******MAJJJJJOOOORRRR NOTTTE: YAMI'S NAME HAS OFFICIALLY BEEN DISCOVERED!!! *DOES HAPPY DANCE* IN THE MANGA!!!! YUGI JOU ANZU AND HONDA FIGURED IT OUT!!! IT APPEARED ON A CARTOUCHE NECKLACE THAT ANZU GAVE HIM (LOOOONG STORY) AND WE KNOW HIS NAME! ITS IN THIS CHAPPIE, SO BE CAREFUL IF YOU DONT WANNA KNOW IT YET!!! I READ THE MANGA SO ITS OKAY TO ME...^___^*******

REVIEWZ: AT LE BOTTOM...EH

NOTE: I AM REFERRING TO THE CHARACTER BAKURA RYOU NOW AS JUST RYOU, SINCE HIS YAMI APPEARS IN THIS CHAPPIE. FROM NOW ON, HIS YAMI WILL BE KNOWN AS BAKURA, HE HIMSELF KNOWN AS... RYOU.

SO.... how yall been? you know how I put a little, um... preview at the bottom of the chappie? i uh.... well... the chappie is kinda different.... the things i mentioned ARE in it... it's just that... they're a little different.

ONE MORE NOTE: YAMI AND TEANNA WERE NEVER MARRIED! AFTER SHE WAS PREGNANT HE GAVE HER A RING SO THE COUNCIL WOULD THINK THEY WERE GOING TO GET MARRIED SOON! THEY NEVER ACTUALLY DID....

I feel better now^_^

I'm Still Dreaming

Chapter Fourteen

People are not always what they seem to be.

Anzu opened her eyes slowly. The unfocused room, the groggy sounds, the strange, pungent smells... For some reason, that sentence had popped into her head. Like the last time she thought about something while sleeping, her conscious mind brought her back to life, and now she was left to fully wake up and ponder over her philosophical thought. Mazaki Tameo and Mazaki Yuki were in the room as Anzu awoke.

Yuki, the spunky six-year-old half-sister of Anzu, was standing on a chair, her blonde hair in pigtails. She squealed excitedly when she saw Anzu's dark brown eyes open.

"Ooo! Ooo! Nei-sa! [1]" she said happily, giving her older sister a big smile. "Anzy!" Tameo leaned forwards, a look of shock and happiness painted into her features.

"Nei-sa..." she said, old tears brimming in her eyes. Anzu smiled weakly, still half-conscious.

"Ohh.... Tameo.... Yuki..." Anzu turned her head to the side, to find herself looking through a bag of some clear medicine that was attached to her arm. She blinked once, then turned again, facing Tameo. Tameo, her sixteen-year-old step-sister, was smiling down at her nei-sa, moving her dark hair out of her eyes.

Anzu smiled wider, to show that she was happy as well. The loud beeping of a machine could be heard in the quiet room, as well as Anzu's soft breathing, enhanced by a machine. Anzu lifted her arm, and gently stroked Tameo's cheek, the hospital bracelet she was wearing getting momentarily caught in her hair. Tameo closed her eyes and put her hand on top of Anzu's.

"Oh, Nei-sa... Anzu.... I was so afraid..." She opened her eyes. "I'm so glad you're not dying." For some reason, this caused Anzu to laugh gently. Tameo was wearing a Domino High uniform, and Anzu could see her bag leaning against the radiator attached to the wall. Yuki was dressed like she normally was.... Like a silly little six-year-old. She crawled onto the bed, sitting cross-legged at the end of the bed.

"Anzy," she said, "Why were you sleepin' for so long? Mama was cryin' an' stuff, because you were still sleepin'. She usually just yells at you for sleepin' a long time. But you musta been really bad, cuz she was so mad she was cryin'. She said that if you didn't wake up soon, she was gonna feel really bad about it. I dunno why; it's your fault you oversleeped." Yuki said this in such a profound way, with her girlish voice and mispronunciations. This just caused both her older nei-sa's to laugh. But Anzu stopped short because she realized what her mother had said to them.

She... Cried... For as long as Anzu could remember, whenever she got into trouble or anything, her mother would yell and send her to her room, or if she got hurt, she would say it's her own fault.

This was her own fault as well.

Anzu sighed deeply and closed her eyes, letting her body relax. Anzu was still in poor health; the air mask was still attached, and the medicine was still flowing into her body. Tameo had reached out and grabbed her hand. Anzu curled her fingers around Tameo's, then released, letting her hand fall to the bed spread. Tameo gasped, her eyes widening.

"Anzu... Nei-sa...." She leaned forward, a look of pleading in her eyes.

Please.... she thought. Anzu opened her eyes again.

"It's alright, Tameo," she said in a hoarse voice. "I'm fine, really. I'm just... Tired. Where's Mama? [2]" Tameo shrugged. Yuki was positively glowing with happiness.

"Yay! Anzy is awake!" she said again and again. She turned to her older nei-sa. "Tameo, how many more minutes until everbody's awake?" Tameo shrugged.

"I don't know.... Jonouchi is still out... And that Ryou kid is still out as well..."

"Really?"

"Mmmm-hmmm."

"Wow. They're parents are gonna be really mad and cry lots when they find out they're still sleepin'." §

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Once you miss it, it's gone.....

Down the hall (and to the right) was a room that no one had visited since the day before. Even longer, actually.

A young man lay, completely still, no one noticing how close to death he lingered. A stained bandage wrapped around his head, an air mask, an HIV tube and another sending medicine into his body... The little wires attached to his chest, marking on an EKG his heart rate...

He wasn't breathing. His breathing had ceased only a few minutes earlier. The green, flickering lines on the EKG screen were only spiking in about ten second intervals. His blonde hair was half covering the bandage, which was stained a crimson color.

The EKG stopped recording. A long, thin, green line was all that was shown on the chart. The boy had been dying. And no one was there to be with him. His arms lying limp beside him, his body unmoving, his skin turning ghostly white. Blood was dripping through his lips, but it was cold and unliving, a disturbing reminder of how the body reacts to death.

No one was there to hear. One had died. No one would follow.

He was alone in his world of solitude. §

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A young man was asleep, half on the bed, half off. His seventeen-year-old son was lying on the bed, nearly comatose, his breathing patterns changing every two minutes as it seems.

Or so they thought. Bakura Aishouka had fallen asleep, his arms beside his head, sleeping. His son lay silently, breathing loudly and harshly, in a near-coma state. At least, he was until the power of the Sennen Ring took over.

Little, innocent Ryou was replaced with Bakura, the spirit that resides in the Sennen Ring.

Bakura's eyes opened slowly, the aura around him growing. He sat up, and stretched his arms. Ryou had been lying in that bed for four days. Not fun.

"Damn," Bakura said to no one. "Wow am I stiff." He looked down at his host's father. He tapped his forehead, the ever-familiar Eye symbol appearing. Aishouka moaned a little, then continued sleeping. Bakura smirked.

"Now at least he won't wake up in the middle of my meeting," he said, looking around the dark room. He crossed his arms and said "You can come out now, you bitch."

"Why, thank you," a voice said from the center of the room. Light shimmered as the body of a young woman appeared out of thin air.

It was Asenath. Or at least... Someone who greatly resembled her. This woman was wearing Asenath's clothes, and looked a lot like her older self, but her eyes were thinner, colder and darker, her hair was longer, and her voice was different, in the sense that it wasn't pleasing to listen to for a long time.

"Ahh," Bakura said. "Meretseger. [3] I thought you would never show up." Asenath/Meretseger shrugged. "Your still in the body of that foolish girl?"

"No, I'm in my own. Remember, she's my Earth form, so we would look very much alike," Asenath/Meretseger explained. "And besides, these clothes are so much easier to work in. Tighter, not as loose." Bakura laughed.

"Well, Meretseger," he started. "I believe that I have the knowledge - and the power - to help you. Since you couldn't help yourself." Meretseger frowned.

"Excuse me?"

"You think I didn't hear all of that shit?" Bakura said, leaning forwards. "I did. I love the excuse you came up with, trying to kill Teanna, what a load of bull that was." Meretseger became even more angry then she was already.

"It wasn't a load of bull, Bakura," she said defiantly, crossing her arms. "Asenath felt very strongly about that bitch, because she got her brother in trouble - big trouble - with the gods. So she wanted to kill her. Easy enough, except for the fact that the bitch died long before she got the chance." Bakura rolled his eyes.

"Well, anyway, you obviously don't know as much as I do. If you wanna interact with these people, you have to know more about their incarnations then.... Well, really anyone at this point," Bakura said thoughtfully. "And..... Why did you cast that spell, anyway?" Meretseger shook her head.

"I didn't cast anything. That girl, Asenath, did. She was trying to save her little brother, mind you. And everyone else," she added. Her eyes settled on Bakura's for a moment. "Aren't you glad she cast that reincarnation spell?" Bakura laughed. "What?"

"Are you nuts?" he said. "That spell is probably the worst spell for me! And yet..." he thought for a moment. "It really helped a lot..." He shrugged. "It doesn't help that that bitch can't cast a spell correctly anyway." Meretseger's face grew confused.

"What?" Bakura nodded.

"She cast it wrong, Meretseger. You see, she only got half the spell right. She reincarnated the way we look correctly, but then.... She mixed up our personalities and now, everyone is different - very different - from their incarnation. They just look the same." Meretseger shook her head, her eyes closed. She laughed a little.

"That's just sad," she said. "Well, then I guess that's not good, huh?"

"Nope. Never has been good, never will be good." Bakura shook his head. "It's really a pity. It would be so much fun if they were the same.... But, oh well, it's still interesting to see where this is leading." His eyes opened. The bore into Meretseger's with venom. Meretseger gulped. Bakura crossed his arms and smiled. "I, however, have been around since the start, so I can testify for everything they've done."

"Oh? How so?"

"I know about everything they've gone through. I could tell you the loads that I know...." He trailed off. Meretseger raised her eyebrows.

"I know where this is going," she said. "You think I don't know about you? I was there, fool, in the past. I've been there through everything... just like you have. And I know you wouldn't do anything, unless you knew why it was good for you." Bakura just glared at her. "What do you want?" Bakura smiled.

"I don't want anything... At least not anything that you could give me right now..." he said. Meretseger looked at him suspiciously, cocking her head.

"I don't-" she started, but Aishouka moaned a little, causing both Bakura and Meretseger to jump.

"He's waking up," Bakura muttered angrily. Meretseger's image began to flicker. She gave a little wave.

"Ta ta, Thief Bakura," she said. "I'll come back later." And then she was gone. Aishouka opened his eyes a little bit, just as Bakura changed back into Ryou. Ryou, who was hurt badly, moaned from the pain in his back that Bakura had caused. Aishouka picked up his head as he saw his son move for the first time in four days.

"Ryou?" he asked excitedly. Ryou's face scrunched up painfully, then relaxed somewhat as he drifted off again.

Bakura smiled evily to himself… Thinking of what he wanted from her…

I don't want anything… he thought…. Except you, my dear… Heh… §

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Yami slumped to the ground, his mind in shock. Teanna stumbled backwards, majorly afraid. And Asenath just stared, too much in shock to do much else.

"Oh... My God," Teanna whispered. "We're... In Imenet..." Yami shook his head vigorously. He stared ahead still, not really focusing.

"This is impossible," he muttered. He turned to Teanna. She shrugged. Asenath turned back to them. She had a terrified look on her face.

"Brother.... Teanna..." she gulped. "I think.... I think the gods want us to go to Imenet." Teanna nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, I think she's right." Yami closed his eyes and fell onto his back, his arms spread beside his head. Teanna just looked down at him.

"Are you alright?" she asked. Yami shook his head.

"No I'm not." Asenath slid to her knees, her skirt billowing up beside her.

"How ironic is it, that for three thousand years, the three of us - and others - have only wanted to cross over to Imenet, and now, when we're practically at the gates, we want to turn back," Asenath said thoughtfully.

"Don't remind me," Yami said, putting his arm into the air. It flopped back down beside him.

"This is really screwed up," Teanna said. "I want to go.... I just.... Can't...." Asenath looked around worriedly.

"If we don't move soon, a guard'll come and force us," she explained. "He'll either welcome us or force  us away. Once we've been forced away, we can't go back."

"Damn," Teanna muttered.

"We have to get back to Yugi-tachi," Asenath said.

"Aibou?" Yami said, picking up his head a little ways. Asenath nodded. "Why?"

"Because," Asenath said. "I have the feeling that... Meretseger is out there... Still..." Asenath looked at the tiled pathway. That's when she noticed a piece of parchment sticking out of one of the tiles. Teanna noticed it, too. She reached out and pulled, causing it to come loose.

"What's this?" she said, unrolling it. Yami sat up, reading it over her shoulder. Teanna's eyes went wide.

"What? What is it?" Asenath asked hurriedly. Teanna just shook her head.

"You're never gonna believe this," she said.

"What?" Teanna held it closer to herself, so Yami could no longer read over her shoulder.

"It's some kind of.... Story," she said. Asenath blinked, confused.

"A story?" Yami asked.

"Yes. A story. It's a story about the three of us. Listen to this:

'Princess Asenath-- Priestess Sennaniakah-- Pharaoh Atem-- [4]

Three visitors to a place where they have wished to enter for three thousand years. However, they are not allowed to enter-'

"What?" Both Yami and Asenath said together. Teanna shushed them and continued reading.

'-because of improper conduct.... And the events of their pasts. Ergo, they must return to wherever they have been, for it is certain that wherever they were before is their most needed place. A soul needs them; for they have been denied entry here until this has been finished. When all of the souls that they can complete and replenish are done with the former, they can return here, and a grand celebration will be held for the grandest of days that never came in the lives of two souls.' " Teanna looked up from it.

"What was that about?" Asenath asked. Teanna shrugged. Yami took it from her and read it again.

"I wonder what they could be.... OH!" she said suddenly. Yami looked at her. She turned to him.

"I think I know! I think they listened to me!"

"What?" Yami and Asenath asked again. "Listened how?" Teanna blushed slightly and said (more to the ground)

"When I was dying, I prayed to the gods that we - you and I - could, well.... Have the grand wedding we were planning. Only in Imenet." Yami stared at her.

"You did?"

"Yes. I think.... I think they may have listened," she said timidly. Yami gave her a tiny smile.

"Oh.... Teanna..." Teanna looked up, tears glittering in her eyes. Asenath had a very confused look on her face.

"You two were planning a wedding?" she said. "When?"

"Soon," Yami explained. "It's just that, well.... After Zvallah was born, she was captured and.... killed." Suddenly, both Yami and Teanna exploded with "ZVALLAH!"

"That's who was calling me!" Yami exclaimed. He clapped his hands once, excitedly.

"What?" Asenath asked.

"When we woke up, I could have sworn I heard someone calling me from.... Well, from inside what seemed like a cell of some kind," he explained. "I think it may have been Zvallah!"

"He's trapped with you inside the Card, isn't he?" Teanna asked. Asenath shook her head no.

"He's not anymore. When I was released, so was he. We're both free." She looked from one to the other.

"So... Where is he, then?" Teanna asked, somewhat afraid. Asenath shrugged.

"I don't know. He and I switched cells, so he was supposed to be here, and I would be.... Oh my God," she said suddenly as something occurred to her. "I think he's in Domino!"

"What?"

"How?"

"I don't know!" Asenath whimpered, standing up. The sun was high in the sky now. "But he is, I know it! That's where I was supposed to be! But I'm not! I'm standing here, talking to you two! Which means...." Asenath turned to face the rising sun. "Which means... That Zvallah is gonna keep our promise. He's gonna find a way back here... Or find a way to get us wherever he is." §

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Arya swung her legs as she stared at the floor, her cheeks red. Yugi was sitting cross-legged on the floor across from her, also staring at the plush carpet. Maho was in his office, speaking to someone in English. It was the next day; after Arya had screamed, she had collapsed in a dead faint, and Yugi left, knowing his mother would be worried sick about him. She was.

She forbade him to leave the apartment, but he did. He snuck out that morning to Isis's office. He was still wearing his pajamas, a jacket casually thrown over his shoulders, his shoes slipped on.

Maho came into the office.

"There," he said. "All done." He leaned against Isis's desk, and crossed his arms over his chest. Yugi and Arya both looked up at Maho, avoiding eye contact. Maho shook his head.

"Well," he started. "I suppose you wanna know our side of the story, ne?" Yugi nodded slowly. Arya looked away. She turned back to her brother, an angry look on her face.

"Why do we hafta tell him?" she said. "Does he need to know?" Maho glared at her, making her shrink back.

"Yes, he does," Maho said, Arya turning away from him. She leaned against a tall cabinet, one that was placed beside the shorter one she was sitting on. She closed her eyes, tears starting in them. She hated her past, and wished to forget it. Yugi looked at Maho, confused.

"Nevermind her," Maho said, waving his hand. "Anyway...."

"Why is she so against this?" Yugi asked timidly. Arya sighed. Maho looked at the floor, then at Yugi.

"Well... A long time ago, when Arya was born, my mother became very, very sick. She was in a wheelchair for the rest of her life after that point in time." He looked over at Arya. She was trying to make herself as small as possible. Maho turned back to Yugi.

"Our mother died six years ago, when Arya was ten. She had already been in the hospital for nearly two years at that time. I was in a school abroad, and Arya was at a boarding school. When we found out about her death, Arya..." he looked straight at her. She had opened her eyes, and was listening. Maho looked at Arya with pity in his eyes, and Yugi couldn't figure out why.

"...Arya had gone into an unhealthy state of shock. Her heart doesn't pump hard or fast enough for her to be extremely emotional, which is why she doesn't get too too emotional often. That's what happened yesterday, when she fainted; you saw how she began to hyperventilate and sweat like that. Her heart.... nearly stopped." With a faint trace of amusement, he added "I used to wonder what would happen if she ever fell in love with someone." He turned back to Yugi. Yugi nodded.

"Our father kind of... well... went off the deep end," he said slowly and somehwat painfully. "He was 'insane with grief', according to the doctors. But I knew what was happening. It was just like.... She said it would be like...." He looked over at Arya again, who was now looking back.

"Who said?" Yugi asked, confused.

"I did," Arya said, standing up. She took a few steps forwards, her skirt swaying. "Well, not me personally...."

"Some kind of spirit took her body over for a moment... According to this person, she had been 'channeled.....' "

"Who was it?" Yugi asked, extremely interested in the story. Arya looked at the floor.

"Well.... I don't know for sure, but.... I'm pretty sure it was... My incarnation..." she said slowly, finally looking up at Yugi. Yugi was taken aback. He hadn't even known that she was aware of having an incarnation.

"You know....?" he started. Maho nodded.

"Yep. We knew; we just had no idea what it was all about 'til I met Isis two years ago...." Maho put his palms down on the desk and stared up at the ceiling, stretching out his back in the process. "That was one really strange day...."

"What did Mana say?" Yugi asked, leaning forward. Maho shrugged.

"Something about 'sacrifices'.... I remember, it was something like the only way we could attain our 'infinite power was for our two human sacrifices' to, well... sacrifice themselves."

"And those sacrifices were your parents, right?" Yugi asked, his voice getting sadder as he spoke. Neither Maho nor Arya answered. Arya sniffled a little, and wiped her eyes with her arm. She was crying. Yet, she did continue with their story.

"Our father died in an accident about two years later," she said softly. She looked at Yugi with her sad, blue eyes. "At first, I didn't believe what Mana had said. But when that happened...."

"His last words were 'Find the meaning of sacrifice....' " Maho said, looking back down at them. " 'Find the meaning of sacrifice and find your place in your past.' " He turned to Yugi directly. "The doctor's blamed his insanity, but he was as sane as he had been for most of my life at that time. He wasn't crazy; he was just.... right." Both Maho and Arya remained quiet. Yugi began to process this information, and realized why Arya hated all of this.

"So... You were orphaned because of the Sennen Items..." Yugi said slowly. Maho nodded and Arya stamped her foot.

"It's not fair!" she yelled, her hands balling into fists. "If it weren't for these fucking Items…."

"Arya! That's enough!" Maho said, standing up. Usually, Maho was a very nice, very calm, soft-spoken man. But when he was angry… Arya gulped. Maho ran over to her and grabbed her shoulders tightly.

"Arya," he said softly. "Get a hold of yourself. You don't want to hurt yourself more then you already have…" Arya sniffed, then leaned forward, leaning on her brother's chest.

"Maho…. I'm sorry," she whispered, and closed her eyes. Maho held her tightly.

"We gotta be careful with your condition, Arya," he said softly to her. "I don't want to lose you…" Yugi stood up and walked over. He saw that Maho was hugging Arya tightly, and her face was buried in his shirt. That's also when Yugi noticed Arya's arms limply falling to her sides. She had lost consciousness.

Maho just held her, trying to keep her forever. Yugi knew recognized this feeling; his mother had the same one about him….

"I think I'd better go…" Yugi said softly. He turned to Maho. "Thanks for telling me…" Maho didn't reply. Yugi left the office, walking slowly down the vacated hallways. Maho turned slightly, letting Arya use his arm as a pillow. She was breathing slowly, as if she were asleep. She would wake up in a few minutes.

Maho could tell that Arya was ready to explode. She was furious; Maho knew he was taking a chance with her when he told that story. When he realized that Yugi had left, he remembered what Yugi had said…. He had said 'Thanks for telling me…..'

"We couldn't do much else, Pharaoh," Maho whispered, still holding Arya gingerly. "We couldn't do much else…" A bright, colorful light appeared before him, and a young man was standing before them. Maho knelt down on the floor, hugging Arya tightly. He looked up when he saw the man.

"Zvallah…." Maho said, smiling. The eighteen-year-old prince stood before Maho, hands shoved in his pockets. He smiled warmly down at Maho. Maho surveyed him, really noticing how much he resembled both his mother and father….

Zvallah's dark brown hair reached his shoulders, and it was pulled back, his slightly spiked bangs falling in front of his eyes. His lanky body made him have pretty bad posture, posture much like his father had shown. He was very tall, and thin, with a semi-thin face and crimson colored eyes. They were pointed and kind of malicious looking, except that they were filled with light. His face… His posture… his regal manner…. Reminded Maho so much of the former Pharaoh…. Zvallah smiled even bigger.

"Well, Maho… Has he figured anything out yet….?" Maho shook his head.

"I'm sorry, Prince-sama, he hasn't. I don't think he knows where your mother and father are." Zvallah's face fell.

"Oh, really? Are you sure?"

"Yes, Prince-sama." Zvallah looked at the floor, then at Arya, then the door. He crossed his arms over his chest, the cartouche hanging around his neck glinting in the lights from the back of the room. He sighed and closed his eyes. Maho looked genuinely sorry.

"Didn't you ask Come?" Zvallah nodded.

"Come isn't the person I was looking for…" he said sullenly. Maho looked surprised.

"Ah, well…. I'm sorry, Zvallah…" Zvallah smiled.

"It's okay, because I think I know who I'm supposed to ask now…" And with that, Zvallah disappeared in a flash of colored light.

~*Footnotes*~

[1] Nei-sa: pronounced NAY-sah… means "sister" in Japanese

[2] Mama: means "mom" or "mommy" in Japanese…

[3]Meretseger: ancient Egyptian goddess. The protector of the Valley of the Kings. Her name means "She who loves silence."

[4] Pharaoh Atem: YAMIS REAL NAME!!!!!!!! *spazzes*

~*End Footnotes*~

WEEEEEEEE!!!!!!

Reviewz:

Yugiohchix2008: sorry, jess, but yami and teanna never did get married… they did have a kid tho… and they're gonna get married later on….^_^. And do more… stuff….*winks suggestively*

Black Mistress: ::smile:: ur a spaz, you know that? well actually, missy, you knew that already, so.... hehe tis okay. So... i know you like the fluffiness, glad ya do!

YumeTakato: I know. sometimes it screws up my test as well.... ::DAMNYOUCOMPIE!!!::

YoSta: I LUV SWITCHFOOT! ::glomp::

*smile* thanks SO MUCH for the luv! Awwww… im listening to "Hold On" by Good Charlotte… please review!!

Shibby-One