I am bursting with ideas, so I decided to update four days later! Hip, hip, huzzah!
I'd like to thank my three lovely reviewers!
Fire Ice and snowcones
RiverTear980
K5Rakitan
Now, I realized I made some mistakes in chapters 2 and 3.
Akane Izumi is actually 17.
The Duel Academy was already up and running in Sol City.
Skyler also knows Rebecca Hawkins, Ryou Bakura (not his yami…yet), and Solomon Moto.
And I realized that I haven't been doing well on describing what the OCs look like, haven't I? Well, I'll do that now!
Skyler Crawford: Has long, blond hair, and one blue eye and one green eye. She is tan skinned, and is very independent. She is tall and skinny, about 5'8.
Akane Izumi: Has long, fiery red hair and grey eyes. She is fair skinned, and is very tough. She is kind of tall and skinny, about 5'6.
Marisol "Mari" Ford: Has long, shoulder length dark brown hair and very dark, almost black, eyes. She is tan skinned, and is very sensitive. She is tall, about 5'8. She is skinny and curvy. Despite being a bit shy, she always wants the best for people, and will protect and worry about your well-being always.
Blaze Torino: Has neck length black hair and dark brown eyes. She is tan skinned, and is very outgoing. She is short, about 5'4. She is skinny and curvy. Despite being a troublemaker, she is the best friend you could ever have.
Mackenzie "Mackie" Jefferson: Has short black hair. She has dark brown eyes, and is brown skinned. She is tall, about 5'8 and a half. She is very skinny, almost like a stick (due to being an athlete). She is independent, and is the one who will have your back when trouble arrives
Polari Manu: Had neck length spiky black hair. She has red eyes and his brown skinned. She is tall, about 5'9. She is skinny, and has a few curves. Polari is very independent, and has a locked heart. The only one who can open it is Kurai and another person. Who is that other person…?
Kurai Manu (he is mentioned a lot): Has thick neck length brown hair. He has a long bang that covers his entire left eye. Do you know why…? Only Polari knows. Kurai is only twelve. He is short, about 5'3. He is a very optimistic person who likes to see the bright side of things. He dotes on his big sister Polari and looks up to her. He is very protective of her. When she was kicked out, Kurai was devastated, and he couldn't find the bright side of Polari leaving…
And for Bakura (yami), I have decided to make his last name Akefia, so there won't be any confusion with the story, heh heh.
Ok, that's it from me! Enjoy the chapter!
Chapter 4 A Whole New Life
Skyler rubbed her temples as Seto left her house.
"Heh, heh…" Blaze sweat dropped. "I'm sorry about that. I couldn't help myself."
"No, it's fine," Skye replied. "Besides, Kaiba's an ass anyway."
"He did sound like it." Marisol added. "In the history books, Seto Kaiba was said to be a wonderful CEO whose success inspired many."
Skyler laughed. Even Akane giggled. She knows who Seto is, too.
"Out of all things, Seto Kaiba is not wonderful. He is a cold hearted duelist…who happens to be the richest guy in the world."
"Oh, really?" Blaze purred. "Because earlier, it sounded like he was flirting with you."
Skyler took a step back in surprise. "What? How did you come up with that?"
"I was watching you two when he got so close to and asked if you had what it took to be his assistant. If that wasn't flirting, then my name isn't Blaze Torino!" she declared.
Skye's face was cherry red. "Then I guess your name isn't Blaze Torino, because Kaiba did not flirt with me!"
"Okay, I'll let you believe that for now," Blaze grinned.
Skyler rubbed her temples again.
"So…what are we going to do?" Marisol whispered.
Everyone turned to look at the dark brown haired girl.
"We are obviously stuck here. Where will we go?" she asked.
"You stay here, of course!" Skyler replied. "My father doesn't give a damn about me anyways, so we won't care that you guys are crashing here!"
"But…I have to get back home!" Polari cried. "My brother Kurai needs me!"
"I'm sorry, Polari." Skyler said. "But the magicians brought you here for a reason. I don't know what that reason is, but until we complete it, there's no use trying to get everyone back to their own time."
Tears began to form in Polari's eyes, and they fell onto her ripped dress.
"Just think," Akane piped up. "You will have so many stories to tell Kurai when you get back. I'm sure he'll enjoy that."
Polari looked up at Akane. "You're right."
Akane surprised herself. Usually, Akane was very pessimistic and could never say nice things to anyone.
"Well, it's been a long day." Skyler sighed. "I'll have the chefs cook us some food."
"Aw, yeah!" Blaze cried, pumping her fist in the air. "This is gonna be tight!"
Mackenzie face palmed. "Blaze, also never do that again…"
Skyler walked over to her huge wardrobe and pushed a button on it. The wardrobe automatically opened and a huge array of outfits appeared on hangers on racks.
"Oohhhhh!" Blaze squealed.
"Polari, you can't stay here and wear that the whole time." Skyler said, pointing at her clothing. "Come over here and choose anything you want to wear. We are about the same size and height, so these will fit you no problem."
Polari walked over to Skyler, feeling intimidated by the technology.
"What…is this?" Polari asked, holding up a pair of skinny jeans by the pant leg."
"Those are blue jeans." Skyler replied.
"Jeans?" Polari repeated, confused.
"They're pants." Skyler said, simplifying that.
"…pants?"
Skyler and everyone else face palmed.
"How about we start you off with something familiar…" Skyler suggested.
Skyler walked over to a rack of dresses and took one of the hanger. It was a sundress you could slip over her head, and it was a burnt orange color, an appropriate color for the fall season. Along with the dress, she pulled out burnt orange slippers, noticing Polari's bare feet. They had blisters and dust on them.
I'll have to make sure to have my spa specialists care for the deprived girl's feet. Skyler thought, feeling bad for Polari.
"You can go change in my bathroom." Skyler told Polari, pointing at another door near her office.
Polari reluctantly walked over there and opened the door.
"What are these things?" she asked, walking in.
A yell and a loud thud could be heard.
"Polari, what happened?" Skyler cried, running to the bathroom.
She looked down to see a bar of soap and Polari on the ground, holding the clothing.
"I'm so sorry about that!" Skyler cried, helping Polari up.
Polari nodded warily.
Skyler picked up the soap and then left the bathroom.
"Poor Polari." Marisol whispered. "She has no idea what anything is in the modern world."
"I hope she knows what a shower is, because I don't want to smell Egypt all over the place." Blaze chimed in.
"Blaze! Shut up!" Mackenzie snapped.
Meanwhile, Skyler was on the house phone, calling her cooks.
Minutes later, Polari came out of the bathroom wearing the dress and slip-on slippers. Her skin was dry, and her hair was still a mess.
"Hold on, let me take care of your dermatology and cosmetology needs." Blaze spoke up excitedly.
She ran over to Polari and dragged her back into the bathroom.
"Wait! What are you doing?" Polari cried.
The door was slammed shut, and everyone else sweat dropped.
"…is she always like this?" Akane asked.
"Yeah." Marisol and Mackenzie answered in unison.
Fifteen minutes and the sound of the shower later, Blaze marched out of the bathroom proudly.
"Ladies, I present you…Polari Manu!" she cried.
There was a silence, but then Polari reluctantly came out of the bathroom, and everyone gasped.
Blaze taught Polari how to shower, so she was clean for the first time in years. Her skin was really smooth and moist, thanks to Skyler's lotion. Polari's wild spiky hair was brushed and combed. Even though the ends of her hair are still spiky, the body of her hair was smooth and controlled.
Blaze put Polari's locket on a thin gold chain, and now the locket hung loosely around her neck like a necklace. Blaze had applied burnt orange eyeshadow on Polari's eyelids and a thin line of Blaze's own lip gloss. Blaze also introduced Polari to deodorant.
"Polari! You look so beautiful!" Skyler gushed.
Akane wasn't one for makeovers, so she was amazed by Blaze's handiwork.
"I know." Blaze replied smugly.
"Now let's eat!" Mackenzie cried.
This time, Blaze face palmed.
"Mackie, never say that again." Blaze told her.
"Come follow me, you guys." Skyler called to them, walking out of her bedroom.
The five girls followed Skyler downstairs to the dining room, which was about four times bigger than Skye's bedroom.
"Damn! You could fit a third world country in here!" Blaze cried.
This time, Mackenzie jabbed Blaze in the stomach for her rudeness.
Skyler laughed. "Thanks, I think. Now everyone, please have a seat."
Polari looked at the tall chair in front of her in wonder.
"Skyler, you live like a pharaoh…" she told her.
Skyler raised an eyebrow. "You really think so?"
Polari nodded. She pulled back the chair in some difficulty, and then sat down.
"I never had a luxurious life like this." Polari continued. "And I've never seen such things in my life."
"I doubt pharaohs had televisions and automatic wardrobes, though." Skyler giggled.
Polari smiled for the first time since she's been here.
"You're dinner is served." Croquet, the family butler, told Skyler and her guests.
Then, the waiters and waitresses came out of the kitchen with trays of food.
"Whoa! Talk about putting a shrimp on the barbie! You put it on a silver platter!" Blaze cried.
This time, everyone (including Croquet) face palmed.
"Oh, and Polari." Skyler said, looking at the Egyptian girl. "I requested that the chefs make you something that was made back in your time."
At that moment, a silver tray was placed in front of Polari. Her eyes brightened in happiness. Before her was wheat bread that was sweetened with honey, peas, beans, tilapia and Nile perch, fish that were found (and still are) in the Nile in her time, and figs. It was like an Egyptian buffet.
"This is amazing!" Polari said happily. "I haven't eaten this stuff ever since the Dog Star when 324 stars have passed!"
Everyone's head whipped towards Skye, demanding a translation. Skyler sweat dropped at the sudden attention.
"The Dog Star for Egyptians is pretty much their new year," Skyler explained. "And 324 stars is the same as nine years."
"Ohhhh. Gotcha." Blaze replied.
"Now, let's dig in, guys." Skyler told them.
Akane hesitated as she stared at the lobster dish in front of her.
I've never eaten decadent stuff like this before. How can I eat it now? Akane wondered to herself.
"Is something wrong?" Marisol asked.
Akane looked to her right to see the dark eyed girl looking at her in concern. Akane sighed.
"I've never eaten stuff like this before. The most deluxe thing I've ever eaten was ramen noodles. Even when my mother was alive…"
"Well, I guess it's time to take advantage of this opportunity, ne?" Marisol grinned, snapping a crab leg in two and eating the meat.
Akane slowly smiled and nodded. Taking a deep breath, Akane picked up a lobster leg and did what Mari did and snapped it in two. She looked at the contents in reluctance, but then took a bite of the lobster meat. At that moment, the door to Akane's mind and taste buds were opened to a new sensation.
"This is delicious!" Akane beamed.
"Glad to hear it!" Skyler replied.
"Even in the future, I never had many opportunities to eat this kind of seafood." Mackenzie added, eating shrimp cocktail.
"You're the best, Skyler!" Blaze cried.
Skyler had a warm feeling in her heart as she looked at the happy and grateful faces of her time traveling group.
This is the first time that I've ever done something nice for someone. This makes me feel…great. Skyler thought to herself.
Suddenly, there was a knock on the front door and a doorbell ring. Croquet immediately left the dining hall and walked to the front door.
"I wonder who that could be…" Skyler said, getting up from the table.
"Miss Crawford, you have guests." Croquet called to Skye with a hint of annoyance.
Croquet returned with the said visitors.
When Skyler saw who they were, Skyler's mouth dropped open. Standing in front of her was Yugi Moto, Tea Gardner, Joey Wheeler, Tristan Taylor, Duke Devlin, the pharaoh Atem that Tea had told her so much about, and Ryou Bakura.
"Oh…my…god!" Skyler cried.
She ran over to them and practically jumped in Tea's arms.
"Oh, Skyler!" Tea cried, caught by surprise.
The two girls went tumbling towards the ground, and they began to laugh.
"…and who the hell are these people?" Blaze muttered.
Another jab to the stomach was given by Mackenzie as the others looked on curiously.
"I can't believe you guys are here! Why?" Skyler asked, extremely happy.
"Don't tell me you forgot?" Yugi grinned.
"Yeah! Dis is the day we all met ya." Joey added.
"We've missed you, dude!" Tristan told her, helping Skyler and Tea up.
"So we all decided to come over and crash your day! In a good way." Duke laughed.
"It's nice to see you again!" Ryou beamed.
"Rebecca, Mokuba, and Kaiba wasn't able to make it today." Tea informed Skyler.
"Thank God for that. I already had enough of Kaiba for one day." Skyler replied, rolling her eyes.
Then, Atem introduced himself.
"We haven't formally met, but Tea here has told me all about you." he began. "My name is Atem. It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Crawford."
"The pleasure's all mine." Skyler replied, shaking his hand. "And please, call me Skyler. There's no need to be formal with me.
Polari's eyes widened when she heard the name "Atem". She turned around in her chair and saw the said Atem talking with Skyler. She opened her locket to look at the painting of the pharaoh and looked back at Atem. She looked at Yugi who looked exactly like the pharaoh, but this "Atem" Kaiba spoke of earlier matched the man who was talking to Skyler
"There's no way..." Polari said.
Skyler and Atem heard her, and they looked at the shocked Polari. Skyler grinned knowingly, and Atem's eyes widened. This girl was absolutely beautiful! Yet at the same time, she looked so cute, the way her knees were in the chair and her hands and head rested on the top of the chair.
"Who is she?" Atem whispered to Skyler.
"Hey Polari, come over here!" Skyler called.
"Polari?" Atem repeated. "Why does that name sound so familiar…?"
Polari stood up from the chair and hurried over to them. Atem saw her red eyes and the crescent moon mark on her right cheek, and was feeling like something was off…
"Polari, tell Atem where you are from." Skyler grinned.
"My pharaoh! I am Polari Manu, and I am from Helwan, Egypt. I lived before I was sent here in the star 35,964." Polari said excitedly.
"Skyler…" Atem glanced at Skyler.
Skyler explained to Atem how Polari was from the past, Akane was from the present, and Blaze, Marisol, and Mackenzie were from the future. She told him how fate led three different times joined together here. Then, Atem finally knew who Polari was…
"You! You are the evil witch who destroyed the city of Heliopolis! In this era, it's in ruins! My loyal priests and priestess told me to beware of the girl with red eyes and a moon mark- Polari!" Atem shouted in anger.
Polari took a step back, tears forming in her eyes.
"Atem! What is wrong with you! I just met you and you're acting like an ass!" Skyler snapped.
Atem's eyes darkened. "When I ruled as pharaoh, there was a terrible disaster that destroyed the entire city of Heliopolis. There was a description of the culprit from one of the survivors of this explosion. That culprit is her!"
"It's true, Skyler." Polari said softly.
By this time, everyone was staring at Atem and Polari, wondering what the heck was going on.
Polari lowered her head and kneeled before the pharaoh.
"I demolished an entire city. But…no one bothered to find out why and how this was caused. I know why I destroyed Heliopolis, but I don't know how…"
"Wait a minute! When did this happen?" Blaze blurted out.
Another jab was given.
"Why should that matter?" Atem growled. "You caused hundreds of people's deaths and suffering. What else should matter?"
"Atem, that's enough!" Tea shouted.
Atem looked up at Tea in surprise.
"Here is this girl showing humility towards you, and yet you treat her like crap!" Tea snapped.
"And that's not the pharaoh we know." Yugi added sternly. "I expect the pharaoh to treat every one of his subjects with respect and mercy. Remember what happened with Bakura? He destroyed much more than this girl here. And you were able to forgive him."
Marisol gave a glance to the King of Games.
Guess I can't say he's a jerk… she thought.
Atem exhaled through his nose, knowing Tea and Yugi were right. "Fine. Continue, Polari."
"Thank you for your mercy, my king." Polari replied. "I was kicked out from my family's home because of how I looked. I had to leave my precious little brother Kurai behind."
Polari took off her locket and presented the painting of her little brother to Atem. He observed it, and saw that there was also a painting of himself on there.
"I am in your locket?" Atem asked her.
Polari nodded, still averting her eyes. "I've always wanted to meet you, but I dared not to step foot into Thebes. Anyways, I have been on my own for- nine years?" Polari looked at Skyler.
She nodded, giving the Egyptian a thumbs up, signaling that she successfully translated stars into years.
"And wherever I went, people taunted, beat, and spit on me because of my eyes and birthmark. Then, when I was in Heliopolis, a group of men tried to rape me. That was when the explosion happened. But, I don't know how I caused such destruction. I'm still trying to figure that out. I was so scared and angry, that I just felt some power inside of me…"
At that moment, Polari had a suspicion on how the explosion was caused. And it was a someone who probably caused it.
Atem contemplated what Polari had said. Her situation was similar to Kisara's, an outcast who had a special ka even she didn't know about, the Blue Eyes White Dragon. Could Polari have a ka…?
"I believe you." Atem finally said. "And I apologize for my instant flare of anger towards you. And just know this. You may have a gift that you haven't discovered yet. And until you do, try to keep your anger under control."
"Yes, my pharaoh." Polari replied, bowing towards Atem once again.
Blaze started to applaud Atem and Polari, and soon, everyone else joined in.
"Woohoo! That was tight!" Mackenzie cried.
"Never say that again…" Blaze sighed.
"And for someone who was transported to Egypt by a magician, you look rather modern." Atem observed, looking at her dress.
"That's because I gave her a makeover!" Blaze cried, hopping up from her chair.
She ran over to the two and took out her cell phone.
"Look! This is what Polari looked like before I snazzed her up!" Blaze said, showing Atem a picture of the old Polari.
"Hey! How did you capture an image of me in that contraption?" Polari asked, snatching the phone away.
"It's a photograph!" Blaze explained. "Those are very common in the modern world! You'll learn!"
"Dis is all nice 'n stuff, but who da heck are you guys?" Joey asked, sweat dropping.
"Allow me to-" Skyler began, but Blaze jumped in front of her.
"Allow me to introduce ourselves!" Blaze interrupted. "My name is Blaze Torino! This is my cousin Marisol Ford, who is nicknamed Mari, my friend Mackenzie Jefferson, who you can call Mackie, and our new friends Polari Manu and Akane Izumi!" she said, pointing to each person. "And we already know who most of you are!"
"How?" Duke asked.
"I'll let Skyler explained what happened." Blaze said, retreating back to the table. Skyler had an irritation vein pop up as she explained again how Blaze, Marisol, Mackenzie, Akane, and Polari were from the past, present, and future, and how they got here from fate and the magicians.
Akane giggled at Skye's expression, and Ryou couldn't help but give her a glance.
"Whoa, dat's kinda trippy." Joey commented.
"Yeah, With every new person we meet, it involves magic." Tristan added.
"But it makes the bonds we make the more fun!" Tea pointed out.
"You know girl, I'm starting to like you!" Blaze gushed.
Skyler rubbed her eyes, getting tired.
"This is all wonderful. I met up with old friends and introduced new ones. Let's continue the fun tomorrow. We can all go to downtown Domino tomorrow at noon. It'll be on me."
"That sounds like fun! I'll be there!" Tea told her best friend.
"My sister Serenity will be in town tomorrow. You never gotta chance to meet her, Skye. Can she come?" Joey asked.
"Of course. The more merrier." Skye said.
"We may even run into Mai Valentine. Or even Bakura Akefia and Marik Ishtar!" Tea added.
"Peachy." Skye replied tiredly.
"Well, this is enough torture for one night. We'll see ya tomorrow." Duke said.
"We'll be waiting." Blaze replied, winking at Duke.
"Bye, you guys! Thanks for coming!" Skye called to her departing friends.
"No problem. And it's nice to meet you all!" Yugi replied, waving.
When the Yugi and the gang left, Skyler almost slumped to the ground in exhaustion.
"…does anyone know any good jokes?" Blaze asked, breaking the silence.
Everyone face palmed for the umpteenth time that day.
"I believe you are the joke." Marisol teased.
"Very funny." Blaze said snippily.
"Follow me you guys." Skyler yawned. "I'll show you guys to your bedrooms."
"Ooooohhhhh! We get our own bedrooms?" Blaze gushed.
"Yes." Skyler replied.
The five girls followed Skyler upstairs. Then they came to a hallway with ten guest bedrooms.
"Welcome to the women's guest bedrooms. These rooms aren't as big as mine, but I hope they'll do." Skyler told them.
Blaze opened the door to one and gasped. "OMJesus! These rooms are big enough to fit four families in!" she cried.
"Pick your own rooms. On the bed you will find your own sleepwear. You have a choice of a nightgown or a pajama shirt and pajama pants. Each rooms has its own bathroom, along with dressers, a TV, an array of phone charges, and much more. Good night everyone." Skyler said. "If you need something, push the button on the side of the nightstand. A maid or myself will come."
With that, Skyler walked to her own bedroom to shower and go to bed. Polari walked in a guest bedroom with hesitance, seeing that the lights were off. Marisol noticed this and walked over to her.
"Polari, to turn the lights on and off, you just simply flip the switch on this wall. You flip it up if you want the lights on, and off if you want them off." she explained, demonstrating the process.
"Thank you very much." Polari smiled.
"All in a day's work." Marisol smiled back before leaving.
Polari flipped on the lights and silently closed her door. She changed into the nightgown, having no idea how to put a shirt and pants on. After she did that, she walked over to the curtained window and looked up at the full moon. She could almost see Kurai's smiling face inside.
"Hey, sis!" Kurai's voice echoed on her head.
We will be together soon, Kurai. Just hang in there. Polari thought, determined.
Meanwhile, deep inside Polari's soul, the fox magician that sent her to Domino City, Yami, was smiling.
"Maybe you'll see him sooner than you think." she said softly.
At around one o'clock in the morning, Akane was fully dressed. She grabbed her backpack from before and started to find her way out of Skyler's mansion.
Skyler is a nice person, but I know I can't stay here. I have to leave so I can be back home in two weeks. Akane thought.
Just as she reached the front door, a voice stopped her.
"Akane Izumi, where do you think you're going?"
Akane winced as she turned around to see Skyler standing behind her, arms crossed.
"I can't stay here!" Akane shouted, exasperated. "I have to be back home in two weeks! I already explained this to you!"
Skyler walked up to Akane and put a hand on her shoulder.
"You may not know me well enough to realize this, but when I meet someone, I'm hard to push away. Without you here, the rest of us can't fulfill our destiny. And neither can you. All six of us are needed together."
"I told you, my destiny isn't here!" Akane insisted. "You can't force me to stay!"
"You're right." Skyler agreed. "I can't. But fate controls all. If there's one thing I can learn and appreciate from my father Pegasus, it's that even though our lives seem bleak and terrible at first, we find out that fate has good things in store for us later. Why do you think my father is so successful now? Before, he was really evil, and was after the power to bring my deceased mother back. But in the end, he realized that he has me, his daughter. Once he realized that, his life was starting to get better for him. Sure, I get pissed that he's not here all the time, but I'm grateful for the days I do get to spend with him. Until you realize that you have something great and powerful here, you will continue to be miserable. Take advantage of this opportunity fate gave to you and use it. Only then will you find happiness."
Skyler stuck out her hand towards Akane. "Please, stay here with us and let's all discover our happiness together. You have a whole new life to live. We all do."
At that moment, when Akane reached out and took Skyler's hand, she felt that for the first time, she truly made a real friend.
Woohoo! Another long chapter filled with humor and drama! So, everyone has met Yugi and most of his friends! How will the trip downtown go tomorrow? What secrets will unfold in later chapters? Stay tuned! Please review! They make me happy, and I'll be sure to respond to them! Ja ne, minasan!
PRK
