Valkyria : Update on Christmas Eve! So, I guess you guys can consider this a Christmas present from me, eh?

Griever : We'll let you guys read now, okay? and we have passed the four-hundred review mark so, THANKS SO MUCH GUYS, YOU ROCK!

Disclaimer : I claim no rights to the anime/manga Yu-gi-oh!

Beta'd by : Moondalian.

Current Song : Eternal Reflection by Nujabes.

"Change is not made without inconvenience, even worse to better." - Richard Hooker

Chapter Twenty-Five: Ultimatum.

"Atemu?"

Yuugi looked around his fiancé's chamber and frowned when he saw that Atemu was nowhere in sight. He and his grandfather had taken a short break after having practiced his time magic for what seemed like hours. He'd wanted to come and talk to Atemu for a while to pass the time, but it seemed like Atemu was nowhere to be found.

He turned to leave and look elsewhere, but stopped as the sight of the open balcony doors at the back of the room caught his attention. Maybe Atemu was on the balcony?

Figuring one look wouldn't hurt, Yuugi made his way over to the balcony and pushed the red, silk curtains that were blocking the way aside.

"Atemu?" he called out again as he stepped out onto the balcony. He looked around and made a surprised noise at how wide the balcony was. It was enough to fit more than ten people on.

"Yuugi? What are you doing out here?"

Yuugi turned to his left at the sound of his name to see Atemu sitting at a small table a few feet away from him, staring at him with curiosity.

"Grandpa and I are taking a short break from my lessons and I thought I would come and find you." He walked over to the small table and took a seat in the empty chair. "I would have missed you if I hadn't decided to look out here." He scanned Atemu's face and noticed how tired he looked. "Are you alright? You look exhausted."

"I needed some fresh air and some time to myself so I came out here," Atemu replied softly. "I have been distracted lately and that is something I cannot afford to be while Dartz and Pegasus are here."

Making a sympathetic noise, Yuugi reached over and took Atemu's hand into his. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

"I only ask that you forgive me."

"Forgive you? For what?"

"For lying to you about your time magic and its sealing." Atemu gave him a weak smile that made Yuugi's heart twist. "I only wanted to keep you safe, but the only thing I have managed to accomplish is to drive us apart and for that, I am truly sorry,Young One."

Yuugi swallowed heavily at the sincere apology. "You don't need to ask for forgiveness, because I have already given it to you and grandpa." He tightened the grip he had on Atemu's hand. "So please, don't trouble yourself any further, okay?"

"Very well," Atemu gently disentangled their hands, and Yuugi felt heat rush to his face as Atemu brought his hand up to his lips to press a gentle kiss to the back of his hand. "I will try my best to do what my consort desires."

Still blushing too much for his liking, Yuugi pulled his hand away from Atemu's lips and gave him a fond, exasperated smile. "Flirtatious man,"

"Where did you get this?" Atemu reached across the table and touched the necklace that lay innocently on his chest.

"What?" Yuugi looked down at the necklace and took it into his hand. "This? General Timaeus gave it to me."

"He did, did he?"

Yuugi frowned at the tone of disapproval he heard in Atemu's voice. "Yes, he did. It is a symbol of friendship between us."

"Friendship?" Atemu raised an eyebrow and gave him a look that clearly stated he was naïve. Yuugi flushed in slight anger and embarrassment. "Is that what he said?"

"Yes, he looked sincere and… almost apologetic when he said it."

In all honesty, Timaeus had looked conflicted when he had handed the necklace over to him and had asked if they were friends. Yuugi had been more than happy to confirm such a thing, if only to give the man the comfort he obviously needed.

"I see. General Timaeus didn't say anything else to you, did he, Young One?"

Yuugi shook his head. "Not really, he just asked if I was happy here in Elysian and being engaged to you."

"Are you?"

"Of course I am!" Yuugi blurted out defensively, suppressing the hurt he felt as Atemu gave him a slightly disbelieving look. "What makes you think I'm not?"

"The secrets that I've been keeping from you, for one." Atemu looked pained and Yuugi wanted nothing more than to reach across the table and take Atemu into his arms; anything to make that awful look disappear. "I know you have forgiven me, but that still does not excuse the fact that I did lie to you."

"Yes, you did lie to me," Yuugi said firmly. "but you and my grandfather were only trying to protect me, and in the end that's all that really matters."

Atemu still looked reluctant, but nodded in acceptance. "How are your lessons going?" he asked in an obvious attempt to change the subject. Not that Yuugi minded, of course.

"Better than I thought they would go." Yuugi smiled as he remembered all of the praise and criticism his grandfather had given him. The older man was an excellent teacher, making sure that Yuugi understood everything before moving on.

"That's good to hear." Atemu leaned forward and gave him a beaming smile. "Could you show me what you have learned so far?"

"Sure!" Yuugi eagerly grabbed the empty wine glass that was sitting between them and made it disappear in a flash of purple light.

Atemu blinked at him. "What did you...?" Yuugi pointed to the balcony where the wine glass sat innocently, gleaming in the sun.

"It's the first level of warping," Yuugi explained, wearing an excited grin. "Grandpa says that after a while I can even start to warp things into other time periods."

When Atemu turned back around to face him again, Yuugi suddenly found himself under Atemu's impressed gaze. He ducked his head in embarrassment. He was pretty sure Atemu had seen something much more impressive than someone simply warping an empty glass.

"I'm proud of you, Young One." Yuugi looked up to see Atemu smiling at him, his eyes warm with love and appreciation, and he blushed hotly once more. "I can't wait to see what you'll be able to do after your advanced training."

"I… Thank you, Atemu, but I'm sure you've seen things even more impressive than this."

"Nonsense," Atemu cut in smoothly, "you have learned what would have taken anyone else months or years to get it right. Time magic is dangerous as you well know."

"Yes, of course." Yuugi swallowed heavily at the blunt reminder. "I am doing the best I can."

"I know, and you are doing an excellent job so far, Young One. Know that I will be with you every step of the way."

Hermos watched with grim satisfaction as Critias delivered the finishing blow to the knight Cayden had summoned. He shivered when a wave of exhaustion flowed through him. He didn't know how much longer he could stand that bastard's assaults.

"Are you alright?" he heard Critias ask firmly. "Hermos?"

Hermos took in several deep breaths. "I-I'll be fine." He reached down and retrieved his sword. "Let's hurry and kill Cayden before he summons again."

"Right." Critias turned his gaze back to Cayden. "Can you distract him while I begin an incantation? I only need a moment."

Hermos chuckled bitterly. "A moment is all he needs to kill me, but I will do the best I can." Hermos raced past Critias and aimed a wave of white, light energy at Cayden, who merely deflected the attack with a barrier.

"A child could've deflected that," Cayden taunted, raising his blade towards him. "You are tired, aren't you, dear heart? Allow me to put you to rest."

Cayden rushed forward and aimed for his head. Hermos dodged it and delivered a kick to Cayden's stomach, smirking when Cayden backed up several paces and sent him an icy glare as he managed to regain his footing again.

Hermos braced himself as Cayden began to run towards him again, only to breathe a sigh of relief as the elite soldier suddenly stopped in his tracks. Cayden was covered in a purple light, and that meant that Critias had finished the spell just in the nick of time. Bless the man for his impeccable timing.

"Out foxed me again, dear heart?" Cayden murmured, capturing Hermos' attention. "Well done."

Hermos looked away from Cayden. "If it's any consolation, Cayden, I am sorry that it came down to this."

"I'm not. I fought for what I believed in, taken over by the power of the Orichalcos or not. I'll willingly give my life for my King and God."

"Remove this one, extinguish body and soul from this world. Banish!"

Hermos felt pity flow through him as Cayden gave him a charming smile. "I bid you farewell, dear heart." He watched as Cayden's body slowly faded into tiny, purple particles until nothing was left.

"Goodbye, Cayden."

"Here, let me help you up." Hermos was slowly brought to his feet and placed against the damaged wall. He slowly reached up and removed his helmet, tossing it to the ground. It was too damaged to do any good by this point anyway.

"What do we do now?" Hermos asked. "The entire palace is probably in an uproar, and it's only a matter of time before the city will be as well."

"Let's just get you into the infirmary for now." Critias pulled him away from the wall and wrapped an arm around his waist. "After that, we can figure something out."

As they dragged themselves out of the hallways of the elite guard, Hermos turned to look at Critias, who was wearing a troubled expression.

"Everything has gone wrong, hasn't it?"

Critias smirked darkly. "Wrong isn't the word I would use for this situation, Hermos. It's more like disastrous and horrific."

"Where is Princess Christina?"

Hermos' brow furrowed in confusion as Critias refused to respond and his expression became blank. He looked down and saw the blood stains from earlier, and his stomach dropped as it all clicked in his head.

"H-how bad?" He placed his hand where the blood-stains were. "Is she stable or…?"

"Stable," Critias grunted. "I hope she wakes up soon because this place is going to go straight to hell if she doesn't."

"I thought we'd already passed that point."

"This is tame compared to what's in store for us, especially once the King hears of this."

Hermos winced as his aching muscles were forced to strain with every step they took. He could only imagine the scolding Braham was going to give him once the master healer saw what shape he was in.

"I know it's a little late and somewhat inappropriate to ask, but for how long was Cayden pining after you?"

Hermos blinked at the question and turned his head slightly to see Critias glancing at him from the corner of his eye, waiting for him to respond.

"A couple of years," Hermos responded, feeling thrown off by the sudden shift in the conversation. "Why do you ask?"

"Curiosity," Critias answered quickly. "You never told me about him, though."

"So?"

Critias stopped and tightened his grip around his waist to keep him steady. "So? When did you stop telling me things? I shouldn't have to figure out that Cayden was pining for you while I was on the verge of killing him-"

"Critias," Hermos cut in smoothly, feeling amusement rush through him, "are you jealous?"

"And if I am? What of it?"

Hermos chuckled. "You really don't have anything to be jealous of, Critias, especially since the man is dead now."

"Regardless of the fact that he's dead, you should have told me that he was harassing you, Hermos."

"I can take care of myself, you know? I am a, you know, General. I don't need anyone's protection."

"I am well aware of the rank you hold. I was the one who promoted you." Critias grunted and shifted to get a better grip on his waist. "And I know you can take care of yourself. Is it wrong that I want you safe and away from pigs like Cayden?"

Hermos allowed his lips to pull into a sly grin at the confession. "That's so sweet, Critias, I had no idea you felt that way about me."

"Don't make me drop you," Critias deadpanned before quickly putting on a serious expression. "I do care about you, I admit. Much more than you think I do."

Hermos shook his head ruefully. "I should have known that was the best 'I love you' I was going to get out of someone like you."

"Take it or leave it."

"I suppose I'll have to take it," Hermos said with a straight face, though his eyes gleamed with amusement.

To his surprise, Critias gave him a wicked grin in return and continued to haul them to the infirmary, where Princess Christina was waiting.

"I love you. You know that, right?" Hermos asked, amusement fading away as he gave Critias a serious look. "I have for a long time now."

"I know," Critias murmured.

"Freeze the water?"

Mahad sighed with fond exasperation as Jounouchi gave him a bewildered look. "Yes, I want you to try to freeze the water." He nodded his head towards the partially frozen floor. "It shouldn't be a problem considering you've already done that."

"Well, that's different," Jou stuck his hand into the bucket of water and pulled it back out. "I just waved a hand and froze the floor. You're asking me to freeze a bucket of water."

"This is the first time I've heard you complain about something, Jou," Mahad crossed his arms over his chest and gave his temporary student a grin. "That tells me you think you can't do it."

"I can do it!"

"Then freeze the water."

Mahad watched Jou give him an unsure look before placing his palm over the bucket and allowing the ice magic to flow freely from his palm.

Over the past few days of their training, the younger mage had shown considerable progress, which hadn't surprise him since Jou had already been firmly disciplined with the sword.

It was always satisfying to him as a teacher to watch new mages grow and add their own little flare to the basic teachings the Mage Academy offered.

"Like this?"

Mahad looked down to see Jou holding the now frozen bucket of water. He reached down and poked the ice, only to have his finger easily break through.

"It's not solid enough." Mahad pulled his hand back. "You need to apply more magic to it."

"I'm not sure I should be doing that, you know?" Jou looked down at the bucket. "What if it grows out of control?"

"It won't," Mahad motioned about the small, white room they were currently in. "As you know, this room has a multitude of barriers in it."

Mahad placed a hand on Jou's shoulder as he noticed the younger man still looking at him uncertainly. "You mustn't let fear hold you back, Jou. I know that you are more than capable of controlling your ice magic." He nodded to the bucket. "Now, try again."

"Alright."

Mahad watched carefully as Jou pushed out another wave of ice magic, successfully freezing the water solid. He knew that it would only be a matter of time before Jou lost that fear of losing control and would become confident in his magical abilities, wielding it as confidently as he did his swords.

"Very good," Mahad praised, rapping his knuckles against the frozen bucket. He set it down, turning to two dummies and a lone sword waiting in the corner. "Now it's time for you to try to fuse your magic with your weapon."

Mahad could only send Jou are assuring grin as Jou looked even more unsure than he already had been. "What did I say about not fearing your magic,hmm?" He grabbed Jou's arm, hauled him to his feet, and pushed him towards the dummies."Let's see what you can do."

Jou picked up the sword and made a few test swings with it before lowering it to his side. Mahad found it amusing that Jou could be at ease with his weapon while being so insecure with magic, but he could understand it. Magic could be something volatile in incapable hands while weapons could be absolutely useless in the hands of a novice.

"Alright, I've already taught you how to focus your ice magic properly." Mahad stepped past Jou and tapped one of the dummies lightly. "Concentrate your magical energy into the sword and strike the dummy."

Jou took a deep breath and Mahad watched as the blue ice magic came out of Jou's hands and twirled around the blade. He was impressed at the level of control so far.

"Just a little more," he instructed, noticing how little magic there was on the blade. "This will do nothing against future opponents you might have."

"Right." Jou pushed more waves of ice magic onto the blade until none of the metal could be seen. "Is that enough?"

Mahad stepped out of the way. "Excellent. Now, attack the dummy."

Jou charged forward and made a horizontal slash once he was close enough to the dummy. As expected, the dummy fell apart easily and fell to the ground in a heap of hay, wood, and ice.

"Very good," Mahad praised. "I'm sure that Seto will be proud of your progress once he hears of it."

Jou snorted. "I doubt that. He demands perfection from anyone he works with, or in my case, teaches, so I wouldn't be surprised if he just gave me a pat on the shoulder and told me to work even harder."

"Praise is given where it is deserved, Jou." Mahad chuckled, crossing his arms. "I am sure he'll give it to you and possibly more."

As Mahad expected, Jou flushed deeply at the implication. Throughout their days of training, Jou had asked several times how Seto was doing as casually as he could. Mahad had always responded that Seto was doing well. Albeit a little stressed. It was obvious to anyone that Jou had a growing crush on Seto, and Mahad found it amusing that Seto often visited them when he obviously didn't have the time. Unfortunately, Jou had never caught Seto watching him from the shadows of whichever training room they chose for the day.

Mahad looked up as the door to the room creaked open and Seto silently slipped in. Not wanting Seto to get away again without Jou's knowledge, he spoke up loud and clear.

"Seto! Welcome!"

His sudden shout caused Jou to drop his sword and whirl around to see Seto next to the open door, wearing an icy glare.

"Mahad," Seto growled in greeting. "Jou."

"Seto," Mahad greeted again, walking forward and clamping a hand on the man's shoulder when he was close enough. "What brings you here today?"

"I was looking for His Majesty and decided to check on my student on the way." Seto looked at the frozen bucket of water and the destroyed dummy. "From the looks of things he seems to be making good progress."

"Indeed he is." Mahad praised, waving Jou forward. "He'll become a very capable spell-sword soon enough."

"Is that right?" Seto asked Jou once the younger man was close enough. "It looks like you are doing a well enough job."

Mahad let out a chuckle of surprise when Jou turned and gave him a smug look that said, "I told you he was going to say that, didn't I?"

"What?" Seto asked with a confused frown on his lips. "Did I say something funny?"

"No," Mahad rushed to reassure, "nothing at all. Is there something urgent that needs to be discussed with His Majesty?"

Seto frowned solemnly. "King Dartz and King Pegasus have called an emergency meeting, and I have a feeling it's going to be about something we've been avoiding since their arrival."

"About Yuugi?" Jou asked, frowning thoughtfully. "That's the reason why they're here, right? To kidnap him and bring him to Atlantis or Sylvantia."

"Yes," Seto replied honestly, "that is the exact reason as to why they're here, and I need you to stay clear for the time being. They could use you as a bargaining chip to get Yuugi to come with them."

"I can defend myself just fine."

Mahad jumped in and stepped between them seemingly casually. He could see an argument coming and figured it would be best to prevent it.

"We know that you can defend yourself just fine, Jou ,but we're being cautious about this." He turned to Seto. "I will keep him here until the meeting is over. Can you send a soldier to tell us?"

"Yes, I will." Seto's eyes showed relief, but it disappeared as quickly as it had come. "I'd best be on my way now." He turned to Jou. "Stay safe, for Yuugi's sake…" 'and mine' was left hanging in the air, and Mahad watched Jou blush brightly as he caught on.

"You too."

Seto turned on his heels and walked away as silently as he had come in, leaving a wary Mahad and a worried Jou behind.

"Thank you for meeting me here, Emperor Faenor. I sincerely hope that I was not interrupting anything important."

Atemu leaned back in his chair and gave Dartz a wary stare. He allowed his eyes to drift first to Timaeus, who was standing behind Dartz wearing a pinched expression, and then to Pegasus, who was wearing a blank expression.

He had been retrieved by Seto, who had told him that Pegasus and Dartz had called for an emergency meeting. Those solemn words had told him that this meeting wasn't going to be good at all. He was grateful that Yuugi had already gone back to his grandfather to continue their lessons by the time Seto had come around, because he didn't have the heart to see the worried look that spread on Yuugi's face too often for his liking these days.

"No," Atemu replied, "you interrupted nothing of importance, King Dartz, is there something that I can help you with?"

King Dartz gave him a look that Atemu didn't appreciate, but he said nothing of it. "Yes, I am afraid that our time here in Elysian is up, and thus this polite atmosphere that we have created between us must now come to an end."

Atemu tensed as the atmosphere in the room became tense and frosty. "Really? I am sorry that you have to leave us so soon, King Dartz. I must also apologize for the destruction of our 'polite atmosphere´ as you called it."

Dartz' eyes narrowed at his smart remark, and Atemu allowed himself to smirk in the man's direction. "Is there a point to this meeting, King Dartz? King Crawford? Other than to tell me of your departures, that is."

"Yes," Pegasus spoke up calmly. "King Dartz and I think it would be best if Seer Yuugi accompanies us to our homelands."

Atemu frowned at the proposal. "We have already discussed this, haven't we? Yuugi will not be leaving Elysian until we are wed."

"You misunderstand, Emperor Faenor." Pegasus said. This time his voice had taken on a threatening tone. "That was not a request."

Behind him, Marik and Bakura took a step forward. Atemu quickly raised his hand to stop them. "You mean to take him by force?"

"You're catching on," Dartz mocked lightly. " Leviathan believes that the Seer would be better off in Atlantis, and he has sent me here as his representative to take him."

Atemu sent a knowing look to Timaeus, who turned his gaze away. Whether it was in shame or shock he could not tell. "By any means necessary, I take it?"

"Correct."

"You will not leave this palace alive if you attempt to take my consort," Atemu threatened. "I trust that you understand that?"

It was Timaeus' turn to take a step forward, but like Atemu, Dartz raised a hand to stop his advance. "I understand, and King Pegasus and I have come up with an ultimatum."

"Do tell," Atemu drawled sarcastically. "I am itching to know."

"Hand the Seer over to us without complaint or we will launch a war against Elysian."

Atemu stood from his chair and stared both Kings down. "I think the both of you know the answer to that question."

"We will give you a quick moment to reconsider you answer to our ultimatum, Emperor Faenor." Pegasus rose from his own chair. "There is no need to spill the blood of our soldiers over one Seer."

"Our soldiers would gladly give their lives for the safety of their country and Seer Yuugi," Marik spoke up firmly. "It would be foolish for you to think otherwise, Your Majesty."

"And my soldiers would do the same." Dartz turned to Timaeus for confirmation and smirked in satisfaction as the General nodded his head.

"My answer remains the same, no matter how many 'moments' you give me."

Dartz rose up from his chair and gave him a solemn look. "Very well, then. In three weeks time, Atlantis and Sylvantia will launch a full-scale attack against the Empire of Elysian and any neutral lands that it is allied with."

"So be it," Atemu replied. He allowed his lips to curl into a dark, unforgiving smirk, "but, what makes you think that we are going to let you get out of this room alive? I mean, there would be no war if we killed you right now."

Once those words left his mouth, Timaeus unsheathed his sword and stepped in front of Dartz. Atemu was immediately flanked by Marik and Bakura, who had drawn their weapons as well.

Not much to his surprise, Dartz sent him his own dark smirk, pulling out a small, emerald jewel from underneath his clothing. "I always come prepared, Emperor Faenor. So, I'm afraid that you won't be killing anyone today."

Before Atemu could open his mouth to order Marik and Bakura to stop Dartz. A bright, green light suddenly filled the council room. Atemu quickly placed his arm over his eyes.

"Remember, three weeks and then war shall descend upon your precious Elysian!"

Atemu removed his arm from his face and cursed loudly when he saw that Dartz, Timaeus, and Pegasus had vanished from the room.

"Well," Bakura muttered sourly from beside him, "so much for killing them."

"No use complaining about it," Marik stated. "We have a war to worry about now."

"Where are Raphael and Yoshimori?" Mai asked, glancing around the room.

"Gone," Shada muttured, disbelief clear in his tone. "I saw them disappear along with Dartz and Pegasus." he gave Mai an apologetic look. "You were right about all along about Raphael, Mai, but Yoshimori was unexpected."

"He was against me marrying Yuugi, so I am not surprised that he decided to betray us." Atemu said. "As for Raphael, he has been under suspicion for a while now, so it is better of that he is gone."

Atemu slid back into his seat and mentally seethed at allowing Pegasus and Dartz to slip out of his grasp. He took several, deep breaths to calm himself down. It wouldn't do to lose his temper now. It wouldn't do himself or anyone any good.

"Your Majesty?" Seto questioned. "What is your will?"

Atemu turned to Marik and Bakura, who bowed their heads in question. "Marik, send a letter to Captain Rashid and inform him to increase the security of the ports, and tell the northern border patrol to tighten its defenses. Once that has been completed, call all commanders from our outer and inner cities and have them report here for a briefing about the situation. I want the defenses around the palace and city tightened so that not a single traveler will pass through the gates without my knowledge."

Marik and Bakura snapped a salute. "Yes, Your Majesty."

"What of General Howards, Your Majesty?" Bakura asked. "Since King Dartz and Crawford have most likely returned to their respective homelands than that means they have left General Howard behind in the dungeons."

"We have three weeks before Atlantis and Sylvantia come to borders armed to the teeth, see what you can get out of him and use any method necessary."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"Both of you are dismissed for now. Report back to me when you have completed these tasks."

The General and Colonel snapped another salute and quickly disappeared from the room. Atemu turned back to his council, all of them watching him anxiously.

Seeing this, his thoughts wandered to Yuugi, who he knew was going to look at him the same way once the news reached his ears.

For the second time in his life, Atemu felt like he was failing his people, dragging them into a war that would empty houses and break thousands of hearts for years to come. However, this had been predicted hundreds of years ago, and he could no longer do anything to stop it.

The only thing he could do was try his damn hardest to quickly end this war as soon as possible for Yuugi and his people's sake.

"They must not be allowed to succeed, Your Majesty," Mai spoke up softly. "Dartz is acting according Leviathan's orders, but I know not what Pegasus might gain through this venture."

"It no longer matters what his objective was or still is," Seto put in harshly. "He will be cut down just as Dartz will be."

"I think it would be best if we moved the Seer to another location, Your Majesty," Shada spoke up. "It would not be wise for him to stay here,"

"He is safe here," Mai cut in. "The palace is the safest place in all of Elysian."

"Yuugi is the safest in the palace for now, so let us put that aside for now." Atemu cut in smoothly. "In the meantime, let us prepare the people for war."

A/N : Well, folks! It's finally here! War has been declared! Yuugi and Jou is progressing in their magical training, Hermos and Critias have admitted their feelings for each other -while injured at that- so hold onto your seats people. Let's ride this story to the end, which isn't too far off now.

Ending Current Song : Two as One by Crystal Kay ft CHEMISTRY