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Chapter 13

Previously on Scorned Lady

"Lady Destiny, attack Dartz's reptile with Sword of Justice!" Yami commanded.

Gathering her strength in the sword, Lady Destiny slashed her sword right through the attacking serpent, thus ending the duel…

On with the story

"Now release everyone you have held captive, Dartz." Yami demanded of Dartz while Lady Destiny split into their normal forms of Critius, Hermos, Timeous, and Mana.

Balling his fists, Dartz closed his eyes and snarled with malice.

Suddenly, the ground started shaking and a snake, other than divine serpent, came out of a swirling vortex, swallowed Dartz and disappeared through the vortex.

*****Sceneswitch*****

Outside Dartz's Temple

"I hope Mr Kaiba is alright in there!" One of Kaiba's bodyguards said nervously.

"I hope we're alright out here!" Roland replied.

Suddenly, the ground started to shake and tremble.

"Now what's going on?" the first bodyguard asked with a trembling voice.

Turning around, the bodyguards were shocked to see a beam of light coming out of a whirlpool.

"It's a cyclone!" Roland said shocked, feeling how fear was slowly settling in his stomach.

"What on Earth is going on out here?" Mai demanded, emerging out of the helicopter, trying to determine the source of all the trembling, before turning around to see the cyclone forming, paling, and retreating back into the chopper.

*****Sceneswitch*****

Back with Yami and the others

Mana turned to Timeous and asked, "Timeous, would you be so kind as to activate your Sword of Awakening? I think it is high time for the chosen duelists to awaken from their long slumber."

Activating his sword, Timeous called out, "Chosen duelists, by the powers of Atlantis, awaken from your slumber!"

Instantly, the chosen duelists reacted and the Atlantian knights, excluding Mana, faded away.

*****Sceneswitch*****

With Joey

Waking up, Joey sat up, only to be tackled down by Mai who was shedding tears of happiness.

"Mai, what's wrong? What happened? Why are you crying?" Joey rambled, looking around, trying to remember what happened. Unfortunately for him, everything was fuzzy.

"What? I'm Mai again? Whatever happened to Harpie?" Mai asked with a twinkle in her eyes.

"O…um…I um…the duel…and um… the stone" poor Joey stuttered, feeling how his face warm up.

After leaning in and kissing away the boy's stuttering, Mai sat back and told him with a tender smile, "I like the idea of being your Harpie. And just for the record Joey, while you were unconscious or sleeping or whatever, I've been doing some thinking."

Getting comfortable next to Joey, she started explaining: "As you know, my whole life long, my family constantly moved around, never setting down some roots, causing that I never had been able to make any friends. As I grew up, I hardened, thinking that if I keep moving, never staying long enough to make friends, I wouldn't be so hurt so easily when my supposed friends abandoned me. That's why I was so brash and feisty when we first met. But you and your friends were so different than I thought you would be, causing me to soften up and let you lot in, especially you, since you made so much extra effort to be my friend. But, when Malik sent me to that place, he kept on showing me what I feared most, being abandoned by you and my friends. After being freed, I thought I would be okay and that everything would just blow over, but then I started having flashbacks and nightmares of the Shadow Realm. At first, I brushed it off, but it started getting worse and it was at that moment when I was at my lowest that Valen approached me and promised me the false power. The only thing he didn't know is that it was still you guys were still constantly on my mind, especially you. But I didn't realize until you sacrificed yourself for me that I…."

Leaning over to his ear, Mai whispered in his ear, "I love you to, Swordsman. Thank you for always being there for me when I need you most." and kissed him again, this time receiving a loving response from Joey.

*****Sceneswitch*****

Yami and the rest of the gang

Yami felt Yugi's soulroom's door open shortly afterwards, Yugi appeared beside him transparently.

Happily, Yami addressed his newly reawakened friend, "Yugi, the legendary knights have set you free!"

"Does that mean you beat Dartz?" Yugi asked hopefully.

"Yes," Yami answered, "but as soon as our duel ended, he disappeared into some vortex and I have a feeling the worst is yet to come, but at least we'll face it together."

After greeting the rest of the gang, as well as Joey and Mai, who also joined them, Yugi saw Mana approach Mokuba.

"Are you alright, Moka? You're not hurt, are you?" she asked concerned.

"M-M-Moka? Did you just call me Moka? Only one person called me that, and that was my nanny. Mana? Is that really you? What happened to you? Where did you go?" he demanded.

"Yes, Moka, it's me. And don't you remember why I left? I told you that I had to go save your parents. Before I left, you gave me that stone that protected you today. You said that everytime I look at it, I must remember that I'm loved as the big sister you didn't have."

"So that's why you looked so familiar?" Mokuba asked as tears started to roll down his cheeks as he flung himself in her arms.

"That's right, but your parents were in greater danger than I originally thought, so after I saved them, I was too weak to return to you. Will you forgive me for breaking my promise to you?" Mana pleaded anxiously.

Hugging her tightly, Mokuba whispered in her ear, "There is nothing to forgive. Welcome back, Mana."

"Thank you, Mokuba, for understanding. I think there are two very anxious people who would like to see their little boys again." Mana said with a loving smile.

"Alright," Kaiba sneered, "that's enough of your lies! Our folks are dead! Don't you dare…" but was interrupted before being able to finish the sentence.

"Seto! Where are your manners?!" A feminine voice cut him off. Turning towards the voice, everyone was astounded to see a blue-eyed woman with wavy brown hair in a firefighting uniform along with a dark-haired brown-eyed man, who stood fiercely at the woman's side, also wearing a fire-fighting uniform.

"Is this the way you thank the girl who not only saved me and your father, but also your and your brother's lives?" The woman, now identified as the Kaiba brother's biological mother, continued. "I don't care how old you are, when we get home, you are going to write out 'Be thankful to those who save innocent's lives' at least a 100 times!"

Sweat dropping, everyone in the room, apart from Kaiba's father, thought 'Note to self: never anger Kaiba's mother. She's scary.'

Mokuba, not caring that his brother was getting a well-deserved scolding, ran up to his parents, and enveloped them in a hug.

"Aren't you going to greet your parents after 13 years of forced absence, Seto?" Kaiba's father asked. Within seconds, Seto crushed his parents in a hug, completely forgetting to keep up the cold exterior he had projected to the world.

Watching Mana, who was looking at Mokuba tenderly, Yami couldn't help but feel a wave of sadness wash over him, wanting her to look at him with the same tenderness, but subconsciously knowing that she never will always look at him with disappointment etched on her face.

Feeling Yami's eyes on her, Mana turned towards Yami, slowly approaching him.

"Well, well, well, I didn't think I'd see you again so soon, Pharoah." She said with a little bit of venom in her voice.

"Wait, what do you mean by saying 'so soon'? Do we know each other?" Yami asked bewildered.

"We were childhood friends. We grew up together. Surprise!" Mana answered with a sarcastic smirk.