Yami gasps loudly, coughing a few times as he sits up, looking at his surroundings. Instead of being in the trailer, he is inside the labyrinth of the Millennium Puzzle, surrounded by many doors and stairs. He is perplexed as to why he is there at that current moment. The last thing he remembers is Cairo walking up to him and tapping on his puzzle, before everything went dark. Has she somehow transported him here?
"What am I doing here?" he asks himself, beginning to walk ahead. He has been here more times than he can count, wandering around aimlessly, trying to piece together things of his past. But the more he does, the more questions come up. He is almost certain that he has been through almost every door. But one door in particular is standing out to him. Unlike the hundreds of steel, gray doors that surround him, this one is red with a golden handle. Of all his years within the puzzle, he's never seen this door before.
Hearing small footsteps, he turns around and sees Cairo. Without a word, she walks past him and approaches the door. "Why have you brought me here?" Yami asks.
"I'm sure you have a lot of questions. And what I'm about to show you are fragments of my past…our past. And while I can't show it all, I hope this will answer some of the questions you have about me." She places her hand on the doorknob and turns her head to look at him. "Ready?"
He nods. "Let's go." She opens the door that emits a bright light and Yami shields his eyes. Once the light finally fades, he finds himself on the ground in yet another location, surrounded by tall concrete walls surrounding what appears to be a palace and it is heavily guarded by guards who carry spears. He gets to his hands and knees and looks around. Something about this place seems very off. He notices the statues of gods and how everything is constructed differently and he gasps in realization.
"Am I…?" Before he can finish his question, he hears a light groan come from beside him and he looks over to see that Cairo is slowly sitting up. He gets up and kneels down to her. "Cairo. Are you alright?"
"Yeah…I'm fine," she replies as he helps her to her feet.
"Where are we?"
She looks to the statues of various gods, the rock hard walls that surround them and the huge palace up ahead the long passageway. "We're home," she finally responds and his eyes widen. Have they really been transported to Egypt?
It is dark and there appears to be no signs of anyone around. They start to explore the corridors of the palace, not knowing where to begin. The halls are empty and only the sounds of crickets fill the air. As they're about to turn a corner, Yami catches sight of a guard who is coming their way and quickly pulls Cairo back. He places an arm protectively in front of Cairo as they both press their backs into the wall. The guard, who carries a spear in his hand, surveys the area and to their horror, looks directly at them. Yami can feel his heart pounding out of his chest, expecting the worst. But to his surprise, the guard looks right past them as if they aren't there at all.
"He can't see us?" he asks out loud, hesitantly. He waves his hand, but the guard doesn't react.
"No," Cairo replies with a slight chuckle.
"HALT!" the guard suddenly yells, startling them both. Can he see them after all? They both look in the direction the guard is looking and see a small figure run past. The guard runs after the mystery person while Yami and Cairo exchange looks before following after him.
"Who goes there?" the guard asks. It appears to be a short girl with long, black hair that reaches her calves. She wears a white pleated skirt and tank with a golden necklace around her neck and a golden crown. She turns around to reveal herself, her innocent, amethyst eyes gazing up at the guard. The guard sighs and places a hand on his forehead. "Princess, what are you doing wandering around the palace?"
"Cairo?" Yami says with surprise. She definitely doesn't look like the same Cairo that is standing right next to her, although the clothing the past Cairo is wearing resembles what she wore when they first met her in the present world. But her hair is a lot longer and her eyes are less narrowed.
"Sheesh…was my hair really that long?" Cairo comments, rubbing the back of her head.
"I was just playing," the princess says to the guard with a shrug and a smile.
"I'm sure the pharaoh doesn't want you wandering around here so late. Please, for your safety, return to your quarters at once."
"Eh…alright." She darts off in another direction and the guard shakes his head. Yami and the present Cairo decide to follow her to her next destination.
The princess runs through the empty courtyard and stops to catch her breath. She doesn't want to go to sleep. Not when she is filled with so much energy. She walks over to the pond and watches as fishes swim within it. She takes out her black wand and points it at the fish, concentrating on it. Her wand glows purple and the fish is soon surrounded by a purple aura as it is lifted up into the air with her magical abilities. She giggles in delight after her spell works. Although she has done this spell many times with ease, it is one of her favorites.
"What are you doing up?" comes a familiar voice.
Yami raises an eyebrow. The voice sounded identical to his. His eyes widen when he sees a man who looks just like him walk over to Cairo. He wears a long white skirt that reaches just below his knees and a tank with a navy blue cape. The Millennium Puzzle is draped around his neck and he wears a crown similar to Cairo's.
"That's…me…" Yami says with surprise. This version of him also has brown skin that matches Cairo's and his wrists, ears and fingers are adorned with jewelry.
"Practicing my magic," the princess finally replies, twirling her wand.
"It's late. You should be in bed."
"But I'm not tired." She releases the fish back into the water and drops her arms. "I want to train some more."
"Cairo, you are the best in your class. You are far advanced for someone of your age. Even the most elite spell casters must take a break," he tells her and she pouts. He chuckles and swoops her up into his arms, tickling her as she laughs and attempts to get out of his grasp.
"Dad, that tickles! Cut it out!" she laughs as he carries her bridal style.
"Time for bed."
"You think if I keep practicing I'll be the strongest magician there is?" she asks with a smile.
"I have no doubt that you will be very powerful."
She perks up and grins. "Even more powerful than mom?"
He leans down with a smirk to whisper in her ear. "Nice try, but you're not getting me in trouble."
"Aw no fair!"
The scene between the pharaoh and his daughter fades to black, leaving Cairo and Yami surrounded by darkness. Cairo looks down with a smile, giggly softy and holding on to her arms. She missed those days. Where things were somewhat calm. And most importantly, she missed her interactions with her father. Yami notices her smile change into a frown and asks, "You okay?"
She looks up at him and nods. "Yeah. I was just reminiscing on the good ol' days. With you."
"It seems we had a close father-daughter bond."
"Yeah, we did. We were pretty much inseparable. I miss it." She sighs. "But then tragedy struck."
The scenery around them changes once again. This time they appear to be in what seems like an underground area. In front of them is a dark hall and a menacing laugh echoes through the air, putting Yami on alert.
"What was that?" Yami asks and Cairo lowers her eyes as the laugh echoes around them. Wanting to know where the laughs are coming from, Yami runs a few steps ahead, but stops when he sees Cairo not following him. "What's wrong?"
"What you are about to witness is a very painful moment of my past," she replies.
"You mean…?
She nods, still looking at the ground. She clenches her shirt, hearing the laugh yet again. She can remember what happened as if it happened yesterday. The sights, the sounds, the pain. "I'm not sure if I can handle this."
"If you don't want to move forward, then that's fine," Yami says understandingly. "I don't want to put you through any unnecessary distress."
Cairo shakes her head. "No. I told you I was going to show you a piece of my past and I'm going to keep my word."
"Alright then. Let's go," Yami says as they run toward the source of the laughs. They turn a corner and Yami is shocked at what he sees. There were multiple people dressed in Egyptian clothing, but they aren't moving at all. They had auras around their bodies and they seem to be frozen in time. The only one that does not appear to be frozen is an older hooded figure. Behind him also stands a dark figure with horns and a stone tablet containing all of the Millennium Items.
Yami gasps. "What is going on?"
"Denounce your allegiance to Egypt and pledge your loyalty to me!" the dark horned figure commands of the hooded one. "Do this and everything you desire shall be yours!" The hooded old man raises his hands to the devilish creature and he is suddenly surrounded by a purple aura. His body is soon changed into darker clothing, his hair grows long and red and a mask covers part of his face. The other part of his face has a replica of the Millennium Eye where his normal eye would be. "Behold! The Great Shadow Magus!"
Magus turns his sights on the frozen group in front of him and outstretches his hand. "Now, be gone pharaoh!"
"Pharaoh?" Yami asks aloud.
"There," Cairo points out. Standing in front of the group of people is Yami's past self.
"Is this another memory of your past?" Cairo nods slowly, already knowing what is about to occur. Her heart beats fast as if this is the first time she is witnessing this.
A blast of purple lightening emits from Magus' ghastly hands, heading right toward the defenseless pharaoh and it makes impact. Magus laughs, feeling victorious, but his laughter is soon turned into disbelief when a small girl is standing protectively in front of the pharaoh, holding out her black wand.
"I won't let you harm him!" the princess yells.
"How dare you interfere?!" Magus prepares another attack until the dark horned figure behind him stops him.
"She is a powerful child. And someone with that amount of power shall be of great use to me," it says.
"Cairo, run now!" The pharaoh warns. Although he is frozen, it hasn't fully stopped his ability to speak.
The princess turns to him with tearful eyes. "But what about you?"
"Listen to him Cairo!" a woman with brown spiky hair yells. She also holds a wand in her hand as well, almost identical to Cairo's, but it is blue. "It's not safe for you here!"
"Watch out!" Yami yells, but the princess cannot hear him and soon Magus appears behind her, snatching her up by her long, black locs of hair. She cries and squirms as she tries to break free from his grasp, but to no avail.
The present Cairo holds onto her head and shuts her eyes, turning away from the scene unfolding in front of her. This is the moment where her life changed. Hearing the cries of her past self is gut wrenching and heart breaking. She lets out a cry as tears stream down her cheeks, going down to her knees from the overwhelming emotions that flood her mind.
"Cairo!" Yami runs to her side, crouching down and placing his hands on her shoulders consolingly as he looks on. This memory in particular must be extremely painful for her to watch, he thinks to himself.
"You will serve me now," the dark one says and she screams as a dark, purple force shoots through her body to everyone's horror. She can not only feel a great amount of strength surging through her, but a great amount of darkness as well. She still continues to fight and she knees Magus in the stomach and he cries out in pain, before using his sharp claws to swipe at her. At the last minute, she moves just in time, although a large chunk of her hair is lost from that quick motion, leaving her with spiky shoulder length hair. She drops to her hands and knees, panting heavily.
"What have you done to her?" The pharaoh asks. "TELL ME!" She slowly lifts her head, revealing her pitch black eyes to everyone's shock.
"She serves me now," the dark one says.
"No!"
The princess slowly stands to her feet and points her wand at the pharaoh with a grin. As Yami looks on, the world around them begins to fade to black, the scene in front of them starting to disappear until…
Back in the present world, Yami's eyes burst open and he tries to catch his breath. He is back in the trailer and morning has come, although everyone else is still sleep. He gasps in realization when he realizes that Cairo is nowhere to be found. He springs up and quietly walks out the door. The sun is high into the sky, but the atmosphere is cool. Looking from left to right, there is still no sign of Cairo anywhere. His eyes scroll down to a cat in particular, making its way to the other side of the trailer and Yami follows.
Ebo climbs into Cairo's arms and she stands up straight. She breathes a deep, heavy sigh as she strokes his head.
"Cairo," Yami calls out to her and her heart drops. She can once again feel the tears threatening to fall and she turns her back to him, beginning to walk away. "Cairo, wait!" He quickens his pace to catch up to her and she stops, not giving him any eye contact. "Was that incident…was that what you were holding back from me this whole time?"
"Yeah…" she says, focusing on her feet on the ground. "It's how I was cursed with some of my abilities and also the reason why I've been banished to the Shadow Realm for all eternity. I betrayed you and I'm part of the reason for the destruction of Egypt. So I can see why people refer to me as evil."
Yami narrows his eyes. "That's not fair."
"Hm?"
"What happened all those years ago…if what I just witnessed is accurate...it wasn't your fault. You were controlled by an evil presence."
"But if I had listened and got out of there as I was told, I wouldn't be the way I am now," she says turning to him with tearful eyes. "The amount of strength that I was cursed with scares me. You don't even know the half of it." She looks down at her hands as they shake slightly. "These hands…these hands have caused a lot of destruction and have hurt countless people…including you."
"But you're not evil Cairo," Yami says stepping up to her. "I know deep down, you are good and you want to help people. That's why you've stuck around us for this long, regardless of your mission."
"Well I can't be around anymore!" she yells, closing her eyes and turning her head. "I've upset the gods by trying to help prevent Yugi's soul from being stolen instead of focusing on what I originally came here for."
Yami's eyes widen with shock. "What?"
Her shoulders begin to tremble as more tears fall. "I've angered the gods yet again. As if I already weren't on their bad side. No matter what I do or how much I try to do good, it still isn't enough! I'll always be seen as an evil person!"
"Cairo, listen to me…What happened back then was something completely out of your control. That evil saw the power and strength within you and took advantage of it, turning you against everyone."
Cairo bows her head. "What if Rafael is right? What if evil truly does run in the family? I mean…you let the darkness consume you in your duel. And for that, Yugi paid the price."
Yami lowers his eyes. What she is saying is absolutely true. His mind was clouded by rage and he wasn't thinking things all the way through. Normally he prides himself in being able to keep calm, even in the most stressful situations. But his anger took control. He kneels down and looks her in the eyes. "There's no absolutely no excuse for what I did. I was so consumed by my anger that I didn't think about the consequences of my actions." His look of sorrow soon turns into determination, Joey's words of pushing forward echoing through his head. "But I promise, no matter what it takes, I will get Yugi back and free the rest of the souls who are lost to the Orichalcos. I refuse to let my past define me. Instead, I will use it to guide me and learn from my mistakes."
"Too bad no matter what she does, she will always be a prisoner of the shadows," comes a masculine voice and they both whip around to see Hasani standing across from them at a distance.
"You…" Cairo narrows her eyes and makes her wand appear in her hand.
"What do you want?" Yami asks, standing up to his feet.
"I see that Rafael guy couldn't finish off the job," he says taking a few steps toward them. "And I'm not about to wait on them to witness your demise. I will carry it out myself! I will get revenge on behalf of Kul Elna!"
"Honestly, I'm not in the mood," Cairo says, growing agitated. After revisiting her past, all she wants to do is be alone with her thoughts. But it doesn't look like that is going to happen anytime soon to her dismay.
"Aw, what's wrong? Finally come clean to your father, eh?" he asks tauntingly, setting his sights on the pharaoh who glares at him. "Told him of your evil past? I'm surprised you're even standing next to her, pharaoh. But then again, after witnessing you selfishly summon the seal for your own selfish gain, I shouldn't be surprised at all."
"It wasn't her fault. She was being controlled!" Yami shouts defensively.
"Your family truly is evil."
"My father had nothing to do with what happened in Kul Elna. I am truly sorry for the death and destruction that fell upon your people. But the pharaoh nor the previous pharaoh had anything to do with it," Cairo says.
"Whether it was the pharaoh or not, the man that caused all of this is still your family!" Hasani shoots back. "And since he's the only one present, I will take out my revenge on him and stop him from reaching his destiny!"
"What exactly happened?" Yami whispers to Cairo, not taking his eyes off Hasani.
"That guy Magus from that little flashback I showed you…he's responsible for all of this," she whispers back. "None of this is your fault."
"You're telling me that demon like figure is related to us?" Yami says in shock.
"You don't know the half of it."
"Either stand aside or go down together!" Hasani yells.
"You and I both know I can't do that," Cairo says, standing in front of Yami.
"Suit yourself!" He charges at Cairo with full speed, preparing to land a punch and she calmly catches it with her hand to his surprise. While his hand is caught in her grasp, he tries to land a kick to which she blocks with her wand. His eyes widen with shock. It's as if she has gotten stronger since he last saw her. He knows that she is infused with the powers of the dark one and the possibilities of her powers are endless. Does she somehow adapt after each and every fight?
She places her palm on his stomach and shoots a magical blast at him, causing him to fly back several feet. He grunts as he hits the floor and grimaces as he tries to sit up, only to be met by the golden ball of Cairo's wand pointed at him. "End of the road." Her wand glows and Hasani's soul is lifted out of the body he had taken over.
"Hey! What's all the commotion out here?" Joey asks as he, Téa, Duke and Tristan run outside and join the pharaoh at his side.
Duke blinks at the spirit that is floating in the air. "W-What the heck?"
"Did Cairo capture another soul?" Téa asks.
In his soul form, Hasani notices that Cairo has her head turned, distracted by the others. He snickers inwardly. Now is his chance.
Just as Cairo is turning her head back around, she feels an unfamiliar presence enter her body and she quickly draws in a breath, dropping her wand and holding onto her arms. Immediately, Yami notices something is wrong, seeing the fear in Cairo's eyes. Has the spirit of Hasani somehow possessed her? "Cairo, what's wrong?" he asks, taking a few steps ahead.
A dark aura appears around her as she cries out, holding onto her head. "Get out…GET OUT!" she yells.
"Anybody know what's going on?" Duke asks.
"I think that Hasani guy is trying to take control of Cairo's body!" Joey guesses. "That slime ball!"
Hasani laughs from within. "Now I will finally have my revenge!" Cairo can feel her arm lifting and she uses her free arm to pull it down.
"GET OUT!" she screams.
"Soon the pharaoh will be no more…"
Her wand lifts into her hands, aiming it right at the pharaoh and the others. Her amethyst eyes are replaced with glowing crimson ones as the dark aura around her continues to grow.
"Fight it Cairo!" Yami yells. The scene unfolding in front of him is very reminiscent of what he just witnessed of their past. "Don't let him control you!"
"Come on Cairo! We're your friends!" Joey chimes in, clenching his fists.
"Please! Snap out of it!" Téa pleads.
"You're all through!" Hasani yells through Cairo's body as the ball of energy begins to grow and Yami and the others huddle close together helplessly.
YGOYGOYGOYGOYGOYGO
Things have gotten pretty intense! Leave a review and let me know what you think! And thanks to everyone who has left a review/message! :)
