Joy : I'm back from my long battle in limbo. I'm sorry about the long delay. I've been trying to write ahead. It's going to get more exciting from here on out, peoples. At least I hope so. And this chapter, chapter 18, will be interesting indeed. I got some reviews!

Yugi-angel: Whoa, you fainted… O.O Don't worry, you'll find out soon. Unfortunately you gotta wait till the next chapter.

kurama'sdarkangel1: My own Millennium Puzzle! XD (is VERY happy) Does this mean I get Yami as a dark too? Maybe me and Yugi could share him! Ooo…another Yami plushie! Kawaii! (snuggles with Yami plushie) Yeah, I'm a bad girl (grins sheepishly) ;o)

Midnights: I have an uncomfy computer chair too…(gives Midnight a cushion for her chair that has the YGO logo on it) Don't worry, I get obsessive when it comes to Yami and Seto, too. My bro gets obsessive when it comes to Dark Magician Girl. Go figure. I have been doing a lot of cliffhangers, haven't I?

Well, here comes chapter 18! Ready, set, go!

Joy's Journey

Joy appeared in mid-air, much like the other two had. "Oh, shit!" she yelled as she fell through the air. She hit a wooden roof – hard. She rolled off the roof and landed in a large tub of water. "Itai! That hurt! KUSO!" She tried to pull herself out of the tub, but only managed to slip back in. She had managed to hit her side when she hit the roof, and it hurt like hell. She winced a little at pain, but then she heard a voice.

"What are you doing there, girl?"

Joy's head snapped up and she saw a man dressed in Egyptian robes standing over her. The man was richly dressed and wore a large amount of gold jewelry. A golden hairpiece adorned his black hair. "Oh, well...I…um…don't know?" she answered meekly, knowing this guy wasn't going to buy it for a second. And she was right.

The man frowned, his eyes narrowing dangerously. "Woman, I am one of the pharaoh's council members and if you don't give me a more favorable answer immediately, I am likely to through you in the dungeon!"

Joy blinked. Oh my gods! I've traveled back in time! NOT GOOD! "Truly sir, I don't know how I came to be in this tub of water. I just fell from the sky and landed in it." Okay, that was NOT the best explanation.

Without warning, he grabbed her arm and yanked her roughly out of the tub, then he drew her uncomfortably close. "Girl, you have pushed my patience to the limits. You invade royal grounds and do not even explain yourself in an intelligent manner!"

Joy took in a sharp intake of air as the stranger increased the pressure on her arm. "Itai! Let go!"

"I don't think so. You trespassed here, girl! It's off to the dungeon for you until I can speak with the pharaoh. I am sure he will find a very suitable punishment for you."

"NANI?!"

The man said nothing as he dragged the helpless girl into the palace, through the halls and down several flights of stairs. She struggled the entire time, but there was no escaping his death grip. She tried to contact Katilli, but to her surprise and dismay, she found she could not.

They stopped when they came to a wooden door. Joy's captor pulled her inside, then dragged her over to the far wall, where he put shackles on her wrists and ankles. "You shall stay here until the pharaoh comes to deal with you. I want no more trouble from you, girl!" With that he left, even though Joy tried to stop him.

"You bastard! Come back here! Grrr…" She sighed, then shivered slightly. The dungeon was rather cold, and the only protection Joy had was her very wet clothing. In short, the girl was soon shivering from the loss of body heat. Not to mention that her entrance was not without pain. Her side hurt from when she had hit the roof, as well as the headache that was already developing. I must have hit my head on the fall, too, Joy though absentmindedly. She sighed again, then snuggled closer to the wall, curling up into a ball and trying her best to conserve warmth.

The minutes ticked by into hours. After about two hours in the dungeon, alone, Joy found herself shivering and tears were starting to form in her eyes. Soon, though, her despair turned to anger. This is just fucking marvelous. Here I am, trapped in this hellhole in Ra knows where. This is NOT my idea of fun! And to top it all off, I can't contact Katilli.

Then she slipped into a coughing fit, followed by a few sneezes. She let out a soft moan. Perfect. Now I think I've caught a cold. Just what I needed. The perfect ending to my day…which reminds me, what time is it? She manage to motivate her stiff and sore body to a position where she could see out the small window that was located close to the ceiling to her left. It was dark outside the window, so Joy assumed that it was nighttime.

God I hope that no one else ended up here. I hope that Yugi and Kaiba are okay. I hope that Katilli is okay. I mean, I know that she is a spirit and all, but still…I don't want anything to happen to my friends. Gods, I feel so tired all the sudden. I guess since it's nighttime, I could go to sleep for awhile. Maybe I can think of a way out of this mess in the morning…maybe…I can just talk to the pharaoh and… Wait! The pharaoh is Yami, right? So, I can talk to him and he can use the Puzzle to send me back! I'm sure he can help me. Katilli always told me that Yami was a wise and just person. I can convince him I'm not from here easily. Then he can send me back. Tomorrow… With that last thought, Joy fell into a restless sleep.

…Two hours later…

Joy awoke to a strange noise, but it took her several moments to even register her own name, let alone where she was. Every part of her body hurt, but the most pain she had was in her side and her head.

"Dear Ra! That is Lady Katilli!"

"It can't be! Lady Katilli died in the ceremony over a year ago!"

"How do you explain her being right there, you fool! Be quick now and get those shackles off!"

She felt someone take her hands and gasp. "Sir, her hands are ice cold!"

"Then hurry up and release her, then we can take her to a room. Make haste, simpleton!"

"Yes, sir."

Joy was dimly aware of someone taking off the shackles on her wrists and ankles. Her eyes refused to open, and with her strength almost completely drained, she could do little to persuade them to do otherwise. Then she felt someone touch her forehead, then announce that she had a fever. Then she felt someone calling out.

"Lady Katilli…Lady Katilli, can you hear me?"

Lady Katilli…what are they talking about? I'm not… she didn't finish the thought before she felt a hand giving her left cheek some slaps.

"Stop that, imbecile! You cannot touch the Lady. The pharaoh will have both our heads if he found out."

"Sir, he'll have more than just our heads when he finds out that Lady Katilli has been in the dungeon most of the night."

"Yes, lucky for us Pharaoh Yami is taking a trip to visit the seer this morning. It gives us time to take care of the Lady. Perhaps this can all be fixed before he gets back. Then he may spare us."

"Yeah, he'll be most pleased that she has returned, though for the life of me I can't explain how this all happened. I thought she was sacrificed."

"No matter. We have to get her to a more comfortable place and have a healer see to her. Pick her up – GENTLY – and follow me. Be careful with her, after all, she's royalty."

Royalty? They think I'm…they think I'm Katilli… Joy felt arms wrap under her back and knees and felt herself being lifted up into a fetal position. Then she felt herself moving, being carried by the stranger, perhaps a guard of some sort, out of the cold, dank dungeon and into the much warmer hall. She immediately erupted into another fit of coughing – she had been doing that for awhile, alternating between coughing and sneezing.

"It's all right, my lady. We will make sure you are well cared for."

Unable to protest the mistaken identity or respond at all, Joy allowed herself to be carried as she once again slipped into the bliss of unconsciousness.

…Later…

Joy faintly heard the sounds of female chanting. The chanting was in Egyptian and much to Joy's amazement, she found it quite soothing. The words, some of which she understood from lessons she got from Katilli, seemed to fill her body with long denied warmth and energy. She found her strength returning in leaps and bounds. She let out a soft moan mixed with a sigh. She stirred, noticing the pain in her body ebbing away slowly. Her side and head still hurt a little, but it was much more tolerably than before.

The woman stopped chanting. "I was able to bring her fever down, captain, as well as heal some of the pain."

"Good, good. So she will be all right, now?"

Just then, Joy decided to try opening her eyes, and to her relief she succeeded, her blue eyes slowly opening. There were three people in the room, two men and a woman, who was kneeling beside her. She herself was lying on a soft canopy bed in a spacious room. The room looked like it was fit for a queen, as the walls were decorated with gold and satin, with beautiful tapestries and there was a set of glass doors that seemed to lead to a balcony.

"Ah, Lady Katilli! We are so relieved to see you have awaken! How do you feel, my lady?"

Joy made to try to speak, but found she couldn't because of the dryness of her mouth. She pointed to the pitcher of water next to her bed. The woman beside her poured her a glass, and she finally found her voice.

"Where am I?" she asked in confusion. "The last thing I remember is being in the dungeon."

"Yes, well…that was a terrible mistake my lady, and we humbly apologize, but, well, one of the newer guards took you there. You were taken very ill, Lady Katilli, and we are relieved you are well again."

"She is not entirely well again, captain. She will need to rest a good deal more. She will have to stay in bed for the rest of the day. Her strength has yet to return enough to allow otherwise. Which means that you must tell the pharaoh of her presence here when he returns yourself, instead of having the Lady go meet with him in person. He will be angry if you do not inform him upon his arrival."

"The pharaoh? Where is he?" Joy asked tiredly. She felt her alertness starting to leave her, and her eyes were feeling heavier and heavier.

"The pharaoh went to visit the seer with a boy that looks exactly like himself. The resemblance is quite strange, actually," the captain informed her.

That has GOT to be Yugi. So he's trapped in this time, too. And what about this seer? Who is that and how does this person fit into all this? Well, if he's with Pharaoh Yami, I guess I'll find out soon. Now what about this identity crisis I seem to be in the middle of? How do I tell everyone who I really am? If I do, they'll probably throw me right back into that dungeon to rot. Then I won't get back home. Yugi probably doesn't even know I'm here, so he won't know to rescue me. I guess I have to act like Katilli for now, just until I meet up with Yugi.

So Joy nodded and let her eyes close, falling asleep once more.

"Will she be all right, Healer Sandra?"

"I think she will as soon as she has fully recovered, yes."

"Then the only thing we have to worry about is telling all this to the pharaoh. We'll need to bring Amkeel with us. He's the one who caught her in the first place and the pharaoh will want to see everyone at once. Though I am sure he will not be happy with the treatment his sister received upon her arrival." The captain sighed deeply and he and his comrade left the room.

Sandra turned to the sleeping teenager. "Rest well, my lady. You will see the pharaoh when you awaken, of that I have little doubt. I just hope everything is going well with the seer."

Joy: Not as long as I wanted it to be, but I think it's a good stopping point. Especially with my long delay, but oh well. I hope it was still a good read. I wanted to have Joy get mistaken for Katilli for a few reasons, some of which will become apparent in the chapters to come.

The next chapter will be called…Reunited. The title says it all. It has a double meaning, but you'll find out what it is when you read it. I think I will post this one real soon, but I still want reviews, okay? Till then, review my loyal readers and see you next time!