Cairo sits on her hands and knees, gazing down the dark chasm, desperately searching for any signs of her father. Between the infinite amount of darkness and the tears pouring out of her eyes, she is unable to see anything. Seeing Cairo distraught, Téa kneels down beside her, placing a hand on her shoulder.
"It's going to be alright," Téa says as the girl sniffles.
Joey growls, his fists beginning to shake at his sides, watching as Bakura walks off. "That monster! You won't get away with this!" As Bakura goes out of a sight, dark hooded figures with glowing red eyes begin to approach them and Joey grits his teeth nervously.
"Oh great! Now you've done it!" Tristan says.
"It's not safe here," Cairo says, slowly lifting her eyes and getting up to her feet. "Follow me." She runs off in the opposite direction with Yugi and the others following her until they reach a safe spot, hiding underneath a little nook within the gorge as the henchman ride past without seeing them.
"I think the coast is clear and we're all good," Yugi says, not hearing the galloping noises from the henchmens' horses anymore.
"All except one," Tristan points out.
"Tristan's right! We gotta find the pharaoh!" Joey says with determination.
"But what if…" Tristan starts off, not knowing how anyone could survive a fall like that. Téa elbows him, motioning over to Cairo who stares off into the distance.
Hearing footsteps coming toward her, she looks over to see the boy that resembles her father coming to her. "Don't worry. I know the pharaoh is going to be okay and we'll find him," he says, remaining optimistic. She studies him for a bit before looking over to the others. Her father considered them to be his friends, but she has never seen them before in her life.
"Tell me…back at the marketplace…you knew my name before I ever said anything," she starts off. "It's as if you all already knew who I was…but how is that possible?"
"Uh..." Yugi hesitates rubbing the back of his head.
"Eh…well we are friends of your father and he's told us so much about ya!" Joey cuts in, grinning from ear to ear. Cairo tilts her head to the side questionably and then smiles.
"Well, I guess it all doesn't matter. If you're friends of my father's, then that makes you good in my book," Cairo says.
"How are we even gonna find him?" Téa asks.
"Well we made it this far," Yugi says. "We'll find a way. We always do."
"Word will spread quickly of my father's disappearance and the palace will conduct a search. But I don't feel like waiting," Cairo says.
"I'm with ya, Cairo!" Joey agrees. "So what's the plan?"
"We find my mother..."
Tristan's eyes go wide. "Cairo has a mother?" he asks and Téa slaps her forehead.
"Of course she does Tristan. How else would Cairo exist?" Téa points out and Tristan blushes with embarrassment.
"…She'll be able to help," Cairo continues. "Being a sorcerer myself, I can only sense the presence of other sorcerers such as my mom. But my mom's abilities go beyond mine and she should be able to locate my father easily."
"Aw yeah! Then what are we waiting for?" Joey exclaims, feeling pumped up. "Let's go!"
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Battered, bloodied and bruised, the pharaoh rests in a cave that sits right off the Nile River. After landing in a strong current, he managed to swim to safety, losing his cape in the process. He dragged himself out of the water, ending up in the cave that he is currently in. With his eyes shut, he grimaces from the pain, thinking back on the events that have just occurred.
'My Millennium Puzzle…it's…gone…It's in…Bakura's hands now,' he thinks to himself. Remembering his first run in with Bakura at the palace, he recalls how Bakura accused his father of destroying his village when the Millennium Items were created in an attempt to further his own power. Bakura even went further on to saying that the Millennium Items weren't created to restore peace and harmony, but instead it was a way for his father to gain more power.
Doubt soon overcomes him. 'Could his words be true? Did my father really bring harm to innocent people in order to create the seven Millennium Items? Or did he rule justly and restore peace to Egypt?'
He thinks back to a conversation that he and Cairo had in the present world.
"There was an attack that was ordered…to a place called Kul Elna…Your father took the fall for it…Many souls were lost that day…They seek revenge on you," he recalls her saying, only remembering bits and parts of the conversation due to his current state.
'I wish I knew more about my father,' he thinks to himself, sighing heavily. And just as that thought comes to mind, visions of his past begin to appear, starting from when he was a baby, being presented to all of Egypt for the first time by his father. Another vision pops up when he was but a toddler. His father was teaching him how to walk while instilling values even then.
And lastly, a vision appears, showing him as a kid.
He followed his father to an ancient sanctuary of the Egyptian gods. It was a dark room with a platform surrounded by candles. His father collapsed to his knees with tears in his eyes as he begged for forgiveness of the events that happened in Kul Elna.
"Egyptian gods, hear me. I have committed a crime beyond atonement and for this I am truly sorry. By bringing the seven Millennium Items into this world, I have destroyed the lives of thousands. I bear full responsibility for these actions. Please spare my son," Pharaoh Aknamkanon pleaded while his son stood behind him, puzzled by his father's actions. "Do not punish him for the misdeeds of his father."
"Father? What's wrong?" the prince asked before gasping as lightning struck in multiple areas of the sanctuary. Feeling frightened, he took a step back. Tears began to form in his eyes until he heard the calm voice of his father.
"My son…fear not. You are safe now."
'Yes…I remember now…' the pharaoh recalls from seeing the visions in his head. 'My father surrendered his own safety…to ensure mine.'
He finally opens his eyes, only to be met with a bright light and a figure standing in front of him. He blinks a few times, trying to get a better look at the mystery person who wears a golden mask. "Who's…there?"
"I am he who is known as Hasan," a deep voice emits from the masked person. "I have come to warn you of an impending danger, pharaoh. Zorc the Dark One is soon to awaken."
"Who is Zorc?"
"The embodiment of pure darkness."
The pharaoh lets out a gasp. "Please, tell me what I can do to stop him!" he pleads, leaning forward. But as his vision becomes clear, the mysterious figure he was talking to is now gone.
"When the time is right, you will know," Hasan's voice echoes.
The pharaoh holds on to the nearby rocky wall to help him get on his feet, and he limps to the outside of the cave to be greeted by the sunlight and fresh air. He knows he has to warn the others of what was just relayed to him, but currently he has no sense of where he is after the fall. He looks out into the Nile that glimmers and sparkles underneath the bright sun.
He then looks over to a nearby father and son duo that floats on the river in a wooden boat, fishing together and reeling up a nice batch of fish. The father congratulates his son on a nice catch as the boy cheers happily.
'I shall protect all that my father struggled to build,' the pharaoh says in his mind, watching the scene unfold in front of him.
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Mana sits crossed legged at the edge of the river with her arms crossed over chest. She holds her blue and pink wand in her right hand and her body begins to glow pink. After dealing with the situation at the Nile River, she decided to get some training in to keep her mind off things. It is hard to think that Mahad isn't around anymore. Everything she knows was learned from him and now she is on her own.
As much as she wants to crumble under the weight of her emotions, she knows she can't. Mahad wouldn't want her to give up. He would want her to continue with her trainings. Not to mention she is the queen of Egypt. She has no choice but to stay strong.
"Can she see us?" a nearby voice asks.
"Well she has her eyes closed, Joey," Téa points out as they hover around the brown haired woman.
Mana quickly opens her eyes, revealing her glowing pink orbs and causing Tristan and Joey to jump up, feeling startled. She looks down at the reflection of four individuals and gasps, seeing one with tri-colored hair resembling her husband's. She springs to her feet, quickly turning around and looking down at him with confusion. Blinking, her eyes return back to normal and she grabs Yugi's hands.
"What happened to you? You've shrunk! And you're wearing weird clothing!" Mana comments before her eyes scroll to the other three people standing behind him. "As a matter of fact, you all are."
"I like this outfit," Téa protests, putting a hand on her hip.
Cairo comes from behind them, rubbing her head nervously. "Uh…hi mom!"
Seeing her bloodied face and wounds, Mana quickly kneels down to her daughter, observing her injuries with a concerned expression. "Cairo! Are you alright?! What happened?! Who are these people?"
"It's okay, mom," Cairo tells her. "They're dad's friends."
"Friends?" Mana repeats, growing even more confused.
"It's kind of a long story," Yugi replies. "But we really need your help. You see, there was a battle between the pharaoh and Bakura and now the pharaoh is missing. We think he may seriously be hurt."
"What?"
"It's true mom!" Cairo exclaims. "We have to find him!"
"Okay, we will Cairo, I promise," Mana assures her, hovering her hand over her daughter. "Let's get you cleaned up." Mana closes her eyes, chanting a spell in her head and as seconds go by, Cairo's wounds begin to heal while the others look in fascination. Then Mana stands to her feet, looking out into the Nile with a serious expression. Her eyes glow pink as she scans the entire area for any signs of her husband, blocking out any outside distractions until she lands on a familiar presence.
Turning back around to face the others, she smiles. "He's actually very close by," she tells them to their relief. "But his energy is faint. We need to get to him immediately. And I'm also sensing dark energy approaching as well. We should be careful."
"Could it be those hooded guys that were after us earlier?" Téa asks with worry.
Joey shudders. "Man, I hope not."
"Come on. This way," Mana says and they follow her lead.
"Oh yeah! We never got your name!" Téa points out with a smile.
Mana smiles back, walking alongside her. "My name is Mana."
"Well I'm Téa, and this is Yugi, Joey and Tristan," Téa introduces.
"It's so strange that I've never met you guys before," Mana says, looking up in thought.
"We're sorta kinda visiting," Tristan fibs, not really wanting to get into specifics of how they really got there.
"I see." Mana shrugs her shoulders. "Well if you're friends of the pharaoh, then you're my friends too!"
"So Mana, are you a magician too?" Yugi asks and she nods. "You know, back where I'm from, there is a game called Duel Monsters. I know you've never heard of it, but there's a character in the game that looks just like you."
"You don't say?"
"Hey, if you're Cairo's mother, does that mean you're the queen?" Tristan butts in and Téa groans loudly, embarrassed by her friend coming to the most obvious conclusions.
Mana chuckles. "Yeah, that's right. But you don't need to call me queen or anything. Mana will do just nicely."
"What's life like in the palace?" Joey asks and Téa groans even louder.
"Do you get an endless amount of food?" Tristan asks, smacking his lips.
"I'm sorry for their endless questions," Téa apologizes on their behalf and the two boys look at her with an eyebrow raised. "Those two really don't have an off button."
"It's okay, I don't mind at all!" She watches as Cairo runs forward, chasing after a tiny mouse that she found along the way. "Don't go off too far, Cairo."
"I won't!" Cairo replies, her eyes fixated on the tiny grey mouse that scurries away. "You're a fast little critter, aren't ya?"
Mana giggles at the young child and her fascination with the mouse. It reminds her so much of herself when she was her age. And even the pharaoh, or prince, before he was forced to take on huge responsibilities.
Téa smiles, seeing a side of Cairo that she is actually quite familiar with. She thinks back to when Cairo saved a cat that was being abused and took it in, caring for it. Though the Cairo she came to know was usually serious and barely showed her youthful side, one thing remains the same. She is caring, thoughtful and strong. "She's such a good kid," Téa comments, looking over to Mana. "When we got here, we found her saving a villager from harm."
"That sounds like something she would do. She's just like her father. Always rushing in to help," Mana says with a smirk.
"How did the two of you meet, Mana?" Yugi asks.
"Well unlike him, I wasn't born in the palace. I was taken in after tragedy struck my family."
Téa frowns. "I'm sorry."
Mana shakes her head, smiling. "From day one, he never made me feel like I was any less. He made me feel welcomed. We would both have our studies and when we'd get tired or bored from our responsibilities, we'd sneak off and come here to the river to let loose and talk," she reminisces, looking out into the water. "When his father suddenly passed, he was pretty much thrown into the pharaoh role. It was a lot to deal with, but I always remained that listening ear whenever things would get tough and even then, we would still sneak out of the palace when we could to get away from it all." She looks up to the sky, putting her hands behind her head. "Eventually we got married which was initially frowned upon since I'm not royal…but he didn't care. Nor did he care that I wanted to continue my dreams of becoming an elite spell caster while being the queen. But that's just him. He's always accepted me for who I am and let me be me."
Hearing sniffles, Mana and Téa turn their heads to see Tristan and Joey fighting to hold back the tears. "Oh geez," Mana chuckles, rubbing the back of her head. "I didn't mean to get all sappy on you guys, I'm sorry."
"That's so beautiful," Joey sobs, rubbing his eyes with the back of his arm.
"Uh…thanks?" Mana says blinking and Téa rolls her eyes with a smile.
Cairo stops just short of a hill that drops off and her eyes widen when she sees a familiar figure limping and holding onto his arm as he walks alongside Nile in their direction. But he seems to be oblivious to their presence. A wide smile appears on her lips and she is filled with happiness. "Dad!" she yells, bringing the other's attention to her direction.
The pharaoh lifts his eyes in the direction of the voice and sees Cairo waving to him as Yugi and the others join her side.
"It's the pharaoh!" Yugi exclaims happily.
"Long time no see man!" Joey says with a smirk.
"Hey pharaoh!" Téa wipes tears from her eyes, relieved to see him standing after the bad fall he took. The pharaoh only smiles back and Cairo is the first to run down the hill, followed by the rest of the group who cheer and celebrate upon finding him safely. Mana stands in the back of the delighted group of friends, looking on and beaming from ear to ear as they talk excitedly to the pharaoh. Since they are visiting, she decides to give them this time to get reacquainted with each other.
"I knew you'd be alright," Tristan says with confidence.
"Sure you did," Téa says sarcastically, side eyeing him.
"We were so worried about you!" Cairo says, a huge look of concern on her face and he places a hand on the top of her head with a reassuring smile.
"It's alright. I'm here now," he says. "How did you find me?"
"Mana helped us," Yugi reveals to the pharaoh's surprise and he looks over at her. Feeling eyes on her, she looks back at him and smiles and he returns the same look. But that expression quickly changes when they hear a neighing noise from a distance. Everyone's attention goes to the group of hooded men coming their way.
"Oh great," Téa says, backing up a little and clenching her fists at her chest with fear.
"Aw man, those creeps found us!" Tristan yells.
Without another thought, the pharaoh stands protectively in front of everyone. Mana looks at him questionably. He can't seriously think he can take them on in his current condition. She observes his injuries and his weakened stance and shakes her head. There's no way she's going to allow him to do this.
The pharaoh narrows his eyes at the oncoming henchmen, thinking of his options. He cannot allow any harm to fall on his family and friends. As he goes over in his mind as to what to do, his eyes widen when he sees Mana out of the corner of his eye, walking past him. Just as she walks right by him, he quickly grabs her wrist and she turns her head to him.
"Mana, what are you—"
"If you think I'm gonna let you face off against them, then you're sadly mistaken," she says.
"It's too dangerous!"
Ignoring him, she looks to Yugi and the others, simultaneously making her wand appear in her hand and releasing herself from his grip. She knows how stubborn he can be, even in his condition. "Get to a safe distance and do not let him interfere," she says in the most authoritative voice that the pharaoh and the others have ever heard her speak in. "That is an order."
"Yes, your highness," Joey says, stiffening up and standing at salute.
"You heard the boss lady! Let's go!" Tristan says. He and Joey stand on opposite sides of the pharaoh as they help lead him away with Cairo, Yugi and Téa following behind.
Mana twirls her wand a few times before resting it on her shoulder. She channels all of the strength that she has, thinking of how her master would walk into this situation. A pink aura appears around her and her eyes begin to glow the same color as she calmly walks toward the the group of 8, showing no fear at all. Time to put everything she learned from Mahad to good use.
"Is she gonna be alright?" Téa asks while they stand off to the side. Yugi looks over to the pharaoh who looks on with concern. He can tell that the pharaoh is using everything within himself to not step in.
"Of course she's gonna be okay," Joey says with confidence, looking forward. "I have a feeling Mana can pack quite the punch too."
One by one, each horseman tries to land an attack on Mana with their swords and she dodges with ease, using a combination of back flips, jumps and ducking. Her movements are fast, yet hold a huge amount of grace as she dodges with ease. It is at this moment that the horsemen start to grow agitated and they charging toward her all at once. But to everyone's surprise, Mana doesn't move, only closing her eyes as they get closer and closer.
The group of friends all let out collective gasps when they see each sword swipe down on Mana, going right through her.
"Aw no!" Tristan yells.
Initially, panic sets in for the pharaoh, seemingly watching her defeat right in front of his eyes. But then he looks over to Cairo who is surprisingly calm and her eyes are lifted toward the sky. He follows her gaze and gasps, seeing Mana float in the air with her wand pointed at the group of men. He then looks back to the ground where the Mana he thought got attacked, has now disappeared.
"It was an illusion," he realizes.
Her calm expression soon goes into a grin as a large pink blast emits from her wand, crashing down on the men and an explosion soon follows. Everyone shields their faces from the gust of wind that comes right after and once the smoke clears, the henchmen are no more. Landing lightly on her feet, she walks over to the pharaoh and the others, unfazed by her battle.
"Whoa…She barely broke a sweat," Joey remarks, his eyes wide.
"Guess it runs in the family," Tristan adds.
"Uh huh," Téa says with a nod, looking equally as shocked as the other two.
Cairo clenches her fists with excitement, jumping up into the air. "That was so awesome! Wow! You're amazing mom!" She has always admired her mother and her strength, striving to become just as strong as her one day. Seeing her mother in action is always exhilarating to her and she isn't surprised by her display of power at all, having witnessed it many times. But that doesn't mean it ever gets old for her to watch.
The serious gaze that was once on Mana's face is replaced by her happy, carefree personality once more as she finally reaches the group. Seeing the astonished and somewhat startled faces of the pharaoh and his friends from her sudden change in demeanor, she tilts her head.
"Uh…why are you guys looking at me like that? Did something happen while I was fighting?" she asks.
"Remind me never to make you mad," Joey comments.
Mana giggles. "You're funny!" She places a hand on his shoulder, causing Joey to jump and the others laugh.
The pharaoh watches her interact with the others, his shocked facial expression soon disappearing and turning into realization. His eyes go from her to Cairo who stands beside her, grinning from ear to ear. 'I guess I shouldn't be surprised at all.' He is brought out of his thoughts, not noticing Mana is standing directly in front of him until she is inches away from his face. Tristan and Joey begin to play tag with Cairo while Téa and Yugi look on with a smile.
"You're in pretty bad shape," Mana says to him, gently cupping his cheek and examining him.
"I'll be fine," he assures her and she shakes her head with a smirk on her lips.
"Your stubbornness never ceases to amaze me." Blinking and revealing her glowing pink eyes, his body begins to glow the same exact color and he gasps lightly, feeling his strength returning and wounds disappearing. "You're not alone," she reminds him, continuing to heal his injuries until they're completely gone. Her eyes return back to normal and now she stares deeply into his amethyst ones. "I know you're the pharaoh and all, but that doesn't mean you have to do everything yourself."
"Mana…" She has a point. A huge point. But he can't seem to get rid of those feelings of having to do everything himself. There is so much on the line and they already lost Mahad. He doesn't want to see anyone else get hurt or lose anyone else. He breathes out a heavy sigh, feeling the weight of the world on his shoulders.
Sensing his wariness and stress, Mana presses her forehead to his, closing her eyes and smiling. Initially confused by her actions, he suddenly starts to feel calmer. 'Is this some sort of spell?' he asks himself. It doesn't appear she's doing anything fancy, but just her mere presence seems to be draining whatever stress and apprehension he has. And this isn't the first time she's done this, thinking back to when she did the same simple gesture when he first met her in this world of his memories.
"Back then you always used to tell me that she was the calm in your storm. Mom just has this…power…just her presence alone can brighten anyone's day." Cairo's words echo through his head, remembering yet another conversation he had with the girl in the present world.
Now he understands what Cairo had been doing that whole time when she was in the present world. She was dropping hints and tidbits that would help him navigate through this world. It's all slowly starting to makes sense to him. As unfortunate as the events were leading up to Cairo going to the present world and then leaving to go back to the shadows, he knows that fate brought them back together for a reason. It was more than just fighting off evil souls. But to help him along his journey. Even now.
He glances over at the girl who laughs loudly after being caught by Joey, playing without a care in the world. A smile creeps on his lips before he closes his eyes with his head still pressed against Mana's, allowing himself to be in the moment.
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Figured after such an intense last two chapters, to end this chapter on a sweet note. There's more to come! Please review :)
