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Lady Luck	By : Amarin Category: Yu-Gi-Oh > Het - Male/Female Views: 2207 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own YuGiOh!, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
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A Good Run Of Not-So-Bad Love
***
The instructions I give for the BSRI may not be entirely accurate. Don�t take my word on it; consult a professional if you�re really interested.
***
A high roller even when the chips are down.

To win her over, I�d see the tables turn around.

She�s ten the hard way; I can feel it in my bones.

She�ll be makin� my day and not another night alone.

I�d bet it all on a good run of bad luck.

Seven come eleven and she could be mine.

Luck be a lady, and I�m gonna find love

comin� on the bottom line.

***
Clint Black � Good Run Of Back Luck
***
The next month saw a distinct change in their relationship, one Tristan wasn�t sure he liked. Dara was acting exceedingly passive-aggressive � kissing him, touching him, but always backing off before things went too far, which was slightly frustrating � and he wasn�t sure he liked it.
Oh, the making out was definitely fun, but while he loved the fact that she was so unpredictable, Dara was practically running hot and cold right now. One minute she�d kiss him as if she�d die if she couldn�t get enough of him, and the next minute she�d be running like a nun in fear for her virginity.
It wasn�t like her.
Or was it?
For as long as Tristan had known �Duke� and the even shorter time he�d known Dara, she�d always gone after what she wanted with remarkable determination. Whether it be reluctant revenge on Solomon Moto on her father�s behalf, a perfect grade in chemistry, or him spending an entire and uninterrupted afternoon with her, she pursued them all with the same single-minded intensity. It was actually pretty hot, now that he thought of it, that she had such strength of will. But for all that she occasionally changed her mind at lightning speed, she�d never � as Duke or Dara � been fickle or a tease.
But that was what she was acting like now.
Tristan didn�t know what to think. He�d only known her as a girl for three months, after all. Maybe he was finally seeing the real Dara.
But somehow, Tristan was pretty sure that wasn�t it. Whatever it was, though, it was starting to get on his nerves. He really liked Dara � maybe more than liked her, actually � and to see her like this�
Well, it was off-putting, to say the least.
He really needed to talk to her.
***
His chance, thankfully for his sanity � what was left of after having lived in Domino City through Duelist Kingdom, Battle City, Noah�s World and all the other craziness � came the next afternoon.
Joey had gotten detention for getting into a fight with Kaiba � again. Yugi had promised to watch the store for his grandfather, and Yami was helping. Tristan couldn�t help but hope that no one came in that afternoon since those two would probably be necking on the counter after five minutes.
He�d walked in on them last week. Luckily, they both still had their clothes on.
That time, anyway.
T�a had a dance class, and Ryou said he was going to study for his Literature test. He didn�t say what was Bakura was up to, but when the white-haired hikari got that half-anxious, half-amused glint in his doe-brown eyes, everyone had learned it meant some malicious mischief would soon occur, courtesy of Bakura.
In any event, both he and Dara were at loose ends that afternoon, and consequently ended up back at her apartment. They could have gone back to his house, but his parents would be home in an hour or so, and he didn�t really want to have this talk where anyone could overhear them.
He and Dara were, at that moment, involved in a game of poker. She�d suggested making it strip poker, but Tristan had vetoed the idea. He was not about to fall for that. He was determined to have this talk with her, and nakedness would not be conducive to coherent thought.
Especially since he sucked at poker.
As Dara shuffled the cards for the fifth time, Tristan made his move.
�Ano�Dara?�
�Yeah, Tris?� Dara looked up from her shuffling.
Taking a deep breath, Tristan plunged in. �Something�s been bothering you lately and I�d like to know what,� he said bluntly.
Flicking the brunet a quick look out of the corner of her eye, Dara said dismissively, �There�s been nothing big on my mind lately.�
�I didn�t say it was anything big, I just said something�s been on your mind lately,� Tristan corrected. �And I�d like to know what so I can help.�
Dara sighed and slumped back in her chair, the very picture of reluctant capitulation. She half-heartedly shuffled the cards a few more times before dropping them down onto the kitchen table. �We�re studying how gender affects the mind in my psychology class,� she said, her words coming almost from out of left field.
But Tristan knew they were relevant. Dara might try to beat around the bush to get out of conversations she didn�t want to have, but she�d never lie to him. It might take her a while to get to the point, but eventually � with a healthy dose of prodding and cajoling on his part � she�d get there.
He hoped.
�And?� Tristan coaxed.
�It�s just�getting to me, that�s all,� Dara said, trying to put him off yet again.
But Tristan would not be deterred. �How is it getting to you?� he asked. She really does have bad luck. Gender issues�both in class and in her life.
�A few weeks ago, we filled out a worksheet in class,� she said softly. �It wasn�t for a grade, or anything, just to �see psychology in action� as Nasana-Sensei says.�
Ah, we�re getting closer, Tristan thought. �What was the worksheet about?�
�The BSRI � the Bem Sex Role Inventory,� Dara replied, voice flat. She�d gone back to fiddling with the cards, but had now put them aside and was playing with her dice earring. Something that Tristan knew she only did when she was either extremely upset or nervous.
Or both.
Having no clue what that was � but guessing by her tone of voice and the her depressed demeanor of the past few weeks that it wasn�t something Dara had enjoyed � Tristan asked patiently, �And what�s that?�
�The teacher said it was �designed for conducting empirical research on psychological androgyny,�� Dara replied, which still didn�t exactly clear anything up. It did, however, give Tristan chills up his spine.
This wasn�t good.
�What exactly does this BSRI test?� Tristan asked, a numbing dread clawing at his gut.
�Your gender,� Dara replied bluntly, her eyes flicking to meet his for one brief moment. Tristan was floored by the desolation he saw in them. �Or, at least, how you perceive it,� she qualified.
�You mean your�psychological gender?� Tristan asked. Oh, boy�or girl, he thought irreverently.
This definitely wasn�t good. And neither was her luck, lately, it seemed.
�Hai,� Dara said softly.
Deciding to take a different tack for a moment, Tristan asked, �How does it work?�
�You�re given a list of sixty personality traits,� Dara said readily, seeming more willing to talk now that the subject was about something external rather than personal. �Twenty of them are considered masculine traits, twenty are considered feminine, and the last twenty are filler � they�re considered neutral, and important to your score. You don�t find out until after you�ve filled the worksheet out which ones are which.�
�And what do you do with them?� Tristan coaxed.
�You score them for yourself,� Dara replied. �On a scale of one to seven, one being that it never or almost never applies to you, and seven being that it always or almost always does. Once you�ve put down a number for each trait, you total up the numbers for each category and then divide the result by twenty.�
�Then what do you do?�
�You divide the masculine average by the feminine average. If the number you got for the masculine traits is high, and the number you got for the feminine traits is low, then the final number would be positive, which is masculine. If the final number is between 1.5 and 2.5, then you�re masculine; if it�s between 0.5 and 1.5, then you�re considered near-masculine,� Dara recited. She was using a monotone voice, almost as if she�d memorized the instructions.
Or just gone over and over them, trying and hoping to find some new piece of information�
�If the number you got for the feminine traits is high and the number you got for the masculine traits is low, then the final number would be negative, which is feminine,� she continued without prompting. �If the final number is between negative 1.5 and 2.5, then you�re feminine; if it�s between 0.5 and negative 1.5, then you�re considered near-feminine.�
�So does it just have those two basic outcomes or�� Tristan wasn�t sure if there were more genders than just male and female, but psychologists always had to make things crazy.
Ironic, wasn�t it?
�There were four possible outcomes,� Dara replied in a monotone. �Masculine, feminine, androgynous, or undifferentiated.�
Ah, and I think we�re getting warmer. Just a little more information��I get what the first two are, but wouldn�t those last two be the same thing?�
�They�re opposites of a sort, just like male and female,� Dara revealed, eyes looking anywhere but at Tristan. �Androgynous means you scored high on both the masculine and feminine scales, and undifferentiated means you scored low on both of them.�
�So androgynous is both and undifferentiated is neither?� Tristan asked.
�Yeah.�
�So if the number you got for both the feminine and masculine traits is almost the same that would be androgynous?� Tristan had to ask.

�Anything between 0.5 and negative 0.5 is androgynous or undifferentiated,� Dara said, eyes still focused on the table. �So if you got a mean score of four for both the masculine and feminine traits, you�d end up with zero. Perfectly androgynous.�

�How do you tell the difference between androgynous and undifferentiated?� Tristan asked, brow furrowing. This seemed like an awfully haphazard way to determine gender. Almost like some magazine quiz that told you how good a lover you were based on whether you liked silk or cotton sheets.
�You go by the original masculine/feminine mean scores,� Dara said. An exhausted look had glazed over her eyes, and she continued in a tired voice, �If you got a four or higher on both, and the numbers are extremely close, then you�re androgynous. If you got less than four on both, and the numbers are extremely close, then you�re undifferentiated.�
The dread was back at its clawing but it wasn�t numb anymore. �What did you score as?� Tristan asked gently, just knowing she�d ended up as one of the latter two.
�Androgynous,� Dara said in a dull voice. �I got a mean score of four on all three scales. I�m perfectly, utterly, completely genderless.� With that final pronouncement, she let out a shuddering breath and buried her head in her hands.
Dara�s words from the first real conversation they�d had in her hotel room came rushing back to him: �� A psychologist would have a field day with me. Not only did I probably end up with a gender disorder from pretending to be a guy for so long that I now think I�m dressing in drag whenever I wear a dress, but I also have an identity disorder��
Rising from his chair and coming over to stand beside her, Tristan placed his hands gently on her shoulders. �No, you�re not, Dara,� Tristan said compassionately. �You�re an amazing girl.� And I think I�m falling in love with you� he thought, amazed.
�Amazing, huh?� she asked, voice a minuscule amount lighter.
�Yeah,� Tristan agreed, releasing her shoulders and turning her chair around so she could face him. He hunkered down on the floor, staring up at her bang-covered eyes. �You�re my girl. I don�t know how I got so lucky.�
�Yours, huh?� Her eyes met his for a moment, lips twitching in an almost-smile.

Tristan nodded. �All mine,� he concurred, the timbre of his voice sending a shiver through her. �And besides, I bet you weren�t the only one who got skewed results,� he added.
Her eyes lost their regained shine, and she lowered her head, becoming depressed again. �Yes, actually, I was. Even Ryou ended up coming out as near-masculine,� she said defeatedly. �And the worst thing is � it was probably the best answer I could have gotten, all told.�
�It was?� Tristan asked confusedly.
Dara nodded. �If I�d come up as feminine or near-feminine on the scale, can you imagine the teasing that would have resulted?� She laughed, her voice slightly hysterical. �But if I�d come up as masculine or even near-masculine�� She let her voice trail off as she looked away.
Damn. She just can�t catch a break, can she? Tristan wondered how often something like this happened to Dara, to bring up all her old � or maybe not so old � insecurities.
�You were the only person who came up as androgynous?� Tristan asked, as suddenly everything clicked into place. �Or even undifferentiated?�
�Yeah,� Dara confirmed softly. �Nobody else was got between 0.5 and negative 0.5.�
�This sounds like one of those quizzes in Cosmo or something,� Tristan said, shaking his head. �For entertainment only. You shouldn�t read anything into it, Dara.�
�People are notorious for doing what they shouldn�t, Tristan,� Dara pointed out.
�How accurate could that scale be, though? It doesn�t sounds very�well, sound,� Tristan said.
�It was created it 1974,� she replied.
�So it�s over thirty years old?� Tristan asked incredulously. �No wonder it�s so flawed. Computers become obsolete in three months; this thing must be so substandard it�s a dinosaur.�
Her lips curved up into a genuine, albeit wan smile. �You�re probably right,� she admitted. �It was very out of date � stuff like �self-reliance,� �independent,� and �has leadership capabilities� were still considered primarily male traits,� she groused.
Tristan chuckled. �Those psychologists have obviously never met Joey, have they? He�s the most irresponsible person I know.�
Dara shook her head slowly. �I guess not.�
Tristan�s legs were about to give out from staying in his awkward position for so long, so he dropped down to his knees in preparation for getting back on his feet. �So this is what�s been eating you for the past few weeks?� he asked, relieved that the big talk was finally over.
Or maybe not, he thought as he saw her close up again. Damn, what else is running through her brain?
�Mostly,� she admitted.
�And what was the rest of it about?� Tristan asked, resigning himself to a pair of sore knees.
She straightened up slightly and looked him square in the eye, an almost defeated expression on her face. �If even I�m so confused over my gender I don�t think I�m a girl, what does that mean?�
�What does that mean for what?� Tristan asked.
�For us,� she said, at a loss.
Tristan�s thoughts had been racing ever since Dara�s final proclamation about her lack of gender and he thought he�d finally hit on something that would make her feel better. �Hey, I liked you when I thought you were a guy,� he pointed out, one hand coming up to card through her hair. �I still like you now that I know you�re a girl. Why would I stop liking you just because some stupid, out-of-date test says you�re both?�
The expression on her face was almost � but not quite, considering the circumstances � comical: part dumbstruck, part relief and part, �Is he crazy?�
�I�don�t know,� she admitted on a laugh. �I guess I�m just being stupid.�
�No�just human,� he corrected, cupping the back of her neck and drawing her down into a kiss. And I definitely think I�m falling for you, imperfections and all�
Not that he was glad she had so many problems, but he was glad that he was there to help her with them.
After all, if you had someone to talk to, problems didn�t seem so bad.
Neither did luck, for that matter.
- 6
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- 8
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Lady Luck