Title: Circles Don't End
Author: Glue Project
Betas: Ash-chan, Mai, and Tione (glomps)
Rating: PG13. I think it's going to stay there.
Pairings: YamiYuugi, BakuraRyou, SetoJou, MokubaOC
Spoilers: Ancient Egyptian arc? Bits of it at that. This story cannot/should not be used as a reference for the Ancient Egyptian arc.
Disclaimer: Don't own YGO. Wish, but no. I own Hitomi, the plot, and the OC mages.
Summery: In Ancient Egypt, priests weren't the only ones that could harness the power and monsters from the Shadow Realm. A class forgotten in time, power-hungry Mages are at war with those that want to keep the balance. The Green Mages are on the attack, and the Dragon Mages and the few Blue Mages left are going to have to stop them.

Notes:
Despite what it looks like, this is NOT an AE fic. After this initial part, we go to about three years after Yami no Yuugi was released, etc. Also, for my purpose, a yami (darker half) can affect their hikari (lighter half). EX. Yami (no Yuugi) could push Yuugi off a chair and then sit down in the chair so kindly cough vacated by his aibou (partner). However, Yami could not move the chair, as he is still a spirit, thus not see-able by those without Items. The same goes for Bakura.
/./Yami to hikari././
/Hikari to yami./
'Thoughts.'
"Spoken."
/CDE/ - Passage of time, etc.

/Prologue/

She watched helplessly as all of her personal belongings were packed up, precious treasures carelessly chucked into paper boxes. She looked down to her wrists and once again studied the thick gold bands that her brother had given to her. Her fingers trailed over the hieroglyphs that she knew so well, eyes following her fingertips in their path. Set into each of the thick bracelets was a crystal-clear star, a thin band of black metal outlining it in sharp contrast. It was her own personal symbol, just like her brother had his own.

As her head tipped forward to gaze at the bands, her dark hair framed her face, ultimately obscuring her sight from the objects. Her yellow eyes were hazed with memories. A sharp scar, unfaded from time, ran in a flipped 's' an inch under her left eye and continued to a bit above her jaw.

Just thinking of him brought back so many memories, of her brother, and all the time she spent away from their parents and him. She had spent most of her young life with her friends instead of parents that didn't want her. Her friends had taught her all of the self-defense skills that she had, all hoping that she wouldn't have to use them.

It was a good thing that they had. She still used them.

When her brother had discovered her existence, he didn't blame her. She thought that maybe he understood, and that if he could, he would have escaped too, if only for a short time. Even though she was thirteen years the senior, he had more rank and 'power' than she did, just because he was male.

The day he was born was the day she stopped aging, as if her body knew that she wasn't supposed to be superior in any way to him.

Only between the two of them had they known better everyone who thought her dead.

Her watering eyes took in the bands on her wrists, given to her so long ago. Her brother hadn't wanted to give her them until she had come fully into her power, since their sole purpose was to act as a bridle on Shadow Realm magic, but had been given no choice. He had given them to her when they had last seen each other, waiting until the last possible moment.

'The Puzzle had already been created at that point,' she mused as she ran her cold fingertips over the gold.

And now they were going to be taken away. Just like everything else in her life.

She didn't notice someone had approached her until he put his hand on her shoulder. Her entire body tensed as in one motion she looked up to her 'attacker' and, slick as butter, drew a knife.

The young man looked to be about in his later twenties, with a mouth accustomed to wearing a frown instead of the slight, sad smile it bore currently. He tilted his blue-haired head to the side, smile growing slightly bigger. "Old habits die hard?"

She relaxed, gliding the knife back into its sheath, a somewhat guilty expression on her face. "Not exactly 'old' habits, Mahaado."

He gave a slight nod to show that he knew what she meant. He paused. "Mistress...I...we...are ready."

She nodded glumly as she stood, arms outstretched so that the bands of gold could be removed. He did so, running his fingers across the clear stone until they lit under his touch. Then he quickly went to the other, until both of the locking mechanisms snicked open, a wide slit opening from the back. A second later both bracelets lit entirely and jumped into the air to merge into a granite-like pendant, a gold chain looped through it. It slid over her neck.

With a sigh, she noted the stunned look on Mahaado's face, eyes focused on the new shape of the bracelets. With a sad smile, she gained his attention.

"I'm ready to leave."

/TBC/

Well. A bit new, ne? I started writing this story in March. This is were Hitomi from all my other stories originated from. (grins)

--Glue.