Merodi no Yami: I'm back again!! I bet you didn't see that coming, huh? Haha!!! Thank you to all these wonderful peoples:
violettegal345, Kyra Windwood, Chibi Chibichi, ObiWanGirl, uhduhi'mstupid(It'd true!), Wolfspeaker, and my friend Norm ^_^
Thank you all for reviewing!! And thanks to Kyra, Wolfspeaker, Chibi Chibichi (haha, I love saying that) and ObiWanGirl for putting me on their favorites list!! *Goes starry eyed…again* I'm so happy!! You people actually think my writing is worthwhile!! *sobs*
{{Naito: Yeah, hard to believe, isn't it? I mean, it's _you_.}}
Merodi no Yami: How many times must I ask you to stop that?
{{Naito: Stop what? You from making a fool of yourself? Why should I? It's highly entertaining.}}
Merodi no Yami: *sigh* Anyway, a note to Wolfspeaker: I'm glad you liked my review; you deserve it. ^_- Thanks for putting the next chapter of your story up! As soon as I saw it I knew I had to get working this weekend on putting another chapter up for this story, too! ^_^ Actually, I'm hoping that I can find a way to write a new chapter each weekend for all of you lovely peoples, but we'll have to see. (Stupid college schedule…grr….)
{{Naito: -_-''' }}
Merodi no Yami: Well, I just have a few remarks to make before you guys go ahead and read the next chapter. First of all, I want you all to know that I have never been able to write a story past the 2nd chapter, so this for me is a big feat in itself. Reviews on this would be greatly appreciated, since for a while I was drawing a blank as to what to write next.
Second, I know this story is labeled Humor/Romance, but as I've written past the first chapter I'm thinking that it's probably going to turn into Action Adventure/Romance. Hope that's alright with everyone – I want to inject some humor into this, but Merodi is unconscious so she can't liven things up, Yugi and Yami are too caught up in each other, and Naito is too busy plotting revenge. ^_^
Thirdly, what do people think about adding some Yugi angst? I'm thinking in the form of torture…someone mentioned the idea in one of the reviews, and I can think of a place where it would work, but I would need to know before I write the next chapter. What do you guys think?
And lastly, I like the whole idea of Yugi and Yami having past lives in Egypt, but the whole slave/pharaoh thing is becoming REALLY cliché. Does anyone have any ideas as to how I could make this different? I have one – count'm, ONE – idea that might work, but again, I really, REALLY want to hear what you guys have to say. Suggestions, PLEASE!! O.O
{{Naito: Yes, please. If you continue letting her write like this, it's going to be a disaster.}}
Merodi no Yami: Grrrr… Just get in your place and get ready for the story, K?
Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh or its' characters. I have a Yugi doll which I made myself to take to college, which I'm very proud of; two action figures, a shirt, and some duel monster cards – but that's IT. This story belongs to ME, and me only, as do the two OC – Merodi (no, this is not me, nor is it Mary Sue) and Naito (my yami…MINE). So no take-ee!
{{Naito: O.O}}
Merodi no Yami: Haha!! Ok, now let us continue on to more memories, more danger, and, most importantly, more Y/Y fluff!! ^_^_^_^_^
[ blah blah blah ] – thinking
/blah blah blah/ - Yugi talking
//blah blah blah// - Yami talking
{{blah blah blah}} – Naito talking/thinking/plotting revenge {{HEY!}} *snicker*
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Where we left off last time (because I can't remember… -_-''''):
{{Yami,}} he seethed, {{You may believe that you've left the past behind you. But little did you expect the past to follow you to the present, ne? It is time for my revenge….}} And with that, he suddenly disappeared; a smirk playing on his lips as he fell from human vision. {{I WILL have my revenge, Yami….I WILL.}} Suddenly, laughter echoed throughout the room as Merodi laid on the floor, unconscious, her head sitting in a small pool of her own blood.
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Destinies of the Past – Chapter 3: A Reunion
Yugi ran down another hallway, searching frantically for his friend. He and Yami had realized her disappearance while they waited at the dock only moments before; the two of them had raced back to the Museum, calling out for Merodi as they ran through the ever-busy streets of the city. "Merodi!" Yugi called for the umpteenth time as he tried to find his friend in the large building. [Merodi, where are you? Please be alright....] He gave another look around, concern for his friend evident in his eyes as he found himself back in the atrium of the museum.
"Yugi!" The teenager turned around to see Yami racing up to him from another hallway, stopping in front of him to catch his breath. "Find anything?"
"No, not a single clue. Yami, I'm starting to get worried. What if she-" Yugi cut his statement short as he looked up at the former Pharaoh; a shocked expression cut clearly across his face. "Yami? What's wrong?"
"Yugi. Do you remember that strange presence I sensed earlier?"
"Hai."
"It's back again. And it's stronger this time."
Yugi's eyes widened slightly as he processed this new information. After a brief pause, he asked, "Yami, can you possibly track where these energies are coming from?"
Yami looked stunned and slightly confused. "Possibly. Why?"
"Well, what if it's like you said? That this mysterious presence and Merodi's disappearance are related? Do you think we might be able to find Merodi if we follow the disturbance?"
Yami mentally kicked himself in the head. Yes, that is exactly what they should have been doing all this time, instead of running around blindly. He closed his eyes, brow furrowed as he stretched out his mind to find where the strange energy was coming from.
"Yami?" His eyes snapped open.
"This way, follow me." And with that, Yami grabbed Yugi's arm as they raced down another corridor.
Soon, despite their situation, Yugi was beginning to wonder if Yami was just going to drag him around the entire museum in a mad dash, when his protector finally stopped. Yugi nearly ran face-first into Yami's back as he quickly asked, "What, what's going on? What's wrong Yami?"
The teenager simply continued to stare down the hallway; his facial expression had darkened slightly. "The source of the disturbance is coming from down there," he said bluntly. Suddenly, evil laughter began to resonate down the hallway, causing two pairs of eyes to widen in shock at the sound.
Without another thought, Yugi brushed past him, racing down the hallway, calling out for Merodi. Letting out a worried sigh, Yami looked up once again at the sign above the entrance, labeled 'Ancient Egypt Exhibit', before running after his aibou. [I've got a bad feeling about this….]
When Yami finally caught up, he found Yugi staring at a roped off area. A sign was attached to the rope, clearly stating, 'NO ENTRANCE'. "Where is the presence coming from now Yami, can you tell?" he heard the teen ask, slightly apprehensive.
When Yami gestured down the hall they were standing in front of, Yugi gave a slight sigh. "I don't get this – Merodi wouldn't go into any kind of restricted area, it's not her style. What would she be doing down there, anyway?"
Recognition dawned on Yami's face as he suddenly realized where that hallway would lead them. Instead of answering, he passed under the rope without a second thought as he began running down the hall, hardly hearing his aibou's cry of surprise as Yugi ran to catch up with him. [Merodi,] he thought worriedly, [Please be alright. I don't want to think about what trouble those artifacts may have caused this time.] He saw his destination, and picked up his speed as Yugi raced beside him. However, both stopped dead in their tracks as they reached the final room; eyes wide in shock and horror at the sight in front of them.
In the far left-hand side of the room, in front of one of the Egyptian tablets, laid Merodi; her head soaking in a puddle of blood that had begun to form on the marble floor. Yugi gave an anguished cry as he darted towards his fallen friend. He checked for a pulse; there was still one there, luckily, but the boy could tell it was starting to weaken as blood continued to drip from a wound on the girl's head. Yami walked over and knelt down beside Merodi's shoulders, visually inspecting her skull for injury.
"Give me your hand, Yugi."
Yugi looked up, still very shocked by what had happened to his friend. If he wasn't so worried, he might have blushed at Yami's request. Instead, he grasped it without question.
Yami then closed his eyes, letting his body relax as he held a hand over Merodi's injured head. Suddenly, a bright light emanated from both Yugi and himself, quickly proceeding to spread over the still form. Yugi's eyes gazed on in wonder as he saw the wound which had been dealt Merodi slowly but surely heal itself up, until suddenly the injury had completely disappeared, along with all the blood on the floor. Subconsciously, Yugi began to feel tired, as if part of his life force were draining out of him. He pushed those thoughts aside and continued to focus on the girl's healing injuries.
Once the wound had healed, Yami continued to hold his hand out over Merodi's head for a little while longer. When satisfied, he dropped both his hand and Yugi's. The light then faded into nothing, leaving an unconscious girl in their midst. "She'll be alright now. Her injury is healed, for the most part. But it might take her a little while to recover."
Yugi looked up at Yami, relieved at the sudden turn of events. However, he soon felt his curiosity take over as he asked, "Yami, what exactly happened just now?"
Yami sighed. "Usually, my Shadow Powers can only be used to destroy. However, if a person with these powers is somehow connected to another of pure heart, he can use the energy from that person to heal another." He looked back at Yugi, sorrow evident in his crimson eyes. "I had to take some of your life energy in order to save Merodi – I'm sorry if I hurt you in any way, especially seeing as how I did not tell you what I was going to do."
Suddenly, the Pharaoh found himself trapped in a fierce hug delivered by Yugi. "You shouldn't worry about those kinds of things, Yami," he stated, "you saved Merodi's life!! Why would I be upset with you for doing that?" Yami couldn't find an answer, as he was too busy trying not to blush from the boy's swift actions. Yugi pulled back from their embrace, however a little reluctantly. "Thank you."
His face still a bit red, Yami simply nodded as he looked back to the form on the floor. "We have to get her back home. Yugi, can you go find a phone and call a taxi to come get us? The sooner we get there, the better." The boy simply nodded as he dashed down the hallway while Yami picked Merodi up gingerly in his arms, not wanting to disturb her or her injury, and began walking slowly down the hallway after his aibou.
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"Well, she's safe now."
"Hai. Arigato, Yami."
A shrug. "Ne, Yugi, she's my friend too, remember that!" he said with a grin.
As soon as Yami had reached the exit of the Museum, the taxi which Yugi had called up arrived to take them back to the game shop. As soon as they arrived, Merodi was rushed upstairs and put on the bed in Grandpa's room. She simply seemed to be sleeping at this point, and in no noticeable pain, so the two left her to some piece and quiet as they retreated down the stairs, flopping onto the couch in exhaustion.
"Do you think we should call her parents, to let them know what happened?"
Yugi shook his head. "If she's as fine as you say she is, it wouldn't do to bother them. They were already worried enough about just leaving her here – before they left, they made sure I had all medical information on Merodi, right down to the semi-annual booster shots." He grinned. "If we told them, we'd probably be dead – either by their hands, or by Grandpa's. So, if she's ok…." He trailed off, doubt beginning to surface on his face.
"Yami," he whispered, "I feel so bad about what happened – this is all my fault. If we had just decided to stay home, or go the arcade, none of this would have happened." Yami turned to look at him, worried by the tone and turn this conversation had taken. After a moment's hesitation, he leaned over and gathered Yugi into a gentle hug, whispering into his ear.
"Shhh…Yugi, it's not your fault, and you know it. If anyone's to blame, it should be me. I was the one who suggested we go down to the dock, and I was the one who let Merodi go off on her own and failed to realize that she was missing. In any case, I failed to protect your friend, which means I also failed to protect you. I'm sorry." Yugi looked up to see the Pharaoh's eyes shut; his face blatantly showing his shame for what he done. Yugi gave a gentle smile, and nudged the slightly older teen.
"No, it's not your fault either, Yami. You're right – neither of us could have seen this coming. Besides, you saved her! How could that be considered failure?" Dully realizing that it was probably totally out of bounds, he leaned into his guardian's embrace, nuzzling his face into Yami's chest. Yugi smiled again as smelled the musky leather scent of Yami's shirt. There were so many things he wanted to tell his protector, but for now this was more than enough for him.
Luckily for Yami, Yugi decided to close his eyes and just stay there for a moment, and therefore could not look up at him. To say Yami was bad at concealing his emotions at that time would have been an understatement – his face matched the color of his eyes as soon as he realized what Yugi was doing. Yet, he was enjoying every minute of it. [He's probably tired and worn out,] he explained to himself reasonably, [it has nothing to do with you. But, that doesn't mean you can't enjoy it, does it?] He pulled Yugi closer to him, in both a protective and possessive manner. [No matter what happens, you will always be mine to look out for, Yugi.]
By the stillness of the form in his arms, Yami realized that his charge had quietly fallen asleep in his embrace. [Of course – I DID take some of his life energy away to heal Merodi; of course he's going to be tired.] With that, he slowly got up off the couch and carried Yugi to bed.
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**************Dream Sequence******************
Yugi stared at the images that were flashing before him, completely confused.
"Wha, what's going on here?" he spoke aloud. His voice barely carried on the blowing wind before disappearing into the night. Darkness was everywhere, enveloping him in its embrace. Somehow, Yugi was comforted by this, and simply waited to see what was about to happen next.
Suddenly, the entire scene changed. The palace of the Pharaoh loomed above him as waves of heat crashed against the sand. Suddenly, he saw two teenagers exit the building. Yugi quickly recognized the taller one as his Yami. [What did I just think? Mine?] Yugi blushed furiously, but Pharaoh Yami seemed to make no notice of him. [Of course, I'm in a dream, why would he know I was here?] His mind was brought back to the scene in front of him as the two boys began talking.
"What is troubling you, Naito?" Yami stated, as if he already knew the answer.
"YOU!" the younger boy shouted. Yugi finally noticed the other person there, called 'Naito'. He was an inch or two shorter than Yami, but bore a striking similarity to the Egyptian king, save that the red eyes and hair that Yugi loved were replaced by blue.
"Me?"
"Yes, YOU! What do you think you're doing, unraveling all the long years of tradition in our land!!?"
"Why follow something you don't believe in?" He bore his gaze directly into the other's. "This isn't what you are upset about. What is the REAL reason you refuse to leave me alone?"
"Fine. You want to jump to the point? One word: YUGI."
[Me? What does all this have to do with me? Ra, what are they even complaining about?]
The shorter teen continued. "That boy has been consuming your mind and controlling you ever since you found him by the Nile. Curse you, Yami; you're so infatuated with him you've forgotten the needs of your own people! That little worthless-"
Yami suddenly grabbed Naito by the neck, growling fiercely. "Yugi is NOT worthless. And he is not manipulating me. He has opened my eyes to our sins against the Gods, and I will not have you saying otherwise."
Yugi couldn't help but blush at this comment. [So, we knew each other in the past as well? I wonder if I felt the same way about him then as I do now…?]
Yami paused, staring into the other's eyes; the shorter boy hardly flinched, but stared right back.
"But no, this still isn't what you're all about, is it. This is about your rule of Lower Egypt, correct? Naito, I know I promised to hand over its rule to you, but now I have seen that you are not fit to lead our people into this coming age."
Naito tore away from Yami's grip, growling fiercely at the comment – it had struck a nerve and his pride. "I swear, _Pharaoh_, you will see me again. This conversation is finished, but sooner or later you will have to see reason…or else the consequences shall be dire. Now, why don't you go find Yugi? I'm sure that your little lover is anxiously waiting for you to decide the fate of our land, so he can discuss more important matters with you." Naito said the last part with great distain, turning around and walking away from the Egyptian king without so much as a second glance.
[…Wha…what…did he…just...say…LOVER? Me? His - oh Ra, now I KNOW this is a dream.]
Yami continued to stare at the figure walking away from him; his expression filled with sadness as he whispered to the air, "Naito…Naito, what are you doing?" The Pharaoh shook his head sadly, and turned back toward the palace as he and the world around him began to fade from Yugi's mind.
Yugi couldn't really seem to make heads or tails out of the situation he had just witnessed. It had to be a memory from Yami's past, to be sure, but anything beyond that was a mystery to him. And if it was a memory of Yami's, why was Yugi witnessing all of this? Suddenly, he was pulled out of his mental questioning as he saw the living room appear in front of him, with a very tired Yami – our present-day Yami – sitting on the couch, looking at him curiously.
[I must still be dreaming, how else would I have gone from Egypt to the living room without feeling myself wake up? Oh well, might as well have some fun then.] He smiled, and walked over to Yami while the other boy simply watched him move across the room. Suddenly, Yugi turned and sat in Yami's lap, his body perpendicular to his guardian as Yugi laid his head on the other's shoulder. He wrapped his arms around his crush and closed his eyes. He sighed happily and snuggled against Yami before drifting off into a dreamless state. [What a nice dream….]
*******************End dream sequence*****************
Yami sat on the couch, thinking. It was midnight now, and he knew he should be resting, but the strange events of the day continued to replay in his mind. It was the strange, magical energy that piqued his interest the most. It felt…familiar, in a way. He couldn't seem to place who or what it had come from, but he knew he must have encountered it at some point. Maybe in the past? True, he had already traveled back to Ancient Egypt to regain his memories, but they had been mostly those that led up to his sealing of the puzzle – he knew nothing of his childhood, and he had noticed some odd, blank spots in the more recent events of that time, like someone had purposely removed certain people or events from his mind. However, he could feel little details about his past beginning to trickle into his mind every day, like sand from a sieve. He gave a small, exasperated sigh.
Suddenly, he heard movement coming from the hallway. Turning to look, he saw Yugi, standing there with a thoughtful look on his face. His eyes were glazed over, as if in a trance. [Hmm. Seems as though Yugi's been sleepwalking again.] He remembered the first time he had seen Yugi wandering through the house like this; he had nearly given the shorter boy a heart attack as he had frantically ran over to his charge, yelling and shaking him madly, not understanding what was going on as Yugi mumbled random words with that same glazed look. Of course, after his Grandpa explaining what exactly 'sleepwalking' was, and assuring him that Yugi never came by any harm from it, Yami stopped trying to wake the young boy and simply kept a protective eye over the boy whenever he went on his late night wanderings. Suddenly, he noticed Yugi's face break out into a wide grin as his aibou started to walk across the room. [What is he up to now, I wonder?]
Yami sat there in shock as Yugi came over to him and promptly placed himself in Yami's lap. He got even more nervous when Yugi suddenly embraced the old Pharaoh, sighing contently to himself as he rested his head on his shoulder. Yami looked down at the now sleeping figure, incredibly surprised at this new turn of events. [I wonder what he's dreaming about,] he thought, but did not try to find out. He wouldn't tread on his aibou's privacy by prying into his mind, and he had no desire to wake him up to ask – he was enjoying the condition the two boys were in. Immensely. Yami sighed again, wrapping his arms around his charge, kissing his head as he nuzzled the boy's soft hair. [The past doesn't matter. I have everything I could ever want here in the present…I have you, Yugi. I just wish this was real.] Of course, it was, but Yami knew Yugi would never act this way when he was awake; to Yami, it was a wonderful waking dream. Smiling, he basked in Yugi's warmth and innocence as he finally let his concerns float away as he drifted off to sleep.
Unbeknownst to the two sleeping figures, a shadow shifted in the hallway, watching the naïve couple on the couch with sapphire eyes gleaming in the moonlight.
{{Yami. You unsuspecting fool. Enjoy your love and happiness while you still can. For I promise, I shall attack you where it hurts, right in your very heart.}} An evil grin added itself to the darkness. {{Before this is over, I SWEAR you will BEG before me for mercy. And if you'll remember, I ALWAYS keep my promises….}}
The Night laughed at the Darkness.
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Merodi no Yami: Ok!!! That's it for this chapter! (Tried another cliffie – it works…sort of…*sigh* I'm no good at those….) Remember, all you people, to let me know the following:
1.) Was the chapter ok?
2.) Should there be any Yugi angst?
3.) Can we think of anything besides Slave/Pharaoh relationship for Y/Y?
4.) Do you guys want to see the rest of the YGO gang in this story, or should it be exclusively the four that are already in this? (I know I didn't ask this before; it just occurred to me now.)
Hope you enjoyed this! (Wolfspeaker, your turn now! ^_-)
{{Naito: I didn't. You're always making me out to be cruel.}}
Merodi no Yami: Well, that's because you are…for a while at least. But don't worry *wink*, you'll warm up soon, I promise Naito-chan! ^_-
{{Naito: O_O_O_O_O_O HELP!!!!}}
OK, now for the fun part…*sigh*…your task, if you wish to accept it, is to review this story. If you don't wish to accept it, I shall set my yami on you to send you to the shadow realm, and I won't write anymore, so there – NYAH!! Now, go find the little button on your screen that says "Go" and click on it, and start typing! ^_^ Flames are welcome, but will most likely be grabbed first by my yami to meet his pyrotechnic desires. O.o Thanks!
