Authors' Note: Sorry for the extra spacing...Word & FrontPage are being stupid this morning...Anyway, enjoy!

Chapter 23

"Dreams, part 2: Life fit for a king"

When Yugi got home that afternoon, he found Tsuki waiting for him up in the living room, reading. She put the book down when she heard him enter and motioned for him to sit beside her. "Hi Yugi."

"Hey Tsuki. How are you?" he asked politely, laying his backpack down by the front door.

"I'm okay," she said, "But Dedi is…upset at Yami. She asked me to come here and talk to you about it."

The young Moto's eyes widened, "I haven't been able to talk to him all morning. I thought he was with Dedi."

"Huh? Oh no," Tsuki shook her head, "He was supposed to visit her last night, but he never showed up. Dedi wanted him to read her some scripture from Shadi's book, to find out more about her past," she explained, wringing her hands nervously.

"The last time I saw him, he was asleep on my bed. Then I looked back and Yami had disappeared," Yugi told her worriedly, starting the long trek up the stairs to his bedroom, "I thought he went into the Puzzle or something."

"Can't you usually talk to him through the puzzle?" Tsuki asked, getting up from the couch and following after him.

"Yeah, but there's nothing there," The boy opened the door to his room, looking around.

"Look –" Tsuki said, pointing at the bed. Yami's spirit form was still there, apparently still sleeping, "Wow, I guess he was really tired…"

Yugi Moto sighed and walked over to his friend, "Hey Yami- Ouch!" The young duelist pulled his hand back, a small burn mark beginning to form on several of his fingers. When he had tried to touch his sleeping friend, black energy had prevented him from making contact.

"Are you okay??" Tsuki asked worriedly, taking his hand in hers, "What happened?"

"I-I don't really know. I couldn't even get close to him," he looked at Tsuki (now aware that she was holding his hand), confused, "But I bet Dedi will know."

Tsuki nodded and closed her eyes, becoming the Queen of Egypt quickly. "Stay back for a minute, Yugi," she said, pushing him gently behind her as she drew the Scale out of Tsuki's backpack. With a small cry, she released a blast of golden energy at her husband. The black energy that had burned Yugi was now visible in its full form, as a tinted, crackling dome over the Pharaoh, that repelled Dedi's blast only too quickly. She turned her back on it, shielding the teen with her body as the golden light hit her straight on.

She stood up straight, her back slightly smoking, and glanced over at Yami. "That's dark magic, Yugi," she said, "And I'm not strong enough to penetrate it."

Yugi exhaled deeply, fear for his best friend and guardian slowly filling him, "What else could possibly go wrong?" he wondered aloud. Without Yami's strength and guidance, there wasn't much of a chance that they'd be able to defeat Seline and her minions, 'And I can't even sleep in my own bed anymore…'

Sensing his concern, Dedi wrapped one arm around his shoulders. "Now, I said I'm not strong enough. But someone else might be…"

* * *

"Papa, will you take me out to the marketplace today?" Chaldea was seated on her parents' bed, watching as the two of them dressed, "I wanna see the peoples!"

Yami looked at Dedi, unsure of what to do. They (whoever these people around him really were) may have believed him to still be the mighty leader he once was, but the book of scripture Shadi had given him spoke very little of daily life, and this was completely uncharted territory.

"I think we could fit it into our schedule," the Queen said with a smile, fitting her golden tiara on her forehead as a finishing touch. She then turned and scooped the little girl into her arms, "Maybe we'll find something pretty for you to wear at tonight's feast!"

Chaldea's eyes brightened, "Can I stay up to watch the Magi, Mama? Can I? Please?"

"We'll see about that," Dedi told her, "Maybe if you're very good."

"Papa," Chaldea turned towards her father, "Can I?"

The Pharaoh shifted uncomfortably, "I believe your mother knows what's best for you," he told her evasively.

"Oh, okay…" she said, pouting. Dedi set her on the floor and the child took hold of her mother's left and hand her father's right. Then she led them out of the room.

The King of Egypt took a keen eye to each hallway. If he was stuck in this illusory realm, he had to learn his way around. They reached what had to be the ground floor and entered a large banquet hall with an elegant wooden table in the center. And sitting towards the far end, was a dark woman with soft brown hair…and Barak.

The white-haired man stood as the three approached, but touched the woman's shoulder, stopping her attempt to rise as well, "My Pharaoh," he said, inclining his head slightly.

Yami's eyes widened. What in the name of the gods was going on?? "Barak…" he said slowly, "My brother…"

"As I always have been," the white-haired man said, amused, "Tola and I have been waiting for you before we broke fast."

"Oh, you didn't have to do that," Dedi said sincerely, "Tola – you need your nourishment, especially now."

The woman still seated at the table smiled, "I appreciate your concern, Dedi, but I'm fine. Really." She placed a hand on her swelling abdomen, "This baby's not coming for a while yet."

Barak sat down once again, now joined at the table by the three of the ruling family. Yami was the last to sit, eyeing the thief warily. There was a reason that his older, half-brother was locked up inside the Millennium Ring. The ancient cat burglar, according to the scriptures, had attempted to force his way onto the throne by murdering Yami and his pregnant wife in their sleep. The ensuing Millennium battle turned out to be Barak's final mistake of his life and his banishment into his own Millennium Item. That would have been several years ago now; what had happened? Had anything happened at all?

The woman, Tola (who was obviously Barak's wife), eyed Yami curiously, "Are you alright, my Pharaoh? You seem rather distracted this morning."

"I don't think he's quite awake yet," Dedi said with a laugh.

"It was a very odd night," the king said quietly, looking at the marvelous feast set before him.

Dedi put one hand over her husband's tenderly. "Maybe a trip to the marketplace isn't such a bad idea. The fresh air will do you good. You've been cooped up in here for too many days now."

"Waste of time, Dedi," Barak said shortly, "I spent my life in the marketplace. There's nothing to see but thieves and killers, with the poor mixed in between them."

"Barak, please!" Dedi said, covering Chaldea's ears with her hands, "We don't need your type of advice at breakfast."

"I never though the marketplace was that bad," Tola said thoughtfully, "It's where we met, after all," she added, giving him a shy smile.

Barak, however, was obviously focused on the last comment. His voice was quiet, a deadly calm, "What do you mean by that, my Queen?"

"I mean that my daughter doesn't need to hear about thieves and killers at her age," Dedi said, trying to hold her temper, "You're going to be a father yourself soon – you should learn how to behave around children."

Chaldea had slid off of her seat, bored by the adult's conversation and was eating a piece of fruit over by a window overlooking the palace gardens.

The Pharaoh's brother smiled slightly, "Your daughter likes me well enough. Isn't that right, Chaldea?" he called over to the little girl.

Yami was glad the tension had passed. He had far too much on his mind to be worrying about the disagreements of illusions (they had to be!).

The little princess turned and skipped back over to the table, putting her sticky hands on her uncle's pant leg, "Yes, Uncle Barak – I like you. I like you best when you're not angry."

"I'm not angry," he told her, patting her on the head, "Your mother and I were merely voicing a difference in opinions."

"Oh…well, that's okay then," she said, crawling up into his lap and planting a quick kiss on his cheek.

The Pharaoh continued to watch curiously. This was a far different Barak from the one that existed in his time. Something had changed him in this fantasy. It must have been Tola; someone had finally shown Barak love and compassion, and it turned out to be for the best. It made Yami a little sad to think of the present, where his half-brother was now a captive of Seline, through his own selfish actions.

Dedi shook her head, smiling, then glanced over at her husband, "You haven't touched your food," she noted, "Aren't you hungry?"

Yes, somewhat. But if there was one thing he didn't feel like doing now, it was eating, "Not really," he told her, perhaps sounding a bit more detached than he had meant to.

She reached up and felt his forehead again, "You must be coming down with something," she said worriedly, "These are all you favorites."

"I feel fine, just not hungry."

"By the way, baby brother," Barak said, raising an eyebrow and fingering his Millennium Item slowly, "Where is your precious Puzzle this morning? You seem to have forgotten it."

Yami stood, thankful for an excuse to leave the table, "So it would seem," he turned and walked towards the door.

"You do remember how to get back to our room, don't you?" Dedi teased.

He froze, wondering if she suspected something. Quickly, Yami formulated a plan in his head. He'd just need a little help, "No, I don't think I do," he said, turning about face and smiling at his daughter, "Could you help daddy, Chaldea?"

"Yes!" she chirped, hopping off Barak's lap and running to take her father's hand, waving back at the table, "Don't worry Mama, I'll take care of him."

"I put my complete trust in you," the Queen said with a gracious nod.

"Come on, Papa," Chaldea said, leading Yami back out the door, "I'll show you the way."

He smiled at the little girl, "Thank you," The King of Egypt let her lead him out of the room, bending down just slightly so their hands could connect more easily.

They walked in silence for a while, then the little girl glanced up at him and said, "I love you, Papa."

Yami started abruptly, having been absorbed by the vastness of his dwelling, "Thank you," he responded politely, "I love you as well." For the little time he had known her now, these words were partially true. She was, in theory, his daughter. But this was still all just an illusion… wasn't it?

She beamed at him as they reached the large doors of the royal bedchamber. "Here it is!" she said, pointing.

The Pharaoh watched his excited daughter hop and skip into the room, full of life and energy, "Thank you…" he whispered quietly.

* * *

"Mistress," Basil said quietly, watching the largest security screen, "Which spell did you use? I have never seen that one before." Surrounded by a green, glowing light, the biggest monitor displayed a sleeping Pharaoh. The man's friends had come and gone. The black magic had prevented the holder of the Millennium Scale from interfering only a few minutes before, much to the delight of Ms. Chrysogonus.

"That was a bit of magic I had kept for emergencies only," Seline said, sitting before the screen. She snapped her fingers and the image on the glowing screen changed, showing the Pharaoh placing the Millennium Puzzle around his neck while a small girl watched. "This is a variation of my ancestor's magic. When they performed that spell, the victim was locked within their nightmares. But I know that the Pharaoh would find a way to break out of that. So instead, I placed him in his most perfect dream: the life he never got to have while he was alive. Even if he realizes what's happened, he won't want to break free."

"Brilliant, Mistress," Basil told her, quite amazed.

Chalie looked up from his spell book he had been reading, "This will make the Gauntlet that much easier. Not that we need anymore help…" he trailed off, staring at the God card now sitting in front of him.

"It never hurts to make extra precautions," Seline shrugged.

"Indeed."