Kei-kei Yuki: Okay first off I just want everyone to read this so they'll know ATEM WILL APPEAR, but NOT until this first arc is finished, okay? So please stop asking (or demanding to know) when he will appear! I wanted it so when Atem appears in the story, it will make sense to see a jealous Yami. I must first build on the relationship between Yugi and Yami in order to make this happen, otherwise it wouldn't make any sense. Think of this as an anime, you have your season one, and than you have your season two. You just gotta be patience with me. I want him to appear just as bad as you all do, trust me, as the man is gorgeous as hell.

Yugi: Than what you think about Yami?

Kei-Kei Yuki: Sexy, handsome. Dark and mysterious.

Joey: Seto?

Kei Yuki: Hot, rich, asshole with great looks, tall height, beautiful blue eyes, and killer abs. ( Saw and saved a shirtless picture I saw of him on deviantart. *melt to the ground from the pure hotness*)

Rebecca: Pervert

Mokuba: Disturbing and you can say that again.

Beta by: Pure Red Crane ( She did a great job with the weapons)


Chapter Twelve

Regret and Sorrow

Yugi silently walked down the hall, which by the minute was becoming more and more unfamiliar to her. Taking a look at the figure walking silently at her left, Yugi concluded this was definitely one weird morning. She was becoming used to her maid work, delivering meals in the palace. She was doing a good job, as she was patted on the head by Rebecca's grandfather for her hard work. Yugi sometimes found it hard being in the man's presence. He reminded her so much of her beloved grandfather. But enough of that. When he ordered her to deliver the king his daily breakfast, Yugi never thought the man would invite her for a stroll. Where they were going, she had no clue.

Yugi wanted to bet they were on the northeast side of the building, basing this deduction on the few times she had to come down this way to deliver meals. The more Yami continued to lead the way, the more Yugi noticed how their surroundings began to change. The building interior and walls began to look like ruins, cracks covering the wall, other parts looked beyond repair. Yugi couldn't stop the shiver of her body as the room gave off this cold and dark feeling.

Yugi saw Yami stop right in front of the ruins' double doors, watching the way his hand clenched before gaining the courage to open the doors. Doors wide open, they walked inside the room, which looked to have once been a beautiful throne room. The feeling got worse as they walked deeper inside the room. Yugi had to resist the urge to run.

Yugi watched the king stand in front of ruins of the once grand throne. Once again, Yugi felt a pang in her heart as she saw a look of deep anguish in his ruby eyes. "My mother was slayed in this very room. Even now, I can see the floors and walls painted in her fresh blood, that god awful smell of death as if it was just yesterday. No child ever deserves to see such a gruesome sight, definitely if it involves his own mother."

The pain her chest felt like needles stabbing her, it always happened whenever Yami expressed this side of him. The side of him that was lonely, drowning in misery and pain. Yugi clenched the hand that was held over her chest, resisting the urge to run over to him and embrace him in a deep hug. He looked so small standing there, as if he was recalling memories that were once dear to him.

"She was a stern woman. And I'll admit, cold, and even down right harsh at times, but never to me. She was a beautiful woman. It was no wonder my father and uncle fell in love with her. In the end, she became my father's queen, but my uncle was furious. My uncle tried to steal her away, and started war with my father. In the end, their love, no obsession for her, costed them both their lives. And until the end, my mother only ever loved my father." Yami pointed his eyes to the once beautiful glass ceiling as it gave a peak outside.

"My mother taught me a lot of things. One of her main sayings was: the weak live to die, but strong live to survive. I lived by that saying my whole life. After the death of my father, my mother became the lone ruler of this country. As such, she couldn't afford to show any weaknesses. Every day she had to look over her shoulder, never knowing who may want her dead the next day. My mother had a lot of enemies. Anytime she got rid of one, four more would come to replaced them. A never ending cycle, until one day..." The look in his eyes changed, the anguish that was once present was now rage.

"Until one day...one of them succeeded. You don't know this, as it is forbidden to be brought up in the palace, especially around me. But the death of my mother...was on none other than the date of my birthday." Yami dropped the bomb, a gasp coming from Yugi.

'His birthday!? How sad. To see such a thing on a day of happiness and celebration. King-sama, no wonder you act the way you do. Even you don't deserve that.' Yugi began understanding a lot more of the man who stood before her the more and more she heard of his past. A past filled with nothing but tragedy.

"I really miss my mother." A hint of a sad smile appeared on his face. It was in that moment, Yugi did not see a king, but simply a man who deeply missed his mother. Yugi's mind thought that whoever murdered the queen was no human, but a monster.

Yugi was afraid to break the moment of silence in the room, but she just had to ask. "King-sama, i-if I m-may ask…w-why did you bring me h-here? W-Why simply t-tell me a-all of this?"

The king said nothing before releasing a sigh. "Honestly, I don't know how to answer that myself. There is a lot weighing down on my mind these couple of days; the killing of the concubines, the missing documents, the actions of Wong Bai and the burning villages. Nothing is making any sense to me. I simply thought of what my mother would do if she was still alive. Or maybe...it's simply due to your resemblance to Heba." Once that name was mentioned, nothing else was said on the subject.

"Which reminds me, I need to ask of your assistance, little one. There is trouble happening in the kingdom that I just cannot deal with. Too many matters on my hand. So I'm sending you, and your little friend to handle them. Help me, and I'll increase both of your pay. If both of you agree, come to my study room." said Yami. Yugi followed after him, having a lot on her mind.

'Yes, definitely one weird morning.'


"Fast." Yugi muttered as both she and Joey were standing in the king's study room, where he told them to meet him once they made their decision. The decision was easy for Joey to make once her head perked at the mention of the king increasing the salary. Standing in the room, dressed in the clothes which Yugi decided to dub Joey's battle clothes. The same clothes the blonde wore when they were assigned a mission the first time they went outside the palace walls. Yami sat at his desk, sitting comfortably in his chair, legs crossed.

"I see you both made a fast decision. Let's get straight to the point. There is a village that has reached out to me about their problems. Bandits are stealing their food, women, and children. I'm gonna need you two to fix the problem."

"I understand. Where is the village located?" asked Joey, using her serious voice that was meant for business.

"You should be quite familiar with it the location. The village is south east of the south capital city, located deep within the mountains." Yugi paid close attention to how Joey's eyes widened once she heard the mission's location. This triggered a memory of what Yami said before about Joey.

'That's right. Joey-kun was raised in the mountains. But why is it whenever it's mentioned, the look in Joey's eyes shift?' Yugi asked herself before recalling another memory.

'Barely anyone ever leaves the mountains. Well, at least not alive they don't.'

'If such a statement is true, just how did Joey-kun manage to escape. Just what happened to her family?' After exiting from the room, they made their way outside the palace doors. Sitting there, waiting for them, was a Faith Bird. A maid was standing beside it, bowing once she saw them, and she took her leave.

"Let's hurry and try to get this mission done before night fall." Joey took a look at the light blue sky that held not a single cloud today. Climbing on the creature after Joey, the bird lifted up high into the sky and took flight. They flew in the sky, passing over the capital cities, villages, and forests, until Yugi spotted vast sized mountains with a peak that looked as it if could touch the sky. Noticing how the mountains were far out of reach of the rest of kingdom, stranded alone, Yugi saw that the sky was darker.

She shielded her eyes from the flock of crows that flew passed them. Just like back in the ruins' throne room, Yugi felt a shiver run through her body, but this was stronger than the one she felt before, feeling a strong instinct in her, telling her to leave and not journey any further. It wasn't long before Joey guided the bird to land.

Getting off the creature, she helped Yugi down, before patting the creature. "Good bird. Now stay here until we return. Here's some treats to keep you occupied." Joey pulled out a folded up napkin. She undid it to reveal rectangular sized biscuits that she placed on the ground. Not wasting anytime, the bird dug into his snacks. Joey rubbed her head, before setting off.

"It's been a while, but I believe the village is a little up ahead." Yugi carefully followed behind Joey, when suddenly, the blonde stopped as Yugi ran into her back.

"S-Sorry, Joey-kun-"

"Yugi cover your eyes." ordered Joey with a warning voice. This was confusing. Why would the blonde ask such a thing? When large amethyst eyes met with what the blonde was staring at, a scream was about to escape her mouth, until Joey quickly covered her eyes with one hand, and using the other to covered her mouth. Quickly, she walked Yugi away from the scene, cursing to herself for not being cautious.

Hanging in the air was a body, covered with whip marks and blood, little clothes covering the body. The head of the body was clearly decapitated. Judging by the vile smell, the body had obviously been there for a couple of days. Over in a far off alley, Joey comforted and patted Yugi's back as the smaller girl threw up.

"I'm sorry." Brown eyes looked in pity, beating herself for allowing the innocent soul of her friend to see those things she grew up seeing all her life. 'That how those who are deem to have committed a crime are usually punished. It's been a while so I forgot, and didn't have the chance to to warn her beforehand. No one should ever have to live my past.'

"Feeling better now?" Joey asked softly once the girl got everything out of her system.

Yugi timidly nodded her head. "I-I'm...better." Joey knew that was a lie, judging by how bad the girl was shaking. Suddenly, she felt like cursing at the king for sending Yugi for such a mission. She knew full well what exist and happens here is something her innocent and pure friend was just not ready to see.

"Let's try to hurry and finish this mission, okay? We need to find the village leader." Joey said. Suddenly, she quickly spun around, a dagger in her hand. Her eyes landed on the figure standing before them.

"So our dear old king really did send someone, after all." Yugi raised her head up, and looked to where the voice was coming from, and a short old lady came into view. Her hair was white as snow, holding a cane in her hand and wearing a frown on her face.

"Follow me, brats." the elderly lady ordered, leading both girls to her small home, which stood in the center of the village. Yugi noticed how the village held an eerie silence to it. It was weird. There was not a soul to be heard. Nevertheless, she did not want to think about the scene she saw earlier. Nor the smell, which made her stomach feel queasy. A hand touched her forehead.

"Are you sure you're okay?" asked Joey. Both girls were sitting down at a wooden table. The elderly lady took a seat up at the head, a smoking pipe in her mouth as she gave a grunt look at Yugi.

"Weak. She obviously shouldn't be here. Neither do you, brat. If I recall, you and your sister managed to escape this hellish world a long time ago. Were you the best option the king had to send back here? Doesn't he know when you're lucky enough to leave the mountains, you should never, if god so forbid, return here." The woman pounded her fist on the table.

Yugi was surprised to hear that Joey once had a sister. Looking over at Joey, she saw brown eyes that had a frosty look in them, glaring at the elderly lady. "Like I don't know that, but no one disobeys an order from the king. He gave me a duty, and I'm planning on fulfilling it. So tell me about the bandit problems you're having?" ordered Joey. The elderly shook her head at the blonde, before telling them of the village problem.

"Lately around every night, a gang of bandits will steal our hunting meat and fur to no doubt make some good money at the markets in the capital city. They also took out women and children, sealing them to either slave traders or traffickers, to rack in more money for themselves." The woman took in a smoke of her pipe.

"T-That horrible! How does such a thing exist in this kingdom!?" Yugi stood from her chair. The old lady gave a dry laugh.

"Such a naive and stupid child. Illegal activity exists just about everywhere you go, and is growing. Naive and foolish children such as yourself live a life of comfort and care, ignorant of the real world, the world which is covered in darkness and sin. There is no such thing as evil and good, light, purity, and innocence. Only dumb fools such as yourself, with a fragile weak heart can believe they do. Let me tell you something, kid, if you want to remain living in this world, then toughen yourself up, or else you'll be eaten up alive by your foolhardiness. Isn't that right, brat." She trailed off from Yugi and over to Joey who was weirdly silent.

"So tell me, brat. What happened to you and your sister after you escaped? Don't think you've fooled me. I can tell just by looking into your eyes that something happened to her. So tell me, my poor child, what a pitiful life you've lived all your life." Under the table, Joey's fist clenched from hearing the fake sincerity in the old woman's voice, which in actuality was mocking her.

"Your mother died after giving birth to your younger sister, leaving both with a man, who was overcome with the grief for his late wife. Not only did she leave the world, but she left him with two daughters, which is a disgrace in a village filled with men, and well-trained hunters. Left without pride for having his first born a girl instead of a boy and again with his second, he was left with no choice but to turn you into the boy he wanted. Taking you out hunting to be trained-"

"To torture!" Joey harshly cut the old woman off. Her fists shaking under the table. Yugi began to worry about the blonde. Who held a whirlwind of emotions in her eyes, blinking back and forth between gold and brown.

"He taught me how to mercilessly kill without emotion. To be the best. To be the strongest. To be a trained killer, not a hunter. And if I didn't succeed to his expectations...I was met with his fist instead. My father never wanted such a weak daughter, not a daughter at all. It got worse after the death of my mother. He began drinking more, taking whores to our home. His teaching became harsher! He was never a father to neither me nor my sister! I protected her from my father's violent mood swings, whenever he got too drunk and out of hand." Joey's voice trembled on edge as she began to have a flashback to her childhood.

'You stupid girl! Why weren't you born a boy?! You're weak! A disgrace!" yelled the man in a fit of rage, swinging his fist at the blonde preteen teen, who had blood running down the edges of her mouth. Taking blow after blow, she never moved from the closet door where she shielded her younger sister, who was silently crying on the other side of the door. She was determined to not move. Not even when she a knee was hard in her gut, knocking the breath out of her. She staggered, but remained in place when a heavily fist began raining down on her head.

'This pain is nothing as long I can protect Serenity.' Joey told herself. It was a miracle that she was still standing, or mostly likely thanks to the hunting training that her body manage to stand, even after the pain began to feel numb.

"O-Onee-chan..." She heard the young girl cry.

'Everything will be okay, Serenity. Onee-chan promises that she will protect you. Never will I allow you experience any pain. I promise to keep you safe. I'll free us from this hellish nightmare we were forced to live.' Joey mentally vowed, even when she was bruised, beaten, and bleeding. Never once did she stand down from protecting her little sister.

"I can remember the flames and smoke that filled this village long ago as a pack of savage and merciless Duel Monsters attacked. Blood, screams, and bodies could be spotted everywhere you look. One of those just so happened to have been my father. Not that I was sad at his death. Even though we had nowhere to go. Those two weeks were the most free we ever felt in a long time until we made it to one of the capital city. I knew I had to get a job in order to make a living for me and Serenity." The long memory that would haunt and torment her forever began to replay in her head.

"Stay right here, Serenity, as I go inside." Joey ordered the young girl.

"Hai, Onee-chan! I hope you get the job!" The younger wished her sister good luck. Joey made her way inside the Inn, a poster outside its door, saying they were hiring. Joey could remember as if it was yesterday, as she argued with the boss, who said he would hire her if she could take out three of his best men, which she did, to the owner's shock. A large grin on his face, he shook her hand as he agreed to hired her.

Just when she was about to make her way out the door to tell her sister the good news, a loud familiar scream caught her attention. She rushed outside to her sister's aide, only to see a blonde man holding her struggling sister over his shoulder, loading her up on a carriage.

"Seren-!" Joey felt herself begin to black out, the muscles and movement of her body halted due to the sharp pain coming from the back of her neck. She remembered hearing the two voices of the men standing behind her.

"Do you think the boss would want this one, General Ushio?" asked one of them. The other in return scoffed at the question. "Look at her. She has the appearance of a boy. She's nowhere near his type. Let's go." said the voice. The last thing Joey remembered was a teary eyed Serenity, calling out to her fallen sister. Eyes closing, Joey tried with all her strength to reach out to her precious little sister in distress, only to have everything around her blacken out.

"When I woke up, I wasn't the same. I was empty, and filled with rage and regret. I began desperately trying to search for Serenity, only to come up empty handed. I was broken from having my precious little sister, who I swore to protect, torn away from me. I began making some horrible decisions after that, including the time I joined a gang of bandits. I stole and killed whoever stood in my way. I lived like this for long time, until I met Honda. It was when I met him that I saw the error of my ways, and decided to change. That idiot. He befriended me, got me a job in the palace, and even promised to help look for my sister. A person who he had no relations too. He held that promise. He brought back clues anytime he could. In a way...I owe that idiot my life." A fond smile was placed on her face, thinking back to her past.

Out of nowhere, Joey felt a pair of arms wrap themselves over her neck, feeling wet tears touch her cheek, and hit the leather shoulder of her jacket. "Y-Yug?"

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry for everything you had to go through. I'm sorry for being too ignorant of your pain. You really are strong and brave, Joey-kun. You've gone through so much and yet, you still have to courage to live. Unlike me, who would rather commit suicide instead. I'm such an embarrassment." Joey's eyes widened at the statement. It was the first time someone else cried for her sake. The room was filled with nothing but Yugi's hushed tears.

"It's because of you that I vowed to get stronger. Never again will you have suffer and fight by yourself. I'll be here for you." she softly whispered, and those words touched Joey deeply. Her own eyes started to tear up, all due to this little girl, who despite being so weak was determined to become strong.

To hear such determination was inspired due to herself. Joey didn't know how to react. She didn't see herself as some type of role model, definitely not after everything she had done in her past. She killed both wretch and innocent lives, stole, and did other terrible misdeeds, and yet...Brown eyes began to tear up, softly touching the hand that was wrapped around her neck. "Believe it or not, you're already strong, Yug. Just keep believing in yourself, and no matter what. Never let anything ruin that innocent soul of yours."

They remained in the quiet presence of each other, the old woman taking a long look at the two, before pointing her eyes out to the window, staring at the midnight sky that was lit up by the brilliant shine of the full moon. In that instant, the woman's eyes widened. Night had fallen. Just on cue, a scream broke the silence.

Both Yugi and Joey reached for the door, rushing outside. Both pairs of eyes widened, seeing fire light up one of the houses, screams of children and women piercing the air. Men scattered through the village, storming inside people's homes, steal the hunting goods of the day. A man tried to stop one of the bandits from stealing his wife and daughter, only to be kicked to the ground. Similar scenes were happening to all of those around them.

"This is horrible." Yugi could only say, her eyes taking on a harder edge to them.

"And were gonna stop them. Are you ready, Yugi?" Joey asked. Yugi understood the meaning of the question being asked. 'Are you prepared to kill tonight?'

'I can't remain weak and naive all my life. Sooner or later, I will have to harden my heart, but not 'sooner' or 'later. It has to begin today. Instead of being protected, I will be doing the protecting. I will grow strong. If it's for protecting innocent lives and protecting my friends…I'll...kill.' Stretching out her hand, Yugi called out to Silent Magician.

"Awaken magician of light, Silent Magician." Just like before, a dagger floated in the palm of Yugi's hand, which she clutched. Taking that as her answer, Joey took to out her dagger, doing the same.

"Flame Swordsman, come to my aid!" Her silver dagger was consumed in flames, replacing the small weapon with a large orange blade. Running out into the midst of the chaos, one of the men tried to stop Joey. Without question, he was met with her blade, which pierced him right in his gut.

Sensing the figure on her right, her sword sliced another man's neck, blood gushing out from the fatal wound. Joey summoned flames around her sword to deal damage to any other who caught her eye. One man was dragging a teenage girl by her hair as she tried to get him to let go.

"Stop struggling, before something bad happens to ya. Can't ruin any goods, but perhaps I should keep one for myself." He leered down at the frightened look in girl eyes. Just as she was about to take a step back, she sensed the man halt in his steps. For a long second, he stood there, rooted to the ground, until in slow motion, she watched his body fall forward. A dagger was embedded in him, blood leaking from the wound and onto the ground.

Looking at where the weapon came from, she saw a small girl with hard amethyst eyes not that far away from where she stood, staring coldly at the figure she brought down. Her head quickly snapped when she sensed another man charge her way, throwing a chain at her. She dodged out of the way by landing a cartwheel on the ground. Yugi summoned another dagger, which hit the chain he tried to attack her with, before throwing another at the man's heart, bringing him down.

'The old lady was right, if I want to live in this new world my destiny brought me into, I must harden my heart. I guess Yami's mother was right. The weak live to die, but the strong live to survive. I will survive. I will grow stronger! I will not let my weakness blind me, and bring me down!' Clutching the weapon in her hand, Yugi spun around, blocking the sword that was aimed at her, but she wasn't strong enough as it sent her stumbling back rolling on the ground.

"Who brought such a child to fight against real men? Go home little girl. This is not your fight. Weaklings don't deserve to be on the battlefield!" roared the man. Just then, lightning struck the sky, and rain began to pour. Yugi could hear the beat of her own heart in her chest, hands planted flat on the ground as she began to rise and stand firm on her feet.

Inside her Magic Vessel, Silent Magician smiled. "Seems like it's finally time for it to reveal itself." Back outside, inside the pupil of Yugi's amethyst left eye, something began to activate and similar glowing purplish and blue starflower petals, similar to her ring, appeared. What followed next was a burst of shining bright blue light coming straight from her hands, blinding the eyes of a couple of people in the area. Giving a dead giveaway of her location, but once the light died down, a bow was presented in Yugi hands.

Many scattered and colorful auras could be seen though the new ability given to her left eye. Placed in her hands was a bow, which was mix of white and navy blue metal. Both metals twisted, the navy blue like ocean waves and the white like playful wind, until finally, at the ends, the white became the crown of a bird and the navy blue became its head. There were indigo gems forming the eyes and the beak. There were similar gems, six in total, layered over the rest of the bow, distributed evenly and held in place by the embrace of the airy white and the watery blue. Three navy hoops were on the weapon, one on top, one on the bottom and a large one in the center, each held in place by the white. Sky blue flames were emitted from the hoops and the energy from it seem to spread throughout the bow, particularly visible in the indigo gems and the navy blue string being held by the birds' beaks. It was like all the elements had come together to aid Yugi.

Summoning forth a blue dagger, she brought it to the string and it changed into an arrow. She pointed it at her target. "Only the weak lives to die, but the strong..." With a new found strength, Yugi released the arrow. The bandit barely had time to register when the arrow had hit him in the center of his chest. His body hit the muddy dirt ground with hard thud. "...Live to survive." Her resolved was shining strongly through her eyes, Yugi was finally prepared to survive and fight.


In a room, a person kneeled on the ground. "My Lady, will the plan start soon?" The curtain of the window gave a great view of the full moon in the night sky, rustling from the soft breeze of the wind.

A needle was removed from the body of a girl on the ground, her face frozen in a look of utter terror, her mouth open as if she was about to let out a scream. The figure smirked, taking out a knife and ignoring the blood that spattered on her face, a look of pure joy on her face as her knife dug into the dead pale skin of the once beautiful woman.

"Yes. Soon…Soon, my dear king, you'll belong to me, and only to me." A look of obsession and corrupted evil shone in her eyes.

"I will not allow anyone to stand between us, my darling~!" Letting out a laugh of pure joy, crimson liquid spilled onto the carpet, and on the woman in the lovely purple gown.


Hope you all enjoyed the chapter!