Prologue

The wondrous voices of the singers and musicians brought everyone in the room at peace, as their voices were carried across the room, bouncing off the walls and echoing lightly. The Pharaoh was really enjoying this new form of entertainment, and he couldn't stop the smile from appearing on his face as the singers spoke of lands beyond the eternal sands he was so used to. He had never known that mere music could make one feel so calm, and peaceful.

When the music finally came to its inevitable end, the Pharaoh rose and applauded for them, and it was shortly followed by everyone else's applause in the room. Both singers and musicians bowed in front of the Pharaoh, each looking sated and relaxed as if just given the grandest meal in their whole lives.

"You may rise," the Pharaoh said, and they arose calmly, smoothing out the wrinkles in their clothes for a moment. "You truly are as gifted as you were rumored to be."

The lead-singer gave a graceful half-bow, smiling softly, before rising and saying: "I'm glad you approve of our talents, oh Pharaoh, but it's not really all that special."

The Pharaoh chuckled a little, then said: "Maybe to yourself, but to those not used to your voices, it truly is a magnificent performance."

The indigo-haired Pharaoh didn't miss the slight blush forming on one of the younger musicians' cheeks. She seemed to be one of those girls who have no problems standing on stage, but can't stand to talk to someone face-to-face. Noticing the Pharaoh looking at her, she quickly took a step back to stand behind another of the musicians.

A small smile formed; she really was shy, now wasn't she? He turned to the lead-singer again, and beckoned him to come closer for a moment. Obeying without second thought, the man approached the Pharaoh, but made absolutely sure not to get too close to invade his personal space.

"It would be an honor if you and your friends would be able to stay here for dinner," the Pharaoh said. "It's not every day we have such wonderful entertainers in the Palace."

The lead-singer smiled, and bowed once more, saying: "Pharaoh, it would more than likely be an honor for us, but we gladly accept your invitation."

Another smile grazed the Pharaoh's face, but at the same time, one musician was shaking like a leaf in fear.

As the singers and musicians prepared their best clothes, one of the musicians headed for another room of his fellow musician. He knocked on the door, asking if she was decent. After getting a positive reaction, he carefully slipped inside.

"Are you all right?" he asked her.

She turned from the mirror, looking fearful again, and still shaking like there was no tomorrow. While she was dressed in the clothes she always wore to dinners, her face is void of the make-up usually present there. She never used much, but when she didn't use it, it showed, very much so. But in his opinion, she was far more beautiful without the make-up.

"Do… do I look okay?" she asked, standing to show the clothes she was wearing.

He narrowed his eyes in thought, then made a motion with his finger to make her turn around. She obeyed, and then faced him again when completing the circle. He smiled at her and gave her a calm thumbs-up.

"Perfect!"

"Are… are you sure?" she asked shyly, tugging on the thin collar of her dress. "I mean… what… what if…"

"Stop fussing already," he said calmly, moving over to place a hand on her shoulder. "You look fine, don't worry."

"B-but…"

"Ojy…"

Silence.

She looked up with fearful eyes, as he just stood there for some time.

"You. Look. Fine. Now quit fussing and let's do something about your hair!" he said, holding up a few strands of her multi-colored hair. "In case you forgot, we're guests of the Pharaoh, so we gotta look our best!"

That statement made her shake once again.

"I did not forget, Mebus. But I really wish I could…"

Rolling his eyes, he gently led her to one of the chairs, picking up a brush as he went. He knew this was going to be a long night.

"Ojy, Mebus, there you are!" their friend called out as they approached.

"Sorry, Obena," Mebus said with a small smile. "We're all ready now."

Obena nodded simply and turned on his heel, going to check if everyone was present. Allowing his gaze to roam over the group, he mentally counted each head he saw, having no problems with that.

Once everyone was accounted for, Obena nodded and said: "Right then, let's go. I don't know about you, but I, for one, am starving!"

Several chuckles sounded through the room, but Ojy did not join. Mebus gently wrapped an arm around her shoulders, rubbing her upper-arm to calm her ever so slightly.

"It. Will. Be. Fine," he said, making sure to emphasize each word. "So, stop. Fussing."

Steadily, the group moved on down the hallway, heading for the large dining-hall where the Pharaoh was most likely expecting them. Ojy tried to calm herself, trying to even her breathing, but it was no use. She was just too tense.

"Nervous?" a younger, rather squeaky, though not horribly so, voice asked her.

Ojy looked down into the eyes of one of the younger musicians, who was also on vocals. She looked up at her multi-color haired friend, noting the irises shaking almost enough to knock them from her eyes.

"Come on, it's nothing serious!" she said to her friend, patting her friend's shoulder gently. "It's just a simple dinner. Nothing to worry about."

But the older girl just couldn't find it in herself to calm, as she just kept shaking violently. All her muscles were tense, and unable to relax like she oh so desperately wanted them to. It was just impossible to calm herself. Her friend frowned slightly, then reached over, and gave her a quick hug, reassuring her that she wasn't alone on this.

That seemed to help, even if only slightly. The shaking managed to subside to mere shivers every now and then, and her eyes stopped having that fearful look in them.

As expected, the Pharaoh was already waiting for them. Each of them were shown their seats, and sadly enough, this put Ojy on the Pharaoh's right hand. But once the food arrived, things went relatively better, as she managed to distract her mind long enough to compose herself once again.

Light conversation was exchanged between the musicians, the Pharaoh, and several of the Pharaoh's magicians who had joined them. Ojy herself also conversed lightly, but only with her friends. Mainly, to the person seated on her right.

Even though the man was one of the odd-birds in the group, he was still well-respected amongst them. He was also one of the few people to have a pet they always took along. As a matter of fact… he was the only one with a pet.

Still, he didn't bother, and just stroked his pet, resting on his lap, while managing to eat with one hand. He also occasionally fed his pet from his own plate, but still kept enough on his plate to feed himself.

Shortly put, she was actually enjoying herself. She chanced a glance at Mebus, already knowing what she'd see. And indeed, her fellow musician was looking at her with a look that clearly stated "I told you so".

Making sure the Pharaoh wasn't watching, she childishly blew a raspberry at him, before she resumed eating.

Other than that, the rest of dinner was rather uneventful. With the exception that the Pharaoh spent quite some time talking with Obena, sitting at his left hand, about the multi-haired girl sitting opposite the lead-singer. But Ojy was much too engrossed in her own conversation to take notice of any of this.

"Lady Ojy?"

The tri-haired girl looked up at the strange girl now standing in her doorway. She was rather oddly dressed, and Ojy could've sworn she'd seen this girl earlier during dinner. It had ended not long ago, and she was now trying to patch up her skills on her instrument. Not that there was much she could do about it, but she'd rather be safe than sorry.

"Uh… yes? Can I help you?" she asked, more out of habit than anything.

The girl nodded slightly, and said: "The Pharaoh wishes to see you for a moment. And he requests that you take your instrument along."

All tension that had previously left her body, now came back ten times worse than before. Swallowing nervously, she folded up her instrument with practiced ease.

Almost automatically, she followed the girl through the hallway, feeling her nervousness increase with every step they took. She was clutching her music close to her body, as if it could offer her some sort of support throughout all of this.

Seemingly an eternity later, they arrived at a simple set of doors, with another mage waiting outside. And with the mage, was none other than the Pharaoh, as he shared some light conversation, before heading into the already opened doors. He must've not seen them, but it didn't really matter to Ojy. Things were bad enough as it was.

The mage was still rather young, but when he looked at them, all Ojy saw were the eyes of a madman. That man was just… scary.

She and the girl followed into the room shortly after, much to Ojy's relief. This caused the Pharaoh to look up in surprise, before smiling gratefully.

"Thank you for coming," he said calmly. "You may leave, Shojo."

The other girl bowed politely, and left as quickly as she'd come, closing the door as she went. Ojy watched her leave until the door had closed, and she took a deep breath, before turning to face the Pharaoh, bowing politely as she did so.

"All right, enough of that," the Pharaoh said, waving the gesture away, and motioning her to rise. "I apologize for summoning you this late, but I have a favor to ask of you."

Ojy gulped softly, almost unnoticeably, but then she noticed something she had not noticed before, when she had been too worried about the impression she made on the Pharaoh.

Lying on one of the couches in the room, was a young child, unlike any of the other children she had ever seen. Whether it was male or female, she couldn't rightfully tell by the long locks of hair it had. The child seemed to be asleep, if its even breathing and immobile form was anything to go by.

The Pharaoh beckoned her to come closer as he walked over to the child. Obediently, she followed, curiously looking at the kid as she placed her instrument on a small table.

"This child was found several years ago in the river just outside the palace," the Pharaoh explained, carefully sitting down beside the child on the couch, so as not to wake it.

Ojy sat down on her knees on the ground, her hands resting on her knees as she studied the small child. Even from the short distance between them, it was hard to determine sexuality with it.

"Most likely, he was thrown in by someone of his past, but he does not talk to anyone in the palace."

Well, that answered that question.

"Also, he is unable to see. His eyes have been permanently damaged, and the constant darkness depresses him immensely," the Pharaoh continued to explain. "He refuses to come out of the room, but no one is quite certain why."

"But… if he doesn't speak, how do you know he is depressed?" Ojy asked, unable to stop the question from escaping.

The Pharaoh chuckled softly, then said: "It's easy to see, if you see him as much as I have."

Ojy lightly cocked her head to the side, but she said nothing. Lightly, the Pharaoh grazed his fingers through the child's long mane, which were bushy, untamed, and, most likely, unwashed for a long amount of time.

A chilling silence hung in the air, and just as it became too much to bear, the Pharaoh turned to her and asked her what she had already expected him to say.

"Will you play something for him?"

There was never color in his dreams; never were there images he could see there. He had never before seen anything of the kind, making it impossible for him to know how something was supposed to look. People always told him he could feel to get a distinct image, but it wasn't enough. He couldn't form people's faces, couldn't just reach out and feel everything about them. All he had were voices.

Speaking of which…

Piercing through his sleep, he could hear two voices, but only vaguely, as sleep still eluded him. One was the calm tenor voice of the Pharaoh, that much he knew, having heard that voice so many times, he could easily dream it.

The other though… was a young soprano voice, belonging to someone who was most definitely female. It wasn't the Pharaoh's apprentice, as her voice wasn't as pleasant to listen to. Not that she had a horrible voice, but the voice he was hearing now was well-trained, but it still held a certain unfamiliar accent to it.

He took a soft, deep breath, lightly turning his head in the other voice's direction, picking up a faint scent of some kind of flower he was unfamiliar with. There were also other, weaker scents with her, but he couldn't quite identify all of them.

There was silence for a while, then the Pharaoh said something to the other person in the room, and again there was silence. There was a slight shuffling then, and that's when it came.

He wasn't sure what it was, but it sounded like someone was playing either a piano, or something close to a guitar. But the slight tingling sound accompanying it quickly ruled that out. The gentle notes floated through the air like water, and burned through his body like liquid flames. There was so much emotion in that tune that it was almost impossible not to feel it.

With a small groan, he forced his eyes open, although already knowing what he would, or rather, wouldn't see. Once again, the darkness was the only thing welcoming his eyes, and he could feel his depression sinking in again, like it always did whenever he opened his eyes. But this time, it didn't stay very long, as the music seemed to make it all just fade away into nothingness.

With one more groan, he managed to push himself up on his arms, before settling on his knees and rubbing the dust particles from his eyes. He then proceeded to sit on the edge of the couch, and simply listened for some time.

All too soon, the music stopped, ending the song, and silence befell them all. And then, the Pharaoh's voice pierced through it like a hot knife through butter.

"Thank you, Lady Ojy."

Ojy… Ojy…

That name continued to ring through his head, and he could only suspect that it belonged to the one having played so wondrously before.

"It was my pleasure, Pharaoh," the girl, obviously called Ojy, said politely, and a light shuffling was heard, indicating she was getting ready to leave.

"W-wait!" he begged softly, his voice slightly hoarse.

For a while, no one said anything, so he finally spoke again.

"Please… play again… please?"

He could've sworn he could actually feel the girl's smile.

"Sure, kid."

"…Oni."

"Huh??"

"…My… my name is Oni."

"Oni! Get down from there!" Ojy shouted in fear as the kid kept on trying to get to the highest limb of one of the trees growing in the garden.

It also being the tallest, and thus the eldest tree, the chance was pretty big that Oni would fall out. Especially with his handicap.

Oni however, paid little attention to it as he continued to climb upward, first feeling his way around, before even trying to get to the next branch. Part of his subconscious mind told him to stop being so stubborn and go back down, but as is commonly known, going up, is always easier than going down.

And besides, he wanted to prove to Ojy that he wasn't so weak anymore.

Whether he admitted it or not, Oni had fallen, slowly at first, but he only fell harder as the years dragged on. Ojy and her fellow musicians had been invited to stay as long as they wanted, and they had gladly taken the invite. At first, Oni was ecstatic, knowing he could spend as much time with Ojy as he wanted. Back then, it had been merely friendship, but it had continued to bloom until he could no longer ignore or stop it.

He had tried, but it just didn't help.

And the Pharaoh hadn't helped things any better.

Oni felt his body shake as he remembered that day, when he had finally understood what he felt. He'd wanted to tell her, but when he found her, she'd been in a conversation with the Pharaoh, so he decided to wait for a moment.

Big mistake.

Breathlessly, he listened, his fears and pain increasing with every heartspoken word the Pharaoh uttered, until the inevitable words tumbled from the man's lips. Three simple words; the same words he himself had been ready to say to the exact same woman.

It had been silent for some time, before… Ojy returned the words breathlessly.

Oni had not staid, and had run instead. Run so hard and far that he wasn't sure where he was, not having paid any attention to the curves and bends in the road.

In the end, Mebus had found him. The man was the only one who knew now, having already seen, anticipated, and expected it. He was not angry, disgusted, or anything else. But he had left him in his room with one message.

"If you really love her, then you'll allow her to be happy."

Swallowing whatever was blocking his throat, he reached up, searching for another branch, and finding it shortly after. He first judged the branch's strength by pulling on it, and, finally trusting it with his weight, grasped it and pulled himself up.

He had finally come to terms, had run up to Ojy to congratulate her, but all the while, his heart burned, ached, and cried out in absolute agony. He just couldn't forget it, as his heart always tended to not forget. Every time he thought he'd forgotten, it would come floating back into his heart.

It hurt.

Badly.

He was so caught up in his thoughts, that he didn't even notice he had grabbed an old, weary branch before he was sent crashing down.

"Oni!!" he heard Ojy shout in fright.

Oni closed his eyes, more out of reflexes than anything, and braced himself for the crushing pain in his back…

But it never came.

"You all right, kid?" a familiar voice asked him, and Oni inwardly groaned.

"Yes Mebus… I'm okay… Thanks…"

Oni knew little about Mebus, safe that he cared for Ojy as well, but not in the way the Pharaoh or he himself did. He absolutely had no problems when it came to letting Ojy go. That, and he knew the man played something he called a "clarinet".

Once Oni's feet were back on the ground, he found himself on the blunt of one of the mage's rants. He once again groaned inwardly. He had tried to avoid this guy like the plague, not appreciating being followed around. Oni knew the palace inside-out from experience and could easily find his way. But apparently, not everyone thought so.

Luckily, Mebus helped him out, and Ojy gave out her set of orders as well. Even though they meant well, Oni still felt slightly aggravated. He didn't want to be treated as inferior for the rest of his life. For once in his life, he just wanted to do everything that others could do.

But he knew too well that he could never…

"Hey, you still with us, kid?" Mebus' voice called out, as a callused hand shook him by his shoulder.

"Huh? What??"

A soft sigh, clearly from Ojy, sounded, before she said softly: "Oni, you should be more careful. You had me worried."

Oni clenched a fist, as he tried to stop his violent shaking. He'd never meant to fall, never meant to make her worry, but he just wanted to prove that he was just as good as, if not better than, anyone else. He just wanted to be like everybody else.

"I… I'm sorry…" he said, unable to keep the hurt from his voice.

The hurt partially came from the fact that his love could never be returned, the fact that he could hardly do anything without anyone else aiding him, and the fact that he just couldn't see.

"I just… I just…" he broke off his sentence to quickly wipe away the tears forming in his eyes. "I just wish… I just wish I was like everyone else…"

A tender hand was placed on his cheek, and a smooth thumb wiped away the tears dripping down. It didn't take him long to figure out that it was Ojy.

"That's impossible, Oni," she said softly, gently rubbing her palm against his face, and into his long locks. "You are whoever you are, and you should be proud of that. There'll never be anyone like you."

"No… and they should be glad…" Oni whispered.

That comment earned him a smack to the back of his head from Mebus, though.

"I think that's enough of that," he mumbled.

Oni rubbed his head a little. It didn't hurt, but it was annoying to have Mebus smack him like that.

"Hey!! Ojy! Mebus! Oni!!" a strangely familiar voice shouted, and the sound of running footsteps rang out through the garden.

Oni sighed softly, knowing all too well who that squeaky voice belonged to.

"Hey, Ibetebi…" he murmured softly when the footsteps came to a stop not far away from him.

"Hi, Oni!" she greeted warmly, pecking him on his cheek as she did.

Just a typical greeting from Ibetebi, as Oni had learned early on. Usually, she gave everyone three, switching cheeks with every kiss, but because Oni was so uncomfortable with it, she always gave him one. It made him feel slightly… disappointed, though he had no idea why that was.

"Ojy! Ojy! Lookie what I found!!" Ibetebi said, and Oni could hear her open a book and flip to a certain page either at the beginning, or the end of the book.

He could hear Ojy mumbling several words he couldn't make out, but by the sound of it, it was a Magic Spell. A little later though, he clearly heard her exclaim;

"Holy!!! Ibet!! Where in blazes did you find this?!?!"

"Ibet" was how Ojy called her friend, most likely because you could reverse the girl's name and still have the same word. Still, now Oni was curious about what all the hustle was about.

"Somewheres!" Ibetebi said, a smile evident in her voice, and the sentence was followed by a round of giggles.

"Yeah, but---Hey!! Mebus!!! Give that back!!!"

By the sound of things, Mebus now had possession of the book everyone was fussing about. Oni chuckled a little as he heard Ojy and Mebus argue about the book, while Ibetebi stood beside him, watching them as well, no doubt about that one, seeing as she was giggling like mad.

While they argued though, Oni could feel Ibetebi's presence standing mere millimeters beside him, and for some reason, it made his breathing speed up a little, and he suddenly felt a little hot.

"Oni? Are you all right?" Ibetebi suddenly asked.

"Whuh?! Oh… yeah, I'm fine. Why do you ask?"

Oni mentally smacked himself for that one. Why was he stammering like that?!

"Hey, Oni, you know what that spell's for?" she suddenly asked.
Oni shook his head lightly, showing her he didn't.

"To make you see."

After having snatched the book back from Mebus, who had finally discovered what the spell was for, Oni found himself sitting on his knees with his eyes closed, sitting right next to the stream of water coming from the Nile. The spell apparently worked best if performed with water from the river Nile. He could hear Ojy mumbling the words several times over, as if to memorize them, before the book was snapped shut. She recited the words once more, and finally set the book aside.

Mebus was behind him, he knew that much, and wherever Ibetebi was… he didn't really care, even if there was one part of his mind wondering where she was.

His thoughts were caught off as Ojy began to chant, a low hum, barely audible over the roar of the river. He tried to focus on the words, but found that his eyes felt like liquid fire, and it was seriously starting to hurt. As if reading his thoughts, or having foreseen it, Mebus poured water over his head, slowly, effectively dousing him completely, but also cooling the fire behind closed eyelids, dousing it to a mere tingle.

Also, as he'd been told beforehand, he had to place his eyes in the water for 5 seconds, before he was allowed to sit up again. Once that had been taken care off, he simply waited for Ojy to finish the lines.

That took longer than expected, but finally, there was silence, and finally…

"Open your eyes, Oni."

Slowly, almost hesitantly, Oni's eyes slid open --- then snapped shut at the invasion of light against his optics.

"Argh!!" he cried out, covering his eyes with his hands.

No one said anything, but Oni knew that they were waiting for him to open his eyes again. So, even slower than before, he opened his eyes, and once his eyes finally adjusted to the sudden light, he looked around, for the first time in his life actually seeing things.

He then looked up, suddenly seeing Ojy, Mebus, and Ibetebi watching him, though each from a different position. Mebus was behind him, holding a small bowl in his hand, which must've held the water; Ojy sat in front of him, watching him in what appeared to be a slight fear; and Ibetebi was standing with a hand to her heart, looking at him with bright eyes that nearly blinded him.

He smiled, to all of them, and stated: "I think it worked."

Smiling impishly, he watched his best friend sleeping under the shade of a tree in the garden. His sword was lying beside him, and was almost as long as he himself was. His eyes were shut, his hands behind his head, and his chest heaved underneath his armor with his even breathing.

With small, soundless steps, he made way for his friend, smiling when his friend made no moves to acknowledge him. Then, without a warning --- he leapt on top of his friend's stomach, giving a loud yell that startled his friend back into consciousness.

"What in the name of---?!?!" he started, then spotted the kid on his stomach and frowned. "Yami, what are you doing?"

"Who, me??" the tri-color haired kid asked, innocently pointing at himself. "I didn't do nuthin'!"

His friend's frown morphed into a scowl, and he growled out: "Do you know what happens to little kids who wake up sleeping demons?"

Yami gulped, not knowing what his friend was planning, and he nervously scooted back. Seeing that his friend wanted an answer, he slowly and deliberately shook his head.

The smirk appearing on his friend's face was pure evil.

"This!" he screamed, and lunged.

Yami wasn't fast enough to get away in time, and soon found himself laughing loudly as his friend started tickling him. He tried to get away, but his friend was just too strong.

"O-O-O-O-Oniihihihihihihihihi!! S-s-stop!!" he cried out between fits of laughter.

"You give?" Oni questioned, almost on the verge of laughing himself.

Yami just managed to get out a choked "No", but found that that was the wrong thing to say as the torture increased, and in turn, his laughter.

"Give up!! Give up!!!" he finally managed to get out.

Oni chuckled and said: "Say mercy."

"M-mercy!!"

"Say please!"

"Please!! Mercy!!"

"Okay, since you asked oh so nicely," Oni laughed and finally stopped, allowing the young Prince to catch his breath.

Yami pouted at Oni, giving him the most adorable puppy-dog look there was.

"You meany…" he whined, which quickly changed into laughter as Oni ruffled his hair.

"Oh really now?" Oni chuckled, leaning back on one arm.

Yami nodded as he stifled a yawn behind a small fist.

"Big meany…" he mumbled, snuggling up against Oni's chest and falling asleep within a second.

Oni looked down at the small kid resting against his chest, and frowned a little, but smiled when the kid curled up closer.

"I'm not that big…" he mumbled softly.

"Oh suuuuuure you aren't," a familiar voice said, making him look over with a smile.

"Hello, Ojy."

"Hello, Oni," the tri-haired Queen said, smiling brightly upon seeing her son on Oni's chest. "I figured he'd run off to here. He always did know where to find you, even if the rest of us didn't."

Oni simply chuckled, and scooted back to lean against the tree.

"I'm not really that big, am I?" he questioned her.

Ojy laughed whole-heartedly, though quietly, and she said: "You nearly stand two feet above Mebus, you have to bend to go through a door, and you call yourself not big?"

Oni snorted, but said no more. The ache in his heart had long ago vanished, and he was glad he had been able to let Ojy go. Things had only turned out for the better, and he had managed to move on. Besides, Ibet wasn't as bad as everyone proclaimed her to be.

"You make sure he's in bed before nightfall, okay?" Ojy asked him.

Oni smiled, and nodded good-naturedly. Ojy returned the favor, and headed back to the Palace. Oni watched her for a while, then smiled wider and turned to the sleeping boy on his chest.

Little rascal…

Yami always managed to get in some sort of trouble, and Oni had been given the job to prevent that, but all in all… it hadn't really helped. After some time, he had simply given up, proclaiming it to be hopeless. That was about when Yami had started to bug him more often.

In the end, Yami had finally managed to get through to him, and they'd been best friends ever since.

Grunting, Oni suddenly noticed a very familiar figure walking on the other side of the garden. Grinning almost evilly, he pulled something from his boot and picked up a small rock. Stretching the elastic material, he raised his "weapon" and carefully took aim.

Within a second, the stone was sent careering through the air --- and promptly knocked off a certain mage's hat.

A set of cold eyes glared over to him, as the mage reached down to pick up his hat, keeping a close eye on Oni, who gave him a what-are-you-looking-at-me-for look.

Little did he know that that same mage would cause him much trouble later on.

"Oni!! Put me down this instant!! You hear me?!!?" Yami screamed in anger.

Oni didn't answer as he leapt across several rocks in the river to get to the walls of the garden, with one angry Prince slung over his shoulder. The tri-haired Prince was banging his fists on Oni's back, and kicking around frantically, practically seething with rage.

"Oni!! I demand you put me down right now!! That's an order!!!" he shouted.

"…………"

Once again, he didn't respond. This began to unnerve the Prince, and he stopped struggling, allowing Oni to climb over the walls without too much trouble.

"Oni??" Yami asked fearfully, confused about why his friend was acting so brash.

His friend had suddenly stormed into his room and had him over his shoulder before he even realized what had happened. The next moment they were running through the Palace at top-speed, without as much as an explanation from his "best friend".

"Oni… please talk to me…" he begged.

"…………"

"Oni… please…"

Yami was now nearly close to tears when his friend still wouldn't respond and just kept on running, keeping Yami in place with one arm, and gripping his massive sword in the other. Yami's voice had dropped from angered and demanding to saddened and pleading.

He was about to try again, when it happened.

A massive explosion came from the palace, and people were heard screaming in pain and fright, fighting for their lives. But Oni didn't stop.

He never even looked back.

Yami's eyes were locked on the fires he could now see over the walls as the flames seemed to rise up into the sky, and his entire body became numb with shock. With a shaking hand, Yami reached for the pyramidal object dangling around his neck, holding it to his heart, feeling it pound rapidly in despair.

This wasn't happening… it just couldn't be happening… he tried to reason, but it didn't help.

"Oni… this… this isn't happening… is it?? … Just tell me this is all a joke… please…"

"…………"

The tears finally began to fall, as he couldn't keep it all in anymore…

Where were his mother and father? Where was Oni taking him? Where were Mr. Mebus and all the others?? Would they be coming soon too?? Why was all of this happening?!

"Why…?" he asked hoarsely between sobs. "Why…?! Why!? WHY?!?!"

"…………"

And still, Oni refused to answer…

"…Get out of here."

"But Oni---"

"I said GET OUT OF HERE!!!" his friend roared and angrily shoved him away.

Yami collapsed onto the ground, and sat for a moment, staring up in shock at his "friend". He knew that silence was bad, but having his best friend scream at him… that was even worse.

They had stopped some time ago, and Oni had set Yami back onto the ground, but he hadn't bothered explaining what was going on. Nothing would come from his mouth, though.

Until now…

"Oni, wh---"

"GET MOVING!!!" Oni roared again, yanking Yami to his feet and sending him off with a shove in between his shoulderblades.

Yami had no choice but to run.

"AND WHATEVER YOU DO AND NO MATTER WHAT HAPPENS!!" he heard Oni scream from behind him as he ran. "NEVER LOOK BACK!!! DON'T TURN AROUND!!!!"

And once again, Yami cried as he left his friend behind.

Yami stopped when he heard nothing following him. As a matter of fact…

He sharpened his ears, and listened.

………………………

…………………

……………

………

…

Nothing…

Completely forgetting Oni's warning, he turned back around and walked back, hoping to find his friend so he could apologize for whatever he'd done to get him so upset.

"Oni!!" he cried out, listening carefully for any kind of response.

The only sound was that of the wind, though…

"Oni!!" he tried again. "Look, whatever I did, I'm sorry!! I didn't mean to upset you!!"

It was too quiet for his liking, so he kept shouting. He just couldn't stop. He had to find his friend.

But when he did, he became as silent as the rest of the town.

His entire body felt like ice, and he found himself unable to move.

Finally, he shook his head, feeling his body start to shake, tears welling up in his eyes. A choked cry burst from his lips as he ran over to his friend, lying on the ground… not moving.

"Oni?!?! Oni, wake up!!! This isn't funny!!! Wake up!! Wake up!!!" he screamed, shaking his friend with all his might. "Oni!!! Please!!! Wake up!!! Please!!!"

Yami's hands began shaking, before he gave on last cry and sobbed loudly in Oni's chest, not caring if he was getting filthy himself. He begged and pleaded with his friend to wake up, but Oni did not move, his lifeless eyes staring up at the sky.

Two burning eyes of fury stared across the ruins, long mane of hair waving in the wind.

Mebus…

He was one of the few who had managed to survive. Yami was save, but Oni was gone.

Ojy, Ibet, Obena, Ume, Ices… and all his other friends… they were all gone. Their bodies had been found easily in the murder.

Several mages were also still alive, but it did nothing to soothe his fury.

Without as much as a glance back, Mebus began to walk.

I swear to Ra… I'll find you all… and make you pay for my friends…

I'll kill you all… even if it takes me 5000 damned years to do it!!!

This was actually a dream I had during narcosis. A lot of the characters reminded me of either people I knew, or people from other games or from YGO Cards. I'm not sure if I'll continue this, as I have absolutely no clue one how to do this. If there's anyone who thinks he/she can help me, please let me know.

Oh, and a little about the characters…

.

Pharaoh --- Indigo hair, icy blue eyes (as far as I could tell), and a really strong wizard. Dark Magician, no doubt about that one.

Shojo --- Apprentice to the Pharaoh, and that's all I know, but I do know what card she is. Dark Magician Girl, 'nother easy one.

Mebus --- Caring, worries a lot about his friends, and will do anything in his might to help them. Strangely enough, whenever I look at Mebus, I'm reminded of my friend, Red. No idea why, I just do.

Ibetebi --- Youngest in the whole group, and just your regular chatter-box when the situation isn't serious. I'd say she reminds me of Miranda (that's my little sister, for those who don't know me).

Obena --- Corn-blond hair, light blue eyes… That would be my big brother… no doubts there.

Ojy --- Tri-colored hair, caring, and worries way too much. …………Whoever she is, I don't know.

Ume (the guy with the pet) --- Gray hair, blue eyes, great sense of humor, has a black and silver fox for a pet… TJ and Riku-kun… that was easy…

Yami --- Ugh! Do I have to explain this one?!?!

Mage (the guy Ojy didn't like and the guy Oni loves to torment) --- Cold eyes, messy brown hair… That would be Seto Kaiba, if I'm not mistaking…

Oni --- Piercing white eyes, shining silver hair, light blue armor and cap, massive sword… This guy strongly reminds me of the Fierce Deity from "Legend Of Zelda: Majora's Mask".