Disclaimer: Genius Joss Whedon owns Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Kazuki Takahashi (also a genius) owns Yu-Gi-Oh. I own the fanfics I cook up from time to time.

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Firedance

Yami had heard of Helen's Kitchen in Los Angeles, California. So that was where he was now, of course. Kristy, who he heard was really great when it came to making the best apple pie in the City of Lost Angels, had explained to him that the new waitress preferred to be known as Anne. "She's been through a lot, of course. Promise me you won't go making trouble for her, Yami?"

Yami nodded solemnly, although his crimson eyes held a bit of a smile. "Of course, Kristy," he replied.

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"What'll you have?"

"Cinnamon rolls with a side of frosting, please."

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Yami noticed everything about Anne. The golden locks that reminded him of Rapunzel in the fairy tale bearing her name, which he would read quite often, among other things. The green eyes that reminded him of shamrocks in Ireland, which was where his friend Angel, the vampire with a soul, was from. Angel had told Yami all about Ireland. Rumor had it that leprechauns were supposed to live there, as did fairies and other things.

Yami pulled his mind back to the present and focused on Anne. He sensed there was a sad aura about her, since her aura was now blue. Usually it would be yellow, since yellow stood for happiness. Or green, like her eyes.

From that moment on, he made up his mind. He would watch over Anne and keep a protective eye on her.

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"What'll you have?"

"Some pancakes with a side of syrup, please."

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Yami fought to keep his temper down — as well as his urge to show off some Shadow Magic — when he looked at the greasy trucker who slapped Anne on the rump before turning back to laugh with his similarly greasy trucker friends who encouraged such ungentlemanly behavior. How dare they touch what I've sworn to protect, and for Angel's sake as well? After all, he owed it to Angel to keep Buffy safe, and that was exactly what he was going to do.

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Ken, the demon who had been posing as the leader of the halfway house known as the Family Home, and who was currently pinned down by the gate at the legs in the factory dimension, was in shock.

"Time to teach you a lesson, you nut-job!" growled one of Ken's fellow demons, who then charged at Yami. Yami, much to Ken's surprise, simply stood there all calm, cool and collected as what looked like a glowing eye on his forehead suddenly appeared.

"I don't think so," Yami replied before holding out his palm and yelling, "Mind Crush!"

"Aaah!" the demon yelled as he was thrown back onto the floor by Yami's Shadow Magic, where he never moved again. Yami then turned to Ken, who looked up at Yami, puzzlement and confusion now in his eyes.

"Ken," Yami said, his crimson eyes now full of seriousness and the glowing eye still on his forehead as he looked at Ken.

"That eye... on your forehead," said Ken, who was unable to think of anything else to say.

"It's the Millennium Symbol, Ken," Yami replied. Then, he held his palm up, and, as Ken watched in surprise, a little bit of Shadow Magic suddenly appeared in the form of an orange, flickering flame right there.

Then Yami said, "Goodbye, Ken. Hopefully, wherever you're going, you'll never encounter me or Buffy, ever again."

Finally, he held out his palm and banished Ken to the Shadow Realm before turning back to Anne and winked at her.

"Buffy," he said as he held out his hand to her. She took it gratefully. Then, with a snap of his fingers, Yami transported Anne and himself back to Anne's apartment.

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"Thank you... Yami, especially for helping me out when you did," she said. "But how did you... well, you know...?"

Yami smiled. "Because, Buffy, Anne is your middle name, and I'd sense you anywhere, of course."

Buffy sighed in relief, and the smile Yami had missed for so long then appeared on her face. "I kind of figured that myself."

After giving her job and her apartment, as well as her middle name, to Lily, Buffy, along with Yami, returned to Sunnydale. Before he left for Angel's apartment, Yami gave Buffy a hug and then said, "I'll see you around, Buffy. Hopefully, you can tell me all about what it was like in Los Angeles."

Buffy nodded. She knew that someday, she would have to tell someone about the events in Los Angeles.

And Yami himself would be that person. She could trust him very well, of course.

The End

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