Now I know I sound like a broken record, but I digress: I do not own Steven Universe or any of its original characters nor do I own Yu-Gi-Oh or any of its original characters, I can say, however, that I do own Stephanie, her yami, Primrose, and all OCs I chose to make, including original Crystal Beasts, i.e. Bismuth Beaver, Crystal Myths, i.e: Garnet Mother Time, and other original cards. If I did own Steven Universe, trust me, things would've been a lot different and if I own Yu-Gi-Oh there would've been a way for Atem to stay and have all his memories.
foxchick1: I'll say this much, Sapphire did use her Future Vision without getting shocked and poofed, so, yeah, she's probably waiting for them, and feel free.
Lady Twilight Prime: Seriously are you by any chance a horror and/or paranormal and/or horror/fantasy fan? Cause that view seriously almost sounded like something out of a dark thriller, no joke. Not a bad thing mind you, but I just felt the need to ask. Let me know what you think of these new details from the last chapter.
J: The new chapter is up as of...I think a few weeks now.
Now, on with the chapter!
"Okay," Joey stated matter-of-factly, "This whole Princess thin' is getting a little out of hand."
The entire group of remaining finalists and plus were all carefully crowded within Stephanie's room, which was what Joey was commenting on, trying to lighten the tension. In a way, he wasn't entirely wrong, even the Gems found the sheer amount of one color a little off-putting, considering humans weren't generally known to keep things to one-colored. The sheets, the carpet, the walls, the drapes, even the pillows of the bed and the cushioning of the seats were all varying shades of pink while the furniture was all painted white to try and keep the room from becoming too unsettling or an eye-sore.
It was all exactly like something you would see in a bedroom for a princess in cartoons when the princess in question was the traditional, girly, non-confrontational and pink-loving type.
"Is that really all you can say right now?" Tea asked skeptically. "Excuse me for runnin' my mouth when I'm nervous," Joey retorted huffily. "You're always running your mouth, Mutt," Seto rolled his eyes. "What you call me?" Joey demanded looking like he was about to start a brawl with the brunette.
"Not now Joey!" Lapis hissed grabbing the blonde's arm and forcing him to sit down with her on a loveseat. "And shush, the both of you!" Peridot added more to Seto then to Joey, "The Queen needs silence to work here!"
Everyone watched as Star was running what she explained was a very simple diagnostic spell on a still unconscious Stephanie, who laid in the bed, looking strangely peaceful given what had happened earlier. Marco stood across from his wife at his granddaughter's bedside with Yugi next to him, the petite male being the only one who refused to stray far from the hybrid's side and for the Royal couple it was honestly endearing, it reminded Marco of his early time as a knight under Star, just tamer all things considered.
"Didn't you say it was just exhaustion from using magic for the first time?" Tristan asked remaining respectful despite his growing curiosity, ever since he heard of the Butterfly family and their vast powers, he had grown very curious about them and how it made them different from others.
"That is the case, yes," Marco nodded eyes glued on his wife's hands and the medicinal magic that flowed around Stephanie, seeping and retreating, pushing and pulling, like waves on the shoreline.
"Then why a diagnostic-scan when you already know what's wrong?" Maisie asked curiously, the red beeping light in her camera's lens hinting to her recording the event. "I don't know what a die-a-nog-stick scan is, but it's starting to sound pointless," Jasper said in her usual blunt manner that made the other Gems sigh, while Tea, Dorothy and Mako all chuckled at the miss-pronunciation.
"That's because there's a lot of things to consider when Magical Exhaustion takes place," Star spoke up, "It isn't the same as physical as this is an entirely different energy all together, it can have very negative side effects to her body, especially when you add in the fact her magic has been untapped and more or less suppressed her entire life."
"What kind of side-effects are we talking about?" Rex asked sounding concerned. "It varies both on the person in question and how much magic they used," Marco took over, "For someone like my wife, whose been used to magic her entire life, its almost like being winded after running for so long; it simply leaves her tired and she just needs to rest; worst case she's bed-ridden a few days tops, but like Star said, Stephanie has been unconsciously suppressing her magic her entire life, even if she didn't use a spell herself, just being physically apart of one took a lot out of her."
"Apart?" Peridot noticed, "You mean, she didn't cause it?"
"No, she didn't," Star said, "Some spells can be remotely casted, meaning the caster can be in one place and the intended target can be miles even countries away and from what I can tell, the spell has certain conditions attached to it, meaning certain things had to happen before the wand was pulled out of her gemstone."
"Speaking of which, can someone please explain to me why my neita has a rose quartz embedded into her stomach?" Marco demanded hands on his hips, now everyone, even Seto looked a bit nervous, wondering how to explain, "I've heard and actually seen some strange piercings nowadays, but this is ridiculous, and I'm married to a woman who can shoot rainbows and whales out of her hands!"
Star rolled her eyes at the last part, while the teens all looked a bit lost.
"To put it as simple as possible, You're Majesty," Seto decided to speak up, "You're granddaughter isn't entirely human."
"Obviously, she's part Mewman," Star scoffed at this. "For the two thousandth, nine hundred and forty-fifth time, and yes, I counted Star," Marco sighed pinching the bridge of his nose, "Mewmans ARE humans."
"What Seto means, Queen Butterfly," Peridot intercepted as politely and respectfully as she was able, "Is that Stephanie is like us," She motioned from herself to the antsy Bismuth, Jasper and Lapis, who hovered as close to the bed as they allowed themselves, "She's part Gem."
"I was wondering about you four," Marco remarked idly, "But please, elaborate."
"To put it simply, she's half organic, half light," Peridot tried to explain Stephanie's existence, "Her body is majorly human, but she's dependent on her gemstone for her life like a normal Gem."
"And just how did she get this gemstone?" Marco pressed. "From what we understood, her mother, Rose Quartz, gave up both her gemstone and her physical form to her because they both can't exist at the same time," Lapis spoke up much to the royal couple's shock, "Because they're both tied to the gemstone as a life source."
"Poor girl..." Star whispered as she realized the girl had spent her entire life, all fourteen years without knowing her mother. Marco breathed heavily through his nose, bowing his head, realizing his son had gone through the horrible loss of losing his Half, something even Glosssaryck would wish on anyone.
"Anyone curious how that this got intah Stephanie's gemstone tah being with?" Joey asked changing the topic. "I'd actually would like to know that to," Jasper said frowning at Star's wand, which the Queen had placed on a night stand, "What is it anyways."
"That," Marco smiled bittersweetly, "Would be the Butterfly family's original Royal Magic Wand, a millennia old heirloom that's been past down Queen to Princess for generations."
"You mean that's what gives the Butterflies their power?" Rex asked skeptically. "Originally, until Wandless Magic was discovered around eight hundred years ago," Star replied before canceling her spell, "She's perfectly fine, nothing a quick nap won't fix." Everyone sighed in relief at that.
"If I may ask a question, You're Highnesses," Mako said as the royal couple sat by their granddaughter's side. "Of course," Marco assured.
"How did the wand change it's appearance like that?" Mako asked curiously. "Yeah, one second it was a really pretty parasol and the next it was that," Leon added motioning to the wand's currant appearance as Star picked it up.
"I'm afraid that's a mystery no one's ever been able to solve," Star admitted with a thoughtful hum, before shrugging after a moment, "Except maybe my second great-grandmother Celena, but she took it to her grave, unfortunately."
"A quirk the wand appears to have is that it always changes its appearance when it trades hands," Marco explained further holding a hand out to his wife, who shrugged before handing the wand over and with a swirl of bluish-green energy, it changed appearances once more.
In the King's hand, the wand maintained it's general style, but was now a pale green with small black bat-like wings with a spiky face-plate with a spear-like tip at the top end and a random black dot that resembled the King's mole. In the center of the face-plate was a purple crystal in a diamond-like shape.
Mokuba and Leon awed at how cool the King's wand looked, even Joey and Tristan found it amazing.
"That doesn't explain how it got in Stephanie's gemstone though," Yugi pointed out as he leaned against one of the bed-posts, still looking concerned, "I mean, Steph clearly wasn't expecting that to happen."
Star and Marco hummed thoughtfully in response.
"Truth be told, the last person who had the wand was our son Gregorio," Marco said making everyone who was aware of Stephanie's reason for being here in the first place cringe, "After our younger daughter's...passing...he was given the wand as the only available heir, then he disappeared, taking it and the spellbook with him."
"Spell-book?" Tea asked, "There's a spell-book that goes with it?"
"Yes, two actually," Star nodded, "The first one was recently repaired after being lost in a fire over three centuries ago, the second one has been started and passed down since then, each Princess and Queen creates their own Chapter to add to it, recording significant events during their reign and time with the wand, as well as their original creations."
The humans, who already had a basic understanding of magic before hand, nodded in understanding, while the Gems all shared a look before shrugging.
A groan suddenly made everyone turn expectantly towards Stephanie, who rubbed at her eyes as she slowly sat up, Yugi quickly rushed over, almost knocking Marco over, much to the king's amusement rather than irritation, "Stephanie...?"
"Why do I feel like I just ran twenty marathons all at once?" Stephanie questioned aloud before her vision cleared to find Yugi and grandparents sitting around her, "Yugi? Grandma? Grandpa?" Then, as if a switch was flipped, her memory came back, "Grandpa!" She almost tackled the slightly startled man off the bed, almost smacking Yugi had both men not seen it coming, "Are you okay? What happened? How long was I out? What happened to-?"
Marco cut her off by placing a two fingers to her lips, amusement clear on his face, 'Yep, this is defiantly Shadow's daughter.'
"I wish ya coulda seen it, Steph!" Joey grinned as everyone smiled to see her alright, "Yer Gramps didn't just break that slime-ball's nose, but he swung 'im like he was lighter then a feather! And your Grandma knocked him clean out with this wicked lookin' spell!" Both elders blushed at the praise, feeling extreme satisfaction at the reminder of how well Marco gave the arrogant blonde a lesson in underestimation and Star put him out of commission for Amethyst and Ruby to get him into custody.
"Really?" Stephanie asked in surprise, looking between her grandparents in awe, making them both preen. "Well, when you're a martial arts prodigy, you don't just lose those skills just because peace rolled in," Marco chuckled scratching a cheek. "You should see the more complex spells," Star brushed off humbly, or as humble as Star was able to when it came to her skill in magic.
"Wait, now I remember, something came out of my gemstone that don't ever remember putting in it," Stephanie remembered looking around curiously, "A...parasol...?"
"Actually, Steph, how much do you know about the Butterfly family?" Rex asked. "Besides them being the introduction of Monster society and being one of ruling factions in the new era over in America, not much," Stephanie admitted.
"Do you remember how we talked about a family relic that was passed down to your father?" Star asked. "Vaguely," Stephanie admitted sheepishly making many roll their eyes, "I was kinda still absorbing that I was related to actual Queens and Kings."
A knocking sounded at the door and everyone looked over as Sapphire opened the door, "Ah, I see Miss Quartz-Universe is finally awake."
"S-Sapphire..." Stephanie whispered shrinking in on herself a little, really wanting to rush to the blue Gem and hug her, but doubted that as long as that collar was on, that wasn't going to happen. Yugi returned to her side at this and placed a hang comfortingly on hers, making her glance up with a shy smile.
"I take it the duels are still postponed for tomorrow," Seto remarked. "Correct," Sapphire answered with a slight nod to the tall brunette, making many wonder how she could see with those bangs, "Mr. Pegasus has deemed it appropriate to celebrate the first successful round of the tournament, and Bandit Keith's," No one missed her bodily twitch or how the room's temp dropped several degrees or how frost formed around her feet at the former male Finalist's name, "Reign of terror finally being over, by throwing another big dinner, this time there will be live entertainment and all is encouraged to dance and have fun."
Her message delievered, Sapphire curtsied before turning to leave, but not before throwing over her shoulder, "Oh and I suggest dressing up again for the occasion." She then disappeared down the hall.
"Guess that means we have tah wear those damn monkey suits aga-EN!" Joey started only to yell as he was nailed in the head with a bright pink hair brush that Stephanie had pulled out of her gemstone. "Kids still in the room!" Stephanie reminded as Mokuba and Leon giggled at the blonde male.
"Guess we better go get ready," Tristan groaned not looking forward to wearing his suit again, but was looking forward to seeing Bismuth all dressed up again. "Same here, oh!" Tea began to leave as well, "Steph, do you want me or Dorothy to help you with your makeup and hair?"
"Actually, Tea, I was going to ask Grandma if she wanted to help me," Stephanie admitted shyly, before turning to her grandmother hastily, "If that's alright!"
"I'd love to," Star smiled touched and bursting with giddiness that her granddaughter wanted her to be included.
"Let's go Mokuba," Seto said leaving, Maisie on his shoulder. "I'm coming!" Mokuba said quickly getting off of Lion and helping Leon down as well, "Come on Leon, I'll help you out too!"
Leon allowed the older boy to pull him along, "Okay," He then waved, "Bye Princess Pink!" Stephanie winced a little at the name, but waved back anyways.
"We better go too," Bakura said. "I'm going to go look at the dresses in the dressing room, see if there any other styles I want to try," Lapis said. "Me too," Peridot agreed. "I'll go with you," Bismuth said but Jasper stayed where she was, not intending to let Stephanie out of her sight again after learning the extent of damage Bandit Keith had inflicted right under her gemstone.
"We better go to," Dorothy said and Mako and Rex nodded in agreement, "I hope you feel better soon and join us Steph!" Stephanie smiled in response.
"See you at dinner," Mako nodded in agreement, but quickly bowed, "You're Majesties." Star and Marco chuckled in response, but nodded their heads.
They were especially amused as the last two remaining Finalists approached their granddaughter as she got to her feet, their cheeks turning a familiar pink.
"Hope to see you at the dinner Steph!" Yugi said sincerely, making her smile. "But don't force yourself if your not feeling up for it!" Rex reprimanded hotly, tone coming off a little more harshly then he intended.
Stephanie smiled more amusedly, eyes rolling slightly, "I'll keep that in-" She cut herself off with wide, surprised eyes as both boys suddenly leaned in and kissed her cheeks, much to her shock as she spluttered.
Both boys realized what the other did and frowned at each other, despite their rapidly reddening cheeks, before paling as they remembered her grandparents and Jasper were still in the room. The Gem, to her credit, looked more confused by the gestures themselves then anything else, if a bit amused by the two males' reactions. Marco and Star, however, looked ready to fall to the floor, probably would've too if not for the self-restraint from Moon's 'Royal Decorum' lessons.
Yugi and Rex just bowed deeply before scurrying out of the room, the tri-haired youth trying in vain to ignore the howls of Yami's laughter.
"Wow, only fourteen, haven't had any formal training yet and already got two boys chasing after you," Star mused with a rather proud smile, "Now that right there is a Butterfly Courtship record, and they're not even royalty as far as we know."
"Star!" Marco groused despite his amused expression, he just found his grandbaby after all, he really didn't want to be seriously entertaining the idea of suitors (royal, noble-blood or otherwise) at the moment. "What?" Star asked innocently, "I'm just saying."
"Wait, formal training?" Jasper asked curiously, "What training?" She wanted to ask about the chasing part, but remembered there was a time and place for things.
"Well, when a Butterfly, male or female, reaches a certain age, usually around four or five depending, starts Royal Lessons," Star explained as Stephanie started slapping her cheeks, trying to get rid of her blush, "Little stuff at first like basic etiquette, dancing, maybe an instrument, of course reading and writing, and minor history lessons, mostly about the Butterfly family itself and its most intimate allies, maybe even a couple of lore lessons depending on how well the child progresses in the norm; and of course basic magic."
"Basic magic?" Stephanie asked confused once she finally recovered from her shock. "There is such a thing as Wandless Magic, after all," Marco took over, "All Butterfly heirs who show any sign of being able to use magic in general are required to under go certain levels of training, if anything to control that power so they don't end up hurting themselves or those around them, even I had to go through it when I proved able to use magic as well."
Stephanie, despite not liking the idea she could potentially hurt someone yet again for, again, a power she had no control over and one she just discovered she even had only yesterday at that. But she did like the idea of training, she always enjoyed training, even if it did get exhausting, it always felt nice to do things as a group with the Gems or even mock duels with Lars, Buck, Jenny and Sour Cream; it was always fun for her. So to hear this was a type of training exclusive to her father's family made her giddy for when this nightmare of a tournament was over, it gave her an excuse to bond even more with her father and his family, maybe even repair her father's bond with his parents while she was at it.
She shook herself out of it when Primrose told her, "Focus."
She looked over to see her grandmother had crossed the room to examine the ballgown she had worn yesterday, which was on a mannequin, "You really were beautiful in this, purple is a unique color."
"Thanks," Stephanie smiled bashfully with a blush. "I'm going to go get ready and set something out for you," Marco said to Star as he kissed her cheek, right on one of her hearts, "Don't go overboard."
"Since when do I ever?" Star teased making him give her a blank look, brow arching, she just slapped his arm playfully, making Stephanie giggle with a smile at their interaction. "See you at dinner Grandpa!" Stephanie was quick to hug him and felt him tense for a moment before slowly returning the gesture. "See you soon, Nieta," Marco returned before kissing the top of her head fondly and then left.
"You know this is actually a nice opportunity for a little impromptu magic lesson," Star suddenly mused getting the younger Butterfly's and older Quartz's attention, "After all, why physically do your hair and make-up, when there's a spell for it to make things easier and faster?" Stephanie blinked in surprise at that, wondering just how many spells there were and to just what extent of diversity there was to it all, Jasper was idly wondering along the lines the same thing.
"Aren't you going to go look for new styles too Jasper?" Stephanie asked. "Nah, I'm good with this," Jasper replied phasing her outfit from dinner the night before.
(Time Skip)
Many of the guys didn't really bother to do anything different with their clothes this time, though, they did either keep the jackets unbuttoned or half buttoned-up. Joey and Tristan went the extra mile for a more causal feeling by having their shirts partially tucked in on one side, being the ones with their jackets completely unbuttoned. Tea had changed her dress for a more modern one that came a few inches past her knees in a loose, layered, asymmetrical skirt with a sheer-neckline that resembled a turtleneck made of lace, that was all a peachy-orangey-pink color complete with matching heeled sandals with orange jewels in her jewelry. Dorothy had kept the same dress as before.
Lapis had kept her previous attire, not that Joey was complaining. Bismuth had changed her dress for a maroon-colored one of a similar design, keeping the same shoes, Tristan still thought she looked amazing.
Peridot had done the biggest transformation in her attire and it immediately drew Seto's attention and kept it. It could only be described as Vintage-Style, it reminded everyone of something early 90s actresses and singers would wear on a red-carpet. It's top was thin, spaghetti-strapped, tight fitting, leaving her arms bare for a pair of elbow-long evening gloves, and the skirt almost reached past her mid-shin, fluttering with movement, would most-likely flair and ride up if she spun. To completed the outfit was a simple pair of flats. The entire thing was a stunning shade of yellow that seemed to sparkle like gold with lighter accents.
Pegasus was dressed as usual, sitting casually in his throne-like chair. The entire room had been rearranged with buffet tables, each having a set of dishes from different parts of the world, so there would be plenty of room to dance. Pearl stood dutifully by Pegasus' side, not looking all to pleased and kept glancing between the doors and Ryou, who was also sneaking glances at the elegant white Gem, looking as if he was debating something. Several musicians stood aside, ready to play once given their cue.
"I know Gems don't need tah eat, but ya gotta try these!" Joey told Lapis as they stood by one of the tables, which had Mexican food, "Just the right about of spice 'n' sweetness!"
"For once, I can't say I completely disagree with you Wheeler," Seto remarked from further down the table with Peridot, who was eyeing the arrangement curiously, "If there's one type of food that does it right aside from Japanese, its Mexican."
"Someone stop the presses!" Tea joked from next to Bakura and Dorothy, both of whom were chuckling, at the African table, "Kaiba and Joey are actually agreeing on something!" Seto rolled his eyes, helping Mokuba and Leon when they couldn't reach the corn salad.
Tristan played along from next to Bismuth, pausing in showing her the different Asian foods, "The world is ending!"
"It is? Oh no!" Bismuth, taking it literal, turned towards the two duelists, "Joey! Quick! Argue!"
The blonde looked over, confused, "Huh?"
"Expression, Bismuth," Tristan gave a dry chuckle, "It's just an overdramatic expression." Bismuth gave an 'o' expression, facing flushing a darker bluish color in her embarrassment.
At the Greek food table, Yugi sighed in amusement.
Then the doors opened and Jasper was the first to enter in her fancy attire, more confident the yesterday and was immediately greeted by Mako.
Before anyone could question the quartz, the doors opened once more and the royal couple made their entrance. Somehow both looked more entrancing then before.
Marco had traded his red jacket for sky blue one, the sash having several medals shining attractively on it. His dress pants were pitch black matching his dress shoes. Hanging from his shoulder-pads was a dark blue cape made of fine silk, fluttering with each of the King's steps.
Star had traded her informal pink dress for a slightly more extravagant, traditional blue gown that looked like something out of Cinderella with its haphazard-styled, fluffy, almost flower-petal-like sleeves and her shoes gleamed like glass, but was dark like crystal. Her hair was down with two long braids, one hanging over each shoulder, while the rest of her hair was tied off at the bottom in a fishtail-like style. Her eye-shadow was a pale blue to match her pale pink lips and the pale blue face glitter to highlight her hearts.
Then, finally, Stephanie stepped in holding up her skirt for her first official curtsy as a Butterfly, and everyone gasped and stared in surprised-awe.
With a little magic, Star had shown Stephanie how to alternate dresses, allowing Stephanie to change the skirt of her gown so it was no longer the traditional round, tent-like shape with an inward curve, but rather it was looser now with a more outward curve. Little lavender-colored roses had been added to the hem of the wrap and along the off-shoulder, ruffled sleeves, adding a fancier-air of elegance. Her make up consisted of a smokey shade of purple eye-shadow with dark purple eye-liner and pale bluish-green body glitter to highlight her cheek marks and her lips were painted a dark pinkish-purple to keep to the color scheme of her outfit, while not looking too odd.
Before they made their entrance, Marco and Star combined their magic to create a beautiful tiara, telling a flustered and awed Stephanie to think of it as the first of the many birthday and Christmas gifts they intend to make up for. It was stunning, if a bit simple, made of a perfectly polished white gold and studded along the bottom edge with powder purple pearls and it was encrusted with jewels like her grandparents' crown, only hers were a rich, dark pink and were round in shape, matching the white gold bracelets she wore. She of course, kept her locket and the Millennium Earrings.
Yugi could only stare, a complete loss for words and Yami was no better.
"Mewman tradition, Grandpa gets the first dance," Marco smirked as he held out a hand to Stephanie playfully. "If you insist," Stephanie giggled playing along with a curtsy as she took the offered hand.
"Aw, then who am I suppose to dance with?" Star pouted playfully as Pegasus signaled the musicians to start. "Madre," Pegasus smiled as he walked up to the Queen, offering a hand. "Why not?" Star shrugged before allowing Pegasus to lead her out onto the dance floor.
As the music began, Marco teased, "I hope Gregorio taught you the classics."
"The waltz or the tango?" Stephanie retorted despite the pang in her chest at the mention of her father, "Cause yes to both."
With this said, both pairs began to practically glide around the room in a waltz, leaving the watching Gems and teens in a trance of awe as the four moved with the steady grace and elegance of a flower petals floating in a breeze. Almost looking like figures from an oil painting, beautiful, entrancing and almost untouchable.
Lapis, Jasper and Bimsuth couldn't help swaying a little to the melody playing, while Pearl remained perfectly still from years of practiced ease. All four Era One Gems were immediately reminded of the fancy parties and balls that used to be thrown before the war, when things were so much simpler. It reminded both Jasper and Pearl of their late Diamond, remembering her glee when she had planned a ball just before the war started to celebrate the beginning of what had started as another successful colony. For Lapis and Bismuth it reminded them of the robotic, almost machine like dancing the assembled Gems would always perform every time without fail at every ball.
Lapis blinked out of her thoughts by a tap to the shoulder and turned to see Joey holding out a hand to her, looking nervous as he scratched the back of his head, "Hey, Lapis...would ya...would ya like tah dance...?"
"I'm...I don't think I can dance something like..." Lapis said uncertainly, her self-consciousness growing as she turned to watch as Stephanie and Marco fanned out, looking Diamond-level elegant and perfect, clearly in their element, 'What if I make a complete clod out of myself?'
"Me neither..." Joey admitted much to Lapis' surprise, but he gave a warm, slightly hopeful smile, "But...maybe we can...learn tahgether."
Lapis' cheeks turned a dark violet at the suggestion, the word 'together' seemed to repeat for hours in her head and it made her gemstone feel lighter then air and warmer then a star. She then smiled warmly and accepted the offered hand, "I'd like that..."
Joey smiled more and led her out onto the dancefloor, which Stephanie noticed with an excited smile. When the hybrid caught Lapis' eye she held up the hand that hand been on her grandfather's arm and gave the classic 'okay' sign with her thumb and pointer finger, which made Lapis blush a little harder but smile back with the same sign.
Lapis couldn't help shuddering as Joey wrapped an arm around her waist and held her close and joined one hand with hers. She suddenly felt light on her feet as she allowed herself to be lead into gentle twirls and spins across the floor, trying to be mindful of the other two pairs.
Peridot and Pearl were surprised, Pearl more so then Peridot, but the green Gem smiled widely, happy for her blue friend.
"Go Joey!" Tea chuckled smiling. "Didn't know he had it in him," Tristan chuckled. "Guess Wheeler isn't a clueless nincompoop after all," Rex remarked from next to Tristan. "Nincompoop?" Mako and Dorothy echoed in amusement as they walked over. "I'd call him something else, but I had enough shoes thrown at me to last a life-time," The Dino Duelist replied dryly the imprints from the shoes had faded a little but in the right lighting and if you were looking close enough you could still see them.
"Ah, I can't take it anymore!" Bismuth said excitedly, "Is Lazuli can do it, I can do!" She then grabbed a startled Tristan by the hand, leading him towards the dance-floor, making everyone else snicker, "C'mon, Tristan!"
"Wha-wait, what?" Tristan said in shock, face turning bright red as he was more or less dragged, "Wait, Bismuth do you even know what a waltz is?"
"No," Bismuth stated bluntly, making a few of the on-lookers fall-over anime-style, "But no time like the present to learn, right?"
Tristan looked at that earnest, excited expression and couldn't bring himself to say no, "Well, I did feel like dancing..."
"Alright!" Bismuth cheered as Pearl watched, slack-jawed as Bismuth took a human partner to dance with as well.
Tristan barely retained a yelp and a blush when Bismuth put her arm around his waist, "No, Bismuth, you put your arm here," He quickly corrected her, "Mine goes there."
"Huh, I thought either way wouldn't matter," Bismuth said with a shrug and started to pull Tristan into an enthusiastic waltz, for a moment Tristan tripped over his feet a little, trying to keep pace, their height difference certainly wasn't helping any. "Whoa, Bismuth, wait!" Tristan yelped as Tea full blown laughed at his predicament, "Slow down!" Thankfully, the other three pairs saw this coming and wisely moved to give the blacksmith a wife berth.
"Okay, I am so not going to be out-classed by those monkeys," Seto grumbled before muttering to Maisie, "Watch Mokuba."
"Wha-why do-?" Maisie began before realizing what Seto had planned as he started towards an unassuming Peridot, "Oooh, okay then! Be gentle with her!" Seto rolled his eyes at this, but made no comment as Maisie flew off to where Leon and Mokuba were sitting next to Lion while eating, all three watching the dancing completely enthralled.
Peridot sighed as she swayed to the music, a soft hum under her breath, before Seto asked, "Care to dance?" Peridot nearly jumped out of her physical form from surprise and put a hand over her gemstone as she turned to rather amused Seto Kaiba. "Don't do that!" Peridot grumbled giving his arm a playful smack, "Are you trying to make me self-poof?"
"P-?" Seto began to asked momentarily confused, before shaking his head, "Never mind, well?"
"Well, what?" Peridot asked confused, making him mentally face-palm. "Do you want to dance with me?" Seto asked again, trying to keep his patience in check. "Oh...wait, erk!" Peridot realized and her face turned a leafy-green, "I...I don't really...know how..."
"It's simple, just follow my lead," Seto reassured holding out a hand. Looking up into clear blue eyes, Peridot felt her uneasiness melt away a little and slowly, she accepted the offer, "I apologize in advance for stepping on your feet."
Seto just chuckled, "Thank you for the fair warning." He then lead her out onto the dance-floor and Peridot blushed darker as he held her waist and allowed him to lead her into simple spins and twirls among the growing dancers.
Jasper couldn't help the tiny twitch of her lips, watching her fellow Gems dance with genuine smiles on their faces.
A clear of the throat made the Quartz blink in surprise and turn her head to see a sheepish looking Mako before her, holding out a hand in offer to dance. Jasper's face twisted, not with anger, but with a nervous-uncertainty as her gemstone tingled and something inside jumped at the idea of dancing with the organic, which only served to confuse her, "Oh no...I-I-Jaspers don't dance!"
"Neither do I for the most part," Mako admitted sincerely, rubbing the back of his head, "But...I thought it'd be fun to, well, step out of the norm...together."
Again, something in Jasper jumped, not just at his sincerity, but at the idea of 'together' and looking into those warm eyes, she felt her resolve crumble, "Just...don't say I didn't warn you..."
Pearl could only stare in complete and utter disbelief as Jasper allowed a human to lead her to the dance-floor and together, the unlikely pair joined the elegant figures gliding around the room. A clear of the throat next to her made Pearl nearly jump a mile and when she turned, she felt something jump into her throat and her gemstone felt both warm and achingly forlorn as her greenish-blue eyes settled on Ryou, who looked apprehensive.
"Hi," The British-Japanese teen greet, holding out a hand, "I noticed you looked really...lonely and...I wanted to know if you'd like to dance." Yami Bakura silently applauded his lighter half's confidence in this moment and was mentally pleading for Pearl to say 'yes'. Pearl's gemstone gave a soft glimmer and a warm pulse through her physical form, touched by the thoughtfulness and very much liked the idea to dance with him, despite her usual disdain for intimacy with humans.
'Plus, it would be rather nice to dance with Akifa again...even if it isn't actually him...' Pearl admitted to herself, bittersweetly.
But then, Pearl immediately turned her eyes to Pegasus, who looked up at that moment to see what was going on and became amused at the sight before shrugging and returning his full attention to dancing with Star. Stephanie caught sight of what Ryou was doing and had to suppress a squeal of excitement, even if she did feel a bit weird at the idea of one of her teen-friends dancing with one of her mother-figures, but she supposed better Pearl then Garnet.
Taking it as a sign that Pegasus wouldn't care one way or the other, Pearl smiled, "I'd love to dance," But when Ryou extended his hand to her, she held up hers, "But first, a more...appropriate outfit, I believe, is called for." That said, Pearl's body softly glowed as she changed her form, making Ryou shield his eyes with a gasp of surprise, but when he lowered his hand when the light died down, he was speechless.
There Pearl stood, in a much more fancier outfit, one that, when Stephanie glanced over, she didn't recognize but it felt strangely familiar at the same time. The top had classic, puffy-princess sleeves that were a turquoise-blue color while the top itself was an amber yellow with a sharp V-neckline with a lighter yellow trim at the waistline. The skirt was a light blush pink with transparent drapes over top, the top layer being the shortest and to complete the outfit was a pair of blue ballet flats.
This was a form Pearl never thought she'd ever use again and just thanked the stars she remembered to remove the Pink Court insignia, less she run the risk of Jasper recognizing her. Instead, she replaced it with a little pink heart.
She blushed as Ryou said, "Beautiful..." And she could hear nothing but sincerity in the compliment.
"Thank you," Pearl smiled nervously before accepting his offered hand. "Oh," Ryou said suddenly pausing in leading her to the dance-floor as they began to pass a vase of red, pink and white chrysanthemums and plucked a red one, before gently placing it in Pearl's hair, making her blushed harder, "There."
Pearl couldn't help smiling softly before allowing herself to be swept into a soft spins and twirls across the room, unable to take her eyes off warm, familiar brown eyes as her gemstone felt lighter then it ever had in ages.
"They sure look like they're having fun," Dorothy smiled wistfully. "Yeah..." Tea smiled as well.
Dorothy blinked as she felt a tap on the shoulder and turned her head to see a bashful looking Sheppard, "Hi..."
"Hey, I wondered what happened to you," Dorothy remarked. "Would you care to dance?" Sheppard asked. "Well, I-" Dorothy started.
"She'd love to!" Tea answered giving her fellow brunette a light shove from behind, making the plumper, shorter brunette to nearly trip right into Sheppard making them both blush bright red. "You okay?" Sheppard asked. "Fine!" Dorothy said quickly, embarrassed, "Let's dance!" She quickly led a stammering Sheppard out to join the growing crowd of dancers.
"Eh, why not?" Rex shrugged before offering a hand to Tea, "Let's dance Gardener."
"Err, I, o-o-okay," Tea said in surprise allowing him to pull her out onto the dance-floor, not expecting him to ask her. Leaving Yugi to sigh, all out of dance partners.
"They look so pretty, like something out of a fairytale!" Leon gushed as he watched. "Yeah..." Mokuba admitted, feeling a little left out, "Now I really wanna dance..."
"I'm afraid I'd make a lousy dance-partner in this form Mokie," Maisie informed from her perch atop Lion's head, Lion yawned in agreement. "Ah poo," Mokuba sighed, before yelping when Leon pulled him to his feet, "What are ya doing?"
"You wanted to dance, right?" Leon said as he pulled the older and bigger boy out onto the dance-floor, "Well, dance with me!"
"You two have fun!" Maisie called as she snuggled further into Lion's mane.
Yugi couldn't help chuckling along with Yami at how cute it was watching Leon and Mokuba spin around the room, trying to waltz, Leon standing of Mokuba's toes trying to make things a little less awkward. The couples also chuckled at the youngest duo.
Yugi hummed softly as he watched forlornly, feeling oddly left out and almost jealous, especially when his eyes landed on Stephanie dancing with her grandfather, which just confused him. Why on earth would he be jealous of Stephanie dancing with her own grandfather?
'Perhaps it's less of her dancing with her grandfather and more her dancing with another man in general that has you so upset?' Yami offered to his lighter half in advice, a light air of teasing to his tone. 'That could be it, I did feel something similar to this when I realized Rex kissed her cheek too,' Yugi agreed frowning at the memory, not noticing the teasing.
But then, a strange heavy pulse vibrated through his head, making him hiss softly in pain, "What the-!" He rested his forehead on a palm, grinting his teeth as the throbbing got worse and his vision blurred. Yami gasped in surprise, experiencing the same feeling as the Millennium Puzzle gave a tiny glow.
(Vision)
Yugi groaned softly as his vision started to come back into focus, but then gasped when he took in his surroundings. No longer was he in Pegasus' castle, but an Ancient Egyptian palace hall, or perhaps a ballroom or a throne room. He recognized it as Ancient Egyptian from the smooth limestone floors and perfectly sculpted, square-shaped pillars to the obvious, but beautiful paintings on the tall sandstone walls. He recognized the distinct style of clothing all the people around him are wearing, kilts and fine figure-flattering dresses made of fine linen cloth and black markings around their eyes, all of them adorned with various gold pieces that shone in the torch-lit room, sparkling from whatever jewels were crafted into them.
Everyone was standing close to the walls or sitting at the ornate tables, either holding golden goblets or picking at the food arranged on the tables as they watched a group of beautiful dancers clothed in breath-taking two piece outfits of burgundy and plum colored silk, more simpler adornments made their movements more eye-catching.
Yugi felt himself fitting in a chair, facing the party atop a raised platform or podium of sorts with a little set of steps. A throne, most likely. Which only served to confuse Yugi even more. Why was he having a dream of Ancient Egypt? Why a party of all things? And why was he sitting in a throne?
Yugi felt something in his hand and turned to look to find a golden goblet like the guests were drinking out of grasped in what felt, like his hand, but it sure didn't look like his hand!
His pale, natural beige skin-tone was now a bronzey-almost chestnut-like hue, arm lined with noticeable muscle that he knew for a fact wasn't there before...and it was longer then he remembered his arm originally being. It was adorned just like the others; expensively crafted, made of solid gold and decorated with lapis lazuli stones; arm and wristbands, while he counted at least four fingers on his fingers, also made of gold and setted with amethysts and emeralds.
"My Pharaoh," A voice spoke and he instantly found his head turning to the owner, a man he didn't recognize, it took him a moment to realize the room had fallen silent, "Before the party is a brought to a close, there is one final, surprise, act that was arranged especially for you."
Yugi felt a spike of curiosity and mild boredom build in his chest, but these weren't his emotions. It was like he was possessing someone's body and experiencing what they were experiencing, feeling what they felt.
Then, he felt his mouth move, but it wasn't his voice that came out, "I'm in no mood for pointless grabs for favors." The tone was blunt as it was tired, despite its soft tone, it made Yugi want to flinch, but his muscles didn't seem to want to obey.
"I think," The man smiled this sly, knowing smile, "You just might find this one a little more...invigorating."
Yugi once again involuntarily felt his body move, a single brow lifting as he heard the faint patter of feet, followed by soft gasps of surprise, prompting him to turn to look at the new act. And this time, it was impossible for Yugi to tell if the hot burning in his face or the almost sizzling sensation just under his skin or the sudden skip in his chest was his own reaction or the person he was viewing from's.
For there, standing alone as the dancers gave her a wide berth, yielding her the floor, was Stephanie. Rather, a somewhat older version of Stephanie.
She didn't look all that different; same flawless pale skin, same two-toned out of this world pink and dark-brown hair, same beautiful brown eyes. But no cheek-marks...
And no gemstone.
She was dressed similarly to the dancers. A two piece outfit that clung perfectly to her grown curves made from fine silk dyed a dark shade of pink as to complement, yet stand-apart from the pale pink of her hair. The skirt was long enough to almost reach her ankles, but cut off to reveal her small, bare-feet and the thin-framed gold anklets that were beaded with white pearls, matching the tight bracelets on her wrists. Unlike the previous dancers, the top, while still showing off her...upper assets, was not strapless, rather, it had two, thick straps, pinned in place with carnelian pins, leaving her collar bare for the world to gaze at and cropped short to show off her slim, taunt, stomach. Her upper and lower arms adorned with thin gold bands that were, surprisingly, plain and she clutched in her hands a pair of long white and pink scarves.
Her face, while not painted with the traditional black markings around the eyes like everyone else, was still done beautifully. Soft, pale blue on her eyes, drawing out their dark color even more, a faint rouge to her cheeks and lips painted an almost red-dark pink.
She smiled at him mischievously as new, slightly slower music began to play and she began to sway to the almost sensational beat.
Yugi was pretty sure he was sweating from how hot he felt all over, especially when she gradually got closer to him the longer the song went on and further along the dance continued. Until she was just within arms reach of him, smiling sweetly, almost seductive, as she leaned in, giving him a truly mouth-watering view.
Then, her mouth moved, but different words came out, "Yugi, are you okay?"
He blinked out of his shock, "Wha-what?"
"Are you okay?" She repeated still forming the wrong words with her lips as his vision began to blur once again, "Yugi? Yugi!"
(Vision End)
Yugi shook his head as his vision came back into focus, raising a hand to rub at his face, but pulled back in surprise to see his skin was pale again, looking around saw him back in Duelist Kingdom, but now, sitting on the floor with everyone standing around him, looking very concerned. Stephanie was kneeling by his side, looking just as worried as she questioned him again, "Yugi?"
"Ugh...what happened?" Yugi asked confused. "That's what we'd like tah know, man!" Joey remarked. "You just started looking like you were going to be sick before collapsing to the floor," Tristan added much to Yugi's shock.
"Seriously, are you okay Yugi?" Tea asked kneeling on Yugi's other side. "I think so..." Yugi said rubbing his head, "I guess I must've eaten something bad..."
"I doubt it," Pegasus remarked with a thoughtful expression. "Max?" Star questioned.
"Crqouet supervised the cooks himself," Sheppard spoke up, "And I had a look at the ingredients before they were used, nothing looked expired or rotten."
"Maybe it was an allergy?" Dorothy suggested. "Then why did he just faint?" Seto questioned, "Food allergies always result in difficulty breathing and passing out happens after too much time without air, without medical assistance, Muto shouldn't have come to on his own."
"Maybe the food was spiked with something when no one was looking?" Mako suggested making everyone look at him, "What? It wouldn't be the first time some sick prankster decided to play a poor joke at an event like this, granted, in my experience it was always in drinks like punch, but it wouldn't be the first time someone took a different route."
Yugi thought back to before his vision first blurred and couldn't remember eating anything funny and as he recalled the vision itself, his face turned red.
"You're turning red, maybe you need some fresh air," Stephanie said in concern as she stood and helped Yugi to his feet, "Come on, I'll keep you company."
Yugi blushed a little harder at the offer and was unable to form a proper response as he allowed the young princess to pull him along to the large veranda doors, where are a pair of security guards opened the doors for them. Pearl couldn't help the glower that fell over her face as she watched her Little Quartz go off with the human male; know where did she see this before?
Pegasus glanced at Star and Marco, who both shrugged and Pegasus returned to his chair and signaled his musicians, who all nodded and started up again. It took a bit with Star and Marco taking lead to start up the dancing again. Pearl sighed and smiled at Ryou reassuringly as they resumed waltzing along the marble floor. Yami Bakura narrowed his eyes from within the Millennium Ring, it may have been five thousand years, but he still like to know he knew his pale goddess well enough to tell when something was bothering her but she just chose to pretend like that wasn't the case.
00000000000
Meanwhile, out on veranda, Yugi and Stephanie walked along the smooth marble, a semi-comfortable silence had fallen between them, occasionally looking over to peer through the tall windows to see how everyone was enjoying themselves. In the clear light of the crescent moon, the location set a particular mood; the stone railing sat between tall pillars that held up the tiled roof and ivy curled around both the railing and the pillars, growing up towards the sky, the thick stems studded with little white flowers.
The view of the gardens only made the mood more enchanting, the delicate arcs of the water in the fountain seemed to glimmer like liquid silver as fireflies almost lazily milled about the beautiful animal-themed topiaries and the clusters of violets, roses (both red and pink), carnations, daisies and, surprisingly, sunflowers and glow and fairy-like movements of the fireflies, the gentle chirps of nearby crickets and the soft music from the party created a truly magical atmosphere.
"I'll give Pegasus one thing," Yugi admitted attempting to break the ice, "He sure knows how to make a beautiful garden."
"Yeah..." Stephanie smiled softly as they stopped to look out at the garden, before glancing at Yugi, "So...you going to tell what really made you faint? Or am I going to have to pry it out of Yami?"
Yugi spluttered in surprise for a moment before sighing with a small smile and chuckle, "I guess I should've expected that," He then gave a more heavy sigh, before answering her, "To be honest...I'm not quite sure what happened," She quirked a brow, but remained silent, letting him continue, "One minute, I'm watching everyone dancing, the next; it's like I'm in an entirely different place, a whole other time."
Now Stephanie looked more intrigued as she said, "Let me guess, Ancient Egypt?"
Now Yugi looked surprised as he looked over at her, "How'd you guess?"
"Remember that duel you and Yami had with that fake Kaiba?" Stephanie asked with a slight grimace, especially when Yugi instantly scowled at the memory, particularly the added stakes. "How can I forget?" Yugi remarked with a dry drawl that was very reminiscent of Seto Kaiba, that it even surprised himself.
"Easy there Kaiba," Stephanie joked giggling as he blushed, "Well...I kinda had a mini-vision too, while watching you duel," Yugi looked even more surprised, "It was like one minute I was watching you and the next, it was like I was seeing a whole other person in a completely different place," She then thought something before continuing, "Then I had a strange dream after Peridot's duel with Seto; it was like I was seeing through another person's eyes, I was in an Ancient Egyptian palace and..." She trailed off as she recalled what she was sure to be an Egyptian version of Yami, dressed as an ancient king...shirtless...she started to blush up a storm.
"And...?" Yugi prompted when she trailed off, raising a brow as the pale light allowed him to see how red her face was turning. "Well...it looked like...you...but older with an Egyptian's bronze-tan," Stephanie finally answered, "Or Yami with that type of skin-tone, I don't know how else to describe it."
Yugi blinked before noting the similarities in their visions, "That's funny, when I was having my vision, there was an older version of you."
"Huh?" Stephanie asked surprised. "She looked a lot like you, even had two-toned hair," Yugi nodded blushing hard as he recalled the doppleganger, particularly her outfit, "And without a gemstone and she had the Earrings."
Stephanie gently touched one of her golden earrings out of reflex whenever they were brought up, it was starting to become a habit at this point, "Do you think they have anything to do with my Earrings and your Puzzle?"
"It's a possibility," Yugi answered shrugging, "I mean, is it really a coincidence that we're having these dreams about people who look a lot like us and used to be in possession of the Puzzle and Earrings?"
"I learned a long time ago there are no such thing as a real coincidence," Stephanie smiled bittersweetly, "But if they're connected to the Millennium Items, do you think Pegasus and Bakura have them too?"
"I don't know about Pegasus," Yugi shrugged in response as they leaned on the railing, "But Bakura hasn't mentioned anything, maybe its just us, I mean, you said the man you saw looked a lot like Yami and the woman I saw looked a lot like Primrose; maybe we were seeing they're memories from before they became spirits in the Millennium Items?"
Stephanie hummed, eyes looking up at the cloudless sky in thought as she mused on what was more or less a theory. In a way, she supposed it would make sense. From what she could tell, the bond between her and Yugi, and Primrose and Yami was all on a mental level that came with a physical transformation; it wouldn't be so farfetched that a side-effect of sorts would be seeing snippets of those spirits' past life. Heck, with her own dream-walking ability, she would've been honestly surprised if something like this didn't happen. Hell, she was surprised she hadn't hopped into one of her new friends' dreams yet.
'It's certainly a possibility, though I'm afraid I can't say for sure either way,' Primrose remarked through their link, a thoughtful expression of her own on her face, 'I'm afraid everything is a blank for me at the moment.'
Yugi suddenly chuckled, pulling a surprised Stephanie out of her thoughts, "What is it?"
"Oh nothing, it's just..." Yugi said with a bashful smile, "I just find it kind of...unique, that we have the Puzzle and Earrings, and we met, and these people from the past look a lot like us and had them too."
Stephanie blinked and then smiled, "Maybe it means we were meant to meet...to bring them back together again..." She gave an embarrassed chuckle, cheeks flushing, "I'm sorry...that was so stupid to say, I-"
"No," Yugi reassured with a smile, gently placing a hand over one of hers, "I don't think its stupid at all." Stephanie smiled shyly.
Yugi then appeared to be conflicted with himself before smiling as he shifted his hand, moving it under hers, lifting it up as his puzzle glowed, surprising Stephanie as she looked up into Yami's smiling face. She couldn't help blushing as he rose her hand up for him to kiss her knuckles so feathery light, it sent shivers up her spine, taking in how dashing Yami looked in the slightly modified suit, strangely, his tie came undone, but she didn't pay it much thought.
"Yami..." She greeted softly. "May I have this dance, Hime?" Yami requested formally with a slight playful edge to his expression with a slight bow. Stephanie couldn't help smiling a little more as she curtsied, "Of course." But despite accepting, she couldn't help the gasp nor could she be fully prepared for when he pulled her close by her waist, turning her face a little redder.
As the music floated through the air, Yami smiled encouragingly at a still shy Stephanie as they slowly swayed and stepped side-to-side in the gentle begins of a waltz. Out of nervous habit, Stephanie started to softly hum along with the melody and it gave Yami an idea and when they spun around, took Stephanie by surprise as he started to sing, his deep baritone sending another wave of shivers up and down her spine:
Yami:
Ten minutes ago, I saw you
I looked up as you came through the door
My head started reeling,
You gave me the feeling,
The room had no ceiling or floor
Stephanie blushed darker at the declaration, smiling bashfully as they fanned out, her heart-beat picking up as she leaned so far back, it almost felt like she was going to fall over when Yami pulled her back at the last second into a twirl. Yami smiled warmly at her as he spun her in to press her back and against his chest before slowly dipping her.
Inside the ballroom, Pearl smiled with a soft blush as she parted ways with Ryou, who regrettably had to pause for breath and refreshment. Even if he wasn't her thief, he was still so sweet and genuine when they shared small talk while dancing. She couldn't remember the last time she had so much fun or had been so relaxed when dancing outside the need to fuse. Pearl's blush deepened as she touched the flower that had remained in her hair, but her smile fell as she returned to a smirking Pegasus' side.
The silver-haired man took out what looked like a Duel Monsters card and handed it to her, "You know what to do, Little Pearl."
"And how is this suppose to help?" Pearl asked skeptically as she accepted the card anyways. "Call it a...extra incentive, to try and get Rose's...or should I say...Pink's baby girl to see things your way," Pegasus answered, smirking wider at the furious look on the pale Gem's face.
"Don't you dare use that name!" Pearl hissed. Pegasus shrugged unabashedly as Pearl trudged off, gripping the card tight.
Back outside, Yami and Stephanie continued to spin and twirl and sway along the veranda as Yami continued to sing:
Ten minutes ago, I met you
And we murmured our "How do you do?"s
I wanted to ring out the bells
And fling out my arms
And sing out the news
Pearl started to crack one of the doors to the veranda open when the words caught her ears and she paused, confused, before peering through and her eyes widened to see the dancing pair as the fireflies began drifting into the veranda, casting an almost other-worldly light on the scene and atmosphere. It was practically soaking with romance, even a being like a Gem, who didn't need to breath could suffocate in it.
The scene was also so painstakingly familiar that it threatened tears to Pearl's eyes as her hands trembled and her gemstone felt as if it could crack, 'Not again...oh Stars! Please, not again!' Not seeming to really notice Yami's continued declaration:
"I have found her, she's an angel
With the dust of the stars in her eyes
We are dancing, we are flying
And she's taking me back to the sky!"
Stephanie's face couldn't have been redder though as she was briefly lifted off her feet in a spin before being twirled around. Pearl slowly emerged onto the veranda the further the two got, as not to be seen, hiding behind pillars as best she could as she followed them as they paused to descend the stairs into the garden.
In the arms of my love, I'm flying
Over mountain and meadow and glen
And I like it so well
For all I can tell
I may never come down again,
I may never come down to Earth again
When the reached the last step, Yami twirled Stephanie some more before sweeping the dance into the gardens, his eyes only for her and likewise, her eyes only for him. So neither of them noticed the frowning Pearl as she followed keeping far to the shadows, crouching behind bushes or ducking behind trees to keep out of sight.
Stephanie sighed blissfully, and, caught up in the moment, briefly rested her head on Yami's chest, eliciting a surprised, but pleased smile from the spirit, his cheeks flushing. But his cheeks burned as Stephanie began to sing along to his serenade, her soft soprano voice rang enchantingly through the silence of the garden as they continued to sway:
Stephanie:
Ten minutes ago, I met you
And we murmured our "How do you do?"s
I wanted to ring out the bells
And fling out my arms
And sing out the news
Yami smiled warmly as he titled her head up to look him in the eyes, whispering gently, "I have found her..."
"I have found him..." Stephanie whispered in kind, a bashful smile on her face.
Yami then lifted her up and started spinning them around, eliciting a surprised, but elated bout of laughter from her as they ventured further and further into the gardens. When Yami set her down, he placed his left hand on her right hip, placing her left hand on his right shoulder and they began to slowly turn in circles, keeping their free arms raised as they did as they began to sing together:
Yami & Stephanie:
In the arms of my love, I'm flying
Over mountain and meadow and glen
And I like it so well
For all I can tell
I may never come down again
I may never come down to Earth again...!
Once again, Yami twirled Stephanie into his chest, only this time, he spun her back out, letting go of her as he did. But Stephanie, twirled right back on her own accord, prompting Yami to take hold of her waist and, in a clever play of time cue, switched back with Yugi, so it was the lighter half of the two male Puzzle wielders that was dipping the young royal hybrid, leaving both teens breathless as they continued to stare into each other's eyes.
Meanwhile, a deeply frowning Pearl dug her fingers so deep into the tree's trunk she left deep, almost claw-like groves as she dragged her hand down, showing her displeasure at the scene.
Righting her, Yugi took a deep breath to get his second wind back, "Now that...that was...fun..."
Hand over her heart, a smile on her face, Stephanie agreed through her panting, "I think...that's the first...first time I...I've had fun...since this all st-started..." A part of her wasn't sure if by 'this' she meant Pegasus and his schemes or since she first encountered the Diamonds.
"Same," Yugi agreed. "I didn't peg Yami for a singer," Stephanie remarked prompting a blush from Yugi. "I think it was more a spur of the moment kind of thing," Yugi answered before muttering under his breath, "And the song might not have been just him..."
"Hm?" Stephanie questioned. "Nothing!" Yugi smiled innocently, making her shrug. She then took in their surroundings, they had gone deeper into the garden then she thought, it almost looked like they waltzed right into the forest, "Where are we?"
"Did we really dance right back into the woods?" Yugi asked. "Either that or Pegasus' garden is a lot bigger then I thought it was," Stephanie replied.
"I doubt we could've gone that far," Yugi said rubbing the back of his head, "You wait here, maybe there's a path that'll lead the way back."
"Alright, but take these," Stephanie said summoning a flashlight and a bag of brightly colored marbles from her gemstone, "So you can find your way back."
Yugi smiled and nodded as he accepted the objects, he looked around before picking a direction and started to walk, but was just about to disappear from sight when Stephanie called, "Hey," Yugi paused and looked over his shoulder, "For the record, I like the real Yugi just as much as Yami Yugi."
Yugi flushed, but was unable to help smiling in response, his voice so soft, Stephanie almost missed it, "You would...honestly be the first..." Yami smiled as well, glad that someone was able to show just as much kindness to his host as to him.
Stephanie smiled softly as she watched Yugi disappear into the trees, unaware of the still scowling Pearl standing barely a few feet behind her, still in her Pink Court outfit. Pearl glanced at the card Pegasus gave her before silently storing it in her gemstone before taking a silent breath and forced as much of genuine smile as she could as she exclaimed suddenly, "Finally! I thought he was never going to leave!"
Stephanie nearly jumped right out of her skin in shock, whirling around with wide, startled eyes, "Pearl?"
"Stephanie!" Pearl cried as if she hadn't seen her in the longest time, rushing to the startled hybrid and throwing her arms around her, "I'm so glad you found us!"
"You're talking to me?" Stephanie said in confusion, but was more then happy that the Crystal Gems were finally acknowledging her and slowly hugged the pale Gem back. "Of course I'm talking to you, why wouldn't I?" Pearl asked as she pulled back, cocking a brow at the small female. "Sapphire and Ruby...they..." Stephanie began.
"I'm afraid that was Pegasus' doing," Pearl sighed tone, souring, motioning to her collar, "He put these on us and said if we tried to inform you what was going on, he'd used them to poof us."
"Sh-shock collars...?" Stephanie whispered in horrified-shock, touching her own neck in alarm. "I'm afraid so," Pearl said before taking Stephanie's wrist and started to pull her along, "Come along, Stephanie, we're going home."
"Wha-wait! Pearl!" Stephanie dug her feet in, prompting Pearl to pause, "What about the collars and the others? How did Pegasus even get Gem-Tech?"
"The others all waiting under the castle," Pearl explained purposely ignoring the other question, "There's a hidden harbor that has a tunnel that leads right out into the ocean and the collars only have a limited field of influence, so once we're in the boat, you can break them off and we're all free!"
"But Pegasus has Dad!" Stephanie protested further, "He stole his soul!"
"That's actually the thing," Pearl said with a smile, "All you have to do to get Greg back is leave those Earrings here and Pegasus will let him go, if you don't have them, then he has no reason to keep him."
"What?" Stephanie gasped in shock, instinctively covering her earrings at the idea of handing over the Millennium Earrings, "But Pearl, I can't just-"
"What do you mean you can't?" Pearl interrupted, "You don't need them Stephanie, now come along!"
She started to pull her along again, but Stephanie continued to dig her feet, "But Pearl, even if I wanted to, I can't just leave! I made new friends and-"
"Oh yes, the other person with a piece of jewelry that Pegasus wants and other random teens you may never see again after this," Pearl interrupted tersely, an almost mocking smile on her face, "I'm very proud, come on Stephanie!" Pearl started to pull her along again, but this time, Stephanie pulled her arm away.
"But, Pearl, listen to me!" Stephanie said not seeing the utterly frustrated expression that fell over Pearl's face, "Ever since this all started, I've been learning so much; not just about things outside Beach City, but about myself too! I even found my grandparents!"
"Your grandparents!" Pearl chuckled, "Stephanie-"
"And I've met so many different people!" Stephanie continued again missing the frustration Pearl momentarily showed for the interruption, "Joey and Tristan are so funny! Seto, Mako and Rex are so cool! Mokuba and Leon are just so cute! Maisie is amazing for an AI! Mai, Tea and Dorothy...I can actually talk to them! And Yugi..." Now Stephanie's smile turn soft and shy, an almost dreamy quality to her expression as she thought about the Millennium Puzzle's owner and the spirit inside it, "I...call me crazy but I...I...I think...I think he might...like me..."
Pearl finally had enough, running a hand over her face before saying a little more harshly then she intended, "Like you? Please, Stephanie, that's demented!" The insult, however unintentional, had both Stephanie and Primrose reeling, the spirit more so then the real hybrid.
"But Pearl, I-!" Stephanie tried to protest. "This is why you never should have left!" Pearl continued walking past Stephanie, dismissive and cold; it made Primrose bristle with anger, but Stephanie, to the spirit's shock, sighed in defeat, clearly too used to this sort of thing, her expression disappointed and demure.
Both two-toned girls froze as Pearl continued as the pale Gem came up from behind, resting her chin on Stephanie's shoulder, tone sickly sweet and warm, "My Little Quartz, this whole romance that you've invented just proves me right," She then leaned to practically whisper in Stephanie's ear, words spoken in a motherly coo, "You're too naive to be here..."
What neither Primrose or Pearl noticed was Stephanie hands trembling as they slowly clenched and her gemstone slowly started to bleed from the inside, slowly changing from pink to red from the center out.
Pearl continued to smile that warm, motherly smile as she took Stephanie's hands and light and slowly spun them around, asking almost patronizingly, "Now, why would he like you? Come on now, really!" Pearl then leaned in, one hand's fingers just barely grazed the edges of the now blood red gemstone, then other slowly carded through Stephanie thick curls, slowly pulling the pale pink strands forward for the hybrid to see, reminding of her of her less then perfect human appearance or heritage, almost hissing, "Look at you, do you think he's impressed?"
Stephanie nearly tripped on her gown in her backing away, staring at Pearl as the pale Gem moved to stand just a few feet away from her close to the tree line, smile still present on her face, "Honey, don't be a dummy, come with Pearly," Pearl then held out her arms, as if inviting Stephanie for a hug, voice soft and motherly, "Pearl..."
Stephanie suddenly snapped her head up and in a furious frown, eyes changing from brown to pink and then to red as she snapped loudly, "NO!"
000000000
In the ballroom, Bismuth, Jasper, Lapis and Peridot all jerked in surprise at the familiar, dark feeling that sudden spiked in their cores. They paused in whatever they were doing to turn towards the source, looking out the tall, window-like doors of the veranda, concerned. In the tunnels beneath the castle, Ruby and Amethyst exited one of the barred cell-doors, stretching and looking rather pleased and relax, only to jerk in surprised-shock at the same dark feeling coursing through their gemstones and throughout their physical forms.
Up in Pegasus' chambers where she sat, slowly thumbing through the Butterfly's Spellbook, Sapphire looked up and out the window towards the gardens, mouth pulling into a confused frown at the familiar feeling, but it made no sense to her. If one of the Diamonds were here, it would be impossible for them to hide and they were far too proud to shape-shifting themselves smaller to hide and their ships were eyesores and impossible to hide in weather like this.
Star and Marco both stilled, also turning at the strange, unfamiliar magic that rippled briefly through the air. They recognized it as magic, but they didn't recognize the type of magic, just that it was dark in nature, angry in feeling and nasty in effect, worse then anything Eclipsa or Meteora or even Solaria ever made.
Glossaryck, from his spot lying on his side on one of Pegasus' pillows eating his beloved pudding, a barely fazed by the energy that was slowly thinning into nothingness. If there was one thing that was a real drawback to the Rebirth of Magic, it was his narrowed and slowly receding clairvoyance, especially when he was eventually passed down to Shadow after his sisters were no longer available heirs, only to be given to Maximillion for safe-keeping.
Right now, what he did know was that if things didn't improve soon, the most powerful, most brutal, most blood-thirsty and by far the most indestructible Butterfly will be born.
00000000000
Back in the garden, Pearl recoiled as if slapped, clearly startled and a bit frightened at the familiar feeling seeping through her being, but then realized what just happened. Her Little Quartz...just told her no. This wasn't exactly the same as before with the mirror when the Lapis Lazuli was trapped and damage, no, this...this was personal. This was her Stephanie...telling her no...
Pearl's face shifted into a frown for a moment as she parroted, "No...?" Before morphing into a smirk, "Oh..." Her lips then twisted into something...vicious, something wicked, "I see how it is!"
Primrose looked over warily as Stephanie calmed down, gemstone and eyes slowly reverting back to normal, the shorter of the two stared, blinking in confusion to the sudden tone change. Pearl then began to saunter up towards them, gesturing with one hand as she did, the other on her hip for dramatic effect as she began to sing, her slightly biting, sarcastic voice made her usually inspiring mezzo-soprano feel more...villainous:
Pearl:
Stephanie knows best,
Stephanie's so mature now
Pearl then leaned in close, causing Stephanie to instinctively draw back, but not step away as Pearl rose her hand as if to slap, but instead mockingly patted her head, hissing softly in her face, "Such a clever grown up miss..." Pearl then traced a finger down Stephanie's cheek, roughly flicking against the rose mark, before walking away whilst gesturing with the same hand, the other still on her hip:
Stephanie knows best,
Find if your so sure then
Pearl then brought the hand to her forehead, the pale light telling Stephanie she was summoning something and she tensed, thinking it to be her spear, but blinked when she saw it instead to be a much, much smaller object, "Go ahead and give him this!" Pearl turned around with a vicious grin, stretching her arm out to reveal a card.
But in the cloudless, unfiltered moonlight, it was easy to see what was on it. There was no mistaking that hairstyle and even though the profile was faint, almost faded. It was Yugi's grandfather, Solomon Muto.
"How did you-?" Stephanie began to question, but Pearl wasn't having it.
This is why he's here,
Don't let him deceive you!
With a very expert and easy flick of her wrist, Pearl threw the card, almost carelessly to Stephanie, who just, Stephanie just as easily caught it before it could fly by her. Stephanie stared down into Mr. Muto's faded wine-red eyes, gently smoothing a thumb over the picture, brief confliction on her face. If she turned this in to Yugi, there was a very good chance without or without her or/and Ryou's help, he could free his grandfather and he wouldn't have to duel Pegasus.
'But then...what will he do afterwards if he can?' Stephanie's more anxious and slightly more selfish side questioned, which had her hesitating in the idea to turn it in. The image of Yugi's back to her, walking away haunted her mind as Pearl told her in a matter-of-fact tone, "Give it to him and watch, you'll see!"
But those words struck a chord in Stephanie as she looked up at the pale Gem and frown, her confidence returning as she replied firmly, "I will!"
But Pearl didn't look all that convinced as she seemed to stalk towards the hybrid like a predatory cat, "Trust me, my dear!" Pearl snapped her fingers good and quick, summoning a long pink scarf as she did, "That's how fast he'll leave you!" Pearl then moved faster then either Primrose or Stephanie could process, wrapping the scarf around Stephanie's arms and spun the hybrid around, voice almost a yell, "And I won't say "I told you so"!"
Yanking the scarf and freeing Stephanie, Pearl returned it to her gemstone and continued to goad:
No, Stephanie knows best,
Well, if he's such a dream-boat,
Go and put him to the test!
Stephanie recoiled when Pearl leaned in to almost snarl the last part in her face before pulling away. Stephanie looked down at the card and something seemed to click in her head as she tried to call, "Pearl, wait!"
But Pearl was already at the trees, turning to give Stephanie the most stern, warning glare the young hybrid had ever seen as Pearl dropped her voice back to normal-speaking volume, but it was quick to raise again, this time to shouting-level:
If he's lying,
Don't you dare come crying...!
Pearl~! Knows Best!
And with a large, bright flash Pearl was gone. Leaving a very shaken Stephanie alone in the clearing.
And BAH! I decided to leave it on a cliffhanger! I know you guys might not like it but, hey, what can you do, plus I'm pretty sure I'm pushing 14000 words at this point including this author's ending notes, got to end this somewhere. Let me know what you guys thought, I really wanted an excuse to put some shipping moments in there and who's to say Pegasus wouldn't throw a mini-gala between duels?
Also, for those who want to know about the songs:
The first song, the duet between Yami and Stephanie, is called 'Ten Minutes Ago' from the 1997's Live-Action Cinderella starring Brandy Norwood as Cinderella and Whitney Houston as the Fairy Godmother. A quick shout out to suntan140 for suggesting it.
As for the second song we ended on, it's the rephrase of 'Mother Knows Best' from Disney's Tangled, the movie, not the TV show.
I'm still open to song ideas for those who want a particular song featured, be it for shipping material or just to add drama, I mean, come on, this may be a crossover, but its a crossover with Steven Universe! There's going to be songs!
Again, let me know, what you guys think!
Anyways, for the part I'm sure everyone's been waiting for, the polls, both official and non-official:
Should Yugi remain King of Games or should Stephanie became the Queen of Games?
King: 8, Queen: 2
Should Stephanie get an Egyptian God Card?
Yes: 5, No: 6
If yes, however temporary, which one should it be?
Obelisk: 2, Slifer: 1, Ra: 1
Guess there won't be anymore votes until we get closer to the Battle City Arc, huh? Ah well, its not a bad placement all things considered.
Anyways, as for the poll for Foreign God Cards, Greek is still in the lead with 8 votes, followed by Norse with 7, Roman takes third place with 6 votes, followed by Mayan with 5 and Mesopotamian is still in last place 3 votes.
Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! Till next time!