"Son...Help!"
Yugi sat up in bed with a jolt. He was shaking all over, and cold was sweat running down his back. He breathed great gulps of air, trying to catch his breath. He felt like he had just run a very long way. But he had been running. Running fast and running far. Everything had been dark around him. Everything, except for the path he had been running on. That had glowed with an eerie grey light, like mist under the moon. Yugi knew it was just a dream, but even though it seemed simple, he was terrified. He didn't know whether he had been chasing after something or if he had been the one being chased. Then, that voice. That desperate voice, had called from the dark. Then he had woken up.
Yugi shook his head. Weird, he thought. I don't even remember my dad, why would I dream about him now? Who else would call me 'son'? Grandpa doesn't even do that. The action of moving his head brought his eyes around to the sight of his Yami. The Pharaoh was staring out the window with a stricken look on his transparent face. A thought occurred to Yugi.
"Was that my dream or yours?" He asked the translucent figure standing in the patch of moonlight. The Pharaoh appeared not to hear him, but when Yugi opened his mouth to ask again, the Pharaoh answered.
"I don't know Yugi...but I do not usually dream. In fact, the only dreams I remember experiencing have been yours." Yugi did not look entirely happy about this as his Yami continued. "However, I feel as though I have seen that path before."
"Really?" asked Yugi. "Do you have any idea where?"
"I...can't...remember," said the Pharaoh. He said it slowly, almost to himself.
"Oh," said Yugi, as he stifled a yawn. The luminescent clock by his bed said that it was 1:00 am, a time for all young duelists of diminutive size to be asleep. A small smile crept into the Pharaoh's eyes.
"Go back to sleep Yugi," he said. The boy needed no further urging. Sleep was not an option for the Pharaoh, spirits don't sleep. Even if he had the luxury of sleep, it wouldn't have been of any use to him now. That path wasn't the only thing that seemed familiar. So was the voice that had called out to him.
One Week Later
"You alright Yug?" asked Joey as they waited for Tea outside her house. Yugi was up to three yawns per minute and not only was it noticeable, it was getting annoying.
"Yeah, just haven't been getting much sleep lately." The dream had been coming back almost every night and all that running was taking its toll on him.
"How come?" asked Tea as she stepped out her front door. Yugi explained the dream to them as they walked to Burger World.
"Hey," said Joey as they waited for the light to change. "I know a short cut that will get us there even faster. Come on!" When the walk sign came on, Tea and Yugi had to hurry to keep up with Joey as he practically ran across the street.
"Trust Joey to find a faster way to food," Tea muttered as they went. Their pace slowed as they entered a narrow alley way.
"Are you sure about this Joey?" Yugi asked quietly, trying to think of wide, open spaces.
"Oh yeah," answered Joey. "I come through here all the time. Just look out for falling objects." Tea and Yugi simultaneously looked up. When their eyes came down again, Yugi spotted a middle-aged woman standing against the wall of an old brick building.
"You look troubled, young man," she said as he drew near her. "Shadows are stalking you."
"Excuse me?" said Yugi, wondering if this woman was crazy.
"Nightmares haunt your sleep." Now Yugi stopped, starring at her from a safe distance. Joey and Tea also stopped walking.
"You can tell that just by looking at me?" Yugi questioned. The woman cackled a little, then stood up strait.
"It's written on your face, boy. Come closer and I shall tell you more." When Yugi took a step toward her, Tea interrupted.
"Yugi, be careful. The last time something like this happened, Bandit Keith stole your puzzle, remember? Let's just go." However, Yugi wasn't listening. He wanted to know what this dream he and the Pharaoh were experiencing meant. So, he walked up to the woman. She peered into his eyes, and then gripped his wrists to study his palms. After a minute she spoke.
"Well Pharaoh, it's been awhile since I've been in the company of a spirit of such prestige." At this point, the Pharaoh took control of things.
"Can you tell me what my dreams mean?" he asked.
"No," she replied. "But, I do know someone who can..."
