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The Power of Spirit
Chapter 1 ~ Dreams
Most people, if they thought about time at all, would assume that it flows in a single direction. Only ever going forward, never back. However, there are those that know the truth, and can see it as it really is. Time doesn't flow like a river, it twists and turns and has a habit of whipping around like threads in the wind. Everyone is given the gift of time, but very few can actually see it.
One such person is a woman of rare, effortless beauty. Her hair an unusual dark emerald that ripples down her back until it reaches her thighs. Reflected in her clear violet eyes, a person can see the knowledge of centuries, though she scarcely appeared to be older than mid-twenties.
She stood before a set of shining silver doors that easily reached beyond fifteen feet in height. The doors themselves were decorated simply by the phases of Earth's moon, and stood upright on the ghostly plane with no support. Usually, they were sealed tight; however, this time they were open wide, revealing a vision of the near future to their keeper.
"So that is how it must be," she mused, a look of worry on her delicate features, she turned away from the doors as they drifted shut and grabbed her staff. It had been crafted, millennia ago, into a giant silver key. The bow, or head, of the staff was shaped like two hearts, the smaller of the two nestled in the crown of the larger. At the base of the more prominent heart, a garnet, the size of a fist, was safely secured.
The woman silently closed her eyes and projected her image into the consciousness of a dreamer. The space was dark and should have blotted out her own image, but the woman had no trouble seeing herself in the inky blackness. She sighed. Some people never change. "Old Pharaoh!" she called out. "Old Pharaoh!"
A young man walked up to her, bringing the true image of the dreamscape with him. The velvety darkness was replaced by hundreds upon hundreds of doors and stairs, each leading to a different aspect of his consciousness. The woman smirked. Nope, they never change.
The young man, however, was less than nostalgic. "I'm not old," he insisted darkly; and he wasn't, technically. Physically speaking, he had the form of a sixteen year old boy. His hair was a triad of colors - blond, black, and violet - and he wore a navy blue school uniform, the jacket of which was hanging loosely off his shoulders. The only truly unusual and aged aspect of him were his eyes . They were a blood red and sang of the darkness that lurked within. His soul, however, was specially preserved in the pyramid-shaped pendant that hung around his neck, a remnant of his years in ancient Egypt.
The woman scanned the length of this young body, remembering how he looked in the past. "No, Pharaoh, I believe you are not."
He stopped his movement a good ten feet from her position. "What business do you have with me, Pluto? Not that I'm complaining, but this is the first time you've attempted to contact me since..." He paused, eyes veering past her, as if trying to figure out the exact details. From what Pluto could understand, his memories were fuzzy at best. In fact, she was rather surprised that he even remembered her name. "The fall of the Moon Kingdom," he finished.
The demeanor of the woman changed. That dark day still haunted her memories. All of the screams, the terror that gripped the System. She closed her eyes and resigned herself. "The Princess and her guardians are due to return."
"When?" the Pharaoh asked, a mildly shocked expression evident on his face.
She was silent for a moment, considering. "Not long from your current position in time," she revealed at length. "A few years at most. Definitely before your host turns seventeen."
"So, they'll be infants?" the pharaoh asked.
Pluto shook her head. "No. Their forms all ready exist; I'm referring to their souls."
The Pharaoh cocked his head sidewise, understandably confused.
"The souls of the Royals will appear as Duel Monsters cards and be merged into the game. I ask that you and your host find these cards and retrieve them. Hidden inside them are the souls. I need you to search for them and return them to their rightful owners. Afterward, it's up to Artemis and Luna to train them."
The Pharaoh nodded. "I think I understand..." He didn't seem to know how to continue.
Understanding his plight, Pluto said, "Please, discuss this with your host, Yugi Mutou. He'll need to help to. If need be, please bring him next time I come."
The Pharaoh nodded. "In the mean time, Pluto. I know of someone else who may be of some use. She's a friend of Yugi's from middle school."
000
As soon as she returned to the Time Gate, Pluto opened them again and watched bits of the life of the girl that the Pharaoh had suggested she look into. After she finished watching the main aspects of her life, Pluto bit her lip and summoned a small, glass, faceted box. Inside was the last gift she had ever received from her beloved High Queen Serenity. A small card made of paper and painted in a bronze color. On it was an image of her own silhouette surrounded by green and dark blue cosmic clouds. Pluto often marveled at the beauty of the piece. It always had a way of making her feel warm inside, as if Serenity were still with her.
Pluto held the card in her hand and thought about why she called for it, and if she was being perfectly honest, she had no idea why, but she also knew that it was important to heed her hunches. She would give it to Sakura.
000
So many questions, so few answers, and so little time in which to connect the dots, thought Yami as he sat in his soul room within the Millennium Puzzle after Pluto left. It had been an incredible day, but at the same time, it had left Yami with more questions. Yugi had asked Anzu to spend the day with him to see if she could help him figure out anything about his past. While Yami was grateful to both Yugi and Anzu, he still felt as though he'd accomplished very little.
Anzu and Yami wandered through the Domino Museum, looking for anything that might, as Anzu put it, "jog his memory." But Yami sensed no connection to his past, until he and Anzu came to a blocked door that led to the basement of the museum.
"You're sure you want to go through with this?"
"I have to, Anzu."
As Yami opened the door, the feeling seemed to grow stronger. While Anzu asked if he was alright, and if the door led to another part of the exhibit, Yami began to walk down into the dark stairwell, remarking that something was calling out to him, and that the answers he sought were near to him. At the base of the stairs, Yami's eyes were drawn to a large glass case which housed what appeared to be an ancient Egyptian stone tablet that depicted two powerful men playing a game of Duel Monsters. One of the figures, much to Yami's surprise, and Anzu's shock, resembled Yami, right down to the Millennium Puzzle. Anzu was freaked out, and asked if it was real. Yami confirmed that it was by pointing out the fact that the figure was wearing the pendant around his neck.
"This is exactly the kind of clue I've been searching for, but I wish I were able to decipher its meaning. Who am I dueling against in this carving? What was this age-old game all about? Was it even a game?"
Bowing his head, Yami commented that even though he had found one answer, it only left him with a thousand more questions.
Suddenly, a woman's voice rang out in the silent room from behind Yami and Anzu.
"My Pharaoh, I've been expecting you."
Turning around, a young woman with black hair, sky-blue eyes, and a soft tan skin made her way forward. The woman wore a strange looking tiara upon her head, and a long white dress decorated with black at the shoulders and around the sleeves, leaving the rest of the gown, which fell to her ankles.
"Who are you?" asked Yami.
"I am Ishizu, and I have uncovered many mysteries about you and these carving using the magic of my Millennium Necklace," answered the woman. At her last words, the necklace she wore flashed in the light, drawing Yami's attention to it.
"Another millennium item!" Yami exclaimed.
Ishizu reached a hand up to touch the item in question. "Like your puzzle, this necklace affords me certain abilities," she stated, closing her eyes as she spoke. "With it I have gazed thousands of years into the past to a time when evil sorcerers threatened to destroy the entire world."
Yami gasped in shock at Ishizu's words.
"However," continued Ishizu, "there was one king who possessed a powerful magic and managed to stop the evil threat."
"And who was this king," asked Yami, though he had a feeling he already knew.
"The Pharaoh who saved the world was you, Yami, before your soul was sealed in the Millenium Puzzle. Now, the time has come for you rescue mankind once again," replied Ishizu.
"'To rescue mankind'? From what? How do you know the world is in danger of being destroyed again?"
"My Millennium Necklace also shows me visions of the future." Bowing her head and once more touching her necklace, Ishizu closed her eyes yet again for a brief moment.
"Oh, my Pharaoh…"
Yami held his breath, as did Anzu.
Ishizu's eyes flew open as she raised her head.
"The events of the past will occur once again, and that same great evil will return to threaten us."
Already accepting this, Yami nodded his head. "How will I recognize this evil?"
"I know that your memory had faded, my Pharaoh, and that you seek many answers," replied Ishizu as Yami's eyes widened. "I also know a Duel Monsters tournament will begin in six months' time. If you win it, the answers you seek will reveal themselves."
Ishizu turned and began to walk away, before stopping once more. "When you return home, you'll discover an invitation waiting for you. But you must also remember your promise to the great guardian. She will call to you soon, asking for your help. Farewell, King Atem."
And with that, Ishizu disappeared, leaving Anzu and Yami alone with the stone tablets.
While Anzu marveled over his newly revealed name, and the fact that he'd been a powerful Pharaoh who had once saved the world, Yami turned back to the tablet that held his figure.
"That's pretty major," commented Anzu.
"Yes, but I still have so many questions." All of a sudden, upon closer inspection of the tablet's second figure, Yami gave a gasp of surprise. "Wait. My opponent looks like Kaiba!"
"You're right," gasped Anzu. "But… wait… that would mean that he was the evil sorcerer!"
"Could it be that I'm supposed face Kaiba in order to save the world again?"wondered Yami. Cupping a hand around the Millennium Puzzle, he sighed. "Well, there's only one way to find out. I've got to win that tournament! But first, I have to find out who this 'great guardian' is and what kind of help I can give her."
"Hmm. Ishizu was right after all. Pluto was the guardian who called to me, asking for help. Perhaps, in helping Pluto, and Sakura, my answers will be made clear to me. At least Yugi and the others know now about who I am, and what I'm supposed to do."
Yami continued to think and ponder everything that happened, and what would come to pass. But all he was sure of was that he would see his destiny through to the end, and make good on all his promises.
"And while I'm at it, I'll get Pluto to promise me one thing: that she stops calling me OLD!" he exclaimed aloud, partially glad that he had forgotten Pluto and her quiet jibes.
000
A short time later, or earlier, depending on how you look at it, Pluto had located the consciousness of Clow Reed. His dreamscape was entirely filled with constellations and different types of magic circles. From this, Pluto could easily see how he was not only a great sorcerer, but also a well versed scholar in magic. Pluto nodded, respect and admiration evident on her features. The dreamscape shifted to a comfortable-looking library with a fire roaring in front of two comfortable armchairs.
Seated in one was a man with long, black hair that was loosely tied at the base of his neck. He wore blue, silk robes that highlighted his height, and his status as a scholar. Embroidered around the hem and sleeves were stars in specific patterns and half-formed magic circles.
Pluto smiled. "You must be Clow Reed," she stated.
The man softly closed his book and turned to his visitor, a gentle smile on his face. "Yes, that would be me. Please have a seat, Sailor Pluto," he replied, motioning at the second chair. "I've been expecting this visit for some time."
Pluto positioned herself carefully on the seat, her back barely skimming the material behind her. "Then I trust you know why I've come?" she asked, not even bothering to linger on his use of the word 'sailor' as a part of her name.
"Indeed. But I would like it if you would explain."
Pluto nodded and began by revealing the existence of the Moon Kingdom, and its inevitable fall. She continued by explaining the last spell that Queen Serenity performed, saving the souls of the young royals and their companions. Clow was especially interested in that part. Finally, she told him about the promise that Pharaoh Atem made her long ago, the boy who was as much a part of him as he was of the boy, and the girl that had such an impact in the boy's life before. "I would be grateful if you could find a way to send her a small package for me, as it is impossible for me to perform the action myself." She reached into space and called forth the crystal box. "Make sure she gets this, and I will do the rest."
"Are you sure that you want to involve Sakura? She is a normal girl, after all."
"She is no more normal than Yugi is at this point. She needn't obtain the box until after she turns sixteen. Preferably at the beginning of August of that year. I'm afraid that if someone that she doesn't know sends it, then she will never open it, and I need to at least try to ask her."
"Why not go to her as you have come to me?"
Pluto paused. She had no good answer, other than the feeling that Sakura needed what was in the box. "I sense that this is how it must be done."
Clow nodded, smiling as if he had predicted her answer. "I understand," he said, and Pluto could sense that he meant it. Clow reached for the rectangular crystal and set it on his lap. "You don't mind if I ask a friend to be the delivery girl, do you?"
Pluto shook her head, slightly curious as to the identity of this companion. "Just make it clear that Sakura is the only one allowed to open it."
Clow nodded his assent. "I will do just that," he replied, then he rose from his seat. "I sense that it is time for you to go, Miss Pluto. I hope that your mission is successful."
End of Chapter 1.
Word Count: 2667
Credits:
Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon co. Naoko Takeuchi
Cardcaptor Sakura co. CLAMP
Yu-Gi-Oh co. Kazuki Takahashi
Written By: QueenyLeAcH
Edited By: CrystalKaori, Sockera
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- LeAcH & Kaori