At 7 o'clock am, Amber was fully awake and decided to go for a swim. She walked out to the large hotel indoor pool wearing a mint green one-piece swimsuit with an attached skirt. Since it was early morning, the only sound that could be heard were the faint echos of her own bare footsteps. Flinging the white towel in her hand onto a nearby deck chair, she quickly stepped over to the deep end of the pool and jumped in with a splash. Instead of coming up to surface right away, she swam a few strokes underwater, eyes closed, her auburn hair flowing around and behind her with the water current. To her, the water was soothing and made her feel as if she was floating away from all her worries like a feather. Amber's head broke through the mostly still surface of the pool, and she turned onto her back to float. The water wrapped around her entire body except her face like a blanket. Her thoughts became as blank as the water. The only sounds she could hear was the whirring of water in and around her ears. She closed her eyes again, allowing herself to sink into bliss. Tranquility in this way was a wonderful way, in Amber's mind, for her to begin her day. Water swooshed as someone entered the pool, but Amber didn't give the sound a second thought.
Then, something poked her side. Amber squeaked and sat up in the water. She turned to face the guilty party, namely her short spike-haired friend.
"Yugi!" she said with a giggle. "Jeepers!" She splashed his face.
Yugi laughed. "I was going to surprise you by covering your eyes, but they were already closed." He wiped water droplets off his forehead.
Amber smirked wryly. "Yugi-kun, you fail at surprises," she informed him.
"Hey!" Yugi yelped, placing a hand over his heart. "I am hurt!" Yet, he was smiling the entire time- the two teased like this quite often. Amber and Yugi laughed, and Amber started splashing Yugi again. Yugi splashed back, and the two escalated into a large water fight. Finally, water was almost pouring out of Yugi's magenta-tipped hair when Yugi called, "Truce?"
"Ok, fine, truce," Amber replied with a fake pout. She drifted away from Yugi a bit, although while her feet touched the bottom of the pool Yugi had to tread water to keep his head above it. Like most people, she was taller than him, with or without his hair. As the playful moment faded, the unease from the previous night overshadowed them again. Amber bit her thumb joint; Yugi concentrated on keeping himself afloat.
"So," Yugi began to break the silence. "Is today the day?" His thought that Amber picked up on was, Is today the day we find out everything?
Amber nodded. "Today's the day, I'm pretty sure."
Someone jumped in behind her, splashing her back. She and Yugi both looked over to see Rini smiling widely behind them.
"So today's the day?" Rini asked excitedly as water dripped from her bunny ear-shaped hair rolls.
Amber and Yugi nodded. "Today's the day," they both affirmed.
"YAY!" Rini jumped up in the water, coming down with a splash. This initiated a three-way water fight. Amber even picked Rini up and tossed her back into the water once.
After an hour, the three hoisted themselves out of the pool, dried off, and rode the elevator back to their rooms to dress into clothing appropriate for the desert heat. About an hour after that, both groups of teenagers met up outside of the hotel and took jeeps to the dig site.
"Here we are!" Mr. Mizuno called back to the teenagers he drove in one of the jeeps. He had barely parked before Amy, Raye, Tea and Mina stepped out of the jeep. Mr. Muto and Professor Hawkins parked the other jeeps in front of Mr. Mizuno's. Joey hopped out of a jeep and helped Lita down with her hand on top of his, like a true gentleman.
"Yippee! We're here!" Rebecca and Rini chorused together, hopping out of another jeep with Professor Hawkins. They stood next to Yugi, Tea, and Amber as the five looked over the site. The site was a large hole several miles in diameter with archeologists scattered throughout it, working steadily under the growing sunlight.
{This place is fantastic,} Amberlee's voice chimed in Amber's mind. She had used her powers to shrink herself to a few inches tall and now poked her head out of Amber's pocket.
{It's so BIG!} Cloe added, peeking out of Amber's other pocket, shrunk just like Amberlee.
{I agree,} Amber said to both of them with a satisfied smile.
The rest of the Scouts and the Domino group stood by Yugi. "Wow, this is massive!" Amy said in awe.
"From what I've read, this site was discovered a couple months ago," Mr. Mizuno told her, forcing a wide-rimmed hat over his head. "There's an ancient burial site here, and I was hired to take pictures of the findings here." He held a black Canon camera with a wide zoom lens in both hands.
"Wow, so someone's buried here?" Tea asked excitedly.
"I thought you didn't like mummies, Tea," Yugi asked her, lifting an eyebrow.
"I don't. Ew!" Serena shrieked, shaking her head vigorously.
Tea shrugged. "As long as I don't see the mummy itself, I'm fine."
"We almost had to stop work here because of lack of finances," Professor Hawkins was telling Rebecca, Rini, and Amber. "Fortunately, we received funds from Kaiba Corporations."
"Hold up, did you say KAIBA Corp?" Tristan asked when he overheard this.
"That means..." Joey turned his head, searching with his eyes. The group moved down a trail into the heart of the site. "Hey, there's Kaiba!" he exclaimed to the others. He pointed at the brown-haired young man talking to a friendly-faced archeologist. A boy with messy black hair stood next to the young man, rocking back and forth on his feet in boredom.
"What's Kaiba doing funding an archeological dig?" Yugi wondered aloud.
"Yeah, his company is a game company," Tea commented, just as confused.
"Why does that matter?" Serena asked.
Rini stepped to the side of the group in order to actually see the Kaiba brothers. "Hey, they were watching you and Joey spar, Lita," she told Lita.
"They were?" Lita asked.
Joey looked horribly distraught. "Say what? You serious?"
Kaiba heard Joey shouting and looked over from his discussion at the blonde boy. "What are you doing here, Wheeler?" he demanded.
"That's what I want to know, Kaiba," Joey shot back, hand clenched into a fist.
Lita, Amy and Amber all stepped closer to Joey. "Joey, this isn't the time," Amber muttered.
"If you get him mad, these archeologists might lose funding!" Amy reminded him. She glared at Kaiba, which was a surprise to Amber and Lita since Amy rarely got mad.
"Smart girl," Kaiba said with a smirk.
"You twit!" Serena yelled at him.
"Are you two rivals or something?" Lita asked, gesturing between Kaiba and Joey.
Kaiba chuckled. "You could say that, even though my rivalry is more with Yugi than that second-rate duelist – and from what I saw yesterday, a second-rate fighter."
"Second-rate? I'll show you second-rate, you jerk!" Joey started to lunge for Kaiba, but Amber and Lita grabbed Joey and held him back. Amy stepped back as Raye and Mina both became angry.
"Joey, calm down!" Yugi implored Joey, seeing as the blonde was in his state of Brooklyn rage.
Amidst all of this, Mokuba spotted the pink-haired girl he had seen earlier and snuck around the group until he was in front of her. "Uh... hi," he greeted her shyly, hands clasped behind his back.
She smiled. "Hi!" she said with a small friendly wave.
That caused Mokuba to blush faintly. "M-my name's Mokuba. What's yours?"
"I'm Rini," she replied with a nod. "Nice to meet you!" She held out her hand, and tentatively he shook it. "So... is he your brother?" Rini pointed at Kaiba, who had just spouted off another rude remark about Joey.
"Yeah, but don't mind Seto's mood. He's never gotten along with Yugi or his friends much," Mokuba explained, easing up to her company. He smiled and asked, "Want me to show you something cool these guys just found?"
Nodding, Rini said, "Sure!" Mokuba turned and ran, waving for Rini to follow. Happily both children left, and when Rebecca noticed Rini running off she followed her new friend.
"Why don't you just leave him alone?" Raye asked Kaiba, staring at him hard.
"Yeah, you're just being a bully!" Lita accused, pointing at him.
Kaiba grunted. "Perhaps," was all he said.
"Uh, Mr. Kaiba, sir," Mr. Mizuno interjected with a forced smile. "Perhaps you will show me what it is I need to photograph? Or is there someone I need to talk with about that?"
Kaiba glanced at Mr. Mizuno's camera. "Oh, so you are Mr. Yasuo Mizuno?"
"Yes, I am," Mr. Mizuno replied, his smile more genuine.
Kaiba smiled a very wide smile, much to the astonishment of the Domino teens. "I'm a huge fan of your work, sir!Your paintings, your photography, everything! Especially your dragon collection!" he exclaimed, clapping Mr. Mizuno's hand in an enthusiastic handshake. "I'm so glad you're here to photograph the findings! Come with me, Professor Andrews will know what needs to be captured with your stellar photography skills!"
"Well," Mr. Mizuno laughed, "It's always a pleasure to meet a fan of my art."
"Oh, and after this, I have a commission I'd like you to do for me, Mr. Mizuno," Kaiba added. The still grinning company head led Mr. Mizuno over to where a bearded man was overseeing some interns in the dig.
Amber stared after Kaiba, her eyes growing wider by the second. I think a hundred puppies died with Kaiba's smile right there.
I think a thousand, Sariah chimed.
{Yeah, me too. Poor puppies...} Amberlee agreed. Amber shook her head.
"What's up with that Kaiba guy?" Mina whispered to Tea, pointing at the strangely happy Kaiba.
Tea sighed. "He and Joey have never gotten along, and he's desperate to beat Yugi in Duel Monsters."
"That game is why Kaiba hates Yugi?" Amy asked, shocked.
"That's shallow!" Raye crossed her arms as she glared at Kaiba. "It's just a game! Why is it so important, anyways?"
"Um..." Amber held up a finger, then dropped it. Nevermind, it'd be too hard to explain to her just yet.
"You're all allowed to look around and observe whatever you'd like," Professor Hawkins explained to the group. "Mr. Moto and I, as well as the archeologists working, will be more than happy to answer any questions you have about the artifacts or ancient Egypt."
"Serena?" a male voice said from behind them. They all turned to see a college-age young man with dark eyes and a wide-brimmed hat over his black hair. "What are you doing here?" he asked the meatball head.
Serena squealed and dived at him. "Darien!" she shouted, hugging him as tight as she could. "What are YOU doing here?" Her head pressed against his chest.
Darien laughed and hugged her in return. "Don't you remember, Serena? I'm here on an internship for a month. I told you before I left."
"Uh..." Serena looked up at him dumbly. "I... don't remember that."
"Of course you don't," Raye muttered.
Amber chuckled. "Guys, this is Serena's boyfriend Darien Shields," she explained to the Domino teens.
"Nice to meet you, Darien," Yugi said to him. Amber quickly introduced the Domino teens to Darien, adding, "And there's Rebecca around somewhere..."
"Darien!" Rini noticed Darien and managed to reach her short arms around his waist. "You're here!"
"Of course I am, Rini!" Darien laughed. "Let me show you some cool Egyptian artifacts now!"
"Awesome!" Rebecca and Mokuba said in unison behind Rini.
From there, the group scattered. Tristan, Serenity, and Mina began looking at a table full of smaller items found. Lita and Joey split their time between flirting and watching some of the archeologists dig. Amy stayed with her father, watching him photograph, and also asked Mr. Moto and Professor Hawkins lots of questions. Rini, Rebecca, and Mokuba ran around between each group of archeologists, watching each for a few seconds before leaving for another group. Tea and Raye asked an intern archeologist about what he was uncovering. Serena remained by Darien's side as he dug out some ancient jewelry. Yugi and Amber were most interested in an object the archeologists were having a hard time figuring out.
"What is it?" Yugi asked.
"We're not sure," one of those working on the object replied. "Whatever it is, it's large, and it's stuck where it's at." He gestured towards what looked like a large stone beam with hieroglyphics carved into it. Amber knelt down and brushed some loose dirt off the symbol of a circle with wings spread out in the beam's center.
The symbol she touched glowed. Amber froze – just as the ground began shaking like a shivering man.
People screamed; Yugi and the archeologists all backed away from the object. Joey grabbed Lita's arm to support her; Tristan did the same for Serenity. Mokuba stiffened protectively by Rini. Amber, however, was transfixed by the glowing circle. The Millennium Bracelet began to shine just as brightly as the circle in the beam.
Amber! Get away from there! Sariah shouted at her. Amber jolted out of her stone-like state and stood up. She began walking backwards. The ground trembled and rocked even harder, knocking her back onto her hands and knees.
The earth beneath her slanted, pouring into an opening below the beam. Amber spun on the dirt, yelling as she was carried into the darkness.
"AMBER!" the Scouts shouted. The Domino teens echoed their cry. It was then the ground settled itself, ending its tantrum quake.
Yugi, Joey and Lita were the first to dart to the newly discovered entrance. Everyone clustered around the set of stairs revealed by the disappearing dirt. "Amber! You alright down there?" Yugi yelled.
Silence fell over the group. A faint sound came from deep within the dark opening. It grew louder and louder; the sound was a frightened female scream. Amber ran out, still screaming, up the steps and hid behind Joey. She hid her face in his back. "T-that was scary," she whispered, gripping his T-shirt.
"Oh, is someone afraid of the dark?" Kaiba taunted.
"Shut up, Seto," Amber sneered at him, her face red.
"Yeah, everybody's got their weaknesses, man," Joey snapped at Kaiba.
"Don't bother with him, Joey," Lita muttered to Joey, glaring at Kaiba. "He's not worth your time."
"Oh snap! You just got burned!" Mina chimed. Kaiba growled at her with a glare.
"Hey, you took my line, Mina!" Amber retorted. She released her hold on Joey's shirt.
"Uh, shouldn't we be worrying more about what's down there?" Amy offered tentatively. She gestured down into the stairway; a few archeologists were descending into the darkness with lamps and flashlights.
Professor Hawkins shouted up to them from the bottom of the stairs, "You're all free to come along! This is a most fascinating find!"
"So that beam was the top of a doorway," Yugi murmured, staring long and hard at the circle with wings Amber had touched.
I sense some sort of power being restrained down there, Raye thought.
"This looks exciting!" Rebecca piped up, bouncing up and down. "Rini, Mokuba, let's go!"
"Yeah!" the two other kids yelled. They raced down the stairs laughing. "Come on, Seto!" Mokuba shouted up at Kaiba.
"I've got to take pictures of what's down there," Mr. Mizuno said excitedly. Gripping his camera tightly, he set off down the stairs, Amy following him. Kaiba, Yugi, the gang, and the Scouts all trickled down the steps.
{That Kaiba's a big meanie!} Cloe told Amber angrily.
{Not to mention heartless and egotistical,} Amberlee added.
{Agreed, but we have more important things to worry about than him,} Amber sent to them, absorbing her surroundings. {Like what's in here... and how to separate the dimensions... I need a little time to think, ok, guys?} She felt Amberlee's and Cloe's presences leave her mind. Now only her own thoughts and senses were there as the group left the harsh sunlight above and entered the shadows.
(Author comments below - feel free to ignore them if they annoy you)
Rini: Hey Mew, why are your chapters so long?
Yugi: Yeah, that last one was a LOT to read!
MU: Sorry! I get caught up in my ideas! Anyways, this story is halfway through now! I plan on this story being twenty chapters at most, fifteen at minimum. Most likely it'll be twenty, though, and I'll put up the rest of the chapters by August 2010. Also, credit goes to LittleKuriboh for the YGOTAS moments! (You can probably spot them in this chapter) :D Please leave a review-
Joey: Or I'll kick ya butt!
MU: Joey! Where did you- oh nevermind... Remember, he's kidding. It's all up to you if you want to review or not.
