Author's Note:

Hi guys! I'm really excited for this chapter. I've never written Ishizu's pov before and it's interesting. She has a different knowledge base than Yugi or Kaiba, so that leaves different tools to her (therefore my) disposal.

There are three main things to take note of.

1) In previous versions of the chapter I had it so that Atem's father doesn't find out how the items are made until after because I find it unrealistic that he wouldn't know. Wouldn't a pharaoh have spies. I have slightly re-written the scene so that he finds out soon after and blame himself. You'll understand why this is relevant shortly. This may be a slight deviation from canon, but how do you keep something like the massacre of Kul Elna a secret? Surely someone would have over heard a soldier or someone else talk about it after the fact. This never made sense to me so I'm ignoring it.

2) This character includes a character whose last name is Honda. He is not related to Tristan (remember, I am using English names) but I wanted to honor the original source material. I hope that this doesn't cause any confusion.

3) I don't remember anyone actually telling Yugi and the others how the items were made. Once again, for the sake of the story assume they weren't given a real explanation. The only people who know are Atem & co in the afterlife and The Spirit of the Ring.

I'm sorry to those of you who have subscribed to this story and may have several versions of this chapter sitting in your inbox. The indicators that I used to mark the gory scene would not convert. I also fixed a mistake.

Thanks to: YamiMayonaka, Angiembabe, and lalalei for your support throughout my story! Your reviews have meant a lot for me. Also thanks to webeta123 and Draco'sfairmaiden who have put up with me rambling about this story in real life for around two years.

Dedication: To Grandaddy. Your your quick wit, sharp humor, and unwavering love for your family will be missed.

-TheEagerScribbler

WARNING: This chapter has a gory scene that is more graphic than what I usually write, but it shouldn't be enough to change the reading. However, it may be disturbing to some readers, so I will indicate where it begins and ends by bolding the first and last sentence. I will always warn you guys if there is a graphic scene (with me it will be violence-I don't write scenes of a sexual nature). I've been told that it's not that bad, but since I rarely write scenes like that I wanted to warn you in case that isn't what you've signed up for.

Chapter 26: The Clock Starts Ticking

Ishizu locked herself away in her part of the suite style hotel room that her brother had insisted they share out of fear of her safety.

"Sister? Are you okay in there?"

The frustration of losing focus was almost enough to make her swear at her younger brother. "Yes, I'm fine. I was simply trying to meditate. Perhaps I am the true obstacle to my visions."

"If you're sure…" he trailed off.

"I am." He finally left her alone so that she could find peace again. Ishizu and Marik had both been steeped in the old ways since birth. She, however, was their true keeper, and neither of them denied it. Most of his life had been spent trying to escape the past. For all of his early life it had shackled him in the dark to a life that he did not want. For Ishizu it was different. Where he found oppression, she had found purpose. Her mother had passed knowledge of the ancient rites and language onto her. Over time it had become increasingly clear to her that her knowledge was the reason why she was chosen to bear the necklace, despite only being a girl, and therefore unable to carry on the family legacy.

Her connection to the necklace was still strong-she knew it instinctively in the same way that she knew how to wiggle a toe without having to think about the mechanics of moving each muscle. Even so, something was still blocking her. It could have been anything from the shadows to her own lack of concentration. In the beginning, she had thought that meditation was the answer to all of her problems. It did help to a certain extent-she would manage to see things more clearly for a few seconds before it became harder to focus in, but listening to her necklace in its current state still gave her a headache because it was like trying to listen to a staticky radio station for hours at time.

Perhaps it was time to call upon the goddess Isis. Magic was her domain, and she was a protector goddess. Maybe she could provide some clarity. It was obvious to Ishizu that they could use as much of both as she could get. She got down on her knees and recited the invocation of Isis. "Hear me, O Lady Isis, hear and save. Lift up thy voice to aid me in this critical hour. Lift up thy voice most musical. Cry aloud, O queen and mother, to save me from that I fear most. I invoke thee to initiate my soul. The whirling of my dance, may it be a spell and a link with thy great light, so that in the darkest hour, the Light may arise in me and bring me to thine own glory and incorruptibility..." Once she was finished she went back to meditating, and as suddenly as the items reappeared she was swept away by the tide of her visions. The feeling nearly consumed her. It was adrenaline. It was power. Her heart pounded faster and faster like a drum speeding until it reaches its zenith. None of her visions had ever done this to her before and it scared her. Somewhere deep in the back of her mind, she wondered if this was the goddess trying to impress the importance of the vision on her.


She saw fire. An entire village was set ablaze, and those who were not killed in the fire were cut down by swords like stray weeds in a field.

"You must kill them all! Not a single one can be left alive if we are to succeed!" The man in charge was dressed richly. He was a noble at least, perhaps kinsmen to the Pharaoh.

This vision was so vivid that she could smell the metallic tang of blood and the terrible screams coming from every direction.

A woman standing in front of a house that hadn't been completely demolished by flame knelt down with her three children behind her and a soldier in front. "You can have me, but please spare them! They're just-" Before she had even finished her plea her head had been swiftly removed from her shoulders in front of the children. The children tried to run, desperation showed clearly in their eyes, but it was no use. They quickly met the same fate as their mother.

Ishizu nearly threw up each time she heard the sickening thud of the heads hitting the ground and saw the blood flow from where their heads should have been.

A boy with white hair ran through the alley, narrowly avoiding the eyes of soldiers. Careful to avoid being seen, he soundlessly darted from corner to corner until he approached the edge of village and then he ran faster than she had ever seen anyone run. Overwhelming grief filled Ishizu, and it was all that she could do to stay upright. There was no stopping the tears that streamed down her face. The massacre that she was currently witnessing may have happened millennia ago, but these were still her people. How could she stand to watch them be slaughtered? Why was the goddesses making her watch this?

As suddenly as the horrifying vision happened she found herself in a different one.

A pharaoh anxiously paced the floor. It was not her Pharaoh, but there was certainly a family resemblance. He looked more mature, but he had the same cheek bones and the same eyes that Yugi had described to her. Dark circles were etched onto his regal features, and he looked almost gaunt. Now she she was clearly witnessing the aftermath of a tragedy.

"My Pharaoh." A priest whose name she vaguely recalled as Shimone from past visions asked, "Is something troubling you? I don't think that I've seen a single bite of food cross your lips all day. Come to think of it, I don't remember you eating yesterday either."

"Did I make the right decision?" The man stopped his pacing to look at his priest. "How do we know that those items will not bring us further into oblivion? How could I not have known that the price would be so steep? Nothing in this world is free, especially such great power. Such magic...is it really worth the price of my people?"

Something in Shimone's body language softened, and he said, not unsympathetically, "For great gains there must always be a great price. Such a sacrifice was regrettable, but necessary. Those items will be instrumental in purging the corruption from our land. They aren't just made of earthly metal-it is formed from the magic and shadows, and the price was the hundreds of souls within the Village of Kul Elna." The priest's face was lined with age and wisdom, but it was clear that the certainty of the necessity came from a place of reluctance.

Ishizu intuitively understood what they were talking about. The massacre that she had just witnessed was orchestrated in order to create sacrifices for the millennium items. The thought made her sick. Her necklace burned against her skin, and she wanted to hurl is far away and end this vision. Intellectually she understood how the items had saved her and the world, but she still found herself wondering how good could possibly come from such evil?

"Does that negate the evil that we have done? I have betrayed my people in the worst way possible by not preventing their slaughter."Viewing the past objectively was imperative to correctly interpreting what she was seeing, but she so desperately wanted to say that it was because he had betrayed his people by allowing it to happen.

"You are thinking this way because you are a good King and they are yours to guard, but my King, but please remember that they were just criminals. The village was mostly populated by thieves of the worst kind. We chose that village because the magic of the shadows requires such souls." There was a brief pause. "Please be careful. There is always danger in using such magic. A weaker person may become corrupted. I have no reason to believe that will happen to you, but the side effects have yet to be determined." Thieves and criminals...that explained a great deal. The evil that was in their hearts had created the items...including the items around Yugi's neck.

The pharaoh turned the newly created metal pyramid in his hands. "All victories require sacrifice." He murmured. "But how do you know when the sacrifice is too much?"He gazed at Shimone with tired eyes, and received no response.

Yet again she found herself in a third vision. To shown more than two in a row was rare-usually she was brought out of it by an outside force or she was unable to watch the whole vision. It was a bit like reading an article on the internet and then losing the page due to a bad connection. This time was something else. She felt as fully present in this one as the others, but everything seemed a bit fuzzy on the edges.

"Ishizu, can you hear me?" A man dressed in full Pharaoh's regalia addressed her directly. Her hand went to her mouth in shock. Nothing like this had ever happened before. She was quite aware of who he was-He had the same angular face as Yugi and similar features, but the man standing before her was more regal, more imposing. There was only one man that she knew that fit that description. This was the Pharaoh whose tomb she had been protecting since her birth.

In answer she knelt to the ground. "My pharaoh."

"Rise my servant," he commanded rather formally in the ancient tongue. "After all you have done in my name I should be bowing to you."

Suddenly he blinked. "You can see me?" The sudden shift in expression was comical and reminded her of Yugi so strongly that she nearly laughed.

"Yes, my King, I am able to see you."

"We don't have much time. I'm not supposed to be talking to you like this, but Mahad managed to connect us using the magic of your necklace. I don't know what is happening with Yugi, but it appears to worsen in severity as time goes on. You must stop ignoring my warnings to go to Egypt. I understand that you believe that you will be at a disadvantage because of Kaiba and Mokuba's relative inexperience with the items and your struggle to find a way of weakening him, but your items will be stronger in Egypt. I will have more power, and you can come up with a plan during your journey! You must end this soon!"

Something that he had said made everything click. It dawned on Ishizu that her visions had given her the answer to some of their more pressing problems. The Pharaoh wasn't going to like what she had to say, but she had faith that he was not the sort of ruler that would rather hear pretty lies and the truth."My brother received a message from Tea. I believe that he is beginning to become corrupted by shadow magic."

"That's not possible. Yugi is the strongest soul that I know!"

"I agree. He's fighting it my King, but I don't know how much longer he will be able to push it back."

The pharaoh opened his mouth to say something, but closed it again. He squared his shoulders, looking every bit a great and powerful pharaoh, and then said, "Perhaps you're right. If that is the case I will have to consult Mana, Mahad, and my priestess Isis. Perhaps they will know-" suddenly the vision started to go grainy. "I'm out of time! Be careful! And-"

Her eyes snapped open and she was in her room again. Her heart was pounding and her senses were still overloaded from the sheer magnitude of everything that she had just seen. Things had become so grave that even the Pharaoh broke some sort of law to warn her. There was not time to waste. Ishizu threw the door open and stood in the doorway.

"I think that it's time to fetch the others."


There was something in the air that night, but Yugi tried to ignore it as he walked through the empty streets, which were eerily silent as he quickly made his way to Ishizu's museum of the benefits to having one of the most foremost scholars in Egyptology on your side is that she could secure a private exhibit viewing. He would have felt worse about taking advantage of his connections if he wasn't doing it for a cause.

For some reason, he felt like he needed to be close to the tablets again, although Yugi wasn't entirely sure what he expected. Maybe he subconsciously expected for the magic to speak to him somehow, for the ancient tablet to solve all of his problems. They didn't speak back, but he never truly expected them to. He came to speak with Ishizu and analyze the tablets with fresh eyes. Maybe there was something that he missed as a bright-eyed teenager that couldn't even read hieroglyphs. Despite the necessity of this outing he didn't want to be outside any longer he had to. Admittedly, it was already starting to get to him. He had spent at least the previous block pretending to himself that he had not seen shadows. Luckily his haste had made him five minutes early, so he arrived there without realizing.

Ishizu greeted him as he walked in. "Hello Yugi"

"Come right this way." She led him down a familiar path which led to the basement. It was the same room that she had taken him to the first day that they had met. "Please forgive the ridiculous theatrics. They insisted the museum should resemble and Egyptian tomb. When I did as they asked they insisted that I redecorate. Apparently, what they wanted was the popular image of an Egyptian tomb, so I was forced to sacrifice accuracy for the sake of entertainment. They even insisted that I have a replica of King Tut's sarcophagus despite that he comes from the wrong period in time!" To think that he had been half convinced that the stress couldn't get to her...

"At least you'll be enticing people to learn about Egyptian history. That's something."

She sighed a little. "I suppose you're right. Anyway, you're not here to discuss the finer points of period authenticity."

"I was hoping to see the tablets again."

She didn't even question his decision. "Of course. I'm sure that you still have many questions to be answered." Something about her intense gaze made him uncomfortable, like she was looking into his soul.

Yugi gave her a wordless nod and then walked to the stones. This was the first time in years that he had seen them. Now they were in fragments, but he knew immediately what they looked like whole. In his mind's eye, he could put it back together like a puzzle.

It occurred to him that he probably shouldn't be touching the priceless ancient artifact, but he had the overwhelming desire to run his fingers across the stone. He knew all about the rivalry between the Pharaoh and his priest who was led astray by The Dark One, and how in order to save the world he had to erase his own memory and sacrifice his life to save the world. That was old news.

Its story was permanently etched in his memory, but he hoped for something that he couldn't even identify.

"Pharaoh, why am I here?" He murmured. "I feel like I'm supposed to be here, but why?" Nothing. Maybe he just wanted a miracle desperately enough that he was grasping for something that wasn't really there.

"Yugi." She startled him. He had forgotten that she was there. "If you had not come tonight I would have contacted you. Things have become dire. We must make our way to Egypt before something terrible happens. I have received a message from the Pharaoh. Now is the time." How often had they had this exact conversation in one form or another? The Pharaoh said to go but the Priest said to stay. Who were they supposed to listen to?

Yugi was no fool. The things he saw weren't normal, and neither were the mood swings. They were rapidly reaching the point of no return and needed to do something before things became more dire than they already were. Nobody wanted to be responsible for the apocalypse. Even though her logic was sound it irritated him. No. That feeling had to be stamped down. Under normal circumstances he wouldn't be feeling this way. Both of them knew that the decision could quickly be taken out of their hands if they waited much longer. "Before I become evil, you mean?"

"Among other things. Does it not make sense to go to the place that is the origin of our strength?"

"We'll have to talk to the others."

"Of course, that is to be expected."

"Before you go Yugi, we need to talk." She motioned for him to sit down next to her on a bench.

Yugi waited with dread. Nothing good ever came from a conversation that began with those dreaded words. "What is it Ishizu?"

For once she did not seem to know what to say. Didn't her visions of the future tell her what to say? What if she was holding out on them? No, Ishizu wouldn't do that. Snap out of it Yugi, he thought. Ishizu wouldn't do that. "I saw a vision of the past today at the end of my prayer and meditation."

"Are you aware of how the millennium items were made?"

"No."

"During the reign of Pharaoh Aknamkanon, the father of the formerly nameless pharaoh, the seven millennium items were created in order to save the land from its own corruption. That kind of magic always has a price, and his was steep-It required the souls of human sacrifices, leading to the slaughter of the villagers of a village called Kul Elna. That is where the origins of both the Thief King and the Millennium items lie."

Yugi felt his face heat up. Everything good in his life came at the expense of hundreds if not thousands of humans. How...how could any single person be worth that much? "I believe that is why the users of the items are so prone to corruption."

"They're tainted with evil, so the users can also become easily warped." He ran a finger over the puzzles edges, but it didn't bring him the same comfort that it used to. He felt dirty.

"There's no way to stop it." Perhaps it was time to resign himself to the fact that there was no saving him.

"Only you can stop it." Of course it all made sense in a screwed up sort of way. The one person who was the least qualified to rescue anyone was charged with the task of protecting humanity from evil. He had to overcome the evil in his soul in order to fight evil using and object literally created from corrupted people. It was an impossible task.

"The items themselves are not inherently evil Yugi, and don't think for even a moment that we will survive without our items. If you give up your puzzle you will kill us all." Bluntness was something that Ishizu was known for, so when said something so bluntly he took it seriously. If he were younger and more naive he might have given up the puzzle like he had tried to during duelist kingdom when he was afraid of the spirit inside, but he could not afford any more screw ups."

"I've taken the liberty of calling the others. They should all be arriving shortly."

"Yugi!" Tea ran up to him and wrapped him up in an enthusiastic hug. "You've been so weird all day. I've been worried!"

"Same, man." Tristan gave him a manly pat on the back.

Joey immediately asked Ishizu. "So what's this that I hear about our future travel plans?"

Mokuba and Seto walked in next. "This had better be important, Yugi." Seto growled. Mokuba's reaction was an eyeroll.

"Honestly Seto, none of this is his fault." Mokuba protested. "He's not even the one that asked us to come! This is why I need my wife here. She's the only person I know who's capable of talking sense into you." He grumbled. "I can't wait until she gets back."

"We get it man, you love your wife." Joey teased.

As usual Mai's timing was perfect. Right after he had finished teasing Tristan she entered the room. "What's going on? Has something happened?"

Joey greeted her with a smile. "Besides Mokuba being a sap? We don't know. All I know is that it's gotta be somethin' big for her to interrupt those two in the middle the work day."

Tristan rolled his eyes. "You're as bad as Mokuba is."

"Focus children." Nobody had seen Pegasus enter. "We're here for a reason." Today he looked almost professional, with a sleek black suit but with a Funny Bunny tie. "Sorry I'm late. I was actually in a meeting the Kaiba boys, but I had to leave momentarily to take care of an important phone call. When I came back they had left without me." As he spoke his eyes gravitated towards the tablet. He must not have realized what he was doing because he forced his eyes away from it and onto them.

Ishizu being, well, herself, began with a declaration of "I have received a message from the Pharoah." He wondered what the Priest thought of all this. Briefly he let his eyes flicker towards Seto, who had narrowed eyes and was rubbing his forehead. Honestly, he should have known better than to think that he wouldn't be unhappy with the declaration.

"He says that the time is rapidly drawing near. If we don't leave soon we will lose everything."

Anger welled up as Yugi saw Seto roll his eyes, but for the what felt like the hundredth time that day Yugi pushed it back down. How much longer would he be able to keep doing that. If shewas too set on being tactful to mention it he would have to. "Ishizu's figured out what's happening to me, and it's not good. The long and the short of it is that the items were created from the corrupted souls of human sacrifices. That's what makes item holders susceptible to corruption, and we think that I'm becoming corrupted. Right now we think that the only way for me to stop this is to stop using the puzzle." The rest was left unsaid.

"You can't afford that, can you? Not until Bakura's gone and this is all over." Mai said gravely. "You're right. We don't have time to waste. We've been training. We're as going as we're going to get before we have to leave. Putting it off isn't doing much to help anyone anyway. If anything, it's making us more vulnerable because he knows where we are."

Mokuba and Seto looked at each other. "We need a week. There's an important announcement that we need to make and I refuse to let my company suffer someone decided that taking over the world sounds like a good idea."

Tristan snorted. "That sounds like Kaiba. Not even the impending apocalypse can keep him away from the conference room."

Mokuba immediately jumped in to avoid further remarks about his brother and the apocalypse. "We know it's urgent, but if the world doesn't end it would really like a job at the end of it."

"Come on, let's at least go for five! This is urgent here!" Joey protested. "It's probably a good idea to listen to Pharaoh. Hasn't anyone else noticed that the longer we put off leaving the more bad stuff happens?"

Yugi could tell from something in Mokuba's expression that he was about to make some sort of biting remark, but Mokuba stopped him before the words could leave his mouth. "I think this is a good idea. You can even spin giving the announcement early as a publicity stunt. We can leave in four days. That should be enough time to make the necessary arrangements. My wife should be back by then. I've told my wife about what's happened. She's not happy that I waited so long to tell her what's happened, and asking her to stay has made her even more angry, but I think that she'll see reason and stay to look after my son and Akari. We need someone to stay and look after the children just in case…" He trailed off for a moment, but continued, "Honestly, I'd feel better knowing that someone's here that can defend them and take care of them. She's smart, so I know that they'll be safe. I didn't even bother asking Tea because we all know what the answer would be."

"Dream on Mokuba. I was with Yugi the first time and I won't abandon everyone now!" He motioned towards her.

"See?"

Surprisingly, even Seto had an opinion. "I want her there because she's the only one I trust to run the company if something happens to us. Before we leave I'll transfer enough money into her account to buy a large enough share in the company."

"Seto, I agree that Risa is an intelligent person, but her expertise lies in other areas." Her expertise was in three main areas- baking, law, and motherhood. She knew a little about programming because she wanted to be able to keep up with Seto and Mokuba during conversations, but Yugi wondered if she would even want to take over Kaiba Corporation.

She then turned to Mai. "Are you sure that I can't convince one of you to stay with them? I'd feel much knowing that Akari was with you. If something happens to us she'll need a good support system. I love Risa, but she's only one person.."

Mai put her arm around Tea. "No Tea. I've seen firsthand how even the support of friends can be absolutely critical to victory. We're already overwhelmed, the last thing we need to do is lessen our all of us go we'll all be more likely to come back alive and we won't need to worry about who gets guardianship of the kiddos and who will be running Kaiba Corporation."

Pegasus beamed at them. "It's settled then. Kaiba boy, I nominate you to be our ride. Now's not the time to trust commercial airlines."

"It's not a large jet." Kaiba protested.

Pegasus carelessly countered Seto's protests. "We're hardly a crowd."

"There won't be enough seats." Seto was becoming increasingly irritated with Pegasus. He had a fairly short fuse on the best of days, and interruptions in his daily schedule other than someone calling to tell him that a deal went through could not be considered such a day.

"It's a good thing that we have two couples to conserve space then, hm?" He waggled his eyebrows, making even Yugi roll his eyes. Pegasus' immaturity was mostly an act, so they all would have appreciated if he waited until later to show act this way.

"You can hire your own private jet. You're not exactly destitute Pegasus." Kaiba had a good point.

"Not like Kaiba Corporation, my boy. You should know." Please don't elaborate further. He silently begged Pegasus. The last thing they needed was to truly make him angry.

He met Yugi's eyes and sighed. "I could, but you can't trust anyone these days. You should know."

For a moment Yugi wondered if Seto was actually going to hit Pegasus. When was the last time that he had seen him this angry? Didn't Pegasus know by now that alluding to his own scheme to take over Kaiba Corporation was not the way to get into the good graces of the Kaiba brothers? The only reason they still dealt with Pegasus at all was because Seto was skilled at keeping a tight lid on his emotions.

"Fine, you win. I'll find us a private plane big enough to take everyone. You can either fly it yourself or control the pilot with that rod of yours. Better?"

Seto's phone started buzzing. Without any care to the audience he picked up his phone. "Yes?"

"I told those morons to allocate the funding to the research division. The new design requires experimental technology!"

There was a pause. "I'm on my way."

"If there's anything else, email me. Or text Mokuba. If I get any other calls today it had better because there is a true emergency. By that, I mean don't call me unless someone is dead, dying, in the hospital, kidnapped, or you overhear someone attempting a hostile takeover of my company. Is that clear?"

"We hear you loud and clear Kaiba. It's not like anything actually serious is happening. We're only trying to save the world." Seto ignored Tristan and left.

Yugi himself needed to go back to the shop so he said his goodbyes and left with Tea.


The next four days passed in a blur with everyone pretending that nothing out of the ordinary was about to happen. The only real indication was that Yugi and Tea had made an effort to spend more time than usual with Akari. It had dawned on them that this might be the last time they get to be together as a family again. He had to stop thinking like that. They would all make it home alive. He had to believe in their new mantra-if they could do it as teenagers they could do it as adults. He couldn't make his wife a widow or his daughter and orphan. They had to come out in one piece.

Each night they had played a different game with Akari and allowed themselves to get more into it than usual. When Akari broke out the new Dungeon Dice Monsters game he had expected Tea to protest, but all she said was, "Duel Monsters is already problematic for several reasons. At least this one was about a two on the danger scale." She had a point.

Akari had already beaten Tea and was now playing Yugi. She was a hair away from gaining the lead. "Do you really think I'm ready to pass the torch yet? You've still got a lot to learn. I'm not ready for you to beat me until I go completely grey."

"I'm guessing that will happen in the next hour or two then, because you're not doing so well."

"Hey! I played the game once twenty years ago!"

"Why once?"

Oh boy. How could he say this in a way that wouldn't upset Joey when he found out? "I had to win a game to get your Uncle Joey out of a tight spot. I had to learn the rules on the spot to defeat the creator of the game."

She stared at him. "You can't be serious. You beat both Maximilian Pegasus and Duke Devlin at their own games?"

He smirked. "To be fair, there's an element of luck in Dungeon Dice Monsters."

"Unbelievable. Why couldn't I inherit that ability?"

Tea laughed, nearly choking on the sip of her drink that she had just taken. "You took after me but have your father's talent for strategy. It would be terribly unfair to the rest of us for you to also inherit his luck."

Yugi laughed at the face she made and ruffled her hair. "Actually, I think you are pretty lucky. You didn't inherit my messy hair or my height. Besides, you don't need any more luck. You're smart, skilled, and talented, and you have a whole lot of people who love you!"

She was still smoothing her hair back into place when she made her next move. "Thanks Dad, love you too, but can you pleeeease stop being mushy now? It's kind of scaring me a little."

Tea grabbed her daughter in a sudden hug. "Nope. Not until you admit to what a wonderful person you are!"

"I'mawonderfulperson! Now please let me go!" Tea did as she said.

Their joy and laughter made the air in the room warm. With his daughter, he felt complete contentment. Little moments like this, where they were all together in the same laughing and being ridiculous, were the ones that he treasured above all others. These were the moments that he was fighting for.

Author's Note:

Overall, I'm not sure how I feel about this chapter. After months of writing and re-writing parts of this chapter I somehow ended writing a large portion of it in the span of two days. I tried several different perspectives and different beginnings, but none of them felt right. In case you're curious about how the discussion with Mokuba and his wife Risa will go, you'll get to read about it in the outtakes in the near future, so keep an eye out for the next installments of Magic and Monsters. I have several pieces for it in the works and I will most likely publish them close together.

I've got some good news for you guys who are still reading: I have about half of chapter 27 written already. I've had a little bit of one of the more important scenes written for months now. This is a big one because some important stuff happens. Hang in there you guys, we're finally getting closer to the climax of the story! We're almost there. Thanks for your patience. I hope you've enjoyed the chapter! As I have probably said many times in the past, this story is partially experimental so feedback is welcome. Please let me know what you think in a review!

-TheEagerScribbler