Author's Notes: I'm very pleased that this story has excited my reviewers. Anyway, this chapter is mainly about the battle between Artemis and Yugi against Yukai, and the next one will be about the other battles going on during the same time. Well, enjoy!
Chapter 30: Memories of the Forgotten Past Life
The sudden crack of lightning appeared as Ra and Mesenet were summoned. They both flapped their wings, creating a maelstrom of wind which blew out the burning flames. The two Phoenix Dragons had a vicious temper once they saw Gold City, once a place of peace and prosperity, now become a horrifying graveyard filled with evil. They roared angrily at Yukai, exposing their sharp talons as if they wanted to tear Yukai limb from limb.
Yukai smirked maliciously at us, grasping his sword with both hands as the rain continued to pour. Blood was being wiped away from the buildings and the fires died down. The pungent scent of the dead remained in the area, and I disliked the smell.
Artemis glared at Yukai, her silver staff was in an upright position as she was prepared to attack. Her hands trembled and her entire body shivered from the rain. Suddenly, she fell to the ground on her knees.
"I knew it," Yukai snorted. I looked towards him as I ran to Artemis. "My father knew you had a weak heart. One that cannot bare to kill the ones you love."
"Listen, Yukai, Skyros was a tyrant! Even you knew that!" Artemis cried. "He almost killed me! My scars behind my back are a reminder of the cruelty and hatred he had shown me. To this day I still retain them, even if I possess another body!"
"Artemis, if my father had not saved me I would not be here!" Yukai argued.
"Then maybe you were better off dead..." she murmured. Artemis held on to her staff, stood up and she began to strike Yukai with the crescent-shaped blade.
Yukai managed to deflect the blow with his sword and he was pushing her back. Artemis struggled from the impact, but she moved her staff away and quickly landed on her back. Mesenet tried to attack Yukai, but Ra stopped her.
Why was Yukai helping Seiryu? He would never side with evil, unless Seiryu brainwashed him like Sonja did to Nick. Tea was able to bring Nick back to his normal self, and she did it by recalling memories they both shared. Perhaps it could work on Yukai, and Artemis was the only person who could perform the task.
I looked around to find Artemis lying beside an apprehensive Mesenet. My feet pounded the wet streets while my hair was completely drenched with water. My bangs fell near my face and I pushed them aside to see. I finally reached Artemis, she was covered in mild bruises and she was unable to move.
"Yugi..." she moaned. Artemis tried to stand up, but I kept her resting on her back.
I carefully embraced Artemis, discovering that Yukai was watching us. His eyes quivered and he dropped his sword. He looked at his hands, like he had seen blood on them.
"Artemis, this is the time for you to heal." I inferred intently.
Her whole body glowed as the bruises disappeared. She got on her feet and stared at Yukai. "There must be a way to save him..."
"Well, I do know a way."
"Then tell me." I explained to Artemis everything I planned, which did not take long, and she complied with me. Artemis stared at Yukai again, she worried if my strategy would work and I noticed her blank look.
"I'm sure Yukai will be fine." I placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "Just do what you can."
"But -" she paused. "Yukai is not paying attention to us." Artemis pointed in his direction; a frightened Yukai was on his knees, mumbling nonsense under his breath.
"What's wrong with him?" I mused. Artemis stood up and walked carefully to him. "Artemis! Come back!"
She did not listen, but kept advancing towards Yukai. Her hands trembled by her sides, and she knelt beside her childhood friend. Artemis was silent, then she smiled at me. "This is our chance." She urged strongly.
I strolled towards her as Artemis grabbed my hand. I felt myself leaving my body, realizing Artemis was trying to enter Yukai's mind. All I saw was a blinding light, with no clue where I was going and then someone touched my hand. Artemis guided the way through the light as the entire placed dissolved and was replaced by new surroundings.
Sunlight beamed in my eyes, warming the corridor I was in, and Artemis proceeded down the empty hall. We were inside a castle, made of marble, and we came upon two doors which were open. Inside were two people, a young Yukai sat across from a woman with long black hair and brown eyes, wearing gold and black robes. A gold object around her neck glinted in the sun. I moved closer to the woman and the gold item I noticed was a locket.
Artemis's eyes deepened as she stared at the woman. Could it be possible she knew her? I wondered if this was Artemis and Yukai's past.
"Is this what Yukai is remembering?" I asked.
"He's trapped in his memories." Artemis concluded. "Hopefully we can free him from the darkness that has claimed his soul."
I looked at the woman curiously. "Who is she?"
Artemis gave a deep sigh. "Yugi, that is my mother."
Slightly taken aback by her answer, my eyes widened in new realization. Then where was Artemis's past self? I had not seen her since we arrived. I frantically looked around until Yukai's past self stood up, smacking his palms on the table when a startled cry echoed in the corridor.
"Father!" he gasped. Yukai ran to the door, but he was cornered by Artemis's mother. "Anya, where is Artemis?"
"With your father..." the woman named Anya replied. She stopped Yukai from exiting the room. "Skyros will punish you if you interfere!"
"I don't care!" Yukai protested. He pushed Anya aside as he ran down the corridor. Anya chased after him.
Artemis and I stammered down the corridor and found Yukai pounding on a pair of golden doors. He slammed the doors until his hands bled and he collapsed on the floor.
Anya appeared and gave a sigh of relief. "The doors won't open?" she questioned.
Yukai shook his head. He gazed worriedly towards the doors and wondered what was going on within the chamber. He placed his bloodied hands on his face, and he heard another cry for help, but this voice belonged to a man. Yukai sprang up and he finally kicked the doors as if some mysterious force allowed them to open. The Guardian stormed in as Artemis and I followed.
I almost let out a yelp once I found Artemis's past self covered in blood. The sight of this scene made me sick, and Artemis rushed over and placed her hand over my mouth, preventing me to vomit. Her past self touched her back and was shocked by the glimpse of blood, nearly collapsing to the floor if Anya had not held onto her in time.
Yukai ran over to a man who must have been Skyros. The man opened his auburn eyes to look at his son. Anya quickly moved her daughter away from him and instead left the chamber with Artemis's past self. Before Anya did leave, a glint of crimson gleamed in Yukai's eyes as Anya passed by him.
"Father, what happened?" Yukai asked softly as he helped Skyros up.
"I don't remember..." Skyros responded, then he fell unconscious.
"Guards, anyone?" Yukai yelled out into the corridor.
A man entered the room, his eyes turned to fright once he saw Skyros lying beside Yukai. "What shall I do?" the servant asked.
"Bring my father to his room." Yukai instructed. The servant obeyed and took an unconscious Skyros away from the chamber. Yukai was the only remaining person beside Artemis and I. "I know you're there!" Yukai stared in our direction, a furious look appeared on his face.
"So you did see us." Artemis replied. A sly smile came upon her face. "Such a pity that your father deserved the fate he was delivered. He was unfortunate that he had been unable to kill me."
"What?" I cried. "You mean, this is the time when you got those scars, and you almost died!"
"Maybe I should have left you out there to freeze to death!" Yukai spat bitterly. He clutched his fists tightly.
"Ironic that where I was supposed to die on that cliff, after the Final Battle my former body was burned there." Artemis said. She watched Yukai as he made his way towards us. "Perhaps we both were meant to die..."
"No!" Yukai yelled. He caught her in a tight embrace. "It's just I cannot relive this tragedy but... It haunts me... Even in my dreams..." Tears streamed from Yukai's eyes.
"Maybe it's time I should tell you what exactly happened since Luna came forward and explained to it to me." Artemis decided, returning the embrace. "Besides, we have to get out of here."
"Wait!" I interrupted. "How do we know Yukai is good?"
"That would be simple." Artemis retorted. "Something took over Yukai, and the real one was trapped in his memories."
I stared at Yukai for a moment. He seemed back to normal and he would have attacked us by now. I trusted Artemis by nodding my head, and we had to get back before anything else could go wrong.
A white portal appeared beside us, and we went in. The trip did not take long, and I was back in my body. I opened my eyes and realized we were still in Gold City. The rain ended, but lightning continued to flash, this time constantly. It must have been Slifer who was battling Nick, Tea, Atem and Luna. We had to hurry because there was no time to waste! I stood up, searching for Artemis and Yukai.
I found them standing together near the edge of the city. Yukai was stunned by all the damage he had caused, he was supposed to be protecting his homeland, but now he broke his duty as a Guardian and a ruler. I ran over to them, the horrid stench of the dead filled my lungs, and I tried to not breath in the scent. I staggered close to the ground, and Artemis helped me to stand up.
"I can't believe I did this..." Yukai said weakly. He shook his head in disbelief, covering his eyes from the disaster he created. "That bastard made me do this!"
"Yukai, remember," Artemis replied softly. Yukai looked at her. "Rage is not the key to victory. You cannot take your anger upon yourself because it will only cause more chaos in the end."
I remembered Artemis saying the same quote to me when we first came to Animus. Her kind words were meant for Yukai, but they also worked on others, including me. I glanced at Ra who was hovering over me, as did Mesenet.
"Then let's go help our friends, and try to get the real Pluto back!" I declared.
"Agreed." Artemis nodded her head.
"I hope they're doing fine without us," Yukai stared deeply out in to the sky. "Seiryu will arrive, and we need all the Phoenix Dragons to work together to destroy the Galactic Dragon!"
We immediately went deeper into Gold City to locate our friends. I hoped they were alright, and we would eventually defeat Seiryu and his sick, twisted plan.
Author's Notes: Next chapter should concentrate more on what happened during this chapter. This chapter finally reveals who Artemis's mother looks like, and her father will appear in Struggle of Chaos. Note that Yukai and Artemis's past are an important part in their lives, and there is a reason why they keep referring back to it.
Slifer and Obelisk put up a strong fight against Nick, Tea, Atem and Luna. The four will need to work together to take down the mighty Egyptian Gods. DJ and Darien prove to be successful fighting the Winged Dragon of Ra, but they need everyone's Ka in order to perform their plan. Joey and Kaiba do not fair good since they are fighting each other when they are supposed to be fighting Pluto! On the next Dark Crisis - Chapter 31: Surviving The Threat!