*~*Disclaimer!!!!*~* WOW, what a ride on that last chappie, huh? Evil Ryou murdered Yamara in the past. WOW I amaze myself with what I write sometimes... ANYWAY, you all know the drill here. Don't own any characters cept my own. I completely give credit to Lynne Ewing's books, Daughters of the Moon, because she came up with a specific part I put in here... it was her idea, but I liked it so much i put it in mine ^^. Sorry I haven't written in a long time, you know, with school an' such... BUSY! BUSY! BUSY!!! ^_^;;;
*~*~*~*~*January 16th, 1986. Cairo, Egypt*~*~*~*~*
His eyes gazed unwelcoming towards the men gathered next to the tomb of his queen. Long past dead or alive, the raven-haired man gazed towards the horizon with lifeless, glassy gray eyes, as if he was in a trance. But he was far from a trance-like state. He still thought of things clearly, his intentions crisp and clear: protect the Millennium items as he had since 3003 BC, the night his queen had died...
*~*~*~*~*3003 B.C. Dungeon*~*~*~*~*
The armlet clasped by Demona shimmered and shone, the reflection of the queen shifting around on its surface. The beauty of such a thing took Shadi by surprise, captivating his gaze onto it, instead of its holder.
In her mind, Demona was dying. She could feel the slow creep of death upon her heart, her soul, and her mind. Her energy was quickly fading, her soul draining into nothing. *By the... Gods... please... please any... anyone...* She pleaded in her own mind. *Help... help me...*
Her eyes rolled back into her head, and on the astral plain, in a bed of Black roses she stood dressed in scarlet, years beyond anything she could have dreamed of in ancient Egypt. Surprised, she yelped aloud, eyes wide. "Wha- what happened? Where... am I...?"
"DeMoNa..." The voice behind her was haunting, strange and seductive as it breezed into her mind and ears. "DeMoNa, YoU aRe DyInG, yOuNg OnE. CoMe, YoU hAvE mUcH tO lEaRn..."
"Wh-who are you?"
"I aM cAlLeD mAnY tHiNgS. MoNsTeR, dEmOn, SaTaN, gOd. I aM tHe UlTiMaTe EtErNaL, aNd I aM dArKnEsS itSeLf. YoU cAlLeD, aNd I hEaRd YoUr PlEaS. CoMe ChIlD, aNd CoNsIdEr My OfFer: OnE yOu CaNnOt ReFuSe."
Her eyes shone fearful, afraid of whose presence was among her. Her back still to the figure, she wrapped her arms around her own shoulders. "Why should I believe you? I'm alive right now, not dying. I can feel my mind working, the warmth of my skin..."
"If YoU wErE lIvInG cHiLd, YoU wOuLd NoT bE iN mY pReSeNcE."
Still with her arms crossed, Demona closed her eyes, in deep thought. It was then that she made a startling discovery; she was warm, her brain still worked... but her heart no longer beated. "My GOD... my heart..."
The voice snickered. "... No LoNgEr BeAtS? NoT SuRpRiSeD aT aLl: YoU'vE cEaSeD tO bE aLiVe."
"H-h-h-h-how?"
"YoU, dEmOnA, aRe DeAd, UnLeSs..."
Her eyes jolted open, wide. "Unless? Unless what?"
"I cAn SeE iNtO yOuR hEaRt, DeMoNa. YoU wIsH tO bE wItH yOuR lOvEr. I cAn MaKe ThAt HaPpEn..."
The fiery redhead scowled. "Midnight is dead..."
"YoU lIe. HeR sPiRiT sTiLl LiVeS. My ChIlD, dOn'T yOu ReAlIzE tHaT yOu MaY yEt SeE yOuR lOvE?"
"But how? If what you say is true, then I am already dead."
A light, ice-cold touch against her cheek made her shudder as the chill it caused slithered down her back. "Ah, My ChIlD, iT iS pOsSiBlE. CoMe, HeAr WhAt I pRoPoSe AnD yOu MaY yEt SeE hEr AgAiN..."
It had her in a trap. Demona knew it, with her heart and soul, she was trapped. Defeated, she waved off his explanations, determined to do anything to get her Midnight back. "I don't need to hear anymore. You've made your point, and I accept. My conscience doesn't, but my heart and soul does."
"VeRy WeLl ThEn. TuRn ArOuNd DeMoNa, AnD fAcE yOuR nEw LiFe..." Immediately after the words were spoken, something caught Demona's eye. A pyro ring of azure blue flame licked and sparked the air, forming 4 feet away and around her feet. The flames singed her shoulders; sub zero cold emanating from every touch. The cold over took her, crawling up her feet, legs, waist and spine until it reached and entered through her gaping, screaming mouth and into her heart. Screams of horror soon gave way to screams of undying delight, as the darkness absorbed her, enveloping her in its cold, deadened presence and gave her power. Her eyes no longer shone with light, only deadness as the icicles on her arms and fingers shattered and broke off, then reformed again.
Her long, slender arms slid over every inch of her body, enjoying every amount of pleasure of her newly empowered body. She giggled in delight as she plunged her heart deeper into the everlasting cold of the night. In moments, the cold ceased to envelope her, and she felt no warmth or cold. Opening her eyes, they were dead, cold and unfeeling; a crimson, deep blood red. Her canines had grown longer, sharper, almost like fangs and sparkling white. Her lips were scarlet, the color of rubies as her matching dress had transformed itself into a long, slender black one of a similar nature.
Demona laughed uproariously, running her hands through her hair as she gazed at the man in front of her. His hair long, blonde and sticking straight up like raven's wings, he flowed with substantial evil, his darkened violet eyes gave off no light in them, too clouded with his own power. The Eye of Ra was impression onto his forehead, glowing a bright gold, like the two, dangling prismatic earrings he wore in his ears. A cape that matched his eyes flowed from shoulder to shoulder, over his bare upper torso with the lower covered in black silk pants. In his hand, he clutched a rod, overflowing with evil power beyond Demona's wildest dreams.
Wickedly, she smirked. "A Millennium Item, newly formed and stolen from Priest Kaiba. You never change Malik."
*~*~*~*~*~*January 16th, 1986. Cairo, Egypt*~*~*~*~*
Shadi sighed again, closing his eyes in dismay to the flood of memories coming back to him. *I was so blind not to see it... to see the evil pouring out her eyes, her heart, her soul...* He mentally kicked himself for his own stupidity. *She turned me... into a monster, only dedicated to my queen. To protect her and the Pharaoh for as long as they're alive...* Now, he gazed downward, deep in thought at the crowd by the sacred temple shifted and move, alive with intruders in his queen's tomb. *Even in unlife, I cannot protect Yamara and Yami. With this curse, I should have been able to, but I have failed...*
*~~~~~*~~~~~*
"HEY! James! Get your butt over here!" shouted a husky voice, youthful and familiar. Pulling the raven locks from his forehead, the man grinned as he ran to his close friend from a few feet into the desert, sweat pouring down his back from the hot desert sun.
Dr. James Shindou glanced up from his work at the foot of the newly uncovered tomb, examining the inscriptions above its doorway. "Hmmmm? Oh, Dick! What can I do for ya, buddy?"
Dick Grayson stood proudly, displaying a rounded, eye-shaped piece of gold, a three pronged bar extending from it on one side as well as a shorter, oddly shaped one at its back. "I think I found something...!" He turned it slowly in his hands, taking great scrutiny in its examination.
Quickly, James sauntered over, his eyes lighting up at the sight of the object. "It... looks like..."
"A key? Maybe that's the piece of the puzzle we've been missing!" Like a flash of lightning, the darker haired man dashed to the entrance to the tomb, his brown-haired companion trailing behind. On the right side of the mausoleum, a jagged, exact shape was cut from the stone, fitting the specific shape of the key. Putting it in place, Dick brushed the sand from the top of it, and read the incantation depicted in hieroglyphics on the stone's surface.
"A love denied, now rectified, reward to live, my voice does give."
Instantly, the ground underneath Dick's feet shifted and churned, almost as if it was alive. Crying out, he dug his feet into the softened, crumbling dirt as a blast of raw energy shot out from the stone to the center of the tomb's door, shattering it into gravel. A gaping hole now opened wide to the world, the entrance to a cave of wonders for James and Dick, one they quickly advanced towards, and into as fast as their legs could carry them.
*~~~~~*~~~~~~*
"So Dick... how's Dawn doing?"
"Dawnie? My Dawnie?"
"Yeah. How... how is the child?"
Dick grimaced. "She's... surviving. The doctors said that she should live a normal life, be happy..."
"But...?" The older man's face scrunched in compassion for Dick's daughter, worried. "I know there's something else, isn't there? I'm not a parent myself, but I will be one, and I recognize that face anywhere. It's a face that tells me you're holding something back."
Heavy tears began to roll across the younger's face, as he ran his fingers through his ebony colored locks. "Dr. Kowalski... he said she... she... won't... live beyond... the age of three. The cancer's... ripping her apart..."
James shook his head, clasping a muscular arm around Dick's shoulders in comfort as they made their way through the twists and turns of the tunnel hallway. "I'm... I'm sorry..." Suddenly, his eyes lit up. "Hey wait! Maybe... just maybe..."
"??? Maybe what?"
The Egyptologist gave no reply, as the hallway corridor had suddenly stopped, and they faced a small outcropping of stone. No statue graced the presence of two, ornate objects, one big, and the other small. Sloppy hieroglyphs were scrawled at the base of the stature, where James began to eagerly read from.
"Friends of not blood but heart rest in eternal slumber. Their spirits of wonder and magic kept inside for all eternity."
"Hmmmm... sounds like a mystery to me..."
"No, wait, let me see..." Grabbing the larger of the two objects, Dr. Shindou adjusted the pair of glasses on his face, inspecting the cylindrical piece of jewelry closely. "It's some type of... armlet... fascinating really... It seems that this was worn by an Egyptian queen!!!!"
The other focused his attentions on the smaller of the two trinkets. It was a pendant with no chain, perfectly heart shaped with a snake coiled around the left side and towards the bottom. A tiny silver dagger crossed the span between the top right and the bottom left of the heart, with ruby red 'blood' blemishing the tip.
"Hey James? This pendant... it has symbols on it... can you read it?"
"Of course," replied the older gentleman, cautiously wrapping his fingers around the smaller object. "Hmmm... This little knick-knack was used in Egyptian ceremonies by... a... guard captain?" His brow furrowed at this information. "Hmmm... Odd... it was usually the priests that held the ceremonies..." He shrugged.
"Well, maybe one of them was different."
"No doubt... I... think I'll keep this," He held up the armlet. "My wife is having a baby girl, and this would make a pretty little present."
Dick cocked an eyebrow. "Oh really? Well, this will look great on Dawnie..." He held up the charm proudly. " Something she can remember forever..." He clasped the charm in his right hand. "Maybe... this could be the best thing I could give her in a LONG time..."
"Wait a second Dick, let me take a closer look at that..." The Egyptologist snatched it back, and, after awhile, he was grinning from ear to ear. "Dick! Do you realize what this is? This little trinket could help Dawn immensely! It's full of healing magiks!" He beamed, "You may just be giving Dawn the best gift of all: life."
*~*~*~*~*January 16th, 1986. Cairo, Egypt*~*~*~*~*
His eyes gazed unwelcoming towards the men gathered next to the tomb of his queen. Long past dead or alive, the raven-haired man gazed towards the horizon with lifeless, glassy gray eyes, as if he was in a trance. But he was far from a trance-like state. He still thought of things clearly, his intentions crisp and clear: protect the Millennium items as he had since 3003 BC, the night his queen had died...
*~*~*~*~*3003 B.C. Dungeon*~*~*~*~*
The armlet clasped by Demona shimmered and shone, the reflection of the queen shifting around on its surface. The beauty of such a thing took Shadi by surprise, captivating his gaze onto it, instead of its holder.
In her mind, Demona was dying. She could feel the slow creep of death upon her heart, her soul, and her mind. Her energy was quickly fading, her soul draining into nothing. *By the... Gods... please... please any... anyone...* She pleaded in her own mind. *Help... help me...*
Her eyes rolled back into her head, and on the astral plain, in a bed of Black roses she stood dressed in scarlet, years beyond anything she could have dreamed of in ancient Egypt. Surprised, she yelped aloud, eyes wide. "Wha- what happened? Where... am I...?"
"DeMoNa..." The voice behind her was haunting, strange and seductive as it breezed into her mind and ears. "DeMoNa, YoU aRe DyInG, yOuNg OnE. CoMe, YoU hAvE mUcH tO lEaRn..."
"Wh-who are you?"
"I aM cAlLeD mAnY tHiNgS. MoNsTeR, dEmOn, SaTaN, gOd. I aM tHe UlTiMaTe EtErNaL, aNd I aM dArKnEsS itSeLf. YoU cAlLeD, aNd I hEaRd YoUr PlEaS. CoMe ChIlD, aNd CoNsIdEr My OfFer: OnE yOu CaNnOt ReFuSe."
Her eyes shone fearful, afraid of whose presence was among her. Her back still to the figure, she wrapped her arms around her own shoulders. "Why should I believe you? I'm alive right now, not dying. I can feel my mind working, the warmth of my skin..."
"If YoU wErE lIvInG cHiLd, YoU wOuLd NoT bE iN mY pReSeNcE."
Still with her arms crossed, Demona closed her eyes, in deep thought. It was then that she made a startling discovery; she was warm, her brain still worked... but her heart no longer beated. "My GOD... my heart..."
The voice snickered. "... No LoNgEr BeAtS? NoT SuRpRiSeD aT aLl: YoU'vE cEaSeD tO bE aLiVe."
"H-h-h-h-how?"
"YoU, dEmOnA, aRe DeAd, UnLeSs..."
Her eyes jolted open, wide. "Unless? Unless what?"
"I cAn SeE iNtO yOuR hEaRt, DeMoNa. YoU wIsH tO bE wItH yOuR lOvEr. I cAn MaKe ThAt HaPpEn..."
The fiery redhead scowled. "Midnight is dead..."
"YoU lIe. HeR sPiRiT sTiLl LiVeS. My ChIlD, dOn'T yOu ReAlIzE tHaT yOu MaY yEt SeE yOuR lOvE?"
"But how? If what you say is true, then I am already dead."
A light, ice-cold touch against her cheek made her shudder as the chill it caused slithered down her back. "Ah, My ChIlD, iT iS pOsSiBlE. CoMe, HeAr WhAt I pRoPoSe AnD yOu MaY yEt SeE hEr AgAiN..."
It had her in a trap. Demona knew it, with her heart and soul, she was trapped. Defeated, she waved off his explanations, determined to do anything to get her Midnight back. "I don't need to hear anymore. You've made your point, and I accept. My conscience doesn't, but my heart and soul does."
"VeRy WeLl ThEn. TuRn ArOuNd DeMoNa, AnD fAcE yOuR nEw LiFe..." Immediately after the words were spoken, something caught Demona's eye. A pyro ring of azure blue flame licked and sparked the air, forming 4 feet away and around her feet. The flames singed her shoulders; sub zero cold emanating from every touch. The cold over took her, crawling up her feet, legs, waist and spine until it reached and entered through her gaping, screaming mouth and into her heart. Screams of horror soon gave way to screams of undying delight, as the darkness absorbed her, enveloping her in its cold, deadened presence and gave her power. Her eyes no longer shone with light, only deadness as the icicles on her arms and fingers shattered and broke off, then reformed again.
Her long, slender arms slid over every inch of her body, enjoying every amount of pleasure of her newly empowered body. She giggled in delight as she plunged her heart deeper into the everlasting cold of the night. In moments, the cold ceased to envelope her, and she felt no warmth or cold. Opening her eyes, they were dead, cold and unfeeling; a crimson, deep blood red. Her canines had grown longer, sharper, almost like fangs and sparkling white. Her lips were scarlet, the color of rubies as her matching dress had transformed itself into a long, slender black one of a similar nature.
Demona laughed uproariously, running her hands through her hair as she gazed at the man in front of her. His hair long, blonde and sticking straight up like raven's wings, he flowed with substantial evil, his darkened violet eyes gave off no light in them, too clouded with his own power. The Eye of Ra was impression onto his forehead, glowing a bright gold, like the two, dangling prismatic earrings he wore in his ears. A cape that matched his eyes flowed from shoulder to shoulder, over his bare upper torso with the lower covered in black silk pants. In his hand, he clutched a rod, overflowing with evil power beyond Demona's wildest dreams.
Wickedly, she smirked. "A Millennium Item, newly formed and stolen from Priest Kaiba. You never change Malik."
*~*~*~*~*~*January 16th, 1986. Cairo, Egypt*~*~*~*~*
Shadi sighed again, closing his eyes in dismay to the flood of memories coming back to him. *I was so blind not to see it... to see the evil pouring out her eyes, her heart, her soul...* He mentally kicked himself for his own stupidity. *She turned me... into a monster, only dedicated to my queen. To protect her and the Pharaoh for as long as they're alive...* Now, he gazed downward, deep in thought at the crowd by the sacred temple shifted and move, alive with intruders in his queen's tomb. *Even in unlife, I cannot protect Yamara and Yami. With this curse, I should have been able to, but I have failed...*
*~~~~~*~~~~~*
"HEY! James! Get your butt over here!" shouted a husky voice, youthful and familiar. Pulling the raven locks from his forehead, the man grinned as he ran to his close friend from a few feet into the desert, sweat pouring down his back from the hot desert sun.
Dr. James Shindou glanced up from his work at the foot of the newly uncovered tomb, examining the inscriptions above its doorway. "Hmmmm? Oh, Dick! What can I do for ya, buddy?"
Dick Grayson stood proudly, displaying a rounded, eye-shaped piece of gold, a three pronged bar extending from it on one side as well as a shorter, oddly shaped one at its back. "I think I found something...!" He turned it slowly in his hands, taking great scrutiny in its examination.
Quickly, James sauntered over, his eyes lighting up at the sight of the object. "It... looks like..."
"A key? Maybe that's the piece of the puzzle we've been missing!" Like a flash of lightning, the darker haired man dashed to the entrance to the tomb, his brown-haired companion trailing behind. On the right side of the mausoleum, a jagged, exact shape was cut from the stone, fitting the specific shape of the key. Putting it in place, Dick brushed the sand from the top of it, and read the incantation depicted in hieroglyphics on the stone's surface.
"A love denied, now rectified, reward to live, my voice does give."
Instantly, the ground underneath Dick's feet shifted and churned, almost as if it was alive. Crying out, he dug his feet into the softened, crumbling dirt as a blast of raw energy shot out from the stone to the center of the tomb's door, shattering it into gravel. A gaping hole now opened wide to the world, the entrance to a cave of wonders for James and Dick, one they quickly advanced towards, and into as fast as their legs could carry them.
*~~~~~*~~~~~~*
"So Dick... how's Dawn doing?"
"Dawnie? My Dawnie?"
"Yeah. How... how is the child?"
Dick grimaced. "She's... surviving. The doctors said that she should live a normal life, be happy..."
"But...?" The older man's face scrunched in compassion for Dick's daughter, worried. "I know there's something else, isn't there? I'm not a parent myself, but I will be one, and I recognize that face anywhere. It's a face that tells me you're holding something back."
Heavy tears began to roll across the younger's face, as he ran his fingers through his ebony colored locks. "Dr. Kowalski... he said she... she... won't... live beyond... the age of three. The cancer's... ripping her apart..."
James shook his head, clasping a muscular arm around Dick's shoulders in comfort as they made their way through the twists and turns of the tunnel hallway. "I'm... I'm sorry..." Suddenly, his eyes lit up. "Hey wait! Maybe... just maybe..."
"??? Maybe what?"
The Egyptologist gave no reply, as the hallway corridor had suddenly stopped, and they faced a small outcropping of stone. No statue graced the presence of two, ornate objects, one big, and the other small. Sloppy hieroglyphs were scrawled at the base of the stature, where James began to eagerly read from.
"Friends of not blood but heart rest in eternal slumber. Their spirits of wonder and magic kept inside for all eternity."
"Hmmmm... sounds like a mystery to me..."
"No, wait, let me see..." Grabbing the larger of the two objects, Dr. Shindou adjusted the pair of glasses on his face, inspecting the cylindrical piece of jewelry closely. "It's some type of... armlet... fascinating really... It seems that this was worn by an Egyptian queen!!!!"
The other focused his attentions on the smaller of the two trinkets. It was a pendant with no chain, perfectly heart shaped with a snake coiled around the left side and towards the bottom. A tiny silver dagger crossed the span between the top right and the bottom left of the heart, with ruby red 'blood' blemishing the tip.
"Hey James? This pendant... it has symbols on it... can you read it?"
"Of course," replied the older gentleman, cautiously wrapping his fingers around the smaller object. "Hmmm... This little knick-knack was used in Egyptian ceremonies by... a... guard captain?" His brow furrowed at this information. "Hmmm... Odd... it was usually the priests that held the ceremonies..." He shrugged.
"Well, maybe one of them was different."
"No doubt... I... think I'll keep this," He held up the armlet. "My wife is having a baby girl, and this would make a pretty little present."
Dick cocked an eyebrow. "Oh really? Well, this will look great on Dawnie..." He held up the charm proudly. " Something she can remember forever..." He clasped the charm in his right hand. "Maybe... this could be the best thing I could give her in a LONG time..."
"Wait a second Dick, let me take a closer look at that..." The Egyptologist snatched it back, and, after awhile, he was grinning from ear to ear. "Dick! Do you realize what this is? This little trinket could help Dawn immensely! It's full of healing magiks!" He beamed, "You may just be giving Dawn the best gift of all: life."