Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-gi-oh or Holliday Inn.

Author's Notes:

I was so excited when I found 3 new reviews for my story. I thought, "Oh joy, people are still reading my story after all those weeks without updates!" Then I read them. After careful review and consideration, I decided to address some of the issues presented in them.

First of all, I'm in High School. Second, my grammar is horrible because…um…it just is. Same thing goes with spelling. Believe it or not, I do try to read through and edit chapters before I post them. 22 was an exception. I was in a hurry, and I didn't even switch the word processors, so the spacing ended up all weird. Sorry about that. One of these days, I really do need to go back to the beginning and rewrite a lot of early chapters. I still cringe at some of the obvious mistakes.

Thirdly, I seem to be relying too much on the readers' imaginations. If details and descriptions will help bring you into the story better, I guess I'll go ahead and include them. The reasons I don't are one because of time constraints and two because most stories I read on don't seem to include them either. Then again, the best ones do…

Finally, let me say something about the duels themselves. I tried to compensate when a reviewer asked me to give card stats, but I'll try to add some more details to make the duels seem more interesting. I hate having people announce "I end my turn" every time they finish, so I have been leaving that part out. I guess I just thought people would know when Yami/Tiffany draws a card; that means that starts their turn. Still, since the duels are usually my favorite part of the story, I want to be sure and get them right for everyone else reading them.

However, and this is the only thing I disagree on with you Zircon, all of my duels are as realistic as possible. I may have story characters using Japanese cards, and Maximus may add some weird field rules and such, but Tiffany's cards work exactly the way real cards do. No one hates more then me when you're watching the TV show and they use a spell card as a quick-play. If you read the last chapter where Yami plays Raigeki, he's announcing on the same line that he just drew it. Thus, it was his turn, and he could play a spell card.

Well I think I covered everything. I'm going to try and incorporate these modifications into Chapter 23. I'm putting a lot of extra effort into this Zircon, so prepare to be impressed!

…I hope…

Chapter 23: Strange Power

Tiffany lay in bed sound asleep. She and Rachel had stayed up late playing games and talking. Now she was dreaming of grassy fields, beautiful flowers, and gorgeous sunsets. I was happy for her, being able to sleep so peacefully.

I, on the other hand, was wide awake. Echoes of memories I could not remember stirred at the edges of my very being. I had just awoken from dreams of my friends in the Shadow Realm, most of them Duel Monsters from the game, and the Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon that had tried to kill us all.

I also dreamed about that girl, the one who had banished me to the Shadow Realm. I could see her long black flowing hair curling around her face in the wind. Soft hazel eyes looked deep into my soul, asking a question I could not hear. Her skin was soft and pale as if sunlight had never touched it.

Her lips smiled faintly, as if she wanted to be happy but didn't want me to know about it. I could tell that she wanted something from me, but for some reason I could not speak to her. A flicker of some strong emotion flashed behind her eyes, but I couldn't even tell if it was a good emotion or a bad one.

It bugged me to no end that I could not remember who this girl was. She seemed to be at the very core of my forgotten memories. She was the one responsible for banishing me to the Shadow Realm. Of that, I was certain. Why had Maximus brought her to this tournament?

There was something else bugging me as well. Ever since we'd set foot in this building, I had felt traces of Shadow Realm magic coming from somewhere inside of it. By now, those traces had grown exponentially.

Maximus was up to something. I was certain of it. Perhaps there was more going on then even I knew about. In the back of my mind, I wondered if the power was connected to the girl, but I filed it away without too much thought. After long tiresome debates with myself, I decided to investigate the energy source.

I slipped my spirit into Tiffany's sleeping body, feeling the flood of familiar tingles her senses gave off, senses I could no longer use with just my spirit: the smoothness of her sheets, the sound of Rachel's breathing, and the smell of unfinished noodles in a bowl on the floor.

Slowly, so as not to disturb Rachel, I crept out of bed and snuck to the door. I paused for a moment at the mirror, seeing Tiffany's reflection staring back at me. Even in the dim light, I could make out her blue eyes and pale cheeks. She looked very grown up for being only fifteen. I had wondered at times if that was due to my presence inside her or just the way her family 'raised' her.

What caught my attention, however, was her hair. It was still strait and silky, dropping down to the middle of her back, but instead of the normal dark brown it was dark purple. I had changed it so many times when we merged to duel that it had become an unconscious habit.

After a moment's thought, I decided to leave it that way. Quickly and quietly, I made my way out the door and into the hallway. It was also dimly lit. There was a small blue light above every door, just below the room numbers. They provided enough light to see a few feet ahead.

Using my sixth sense as much as Tiffany's eyes to guide me, I followed the flows of Shadow Magic, trying to find their source. As I made my way down the hall, I noticed that the carpet was much thicker and softer then the normal Holliday Inn hallway rug. It caused a tickling sensation in Tiffany's feet, which became increasingly harder to ignore as I walked.

After several suppressed giggles, I found the stairs that led to the upper floors. The energy flow seemed to be coming from above, so I climbed the spiraling staircase. After passing the boys' rooms and the three floors of dueling arenas, the stairs dead-ended at a door with some sort of keycard security lock.

I waved Tiffany's hand over the lock, focusing my own Shadow magic into the device. After a moment there was a click, and the lock was open. With a smile, I pushed open the door.

A flood of light and power hit me, and I almost fell down the stairs. The amount of Shadow Magic emitting from this floor was incredible. I had difficulty getting Tiffany's body to breath.

The bright lights didn't help much either. I became a little aggravated that the lights were on full power so late at night. As Tiffany's eyes adjusted, I could see a white hallway with very few doors on the walls. The white was so pure that I couldn't see where the hallway ended.

After a few moments, I managed to recover from the intensity that had overwhelmed me. I stepped into the hallway and closed the door behind me.

Once I was inside, I seemed to be better adjusted. The flow of magic was still giving me a buzz in the back of my head, but it was no longer painful. I couldn't tell if I was getting any closer to the source as I walked down the hall, but I continued nonetheless. I was certain that Maximus had a nasty surprise hiding up here.

I had not been walking for very long when a hand suddenly grabbed my shoulder. I froze where I was, unsure of whom or what was behind me. With so much energy, my sixth sense was overloaded, and I had to rely on Tiffany's normal senses.

Another hand touched Tiffany's thigh. Tiffany's instincts kicked in. I don't quite know how, but her arm pulled out of the assailant's captive grip and her body jumped forwards an impressive distance.

I spun around to see who had grabbed me. It was an older-looking boy, probably 19, with black spiky hair. He wore a black suit and tie, his white shirt and tan skin the only colorful parts of him. To contradict his grownup attire, he had a very mischievous and boyish grin on his face.

"Now what's a cute girl like you doing in a place like this?" he asked. The guy was practically drooling on himself. "Especially dressed like that?"

Almost against my will, I looked down at Tiffany's body. Instead of the fuzzy Kuriboh-covered pajama pants and shirt she usually wore, she was dressed in a purple silky pajama slip loosely fit with lace straps for the sleeves. While the front was not low cut, the bottom didn't even cover her mid thighs. There was no question as to what was going through this idiot's mind as he looked at her.

I slapped myself mentally for my mistake. In an effort to respect Tiffany's privacy, I usually blocked out what she was wearing. That included the feel of the cloths against her skin. I realized that I should have at least checked her outfit in the mirror earlier before venturing out at night.

I could feel her entire body blushing from my reaction. "If Tiffany finds out about this, she'll probably throw the puzzle out the window or stuff it in the nearest trashcan," I thought to myself bitterly.

While I was scolding myself, the guy in front of me advanced forward. He reached out to touch Tiffany again and started to say something that I'm certain he thought would be sweet.

I didn't bother to listen. I gathered the magic of the Shadow Realm around me and blasted it at him, much like I had done with Marik. Unfortunately for the boy, the blast sent him flying down the hall, through the security door, and down the spiraling stairs.

"I guess I gathered to much energy for that attack," I said to myself amidst the echoes of his journey down the staircase. "It must be the density of energy."

Suddenly, I felt a surge of power from within the puzzle. The next instant, I found myself back in Tiffany's room. It didn't take long to figure out who had teleported me back.

"You really shouldn't be prancing about like that at this hour," the voice of Maximus chided from the window within the puzzle. "People will get the wrong idea about your host."

I slipped Tiffany's body back into bed. Once she was beneath the covers, I withdrew my spirit back to the Millennium Puzzle.

Maximus' face was clear in the window. Apparently, I had his full attention. His normally wild and frilly hair was still combed down in the Pegasus style, hiding the Millennium Eye from view. His real eye, bright and green like an emerald, seemed to smile at me more then his lips.

"What are you doing up there?" I demanded. The experience with the punk upstairs had put me in a short-tempered mood.

"Now now. That would be telling," Maximus tisked. "I wouldn't want to spoil the surprise."

"You lunatic," I exploded. "There's enough power up there to pull an entire country into the Shadow Realm. Do you have any idea what kind of horrors you're playing with? Do you know how many lives you're risking in this little game of yours?"

"You're so rude," Maximus sighed. "You act as if I don't have a clue about what I'm doing."

"You don't," I growled.

This turned his smile to a smirk. "Are you really so worried about Tiffany? Or could it be you've finally begun to remember your past?"

That statement froze my rage cold. "What do you mean?"

Maximus' usual crazed smile returned. "Oh surely you've realized by now that I brought an old friend of yours into this tournament. Do you remember her?"

My mind flashed back to the girl I'd seen on the train. "If I couldn't remember her until I saw her, how did you know that she knew me?"

Maximus' smile widened. "Sorry. That's my little secret." His image seemed to lean forward, drawing closer to me. "How do you feel when you think of her? Are they good feelings? Are they bad feelings? Do you get chills or shivers?"

I could hear my heart beating faster, which startled me. I didn't have a heart anymore, literally speaking. I was just a spirit. Nonetheless, the rhythm pounded in my mind, louder and faster with each question, until I could no longer take it. I blasted away the window with everything I had, shattering it into black smoky wisps of energy that slowly began to recollect as soon as the blast had ended.

"This is way too much for one spirit to handle," I said to myself, trying to calm down. "From now on, I'm going to sleep at night like everybody else."

I looked out of the puzzle and into Tiffany's dreams. She was dancing on a stage with other children her age, laughing and having a wonderful time. At least she wasn't having nightmares anymore.

I settled myself in and fell into a deep sleep, allowing the echoes of dreams to once again wash over me.

It feels weird describing Tiffany and Maximus so late in the story. I should go back and add them into the beginning of the story.

I tried looking at Zircon's stories to see how much detail she put into hers. As it turns out, she doesn't have any. I have no idea who agrees with her, so I couldn't look to them for examples either. Thus I went to one of my favorite authors, Remchan, and looked at her stories instead. To me, this story gives off a little too much detail, but I thought I'd try it just to see.

I don't know if I'll put the next chapter up soon (round 3 of dueling) or if I'll just revise my older chapters. You'll find out soon enough.

P.S. Sorry about the lack of divider for the comments. For some reason, QuickEdit is filtering them out.

Please R&R