Attara: Sorry for the late update, but I've seen a lot of other authors update later than this, so it's not really considered too late…

Aria: You just keep on giving yourself excuses…

Attara: Yeah, I do, don't I?

Aria: Mm-hmm.

Attara: Anyway, I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh, and the last chapter was about the duel with Yami and Aria, but Aria won, of course. Then, Yami gave Aria the Ring of Anat, which isn't referring to Aria's real name, but the goddess.

Life and Death

The next duel that happened wasn't recorded, but so wasn't the last one with Yami. This duel had nothing to do with Duel Monsters, but of the Millennium Items, and my ring. I had gotten the hang of it now. Well, this duel involves Hiko, but it's not what you think. In fact, I didn't have the girlish crush on him anymore (obviously). He had grown much more evil over the years. He had grown greedy and power hungry. An advisor had informed me that Hiko and Yami had dueled once, and Yami had been victor. Of course, Yami had to be kind-hearted and ordered Ryou to erase his memory. The problem was, it would erase the entire memory. In other words, Hiko started from scratch. But he was apparently bound to turn evil once again. That is probably why he had grown greedy enough to challenge me to a magical duel that forced me to give up my precious monster, the Blue Eyes White Dragon. There was a golden beam that came from the rod and it seemed to force me into the Shadow Realm. It was pretty powerful. What am I saying? It was excruciatingly painful, and was VERY powerful. And…I lost. No! My favorite monster is gone…in a duel I hadn't even agreed upon. That's how he acquired his third Blue Eyes White Dragon. Hiko even went as far as attempting to claim my ring, but it wouldn't leave its present owner. It even backfired and…uh…erased his memory once again. Big oops. I was starting to think that these magical items could cause brain damage very easily.

Now it gets a little more teenage-like in my life. I developed another love with none other than my husband. I loved him. It wasn't like Hiko's love. That was just a mere infatuation. This was the real thing that my parents had for each other. They had married out of love, which was probably why my mother was so heartbroken. But let's not get off track. Well, there's nothing much more to say about our "love," but I'm a little uncomfortable about the subject, so let's move on.

Life goes on, and it was nearing the eighteenth year of my life. But a couple of months before the exact date, I saw visions of another life, another place, another realm. It started in varying places, but the end of the dream would always be in front of a mirror. I never knew who it was…who I was. The first time I immediately asked Yami about my ring.

"Are there premonitions in the millennium items?" I inquired.

"No." He had answered with a raised eyebrow.

"I'm having these dreams that show a different world."

"Really? Are you sure it isn't just your imagination going wild?"

"You're probably right."

Usually, I wouldn't put off anything as coincidental because the gods would often intervene in our lives, but this time was different. Dreams are delicate thoughts that could be influenced by the simplest whimsical notion, unlike many other things in full consciousness. That night I didn't have the dream, so my heart grew calm. I had thought it was over until the day after that. It was the same recurring dream. Now I was worried…so of course I would contact my husband again.

"Well, what is in it?" he investigated.

"It had many people who possessed strange abilities. I had lived in an immense palace and there were many servants that obeyed my every word. They all feared me, but they loved me at the same time. I was the only monarch of this domain. I had incredible power! But every time I look in a mirror, the dream ends."

"Should I ask Shadi to look into your mind?"

"No, that's okay. I don't want anyone to know whatever is happening to me before I do."

The dreams grew clearer with each approaching day toward my birth's anniversary. The day before I grew particularly weary and went to bed early…even before the sun went down. I had expected to see that pestering dream once more, but all I saw was complete and total blackness. After what seemed like hours staring into a dark abyss, a human figure approached me. She looked exactly like me. But she possessed a certain air of dignity and wisdom and yet a form of naïveté at the same time. She glowed with a certain gentle light and peered through my soul with her deep, black eyes. She touched my hand and disappeared. Suddenly, I felt a little crowded, even though I had a whole bed to myself. But it wasn't physical crowding, but a mental one. A soft voice whispered the words Don't be afraid. I tried to reply, but I was too scared to even think straight. I felt a power crush my control of my body and the next thing I remember is feeling my eyes open without my will to open them. I heard voices around me and my mouth replied…they all happened without my will.

"My queen, please, I can't help you dress if you move about."

"I can dress myself…"

"But-"

"Who are you?"

"I am your nurse…"

Ah, I must have gained my memory… a thought flitted across my mind, but it wasn't mine.

"Well, I can dress myself." My mouth said.

"As you wish, my queen."

My body dressed itself quickly with the strangest clothes I have ever seen. It was definitely not Egyptian. Unsteadily, my body hurried toward the dining room where Yami was awaiting my awakening. I could tell that my husband could notice something strange with my behavior.

"Aria?" He asked.

I wanted to answer, oh so badly, but my mouth didn't move. My body didn't even seem to listen to his words.

"Aria?" He asked again, louder this time.

"Oh, you mean me?"

"You are Aria, right?"

What happened? Another thought was processed, this time, by me. I'm your…uh…true life, Aria. Answered the dominant force of my body. I just don't understand why your soul is still with me. It's as if your soul is very powerful… Continued the thing. I think it's about the ring I have. I speculated. You have a millennium item? It asked. Yes, Yami gave it to me after I beat him at the Shadow Game. I think you should start talking before Yami thinks we're retarded. I worried. You can take over, Aria. It thought.

"Yes, of course I'm Aria!" I hurried.

"Okay…" Yami said slowly.

"So, what's for breakfast?"

I wanted to make his look of uncertainty disappear, but the thing inside me prevented me from saying anything. I really didn't feel like eating, so I just pretended to finish the food while secretly signaling the servant to take it away. Then, Yami grabbed my hand and brought me…er…us to the royal garden. I found the most beautiful sight I had ever seen: a rose garden filled with the reddest, whitest, and blackest roses you'd ever see.

"What do you think?" asked Yami.

"It's beautiful! How did you ever manage to get roses in Egypt?!" I replied happily.

I was so excited that I forgot my fear for the being inside me that I asked (in a friendly manner) Don't you like roses? Oh, I don't like anything… She answered emotionlessly. Did I do something to anger her?

"I'm a pharaoh, therefore, people worship me. I get what I want. Do you want to walk around?" Yami replied to my question that I had forgotten for a moment.

"Sure, why not?"

Dusk was nearing, so we raced each other back to the royal temple. I entered the dining room only to find that I didn't desire any food at the moment. Okay, this is very weird…

"What's wrong?" asked Yami gravely concerned.

"I just don't feel hungry, that's all."

"But you haven't eaten for six hours!" (Twenty hours. I corrected silently.)

"I guess I had a big lunch…"

Why aren't I hungry?! I asked the being inside me. Probably because I don't eat. She replied. You probably wouldn't want to go to sleep either… she added. What?! I was so surprised at her answer. What was she? It's not my fault! She said. Suddenly, she took control of my body.

"I'm going to go to the village…" my mouth sounded.

"Don't you remember? You're not allowed to go past these walls."

"Did I say village? I meant garden."

"Do you want me to come with you?"

"No, that's okay."

"Bye then…"

"Yeah."

That was rude. I had thought to myself, but apparently, the being heard my thoughts. I must get to my realm. Devi explained. So you made me get those dreams? I interrogated. Yes… She said quietly. Once our body reached outside, she teleported out of that dimension. That was the strangest sensation I had ever experienced in my entire life. It felt like your body was going numb with pins and needles. It was somewhat painful, but the being didn't even seem to make a slight expression of pain as I could tell. Is this where we are supposed to live? I wondered. Yup! The spirit replied.

"Clef!" She called.

"Yes, Queen Devi?" he appeared.

"Can you explain this?"

The being named Devi closed our eyes, and split us into two: me and the girl I had seen in my dream this morning. I observed my surroundings, and found everything quite different from my daily environment, but the girl seemed to be quite comfortable here.

"See?" indicated Devi.

"Ah, Aria has control of a millennium item. She has become a very powerful mortal, my queen, so your soul did not entirely take the place of her mortal spirit." (I felt a little mad that I was being referred to as if I wasn't here.)

"Oh, I see."

"But you mustn't stay apart from each other in the mortal realm. Anyone who sees will discover that you are from a different world."

"All right."

She closed her eyes again and I felt myself being sucked into her. How powerful was this being? But for now, all I cared about was Yami and how this queen could affect him. We better get back soon. I reminded. Okay. Devi teleported out of the place and back where we had left. Luckily, we arrived next to a tree since Yami was just on the other side. She used our legs to reveal her presence.

"Ah, Aria! I have been searching for you!" Yami breathed a sigh of relief.

"Oh, sorry…"

"Shall we go in?"

"Um…okay."

Although our regular routine was to go to the library, Devi didn't know this, so she just headed upstairs. I didn't really mind since it truly didn't expose any harm. She was busy looking for my room and I tried to tell her where it was, but I was too exhausted from the magic she had practiced to even say anything. Just then, I felt a sharp pain inside. I screamed agonizingly. What's wrong? Asked Devi. I felt a sharp pain in my heart. I mumbled. I think something happened to Yami! I exclaimed. That was the most sensible thing to assume since I had never had an illness since my leg injury. Devi detected my weakness and ran down the stairs just in time to see a masculine body hovering over the limp form that was my pharaoh's. The unknown man glanced at Devi and his face expressed one of fear as he slowly recognized our face. He disappeared the moment we came down. How many people knew how to do that? I felt my strength returning from adrenaline or something, and I ran over to my husband.

"My poor king! Who could do this to you?"

"Ugh…Aria?"

"Yes?"

"My soul will live on…"

His mortal body died with those beautiful last words.

Attara: So how was that?

Aria: Uh…nice.

Attara: Nice?

Aria: Yeah.

Attara: Don't you love Yami?

Aria: Yeah.

Attara: Then how is his death nice?

Aria: Because I don't know who Devi is.

Attara: Ah, I see. Your brain can't process more than one thought at a time.

Aria: Something like that…

Attara: …Okay… When you don't yell, it's scary.

Aria: Mm-hmm…

Attara: Uh…

Aria: Don't forget to review…