. "What?!"

"I loved that boy, and look what I allowed to happen him," Lector said in distress. "I know I should focus on the fact that he's alright now, but coming back here to New Orleans. . . it's making me start to wonder . . . was my father right to disown me? Even to trick me into being a target for Dr. Raven?"

"No!" Crump got in front of Lector and grabbed his shoulders. "For crying out loud, no! No parent's got the right to do something like that to their kid! And if you're gonna say it's just desserts, it's not." His expression softened. "You've changed, Buddy. You were always a good guy. You just lost your way for a bit, and you're back on the right path now. Your dad didn't even care. It didn't matter to him that you'd changed; he only cared what you were, and the way it sounded before, it sounded like he only cared then because it made him look bad! Your dad's a creep."

Lector bowed his head. "Thank you," he said quietly.

"I'm sorry you had to come back here," Crump said. "It probably tears open the pain all over again, just when you were trying to heal." His grip tightened. "But I promise you, we're all gonna be here for you. And when it's over, hopefully we'll never have to come here again unless we're just visiting Evangeline."

"I hope so," Lector said.

xxxx

Joey was sharing a room with Tristan. He was highly tense as they unpacked, jumping at every sound and constantly looking over his shoulder.

"Come on, man!" Tristan sighed in exasperation. "Settle down! We don't even know there's a ghost, and it's probably nothing to be scared of even if there is! I mean, that ghost really helped us when we were stuck in the cemetery last time!"

"Yeah, well, this one looks for stuff in the middle of the night and walks down the hall!" Joey shot back. "What if I get up in the middle of the night and see it?!"

"Then just come back to bed," Tristan said with a roll of his eyes.

"It's bad enough having to come back here and see those creeps again, but now we've gotta worry about ghosts too?!" Joey rambled.

"I'm not worried," Tristan retorted.

"You were pretty scared in that cemetery," Joey remembered.

"Yeah, but not of the ghost we actually met!" Tristan shot back.

"Hey, what if the ghost was conjured by Dr. Raven to come after us and threaten us?!" Joey exclaimed. "Maybe it's gonna try to stop us from testifying!"

"It's not going to stop me from testifying," Tristan said. "Now come on. Let's go on the tour with everyone else. I wanna see what this place is like!"

Joey looked less than enthusiastic, but he wanted to be alone in the room even less. He quickly followed Tristan out.

xxxx

By and large, the group seemed impressed with the stately mansion. As they reconvened in the hall after settling into their rooms, Evangeline walked up to them. "What do you think?" she asked.

"It's amazing!" Téa exclaimed. "I love this place!"

"You must be so happy to be able to live here," Serenity said.

"Well . . ." Evangeline hesitated. "I miss being able to be with my family, but since that's just not possible anymore, yes, I do love being able to be here. And Angelique has been a great friend."

"That's great," Mai said sincerely. "I used to mock and scoff at friendship, but I found out just how important it really is."

"I think we all found that out," Téa said. Even Kaiba. . . .

Seto didn't comment.

"Hey, wait a minute," Crump frowned. "Where's Johnson?"

Everyone looked around, bewildered.

"He went into a room with Nesbitt," Gansley remembered.

"His phone rang," Nesbitt said. "He said he'd come out in a minute."

"Well, he's not coming out." Crump went to the room Nesbitt indicated and looked in. "Johnson? You coming?"

He stopped short at the sight of Johnson sitting on the bed, completely pale. The phone was still in one hand, held at his side.

"Johnson?!" Crump exclaimed. "What the heck happened?! Who called you?!"

Johnson looked up slowly, his eyes filled with fear. "I don't know who it was. He said he knew what I'd done . . . and that everyone was going to suffer because of it."