Chapter 1

The frost which covered the ground was enough to make him shiver just by looking at it, yet the way she was sat so serenely under the oak tree almost made it feel like summer. For a few long moments he just stood there watching her meditate, then the frost bitten redness of her cheeks brought out the natural concern he'd had for her from the moment they'd first met. She'd arrived at the Temple three months ago, but it had only taken a single moment for him to fall in love with her.

'It's too cold to be out in this weather,' he knelt down in front of her, 'you should go inside.'

'I'm fine right here, thank you,' her voice was as soft and strangely independent as always.

'You might be fine, but...'

'That's none of your concern Covo,' she opened her eyes as she cut him off.

'But I want it to be,' he swept some of the hair back from her face, 'just like I want you to call me Macar, it is my first name after all.'

'I prefer to call you Covo,' she pulled back from him, 'it keeps you at a distance that way.'

'And you want to keep everyone at a distance, don't you? It's why you get everyone here to call you Crovell.' A strange smile twitched at Covo's lips. 'Is there anyone who knows your first name?'

'I left my first name at the gates of this Temple,' she got to her feet, 'just like I left everything else behind.'

'Not everything,' he rose to his feet and tentatively placed a hand on her protruding stomach.

'I left behind all I could so this child will not know the shame of my past.'

'There you go talking about shame again,' Covo shook his head. 'So some creep took advantage of you...'

'I never said that's what happened,' Crovell glared at him.

'You didn't need to, what else would you be running from?' Covo felt himself becoming angry at the very notion someone could have hurt her.

'You have no idea,' she took several steps away from him.

'But I want to,' he took hold of her arm. 'I want to be a part of your life; part of the new life you're making here. I don't care what happened to you before you arrived, heck I don't even care who fathered your child, all I want is to take care of you and it. I love you.'

'You don't even know me.'

'I don't need to know you to know that I love you.'

For a few moments she just stared at him. A strangely sad look filled her face and, giving a heavy sigh, she turned her head away.

'Have you heard about our visitors?' Covo sensed it would be best to change the subject now.

'What visitors?' Crovell glanced back towards him.

'The Lutoni and that bit Standing of his; to celebrate her officially moving to Sil they're visiting the two Temples the Lutonis patron, Mov and Sta. They're planning on coming here first for a day or two, then they'll be going to the Temple of Sta sometime next week and... are you okay?' Covo brought what he was saying to a stop as he noticed how pale Crovell had become.

'I... I'm fine, I'm just not feeling too well,' she stumbled backwards.

'That's because a woman in your condition shouldn't be out in the December cold,' he shook his head.

'Yes... yes I think you're right,' she stumbled away from him. 'Tell the cook I'm unwell and will be eating in my room for the next few days.'

'Next few days?' Covo frowned as he fell into step beside her.

'Yes... yes I don't want to take any chances,' she picked up her pace as the first heavy drops of rain started to fall. 'I... I can't take any chances. I... I have to... to stay inside.'

'Here, you'll need this,' the other boy tossed him the keys to his motor bike. 'Remember what we talked about, no one can know I've been here so...'

'Don't make my way home too soon,' he smirked, 'don't worry; I'm in no rush to go back to that place.'

'But... you are coming back, right?'

'Careful, you're almost sounding worried about me,' for a moment their gazes locked, 'and we both know you don't care.'

'Who says I don't? I've spent a lot of money on you recently; I just want to make sure it wasn't wasted.'

'So, what, I'm nothing more than an investment to you?'

'Careful, you almost sounded hurt.' The other boy half reached a hand towards him, then hesitated. 'When are you meeting with the kid again?'

'Tomorrow, is everything in place?'

'Of course, what do you take me for?'

'I'm really not sure anymore.'

Their gazes met again and this time he found himself hesitating over whether or not to place his hands on the other boy's shoulders. Instead he pulled out the dark blue stress ball the other boy had given him and began tossing it between his hands.

'We are doing the right thing trusting this kid, right?' He stopped tossing the ball for a moment.

'Are you saying you liked their plan better?' The other boy folded his arms.

'No, I liked our plan, the one we came up with before everyone else decided to interfere, why can't we stick to that one?'

'Because it wouldn't change things enough to get what we really want out of this situation,' the other boy shook his head.

'How do we know? Maybe it'll change things just the right amount.'

'Do you really believe that or are you just getting cold feet?'

'I don't know... maybe it's just the thought of having to face them again after everything... I mean, maybe I would have been better off...'

'You're never going to be able to go through with any of the plans if you don't get over this little pity party of yours right now,' the other boy slammed his hand against the wall and half leant over him. 'I've not wasted the last three months on you for you to...' he stopped midsentence as their faces moved within touching distance of each other. 'We... we can't do this...'

'I know,' he pulled himself away and began throwing the ball again, 'if we do things just get complicated and we'll fail, right? Isn't that what the kid said?'

'Something like that,' he shrugged. 'I should go,' he made his way towards the door, stumbling over his own feet a little as he did. 'Give it a few hours before following me; no one can know I was here.'

'I know, just make sure the reservations made for me is at the right hotel.'

'What, do you think I'm an idiot or something?'

'It's not you I'm worried about,' he caught the ball and squeezed it tight, 'it's her.'

The first specks of rain which had stared just as Téa was leaving had turned into a full blown storm. Yugi took a deep breath in and tried to centre himself; ever since he'd become host to the Face of Friendship he'd grown to hate the rain. For reasons beyond his understanding rain acted like some kind of emotional magnifying glass; as if it wasn't hard enough for him to shut out the emotions of those around him on a good day, the rain somehow made it possible for him to sense what everyone in the entire city was feeling. Or at least that's how it felt.

Catilin had been the one to suggest meditation; Yugi had found it a useful way of finding his own balance again after he'd spent the day with his friends, but in weather like this no amount of centre or focus would block out the pain of an entire city. Yugi gripped his chest against the burning like sensation he was getting; a part of him couldn't help but wonder if this pain was on the same level as a heart attack, because if it wasn't then it should be.

'Yugi do you want me to take over for a while?' The ghostly image of the Pharaoh appeared beside him.

'I can't keep retreating to the Puzzle every time it gets a little uncomfortable for me,' Yugi winced, 'if I keep doing that then I'll never get used to being an empath. And I need to get used to being an empath or else I'm going to be in real trouble when you're gone.'

'Unless we find the Millennium Eye tomorrow Yugi, I'm not going anywhere any time soon,' the Pharaoh lowered his gaze.

'I'm sorry,' he pulled at the neck of his top, 'I don't mean to be so agitated. I also don't mean to keep putting off the hunt for the Millennium Eye, it's just... I find it hard enough to be around my own friends right now, never mind strangers.'

There were a few long minutes of silence, during which Yugi flopped back onto his bed. The emotional chaos he was sensing from the world outside made it impossible for him to hone in on the Pharaoh's, which made Yugi feel even worse about the situation. The Pharaoh's emotions used to just be something he knew without empathic powers. Now he could only tell what they were on dry days when it was just the two of them.

'Maybe you should try talking to the Face of Friendship again,' the Pharaoh glanced in his direction, 'maybe she can teach you some technique which will help...'

'Because she learnt to control her own powers so well,' Yugi felt inexplicably annoyed.

'I was just trying to help Yugi, there's no need to bite my head off.'

'I'm sorry,' he massaged his temples, 'I'm just... so tired and my chest hurts and I want to sleep, but... why can't the rest of the world stop feeling, just for a little while, is that really too much to ask?'

'You'll learn to control this power eventually Yugi, but maybe for now it would be best if you let me take over. You need to rest and the walls of my Puzzle can't be penetrated by the world's emotions; we've already proven that.'

'Maybe you're right,' Yugi gave a heavy sigh as the pain in his chest magnified further, 'because I've had just about all I can take of this.'

'Do you think it's raining like this in Domino too right now?' Catilin tilted her head in thought as she studied the falling rain.

'It's unlikely Cat,' Joey folded his arms and leant against the wall beside the window, 'the weather on Sil rarely reflects the weather in Domino, you know that.'

'I know, but wouldn't it be really weird if the two things were connected somehow, because something big and important was about to happen.'

'The only thing which is about to happen Cat is me dropping you home,' Joey sighed. 'The others left hours ago and Mai and I need to start getting ready for our Temple visit.'

'I wish the others had stayed longer, I miss not being able to go with you to Earth and see them,' Catilin pouted, 'are you sure I can't come with you to the gathering tomorrow?'

'I'm sure.'

'But it's not fair.'

'You're being punished Cat, it's not supposed to be fair. Now come on, let me Jump you home.'

'But there's something about the rain,' Catilin pressed her hand against the window, 'don't you feel it hiet braysta?'

'All I feel right now is tired,' he massaged the back of his neck, 'it's been a long day.'

'I think it must be raining like this somewhere on Earth right now,' Catilin persisted.

'Probably, Earth is a big place after all. Well big compared to Sil anyway.'

'I think it's raining like this in Domino right now, maybe you should call Yugi and find out.'

'What I think Cat is that it's time for you to go home.'

'But the rain is important, I know it is.'

'The rain is just rain Cat,' he glanced towards the window, 'and it's time for you to go.'