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Seto didn't think Jounouchi had caught on but he had noticed they were getting closer to Shizuka and was starting to make much too obvious motions to get to her. This is why he hadn't just told him what he was doing, he couldn't play it cool to save his - or in this case his sister's - life. He was fairly certain he'd tracked the spirit but it wasn't close enough, it was feeding off the anger but Jounouchi was calming down and Seto's was fake, something that would be very noticeable when his sparring partner completely lost focus. So he did the first thing that came to mind, he picked Jounouchi up by the collar and mocked, 'just growls dog? Can't even form a coherent sentence? That's been the worst part of this nightmare, being stuck with someone so low IQ,' before tossing him onto his back on the ground, a few inches away from his sister.

And at that moment Anzu was directly behind him, wasn't sure how she could move so quickly, probably the spirit. He wasn't even sure Jounouchi or Shizuka had seen her move there, but he could feel it. Before Jounouchi had time to rise or the shikigami had time to react further he reached around grabbed Anzu, shoving his fist full of the powder he'd gotten from Futata down her throat. She struggled and thrashed but he pinned her against his side and kept his hand firmly over her mouth for thirty seconds before finally letting go. Black smoke expelled from Anzu's mouth as the spirit was forced out. He tossed a knife down to Jounouchi, 'cut her loose, quickly, it'll be weakened for a bit but we need to go.' With the spirit expelled Anzu lost consciousness, but she was still breathing. He held her up with one arm while he pulled out his phone, finally able to call his brother.

'Mokuba,' he began before his brother could get a word in, 'no time for details, I want you Yuugi, and Honda to get a helicopter back home immediately.' He gave quick directions to the shrine where he wanted them all to meet. He didn't think the spirit would be recover before they could all safely get back, but there was no reason to delay. Ending the call he turned to Jounouchi who was still sitting shell shocked but had at last managed to cut his sister free who was getting to her feet. Picking up Anzu he raced back toward the limo.

((I definitely can't imagine they wouldn't get back together in the same movie, so yea, it wouldn't have much depth. I definitely agree about Jane/Thor not being a solid couple either but it annoys me less and there are other characters I like in that series so it seems less bothersome somehow. Plus they always seem to try to press Tony/Pepper as a more overarching couple. I mean Pepper gets inserted into the Avengers a bit, even a missed 'emotional' (ya know, if I felt it) call at the climax. Thor meanwhile never picks up a phone to call Jane and she's completely forgotten even though her sidekick is totally there. And that just sucks that the comics are deciding to run with the movie universe, so even though I'm not a comic person that's one more thing to annoy me about this couple. What bollocks.))

Seto was surprised with Jounouchi got in the front of the car with him rather than in the back with his sister. He thought he'd want to be in back to check on Anzu and be near his sister, particularly as the limo partition wasn't one that could be lowered (he had never had an interest in seeing his drivers and merely just had an intercom in place if he needed to speak to them). He didn't stop to question it, the doors were closed and he sped off.

After a few moments of silence Seto finally broke, 'I didn't mean any of it you know. I didn't really know if any of that would work, but it depended entirely on an emotional response and you may have a lot of talents but pretending to feel is not one of them. You feel what you do when you feel it, and I needed you to feel real anger, it's the only thing that would have gotten that stupid spirit to come so close. You asked me to do whatever I could to get your sister and Anzu out alive and I did. I realise however, that that meant hurting you.'

((I think part of why Jane/Thor don't bother me is I don't really take them seriously. I mean it just seems very high school, the whole 'in love after a day and it's the most serious important part of life ever.' I mean Thor even strikes me as a giant sixteen year old anyhow so it just kind of fits but I don't take it seriously. I mean I don't think Thor does much for Jane, his mother is the one who chooses to die to protect her while Thor isn't even there, and his brother kind of handles the situation the way he wanted as well too. So the big thing he chooses is at the end to go be with her, and I guess for now my brain can just totally imagine it not working out and there hasn't been that much invested. Or maybe it will work out but it'll prove itself, but it didn't work out because of true love nonsense no matter what they may say/may imply. Just with time and proximity it might become something real, the way sometimes teenage romances do even if they did have a ridiculous start. So it bothers me less because I just don't take it seriously at this point. There has been very little 'love' shown between them. So I agree that I think Pepper is a better and more desirable character, or at least, she's been fleshed out more so we see why she is. But as much as it annoys me, Tony and Pepper do have much more time between them (though I feel we are told about more of it than feel it if you take just the movies alone) and it feels more real, on top of also feeling sudden and too easy. I mean frankly Jane knows nothing about Thor, doesn't know enough about him to dislike Thor and maybe she would if she found a few skeletons in his closet, or would have to get through them. Pepper watches his parade of women and just easily jumps into a relationship with him either (a) just knowing she's such a special butterfly that it'll be different (b) because she's really that naive or (c) because she's a bit of a gluten for punishment. So it bothers me more because it seems too easy + the bad informed choice versus the high school relationship that I can easily choose not to take seriously at this point. I can see Tony and Pepper getting better, even if I did hate the start, Jane and Thor I don't see getting better so while I doubt it'll go away I'd definitely like it too. Until it's in my face again I'm sticking with the crappy teenage relationship point of view. xd

I guess I wouldn't mind good inspiration between different mediums (despite which one came first), but taking something trite like a fairly flimsy relationship does seem a bit disappointing. I don't know enough about Hawkeye and Black Widow, they were characters I wasn't familiar with before the filmverse, but hopefully the relationship becoming clear is at least better than the relationships of Tony and Thor. xd ))

Seto grunted softly in reply, suddenly uncomfortable with the almost friendly atmosphere.

- - -

Shizuka let Anzu rest against her, listening to make sure the girl was still breathing, that her pulse was still steady. After a few minutes Anzu started to stir and Shizuka put her arm around her comfortingly, 'Anzu, are you okay? Are you hurt?'

- - -

Mokuba had looked pretty frustrated when he hung up the phone without being able to get in a single word, but he immediately sprung to action without complaint. They were now speeding toward where the helicopter was preparing to take them back home and he finally took a moment to ask, tentatively as Mokuba's temper wasn't as mild and polite as it had once been, 'why is your brother sending us to a shrine, is he going to meet us there? Is Shizuka okay?'

((They bother me more in principle, but as I don't take them seriously they are a lot easier to ignore. That said I rewatched Thor yesterday as everything else on TV in that time slot was terrible and while I think it's ridiculous it does entertain me a lot more. I guess I'll take ridiculous over pisses me off. Plus the one thing I did think about in re-watching Thor, and thinking about a line from Honest Trailers, I mean it's not just a no time relationship but everything for Thor is over what (as HT points out) is essentially a long weekend. Learning humility, growing as a person, becoming a good man rather than a spoiled boy and falling for some stupid mortal girl. So basically the entirety of the plot asks you to suspend disbelief and accept that a lot of things that should take years took days. I guess in that sense it all works together, it's not just the relationship. Where in Iron Man lots of plot things have a more realistic time frame, in the first film I didn't get the feeling he'd just built that suit overnight it seemed to imply a much longer length of time (although now that I'm curious enough to check I can't find anything that'll confirm for me how long he was captive). It felt more real though. I guess that's what's jarring, the differences in time. The Jane/Thor whirlwind romance is ridiculous but so is everything else in the Thor time frame so it all kind of fits in. I will be fair though and say I've seen Thor at least half a dozen times (I think more) and I've seen each of the Iron Man films only once. So it might be worth giving them another chance. They still can't win me over more on first impression but maybe I'll appreciate some details in a re-watch I didn't the first time around.

Widow/Hawkeye friend/lovers/whatever does sound like it'll probably be the most solid relationship. It already has the advantage of one that wasn't just thrust out from the beginning, though they both haven't had solo movies so there's been less pressure for that. It is a bit annoying that none of the stand alone films managed to just ignore a relationship for at least one incarnation. Well actually Captain America does, as there isn't one in the sequel (unless you count a moment with elder Peggy) and the prequel probably pushes it the least. So maybe that's more reason why Captain America does it the most for me. It just seems so trite to try to force love into world saving crises. I mean in the comics having it come up from time to time of course, that's just life. But in a movie that spans a short period of time? Come on, somebody can be single for a short period of time and just focus on heroism. And I am now thinking about it again annoyed b/c Thor is mostly motivated to change in all those other ways because of Jane, and seriously, she's not that good of a humanity teacher. xd Okay I'll stop now I thinking I'm going in endless circles about my own opinion.))

Seto flushed uncomfortably, he didn't really know how to handle people expressing gratitude and something he suspected was pretty close to affection, particularly toward him. 'Don't worry about it,' he mumbled, not even sure Jounouchi could hear him.

Unable to take anymore heartfelt moments he quickly moved to change the subject. 'Look, I'm hoping Futata might have something we can use to at least keep us all safe from possession even if no answers on how to defeat this spirit for good yet. Hiding out at the shrine won't be ideal, but assuming we don't have to go that route how far should this extend? My brother, Yuugi and your friend Honda are all on their way to the shrine, is there anyone else the spirit might go after to get to you? Obviously Mokuba is the only person that could really be used against me. Your mother's hospitalized, we can't move her, hopefully she'll be fine there. I'm not sure your father is going to be very receptive to any of this, assuming he hasn't already been compromised. What do you want to do?'

- - -

'We are in the back of one of Kaiba's limos,' Shizuka answered gently, not sure where to start explaining the story, she wasn't even sure how much Anzu knew about the situation, if she'd been awake at all during that possession. 'What's the last thing you remember?'

- - -

Honda wanted to hit himself for not even thinking to ask about Jounouchi, he just hadn't originally been the one in danger so it didn't even occur to him to think he could have gotten hurt on their quest to save Shizuka. 'Well, I'm sure he would have found time to mention if they weren't okay,' Honda stated confidently, mostly trying to reassure himself.

((I'm just so used to comics/graphic novels/manga series (and cartoons frequently) that don't have a realistic time frame that I kind of just accept that it is an element of this type of universe at this point and it doesn't bother me, particularly if it's consistent and seamless and works with itself. There are certain realisms I don't expect in the comic world (and some that I don't expect but do tend to be the reason I don't get into many American comics b/c they just don't work for me personally) and a normal human timeline is definitely one of them. I mean I try to think if Thor could work better for me if they just implied that it took place over something like 3-5 years and I think that would bore me without adding anything for me. I guess for me the greatest sin is boredom. There are movies I think are terrible but they don't bore me, and movies I recognise as 'good' movies but they either bore me entirely or far too frequently. I'm much more forgiving of a book that has it's dull moments than a film, and so I suppose Iron Man commits the most unforgivable sin for me. But I find it to do this less and less as the films progress at least.

The first Iron Man hinted but I felt a bit too obviously and overtly, though perhaps b/c I already knew maybe that's why it seemed heavy handed. But yea the first Iron Man definitely suffered more from boring me than annoying me with a trite romance plot, that's true. But yea, I definitely would like to see a better mix of (a) movies that manage to function without sticking in a random pointless romance for the sake of sexiness and (b) movies that solidly support the relationships that they are completely justified in having.))

'The partition can't be lowered, it's why I was surprised you sat in front, I had thought that was obvious. There is an intercom but they'd have to ring it, I don't let my drivers call me as I don't want to risk being interrupted when I'm working.' Seto paused after explaining the partition. It was no wonder people genuinely didn't like him with all the effort he'd expended in keeping his person as isolated as possible. Perhaps it wasn't just jealousy and/or respect for his preferences that kept everyone at a distance. Pushing the negative thoughts aside for now, he offered, 'I'd have to pull over to let you into the back of the vehicle. I'd rather hurry to the shrine if that's okay, but if you want to check on the girls I'll pull off and let you back there?'

- - -

'Umm, well everything is okay at the moment but there is a lot going on,' Shizuka said hesitantly, unsure where to begin and what Anzu was up for. Plus she didn't have all the information either, such as what this spirit thing haunting her brother and/or Kaiba was. She went for sharing the short version that covered the major details. Some evil force was after her brother and possibly Kaiba, and was potentially hurting loved ones to get at them. She detailed how she, Yuugi and Honda had been busy researching while her brother and Kaiba chased down supernatural experts Isis had recommended. Finally, she explained as much as she could about the possession, trying to be as gentle as possible around the bits of what the spirit had actually been up to - that Shizuka was aware of - while it had been in possession of Anzu's skin.

- - -

'Well, it's dangerous to text and drive, if he's driving that is, otherwise I don't see why he couldn't answer. So maybe we should just wait for answers, we'll be there soon right? Don't want them to crash and burst into flames due to inappropriate phone use,' Honda joked lightly, trying to lighten the mood and hide his own worry.

((Yea, see I wouldn't buy a few weeks as any more believable than a few days, in fact I'd probably believe it even less. So yea, I guess it doesn't feel lazy and unrealistic to me because everything kind of fits well and it isn't really until after the fact that I thought about the fact that everything took place over a few days. I have almost never felt a payoff to being boredom because I think I could take it too, but I've rarely found something that's bored me to have any pay off. So it ends up being the bigger sin. Because yea, at the end of the day the Iron Man plot is just dull to me, I recognise why it is 'good' but I still find it hideously boring. Thor I recognise that is cheesy and kind of dumb, but I forgive it because it's entertaining and likable. I can accept down swings/dull moments in TV and ongoing media, but in film I expect a fairly constant progression and payoff. I only like the slow burn in the psychological/heavy thinking type mediums (of which the Marvel films rarely touch). As for Marvel realising that romances don't have to be everywhere I don't think it's down to a realisation. I mean there is no shortage of outcry media screaming 'enough Hollywood' and yet tickets still sell and so they'll still put it in. Because it's safe, it's the safe fill. Studios aren't willing to take risks and so it's less a problem of recognising that people want to see other stuff and more of them probably being very slow about taking risks outside of the established comfort zone. Considering 9/10 innovative or 'risky' movies tend to bomb in the box office (even if they maybe get a cult following and heavy critical/fan appreciation later) I can't blame them even if it sucks.))

'Yea sure,' Seto said, digging in his coat and handing it over. Before Jounouchi could make the call it 'pinged' signaling a text. 'Mokuba?' he asked.

- - -

'No you didn't, Kaiba stopped you - well that thing - before you could,' Shizuka said, feeling a wave of gratitude thinking back. She knew her brother had been hurt and furious, but she'd been able to tell right away that it was a ruse. Kaiba had been a petty man in the past, but he wasn't stupid and he was always very deliberate about his actions when the pressure was on. She felt bad for her brother, he'd clearly been hurt, but they'd all gotten out alive and it was mostly thanks to him. Kaiba always insisted they weren't friends, that he didn't like them. Yet, instead of approaching this situation as something in which he just had to get himself, and his brother, to safety he thought about the group. She hoped her brother would realise that one day, she was sure he'd like the guy if he'd give him half a chance. If they'd give each other a chance, and she smiled to herself a bit amused at all the possible meanings of that idea.

- - -

'I wasn't implying that,' Honda mumbled petulantly. He used to like Mokuba, but these days he annoyed him more than his older brother. He knew he was stressed, but he didn't used to turn into quite this much of a jerk when things got rough. He couldn't wait until this whole mess was over and the Kaiba brothers could go back to their spoiled rich person lives and he could happily ignore them again.

((No, all you need to learn is not to smash coffee cups and then you are set for life! Lol, yea I get it's not great but Thor is definitely something that kind of marketed well to a certain type of, ahem, female audience member and I have to admit I definitely fall into the category. I think Thor hits a certain more stereotypical female 'ooh hot men and cheesy romance' demographic, Iron Man a more stereotypical male (well, in 'gender' tropes anyhow) 'woo robot battles and the playboy we wish we were' demographic and Captain America just kind of focused on being good and thus stayed away from more of the annoying tropes that kind of attach to relationships. So I think they are aware they can deviate but they clearly don't lose money by not deviating so they aren't as motivated to take it out/stop doing it. Plus, with Marvel considering they almost primarily went with male protagonists they kind of also feel a need to stick it in to put female characters, just any female characters, more into the movies because you do tend to alienate a female audience without at least one solid female actress/character (the same way men are alienated by romcoms, which are actually worse at developing male characters than action/superhero movies tend to be at developing female characters, even if they do tend to become romantic plot devices b/c what, just friends? Absurd!). Captain America managed to avoid romance and be amazing and still have a solid female main character by appropriating the one non-male 'Avenger' they've stuck in thus far. Iron Man 2 used her too though obviously not as much, and I think that was a big part of why that movie is better for me than the first. They used the solid female character who yea she still fulfills the 'sexy' role but she isn't the girlfriend. Nowhere near as much as Captain America, but I enjoyed her presence there. Although, I kind of think I preferred Terrence Howard to Don Cheadle, so hmm...that's one thing the first one might have for me, I just can't decide. Back in circles again.

But yes, in agreement that I'd love some more movies that have men and women and they totally don't have to put their bits together. Because come on, outside of porn I don't see why this is mandatory. Though I'd love to see the porno that took sex out, the disappointed viewers' frustration would be priceless. xd

Also there is a new thread with a hello? I can't tell if it's a new person or an old person returned, though if it's the latter I don't know who it is. Anyhow packing, cleaning and basically trying not to cry about leaving CA so will deal with that later.))

'I didn't mention that you and Shizuka were specifically okay, I forgot. I also didn't say Anzu was here, we weren't allowed to message anyone after I realised that bit. You might as well let them know that detail as well, I assume Honda and Yuugi would especially care about such news.'

- - -

'He did,' Shizuka said with a smile, glad Anzu was calming down, 'him and Jounouchi have been together quite a lot lately. It's odd, but I think good for both of them.'

- - -

'Good,' Honda smiled, relieved. If Jounouchi was able to text then both he and Shizuka had to be okay.

((Hahaha, I hate being part of that market because ugh, stereotype. But I also like it b/c ugh, abs! Lol, but not really abs b/c I'm not really an abs person, though I do like buff arms, that's kinda my weird thing. Plus long hair on guys. Thor, Loki, Bucky = yum. Iron Man has no long haired buff armed hotties. xd Yea romcoms fail at the development of people, but women really seem to like them. Apparently The Other Woman is the movie that has finally knocked Captain America: Winter Soldier out of number one. Conceptually it seems offensive all over. It's kind of sad, but I think men would be more amenable to smarter, less 'girly toy' women in films - albeit so long as they still were at least nice eye candy - than most women would be. Which is probably why action movies are actually doing more and more to characterize people and romcoms still aren't doing it.I do think Black Widow was definitely two-dimensional in Iron Man 2 and had Winter Soldier come first I don't think I'd have tolerated it, but at the time it was kind of the foray into 'hey here is a smarter somewhat more diverse woman with potential to be more than a sex cake.' Do you know a why on Howard's replacement? I've never looked into that.

Yea I'm definitely not anti-sex in films, and sometimes I quite like it I do wish they were smarter about it and I wish they still had more diverse scenarios of male/female relationships. More friendships or acquaintances without sexual tension, or tension that never manifests into anything. Generally, scenarios that are more human, more realistic.))