Schiz- All right, folks. I'm back. Finally.
Bakura- Who cares, exactly?
Schiz- My loyal fan base, of course!
Ryou- Schiz-san, you've been gone so long you really don't have one anymore.
Schiz- Yeah, I know. Don't remind me. -.-;;
Malik- So… you gonna tell the people about the new fic, or are you going to sit there and pout?
Bakura- Probably both.
Schiz- Quiet you. Okay, here's the deal- Princess of Shadows is the sequel to both my 'King of Thieves' story (don't bother looking for it; I'm redoing it so it's not up anymore), and Anya1's 'Family History.' With her permission, of course. (Read it. It's good.) And that reminds me. I want to thank her for letting me use Raya/Ruia.
Ryou- And…
Schiz- Oh yeah! And… Princess of Shadows is Part One of this saga I'm writing. The other books, in order, are Prince of Demons, Queen of Hearts, and Seer of Ages. King of Thieves is the prequel to the saga, and that will be the last one I post. So yeah…that's about it!
Ryou- Disclaimer?
Schiz- Oh, yeah. Here…
Flashing neon sign- SchizThePlushieThief does NOT own Yu-Gi-Oh (although she wishes she does), or Raya Moto/Queen Ruia, and does this for fun, not money. She does, however, own Aredia, Rhiannon (Rae) Jacobi, and Miki Jacobi. Don't take them. If you do, you invoke the wrath of the authoress. And believe me; she's nuts.
Schiz- (-.-)''' Oh, thanks. Anyspoot, without further ado, I present…
Bakura- GET ON WITH IT!
Schiz- O.o'' Princess of Shadows.
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"Hey, Yami? You all right? You look tired." Understatement of the year, that, Joey Wheeler thought. Yami Moto, former King of Egypt and now part-time employee at the Kame Game Shop and Domino High School student, looked beyond tired. Actually, he looked like he'd been buried by a landslide, thrown by a tornado, and hit by a semi-truck… but Joey wasn't stupid enough to say that.
Yami looked up, blinking glazed-over purple eyes. "I'm fine," he muttered.
"Erm… you don't LOOK fine. You look like you haven't slept in a week."
"I haven't."
"Oh, oka- Wait, what do you mean you haven't slept in a week? I wasn't serious…"
Yami yawned audibly. "Can't sleep."
Joey frowned. "And… why not, exactly?"
"Nightmares."
Joey nodded. "Oh… Ryou's got a friend you should see about that. Oh, and speaking of Ryou, he wants to talk to you. Apparently an old friend of yours is coming back to town." Yami looked up, startled. "And no, it's not him. I don't know who it is, but he said it wasn't him."
"Oh." Yami let out a sigh of relief. "But since you mentioned it, has Ryou talked to him?"
"Nah, not since last week. Ryou said he was in Tokyo."
"Good. That's good."
Joey shot his friend a questioning glance. "Are you still worried that he's gonna come back and… you know?"
"Now that Yugi and I have separate identities, he… I mean, he has no reason to refrain from killing me. Yugi wouldn't be hurt if he did."
"But that works both ways, doesn't it? I mean, you could stop him without having to worry about Ryou."
"Yeah, I guess that's true. But he's gone, so we don't have anything to worry about. " Yami sighed again. In all honesty, that wasn't the complete truth. Ever since Bakura left almost a year ago, Yami's biggest fear was that the former tomb robber would return and steal one of the few things the thief had left him- his life. "Look, I'm going home. Biology project. I'll see you tomorrow, all right?"
"Cool. See ya."
………………………………………………………………………………………………….
Raya Walker-Moto walked in to her lover's room. She stopped about an inch from Yami's bed, where he lay face up, staring at the ceiling. "Yami, sweetie, are you feeling okay? 'Cause you look like death warmed over…"
Yami glared up. "Oh, thanks a lot."
"You really should get some sleep, love. But anyways," Raya smiled, "Ryou's on the phone. He says it's important."
Yami groaned and reached over to where his cordless phone sat. "Thanks, love." He punched the 'Talk' button. "Hey Ryou."
"Hi, Yami. How've you been?" Ryou's soft, gentle voice asked through the phone.
"Exhausted," Yami muttered, rolling his eyes. "Joey mentioned a friend of yours who could help?"
"Oh, he meant Rhiannon. I can take you over to her store tomorrow if you want. I'd take you today, but I'm sure she's closed by now."
"Store? What store? Your friend owns a store?"
"Well, it's more of a shop, really. She sells herbal medicine and gemstones and things like that."
Yami paused, confused. "Erh, doesn't she have school?"
"No, she graduated last year. But you'll like her. She's really cool."
"Oh, okay. I guess one more night of lost sleep can't hurt. So, what's this big important thing you have to tell me?"
"Oh!" Yami could practically hear Ryou grin. "Guess who's moving to town."
"I don't know, but I'm praying to Ra it's not Pegasus."
Ryou laughed. "No, of course not. I wouldn't be telling you, I'd be running for my life."
"Then who is it?"
"Well, I got a phone call yesterday from Ishizu Ishtar. Apparently, the museum liked the way she handled things so much that they're offering her a permanent position!"
"Ryou, are you saying what I think you're saying!"
"Yeah, obviously she took the job, so she, Odion, and Malik are moving to Domino."
"Oh gods…" Yami moaned.
"What? Am I missing something?"
"Think about it. You know how when me and Yugi got separate bodies, so did you and Bakura? I'm assuming it went for Malik too. So if Ishizu's bringing her whole family, then she has to be bringing…"
"Yami… Yami Malik. Yeah, she is. I thought the same thing. But I'm not worried about it. She says he's… different now. I didn't believe her. She didn't believe he had changed either, but somehow… Somehow she has me convinced."
"I'll believe that when I see it."
"We'll see. Well, I'm going to bed. But seriously, try to get some sleep tonight, and I'll take you over to Rhiannon's tomorrow."
"Okay. See you after school?"
"Yeah. I'll meet you by the tree. 'Night Yami."
"Good night." Not even bothering to turn off the phone, Yami dropped it to the floor, got up, turned off the light, got back in bed, and was asleep before his head hit the pillow.
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"Yugioh… Yugioh, my son… Don't let the Items fall into the wrong hands…"
"How could you do this to me! I trusted you, Yugioh! And you let this happen! You've stolen my best friend, my love, and now my sister… Never again. I quit, Yugioh. "
"No… my baby… Yugioh, why didn't you save him? You could have stopped her! He's your son, and you just let him… My baby… "
"Kahlid, please… tell Shizikua that I'm sorry… and that I… love…"
"If you're going to use me as a bartering chip against Kahlid, I gladly take the axe, thank you! I'd rather die a thousand times than let you hurt someone else."
"Mariku… I'm so sorry… but if I can't love you in life, then I shall love you in death. And maybe, if the gods are kind, then maybe I'll find you again someday…"
"This has to stop, Yugioh! You, what you're doing, it's insane! And until you figure that out, you can find yourself a new High Priest. Anzu, Mokuba and I are leaving."
"This is my fate, and I cannot change that, my love. But please, Ryou, make me one promise… Protect them, your brother and mine. For me…"
"I made a vow to protect them, Yugioh! Please, don't take away the only family I have left! Kahlid's the only one who's ever watched over me, and I swore to Athena that I'd save Mariku! Please, just let them go!"
"…My name is Kahlid Afika Bakura. I am Touzokou, the King of Thieves, and I want you to know one thing, Pharaoh. Kill me today, I shall return. Kill me a thousand times, and I will return. So watch for me, Pharaoh Yugioh, last of the house of Akhenamekanen… and know that wherever you go, I will always be there to stop you."
"I'll always wait for you, Aredia. I'll come back, you'll see. And we'll run away together. But you have to wait. Just a little while longer. And I promise, we'll be together."
"I don't care if he's a tomb robber, Yugioh! I love him! That's all that matters! The hell with you and your laws, I'm through! I'll be with him if it costs me my life, or my name isn't Aredia!"
"Aredia, I'm sorry, but I can't do anymore! Aredia… he's gone."
"NO! This isn't true! This isn't happening! This isn't real! You… Yugioh, you son of a bitch, how could you! I'LL KILL YOU, YOU BASTARD! I SWEAR TO THE GODS, I'LL KILL YOU! I DON'T CARE HOW LONG IT TAKES, YOU WILL PAY FOR THIS! YOU HEAR ME! …Oh gods… Kahlid… KAHLID!"
"AREDIA!" Yami shot straight up in bed, face white as chalk and eyes wide. "Oh gods… not again… That horrible dream. I have GOT to talk to Ryou's friend…" Taking a quick glance at the clock, Yami shook his head. "Damn it. 2:19 A.M. That's even less than last night…"
Staring back at the ceiling, Yami failed to suppress a shiver. "Why are you doing this to me, Aredia? And why, of all times, do you choose NOW to haunt me?"
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Schiz- Ooo… Who is the mysterious Aredia? Why does she haunt Yami's dreams? And what WAS that jumbled nightmare about, anyways?
Bakura- Who knows?
Schiz- Me. But I can't very well tell you all this, can I?
Ryou- NOPE!
Schiz- Okay. Well, people, read and review! Next chapter will be up again in a couple of days