Yami: Last time, I fought Minkabh, a magician who created the Millennium Items, to save Nazo's life. Now, I have to make sure her sanity is in the right place, too!
Chapter 11: Memories in Moonlight
Yugi fell asleep quickly around 8 o'clock, not bothering to take off his Puzzle. He had told his mother Anzu got mugged, and that he and his buds tried to catch the robber. Whether or not she believed him, Yugi didn't really care. They got into a fight over it, and Yugi felt really guilty for talking back to his mom. He hoped things would be better by morning.
Yami, who normally rested while Yugi slept, stayed awake almost the entire night. His mind was full of Nazo/Shukura. If only he could stay with her; they needed to talk. But Anzu insisted Nazo rest for a while before they tried to work things out further.
"Nazo is my queen," Yami thought aloud. "I must be with her! She is not well! I should be by her side!"
He heard the downstairs chimes strike two, and figured he had better try to sleep if he was going to convince Yugi to sneak out to Anzu's house the next morning. Just as his eyes began to droop, he heard a soft tap at the window. Sure not to wake Yugi, he took over the teen's body and looked outside.
Nazo threw another pebble to be sure she had gotten Yami's attention, and waved when she saw she had. Yami opened the window. "What are you doing here," he called out as loudly as he dared.
"I came to talk," called Nazo in return. "Can I come up?"
Yami looked around, and then pointed to a tall tree nearby. "If you can climb that!"
Nazo nodded, quickly scaled the tree, and entered Yugi's room. Yami smiled. "You look radiant," he commented. She wore a white nightdress with a lace, black robe. "Yami, is what happened today-"
"-the same kind of thing that's been going on ever since I first awoke from the Puzzle? Yeah, it is."
"Oh." Nazo looked away, searching for the right questions to ask. "How - how long have you known?"
"Known who I am? Only a few months, actually. Isis Ishtal told me a week before Battle City. Before that… there's nothing. It's like my life really started as soon as Yugi finished the Puzzle. Then, I was just a shell; a tool used to help Yugi defeat those who picked on him, including Pegasus."
"Maybe I've had it easy in comparison." She bowed her head. "Maybe, I don't know, I shouldn't feel like I'm in Hell while you're so strong after all you've been through."
"Not at all! I've had Aibou-tachi by my side the entire time."
"Aibou?"
"That's what I call Yugi. We're really close. He allows me to remain and host my spirit whenever I need to live a little. You had no one. I think being alone in the darkness is Hell."
Nazo's eyes filled with tears again. "I feel," she admitted, "like an incomplete puzzle ... that no one can solve."
Yami lifted her chin. "So have I. But now I know you are one of those missing parts. I am here with you now. You are no longer in the darkness alone."
Nazo fell into Yami's arms, silent sobs of happiness shaking her body. She loved him! He loved her! Somehow, that was a fact she could hold onto forever. The man of her dreams was real, holding her in his tender arms, never letting her go.
She paused. Inspired, she began to kiss his neck. Yami held her close, and rubbed his hands down the small of her back. He felt her scars but did not care. To him her warmth, her body, meant far more. He touched her Bracelet ...
The room around them dissolved. Nazo straightened up and noticed they were now in a royal bed-chamber, lined with perfumed sheets, gold carvings, and lotus blossoms by the window. The full moon shone down upon their bronze skin, sparkling off of their jewelry and crowns.
Yami let out a chuckle. "Welcome home, my queen," he whispered.
"Where is this?"
"A memory, I guess. And judging by our attire, our marriage occurred not too long ago." He kissed her hand. "Does this prove to you who I am?"
She stared at him, taking in his royal robe, crown, tunic, and finally his crimson eyes. In reply, she untied her own robe and let it fall to her feet.
Yami, releasing passion he had bottled up since the moment he saw her in the moonlight, began to undo her necklace and pull down her dress. Her tan skin invited him, and he hurriedly pulled off his shirt. Nazo remained still, feeling the pleasure of his hands over her, then watching his slender, yet defined muscles as he threw his garments to the floor.
All doubt of the other's feelings erased from both of their minds. Yami pulled her gently to him, and the skin-to-skin contact sparked a fire that quickened their hearts and their blood. The very magic of shared space, him with her and her with him, melded the two into one.
Yami's lips brushed against hers, just enough to leave her wanting more. So warm, so moist, so sweet was the encounter that Nazo leaned forward to accept them fully. Should she be so greedy with the pharaoh? Perhaps not, but it was the added allure of the forbidden that beckoned her.
Her kisses led down to his bare chest. She could sense his heart beating wildly inside his warm, tender exterior. She felt his lips pass over her tresses and ears, and she could only let out a small moan of pleasure and happiness. Her destiny was here, within his arms, protected for all of eternity, and loved for even longer. She was alive for the first time, fully awake to her own emotions.
Yami's face moved more wildly about her head. He wanted more! He wanted her so badly his own body ached! Everything about her tempted him, and his subconscious knew only one thing: A pharaoh is guaranteed to all he desired.
As he prepared to take their love to the next phase, he sensed Nazo's muscles stiffen. Not willing to accept any distractions, he attempted to continue, but Nazo pulled away.
"What's wrong," he asked.
"I heard something," she whispered.
Nazo's Bracelet glowed brightly, and the surroundings dissolved. Luckily, they were both still dressed in reality. She stood up, and with all of the will-power she possessed, pulled herself away from Yami's arms to check the door.
The hallway was very dark, but she could make out the stumbling figure of a woman ambling down the hallway.
Yami kissed the back of Nazo's neck. "Ignore her," he whispered.
"She's coming here," Nazo whispered harshly. She scanned the room, and ducked into the closet to hide. Yami groaned and got into Yugi's bed. 'So damn close!!'
Yugi's mother opened the door slowly. She closed her robe and looked Yami's way. Yami scrunched into a ball, shrinking himself in a sense, and made soft breathing noises as if Yugi was only asleep. 'If she notices the difference, Yugi will kill me!'
But the woman noticed nothing strange. She sat on Yugi's chair, watching him for a minute or two. Then she gazed down at the papers on Yugi's desk. Most of them were notes the teen had taken during his classes. Finals were that week, and he had to study. But some were doodles of DM monsters and hearts with Anzu's name.
The woman sighed, and Yami noted off-hand how tired she looked. "Yugi-chan," she whispered, more to herself since she figured Yugi was asleep. "You're growing up so quickly! You're still so frail ... like a little angel without wings."
'What's an angel,' Yami wondered.
"Maybe I should just accept it, and let you make your own decisions about who your friends should be."
'That'd be nice,' Yami thought more bitterly.
She walked over and sat gently at the foot of his bed. "My little boy ... Ii tenshi no watashi ... I'm just worried about you! Not about bullies picking on you, but those guys you chose as friends! They're so ... so violent looking! You can handle bullies picking on you, but you're not strong enough for friends to." [1]
{What?}
"So innocent ... I'm very lucky to have you. But there are so many bad people out there who are going to take advantage of you." Mrs. Moto stroked Yugi/Yami's hair. "I wish I could protect you from them. Trusting people so quickly ... so fully ... Your fragile heart would break if one of your friends pressured you into something bad."
'None of them would while I'm around! This woman is too paranoid!' But then Yami had a thought. HE was still in Yugi's body!! If he'd made love to Nazo, it would be using Yugi's body, not his!
Yugi's mother stood up to leave. "I love you, Yugi-chan! Please, please remember that!" And with that, she was gone.
Yami felt lower then dirt. To him, he'd single-handedly proven Mrs. Moto's point of Yugi's easy-to-win-trust. Yami, Yugi's protector, partner, and best friend, almost caused the boy to lose his virginity and the trust Yugi so dearly held in him!
Nazo slunk out of the closet, eyes lowered. "I oughta go," she whispered.
"Nazo," said Yami, sitting up in bed. "I ... I'm so sorry about all this." {RA!! Why did Yugi have to give me such a bothersome conscience!?}
She nodded. "I know." She opened the window, but looked back to Yami. "What will happen to you once you get back your memories?"
"I ... I don't know..."
Nazo nodded again, but smiled at her true love. "I can wait," she said, then disappeared into the night.
Yami thought it best to leave water under the bridge (i.e. NOT to tell Yugi about Nazo's visit), but he did tell his pal about Mrs. Moto coming in.
Yugi looked up from his book. "She didn't see a difference, right?"
{No, don't worry. Our secret's safe.}
"Good," sighed Yugi. He continued working on a math problem. "I gotta remember to make all this up to her later. I'll treat her to dinner or something over the break."
He peered over Yugi's shoulder. {Why do you study, anyway?}
"High school grades are important if I want to become an archeologist someday!"
{Don't you have Computers on Monday, and Math on Tuesday?}
"Un! But I won't have enough time after school tomorrow to study for Math, so I'm studying now. We're gonna visit Isis-san and introduce Nazo."
{But you both have finals! And you're terrible with Computers!}
"I'm bad at Math, too," admitted Yugi, crossing out the numbers he'd just written. "But maybe Isis-san will know how to find your brother. He's the only part left until you get your memories back!"
{Horus! How many times have we heard THAT phrase?! Yugi, if studying is so important to you, put yourself before me for once. You're almost never selfish! Now's a time you should be!}
Yugi giggled a little. "Now you're getting silly, Mou hitori no boku! I'm happy, and I want others to be happy too! And I know you can't be without your memories!" Yugi sharpened his pencil. "Now, can you at least go away? When I see you around, all I can think about is Ancient Egypt and Duel Monsters!"
On Monday afternoon, after Yugi's terrible Computers final, Yugi-tachi arrived at the museum to speak to Isis, but were shocked to find out she was not there.
"Ms. Ishtal left about a week ago after urgent happenings in Cairo," said one of the guards.
"NANI?!" exclaimed Jonouchi, over-reacting as usual. "We need to talk to her NOW!!" Honda and Ryou held him back.
"Do you know when she'll be back," asked Anzu.
"I have not been given such information."
Nazo sighed. "Oh well! I actually wanted to meet her face-to-face."
Yugi asked, "Un? How do you know her?"
"Her father is a sponsor, remember," said Ryou.
"Do you really think my dad would sponsor something this cool?! I hack into his computer and send the money myself!"
As the group continued to talk, Isis' personal manager ran up. "Wait!" He stopped to catch his breath. "Are you Moto Yugi?"
"Yeah."
"Ms. Ishtal left a letter for you about a week ago, and this one just came in." He handed Yugi two envelopes. "I'm sorry, but we were unaware of your area of residence."
"Ya coulda mailed it to 'im," muttered Jonouchi.
Honda slapped the back of his friend's head. "I'm not even gonna tell ya how stupid that sounded!"
Yugi examined the dates, and opened the first one. He read it through silently, and his eyes grew wide. "Something wrong," asked Ryou.
"Lemme read the next one and I'll tell you." The next letter was longer, and by the time Yugi finished, he'd grown pale. "Okay," said Anzu, "now we know something is very wrong!"
Yugi gulped and read the first letter aloud. " 'Pharaoh, forgive my rushed absence, but I'm sure you will understand. As a member of the Federal Bureau of Archaeology, I must aide in the investigation of the recent rise of criminal activity around the Valley of the Kings. More and more artifacts are being stolen from various tombs and ruins. I'm not sure whether or not it has anything to do with the Millennium Items, but I pray that it does not." [2]
"Well, that ain't bad," said Honda. "Too bad for the scientists, but-"
"It's not only the archeologists affected by this, Honda-kun," snapped Ryou. "Such priceless artifacts are a part of the Egyptian culture!! Tomb robbing dates back millennia, but it was officially banned not too long ago!"
"Something you'd know full well, Bakura," joked Jonouchi.
"What does the next letter say," asked Nazo.
Yugi read the second, longer letter. "Pharaoh, my worst fears are realized! I had not heard from Malik in ages, so I decided to visit him while in Cairo. To my horror, neither he nor Rishid were home! Panicked, I searched for my friend and the only other person I knew could help me, Shadi. He is gone as well! As are the other six Millennium Items!!'
" 'There is now no doubt in my mind that Shadi's disappearance is the cause of the recent spree of robberies. It is also my belief that someone is after the Puzzle and Bracelet even as you read this. I cannot abandon my post here for the time being, but I shall return as soon as I can. All is not lost, however. I've heard rumors of documents pertaining to the time period after the Nameless Pharaoh, in which his fate and that of his family are mentioned.' "
"Holy shit," muttered Jonouchi.
The group was silent for a minute, then the manager asked, "Should I send a response?"
"I think Jonouchi summed it up," said Anzu.
Yugi re-read the letter silently. Yami separated and read over his shoulder. {The less people who know about this, the better.}
{Un! But what can we do? I still have finals all week! Then I'm working for Jichan during vacation!}
{Aibou, as much as I hate it, there is nothing we can do until Isis finds out more information, like who is responsible for Shadi and Malik's disappearance.}
{You don't think it's Minkabh?}
{As long as I am in this world, he cannot set foot on Egyptian sands.}
{He might be working with someone in this realm.}
{That's my guess.} Yami put his hand on Yugi's shoulder. {Looks like we're in danger once again. Such is life partnered with an ancient king, ne?}
Yugi managed a weak smile. "Okay," he said aloud. "I'll write something out and send it myself. Thank you, sir."
1 - Ii tenshi no watashi - My little white/pure angel
2- Valley of the Kings - the site of the tombs of many kings
Yugi: In the next chapter, its the last day of finals, and my date with Anzu. Kami, I've gone against evil spirits, crazy magicians, powerful monster cards, and even gotten my soul stolen. But somehow...I'm more scared now than ever!!
Next episode; Dreams of the Past, Hopes for the Future