This is the last time that I will talk in the beginning of the
chapter. It takes too much space.
The Millennium Ritual
Chapter 11: Revealed Truth, More Mysteries
'Sand, just sand. There are miles and miles of sand. And there is absolutely no sign of human life anywhere.' Kaiba thought, looking at his surroundings. He turned to see Aura right behind them in her silver motorcycle, glinting in the sunlight. Her cape was flapping wildly behind her, threatening to fly off. Noticing Kaiba was glancing her way, Aura looked right back, just like on the first day of school. Surprised that she noticed, he turned back to the front, entering the rest's conversation.
"Are you sure this is safe?!" Bakura yelled over the engine and wind, his hair flying. "I'm not certain that it was a good idea to get off the plane."
"I agree!" Tea yelled back, staring at Aura, "How do we know if we can trust her?"
"We just have too," Yami said, looking the same way, "She's the only one who knows where the others are."
"And the only one who knows anything on the ritual." Joey said, taking Yami's side.
"Rrr, let's just hope you guys are right!" Kaiba yelled, turning to look at Aura, only to find out that she wasn't there.
"Hey! What happened to her?!" Duke hollered, pointing where Aura once was.
"I don't know!" Tristan said, turning once again to the driver, "Hey, Mr. Driver! Do you know what happened to the girl on the motorcycle?!"
The driver laughed, leaving the rest speechless.
"What's so funny?" Joey asked, a little pissed off.
"Oh, Aura is up to her little tricks again!" The driver said, still laughing. "She used to do this all the time as a child. She might look like a depressing girl, but deep down, she has the liveliness of a little 12 year old. You see? Watch." The driver said, pointing to a nearby sand dune. They stared at it.
"What's going on? Nothing's happening." Duke said, looking around.
"Just wait. You'll see."
So they waited, and as the green jeep passed it, Aura and her motorcycle jumped off the dune, soaring across the sky, right above them. Kaiba noticed that Aura was grinning, her smile as wide as the Nile. And just for the sake for it, Kaiba smiled also, with everyone else laughing. ________________________________________________________________________
"All right! Everyone off the little green bus!" The driver said, who they found out was known as Rasa. One by one, they got out, until everyone was off, waiting for Aura to come. A few minutes later, a silver motorcycle stopped in front of them, sending sand everywhere.
Aura took off her helmet, revealing her wind blown hair. She shook her head, covering the rest with more sand. "Sorry about that," she said, her face blank, "But I did not want to keep you waiting."
"That was a great trick!" Tristan said, dusting off the sand on his black jacket. "Can you teach me that?"
She got off her motorcycle, and replied, "That maneuver was a waste of time. I should not have done it."
"But you looked so happy doing it! What's so bad about being happy?" Tea said, who enjoyed the trick also.
She didn't answer her question. Instead, she said, "Let's not get off topic. Remember we are here to rescue Yugi's Grandpa, Serenity, and Mokuba. We are not here on a vacation."
She walked toward Rasa, who was waiting for her. "Thank you for your hospitality for the others. I am grateful. Please forgive me for my immature act. "
"Ah, don't worry about it! I quite enjoyed it Ary! And don't worry about your friends," Rasa said, pointing to the others, "they were quite enjoyable also."
Aura glared at him, her green eyes filled with anger. "Don't call me Ary." She said, staring at him with intense feriousity. "And they are not my friends." Tea turned to that, quite hurt on what she said. Kaiba turned also, wondering why she would say something like that.
He nodded, quite hurt himself. "Please forgive me for my incorrect words, Miss Riordan."
"Good," Aura said, tossing him a bag of coins, "There is your pay, thank you again Rasa."
"You are welcome Miss Riordan." Rasa said, bowing his head, then he turned to the jeep, and quickly drove off.
"Hey, what was that for?" Bakura said, staring at Aura, who was looking down.
"And what do you mean we aren't your friends?" Tea said, feeling sad.
"Forget it, got that?!" She said glaring at them. Tea froze. "Aura Riordan has no friends, and doesn't need any. Friends always disappear, go away, leaving you in their dust. So what's the point in having friends when they are going to leave you anyway?" She turned to the small mud house in front of them, storming through the door. No one else moved.
"That was scary." Duke said, shaken up.
"Reminds me of a certain person," Joey said, looking in Kaiba's direction.
"For once Riordan made some sense." Kaiba said, crossing his arms. But his face did not agree with what he said.
They were all silent for a moment, until Aura came out, saying, "Are you going to come or not?" She commanded. She went back in.
The rest were silent, not knowing what to do. As if making a silent decision, one by one they went through the door, each with their own thoughts. ________________________________________________________________________
"Aura? My my, is this a quite surprise. I thought you would never come here again after what happened to your. . ." The Healer started, until she was interrupted by Aura, who said, "That's not why I am here. I'm here to ask you a few questions. Oh," Aura stopped, pointing to the rest, "they would like to know a few things too."
They were all in a small room, filled with incenses, candles, and perfume. The healer was an old woman whose face was covered by a hood. The Healer nodded, and said, "Of course. What would you like to know? What will happen in your lifetime? When you will die? Who will be your love for your life?" She sipped a cup of tea.
Aura shook her head, and replied, "No, not anything like that. I would like to know if you have information on the Millennium Ritual."
The Healer choked on the tea. Looking up, she repeated, "Millennium Ritual?"
Puzzled, Yami asked, "Is that so bad?"
Shaking her head, she said, "Oh no, nothing is the matter. I just thought that after your long journey, you might want to rest for awhile. Why don't you stay here and rest for the night? I have some extra rooms you can sleep in." The Healer smiled sweetly. Aura, puzzled also, said, "Yes, Healer. Thank you for your kind offer. I think we will sleep in." ________________________________________________________________________
Yami went to his room, feeling quite tired out. He fell on top of his bed, thinking about what had happened today. 'This Aura Riordan is getting more and more mysterious as each minute passes.' Yami thought, staring at the ceiling. 'I wonder who she really is. . .'
Suddenly he heard something creeping across the hallway. Immediately Yami stood, looking through the crack in the door. It was Aura, tiptoeing across the hall. Wondering what it was all about, Yami followed her. Slowly Aura descended the wooden stairs, and into the Healer's room. Yami was right behind her.
When he looked through the door, he saw her sitting down, with the Healer on the other side of the table. His violet eyes widened in surprise. 'What is this?'
Aura started to speak. Yami leaned in with his ear to the door.
"Healer. The Millennium Ritual isn't the only reason why I am here."
The Healer nodded, seriousness in her grey eyes. "Yes, I know. You are here for a more deeper purpose, something that the others will not know or understand."
Aura nodded, her eyes glassy. "Look, I didn't mean it when I said I didn't need friends. I do need friends, and I know they are offering friendship, but I do not want to take it."
"Why is that?"
"I don't want them to get hurt."
"Aura, what happened long ago wasn't your fault. You did the right thing, your mother would have been proud."
Aura sobbed, with tears falling down her face. "I don't know what to do. What happens if we don't do it? What happens when we don't rescue the others? What will happen if someone dies? I don't want anyone dieing, Healer!" Aura cradled herself, feeling quite alone.
"Honestly Aura, I do not know."
"No one ever does." Aura said, sobbing more. "No one ever cares. No one will ever understand. No one will ever love me."
After what she said, Aura ran out of the door, not noticing Yami behind the door. There were a few moments of silence, and then suddenly the Healer said, "Are you satisfied now Pharaoh? You have now seen a part of Aura she had never shown to anyone before. Sometimes what you see isn't what you always want to hear."
Surprised, Yami went back up the stairs, realizing that there was more to Aura Riordan that meets the eye. __________________________________________________________________________
Kaiba was lying down on his bed, trying to go to sleep. But he couldn't. All he could think about was what was happening to Mokuba right now. What were they doing to him?
"I promise I will find you little brother," Kaiba vowed, staring at the window, "I promise."
Suddenly Kaiba hears footsteps, and a female voice, crying, "I don't want to die. . . I don't want to die. . ."
Wanting to see who it was, he pulled away the covers, and walked to the door. He opened it, only to find Aura in the room across from his, sobbing into a pillow.
"How pathetic. You can do better than that Aura," He said, leaning on the door frame.
"Go away Kaiba."
"Why should I?"
"I SAID GO KAIBA!!!!!" She screamed, throwing the pillow at him.
Kaiba caught it before it hit his face. Aura was crying again. He was somewhat startled, not expecting something like this from her. She was usually strong, but now. . .
'What should I do?' He thought, looking at her. He didn't like it when people cried like that. Kaiba wanted to help, but didn't know how.
"Please just leave Kaiba. I need to be alone." She said, breaking his concentration of thought. She sat up, her head resting on her knees.
Finally deciding, he said, "I'm sorry." Slowly, he gave the pillow back to her, then turned to close the door.
Before he closed it though, he heard Aura said, "Thank you Kaiba."
TO BE CONTINUED. . .
Whoa, this was a long and intense chapter. Was it too intense? If so, review. If it wasn't, still review. Either way, you have to review.
The Millennium Ritual
Chapter 11: Revealed Truth, More Mysteries
'Sand, just sand. There are miles and miles of sand. And there is absolutely no sign of human life anywhere.' Kaiba thought, looking at his surroundings. He turned to see Aura right behind them in her silver motorcycle, glinting in the sunlight. Her cape was flapping wildly behind her, threatening to fly off. Noticing Kaiba was glancing her way, Aura looked right back, just like on the first day of school. Surprised that she noticed, he turned back to the front, entering the rest's conversation.
"Are you sure this is safe?!" Bakura yelled over the engine and wind, his hair flying. "I'm not certain that it was a good idea to get off the plane."
"I agree!" Tea yelled back, staring at Aura, "How do we know if we can trust her?"
"We just have too," Yami said, looking the same way, "She's the only one who knows where the others are."
"And the only one who knows anything on the ritual." Joey said, taking Yami's side.
"Rrr, let's just hope you guys are right!" Kaiba yelled, turning to look at Aura, only to find out that she wasn't there.
"Hey! What happened to her?!" Duke hollered, pointing where Aura once was.
"I don't know!" Tristan said, turning once again to the driver, "Hey, Mr. Driver! Do you know what happened to the girl on the motorcycle?!"
The driver laughed, leaving the rest speechless.
"What's so funny?" Joey asked, a little pissed off.
"Oh, Aura is up to her little tricks again!" The driver said, still laughing. "She used to do this all the time as a child. She might look like a depressing girl, but deep down, she has the liveliness of a little 12 year old. You see? Watch." The driver said, pointing to a nearby sand dune. They stared at it.
"What's going on? Nothing's happening." Duke said, looking around.
"Just wait. You'll see."
So they waited, and as the green jeep passed it, Aura and her motorcycle jumped off the dune, soaring across the sky, right above them. Kaiba noticed that Aura was grinning, her smile as wide as the Nile. And just for the sake for it, Kaiba smiled also, with everyone else laughing. ________________________________________________________________________
"All right! Everyone off the little green bus!" The driver said, who they found out was known as Rasa. One by one, they got out, until everyone was off, waiting for Aura to come. A few minutes later, a silver motorcycle stopped in front of them, sending sand everywhere.
Aura took off her helmet, revealing her wind blown hair. She shook her head, covering the rest with more sand. "Sorry about that," she said, her face blank, "But I did not want to keep you waiting."
"That was a great trick!" Tristan said, dusting off the sand on his black jacket. "Can you teach me that?"
She got off her motorcycle, and replied, "That maneuver was a waste of time. I should not have done it."
"But you looked so happy doing it! What's so bad about being happy?" Tea said, who enjoyed the trick also.
She didn't answer her question. Instead, she said, "Let's not get off topic. Remember we are here to rescue Yugi's Grandpa, Serenity, and Mokuba. We are not here on a vacation."
She walked toward Rasa, who was waiting for her. "Thank you for your hospitality for the others. I am grateful. Please forgive me for my immature act. "
"Ah, don't worry about it! I quite enjoyed it Ary! And don't worry about your friends," Rasa said, pointing to the others, "they were quite enjoyable also."
Aura glared at him, her green eyes filled with anger. "Don't call me Ary." She said, staring at him with intense feriousity. "And they are not my friends." Tea turned to that, quite hurt on what she said. Kaiba turned also, wondering why she would say something like that.
He nodded, quite hurt himself. "Please forgive me for my incorrect words, Miss Riordan."
"Good," Aura said, tossing him a bag of coins, "There is your pay, thank you again Rasa."
"You are welcome Miss Riordan." Rasa said, bowing his head, then he turned to the jeep, and quickly drove off.
"Hey, what was that for?" Bakura said, staring at Aura, who was looking down.
"And what do you mean we aren't your friends?" Tea said, feeling sad.
"Forget it, got that?!" She said glaring at them. Tea froze. "Aura Riordan has no friends, and doesn't need any. Friends always disappear, go away, leaving you in their dust. So what's the point in having friends when they are going to leave you anyway?" She turned to the small mud house in front of them, storming through the door. No one else moved.
"That was scary." Duke said, shaken up.
"Reminds me of a certain person," Joey said, looking in Kaiba's direction.
"For once Riordan made some sense." Kaiba said, crossing his arms. But his face did not agree with what he said.
They were all silent for a moment, until Aura came out, saying, "Are you going to come or not?" She commanded. She went back in.
The rest were silent, not knowing what to do. As if making a silent decision, one by one they went through the door, each with their own thoughts. ________________________________________________________________________
"Aura? My my, is this a quite surprise. I thought you would never come here again after what happened to your. . ." The Healer started, until she was interrupted by Aura, who said, "That's not why I am here. I'm here to ask you a few questions. Oh," Aura stopped, pointing to the rest, "they would like to know a few things too."
They were all in a small room, filled with incenses, candles, and perfume. The healer was an old woman whose face was covered by a hood. The Healer nodded, and said, "Of course. What would you like to know? What will happen in your lifetime? When you will die? Who will be your love for your life?" She sipped a cup of tea.
Aura shook her head, and replied, "No, not anything like that. I would like to know if you have information on the Millennium Ritual."
The Healer choked on the tea. Looking up, she repeated, "Millennium Ritual?"
Puzzled, Yami asked, "Is that so bad?"
Shaking her head, she said, "Oh no, nothing is the matter. I just thought that after your long journey, you might want to rest for awhile. Why don't you stay here and rest for the night? I have some extra rooms you can sleep in." The Healer smiled sweetly. Aura, puzzled also, said, "Yes, Healer. Thank you for your kind offer. I think we will sleep in." ________________________________________________________________________
Yami went to his room, feeling quite tired out. He fell on top of his bed, thinking about what had happened today. 'This Aura Riordan is getting more and more mysterious as each minute passes.' Yami thought, staring at the ceiling. 'I wonder who she really is. . .'
Suddenly he heard something creeping across the hallway. Immediately Yami stood, looking through the crack in the door. It was Aura, tiptoeing across the hall. Wondering what it was all about, Yami followed her. Slowly Aura descended the wooden stairs, and into the Healer's room. Yami was right behind her.
When he looked through the door, he saw her sitting down, with the Healer on the other side of the table. His violet eyes widened in surprise. 'What is this?'
Aura started to speak. Yami leaned in with his ear to the door.
"Healer. The Millennium Ritual isn't the only reason why I am here."
The Healer nodded, seriousness in her grey eyes. "Yes, I know. You are here for a more deeper purpose, something that the others will not know or understand."
Aura nodded, her eyes glassy. "Look, I didn't mean it when I said I didn't need friends. I do need friends, and I know they are offering friendship, but I do not want to take it."
"Why is that?"
"I don't want them to get hurt."
"Aura, what happened long ago wasn't your fault. You did the right thing, your mother would have been proud."
Aura sobbed, with tears falling down her face. "I don't know what to do. What happens if we don't do it? What happens when we don't rescue the others? What will happen if someone dies? I don't want anyone dieing, Healer!" Aura cradled herself, feeling quite alone.
"Honestly Aura, I do not know."
"No one ever does." Aura said, sobbing more. "No one ever cares. No one will ever understand. No one will ever love me."
After what she said, Aura ran out of the door, not noticing Yami behind the door. There were a few moments of silence, and then suddenly the Healer said, "Are you satisfied now Pharaoh? You have now seen a part of Aura she had never shown to anyone before. Sometimes what you see isn't what you always want to hear."
Surprised, Yami went back up the stairs, realizing that there was more to Aura Riordan that meets the eye. __________________________________________________________________________
Kaiba was lying down on his bed, trying to go to sleep. But he couldn't. All he could think about was what was happening to Mokuba right now. What were they doing to him?
"I promise I will find you little brother," Kaiba vowed, staring at the window, "I promise."
Suddenly Kaiba hears footsteps, and a female voice, crying, "I don't want to die. . . I don't want to die. . ."
Wanting to see who it was, he pulled away the covers, and walked to the door. He opened it, only to find Aura in the room across from his, sobbing into a pillow.
"How pathetic. You can do better than that Aura," He said, leaning on the door frame.
"Go away Kaiba."
"Why should I?"
"I SAID GO KAIBA!!!!!" She screamed, throwing the pillow at him.
Kaiba caught it before it hit his face. Aura was crying again. He was somewhat startled, not expecting something like this from her. She was usually strong, but now. . .
'What should I do?' He thought, looking at her. He didn't like it when people cried like that. Kaiba wanted to help, but didn't know how.
"Please just leave Kaiba. I need to be alone." She said, breaking his concentration of thought. She sat up, her head resting on her knees.
Finally deciding, he said, "I'm sorry." Slowly, he gave the pillow back to her, then turned to close the door.
Before he closed it though, he heard Aura said, "Thank you Kaiba."
TO BE CONTINUED. . .
Whoa, this was a long and intense chapter. Was it too intense? If so, review. If it wasn't, still review. Either way, you have to review.