Hey guys! I'm still alive!

(gets evil glares from unhappy readers) At least, for now… ^_^()

Well, this is the first update in 6 or seven months, it's 1-11-04, and this story was officially one year old as of Christmas Eve! (Cheers)

Here we go! The next chapter of CCG!

~*~

Jericho woke up with a dull headache. Gabriela was laying beside her, slowly coming around. Suddenly Gabriela's eyes snapped open.

"Where are we?" She asked Jeri. The room they were in was totally dark. Jericho sensed a presence.

"Yes, where are we, and who are you?" She pointed in a direction and a dim light shown on a figure. A blonde figure robed in white, sitting on what looked like a thrown.

"You're awake. I know your heads hurt right now, but I assure you you'll be okay. You're safe here. The Pharaoh's monsters wouldn't think to look for you here."

"You still haven't answered my question." Jeri wasn't sure she should trust this person.

"My name is Daphne. I'm like you, Jericho." The lights slowly started getting brighter until they could see the entire room they were in. It looked like a thrown room in an ancient palace, minus all the people. "I was captured in a Millinium Beast." She fingered the Crocodile around her waist. "The Pharaoh is after my powers, just like he is after yours." Her ice blue eyes flashed in a very convincing, trust worthy, face.

"He's after our powers… The Punished Eagle!" Gabriela whispered.

"I can't defend you for long," Daphne sighed. "My powers aren't strong enough alone." She pointed at Gabriela. "Eventually he will find us, and try to injure us the only way he really can." She looked at Jericho. "Of course, if we were to combine our powers, protection from the Pharaoh would be limitless. We could even attack him if we like. But you'd better hurry and make up your mind, my powers alone are weakening."

"How do we know we can trust you?" Jericho's eyes turned slitish. "How do we know you aren't with the Pharaoh?"

"Do you honestly think I'd be wasting my powers trying to protect you and hide your sorry carcass of a hikari if I worked with that puny little wanna-be whipping boy? I think not! I have better things to do with my time and energy!" she took a deep breath. "But, on a happier note, just to make sure we can trust each other, I'll do you a favor. You don't have to let me blend my powers with yours, so long as you let me unblock all your memories. It will give you back all your powers and your feelings."

"And what do you get from such an amazing feat, Daphne?" Jericho stood in front of Gabriela, not certain she could trust this woman.

"Just temporary use of your powers. It's part of the releasing process. It's so temporary, It wouldn't even last an hour. You'd gat all your memories back, no headaches or anything."

"How did you know about my headaches?"

"Jeri, Jeri… Sweet simple Jeri. Every single one of us has our headaches for certain reasons. Yours just happen to be tied to your memories. So… Do we have a deal? Temporary access to your powers, for the unblocking of all the Cat holds within? Surely you want revenge on the Pharaoh for humiliating you all that time ago? Taking your best friend hostage to use against you?"

Jericho looked behind her. Gabriela wanted to do this, she had a right. She was almost destroyed because of the Pharaoh's wanting her powers. And if she unblocked her memories, maybe she could remember why she hadn't left the palace and why Tori was against her revenge.

"Daphne! I accept your proposal!" Jericho called out.

"Good! Now, Bring the Cat here! Let the unblocking begin!" Jeri held the Cat up over her head with both hands.

"Now, let revenge be… MINE!" Daphne reached her hands towards the cat, and when she couldn't reach anymore, two energy arms continued growing from her arms, with long claw-like fingers.

The Cat glowed and advanced towards Daphne of it's own accord, floating away from Jericho.

"And now, for the most devastating blow!! See, Jericho! See the past of what you once loved! And know the future! I will destroy the Pharaoh… AND I WILL BE ETERNALLY QUEEN!!"

Jericho screamed. It felt like her whole body was being ripped down the middle. Gabriela ran after the Cat. "You Swore, Daphne! You can't steal the Cat! I won't let you!" Then, vines wrapped around the girl and pulled her back, covering her mouth and wrapping her too tightly almost to breathe.

"Hold her tightly, Dark World Thorns! I wouldn't want her taking this trinket back, at least, not until I drain it of all the power I need!" She turned to Jericho, who was frozen in an energy that was rising up like lightening and face twisted in agony. "And I'm not breaking my promise, the powers are temporary, but by the time you get them back, Jericho, it will be too late!"

"Too late?… Too late for what?…" Jericho ground out, refusing to scream even in the pain she was in.

"See, this is the delicious part… watching you find out!" She stepped down and walked to Jericho and placed one hand on her forehead. In the other hand, she held the Cat. "See, Jericho. We'll have revenge… but now you're going to regret it! See the and know all! And know that you helped destroy it!"

Jericho screamed in distress before she went limp, her eyes wide and vacant as her memories, all her memories came flooding back like water bursting from a dam.

"N-no… It can't be…"

"Ha-Ha! The look on your face! Utter defeat! Oh, what a joy to finally she you fall! To see you crumble at the height of your pride!" She looked at her wrist, pretending there was a clock there, "Oh, my how time does fly when you're having fun!" She tossed the Cat down to Jeri's feet, "Here, you can have this hunk of junk back. I don't need it anymore! I've got 48 hours before my powers drop back, so I'll just see you girls out! Punished Eagle! Drop these two filthy rats back in the sewer they crawled out of! I have to see a man about some Goddesses!"

Jericho didn't fight, but stood there brokenly with the Cat in her hands as the Eagle picked her and the unconscious form of Gabriela up off the ground.

~*~*~

Yami was surveying the scene and thinking out his options. "Tori, who summoned that Eagle? And why are they after Gabriela?" It seemed more like an order than a question.

Tori answered very quietly. "I'm not entirely sure. And as for the reason she took Gabriela… I think you know, you just haven't totally remembered yet."

"Why do you keep answering my questions with riddles, Tori?" Yami was loosing his patience. "If you know, and Gabriela could be in danger, you do know her safety is on your head, right?"

"Yes, I know. And I also know that if you really thought about it, really tried to remember, you could."

"You said, 'she'. Is it someone with an item?"

"I'm sorry, Pharaoh, but I was given strict orders by my master not to give you any answers. You have to find them for yourself."

"Then who is your master?"

"I suppose… It should be alright." She took a deep breath, "You would know him as Shadi."

"Shadi?" Yami looked at the two people who had been with Gabriela.

"Did the Eagle say anything about who sent it?" Yami asked urgently.

Callie answered, "Not really… Something about being sent and 'the Eagle has landed', but I couldn't really understand."

"And you?" Yami looked at Anubis.

"I'd have to agree with Callie. He didn't say much but the usual villainous bad puns."

"Yug, I really don't think we'll have to worry about Gabriela. Something tells me she can take care of herself." Joey put a hand on his friend's shoulder.

"Thanks, Joey, but I don't think this is just about Gabriela, is it, Tori?" Tori looked away.

"I told you, remember? I can't give you answers." She looked down. "I wish I could, though. It would've saved Jeri a lot of heartache."

"Look, guys! Up there!" Tea pointed to a blue speck in the sky that darted down at one of the buildings. "I think that's Punished Eagle!"

"Thank you, Captain Obvious…" muttered Callie. Anubis playfully smacked her in the head.

"Be nice. She's a cheerleader after all."

"Yah, you think she'd be used to it…" Callie said, ducking another whack.

The Blue dot became a bird that landed on a nearby building, then took off again, this time much faster, as if it were weighted down before.

Tori ran to the building and began climbing stairs, with the rest of the gang in hot pursuit.

"Jeez! For one night, we sure are doing a lot of running! You'd think we were in another tournament or sometin'." Joey remarked to Tristan.

~*~*~

Ami and Ryou had been running for a while now. He looked like he was fighting with himself.

"Ryou! Where are we going? I'm getting a little tired!" He blinked, as if realizing he was holding her arm. He stopped and dropped her arm.

She looked around. "The dock?" She looked at Ryou's face, "What's going on, Ryou? First we see that weird vision, and now it's like you want to get out of the country."

"I'm sorry, Ami. I don't know what happened. I think that the people we saw in our vision were the past forms of us. Something just took over and I started running."

"Its this stupid bracelet! Help me get it off! I don't want it anymore!" She began tugging at her arm.

Ryou grabbed her shoulders and shook her. "Calm down, Ami. It's okay. You just have to learn to control it. That's something I had to learn too." He pulled the Ring out of his shirt. "I know it's hard, and what ever is inside the Cobra seems stronger than you, but you have to try to overcome it."

Then a blue bird flew overhead. "What in the name of all that is good…" Ami followed it with her eyes.

"I think… Ami, I think we should follow it." Ryou looked at her questioningly.

Ami sighed. "Why not. We already ran halfway across the city, so what's the rest of the way?"

~*~*~

Jeri stared at the sky. "No… It's not true… All of it's…a lie?" The Eagle had dropped her unceremoniously and flew away to his master.

Gabriela was starting to come around and crawled over to Jericho. "Where's the Cat?" She whispered. Jeri glanced down at her hand where the Cat lay, then looked back up at the sky.

"I can't believe I got you mixed up in all of this, Gabriela. I'm sorry." She looked like she was ready to crawl in a hole and die.

"You didn't get me mixed up in anything. What's wrong anyway, Jericho? What do you remember? Is it really that aweful?"

"Gabriela? I know what Daphne plans to do. We have to stop her. Without anyone else. I won't let the others get in trouble for my stupid mistake."

"Okay, but I think you need to tell me… you know… everything."

"You're right… The truth is… "

"Jeri? Are you serious?"

"Gabriela, this is my responsibility. I have to fix this."

"Jericho, it's my responsibility too. It's not like you'd have been able to even use your powers without me."

Jericho turned to the moon. "Okay. We'll work together. But then, we forget this ever happened, okay?"

"Jeri! How can you pretend that you don't know? Are you going to run away from them? Because, eventually they are all going to remember, you know."

"Don't remind me." Jeri pulled out the card, Kurama. "Let's fly out of here."

"If we have to. I think I've had enough flying for one day."

~*~*~

Safira reached the roof first, to see Jericho and Gabriela's retreating figures on the back of a large bird monster.

Tori came up behind her. "She remembers." she muttered. "I'm sure she remembered."

~*~

Well, until next time, R and R, plz!

P.S. I have a side story! The Millinium of the Beasts! And if you want a special one year birthday surprise for this story, send me your email and you'll get a picture of two of my original characters!