Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh or its characters. I do own my OC, Akunriou / Tory and Kishtoh / Lucca, plus the storyline. I do not own the song '1000 Words' either, or the duet singing of it.

PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING NOTICES!

MidnightBallad: Here's your double-dosage of the story. Please review when you're done, cause I know I would.

Important: If you see 'present' at the start of the chapter, then that means the story is set in 'the now'. If it says 'past', then it is set 3, 000 years ago, back in Egypt.

Past: The Song I Wrote

Two figures stood amongst the dark sand dunes not too far from the palace. Each was dressed in dark purple robes and watched the palace with fiery eyes, eyes that resented everything that was going on in there. They spoke in hushed voices, although it was impossible for anyone to hear them out in the middle of the desert.

'Well, when shall this ordeal start, Kishtoh?' one of the figures, obviously male, asked his companion in a dry voice. 'I've been waiting for some time now...'

His companion turned to face him. 'Bakura, you have no right to tell me what to do. Silence yourself, or I shall do it for you. It is my sister in the palace, and I shall decide the first course of action.'

Bakura leered at the younger Kishtoh. 'I have been following the orders you gave me. What more do you want?'

Kishtoh gave Bakura a very dangerous look. 'Did I tell you to tell my sister where I was, that I had killed my own mother?' he paused. 'Did I tell you to lay a hand on my sister?'

Bakura's top lip twitched, as if he were about to snarl at Kishtoh like some sort of dog. Before he could say another word, Kishtoh spoke. 'It is only early in the night...the Pharaoh's visitors will be arriving tomorrow afternoon. We prepare now.'

Bakura bowed his head, the shadows covering his dark face completely. 'As you wish. Now, I have work to do: treasure is not going to steal itself, Kishtoh.'

Kishtoh smiled, perhaps for the first time in days. 'You may want to watch yourself, Bakura – there are people in the city just as smart as my sister, and they would see you burn too.'

Bakura swung himself up onto the back of a camel and gave a short laugh, yet said nothing else. Kicking the camel sharply with his heels, and creature snorted before trotting off across the sand. Kishtoh watched Bakura go.

'It begins tomorrow night.'

Kishtoh swung his cloak in front of his face, and he was engulfed in the dark folds. He spun until the cloak consumed him, and with a sharp cry, a jet-black crow burst forth from nowhere and swooped away.

- -

The Pharaoh Atemu stood in the underground chambers of the palace, reading off a wall, a wall that was engraved with hundreds of hieroglyphs. The corridor was silent, and swam in deep shadows. High columns lined the walls, also scribbled with hieroglyphs. However, the wall the Pharaoh read off was the most important.

As Atemu scanned the wall, he read messages. Messages handed down by means of writing on this wall. They spoke of dark forces coming to Egypt – forces that were formed completely from the lust for revenge. It also spoke of the person who could stop them: a child born on the seventh hour of the seventh day...Akunriou.

Atemu did not want to tell the girl that she was part of the ancient scriptures, yet he knew that he had to. Atemu did not want to lose her for this reason, but for another. Ever since the girl had stepped into his palace, Atemu had felt something in his heart that he never had before.

Shaking off these thoughts, Atemu began to tell himself what to do about these dark forces: use the Millennium Items and Akunriou's 'unknown power' to seal them away. He would have to stay on his toes from now on.

- -

The next day went by without much occurring: Akunriou was allowed to roam freely around the palace, and she watched as the servants hurried around the palace to clean the rooms before the Pharaoh's guests arrived. She would offer help, but many of the servants shook their heads and ran off without another word.

So, when the afternoon set in, Akunriou found herself sitting upon her bed, gazing out the window as the crimson sun set in the violet sky. A pyramid stuck out of the horizon like a giant, vertical shadow. Akunriou wished to leave the palace – yet, in a way, she also wanted to stay.

She turned on her bed when the Priestess Isis entered her room. Akunriou swung off the bed and bowed.

'Good afternoon,' Isis said. 'The Pharaoh wanted me to give you this.'

Akunriou frowned as Isis handed her what looked like a dress, on top of which was placed a variety of golden jewellery. Akunriou stared: she felt as though she was being treated like the Pharaoh's wife would be. She took the dress from Isis and bowed again. 'Thank you.'

'We are looking forward to your performance,' Isis said. 'The Pharaoh says you sing wonderfully.'

Akunriou gazed at the golden jewellery with shining eyes. 'I shall let all of you be the judge of that.'

Isis smiled inwardly. Akunriou was certainly not the kind who went on about herself. Isis nodded once and left the room quietly.

- -

Pharaoh Atemu, his three guests (royals from the other side of Egypt) and his five of his six priests all sat around a circular table, candlelight flickering across the chamber. They ate and drank a light meal, before Mana came striding into the chamber – she bowed low to the royals and her Pharaoh.

'I am sure the Pharaoh has informed you of our entertainment tonight,' she said brightly. 'About the girl who sings amazingly, but who looks very different to all of us here...' she turned to face the doorway. 'Akunriou?'

As soon as she stepped from the shadows of the doorway, Atemu felt his heart jump. Akunriou looked simply stunning – the dress she wore was the palest colour of cream, decorated with hieroglyphs that gathered into the shape of an ankh. The sleeves were a white, transparent material, and passed her fingers, woven with waves of fine golden thread all the way down. From around her mouth hung a scarf of the same material with a golden ankh stitched onto it, and her hair was held back with a golden clip in the shape of a flying bird. Last of all, her eyes had been outlines in fine black eyeliner, especially at the ends, so that her eyes were very round and looked as though they had tiny black wings.

Atemu's guests were stunned, too. The girl was different – golden hair, and one green eye and one brown – but she was also very pretty. The only female guest was given a strange look by her husband.

Akunriou bowed, the golden thread on her dress shimmering like sunlight catching a river. As she did, servants began to file into the room, bringing with them various instruments. 'My Pharaoh, priests, and guests. As you know I was asked to write a song for this occasion. One that I hope you will enjoy – it is called one thousand words, and was written for a loved one in my life.'

Atemu saw her blink back the tears, and very slowly, quietly, the music began to play, and Akunriou began to sing...

'I know that you're hiding things, using gentle words to shelter me. Your words were like a dream, but dreams could never fool me. Not that easily...'

Everyone's faces lit up. Akunriou truly was the person Atemu had said she was.

'I acted so distant then, didn't say goodbye before you left. But I was listening; you'll fight your battles far from me. Far too easily.' She smiled as she saw many others do the same. 'Save your tears cause I'll come back, I could that you whispered as you walked through that door. But still I swore to hide the pain when I turned back the pages. Shouting might have been the answer – what if I'd cried my eyes out and begged you not to depart?'

Something sparked at Akunriou's feet.

'But now I'm not afraid, to say what's in my heart...'

And then it suddenly happened. The word was plunged into darkness, and a pure blue light grew behind Akunriou, and it changed into another girl. She looked exactly the same as Akunriou, but with shorter hair, and she was wearing much different clothing. As if she were from a time in the future. It was Tory, and she sang along with Akunriou like an echo.

'Cause a thousand words, call out through the ages, they'll fly to you, even though I can't see, I know they're reaching you,' Tory sang loudly, more boldly. 'Suspended on silver wings!'

Akunriou took up the next line. 'And a thousand words, one thousand embraces, will cradle you, making all of your weary days seem far away...they'll hold you forever.'

There was a pause, a solo of music, in which the two girls looked at each other. Tory turned back to the audience – she was singing into something that made her voice stretch out across the whole desert.

'Oh a thousand words –' Tory sang.

'A thousand words...' Akunriou echoed.

'Have never been spoken –'

'Oh yeah...'

'They'll fly to you, they'll carry you home and back into my arms –'

Tory and Akunriou sang together perfectly. 'Suspended on silver wings!' And Tory echoed louder. 'On silver wings!'

Akunriou took up the last lines of the song, this time Tory echoing.

'And a thousand words, call out through the ages –'

'Call through the ages!'

'They'll cradle you, turning all of the lonely years to only days –'

'Only days!'

And together, 'They'll hold you forever!'

There was a flash of light, and Tory vanished. Akunriou was left to finish the last line all alone. 'Oh...a thousand words...'

Without waiting to see anyone's reaction, Akunriou bowed and left quickly.

- -

What had just happened!? Why had some other girl been singing with her? Whatever the reason, Akunriou was leaving and not coming back. She had displayed something to all the others, and she did not want to think about it any more.

She began to descend the palace's staircase, however, halfway down, Atemu came racing after her and made her come to a halt. When Akunriou turned around, the Pharaoh saw her black eyeliner had run like black tears down her face. 'Akunriou? What is –'

'You saw it!' Akunriou said before she could stop herself. 'There was someone else there with me! It's like...dark magic! Your guests will never allow me to –'

'My guests have no say over what you do or do not do,' Atemu said quietly. 'That was the most amazing thing I have ever seen, therefore I have more say over it then they do.'

Akunriou closed her eyes. 'I did not mean for it to happen.'

Atemu slid his finger under her chin and raised her head so that she looked him in the eye – when she opened them, that is. And when she did, Akunriou jumped when she found Atemu standing straight in front of her, barely a hair's breadth between them.

'In a moment, everything that change,' Atemu whispered. 'For a minute, just ignore the world. And think about yourself.'

What Atemu did next completely stunned Akunriou, more then when the girl had come from thin air. He landed a kiss straight on her lips, and it wasn't exactly short. For how long Akunriou stood there with Atemu she had no idea, but she suddenly stopped when she heard someone coming up the stairs behind her. She broke away from Atemu and spun around.

And she stared. 'Kishtoh?'

There was her brother, in all of his dark pride and glory, standing behind Akunriou and the Pharaoh, smiling, knowing that he had caught them at the worst possible time in the world.

'Good evening.' Kishtoh whispered.

-End chapter 11-

MidnightBallad: Once again, I apologize for the delay. This was a chapter I was itching to get done, though. By the way, I suggest that you download the song that Akunriou sang – it's called '1000 Words' by Jade (or Koda Kumi, if you like Japanese. I have that too). It's one of the best songs I know.

Thanks to all who review and reviewed!