Kinakao: Hello again! Thank you to everyone who has come to this story.
Daida: I took a quiz and found out I'm supposed to marry Joey! Yay!
Joan: You know those things are fake, right?
Daida: Shut up, are not.
Kinakao: Here to do my introduction is Yuugi!
Yuugi: Ahem…Kinakao does not own me, or any of the cast of YuGiOh. She does own those two bickering over there, Rhea, Hope, and the new room in Mai's apartment. Also, I only did this for a cookie…Hey!
Kinakao: Thank you for reading that exactly as was written. *hands him a cookie*
Please note: This chapter may have a bit of graphic detail. This chapter is rated T.
Enjoy!
…
Chapter 7: Brown to Gold
The trek out of the museum seemed even longer than when we were coming in. We walked up the stairs to the room with the large stone tablets. I stopped and looked at the left plaque. My eyes lingered on the man carved in the stone, the Millennium Puzzle adorned about his neck. I pulled away from Joan and Daida as I walked slowly over to the tablet and put my head against the glass gently. I was confused. I was happy that it this meant that I was meant to be here, in some weird way. But, my presence told me that this world was going to be put into danger.
Daida came over and placed a hand on my shoulder. "Rhea…" She said softly, and then smiled at the back of my head. "We belong here. I told you so. We were chosen." She seemed incredibly happy with this idea of being a part of this legend.
Joan shook her head. "Why were we chosen? Why was I?" She widened her stance and pointed to herself. "I didn't even care about this world." She huffed.
Daida turned to her angrily. "You have had a chance to be here more than either one of us." She said, her pleasant melodic voice now filling with anger. "Don't you care about these people now?" She clenched her fists. "What about Ryou, huh?"
"Stop it, now!" I shouted. I pulled my head away from the glass and looked up at the stone Yami and whispered. "What do I do…?" I wished Yami was there at the moment. I turned around, keeping my face hidden by black bangs. "I care about these people, Joan. I care about you two as well." I lifted my head and looked at them. Joan had relaxed, and was staring at me quietly. Daida nodded slowly. "I think we just need to allow this to rest, and we should meet up with our friends here."
Joan looked at me with realization that she had hurt me. She nodded slowly, and came over and hugged me. "I told Anzu we might be going to the museum. They might be meeting us here." She said softly, offering the information to me as a consolation. I enjoyed knowing it.
Once we broke apart from our hug, I glanced at my watch. It was just after three. The school members of our friends should have been getting out of class. I looked at Daida. "Let's make ourselves belong." A smile brightened across her face as we marched up the rest of the stairs, and out of the museum, into the bright of day.
…
Just after we had made it down the stairs and onto the street, I heard a familiar voice calling to me. "Rhea!" A boy's voice shouted. I looked to my right and saw a group of people headed our way. Each was clad in the Domino High School uniform. Blue pants, sneakers, and blue jackets. A smile spread across my face.
The boy who had called to me had his jacket open, exposing his black shirt and collar to me. "Hey Yuugi!" I smiled, waving. When they had come upon us, I could finally see who the group consisted of. Behind Yuugi was Anzu, her blue and pink school uniform a change from what outfits we had seen her in before, and flanking her sides were Jounouchi Katsuya and Hiroto Honda. Following behind them, was none other than the white haired boy whom I now felt I had to thank for this endeavor. "You guys just get done with class?"
Yuugi nodded. "Yeah, Anzu said something about you guys going to the museum today. So, we figured we should all join you." She paused a moment as he now only saw me and Joan. "Where did Daida go?"
"Hey Yuugi, who's this chick?" We turned to look at the blonde boy who had a very happy Daida hugging him. Suddenly realizing she had made the mistake I had made with characters, she jumped back and away from him.
I gave a laugh. "Sorry, we haven't been introduced yet." I said, before point to Daida. "This is Daida Raizen." At my words, she gave a small curtsey, smiling brightly to her crush. My hand pointed to Joan. "This is Joan…" I said, suddenly realizing that I did not know her last name here.
"Strong." Joan finished for me, allowing the use of her previous name. I smiled and nodded. I turned my attention back to the males. "My name is Rhea Saffron. You guys are…" As if we really needed to know.
Joey grinned and stuck his thumb out towards himself. He decided to do the introductions. "The name's Jounouchi, but you guys are friends of Yuugi, so you can just call me Joey. This here is Honda. He ain't got a better nickname that that." He chuckled before Honda shot him a glare.
Daida was looking at Joey with stars in her eyes. Yuugi looked to me for an explanation and I put my hand to the side of my mouth and whispered. "She's a 'Love at First Sight' kind of gal."
Yuugi looked to me and nodded gently, his eyes focused on mine. "I know how that feels." He widened his eyes as he realized what he said and gave a gentle blush before looking away. I blinked a few times before shaking my head a little. I wondered who he meant, and part of me was scared to know.
Ryou came up from behind and smiled to us. "Hello again." He looked to Joan and gave her a sweet smile. "You are looking very nice today, Joan." His words made her blush as she shyly returned a smile. I noticed the look on Ryou's face. It seemed to be where he was incredibly happy with Joan, but when he glanced at me, had a very torn look on his features.
I ignored it. I would have a chance to talk to him another time. I turned my attention back to Yuugi, who seemed to notice my clothing change as well. "You look good too, Rhea." He blushed shyly, which caused my cheeks to redden. That was right, I had not seen Yuugi since the morning's incident and my face coated itself in a deep red. "We were planning to go back to the game shop to hang out for a while. Did you want to come with us?" He seemed to at least not want to bring up the subject, which made me grateful.
I looked to my friends for their response. Daida gave me a begging look to go so she could be with Joey a little longer. Joan did not seem to mind the fact, as long as she could be around Ryou. I smiled and shrugged my shoulders. "As long as we are all going." This made Yuugi smile and we all gathered in a group and started on our way to the game shop.
…
"Those are the Guardians?" A deep voice spoke to himself as he stood across from the museum, clouded in a dark cloak. No one seemed to even take notice to this man, even though he stood at the entrance to a small alleyway. A grin parted his lips as he focused on the three girls. "I will have the power of Time on my side…" He spoke. His eyes lingered on the girl with long dark hair, and a thought of even being able to touch it made him shiver out of need for power. A chuckle escaped his lips as he raised his hand in front of his face. Two of his fingers were pressed together, when suddenly a black shard appeared between them. He turned his palm upward and dropped the shard in to his hand before his body disappeared into shadows.
…
Joan, Daida, and I were walking towards the back of the group as we passed various building on our way to the shop. Joan had found out from Ryou that apparently the events of Battle City had occurred, before anyone had even heard of Duelist Kingdom.
Daida leaned over and whispered to both Joan and me. "Man, the timeline in this world compared to how we know it is really screwed up. Think it might be because of Miss Spirit of Time over here?" She was not loud enough for the rest of the group to hear, but the grunt she gave as I elbowed her in the rib was enough to garner some attention.
The group looked back at us, and we stopped for the moment, in front of the splitting of two buildings. "Sorry guys, she just was joking about something. No need to worry." I smiled and waved at them to keep going. As they started to turn away, my heart seemed to stop for a moment. My eyes widened as I suddenly felt a force knock me in to the alley, into a pile of trash filled with glass and metal. My arms and legs became sliced up as the glass sunk in to my skin. My voice was caught in my throat as I pulled my face up and away from the pile, a cut on my cheek oozing with blood.
There, I saw a man clad in a dark cloak, his face hidden from view by a hood. A scream escaped my lips as he looked down on me, and I felt I was going to die. He threw up his hand behind his head, in order to strike me. I shut my eyes tightly as I waited for the impact, but it never came. I opened my eyes slowly, and there was Joan in front of me, brandishing her metal pole. Her pole came to his neck, while his hand landed on her chest. "Joan…" I spoke softly, my eyes filled with tears from fear and the pain.
She did not wait for him to make a second move. She pulled back her pole enough to hold it over my head for a spilt second and then lunge for his chest. It made some contact, but the shadowy figure caught it in time. Joan let go of the pole before aiming a punch. He quickly dropped the pole and jumped back. "I don't have time for this…" He grunted before turning his head to the side. He saw that the whole group was coming now. "Your power will be mine." He looked down at me, and then disappeared.
Joan growled and turned around to face me. She knelt down and tried to assess my wounds. "Joan…Why did you fight him?" I coughed. My side burned where I could feel the rush of blood. There was pain all over my body. I could barely breathe without some place hurting.
Joan looked down at me and shook her head. "Guardian or not, you're my best friend, Rhea. I had to protect you." By now, the whole gang had assembled around me. I looked up and saw Yami hovering behind Joan. It was really the only face I could make out.
I managed to raise my hand seeing blood running from my injuries. Things were growing darker. I glanced down at my wound on my side. My eyes widened as I saw the large piece of glass protruding from my body. My mind felt weak and I felt like I was about to be transported back into my world again. I did not want to go back. "Yami…" I spoke softly. I drifted into the darkness, hearing the voices of my friends calling out to me. Most of all, I heard Yami's voice ring in my ears.
…
I was floating again. I could not seem to move, but this time I felt myself being put on my feet on solid ground. I opened my eyes slowly. I was in a white room that seemed to have no doors or windows. It was simple, but did not inspire the sense of being claustrophobic. I looked at my arms and legs and I was completely fine. I suddenly realized that I was alone. "Am I dead?" I asked in to the nothingness.
A small giggle sounded from behind me. I suddenly felt the warmth of another person pressing against my back. As my arms hung down, a hand grasped mine and I felt suddenly very relaxed. "You're not dead." A small, higher pitched voice than my own spoke. It more like a gentle angel's voice. Her back was against mine, and I could feel she was as tall as I was, with her head resting against the back of mine.
I breathed slowly. "Then, where am I?" I asked. I had a million questions, but one at a time was all I could manage out.
She tilted her head a little. "You know about soul rooms, don't you?" She asked. I nodded slowly. "Well, this is yours. It's not decorated at all because you have never been able to access this part of you consciously before now." I could almost hear the smile in her voice.
I looked around. Perhaps these walls would be filled with my personality once I was able to get out of this place. "Who are you?" I asked. My heart was racing. I knew the answer and yet I did not want to know.
She grasped my hand tighter. "I'm you." She moved and spun me around to face her. There, I came face to face with my twin. She was floating a little above the ground, her feet behind her so she would still be at eye level with me. Her golden cloak fluttered about her as she stayed in the air, her clothing revealed to me. She was wearing what appeared to be a golden tank top with a long golden skirt. She looked exactly like me, but her face was a bit rounder, her hair flowed much longer than mine, and she surprisingly had the softer eyes that reminded me of Yuugi.
I took a step back. "You're the Spirit of Time…" I said softly, almost not wanting to believe it.
She gave a small pout. "That's such a formal title. I've had many names through the years, but one name has always been given to me." She lowered herself to land and gave an introductory bow. "You may call me Hope."
"Hope?" I repeated. She smiled and nodded. "So, this really is all true, isn't it?" I said, my eyes down casting themselves. "Evil has come in search of my…your power, hasn't it?"
Hope's smile faded away. "Yes." She answered simply, and opened her mouth to say more. However, suddenly her eyes shot up to the ceiling. I could now hear the voices of my friends calling my name. A smile reappeared on her lips. "We'll talk again, Rhea."
I looked at her. "Wait…!" I started. But, the floor disappeared from beneath my feet. The white of the room began to fade away, as well as Hope's smiling face as she waved goodbye to me. Everything became dark again and the floating sensation returned to me. My eyes shut themselves, allowing the coolness of the darkness to take over.
…
As soon as I was able to, I sprung my eyes open. I was lying in a strange room. It was decorated with purples and had various awards on the walls. I found myself to be in a queen sized bed, with a purple canopy over it. I started to sit up to inspect further, but I found myself giving out a yelp of pain as my side burned from where I remembered the glass jutting out. I looked down and saw that there were bandages there. It seemed as if most of my body was covered in bandages, except for the silken pajamas that I had gotten from the store that day which adorned me now. I rested my head back just in time for Yuugi to come rushing in. I turned my head to meet with his eyes.
There he stood at the door, tears in his eyes. Those brilliant amethyst eyes stared at my bandaged body as if I was the reason he was alive. "Rhea…" He finally breathed out as he moved to the side of the bed. His clothes were disheveled and he had bags under his eyes. He leaned in close to me, almost appearing as if he wanted to hug me, but did not want to touch me. "You're awake." He confirmed with a small smile.
I could not take it any longer. I did not care about the pain. I reached up and flung myself up as much as I could to catch the boy in my arms. I wrapped my arms around him and hugged him as tightly as I could. "I was scared I wouldn't see you again, Yuugi." Pain raged through my body, but I did my best to ignore it. He was pulled down on to me, his head placed on my shoulder.
The surprise of my hug caught Yuugi so off-guard, that his darker half managed to take control. The warm arms of Yami wrapped around my body and he held me close for a moment. "I'm so glad to see you are alright, Rhea." His words were spoken softly in to my ears, and I could almost feel the pain ebb away.
For a moment, a part of my heart thought he might go further, but suddenly two girls popped their heads in the door. "Rhea!" They exclaimed in unison. At that point, Yami put me down and allowed me to lie fully on the bed.
Joan and Daida came rushing in, and Joan pushed Yami out from his position next to me. They both tackle-hugged me and I grunted in pain as I winced. "Careful, guys, careful!" the pain seared me from all directions. They immediately got off of me.
I looked at them and smiled, and noticed that Joey and Ryou were now coming in. "So…Where are we, guys?" I asked all of them. They took a moment to look at one another.
The door opened once more and in walked Mai, answering my question. "You're in your new room." She said, and the whole room nodded in agreement. "They found my address in your pocket and found out it was nearby. You're lucky all these people vouched for you when you were out." She winked at me, showing me she was half-kidding.
I was in amazement. They had all been taking care of me while I was injured. I looked to Daida and Joan. "Who patched me up? And how long have I been out?" I asked, and they seemed now to be easier to talk to, since they did not have to explain where I was.
However, instead either one of my two friends, Joey spoke up. "The bandaging up part was Daida, Joan, and Anzu. We guys didn't want to, ya know…" He motioned with his hands in an odd way. I understood. Good to know they were gentlemen.
Daida stepped in with the other information. "You've been out for about six hours. We did have a doctor make a house call. He gave us some prescriptions." She pointed behind her to the bottles of pills on the night stand.
I breathed out. "Six hours…I'm so sorry to make you all worry so much." I looked to Yami, who had now moved to the foot of my bed, and had his hand an inch or so from my foot. I was nearly desperate enough to try and wiggle my foot down, but I knew everyone would notice. "Where are Anzu and Honda?" I asked.
Ryou cut in to answer this one. "Anzu had dance practice, so she left with Honda when she knew you were alright. We ought to phone her now to tell her you are awake." I nodded and sighed. I needed rest, I wanted to have more time with Yami, but I knew what I had to do.
I closed my eyes momentarily. "Guys, will you leave me alone with Daida and Joan again? I want to discuss some stuff with them." I opened my eyes and saw them leave willingly; the only one who lingered this time was Yami, who did not want to leave my side. I gave him a reassuring smile and he returned it, sated for the moment, and closed the door behind him.
I sighed and sat myself up slowly, pulling my legs in to make myself more comfortable. I looked at them very seriously. "Guys." I started. "I know what we have to do." The other two nodded in agreement, knowing exactly what I was going to say.
"Let's find those other Guardians!"
…
Daida: Ooo, if I hadn't been poked in the ribs, I would've gotten that guy.
Rhea: Why did no one take me to the hospital?
Kinakao: Because you were just cut up…You got to see a doctor anyways.
Rhea: …You're trying to kill me, aren't you?
Kinakao: Of course not!
Joan: Abort Plan Beta, she's on to us.
Rhea: What?
Daida: *Hugs a Joey plushie*Please rate and review!
Kinakao: P.S. If you guys didn't get the title of this chapter, it's that originally Mari's name is Mahogany, and then she changes it to Saffron for when she is Rhea. Mahogany is a brownish-red color, while Saffron is a golden-yellow color. FYI!
