A/N: Before you read this chapter, I would just like to thank everyone for all of the support and positive feedback these stories have gotten. Thanks so much

Nature and human life are as various as our several constitutions. Who shall say what prospect life offers to another?
~Henry David Thoreau

"Where are you going?" Kaiba called from his spot on the living room couch as Destiny trooped past him in a rather foul posture.
"Out," she grumbled before slamming the door behind her.
She couldn't believe she was succumbing to this, but she didn't have a choice at this point. Whatever Yugi did, he had some kind of hold on her and the feet moving to the limo didn't even feel like her own.
"Whatever this is," Destiny growled, "it had better be good."

Of course the Pharaoh was late.
"Fifteen minutes late," Destiny concluded, checking her watch. "I bet he skipped out," she added bitterly, "and I got all dressed up for nothing."
Destiny had trussed herself up a bit, changing out of her school uniform and into a black and white plaid pleated skirt, black thigh-high socks with lace trim, her black Chucks, and a leather jacket that had pins of all the countries she'd been to clipped to the collar.
She was just about to get up and leave when she heard:
"Alright, Pharaoh, you take over now." Destiny turned at the sound of Yugi's voice, and her vision was immediately consumed by the vibrant golden glow of the Millennium Puzzle as Yugi switched places with the Pharaoh.
When the glare subsided, there stood the Pharaoh, looking dazed and blinking in confusion.
"Huh? Yugi, wait! What? You cannot, this isn't a…Um," he stopped his yelling at the Millennium Puzzle when he saw Destiny. "Hello," he called to her, straightening up and waving.
"You're late," Destiny stated promptly.
"My apologies, I was…delayed." the Pharaoh took a second to find the right word.
"You got cold feet," Destiny translated, trying her best to subdue a smirk.
"I knew you would not want to be here, and I was unsure if this was even worth my time."
"It certainly isn't worth my time," Destiny stated, crossing her arms, "but here I am."
"Yes." the Pharaoh smiled. "Shall we?" he added, gesturing to the door.
Destiny sighed. "I guess."
After they entered the fancy Italian restaurant and got settled in a booth by the window, Destiny cut right to the chase. "So, what is it you wanted to talk to me about?"
The Pharaoh started. He apparently wasn't prepared to discuss his reason for calling her there right away.
"Let us not be too hasty, Destiny. I actually wish to discuss what happened at school last Friday."
"You mean those explosions and the deaths of all those people?" Destiny asked.
"Yes, I trust that you and I both know it wasn't an accident." Destiny's grip tightened on her glass of iced tea.
"Unfortunately, I was not present for this incident, so I do not know its true cause. But, you were." the Pharaoh leaned in close. "What do you know about it?"
"Nothing," Destiny replied flatly.
"Liar." the Pharaoh's voice turned slightly cold.
Destiny scowled. "You don't know whether I'm a liar or not, you cannot read my mind," she stated, "and all I saw that day was a lot of fire and Kaiba stopping a door with his shoulder."
"Ah, Seto Kaiba again," the Pharaoh nodded solemnly, "another supernatural display."
"What?" Destiny asked.
"Oh, that is right, you were unconscious at the time, but during Duelist Kingdom some pretty odd things happened when Kaiba got upset," the Pharaoh explained, "objects shook or moved, things exploded, nearly killing us."
Destiny's eyes widened. "What? Kaiba never told me any of this!" she cried.
"Kaiba would not have," the Pharaoh replied. "He does not believe in these sorts of occurrences. I believe he realizes what is happening to him, but he does not understand it, so he does not wish to acknowledge it."
Destiny dropped her gaze just as the waitress brought over her brimming plate of spaghetti and meatballs. "I wish he told me. He knows what I could do. If he's truly like me; I could help him," she whispered.
"Will there be anything else?" the waitress asked.
"No, but thank you. You were very kind for asking," the Pharaoh replied, flashing her a brilliant smile.
The waitress's face went bright pink; she nodded quickly before stumbling away to another table.
"You're quite the charmer," Destiny stated with a bitter smile.
The Pharaoh stiffened. "I might have expected you would notice," he whispered.
"What? The fact your voice goes all funny when you want people to do what you want and then they do?"
The Pharaoh laughed slightly. "It figures, I have known the others for years and you only for a short time, and yet you noticed first."
"So, you finally going to come clean?" Destiny asked.
"Yes." the Pharaoh set his fork down. "It is actually relevant to the reason I asked you to come here today. You see, Destiny, I am what they call a Charmer."
"A Charmer?" Destiny asked.
"Yes, it is a rare talent amongst a select few that grants me the ability to persuade people to do whatever I want just by talking to them. The more I talk, the more susceptible they become. With enough effort, I can make their feelings on a matter become the complete opposite of what they actually feel."
"I know; I've seen it," Destiny stated. "But it explains a lot; you've Charmed nearly everyone you've met when they step somewhere you don't like. Friend or foe, it didn't matter. You'll even charm Joey, or Tristan, or Teá."
"You have to understand that I only did that when they needed to calm down and think logically," the Pharaoh asserted. "They do not even notice."
"Because you never told them," Destiny finished, "and Yugi's like this too, but he doesn't even realize it. You never told him because you knew how he'd feel about you Charming his friends."
"You are a perceptive person, Destiny Pegasus," the Pharaoh mused, "dangerously perceptive."
"So, this power," Destiny asked pointedly. "Does that mean you're a Fire User?"
"Fire User?" the Pharaoh smirked. "Is that the new term?"
"Term? What do you call it?" Destiny asked.
"The traditional name amongst my people was Demon," the Pharaoh replied, "and no, I am not one of those heathen creatures. I am a higher breed."
"Heathen, better watch what you say," Destiny snarled, her eyes flashing.
"Let us watch that temper," the Pharaoh Charmed, and Destiny immediately relaxed although reluctantly.
"So, you have met Ms. Lovella Gift and Ms. Forest Peninzula?" the Pharaoh deduced, "fellow Demons."
"I prefer Fire User," Destiny snarled, "and how could you tell what they were?"
"I have a knack for that sort of thing," the Pharaoh replied, taking a slow sip of his own drink. "I picked up on you right away, you are far more potent than most."
"So, you've seen others?" Destiny cried.
The Pharaoh set down his glass with a sigh. "Destiny, can I tell you a secret?" he asked.
"Uh, sure." Destiny was confused.
"I do not know," the Pharaoh stated. "I do not know anything about my past, about what my life was like before I was imprisoned within the Millennium Puzzle, when I reigned as Pharaoh. The fact that I was an Egyptian king, knowledge of the Shadows and my Charming skills, and the word 'Demon' are the only scraps of information I have managed to retain. Have you not wondered why everyone merely calls me 'Pharaoh'? I do not even remember my own name." Destiny was aghast. "I do not know who I was, what I was like as a king." the Pharaoh's voice sounded pained. "I do not even know why I am here now."
Destiny couldn't say anything, there was no snide retort on the tip of her tongue for that. She couldn't imagine, not even knowing your own name.
"Do the…Do the others know?" she finally asked.
"Yugi does, but I do not think the others do." the Pharaoh raised his eyes to meet Destiny's. "They never ask me anything, they never question my actions or address my mistakes. Things I know I have made in the past. I do not have anyone to challenge me, and I felt this was fine but then, with Pegasus…" the Pharaoh's voice trailed off.
He reached across the table and gently uncurled Destiny's tightly clenched fingers
"I know that you believe I am partially to blame for your brother's death, and that is one of the reasons for your coldness to me," he whispered, "and I am sorry. Perhaps if I had not acted as I had, he might have had the strength to defend himself."
Yeah, he would have, was what Destiny wanted to say, but she didn't.
"And I know this because you told me," the Pharaoh continued. "You have told me many things. You have made many points; I have heard them. What you spoke to Yugi within his Soul Room, it goes both ways. But, Destiny, you know that a Pharaoh is trained to think that he is God, and I thought myself as such at first. I wanted to be noble, heroic, chivalrous but in these desires I wanted control and dominance. I have screwed up several people's lives with these blind ambitions, including yours."
"Why are telling me all this?" Destiny blurted.
"Because you are the only one who dared to look me in the eye, past my good intentions and see the truth," the Pharaoh explained. "You are the only one who was able to tell me off, and I realize now that I needed that. I still need that, and therefore I need you."
"What the hell do you mean by that?" Destiny demanded.
"That I want you by my side," the Pharaoh concluded. "I want you to be with me and to stand with me. At Duelist Kingdom, the Wielder of the Millennium Key and Scale came into my Soul Room, believing I had been the thief of your brother's Millennium Eye. When he found this to be false, he left, but before doing so told me that a war was coming, and that the choices I made would decide the fate of this life as we know it."
"Shadi told me something similar," Destiny stated grimly.
"Then we are of one mind," the Pharaoh decided, "and we are meant to work together on this."
"Who said that I even wanted to take part in this stupid war?" Destiny suddenly cried. "I don't. All I'm trying to do right now it worry about surviving 'til the next day. I'm not looking to save the world, just protect the people I care about, and that list is getting shorter all the time as I lose more people."
"I understand," the Pharaoh nodded as he motioned to their waitress for the check. "It is not a light burden. I shall give you some time to consider my offer. In the meantime, let us go out and have fun."
Destiny raised an eyebrow. "Fun?"

"A rather peaceful night, is it not?" the Pharaoh asked Destiny, leaning his head back against a bench in the Pubic Garden and closing his eyes as a brisk February wind rifled his golden bangs.
"It's freezing" Destiny replied.
"Oh, look, pigeons," the Pharaoh nodded to a cluster of the navy blue birds that were waddling around the muddy path, pecking for grubs in the still frozen grass.
"They look hungry," the Pharaoh observed, taking the hunks of bread they'd saved from dinner out of the doggy bag and tossing them bits of it.
The pigeons all cooed with delight and rushed over to the pieces.
The Pharaoh handed Destiny the other roll and then continued to toss chunks of his own toward the birds.
When he wasn't looking, Destiny crumbled her roll and sprinkled the crumbs into the Pharaoh's hair. The pigeons immediately swarmed him and began pecking at his head, riffling through his spikey locks for the bits of bread.
Destiny burst out laughing as the Pharaoh shrieked, leapt off the bench and began running around in circles beating at the birds in an attempt to ward them off. Destiny screeched with laughter, grabbing her sides as she rolled around on the bench, laughing until tears ran down her cheeks.
"You are cruel, you know that?" the Pharaoh exclaimed breathlessly once he managed to shake the last of the bread crumbs out of his hair.
Destiny snorted. "Yeah, I know, but you have to admit that was hilarious."
"I suppose," the Pharaoh still sounded rather wounded as he dusted the feathers and last bits of bread off his jacket, "but I do believe an equal manner of revenge ought to be in order to settle the matter."
"Revenge?" Destiny smirked.
"Yes, like a game of sorts," the Pharaoh explained, "at one of those places with all the boxes full of games."
"You mean an arcade?" Destiny asked.
"Yes, that. There is one near here if I'm not mistaken."
Destiny shrugged as she checked her watch. "I guess, you did want to have fun," she stated, "but if you think you can beat me in Street Fighter, you've got another thing coming. I'm the king of that game."
Then Pharaoh smiled icily.
"Then allow me to de-throne you," he stated, bowing deeply.

Due to it being a Friday night, the arcade was very crowded when Destiny and the Pharaoh arrived.
Destiny scanned the lines of games, searching for Street Fighter.
"If I remember correctly, it's towards the back" she stated, starting forward.
"What is going on over there?" the Pharaoh asked, grabbing her arm.
Destiny turned in the direction he was pointing to see a large crowd gathered around what appeared to be a Dance Revolution game.
"Oh it's just one of those sissy games where you have to dance in a certain way to earn any points. Pretty stupid really and boring, nothing blows up."
"I take it you are not very fond of dancing," the Pharaoh mused.
"No, I'm not," Destiny replied, turning away, but the Pharaoh didn't follow her. He instead heading over for a closer look at the Dance Revolution game.
"Pharaoh!" Destiny almost whined as she raced after him.
The Pharaoh easily squeezed through to the front of the crowd with Destiny close behind.
"What's going on?" she asked once she'd caught up to him.
"It appears as though they are having some kind of battle royal," the Pharaoh replied.
The Dance Revolution game had two platforms so two people could play at the same time and even face off against each other. That appeared to be what they were currently doing.
One of the competitors was a shrimp of a kid in a turquoise hoodie and the other was an African American man with dread locks, tasseled boots, and eyebrow piercings. He swerved and leapt his way along the brightly-colored squares, moving with much better accuracy to the beat then the other guy was. The latter eventually stumbled and the game called out 'you lose' blaring GAME OVER across the screen.
"Ha, I win again!" the man with the dreadlocks exclaimed, holding his hands aloft as the small crowd surrounding him cheered and chanted "Johnny, Johnny, Johnny Steps!"
"Ugh, this is lame," Destiny concluded ."Let's go play Street Fighter or Halo or something."
"Not just yet," the Pharaoh asserted. "This is interesting. I have never seen this kind of game before."
"Well, you seen one Dance Revolution game, you've seen them all. Now, come on. I thought you wanted to play me in Street Fighter."
"Now, who wants to be my next victim?" the man called Johnny asked, whirling to face the still cheering crowd.
"I do!" a voice from the crowd piped up.
The Pharaoh's head jerked its way. "I know that voice," he cried just as Teá bounced into view on a pair of bright pink platform sandals that Destiny was sure were out of style in the seventies and clambered enthusiastically onto the platform.
"Oh, hello, another brave challenger," Johnny jeered. "You feeling lucky, girly?"
"I don't need luck to beat you" Teá asserted. "Your moves may be flashy, but you don't have any real skill."
"Teá, what are you doing?" the Pharaoh called.
Teá whirled around. "Oh, hey, Yugi. You came to watch me kick this guy's sorry butt?"
"Show her who's boss, Johnny!" a guy in the crowd hollered.
"Yeah, knock her off the stage!" another cheered.
"Alright, girly, you asked for it," Johnny sneered. "We're playing expert mode."
"Bring it," Teá replied, her face looking more serious than Destiny would have thought possible as the game started.
Destiny rolled her eyes. This is still stupid, she decided.
Then she saw Teá dance. She was incredible; despite the platform heels, she leapt and twirled with both grace and accuracy. She swayed and spun, leapt and twirled with such a glowing form of perfection, sparks of light almost seemed to shoot off her. Coming mostly from the large grin she was wearing ear to ear.
"Check it out," one teen in the front row exclaims.
"That girl's busting moves even Johnny can't do."
Destiny glanced at the Pharaoh to see that his mouth was hanging open in astonishment.
Destiny was surprised. She didn't think Teá had it in her.
Then, Johnny suddenly swung his leg out in an obvious attempt to trip Teá.
"Hey, keep it clean, Johnny!" one guy yelled.
But Teá merely leapt over his outstretched leg and kept right on dancing without missing a beat.
"She's still beating him," one woman cried in astonishment.
Then Johnny pulled a bad move. Everyone cheered as the match drew to a close, and Teá came out on top.
Johnny swore under his breath and leapt off the stage with his head held down in embarrassment.
Teá beamed, swirling around to face the cheers and giving a big thumbs up in the Pharaoh and Destiny's direction.
"That was amazing, Teá!" the Pharaoh exclaimed as Teá skipped over to them, grin wider than ever.
"Not bad," Destiny agreed.
"What are you two doing here?" Teá asked, her smile suddenly fading. "Together?"
"Oh shit! Teá, it's not what it look like," Destiny snapped back. "The Pharaoh just wanted to play me in Street Fighter for putting pigeon food in his hair."
Teá blinked. "Ah, okay."
Destiny checked her watch. "Speaking of which, it looks like I'm going to have to postpone our match; I gotta go," she stated. "It's late, and Kaiba's gonna be pissed I've been out this long."
"Well then, see ya" Teá said to her.
"I do hope we can do this again sometime," the Pharaoh added.
Destiny nodded weakly as she turned to leave. The Pharaoh's words echoed in her mind as she headed for the exit:
We are of the same mind…Choices that will decide the fate of life as we know it.
You have already chosen to play a part in this war, now all you must decide is which side you'll be fighting for, that was what Shadi had said to her. You're place in matters is a delicate one.
Destiny's eyes widened. I want you, that was what the Pharaoh had said.
Destiny's hand wavered on the doorknob. "No, he doesn't want me." Shadi must have told him the same thing. "He wants my power, whatever that may be," she whispered. "Pharaoh!" Destiny whirled around. The Pharaoh turned towards her. "I've decided and my answer is no."