A/N: New chapter, but not just any chapter. This is probably the last chapter I'll upload, before I enter High School this Wedensday! Nooo! Summer, why do you end?
...Oh yeah, and it's also Conversations part 3...
This is more of an explanation chapter than a random, but important, chat between two people, like in the previous parts. Atem is the main speaker in this one, so I'm sorry if it's a bit too much of a monolouge. I wanted to show the more depressed side of Atem, so beware of manly tears.
I listened to "Rue's Whistle Song" from The Hunger Games and the piano song "Kimi To Boku, Todokanu Omoi" from Gundam Seed Destiny while writing this, so I suggest you do too. It really add a lot more to the mood if you do.
Disclaimer: why do we even have to say this? (I mean, the site is called Fan for a reason...) I own nothing but OC's and plot.
Conversations: Yugi and Atem
Atem:
Atem was sitting in his spirit form outside of Yugi's bedroom window, hovering a bit in the air. The sun was slowly setting behind the clouds, and there was a comfortable silence around him.
The blue hour* was beginning.
Before he had gotten his name back, he hadn't remembered a thing about his past. Now several memories flooded his mind, especially about this particular time of day.
He remembered sitting by the Nile with her by his side, both of them just enjoying the silence. He remembered she would sometimes sing during this time, or even tell him about the rare moments in her life, where she had felt completely safe and peaceful. And more often than not, it was during the blue hour.
"Because when the light and darkness is in complete balance, nothing is as it seems. When the light is waning, and the darkness begins to make its appearance, or the other way around, nobody is able to do anything but feel the breath of nature and of life itself." He remembered she had said that, when he asked her why she enjoyed these magical hours that much. Though, she had also given him another reason.
"During this magical time, I can hide myself so much better. When dark and light collide, and we are able to see into the other world, it is when I am the safest from those who wish to see me dead." Then she had disappeared into the darkness, right before his eyes, and he hadn't been able to find her again. It was several hours later in the morning's blue hour when he had finally seen her run across the big square in front of the palace, looking at him once and smiling, before she ran in the other direction towards where she lived.
How was it she had looked again? He remembered she always tried to hide her eyes, because they were an unusual color…were they golden? He also remembered he thought they were the prettiest in the world. And her hands… such delicate hands, that didn't deserve to be scarred by years of hard work. He could go on forever about her beauty, he knew that. His most beloved girl. So light, so smart, so… so… so perfect. And his. Yes, she was his, and nobody else could have her. If they tried… Oh, he had several methods to keep other suitors away from his… what was her name again?
He felt a painful tugging at his heart, as he realized fully what time, and a big amount of magic, had done to him.
He couldn't remember her. Well, of course he remembered something, but the things most important to him, her face, her funny little quirks, her way of talking… and worst of all, he couldn't remember her name. But that was how she wanted it; he knew that; she had told him before she had gone.
"Oh, my Love, why? Why did you choose to leave me?" Atem said into the night, close to sobbing.
Atem/Yugi:
"Maybe because you blast people's eardrums when you suddenly start screaming and yelling?" he suddenly heard Yugi say.
He turned around and saw Yugi standing with his upper body hanging out of the window, his hair damp and darkened by the shower he had taken, and the tips of his usual spikes "hanging" because of this. He was dressed casually in a pair of black sweats and a white shirt. He also had a towel hanging around his neck, as well as the purple crystal. Atem just stared at him with blank eyes.
"Care to tell me what the heck happened earlier? It was as if you were possessed by something," Yugi said, tapping his fingers lightly against the window frame, his eyes suspicious, telling Atem that Yugi knew that he knew something about this whole ordeal.
Atem sighed. He also knew Yugi wanted an explanation, not that he didn't deserve it, but it was probably the most painful thing for him to do: talk about her.
"It's… it's…I don't know if I can tell you about it, Yugi. It's… complicated," Atem admitted, feeling the pain stronger than before.
Yugi smiled an amused smile at the spirit. "You sound like you're being interrogated about a secret relationship with someone. Chill, I just want to know if anything is terribly wrong," he said, looking up at the spirit.
Atem didn't say anything, but just watched as Yugi suddenly got what had made Atem freak out like that. "Those dreams… weren't dreams, were they?" Yugi asked.
Atem sighed again. Then he nodded. "What you've been seeing in your sleep, and in your visions, are not just that. They're my memories…of a girl who lived many years ago, when I was a young prince," he said, looking out into the beginning darkness.
Completely unmotivated, and without Yugi saying anything, Atem started talking, almost as if to himself.
"She loved this time of the day, you know. Loved how the sun slowly disappeared behind the desert, and how everything seemed to glow with the last light. We used to sit by the Nile, just watching all of it," he whispered.
Yugi looked at Atem as the spirit got a faraway look in his eyes, and he smiled a little, though sadly.
"This girl…who was she?" Yugi asked.
Atem looked at him again, sadness clouding his eyes. "I can't remember… at least not fully," he whispered, pain twisting his face into a frown.
Yugi tilted his head to the side. "I thought you regained all of your memories when you found out your name?" he said, not quite getting what Atem meant.
The spirit nodded, before he shook his head. "I did, but these memories were already partly deleted, when I sealed the darkness and my soul. And it's my own fault I can't remember them, because I… I…" He trailed off.
Yugi looked encouragingly at the spirit when he got stuck in his words, silently telling him to go on the best he could. Atem took a deep breath.
"Because I let her take them away," he blurted out quickly, before looking at his hands.
Yugi was more than a little confused. "You let her? Atem, what are you talking about?" he asked.
Once again, the spirit sighed. "It's a long story," he said.
Yugi smiled. "Well, I told a long story earlier today, so now it's your turn. And who knows… maybe it'll help you feel less pain…" he said, looking into the waning light, which had swept around Domino City like a thick blanket.
Atem turned his gaze towards the sky. He breathed in and out for a few moments, before he finally spoke.
Atem:
"When I first met her, she was floating around in the Nile… cold and unconscious, almost dead… but somehow, she was still breathing. I was barely 15 years old back then, but when I dragged her out of the water and stared into her eyes… I somehow knew she was going to be someone special to me," he said, gaze still fixed upon the sky and the stars starting to come forth.
"When I had gotten her out of the water, she was looking at me, half conscious. She… she spoke to me, but in a different language…"
Flashback:
"D… dove…dove mi trovo?**" (Where am I?) The strange girl asked, her voice weak, before she coughed up some water.
Atem looked down at the girl, confused. What had she just said?
"Chi… chi sei?" (Who are you?) She said, as she looked weakly around from her spot on the ground where he had put her.
Atem shook his head. "I don't understand you. Sorry," he said, causing the girl to stare at him, like he had fallen from the sky.
"Che cosa? Chi sei? Non é questa la Grecia?" (What? Who are you? Isn't this Greece?)
He tried to smile calmingly at her, though he had absolutely no idea what she was saying. "Don't worry, I'll get you help," he said, before he stood, making motions with his hands to tell her to stay put, when she tried follow him.
"I'll be back soon," he said, before he turned around and ran towards the palace, calling for the guards to help him.
End of Flashback.
"When I returned to where I'd left her, she was gone. There were no trails as to where she could have run off to. Oh, we searched around for her, since I thought she couldn't have gone far away… but I was wrong on that part. The only trace left was a strange pendulum made out of crystal," Atem said, finally looking back at Yugi, who had listened patiently.
"But you did find her again," Yugi stated, looking a little confused.
The spirit nodded. "Yes, but almost a year later. And it was the soldiers who found her, not me," he said.
Yugi tilted his head to the side.
"She had been caught for stealing, so she was brought to the court for the Millennium Trial, and, as the prince, I was watching it. That's when I saw her again, though I didn't recognize her at first," Atem explained.
"But it couldn't have been something like a trinket or something like that she had stolen, could it? I mean, if she had taken something like…let's say a loaf of bread… would she have been put before the court anyways, if it was something like that?" Yugi asked.
Atem smiled. Of course his partner would guess she hadn't just been a lowly street thief. "No, you're right. What she tried to take was the crystal pendulum I had found that day," he said, chuckling, as he noticed Yugi got what it really was.
"She was the bearer of the Crystal Pendulum when you lived," Yugi said, as Atem nodded. "And I guess she just…"
"Wanted it back," Atem finished the sentence for the boy, and began telling about what had happened during the Trial.
Flashback:
"Do you know why you are here?" Priest Mahad asked the girl in front of them. She was on her knees, her hands tied behind her back and looking at the ground.
Atem looked at the girl, feeling he knew her from somewhere. Where could he have seen her before?
"I don't know why I am here in front of the honored Pharaoh and his loyal priests. But I know what I came to retrieve," she said, her voice clear and determined.
"You are here because the guards caught you trying to steal from the prince himself!" Priest Seto sneered at her. The girl lifted her head and turned it towards him. Her eyes were hidden by her thick golden hair, but it was clear she looked straight at him.
"Steal?" she asked, as if she had no idea what he was saying, while her eyes searched the room. Atem studied her face. Was something wrong with her?
"Don't act like you know nothing, girl! You were caught with your hands on this jewel," Seto still sneered, as he held up the pendulum Atem had found.
Suddenly she got to her feet quickly, hissing out something in a strange language, making the guards grab her arms.
"I was not trying to steal it!" The girl yelled, her voice sounding a bit different, trying to break free from her bonds and the guard's grips.
"Then what were you doing, child?" Priest Aknadin asked coldly.
"It is mine! I was getting it back!" she yelled, glaring at the court through her bangs.
There was a light snort from Priest Seto. "Pharaoh Akunumkanon, this child is clearly not right in her head. A mere beggar like her… owning something like that?" he said, looking down at the girl.
"I am no beggar, nor a thief!" she almost screamed, still fighting the court.
"Enough!" Akunumkanon ordered, looking at the girl. "We shall test her soul to see if she is lying and has ill intentions. If not, we'll see what we can do about this girl. And you will of course get it back if it really is yours, my child," he said, smiling gently at the girl as he added the last part, making her stop struggling to get free.
End of Flashback.
"… Then she bowed her head towards my father and thanked him politely, though she didn't look back up," Atem whispered.
"It must have been awful to look at someone struggling to get free from the guards. I don't know how you could stand watching it," Yugi said.
Atem shrugged. "When you see it every day you get used to it. Though I did find it hard to just watch her as she fought. She looked utterly desperate to get it back," he said.
"What about the Millennium Trial? How did that go?" Yugi asked curiously.
Atem grinned. "This is the fun part. They weren't able to do it," he said.
"They weren't able to… how is that even possible?!" Yugi exclaimed.
Atem chuckled. "Okay, here's what happened…"
Flashback:
"Let the trial begin! Priest Shada…" Akunumkanon said, nodding towards the priest, who held up the Millennium Key.
"I shall see what is in this girl's soul," he said as the Key began to glow. For a few moments, he looked as if he was concentrating hard, before he said, "What is this? How is it possible?"
"What is happening, Shada?" Mahad asked concerned.
"This girl's soul… something is blocking it! I can't get through to it! It's as if it is covered in a haze!" he exclaimed, before he lowered the Key.
"How is that even possible?!" Aknadin yelled, looking from Shada to the girl, glaring at her.
"I don't know!" Shada answered, glancing towards the girl, who still had her eyes towards the ground. Her shoulders were shaking, as if she was in pain or crying.
"It doesn't matter. Whatever is in her soul, I'll get it out with the Millennium Rod," Seto said, looking at the girl as the Rod began to glow, but…
As before, a few moments passed with nothing happening, aside from a strange glow appearing around the girl. "How can it be?! What is this?! Speak, child!" Seto demanded, also glaring at her.
Atem felt offended for the girl. How dared they speak like that to her? They had had prisoners much worse than her, so why this cruel treatment? At least his father seemed to treat her nicely, like you normally would a young lady.
But the girl just continued to shake, until Atem realized she was shaking with laughter. She raised her head a little. "It's magic," she said, grinning at them. Then she quickly raised her head, finally revealing her eyes to be a shining golden. "Twilight Magic, to be precise!" she said.
End of Flashback.
"What happened then?" Yugi asked, as if he were a child and someone were telling him a very exciting story.
Atem got a bit of a grim look in his eyes. "She attacked," he whispered.
Flashback:
The Pendulum suddenly gave off a blinding flash, causing everybody to close their eyes to protect them. When the light faded, the girl was standing, free of her bonds and with the pendulum in her hands.
"Never. Touch. MY PENDULUM!" The girl screeched, waves of power surging out of her thin body, the pendulum enveloping her in silvery sparks.
Everyone present in the room had to take a few steps back, as the force was almost too powerful for them to remain standing. Atem pressed himself up against a pillar, staring at the strange girl. She looked around, and for a split second their eyes met. It was then he knew who she was.
"I have to stop her," Atem thought, as she turned her eyes towards the guards.
"Sancti Tangiti Fortunae! Aeternum tenebrarum invoco vires ex regno!" (Holy Strings of Fortune! I call upon your powers from the realm of eternal twilight!) she yelled, as black and white strings shot out from the pendulum, catching the frozen guards in a tight grip around their chests. Slowly, their faces turned blue.
"She's going to kill them!" someone yelled.
The girl didn't look at the person; she just turned her gaze towards the priests, a cold look in her eyes, though she specifically glared at Seto.
"A mere beggar, was that what you called me, Priest?" she said, spitting the word priest out, like it was a curse.
Seto only nodded, not daring to speak, as the girl looked like she was close to madness. She let out a grim smile. "Well, then, tell me this, priest… would a simple beggar and thief be able to do THIS?!" she yelled as more strings shot towards him.
However, they didn't get to him. Atem had managed to step in the way of the strings, so they grabbed him instead.
End of Flashback.
Yugi stared in almost disbelief at Atem, causing the spirit to chuckle. "Relax, partner, I was fine. Here, let me show you," he said, and put his hand to Yugi's head, showing him a picture of the girl's face. She looked shocked and scared, a bit of a crazy look in her eyes, but in a funny way.
Yugi chuckled. "What a look… and what eyes… she's a beautiful one, Atem," he said, his voice a whisper at the last part.
Atem looked a bit proud at that comment. "Yeah, I do have quite a good taste in women, don't I?" he said proudly, before he turned serious again, though with a loving look in his eyes, as he thought about the girl.
"You see, she recognized me, too, and I used that to calm her. In other words, she had a hunch I wouldn't hurt her…"
Flashback:
"You…"she said in a low voice, her eyes losing a bit of the anger in them.
Atem smiled at her. "It's good to see you again. I thought you weren't going to make it when I got you out of the Nile… but I can see you weren't that badly hurt. After all, you left when I went to get help," he said, sounding a little sad at the end.
The girl's eyes lost yet a bit of their anger, replacing it with curiosity. "You…I remember you. You… you saved me from the water," her voice was a low whisper.
Atem felt, to his relief, that the strings around him were loosening their grip. "Yes, I did, but when I returned with help, you were gone. The pendulum was the only thing left, so I took it with me. I was going to return it, should I ever see you again. I was hoping for it to be under more…pleasant circumstances," he said in a calm, soothing voice, though a bit of sadness seeped into it.
"I… I thought… I didn't understand you… the guards… I thought they would hurt me," she whispered, sadness replacing all the anger.
Suddenly the strings disappeared, those around the guards, too, and the girl fell to her knees, her eyes shut, and she was trembling, this time from the tears running down her face.
End of Flashback.
Atem told Yugi how she had held on to the pendulum for dear life, whispering she didn't want to hurt anybody.
"She was broken," Atem said, matter-of-factly. "It was clear to anybody; even Seto admitted that. Still, the guards seized her again."
"Let me guess…if not Seto, then Aknadin wanted to see her dead, because she had just managed to use an extreme amount of magic and almost kill two guards without hesitation," Yugi said, his overall expression serious.
Atem nodded. "He said she was dangerous to let walk around, and that the pendulum should be destroyed, but I stopped them," he said.
Yugi stared at him in amazement. "How?" he asked.
Atem looked mock offended. "What do you mean, how? I was the prince, of course, didn't you know that? We have power, too, and I asked my father to spare her life. However… she had another request…"
Flashback:
"Father, let the girl live! I don't believe she is evil, she's just scared!" Atem said, kneeling by the girl's side and lightly stroking her head, trying to comfort her.
Akunumkanon frowned and looked at his son. "As much as I want to believe you, my son, she nearly killed two of our guards, and she tried to attack Priest Seto, had you not risked your life to stop her. And you saw yourself how much power she has with that little pendulum. She really hasn't much saying she should live; she is dangerous," the pharaoh said, looking at the crying girl.
The girl snorted, and drew in a sharp breath. She looked at Akunumkanon with her golden eyes, now stained red by her tears. "Why doesn't it surprise me that the honored pharaoh is saying that? It's not like I haven't heard that hundreds of times before. I guess priests and royalty are the same everywhere," she said, tears still streaming down her face.
This seemed to catch the pharaoh's attention. "May I ask, girl, why you say that?" he asked.
The girl closed her mouth tightly and looked back at the ground. "I apologize; I cannot tell the pharaoh that. But know that I have looked into the eyes of death many times, and barely escaped alive, because of this stupid little pendulum I still call my most prized possession. I have experienced much pain, and seen… seen…" the girl's voice broke off, and she began sobbing again.
Atem was at a loss for words. He barely knew this girl, yet he wanted to hold and comfort her, as she seemed so fragile.
Akunumkanon looked at her sympathetically. Suddenly he rose from his throne, and knelt by the girl, next to his son, causing many protests from the priests, until Isis said it would be fine.
End of Flashback.
"My father…he looked into her eyes only once, and then he ordered the guards to release her," Atem said. "It was as if he had looked directly into her soul, and seen what the priests hadn't been able to."
Atem looked at Yugi, who was smiling at him. "You really loved your father, didn't you? And that girl?" Yugi said.
Atem blushed a bit. "Well, my father was my role model, and the girl… only the love of my life. When I regained my memories, she was always in my thoughts, and when I finally moved on, she was there… or so I thought…" he said, looking gloomy at the thought of his most beloved gone from his arms forever.
"Well, what happened to her when she was released?" Yugi asked, changing the subject quickly, noticing Atem's sadness.
Atem smiled gratefully at his friend. "Well, she wasn't really released. My father asked Isis to take her to our healers, and to have a room prepared for her, so she could get better. She had spent a few days in the dungeons, and was clearly exhausted from the massive amount of magic she had released. And myself, he asked me to keep her company, as it seemed she was friendlier and calmer if I was there, given I had saved her life. And that is pretty much how our love story began," he said, before he finally gave into the pain and let it consume him for a while, silent tears gliding over his face.
"I loved her, Yugi, I really did. And she was taken from me, only I can't remember how. Even her name is a mystery to me. I only remember her hair was golden, as were her eyes. What I remember from our time together is tainted by time and other memories, and pain is a part of every one of these memories. I don't know what to do, I am in love with a girl who died thousands of years ago," he whispered, looking into the darkness that had replaced the twilight.
Yugi looked sympathetically at the spirit. "I don't know what you can do to mend that heart, but for now, I suggest we get some sleep. Who knows, maybe things will look brighter in the morning," Yugi said and yawned.
Atem nodded. Sleep sounded good at the moment. So he returned to the crystal while Yugi went to his bed, silently bidding him good night.
Atem laid himself on a big pillow he had conjured, and closed his eyes, feeling himself drift into the land of sleep.
And then, as if the gods were giving him a small present, he suddenly felt like he was holding his beloved girl, her smell and shape filling his mind.
Smiling, he wrapped himself in a blanket, pretending it was his darling, and fell into a deep sleep, with dreams about her.
*If you don't know, the blue hour is the twilight in the morning/evening, when it's neither daylight, nor darkness.
**I used Google to help me with the Italian words… because Google Translate is soooo reliable when it comes to translating stuff…pfft, yeah right. And I'm lucky because my beta knows Latin. She fixed it, so it's not a failure by Google Translate too.
A/N: That's it for this time. And possibly for the next long time too. High School is going to be one big mess the next few weeks, and I'm afraid I won't have any time to write at all. I have to get used to new people, mountains of homework and much longer days at school, so I don't know when the next update will be ready. But I'm already writing on it, so I hope it won't be too long. But expect much longer time between each update from now on. I'm very sorry, I love to see a new update on this as much as you do, but with how hectic my life is going to be from now on, I simply don't know when I'll have the time or energy to sit down and write. But there's no chance, that I'll give up on this, I promise you that.
Well, let's change the subject now, because I have other happier things to share with you:
1. The Crystal Items: Pendulum have now passed the 100 reviews! Woot! Thank you all so much for leaving all those nice comments, and standing up for me, when a pair of trolls told me to delete the story. It made me extremely happy to know you like my story enough to stand up for it, and I am you forever grateful. Cookies to everybody!
2. Is this story beginnig to become, dare I say, a little bit popular? Because since last chapter, there were two new names on the review page! Yes, two! I am happy! I love hearing from my readers, and to hear from someone, saying they have gotten really into the story, is jus new telling me they like my work, just makes me want to dance and sing at the top of my lungs.
3. Remember that I told you about the "Mornings" three parter I wanted to write? Change of plans. It's only going to be two parter (as I feel we all pretty much know how the Kaiba's mornings are) and it is going to be what I upload next. Why? Honestly, I still need a break from the regular plot, and what better way for Atem to find out the major changes in Yugi's life, than in the morning? Plus, I have some Una/Hana fluff I need to get out, so that's an extra treat for those of you who likes fluff.
4. Did anybody get the "Godfather" reference in the last chapter? You know: "Give him an offer he can't refuse"? Anybody? I thought someone would notice...
Special thanks: Scaevola2, Aimee-Leigh .M. Attwood, The Queen of Water, anna the viking XD, Hade's-Daughter17, xxxPureRosexxx, Crystalbird1769, SerenePanic, and the new faces on the review page: foggraven, and Pirate Queen ofthe 21st centry.
You know the drill now. You're all fantastic, and a big encouragement for me. I already gave you cookies, so here's ice cream for all of you!
See you all next time. I hope you've had an awesome summer!
-Nordic Twin