Eternal Pain
\\light//
\yami/
Yugi placed the last of dishes from lunch in the cabinet. Yesterday Ms. Dublin had taken him shopping. He sighed as he shoved the cabinet closed. 'Ms. Dublin is really weird sometimes. One moment she's one of the meanest teachers to go to our school, then next she's kind and gentle.' Yugi went back into the store and flipped the sign back to open. He had closed it to go eat. Sitting on the stool behind the counter he watched as mothers bought their children's toys for Christmas. 'I wish I had a mom that would by me Christmas gifts.'
Sakura watched Yugi in the Shadow Realm through a full length mirror. She could hear his thoughts.
"Well, doesn't this sound interesting. Ms. Dublin seems to have a split personality. Come one Yugi, think about it!" Her voice was harsh and sounded older. She shook her head. "To think that the great Pharaoh Yugioh has a light that is so stupid."
"The Pharaoh himself is an idiot." Sakura spun around and glared at Bakura.
"Tomb raider, what are you doing here?" Bakura smirked.
"And what are you doing here Neferubity? How were you able to come back?" Neferubity looked at him like he was dirt.
"Het is the goddess who favors me. And Ma'at seems to favor my sister Ravonia. Even a lowly creature such as a thief of tombs should know that." Bakura smirked at her and raised an eyebrow.
"Lowly creature? Come now, I wasn't the one who killed my own sister in order to get her power. Then had to resort to control her son because you were interrupted from killing him too." Neferubity rolled her eyes. "And I didn't kill off my host at the young age of 6 in order to have total control." Neferubity looked at him shocked then glared.
"How did you know that?!" Bakura laughed.
"Well, us lowly creatures have to have our way in order to survive. You would need to know that, after all, I am not a murder, merely a thief." Neferubity sneered at him.
"Sakura was weak. And you defiled the resting-"
"Don't bother with all that crap about defiling the resting souls. I have paid my price, I still pay it. And the only reason Ravonia was able to convince most of the gods to let her live in that Goddess Choker was because you were still plotting to kill her son. And she in favor with the gods." Sakura glared at him. "Wasn't the reason why you were mad at Ravonia the fact that once again she was favored. You, the older sister, once more passed up for her. Your father loved her more, correct? She could have any monster for herself yet she rarely used them. To busy talking and becoming friends. To busy slowly becoming insane with all the power the choker gave her. The ability to seek out the guilty and see into their very soul with one glance. That the choker had all three forces behind it. The fact that the very reason why the-"
"Enough!!! I know the reason why the choker was created."
"Well you don't act like it. You forget the reason why she was born. And that was why the gods gave her a second chance. As long as she needed it. And her special gift. About her losing to someone in a shadow game. The price she had to pay. And the rewards they received. You remember. It is a gift and a curse. Now, the only problem you have is if she decides too soon. Before you have the chance to convince your nephew to join you once again and give you his loyalty. After all, he is the reason she came back. He seems to always be the reason for her doings. The reason she got herself killed first, the-"
"Tomb raider! You tread dangerously close to my temper."
"There is little you can do to me. You can not challenge me to a duel. You were over looked while you were alive and never taught how to play the shadow games. You probably don't have any gifts from whatever item there is that allows you to be here."
"True, I have been over looked in the shadow games but that does not mean I don't have powers. I learned the dark arts. All of them with the help of Set. Not only that, but I have powers from Het." Bakura raised an eyebrow.
"Really, well do tell, what are these great powers?"
"Perhaps . . ." She thought for a moment. "Yes, I believe it is time to use my little gifts." She lifted up her jacket enough to take off a belt buckle. It was a ruby oval with golden snakes encircling it. She held it in front of the mirror and watched a red smoke flow from the ruby and into the mirror.
Yugi stopped as he looked around. What was that smell? Finally, Yugi caught sight of it. A fire had started.
\\YAMI!!!!!!!!!!!!//
Raven looked at her reflection. Her eyes were red from crying. She sighed and pulled her hair pin out, let it fall down to its full length down by her ribs.
"I . . . I don't want to hurt him any more."
\To late Raven. Listen, I know it has been trying for you. Well, why don't you go take a shower or something./ Raven nodded at her reflection.
"Oh alright." Raven sighed unbuttoned her shirt alittle to reveal the choker. The choker seemed fine at first, but on a closer inspection it was easy to see that it was tight against her neck, especially on her voice box. The choker let go of its grip on her neck and fell down into her waiting hand. Raven sighed as she went to her room and placed it in her desk drawer. She went into her closet and pulled out some clothes and threw them on her bed without really looking at them. She grabbed a rob and went into the master bathroom.
Yugi fell to the floor. The fire had spread in a short time. The smoke was getting to be too much for him. He felt two strong arms lift him up and carry him out of the house. Someone called his name. He looked up and saw the face of Yami who was truly worried.
"Yugi, are you alright?" Yugi nodded.
"Yeah but . . . the shop!" Yugi tried to get back to the house but Yami held him in his arms preventing him from going back.
"Yugi! No, the shop is gone, there is no hope of you surviving if you go back in there!" Yugi watched in horror as firefighters tried to put out the fire in vain.
"Well now! There is something you don't see that often! You are a fire starter! A rare gift indeed! And from someone who has only two gods on their side. Not bad really. You could have gotten worse." Bakura clapped lightly as he watched all this. Sakura sneered at him.
"Now, it is time to show you what my other power is!" The belt buckle glowed. "You remember that my sister was always good at torturing the information out of people. You will forget it all . . ." Before Bakura could react he fainted. Sakura raised an eyebrow as she looked at him. "Hmm, what to do with him now? I'm going to have to be more careful."
Yugi looked up at Yami.
"What are we gonna do? The shop is gone. And I don't want to make Grandpa cut his trip short." Yami sighed and shook his head.
"Yugi, I don't know. But perhaps we should try and figure out what happened. After all, your teacher did have some time here without anyone watching her." Yugi looked at Yami surprised.
"Yami! Why would Ms. Dublin burn my house down!"
"Yugi, don't you find it odd that a woman you hardly know agrees to help you out and buy all those things?"
"Well, at first I found it odd but then . . . then I thought that maybe it would be nice. I mean, she might be sort of a mom for a short time. And she was only trying to help me." Yami shook his head.
"Yugi, she was the only one that could have time to do some and-" Yami stopped when he saw a fireman come up.
"It seems the fire started from an electrical outlet that had too many plugs. It was in the kitchen." Yugi nodded. "Well, your insurance should take care of rebuilding. I'd suggest you two boys go to a friend's house." Yugi watched the man turn and leave.
"Yami, what do we do? Everyone I know is out of town-Ms. Dublin! I think I have her phone number." Yugi reached into his coat pocket and after a moment of search he pulled out a piece of paper.
"How did you get that?" Yugi shrugged.
"Copied it down in case my grandpa wanted to call me when I was sitting outside of Ms. Dublin's room waiting for her. Now . . . just need some money for the pay phone . . . ah!" Yugi pulled out a few coins.
Raven stood next to the shower testing the water. When she found it to be warm enough Raven pull her shirt out of her skirt. Before she could do anything else she felt a presence. She spun around and came face to face with Shadi. She looked at him shocked then glared.
"Have you no privacy?" Her voice was softer and lighter but it still was alittle deep and held authority.
"There has been an attack on the holder of a Millennium Item. I believe that is was an attack in order to get his item. You must be tested in order to see if you were the one."
"And what makes you come here!"
"I sense a strong and ancient magic from you." Shadi lifted the key up and took a step towards Raven.
Sakura watched Yugi look for a pay phone. 'Damn! Ravonia will prevent me from watching him if she is with him!' Sakura waved a hand in front of the mirror and Yugi's grandfather appeared.
"oih dfiogyuado hiiyg dhaf g dfg! kfjgio dfjg diaifjkdj aoietjh! oij iofjg;ladfj iou oi! lkj ih oidsi thirytiuy h udf! kglk sphenix lksh phidrut xck be sifpoifut fg lks!! oiskosfjk drgyidufkdfhg kio uydfj ngkd rjygdnfg j fhglk aj ydf l drhfglkuuae yydptiuyw olgjh edjh. auyd lkajh weprt sdflawuiyr kidho!!!!" Yugi's grandfather looked up. He walked over to a phone and called the airport for a plane to Domino first thing. Sakura let out a sigh of relief. 'That was close. The old man should get there in a few hours and Ravonia won't be able to block me from seeing.'
Yugi looked over at Yami.
"There's no one there." Yami sighed and nodded.
"Well, we have to find a place to stay." Yugi nodded.
"Yeah. I . . . Yami I want to just have one last look." Yami nodded.
"Alright Yugi. If that's what you want to do then by all means go ahead."
Shadi stood in a hallway with two doors. 'So . . . it appears that she also has a dark self.' He looked in the doorway on the left. It was of a room with Black roses in vases all over and nice and tidy. There was a big chest closed and a desk on the other side of the room that had some papers on it and a few pens. The walls were a deep dark red and the floor was white. The lightening was semi poor and there were pictures hanging on the walls. All the pictures were faded. There were also some books in a bookshelf on another side of the wall. The books didn't fill up all the space. There was a window opposite of the door and there was a storm on the other side. 'This room . . . I have yet to see one with a window. She has seen much pain and yet . . . kept a peaceful innocence about her. But she is not all that innocent . . .' Shadi looked at the door across from the one he was looking through. It looked as though there was a dark void surrounding it. Shadi walked up to it and before he had a chance to touch it the door opened.
"What makes you think you can come here?" The room was filled with darkness. Shadi walked in.
"Someone has-"
"I KNOW THAT!"
"It is my duty to see who it was, they were after the puzzle." There was a silence. After a moment the room lit up. It was a bottomless pit of water. In a circle there are ivory pillars that had water flowing gently from the top. In the middle of this circle there was a one of those things that there are three steps up to and it was a new floor that had at least a fifteen diameter. On that there is an altar. 'Strange indeed, never have I seen such a strange room . . .' Shadi dared not step out onto the water.
"Are you afraid?"
"What would I be afraid of?"
"The water."
"I am cautious. This soul room is different than any other I have seen." There was laughter.
"With good reason. Not even I know if you will sink to the bottom should you step out onto the water. You are my first visitor. Not even my light has come in here."
"Will you grant me passage? Allow me into your soul room and allow me to walk on the water?" There was a long silence.
"I will allow you into my soul room. But be warned, do not give fire to my temper, for it has never ended well." Shadi cautiously put a foot out onto the water. It was solid. He stepped out onto the water with his other foot. He walked out further into the room. 'This room. I have never seen a room like this.' Shadi looked around. His eyes fell on the alter. 'An alter for ceremonies! This darkness inside of her is truly ancient! Older than the millennium items! These two are truly unique in very way.'
"May I ask who you are?"
"You may ask, but it might not be what you want." Shadi couldn't see the owner of the voice.
"Tell me who you are."
"I am many things. I am an item that had laid asleep for 5 long millennium. I am a lost soul who waits for the day that I can rest. The day that I know my dead son is safe from those who would want to hurt him. That is who I am."
Yugi sighed as he looked at the house one more time. Yami was waiting for him alittle ways off. Yugi had been there for a few hours just staring at where is grandfather's store used to be.
Sakura watched from the shadow realm. She smirked. Her eyes were hidden in shadows. 'This is going better than I thought. Even if the old fool doesn't show up it does not matter!' She watched as a cab pulled up and Solomon stepped out. Yugi's grandfather call out. Yugi told his grandfather everything, well, leaving out Ms. Dublin. He didn't want his grandpa to blame Ms. Dublin. He had a strange want to protect her. He merely dismissed it as gratitude for helping him earlier.
"Yugi, it looks like we'll have to stay at a hotel." Yugi nodded.
"Grandpa, I didn't think you'd be back so soon."
"Well neither did I. I just felt the need to come back right away." Yami finally spoke.
"Thank Ra you did come back so soon. Otherwise we'd be homeless for a bit."
Shadi looked around trying to find the owner of the voice.
"That is not much of an answer."
"But it is an answer."
"What is your name?"
"What are names? They are merely something another gives you. Nothing truly telling of yourself. Why do you want my name so badly?"
"Few have become someone's darker half."
"So? What, do you think that knowing my name will make everything clear? What if I told you that I could not remember?"
"There is only one who lost their memory and that was the Pharaoh Yugioh." Laughter filtered through the air.
"Does that matter to you?!"
"At the very least tell me your name."
"NO!" The voice roared.
"Why not?!"
"It is not your place! You will interfere!" Shadi looked down and saw that his ankles were beneath the water. He was slowly sinking.
"I won't interfere."
"HOW DO I KNOW THAT?!!!" His knees were touching the water now.
"I swear it."
"They break promises all the time!"
"Who are they?"
"Everyone! Guards, the Gods, monsters, and sisters!" Shadi was waist up in water.
"I will not. I swear by Amon-Ra!" He stopped sinking.
"Swear it by Amon-Ra?"
"Yes." He slowly started to rise.
"And if you break this oath I choose your death?"
"Yes."
"Very well." Shadi watched a figure step out into the light.
"You!"
"Yes, what about me?"
"You, you are-"
Raven blinked a few times. Shadi put down the key.
"I am sorry for the intrusion."
"Did you find what you were looking for?"
"I have come to believe that I know who it was. There is no way you could have done this."
"What makes you say this?"
"I know who you darker half is. She could not attack the Pharaoh. Nor could you attack the boy. Forgive me for my intrusion." With that said Shadi disappeared. Raven blinked a few times before it hit her. 'He knows!' Raven fell to the floor with new tears running down her face.
\Raven what it is?!/
\\He will tell! It he knows he will tell!//
\No, I have sworn him to secrecy. He will not tell the boy. You do not have to worry about the boy learning the truth until you are ready./ Raven wiped away some tears. She stood up and realized that the shower was going. She changed out of her clothes and stepped into the shower. The steam was hard to see through. Raven stepped directly under the water. The water washes away something red from her eyes as she closed them. The water going into the drain was green. After awhile Raven finally stepped out of the shower. She wrapped a bath robe around her and a towel around her hair. She walked out into the her room. She walked over to the window and stared out it as she sat on the sill. Her eyes were a bright shade of lavender. They had lost a tint of red they had before. Raven held herself as she looked out at sky. Raven sighed and opened a window. She let the wind blew into the house, knocking the towel off her head alittle. Raven sighed as she closed the door and pulled off the towel. Her hair fell down to its full length. There was a strip of hair on her right her that was crimson and on her left a strip of golden hair. Her bangs were mostly golden but a small amount on her right was crimson and it blended into the golden when it changed to the new color. The rest of her hair was a deep dark forest green. \I don't get it./ Raven sighed as she sat down drying off her hair.
\\What don't you get?//
\Why you use the temporary dye. Why not use that stuff that lasts. If the boy was ever to see you in a rain, your chances to keep who you are a secret are gone./
\\I know, but it reminds me why I'm doing all this.//
\I don't understand any of this./
\\You don't?//
\No, why don't you come out and tell him?/
\\I could ask the same of you.//
\Because of my sister. Yet there would be open arms if you went back./
\\I don't want to put the boy in a such a good mood only to destroy it by what we are doing.//
\Please, Yugi needn't know and neither Yami about my plans. They don't need to know about the Goddess Choker. So why?/
\\Call it . . . a mother's love.//
The three forces
Heqa - magic, creativity
Sia – perception
Hu - divine word