I walk the streets of Japan till I get lost The things that I've loved the things that I've lost I like gypsy moths and radio talk The things that I've loved the things that I've lost
Cause it doesn't remind me of anything
With a graveyard tan carrying a cross
Cause it doesn't remind me of anything
I like studying faces in a parking lot
Cause it doesn't remind me of anything
I like driving backwards in the fog
Cause it doesn't remind me of anything
The things I've held sacred that I've dropped
I won't lie no more you can bet
I don't want to learn what I'll need to forget
Cause it doesn't remind me of anything
I like gospel music and canned applause
Cause it doesn't remind me of anything
I like colorful clothing in the sun
Cause it doesn't remind me of anything
I ilke hammering nails and speaking in tongues
Cause it doesn't remind me of anything
The things I've held sacred that I've dropped
I won't lie no more you can bet
I don't want to learn what I'll need
-"Doesn't Remind Me" performed by Audioslave
§
"Kakra, please I know you are my friend but with my coronation I do have to look a bit more... official in front of people."
She just laughed, her hair turning gold as it shook in the sunlight. With her usual bright smile, she bowed.
"Forgive me, my Pharaoh, almighty reincarnation of Osiris, god among men..." She spoke with flourish.
"Stop it!" He tried to be stern, but her charming antics caused him to chuckle as well.
"See, you can still laugh, though if you wish me to call you Pharaoh rather than Atem I shall. Though if no one ever calls you by your name you may just forget it." Her skin was a glorious tan from the high sun.
"Don't be silly, I'll always remember my name!" He wrinkled his nose in insult.
"Alright then Pharaoh."
It was the two of them, riding through the dunes during one of their few moments of peace. The tri-color haired man rode on a slate gray stallion, tall and powerful. The creature's noble head perched with dark, swift eyes and a white mane. His friend rose on a dark, deep horse the color of dried blood. She was one of the few woman who could ride a stallion such as this creature, bred for speed and strength.
The golden eye of Ra was slitting shut against the horizon, expanding to touch the sky in last fingers of its golden rays. Rouge pink, tinkering bronzes, and amethyst purples sheeted the atmosphere. The white gold of the sand sparkled like a sea of diamonds. Against the backdrop, the sand-stone gates of the city cast a wide shadow, reminding him of his duty in its darkness against this beauty.
Kakra had stopped riding, and was sitting on her horse, eyes closed and hands outstretched as though she was basking in this scene. In fact, she seemed a part of it. Her tawny hair and sun-touched skin could simply fall into that glowing orb, her dark violet shift melding into the colors of the sky, soothed by nature.
The horse beat its hoof against the sand in a show of almost impatience.
Was everything trying to tear him away from this moment?
"Kakra, we have to go back." He regretted the sound of his own deep voice.
She opened her bright amber eyes, glinting with the light, letting her hands fall back to the rich brown mane of her stallion.
"What do you think it would be like to fly?" She asked, her voice more toned down now that she had relaxed.
He turned to focus on her, the cardinal cloak flying against his bare shoulders.
"What, riding isn't good enough for the almighty Kakra now?" He teased a little.
The slender figure winced at having her words thrown back. "No... can you imagine what it would be like to just stretch your wings out and fly... to be able to go anywhere."
The king caught her bittersweet smile and a frown wrinkled his smooth forehead.
"Birds must get lonely though." He replied softly.
She just cast him a look with her glowing eyes. "Not if someone flies away with them."
The bronze-skinned man trotted his horse towards her. "Birds are birds, Kakra. People must stay and live as fate dictates. For me, I live to rule Egypt and its people. What is your path?
He had been wanting to ask his friend this question for a long time. Ever since she had left the priesthood in fact, at 12.
"Maybe I am a bird Atem," She spoke his voice with a strange passion this time, and he was sure it was the last time he would ever hear her say it.
"Duty binds us all my friend. You are a caged bird."
Her horse swiveled around, sending her long locks streaming.
"Then I will have to break my cage."
§
He didn't wake up in a sweat this time, or even because of the horrible phone or any other noise. The memory faded out as the wavelets upon a beach, gently and teasing. And when Yugi Motou opened his eyes he immediately looked to the left, where a transparent form was sitting beside him, head on his hands.
"Well, you were having fun there." The host tried to ease that... what was it now? He felt humiliation, something rare for his partner.
Yami nodded slowly, but an odd frown was on his face, almost as if it was trying to turn itself into a smile.
"Kakra seemed really nice, and happy too." The boy sat up fully, worry filled with deep orchid eyes with the behavior of his other.
Another nod, and still that dumb look.
"Yami your scaring me, what's wrong?" All pretense flew out the window.
The Pharaoh looked at him finally, and a strong surge of pain clashed into Yugi's soul from their bond. It reflected in his scarlet orbs
"I told her to stop saying my name because I could never forget it."
The irony sunk into the boy finally, who pushed sympathy into their link, trying to ease the man's pain.
"You...you didn't know back then. It's not your fault." The duelist spoke gently, wrapping warm hands around the Millennium Puzzle.
The elder didn't reply, but the teen knew he was still blaming himself. When Yami felt guilty about something...
"We found out your name in the end though."
"Too many people died first."
"Stop blaming yourself."
"My entire court... Tristan was possessed! What if something had happened to Joey or Tea? What if something had happened... to you?" The spirit's voice softened from the yell it had gaged up to as he completed his sentence.
Motou looked back up, his link radiating compassion and care.
"We've been through a lot together Yami. And without you I wouldn't have gotten this far. We're partners, and that's it."
Memories flooded between the two minds. Flashes of Duelist Kingdom and their strategy against Pegasus, the shadow duel between Malik during Battle City, the rare-hunter who captured the puzzle and the duel that commenced, Yugi's duel against Joey, Yami finding a god card, Yugi offering his soul instead of Yami's when they hunted Dartz, when Kaiba threatened suicide if he lost the duel to Yugi again, when they first defeated their rival together... Scenes and images clashed and when they swept back to the recess of their minds, the Pharaoh was smiling a little.
"Thank you Yugi."
The boy winked. "No problem... hey I wonder something though..."
"What is it?" The spirit asked seriously.
"Do you think Kakra has a reincarnation?"
§
"So what is with the coat?"
It happened as habitually as the Sunday night dinners. Four of them had already happened, and it now fell without thinking. Somehow, the two rival CEOs managed to not kill each other. Instead they settled for under-breath taunts and verbal abuse. The rules to this game were silent but set. Two people as clever as Kestrel and Seto did not need everything spelled out for them, and so they never needed to discuss the boundaries. And the laws of the dinner were few.
Do not drag business into the discussion. (Kaiba had delivered a fine product to her last week, and she had paid)
Continue to dine as though nothing is going on.
And the most important establishment:
NEVER let the children hear you.
So tonight was the famous meal of the weak, with Talla and Mokuba chatting on about school and duel strategies. And this time, it was the woman who began the arguments.
His blue eyes lowered to the white trench coat and a smirk worked its way onto his lips.
"And what is wrong with the coat exactly?"
She put down the green tea she had been sipping at, smiling challengingly and amber eyes sparkling.
"You have worn it to every dinner. So are you attached to it or just possessed with no sense of wardrobe out of your many skills?"
"Hm, I have better things to do with my time then prune myself." The duelist retorted, sending a message with his roving gaze over her teal blouse with golden stripes and khaki Capri.
She have him a roguish wink. "Although you may be unaware of society from your reclusive behavior... the majority of the population does change their clothes everyday, and shower I might add."
"You know for a bad-smelling, unfashionable person I still attract more attention then you." His words came in between mouths of sushi.
Amun laughed and rolled her eyes. "Whatever you say."
A frown appeared on Kaiba's face as he arched an eyebrow. "What does that mean?"
The blond scooted from the table momentarily to nod to an employee, before flashing him another devilish grin.
"A man as skinny as you can hardly call upon that much attention."
The duelist's frown returned to a defiant smirk. He seemed bound to that faint upturn on the lips.
"Hm, what you think you're in better shape then me?"
"Oh, I know that. I am a medical physician after all."
"Your foolish yourself."
"Prove me wrong then." Those were Kestrel Amun's favorite words.
Now Seto Kaiba was not a man interested in relationships, women, or even sex. He was a determined business owner brought up to be cold, and had resistance to the slightest amount of... well, romance. However he was an excruciatingly competitive person with an intensity that drove him to often strange brinks. And it was that part of his soul, the part which refused to loose at anything, that made Tokyo's number one bad ass do what happened next.
He pulled the white jacket from his frame and rolled up the sleeve of one lean, well-toned arm.
The medic eyed it with a surprised, if egging on look. She liked to push him because he would go farther than anyone she had ever met. Even past his cool guy facade, that burning intensity would get to him.
What will you do if I... "An arm shows nothing." Her voice was filled with false disdain.
Giving a low growl of annoyance, the frigid blue eyes noticed that all scurrying employees had left the room. An inner battle had broken out, and was sketched in the tightly-drawn lines of his handsome face.
This is shit, drop it.
I won't give in to her!
There is no point.
I will beat that damn smile off her face!
You'll just make a fool of yourself.
I'll make a fool of her!
The snarky comment Kess had readied upon her tongue fell dead as the fine-linen of the black turtleneck peeled back, revealing a chest built with lean, hard muscle.
Did he just... The woman could only stare in shock.
He did just...
He is hot. Amun immediately stamped out the last thought and suddenly found her voice.
Unfortunately, Talla found hers moments before, and had no problem voicing it.
"What the hell are you two doing?"
Mokuba and his friend eyed the two teens with wide, puzzled expressions.
Thankful for the chocolate bangs that hid his eyes the businessman immediately dropped his shirt and gave a menacing snarl.
"Nothing." Ah, his famous get-the-fuck-out-of-my-face charm.
Somehow the woman managed not to blush but just to simply say,
"Arguing."
However when the two children had returned to their conversation, the man muttered out of his mouth,
"I win."
She didn't disagree this time.
§
"What is with you?" The younger Amun demanded as she watched the Kaiba brothers drive away.
"Nothing," Her voice replied smoothly, but the disturbed swirling of he amber orbs betrayed them.
The brunette placed her hands on her hips and tapped her left foot into the wood. "Yeah, that's convincing."
Her adoptive mother blinked once and gave a small smile.
"I am fine Talla."
She would have none of it. "Was it Mokuba's brother? You two were... odd this evening."
The elder gave a slightly strangled laugh. "It was just a little argument. Don't worry about it."
"Kess..." The preteen sighed, then resigned herself to a hug and exiting the room.
Shaking her had again, the blond forced her legs to move. Her mind was beginning to ride with memories. Her gliding steps went up the stairs ad turned left toward her office. Opening the silver laptop, the businesswoman tried to focus on the soft pastel glow of the computer screen. The starch contrast of white on black reflected the text, but even as words were read her mind was not excepting them.
Images, scenes long buried found their way back into her thoughts. The screen blurred and the office spun out as the lone figure began to fall back into the darkest corners of her mind. On the outside, her long-fingered hand clenched tightly into fists and her bright eyes squinted themselves shut sharply. On the inside, her mind was struggling to regain control of the scenes not free and wreaking havoc on her mind.
A man, dim light, warm sheets, fear soaking the room.
No.
Hands crawling, muscles straining, hearts beating with hatred and horror.
I will not think about this.
Hot breath tickling her neck, bruises adorning her skin, blood dripping from out of her mouth and messily down her chin.
Not now!
She was clutching her head now. Fingernails pulled at the roots of the sheet-like hair and racked the scalp.
Not ever again!
.The ringing in her ears subsided, and the wash-up of old feelings lay back down to their forgotten bed. Taking one last glance at the computers screen and giving up, the CEO paced from her office to the front door, stopping once to inform a man to tell Montague and Talla she as out for a walk, if they asked.
The cool, smog air of Domino City hit her full blast, and the walker embraced it fully. Kestrel breathed deeply and counted again in her head.
1.2.3.4..5..6...7...8...9...10
Her heart rate slowed once again to normal. Treading lightly down the black road, not paying attention to where she was going. Now Amun was free to mentally berate herself.
He showed me his chest to prove that he was better-looking than me, and I freak out?
So what if he is... it doesn't matter! That was pathetic.
One tiny thing, and the memories surge back up. Is that all it takes? Am I really that weak?
I can't afford to loose myself again.
§
Atem drove slowly down the roads. His hands on the wheel, foot on the pedal. Yet the Pharaoh's mind kept wandering from the road.
"Something is going to happen soon. Can you feel it Yugi?"
"It is almost like... all the peace that has been was leading up to whatever is coming next."
"I agree, and I am worried. What do you think will happen?"
"Whatever it is, we'll take care of it. We always do Yami."
"...I hope you are right."
Shiny, silver-plated skyscrapers lined against little shops beaming with neon colors. People sped across in flashes, leading separate lives. Dusk had fallen and night was reaching up slowly, darkening the azure of the sky, hiding the sun and sprinkling one or two stars seen under the thick gases. A waning moon leaned casually along its bed of night. Yet the city of Domino seemed to wake at night rather then sleep. The colorful signs flashed on, the teens escaped their daily lives to hang around. The spirit made a strong right-handed turn away from the downtown strip mall.
I have to talk to Ishizu. She wanted to know of any other dreams anyways.
The alter-ego had received an answering machine when he had tried to call the oracle. However, he doubted she would mind a surprise visit from him again.
However, Yami was to captured in his thoughts to notice a sudden figure walking into his path.
§
The CEO had not put any thought in direction or time. But now that she was calmer, clearer she realized how stupid that was.
I could have walked right into a tree, or right through a... road.
The self-incriminating smile toying on he features faded as the sister realized that she had indeed, walked straight into the middle of a street. However before she could compute any more the flash of headlights filled her amber-eyed vision.
§
When sunset-painted eyes first spotted the being before him, he immediately assumed it was a form of hallucination.
What the...His blaring white lights spotted a head of tawny hair, a slender form, and a pair of startling bright eyes.
"Do you think Kakra has a reincarnation?"
Yup, and you're just about to hit her with a car. A logical, sarcastic-sounding voice whispered into his ear as the 5,000 year old duelist moved his foot over to slam on the brakes.
The poor car slid to an uneasy halt, lurching at the suddenness.
The man gave no thought to that as he opened his door and leaped out of the machine.
Is it really her? "Kakra?"
A woman was pulling herself up from the gravel, unharmed but dirty as she fixated her glowing orbs upon him.
"Who?"
But the features were undeniable. This woman, whoever she was, indeed was the reincarnation of the one with a kestrel signed name.
§
