"So, what do you guys think? Should we try?"

"I don't know... I mean, isn't it dangerous?"

"You really believe that? Look, let's try this spell here, what do you think?"

"Hmm... okay, seems harmless enough..."

"Great! Let's see... Here, this is the incantation."

"My call is to be heeded. Hear my power sing and come to me, cross from Death to Life, obey my call!"

"..."

"I knew it was fake."

"Okay, whose idea was that?"

"Yours."

"Err... Right. Hey, look... No wonder it didn't work."

"Hmm... I guess I got all this stuff... do you guys really wanna use blood?"

"Yeah. I mean, paint isn't as 'magical' as blood, is it?"

"..."

"Now it should work."

"My call is to be heeded. Hear my power sing and come to me, cross from Death to Life, obey my call!"

The Trio's screeches were lost in the sound of the twin thunders that accompanied the forked lightning in the sky.


Shadowed Dreams

Chapter 3 – Meaningless


The following day was peaceful, Kaiba had retreated to his own house after receiving an ear-full from Mokuba, who had been worried when his older brother didn't come home or call. Ishizu, Malik and Rishid went back to their hotel, promising to visit and to keep their eyes and ears open for more clues.

The nameless twins, trying to help, had come up with names for themselves, and the group was grateful for having something to call them instead of 'you' or 'the boy' or 'the girl'. Now properly named Kyo Jaki and Saki Koori, they asked to stay with Yuugi. He was the only one seemed to understand them better, as even Ishizu stumbled on a few words of their dialect. Sugoroku offered to enroll them in Yuugi's school, but was promptly shot down when they couldn't understand a word of what he said. Two days later they could already understand simple sentences, and the idea was brought up again.

"It's not that surprising," Ishizu assured Yuugi when he called, worried, "They are in a place where only one person speaks their language, it's a bit of a survival instinct to learn that fast, and since they only lost their memories, there's the possibility they both knew Japanese before the amnesia took place. It's only a matter of remembering, not learning something else entirely."

Yuugi had hung up frowning over the matter. That could also mean that the twins had the innate knowledge of the Divine Language. Maybe, Yuugi thought while watching Kyo and Saki playing chess, they forgot everything and the need to speak to each other made the knowledge of a past life from Egypt surface? It wasn't far-fetched. If all the memories of this life had been suddenly erased, they had resorted to something 'long forgotten'.

"Maybe having people around that only speak Japanese will be a good influence," the small teen mused. Frowning, he muttered, "Why does everything have to be connected one way or another?"

On the third day after Ishizu's first visit, Monday 29th, Yuugi did his routine of waking up and getting ready for school before going down for breakfast. It was a surprise to find his grandfather trying to cook with Kyo hovering over him.

"What are they doing?" Yuugi asked Saki, who sat at the table watching the pair amusedly.

"Elder Sugoroku was teaching brother to…" she licked her lips, trying to find the word, "make food?" she murmured with a sheepish glance.

"Cook," he grinned.

"Yes, to cook," she nodded gratefully, "and brother began… pushing his finger to… that," she frowned, pointing at the stove.

"He began pointing or poking?" Yuugi made the gestures.

"Poking," Saki smiled.

"And that is a stove," the teen continued, "it is used to make fire and heat up things."

She cocked her head to the side and made a noise of understanding.

"Grandpa," Yuugi called, "we're going to be late if you keep this up."

"Oh!" the man shooed Kyo away, "breakfast is almost ready, but stay near them in school, Yuugi, they will need you to explain a few things. It seems they don't know how modern equipment works…" he chuckled.

"Yes well," Yuugi squeaked, suddenly noticing something Kyo and Saki had in common with… "I'm hungry, please?"

"Of course," Sugoroku smiled somewhat sadly at him. He quietly wondered when the small teen would stop trying to avoid his memories…

"Grandpa," Yuugi called with a frown, suddenly, "You woke up with our screams a couple days ago, didn't you?"

"Why, yes, I did," he answered distractedly.

"Why didn't you come check on what was happening?"

"Well, considering past records, and that a few moments later everything was quiet again, I assumed you lot had everything under control. I was right, wasn't I?"

"Well, yes…"

"There, I wasn't needed," Sugoroku smiled while placing food in their plates.

Anzu and Honda met up with the three as they walked to school and the chatter grew again, Kyo and Saki mostly listening and giving their opinions when they understood what was being talked about. Saki's uniform was one she had borrowed from Anzu the day before, just as Kyo's was one borrowed from Honda, as they had the same height.

The twins were short of stunning, particularly after they had been so careful in cleaning themselves. Kyo's ruby eyes were sharp and he seemed to grasp almost anything that he saw, his hair was a black so deep that the others couldn't help but wonder if it was absorbing light instead of reflecting it, and his face was smooth and angular, though it bordered on feminine.

Saki's eyes were a deep sapphire, resembling the blue of a darkened sky, not yet night. Her hair, as Ishizu had noticed before, was a silvery white color, reflecting light almost as if it was some kind of metal instead of hair. She was less worried than her brother about learning things, but just as observant. They were both slender and held a subtle grace while walking, but at the same time they seemed somewhat oblivious to their beauty.

Upon reaching the school building, Anzu and Honda left to class, while Saki and Kyo followed Yuugi to the principal's office.

Yuugi quickly explained their situation, giving the excuse that they had just returned from Egypt after living there for most of their lives, coming back to visit the country they had been born in. Now, they were staying with Yuugi and his family as the teen spoke their language.

The cover-story was accepted without many questions, and soon the three were walking to join Anzu and Honda in class. Upon entering, Yuugi handed the teacher the quick note the principal had given him, explaining their lateness, and headed to his seat, Kyo right behind him.

The small star-haired teen could only blink as Kyo took Jounouchi's seat. Saki paused a moment at the front before occupying a seat behind Honda.

"I see you have taken your seats," Sagawara, the history teacher, noted absently, "Well, class, these two that got in with Yuugi are Jaki, Kyo and Koori, Saki, please make them feel welcome. Now, to our lesson…"

But Yuugi didn't concentrate on the lesson. He was still somewhat baffled at Kyo's behavior… the boy hadn't hesitated even a moment before taking Jounouchi's seat.

As if he belonged there.

The small teen frowned, but his thoughts were interrupted by a small ball of paper landing on his desk. Looking around he caught Ryou looking at him. The boy was wringing his hands nervously, and he seemed somewhat jumpy.

Yuugi raised an eyebrow mildly surprised, but decided to ask later. He opened the small rolled up paper. The writing was rushed and strangely pointy, as if the writer had been shaking.

Yuugi, did you hear him? Three days ago?

Gaping, the small teen turned to stare at Ryou. The poor albino was even paler than usual and had small bags under his eyes. Yuugi took his pen and hastily answered.

Yes. Did you hear him?

He heard Ryou release a choked sob. The answer had one blurred stain.

Yes. And he wasn't weighted down by that darkness, he was… himself.

Yuugi scribbled back.

I think Malik heard too. Come to the shop after school, we need to talk.

Ryou raised his eyes and nodded when he saw Yuugi was watching him. The albino's eyes were somewhat puffy and red, hinting at how affected he had been by the matter. He hadn't been in classes the previous Saturday and Friday either.

Everything went smoothly until fourth period.

Vision blurring, Yuugi sat back on his chair after a particularly tiring presentation, feeling drained. He rested his head on his arms and promptly fell asleep. No one was worried, it was a normal occurrence between students.

They became worried when the small teen didn't wake with the teacher calling him. No sooner the class started fussing over Yuugi, the students noticed that Ryou refused to wake as well. They were then taken to the infirmary.

Kyo and Saki couldn't help but feel a little lost. They resorted to following Kaiba around, as he was the only one who could understand them fully, and the brunet was not happy about it.

"Would you two just stop following me?" he snarled after some moments of the pair trailing him in the halls.

"We can't," Kyo told him softly, "Yuugi-san understood us, but now… you're the only one who can explain to us what we don't understand."

"Please, Kaiba-san?"

Kaiba made the mistake of looking at them when Saki made her plea. Those sapphire-blue eyes pleading, a completely different shade from his own eyes… his eyes glazed over and he held his breath, exhaling suddenly with a whisper.

Saki and Kyo blinked, wondering what got into the blue-eyed teen, but he snapped back into reality and looked away, his nose pink.

"Fine," he growled, squashing any chances they had to ask what happened, "But stay out of my way otherwise."

"Thank you Kaiba-san," Kyo licked his lips, the language flowing from his mouth somewhat clumsily. The taller teen could already feel a headache coming.

"Hn," the next classes consisted of Kaiba explaining quietly unfamiliar terms and theories, carefully telling basic knowledge they didn't seem to have acquired.

At lunch, the brunet reluctantly joined their small group, taking out his laptop and doing a good job of ignoring them until he felt Kyo tug on his uniform.

"Yes?" he asked tiredly.

"Why do you not join them?" Kyo asked quietly, sweeping the table with his gaze.

"Because I have other things to do," he murmured, going back to his work.

"What are those?" the ruby-eyed youth asked curiously.

"My work," Kaiba muttered distractedly.

"Oh… what are they for?"

"In practical use, they have another appearance, more beautiful," Kaiba's lips curled in a half-smile, "They are games, programmed in computers. Their images are quite real."

"Can you show me?" Kyo murmured, fingers reaching to touch the screen of the laptop.

The action made the brunet's eyes widen. Out of reflex, he grasped the boy's hand, preventing him from touching the sensitive screen and stared at the bewildered dark-haired teen.

In a moment where their eyes met, when Kyo looked back at him, Kaiba was drowning in blood.


Laughter.

"Do you know how to ride a horse, High Priest?!" it was a joyous shout. Joy over finally releasing restraints on the desire to kill something.

"I am not an useless child!!" angry answer, shouted over the noise of the wind.

"Then ride this horse!!"

"Are you daft, Seer?!"

"I might be," it was a whisper in his ear that made him shiver, but he was distracted by the roar of a dragon behind them.


"KAIBA!" Was that Jounouchi?

"AH!"

He looked around wildly, trying to determine where… he was still at lunch, on the ground beside the table where the group had reunited.

"You fainted," Kyo supplied quietly from where he kneeled beside the brunet, "You were trashing around and murmuring things we could not hear."

Kaiba sat, sweat running down his forehead. He felt goose bumps rise in his arms and shivered, blinking back stray moisture in his eyes.

"Did Yuugi wake?" he asked quietly, accepting Kyo's hand to pull him up without thinking, and the onlookers held back a gasp of surprise at the display, quickly scattering at Kaiba's glare.

"Honda-san went to check. We all thought you'd stay unconscious like them."

"I don't think that I fainted for the same reason as they did," the brunet scowled.

"What for, then?" Kyo asked, blinking.

"We'll talk about this later," Kaiba shook his head.

"You okay, Kaiba-kun?" he turned to meet Otogi's curious eyes.

"Fine, Dice-boy," he grumbled, scowling.

"Okay," he said cheerfully, then turned to the twins, "And who might you be?"

The two teens stumbled through presentations with small help from the blue-eyed CEO beside them. Otogi, however, didn't seem to mind. He bowed courteously.

"Otogi, Ryuuji, at your service, sir, m'lady," he gave them a charming grin.

Kyo weakly grinned back and Saki smiled gratefully.

"Thank you," she murmured awkwardly, "But Kaiba-san be only one to understand us now."

Otogi sighed dramatically.

"Really, Seto," he stretched, making the brunet growl, "Must you steal away every beautiful person I come across? First my lovely Jounouchi, then my dearest Shizuka-chan, really, don't you have any shame?"

Otogi's wicked smile spoke volumes.

"For your information," Kaiba gritted his teeth, "I did not 'steal' any of them, nor do I have any interest in them. Now, leave us be, Dice-boy."

As the brunet turned away and began walking, Kyo and Saki following and exchanging half-curious half-worried glances, Otogi couldn't help but smirk.

Such a delightful person to play with... You really are as easy to rile up as Jounouchi… Now, what can I do with you..?


The day finally ended, and Kaiba felt drained. Otogi had gone out of his way to annoy him whenever he could, Kyo and Saki had still required explanations, and Yuugi and Ryou had not woken. He was easily convinced by Saki to take the two small teens back to the Game Shop, which he did gladly, if only to have everyone around him shut up.

He had a headache.

Oh, what a day.

Now, sitting there in the Game Shop's living room, staring a nothing in particular, his mind wandered while he tried to lessen the noise in his head. He had already called Mokuba, warning him he was at Yuugi's, and the boy had decided he'd go there as well. Neither wanted a repeat of three days ago, Mokuba because of how worried he had been, and Kaiba because… really, Mokuba could be loud when he wanted to…

Kaiba closed his eyes and rested his face on his hand, elbow on the arm of the couch. Easily, without meaning to, he slipped into a half-doze.

He did not see Jounouchi standing at the door, looking at him with a strange gleam in his eyes. His waist-length blond hair flowed as he walked over. Silently, the blond leaned over the other, holding stray strands of hair and whispered some words. He looked at the window, straightening, then walked back the way he came.


"You are all more tied together than you think," a frown of confusion.

"How so?" the Pharaoh's voice echoed in the hall, hand curling around a smaller hand of another person.

"You are all related, in some way," a chuckle, "You, my High Priest, and you, Pharaoh, are cousins."

"Really?" Astonishment.

"Yes. But I can't tell much more than that… I can't see that far."

"We're all being fools, wondering about this," the woman chastised, "There was a reason we didn't know, and it must have been important."

"She is right," the Pharaoh sighed, "I'm afraid we must keep a façade of ignorance, then."


"Onii-sama?"

Kaiba's eyes blinked open, albeit still glassy from sleep. Mokuba's smiling face swam in front of him.

"Mokuba," he murmured in a quiet greeting.

"I heard Yuugi and Ryou fainted in class," his smile turned to a cute half-pout half-frown.

"They did," the older brother stood, stretching.

"Do you know what happened?"

"No, Otouto-chan, I don't."

Mokuba's stance changed just slightly, eyes narrowing and face resembling more his brother's.

"It has to do with the Shadows, that much is obvious."

"The problem is how," Kaiba added, once again sitting.

Their talk was interrupted by a loud sound of something falling and breaking.

"BROTHER!" Saki's screech reverberated.

Mokuba and Kaiba were quick to get on their feet and run towards the noise, inside the room Kyo and Saki were sharing. The twins refused to be separated, and it seemed the difference in gender was not a problem to them.

"Brother, wake up," Saki pleaded, eyes desperately roving over Kyo's unconscious form, searching for injuries.

"Is he hurt?" Mokuba asked, with a small frown.

"No," Saki hiccupped, "Thank Ra…"

"What happened?" Kaiba crouched beside the twins, lifting the boy's shoulders and carefully pulling him to his bed.

"I don't know," Saki let a tear fall before she scrubbed her eyes, trying to prevent the following tears.

"You were up here with him and you don't know?" Mokuba frowned, disbelieving.

Saki bit her lower lip and did not answer, staring down at Kyo. She shook her head. Both Kaiba brothers narrowed their eyes. Something was obviously amiss.

"I don't know!" Saki suddenly cried, hands holding her temples, "I can't… I don't… what did happen?" she whispered to herself.

"You don't remember?" Kaiba asked pointedly.

Saki shook her head.

Well, Kaiba thought sarcastically, another mystery, another puzzle. How wonderful.


"No time," he gasped breathlessly, "There's no time!" he shouted, frustrated.

The letter he had been writing was violently crumpled and thrown across the room.

It hit the bedside lamp, which fell.

The spell was acting up again.

He moaned quietly in pain as his thoughts fogged up and he fainted.


Yuugi blearily opened his eyes, confused.

What happened?

Every muscle in his body ached, he felt so tired. But he frowned.

School. Presentation. Dream. Who was in pain?

He sat with difficulty. He felt so drained, so…

A groan beside him made him turn and squint to see who was laying on the bed beside his.

Ryou.

"Yuugi?" was the first thing that passed the albino's lips, as he blinked awake.

"You should be worrying about yourself," the star-haired teen murmured with a weak chuckle.

"Heh."

"Ryou, you heard him right? You heard…"

"Bakura. My Darkness," the whisper was quiet.

"I heard… I heard Aten too," Yuugi murmured, a lump forming in his throat, eyes burning.

Ryou crawled out of his bed and climbed on Yuugi's. They leaned on each other for a few moments, craving whatever comfort the other could give. Whoever said misery loves company didn't know how right they were…Ryou closed his eyes.

"Yuugi-san?" Saki's tearful voice sounded as she opened the door, sniffling.

"Come in, Saki-chan," Yuugi rubbed his eyes, sitting straight. Ryou peered curiously at the door.

The albino girl closed the door behind her, hiccupping.

"May I?" she pointed to the bed they were sitting on. They nodded and she joined them.

"What is it?" Yuugi asked concerned.

"I can't remember," she whimpered, hiding her face in her hands, "My brother got hurt and I can't remember how or why!"

Ryou gaped at her.

"Yuugi..?" he turned to the boy with wide eyes.

"This is Koori, Saki. Ishizu found her and her brother somewhere, they've got amnesia. What do you mean he got hurt and you don't remember how?"

"I was there… and suddenly I'm standing in the hallway, hearing the crash in my brother's room… and I'm not surprised by it, I was expecting it, Yuugi-san…" she hiccupped again. She took a moment to compose herself, rubbing her eyes, "They're worried about you both, you should rise and see them."

The two boys exchanged glances.

"You understand her, Ryou-kun?"

"Yes," he smiled ruefully, "Bakura taught me how to speak it."

"Let's go, then," Yuugi returned the smile, rising. Saki and Ryou were quick to follow him, walking outside the room.


Late that night, Yuugi released a deep sigh, letting his tired frame fall on his bed, the mattress making a soft squishing sound.

Seto and Mokuba had been in the living room when him, Saki, and Ryou came in. The two quickly explained the matter, finding it strange that Saki and Kyo, who had woken up and been able to answer simple questions, did not remember whatever seemed to have happened. Saki stayed in the corner of the couch, silently sobbing with her face in her hands. The poor girl seemed to blame herself, and it made her devastated that she had left her brother alone, wondering if such a thing would repeat itself in a critical moment. Then Anzu and Honda had arrived, both being quickly informed of the last few happenings, and Yuugi had let his mind drift away.

And just as the last few weeks, his thoughts turned to... him.

I wonder what he's doing now... eyes blank and vacant, Yuugi began to imagine several scenarios... of him being happy in his element, glorious Egypt as it had been so long ago. Of him as regal as he was, even while being casual and friendly… and a woman by his side.

I feel so cold… he shivered, closing his eyes and curling in on himself, automatically pulling the covers over his body.

Aten was happy in Death. Aten was where he belonged. He should be happy for Aten, but...

...why do I feel like everything around me is meaningless..?

Soft sobbing could be heard from his room for a while.


She ran as much and as fast as she could, holding her precious treasure against her chest. Fools. They dared think she'd even consider them worthy ones of receiving such a gift?

They could dream on. Never in a million years...

Hiding in an alley, she took out a long, thin brush and a small, sharp blade. Cutting her palm, she doused the brush in her blood, being quick to draw a dark symbol on the wall.

Her wicked smile went unseen.

She wondered for a moment why they called it The Evil Eye...

Well, she mused as it slowly opened a purple-black portal for her to cross, Maybe because it is my symbol…

She ignored the shouts of their pawns on the street. They were unimportant, easily manipulated. She crossed the portal, preparing herself for a long walk.

And walk she did, in the Shadow Realm, crossing an entire ocean just to be where she would be needed soon.

Soon… maybe the pact I moderated is finally complete?


Obs.: 1. I've changed and tweaked things from previous chapters, mostly correcting grammar and spelling errors.

2. Prologue's title has changed (Tattered Remains).

3. In Chapter 1, I've added a word I had forgotten while typing (bleach).

4. In Chapter 2, Ishizu only tells the cops that the boy doesn't speak Japanese.