Chapter 3

Mokuba edgily glanced around the corridor as he listened to the silence of the house. He didn't like it when the house felt so empty, especially when he'd just returned from another appointment with Dr Charm. When the decision had been made for Mokuba to see a counsellor to help him get over his experience in the hell future, he'd been very insistent said professional should be Dr Charm. After all, he'd already met her a couple of times before; she knew their family and if she was good enough for Tristan then she was good enough for him.

Dr Charm had quickly diagnosed him with a form of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder brought on by his most recent and most violent kidnapping. Of course she didn't know he'd been switched with a future version of himself and taken into the hell future, but Mokuba was still able to keep most of the details intact. Even if he had to manipulate certain details in order to protect certain secrets, he still found every single session rewarding.

His problems weren't just the nightmares he faced on a weekly basis. He found himself living in constant fear of being taken back to the hell future and as such hated having to spend any amount of time on his own. He was on his own when his future self had made the switch with him. Unfortunately for him, as Dr Charm loved to point out, he couldn't always avoid being on his own. She was the one who'd made the suggestion he start making his own way back from each session, just so he could get used to the idea that nothing bad would happen just because no one else was around to protect him.

So far he'd managed to meet her halfway with this. Tristan no longer came to pick him up from his appointments, but there was still a driver waiting for him to take him home again. Although now that he found himself shuffling around in what felt like a completely empty house he wasn't so sure he wanted to be home. He made his way back outside to where the driver was leant against the car enjoying a cigarette break.

'Can you take me to the hospital, I feel like visiting Téa today.'

'As you wish Master Mokuba,' he nodded as he dropped his cigarette to the ground and stepped on it to put it out.

'I hope you're not planning on leaving that there,' Mokuba glared at him, 'you know how my brother feels about things like that.'

'Of course,' he picked it up and took it across the driveway to the special ashtray-rubbish bin which had been set up for their household staff.

As he did Mokuba let out a long, slow breath. Visiting Téa might have put him in a building full of people, but it also meant dealing with Yugi. That wasn't going to be fun; especially when the guy practically screamed at you to hate him. It would be an uncomfortable and awkward afternoon, but at the same time he just couldn't face being on his own for an indefinite amount of time. He'd only just managed to start going to bed without having to have someone wait with him till he'd fallen asleep, he knew he'd have to take the next step eventually, but he wasn't ready for it. Not yet.

So if the alternative to being on his own was having to put up with the depressingly dark cloud that was Yugi then what choice did he have? Because he had to take each step in his own time when he was ready, right? Isn't that what Dr Charm said?


'A light born from shadows, a shadow born from light. What once was day will now be night. What once was night will now be day. And all the shadows shall run away. The time has come, the time has passed. What once was first shall now be last. What once was last shall now be first. And all the heavens shall take the Earth. And I that once before you stood shall know you through your cloak and hood. You may hide, but never far. And I who know you, know who you are. For you are the shadow and I am the light. Though we may quarrel, we'll never fight. For I who know you shall know you then. Chaosa, Chaosa, Chaosen.'

Crovell gave an excited squeak and clapped his hands.

'You like that, don't you?' Covo grinned at him. 'Well if your Mummy and Daddy would let me, I would say it to you every day. But they don't understand its importance like me and you, do they? My little Chaosen,' he beamed proudly, 'you fancy going on a little trip?'

Crovell giggled and made more excited squeaks.

'Thought so,' Covo laughed. 'But you can't tell Mummy about this, she would kill me if she knew where we were going. But you have a right to see this, its part of your heritage. Your parents will get over their denial eventually. And until then you've got me and Duke to give you everything a young Silkoneon Chaosen might need. We believe in you Crovell, even if your parents don't.'


Stretching her entire body, she allowed herself to enjoy a momentary rest under the shade of a willow tree. The day was comfortably hot and made even better by the light, cool, ocean breeze. There was a beach just down below her where her friends were waiting for her to arrive. All she had to do was take the steps down to it and then...

Her mind hesitated. She knew her friends were down there waiting for her, but she didn't know why. In fact she couldn't actually remember how it was she'd ended up here in the first place. She knew it was important, really important, but... She shook the thoughts from her head and made her way down the steps towards the beach. It didn't matter how she got here or why she was here, right? All that matter was spending time with her friends. She hadn't done that in so long and it was all she wanted to do.

Even before her feet had made contact with the sand she could hear people talking and laughing somewhere nearby. The sound of music and the smell of a barbeque drifted towards her and that's when she remembered why she was here. It was an early birthday celebration for her. They were celebrating it early because... She couldn't remember why, but it didn't matter.

A huge grin spread across her face as she jumped from the second to last step onto the soft, warm sand and made her way towards the sound of voices. She must have been walking for about five minutes before she realised she wasn't getting any closer to them. For a moment fear bit at the pit of her stomach as she wondered what the hell was going on. That's when she spotted the message written in shells across the sand.

'Wake up?' She frowned. 'But... I am awake.'


'How is she?'

'No change,' Yugi's voice was as dull as he felt.

He was more than used to the presence of other visitors, but had long stopped caring who they were or why they were there. With the exception of Téa's parents no one really mattered anyway.

'And what about you?' The voice was edge with something which might have been concern.

'What about me?'

'Are you okay?'

He grunted, but didn't reply. He hated it when people asked how he was, because it meant they cared about him and nobody should care about him after what he'd done.

'You mind if I sit with you for a while?'

'I'm not going to stop you; after all, Téa needs all the support she can get right now.'

'I take it they still have no idea what's wrong with her then,' the visitor took a seat next to Yugi.

'They don't, but we do. I'm what's wrong with her.'

'Yugi...'

'It's true, isn't it?'

'Ah...' the visitor hesitated for a moment. 'Do you... do you think the First could help? I mean, use her healing powers to get Téa to wake up.'

'Joey's already tried that,' Yugi gave a heavy sigh, 'it didn't work. He thinks it's because the power of the Axe is beyond even the First's capabilities.'

'Then maybe we should get Crovell to try something. I mean, he is the Master of the Axe right?'

'I don't want that thing near me ever again,' Yugi gritted his teeth, 'and nor should anyone else.'

'Yugi... what...what happened it wasn't...'

'How can you say that after what I did? How can you all so calmly justify the fact I became a monster like it was nothing? Like it wasn't my fault when it was? Don't you get it? I should be hated for what I did. Everyone should hate me for what I did, especially her. I'm a terrible, horrible, evil person and that's all there is to it.'