Chapter 14: Lost and Found

Alex could feel Yugi starting to wake up beside her, and kissed him on the nose.  He smiled and opened his eyes, "Was that real?"

"Was what real?"

"You were Amunet and I was . . ."

"Pharaoh Yami.  I just had that same dream, how weird."

"What about the other thing that happened . . . in Yami's quarters . . . does the way we are now give us any clues?"

"I think that this is all Amunet and Yami, but in the dream- that was all us," Alex said softly blushing.

"But it was all in our minds, right?  We were repeating Yami and Amunet's past."

"Are you saying that you wouldn't want to repeat that past with me?"

"No, I'm just- um . . . breakfast?" Yugi hopped out of the bed, still without a shirt, but in a pair of black sweatpants.  Different pants then what Alex remembered seeing him in the night before.  He headed toward the kitchen before Alex could get up.

"YUGI!" Alex threw one of her pillows at him and climbed out of the bed.  After she got dressed into her normal clothes she walked into the kitchen to find Yugi cooking breakfast.  Alex wrapped her arms around his waist from behind and kissed him on the cheek, "So, what's for breakfast?"

"Pancakes, and maybe some eggs if I can get to it," Yugi leaned over and grabbed the syrup from one of the shelves above him.  Alex placed her head on his shoulder as she watched the pancakes rose.

"I'll get the milk and your grandfather up," Alex got the milk from the fridge, set it on the table, and went to wake up Yugi's grandfather.

"Mr. Muto?" Alex opened the door to his room and saw him sitting on his bed barely awake.  "Are you alright, Mr. Muto?"

"What was all that noise last night, Alex?"

"Noise?" Alex asked with a sweatdrop going down the side of her face.

"From your room I believe."

"Oh . . . that . . . I'll have to get back to you on that, Mr. Muto.  On another note, breakfast is ready."  Mr. Muto rolled over the side of his bed and Alex walked back toward the kitchen.

'Amunet . . . what noise was he talking about?'

'Um . . . I have to confess that when you and Yugi were dream sharing . . . Yami and I were repeating the same situations you two were . . . we were reliving our pasts.'

Alex stopped dead in her tracks, 'WHAT!'

'Sorry?'

Alex was about to yell inside her own mind when she heard Yugi from the kitchen.  "Yami!  You did what?!"  Alex ran back into the kitchen where Yugi was standing over some scrabbled eggs that were on the floor.

"He told you huh?"

"You knew?"

"Well, Amunet loves to confess under tight situations."

"I'm never going back to sleep when Yami and Amunet are alone."

"Same here," she gave him a smile and helped him clean up the eggs.

After Yugi set up the table his grandfather walked into the kitchen.  "So, what were you two up to today?"

"We are going on a type of journey today," Alex stated.

"Oh?"

"Yeah, with the help of my father's compass I should be able to find my mother."

"So how long are you two going to be gone?"  Mr. Muto questioned as he stuffed some pancakes in his mouth.

"We don't exactly know."

"But we know we'll be careful, grandpa," Yugi said standing up, taking his and Alex's plate to the sink.  Alex got up after finishing her milk and walked over to the sink to wash her glass.

Yugi's grandfather nodded, "Are  you two ever going to tell me what those noises were last night?"

Both teens froze at the sink and looked at each other.  "Well grandpa, whenever you see Yami again . . . well, how about you ask him now?"  Yugi closed his eyes and made Yami take over.  Alex smiled and did the same.

'Alex what are you doing?'

It's your turn to explain what happened last night.  Neither Yugi nor I knows exactly what happened.

'Alex!' Amunet looked at Yami and then at Mr. Muto.

"So?" he looked at the two.

"Well, would you like to start Yami?"

"Not, really."

***

            After leaving out the front door both Alex and Yugi walked, following the glowing force of the compass.

            "How do you think they held up?" Alex asked.

            "I wouldn't know, Yami isn't telling me anything."

"Same here with Amunet."

"They just need to calm down, Alex.  Until then, we're all alone in the search."

"Yup," Alex held Yugi's hand with the opposite one holding the compass, "It seems like it's leading toward the outskirts of town.  What's out there?"

"Mostly abandoned homes . . . old little shops."

"A perfect place to hide a body," Alex started to walk fast as the compass in her hand glowed brighter.  Yugi kept by her side and poor Neit ran to keep up, but eventually jumped on Alex's shoulder.

They made their way to a small neighborhood, all the homes were empty.  Alex walked down the sidewalk until she stood in front of a white home.  She closed her eyes and saw flashed of a little blue car in the driveway and some toys in the front. 'This can't be,' she opened her eyes that were nearly filled with tears.

"I don't understand, Alex," yugi said coming next to her.  Alex stood quiet only looking hard at the house's door.  "Alex?"

Alex shook herself out of her trance, "What?"

"Are you alright?"

"What were you saying?"

"Well, I don't understand.  Why take her so far away from your home?"

"Dad wanted her to feel safe . . . This was my home when I was a baby."

"What?"

"Before I was taken away to be safe with mom . . . I lived here with both of my parents.  It was so much nicer," the glowing of the compass stopped as Alex reminisced, "I remember al most everything."  She stood for a few moments only staring at the house going back into her trance.  "I had forgotten."

The house was getting on in age as most people and other objects are expected to do.  The ivory paint had lost its vibrant, soft glowe and most of the red bricks surrounding the outside were chipped and broken.  Most would not think twice to tear it down to build a new high-tech, machine in its place.  But the outside never could show the warmth and heart Alex remembered.

Alex grabbed Yugi's hand and led him inside.  The door almost fell off its henges, but somehow stayed on.  Inside to door, the living room and kitchen split the area.  Alex stepped into the soft carpeted area, "You know," she walked over to the fire place and put her hand on the mantel.  "My father and I would sit here and tell stories by the fire.  I would laugh at the faces he made."

She smiled and looked into the fireplace.  She could have sworn that she saw her father's smiling face looking at her.  She could hear his sweet voice calling out to her.  Neit jumped off her shoulder and ran into another room.  "Neit!  Don't go far."

They followed her into a small room, the same one that was replicated in the lair of the rare hunters.  Alex stepped back out and looked down that hall.  In the master bedroom there were shadows.  "Mother!" Alex ran down the hall.

"Alex! Wait!" Yugi ran behind her.

"It's my mom, Yugi.  I saw her!" Alex pushed against the partially open door, "Mother?"

There was a faint light filling the room, giving an almost orange glow.  On the floor Alex could see a woman's body lying on the ground, wrapped in a blanket.  Alex ran over to the body, "Mother! MOM!"

"Henry?" Her mother looked up in Alex's face, "Alex!  My god, I's you!"

Alex's eyes lit up and threw herself into her mother's arms.  She felt as her mother's arms tightened around her.  "Mom, I knew I'd find you.  I never gave up."

"But how?" he mother looked at her wrist, "I guess the spirit helped you and that I have a lot of explaining to do.  But that still doesn't explain how you found my exact position."

Alex brought out her father's compass and showed it to her mother.  "That's your- but he said that he wouldn't give that to you unless . . ."

Alex slowly picked her head up from the ground.  Her mother saw the tears in her eyes, "Henry . . .?"

"Mom, he gave us time, by giving up his," Alex could barely contain herself from balling into her mother's lap.

"What do you mean?  You met your father?"

"Not under the best circumstances.  The hunters- they took me, and he had to act like he was against me.  I didn't trust him, mom.  The last time I saw him, my heart was filled with hate.  And I'm so sorry for that, I never knew he was a great man.  He tried to save me!  I'm so sorry . . . so sorry . . ."

"Alex, honey," her mother grabbed a hold of her and started to rock her in her arms, "You didn't know.  It was better that you didn't.  It's ok, he knows now.  He knows that you loved him."

"Daddy is dead because of me.  They- they just got rid of him like he was nothing."

"To them, he wasn't."

"I'll show them.  I will avenge dad."

Yugi stepped into the room and kneeled down next to Alex.  He placed a hand on her shoulder and Alex looked up at him.  She gave him a small hug and looked back at her mother.

"It looks like I'm not the only one that needs to explain," Alex's mom looked at the two.

"Mom, this is Yugi," Yugi and her mother smiled and shook hands.

"It's great to finally meet you, ma'am."

"Well, I think that I owe you a great thank you."

"For what?"

"For taking care of my daughter.  And teaching her to love."

"He has helped me through a lot.  He too holds a millennium piece.  The spirit in his piece is the pharaoh Yami, this spirit," Alex held up her wrist, "is the spirit of Yami's love, Amunet."

Her mother smiled at her.  "Come on mom, let's go home."

"I can't get up Alex, I'll need help."

Alex and Yugi both helped her out of the house, into the sunlight and onto freedom.