TCG: Well, here we are at the last chapter of my story! Be assured though, this is not the last of my stories, there are many more to come!
Yugi: Woohoo! It's time to part-ay! It's time to part-ay! (dances to random music that is playing)
TCG: Yeah, this last chapter gets pretty weird…but I think you'll still like it. Lot's of songs, and dreams…and other stuff that my story is full of.
Yugi: (still dancing)
TCG: Um, anyway, if anyone cares, the one dream Alexa has in here…I actually dreamt it. O.o
Yugi: Hey, that's pretty cool! See what goes on in an authors head…
TCG: Yeah…that's why it's very VERY weird. Well, it is to the dreams I've typed up, anyway…And would you believe this story, without the SOS or anything, is a full 23 pages long?
Yugi: Why didn't you divide this into two chapters.
TCG: I like long chapters. (smiles)
Yugi: (shrugs and continues to dance to random music)
TCG: Anyway, join me after the chapter and we'll have a re-cap of all the great…and not so great…times in my story! I always thought it was a good way to help people remember stuff.
Yugi: I always liked it too! (Dances disco-style to none disco music)
TCG: (sweat drops) Don't ask…I have no idea why he's disco-ing.
Yugi: I don't know either…it's fun though!
TCG: Anyway, since Yugi's busy dancing, I'll just say the songs I'm using in this chapter. I'm using Green Day's Blvd. of Broken Dreams and Evanescence's Bring me to Life. Neither me and Yugi own either of them.
Yugi: And TCGgirl124 does not own YuGiOh or pretty much anything mentioned in this story. She does own Alexa, however, as well as this story line.
TCG: Thank you, Yugi! Be sure to join us after the story for some random fun stuff! Woot randomness!
"Alexa…Alexa? Alexa! Are you awake now!" Yugi had already been standing there for 5 minutes trying to wake Alexa up. She didn't seem like a heavy sleeper, but man, was she proving him wrong. There was nothing that she'd done during the night, and unless he could get her up, it would soon be sunrise, and they'd all get caught.
Obviously no one told him they were staying for another day…
Yugi sighed, and out of desperateness, finally shook Alexa, still not expecting her to wake up.
"It was the monkey!"
"AH!"
"AH!" Yugi had scared Alexa, who when she woke up so suddenly with her response, she scared Yugi who once again scared Alexa. Gee, that was complicated.
"Alexa, come on! We have to get Yami and get out of here!" Yugi told Alexa.
Alexa then remembered what had happened just a few hours ago. "Yugi…Yami wants to stay for another day…"
Yugi looked confused. "But…how do you know that?"
"He told me. I mean, he asked me if it was alright. I couldn't deny him…"
"Well…why didn't you tell me!"
"Sorry, I thought he was going to do it."
As it turned out, he thought she already did.
"Well then, I'm sorry I woke you."
"I'm sorry I scared you."
Yugi blushed. "You did too…"
Alexa laughed. "It's alright. All I know is we're leaving tomorrow…"
Yugi didn't answer. "Well, good night then. Or…well, it's more like morning now…" Yugi turned to the faint sunrise, where the sky was just beginning to get light.
"Eh, it's better then nothing I guess…" Alexa said, shrugging.
Yugi nodded, and got up to leave. "I'll see you at breakfast."
Alexa nodded. She wasn't sure if Yami would want him to know what happened or not. She guessed if he did, he'd tell him.
…
"Good morning, everyone!" Alexa walked into breakfast after she was sure Yugi and Yami were alone for about 15 minutes. Or, she thought it was 15 minutes, it was hard to tell…She wanted to make sure that if they needed it, she wouldn't intrude on them. After all, she was just a third wheel.
"Good morning Alexa…" Yugi and Yami answered in unison. Yugi had the look that said, "don't say what happened this morning." And Yami looked like…Yami. It was still impossible to read him, so she had no idea of knowing whether he'd told Yugi or not.
It was a pretty silent breakfast, no one wanted to say too much, and were afraid to say anything at all. "So…what do we want to do today?" Alexa asked.
Yami had wanted to ask that as well, only he didn't want to. He didn't want to admit he wasn't sure of what to do, especially when he was the one who wanted to stay longer.
Yugi considered the thought. "Hmm…I think I've got it!"
The next thing they knew, they were horse-racing. There weren't quite going anywhere, and no one knew where the finish line was. But the rush of air and the speed seemed to make all of them happy.
"Haha! You guys can't catch up with me!" Alexa took a slight lead.
"Not for long!" Yugi caught up with her.
"Don't forget," Yami shouted "I gave you the fast horse!"
Alexa laughed. "That's not my fault!" She yelled back as she passed them both up.
Yugi and Yami looked at each other. "Alright Alexa, we give up, you win…"
The three of them each halted there horses. "Oh come on! I start winning, and you guys just give up?"
"Alexa, you've been beating us for the past couple miles or so…" Yugi reminded her.
Alexa shrugged. "Maybe my horse will get tired, then you'll be able to beat me." Alexa said, panting. That horse riding thing wasn't as easy as it looked.
Yami jumped off his horse. "Well, since we've got a long way home, why don't we just sit around for a while?"
Yugi climbed off his horse as well. "Sounds good to me…"
Alexa didn't get off her horse.
"Alexa…aren't you going to come down?" Yami asked.
Alexa looked down at Yami. "I'm afraid to…this horse doesn't like me…and it's a long fall…" Alexa exaggerated the horse's height, although it was pretty tall.
Yami laughed. "Need help?"
"That would be greatly appreciated…
Yami helped Alexa down, without getting Alexa bucked off the horse. Which to Alexa was a major achievement.
They discussed how they'd get going, about when and where they'd meet. As they talked, it seemed to sink in they were finally leaving. Although they all seemed pretty happy to be going home, they all were going to miss it too.
"No more gi-hugey breakfasts…" Alexa shook her head slowly.
"No more horses to ride…" Yugi sighed.
"No more dueling for your life's…" Yami added.
"No more random woman grabbing you and forcing you to get cleaned." Alexa added, then thought about what she said. "Actually, I won't miss that very much…"
Yugi and Yami laughed. Then Yami replied. "Well you two, we'd better get going…we have a short night to get a lot of rest in. Alexa, do you need any-" He was about to say 'help', when he noticed Alexa already on the horse.
"Hey Yami, I think I'm getting the hang of this horse-riding thing!" Alexa replied happily.
Yami smiled. "Good."
Before they knew it, they were back at the palace eating dinner. Yami found a jar of wine and laughed to himself as he remembered when Alexa had gotten drunk…
"I propose a toast, to us!" He said, pouring it out into three glasses.
"Why…what'd we do that was so special?" Alexa said sarcastically laughing.
"Alexa…just don't get drunk…" Yugi warned jokingly.
"I'll try not to!" Alexa said laughing. "To us!"
"To us!" Yami and Yugi repeated, chimed glasses, and took a sip.
"Dang it, I never had wine before, but I'm sure this is the best I'll ever taste!" Alexa said after a sip. "Isn't it illegal to be drinking under age, though?"
Yami laughed. "It's not while your hear, anyway, so just enjoy it."
Alexa nodded. "I will!"
And so, they got through dinner without Alexa getting drunk, the red wine spilling on anybodies clothing, and without random evil people jumping in. It was all good. But soon, even that had to end. And with that, they all went to bed, aware of the task they'd soon be doing: Going home…
Alexa tossed and turned in her sleep. She was having a really bad dream.
"Alexa, do you honestly think you'll be able to defeat me twice!" Bakura yelled back at her.
Alexa looked at her surroundings. She seemed to be just starting a duel with Bakura, but where were they? Upon looking a little bit more, she saw them dueling high off the ground. The place seemed familiar yet different at the same time; it almost looked like the maze in Yami's mind, only, it wasn't a maze. There seemed to be a building below them, it was as if they were dueling on top of an invisible roof.
"What in the world are you thinking about! Did you forget the stakes of the duel already?"
Stakes! There were stakes in this duel!
"Well, I'll remind you just to see you squirm. Every time one of us gets attacked directly, we have to experience our greatest fears. The more life points you lose, the worse the fear. The more often, the more real it seems." Bakura gave an evil grin, which somehow told Alexa he wouldn't be that much affected.
Alexa gasped. Her fears…what were they? What was she afraid of? And why was it now, when it mattered most, that she couldn't remember them?
"Fine, since you forfeited your first turn, I'll go…"
Alexa was confused. She hadn't forfeited her turn…had she?
The next thing she knew, she was being attacked by one of Bakura's zombie monsters.
Then she saw, one by one, all of her friends. The ones that had, at some point in her life, meant a lot to her, some she had even forgotten she'd been friends with.
"Alexa, how the heck was I friends with you!" One girl asked.
"Yeah, why did I bother with such an idiot?" Said another.
"Yeah Alexa, especially since you never did anything for us…" said the third.
Alexa went to say something, but suddenly she was back at the duel. Had it all been an illusion? Bakura…did he say that it was real? Was it? No…her friends couldn't have all meant it…right?
"Fine Alexa, if you don't want to go again…" Bakura answered.
What in the world…why wasn't she doing anything!
He summoned yet another zombie, and Alexa was soon attacked by both.
"Ha! With only 200 life points left, you'll lose soon!" Bakura cackled.
Alexa then saw Yugi. "Yugi! You have to help me, Bakura's…"
"Alexa! Why are you asking me for help? I mean, can't you do anything on your own!" Yugi asked Alexa angrily.
"What? I…"
"I mean, you just invade my life, then you try to steal my friends, and now you're asking for my assistance! How low can you get!"
Yugi's harsh words cut through Alexa like a knife, and left her stinging cold. "But Yugi, I…"
"Save it! I don't want to see your face again, you jerk!"
Alexa's eyes swelled with tears. Then she saw Yami next to Yugi. "Yami! What's up with Yugi? He's acting all…"
"He's acting like he should have. I told him you were evil, and he didn't listen. But know he knows, he knows your true demonic self…"
"No Yami…not you too…"
"What do you mean 'not you too'? I was against you all along!" With that, Yami suddenly blasted Alexa with a powerful attack from his millennium puzzle.
Alexa found herself in front of Bakura. She had to do something, because there was only one thing she feared more than losing Yugi…and if she experienced it, it would be over forever…If she lost the duel, the final experience would be death. But was it an experience? No, it couldn't be…it felt much too real. Yugi really did hate her, Yami too. Everyone did.
Maybe death wouldn't be all that bad…
Yugi woke up and heard Alexa. She was talking in her sleep, saying a series of "No…no…no…!" Something told him, when he got to her, she was having more then a dream. Was it possible…that a shadow game was going on within her own mind! He tried to shake her awake, but it didn't work. Then, as if he'd awoken them, Alexa's millennium powers activated. The symbol glowed brightly on her forehead. And before long, Yugi realized that he was becoming a part of whatever was going on.
He found himself standing below Alexa's duel. Alexa looked pretty shaken, it was a 4000 to 200 LP duel, and Alexa wasn't winning. She looked scared, really scared. She wasn't doing anything, and it looked like although she wanted to, something was holding her back, keeping her from defending herself.
"Alexa! Are you alright!" He called up to her.
Alexa looked at him, and looked away without saying a word.
"Alexa! Why won't you tell me what's going on?"
Alexa looked teary eyed. "Why do you care! You made it pretty obvious that you hate me!"
Yugi looked confused. "What on earth are you talking about!"
Bakura cackled. "The girl experienced her worst fears…and I'm afraid she thought they were real."
Yugi gasped. Alexa had once said she wouldn't know what she'd do without him, but had that meant she was really that afraid of losing him? "Alexa! Please! I…" How do you convince someone who thinks you just shoved them off? "I'm not sure what I was saying! Listen to me, Alexa! I want to help you win this duel!"
"Oh, would you shut up!" Alexa cried, literally. She couldn't think straight, she was about to lose, and now she couldn't tell friend from foe.
"Alexa please, let me help you! You can still win! There's one card that can help you! Please, you've got to believe me!"
Alexa tried to stop sobbing. "Ok…I'll try…" Alexa painstakingly drew a card, and gave a weak smile. "All I have is this card face down. You're move, Bakura."
Yugi gulped. If this was the right card, the same one he was thinking about, she wouldn't lose. She wouldn't win either: they'd both end in a draw.
Bakura didn't seem to mind Alexa's weak attempt. "And now, Alexa, you'll experience death!" Bakura cackled as he called his attack.
Alexa activated her card. She was too afraid to call it, but she activated it.
Bakura noticed. "What! No, not that! That means…it's a draw! And a draw…that void's the whole shadow game!"
Alexa looked too beaten to say anything. She just stood there, looking at the ground. "Bakura, get out of my mind and stay out!"
The next thing they knew, She was awake, and Yugi was sitting next to her.
"Oh, Yugi!" Alexa leaned over and sobbed on Yugi's chest. "Yugi…thank you for saving me…I was so scared…I don't want to stay here anymore. I want to go…I was so close to death, Yugi…I felt it…" Alexa broke out in tears.
Yugi comforted her. Somehow, Bakura had dueled Alexa within her own mind, found out her real fears. This past…this past where ultimate power existed was too dangerous for them.
Alexa seemed to calm down a little. "Yugi…you…you don't hate me…right?"
"No Alexa…I could never hate you…" Yugi replied calmly. It's just the opposite…
"I'm sorry Yugi…I didn't mean to…" Alexa tried to wipe away her tears, and tried to apologize for her outburst.
"It's fine, Alexa. As long as you promise you'll do the same for me."
Alexa looked at Yugi. His sorrow filled eyes told her without words. Somehow, he told her that he knew Yami would want to stay. To stay where he ruled. After all, Yugi didn't want to force him into the nothing Yami called himself back home. "Oh Yugi…" Alexa did her best to keep the tears from coming, and although she didn't sob, a few more tears fell.
"Come on Alexa. Let's get Yami and go home…"
But the King of Games himself wasn't having a restful night either…
Yami was standing in a room. When he looked around, he saw…two Alexa's! One was the Alexa he knew, the other looked older and truly Egyptian. But he could tell they were both Alexa.
"Ok Yami, you've got me, and you've got her. Which one are you going to pick?" The younger Alexa asked him.
"What on earth…Who is she? How is there two of you?"
"It's a dream, so it doesn't have to make sense…" The same Alexa replied. "And to answer your question, she's your past wife…"
"What!"
"Yep, it's hard to believe, but you met me in Ancient Egypt. Which is why I had to meet Yugi in modern times…"
"But you said that Shadi had said…"
"Shadi had said stuff based on his own theory." Alexa replied, the older one remaining quiet. "He wasn't sure what happened, so he lied so it sounded like he knew what he was talking about. The truth was, you met her…" At that Alexa nodded to the older one. "Soon after you got married, you had to sacrifice yourself to save Egypt. She wanted to be sacrificed as well, she didn't want to live without you. You told her no, but in exchange gave her her millennium powers. You said you would give her a millennium item for them, so that she'd be like you. The next thing you knew, your country was being attacked, and you had to say good bye rather quickly. A soon as the country was saved, the Queen had a tough decision to make: She could either stay alive and rule Egypt, or commit suicide and be with her love."
"But…what did she choose!" Yami asked.
"She decided to live, and rule the country. Although she was kind and fair, no one liked the idea of a female Pharaoh. Despite that, she died a natural death after a just reign. You see, if she had sacrificed herself, she too would have been brought to the future like you were. But she didn't, she went to the afterlife. But here and now, you have to decide: Do you want her, your long lost love, or me, the one who you're just getting to know?"
Yami looked at them both. "How do you know these things, Alexa?"
"It's a dream…one of us had to be smart. But this decision, Yami, is very real…"
Yami understood. He looked at them both. One was the one he'd used to love, and the other was the one he had to apologize to.
"I choose you, Alexa. Although the past you used to be the one I love, she didn't love me back. If she had, she'd have committed suicide. She had loved me much, I know, but she feared death more than that. You, on the other hand, have given yourself up for me more times than I can count. And besides, if she really is dead, she's nothing more than an illusion now."
At that, the other Alexa seemed to vanish.
"You did it Yami! You saw through the illusion. Although my love for you was as great then as it is now, the past is over and done with. You loved her once, for one life, but now you're in another. And you've got me."
Yami smiled. "But…do you…outside this dream…do you know what you've told me?"
"I know bits and pieces, but not all of it. But soon, neither will you, so it doesn't matter."
"What do you mean?"
"I'm going to have to let you find out for yourself…" Alexa said.
Just then, Yami felt a tap on his shoulder. As he turned to look, he woke up to Yugi.
"Yami…Alexa and I want to leave now…" Yugi said softly.
Yami nodded. "Yes, we have to leave before we're caught."
Alexa was out in the hallway, waiting for them. "We should go outside so we don't wake anyone up…"
Yugi and Yami both agreed. They all walked outside, and stopped by the rivers edge. There was a gentle breeze that rustled the grass, giving a calm feeling about them. Someone was about to say something just to stop the quiet when suddenly…
"Ack!"
"Alexa!" Yugi and Yami quickly turned to her to see what was wrong.
"My arm…the one Bakura hurt…he's around here somewhere…" Alexa said. She winced at the pain her arm was giving her.
"Well, since I don't need introduction, why don't we get right down to business?"
"What business! Haven't you caused me enough pain tonight!" Alexa yelled at him.
"My dear…it would have been finished had there been a victor…sadly, that wasn't meant to be…"
Yami was confused, what were they talking about?
I'll tell you later… Yugi thought to Yami. Yami nodded. "Bakura, why don't you leave us before things get messy…"
Bakura gave an evil grin. "Why, are you backing away from a challenge?"
Yami shook his head. "There's no challenge to back away from, Bakura. And I intend to keep it that way."
Bakura didn't even wait. "I challenge you to a clash of millennium items, Pharaoh! My ring against your puzzle!"
He'd said it, and it was true. Yami had never backed down from a challenge.
"You do it, Yami!" Alexa shouted at him. "You're going to win anyway, so why wreck your title?"
Yami liked the way Alexa thought, if only it were that easy. "Fine Bakura. Name your game…"
Bakura grinned. "I knew you would, Pharaoh. Here are the rules: whoever hits there targets first with the magic of there item wins."
Yami nodded. "Alright, then lets-"
"Sorry to interrupt, but I never said the targets. You'll attack me, obviously, but I'll get the girl…"
Alexa gasped, and Yami groaned. "You leave her out of this, Bakura!"
"No, Pharaoh, I've got a score to settle with her. And with that being said, she can't use her powers whatsoever…"
"What!"
"Begin!" Bakura shouted without answering.
"Yugi, get Alexa away!"
"Right!" Yugi grabbed Alexa's hand and pulled her away to dodge a blast.
Yami went to get Bakura when he was distracted, but he couldn't get his puzzle to work! Oh no! I bet Bakura had planned this out all along! But what I don't understand is how I got it to work before…
Alexa and Yugi dodged another blast from Bakura, jumping past. But in doing so, Alexa lay on the ground, unable to move in time of Bakura's next blast.
"Oh no!"
"Alexa!" Yugi cried.
"This is it, Alexa, now you die!"
Alexa closed her eyes afraid of the blast, but she never felt it hit. She opened her eyes to see Yugi standing in front of her taking it instead.
"Yugi don't! You'll get hurt!"
As the blast stopped, it was obvious that Yugi was injured. Nonetheless, he grabbed Alexa and continued to help her dodge attacks.
"Yugi! You're hurt, you have to stay still!"
"No! If he get's you we lose!"
Alexa gave a hopeless moan.
Yami had snuck up behind Bakura. Now, if he thought hard enough, maybe he'd remember how he did it. Let's see…at the moment, he was thinking about winning. That night when he was with Alexa…he had been trying to impress her. That's it! If he did it for her, then it'd work! Or, at least he hoped it would.
"Bakura, I'm afraid your game is over!" Yami yelled as he sent a blast straight at Bakura.
As the dust cleared, Alexa looked at Yugi, who looked at Yami, who looked at Bakura beaten on the ground.
"My Pharaoh, you may be leaving, but consider this a parting gift!" At that, he sent a powerful blast at Yami, and once again the dust picked up. As Yugi and Alexa looked into it as it cleared, they noticed two things at once. One, Bakura was gone; and two, Yami lay collapsed on the ground.
"Yami!" Both Yugi and Alexa cried as they scrambled up to see if he was alright. He wasn't, he was unconscious.
"Ugh…this is my fault. If I had just lost to Bakura…he wouldn't have wanted to hurt one of us so bad…and Yami wouldn't be…" Alexa waved her hand around looking for a word. "I don't know…unconscious?"
Yugi sighed. "It's not your fault Alexa…"
"Yes it is…" Alexa sighed. Then, her millennium powers activated, much to Yugi's surprise.
"What on earth are you doing!" Yugi asked.
"I'm going to make myself unconscious in his place…so he'll wake up. I made him get attacked, so the least I could do is help him out…"
Yugi went to object, but couldn't follow up with anything. "Alright Alexa, you do that, if you have to. Although I still think he'll be alright in a few minutes…"
Alexa shook her head. "Yeah…but maybe…oh, I don't know…" She looked down at the ground. "Here goes…" Her powers flashed, and soon she was in a heap on the ground. Yami, however, groaned and woke up.
"Yugi! What happened…?" Yami said, seeing Alexa collapsed.
"Bakura attacked you, and knocked you out cold. Alexa pretty much swapped consciousness with you…" Yugi explained as simply and as best as he could.
"Alexa…she still thinks I distrust her, and she continues to work for my benefit…"
Yugi looked surprised. "You mean…you haven't told her yet!"
"I…I can't get myself to do it…" Yami shook his head. He looked down at Alexa, who even unconscious, still, in his opinion, looked beautiful. "Let's get her inside. The night's still young…we'll leave early morning."
Yugi nodded as they headed back in. Yugi went to his room as Yami carried Alexa back to her room.
"Why am I so dizzy…?" Alexa woke up as Yami laid her down.
"You saved me, remember?"
Alexa nodded.
"Alexa, that was a brave thing to do. I thank you for it."
"Of course…wouldn't anyone do it?" Alexa asked in a hushed voice.
"No. But Alexa, I'm proud of you. I may not always act like it, but it's true…"
Yami was about to continue when he noticed Alexa sleeping again. He sighed. So much for that. He still had a few hours until they had to leave, so he figured he would be able to sleep for at least a little while. Of course, his dreams followed…
Alexa, on the other hand, had also begun to dream. In fact, they both saw the same thing…
"How can you see into my eyes like open doors?
Leading you down into my core
Where I've become so numb
Without a soul
My spirit's sleeping somewhere cold
Until you find it there and lead it back home…"
Alexa dreamt the words to the song… Yami was next, and in an alternating pattern, they played the words out…(Quoted parts indicate Alexa's point of view, parenthesis's indicate Yami's.)
(Wake me up)
"Wake me up inside"
(I can't wake up)
"Wake me up inside"
(Save me!)
"Call my name and save me from the dark…"
(Wake me up)
"Bid my blood to run"
(I can't wake up)
Before I come undone
(Save me!)
"Save me from the nothing I've become"
"Now that I know what I'm without
You can't just leave me
Breathe into me and make me real
Bring me to life"
(Wake me up!)
"Wake me up inside"
(I can't wake up)
"Wake me up inside"
(Save me!)
"Call my name and save me from the dark"
(Wake me up)
"Bid my blood to run"
(I can't wake up)
" Before I come undone"
(Save me!)
"Save me from the nothing I've become
Bring me to life"
("I've been living a lie
There's nothing inside…")
"Bring me to life"
("Frozen inside without your touch
Without your love, darling")
"Only you are the life among the dead!"
(All of this time, I can't believe I couldn't see
Kept in the dark, but you were there in front of me…)
"I've been sleeping a thousand years it seems"
("Got to open my eyes to everything")
(Without a thought, without a voice, without a soul…)
("Don't let me die here
There must be something more")
"Bring me to life"
(Wake me up)
"Wake me up inside"
(I can't wake up)
" Wake me up inside"
(Save me!)
"Call my name and save me from the dark"
(Wake me up)
"Bid my blood to run"
(I can't wake up)
"Before I come undone"
(Save me!)
" Save me from the nothing I've become"
("Bring me to life
I've been living a lie
There's nothing inside
Bring me to life")
Alexa, in the meantime, had another dream. This one was strange, and more dreamlike than the others. Of course, Alexa always had strange dreams…
Alexa was back in Human World, but not at home. She wasn't sure where exactly she was, but as she'd soon find out, it wouldn't matter. It was winter, and it was cold outside. Then she noticed that Yami was there with her. She couldn't quite figure out if he was still cartoon or if he had turned human, but that also didn't matter in the end.
"So, are you going to stay or not?" She found herself asking. Yep, definitely a dream…
"I'm not sure if I'll be able…" Yami answered.
Then, something Alexa hadn't noticed before: An elderly woman was sitting at what looked like a bench by a bus stop. And behind them was a cabin. Where were they…?
"Is that you two babbling about him stayin' or leavin'?" The old lady asked in a cracking voice. "That can only be decided by a God…"
"God!" Yami exclaimed.
Suddenly, Alexa grew nervous. Something was wrong…Yami might not be able to stay!
Then, a bus stopped at the stop. The lady got on, and a man came off. Both Yami and Alexa looked at him. Something was different about him from regular people…then a shiver ran down her spine as Alexa figured out the strange aura: It was a God, or God…she wasn't quite sure what religion she was running under at the moment, Egyptian or Catholic. Yami and her followed him inside the cabin.
"Alexa let me talk to you first…" The man said. Alexa gulped, had she down something wrong? She followed him into a private room. She grew even more nervous now that Yami wasn't around. And how did he know her name? He really must be a God…
"Alexa…how has he been?" The man asked her.
Alexa was shaking with nervousness. "W-who? Y-Yami?"
The man nodded.
"He's…he's Yami. I mean…it's hard to describe exactly how he is." Alexa rambled off.
"Try…" The man asked, meaning for her to try and describe Yami.
"Uh…s-secretive…p-proud…brave…h-heads-strong…" Alexa was getting nervous again. What if she said the wrong thing?
"Don't worry, my dear, you can't say the wrong thing. Besides, I want the truth…"
"A-are you going to decide w-whether he s-stays or not?" Alexa asked.
The man smiled. "Yes…"
"T-then…y-you're…?" Alexa gasped at the end.
The man nodded. "Could I know speak with him?"
Alexa thought that she'd be less nervous back with Yami. But she really was more so, afraid that she'd disappoint him somehow. Alexa found herself hugging him for comfort, afraid to cry, and too nervous to do so…
"It's ok Alexa…calm down…please; you have to be strong for me…"
Alexa shed a tear. "But…what if…what if I make it so you leave?"
"You won't. I'll only be able to do it to myself…"
"But…i-if you do leave…w-what if you don't remember me? O-or Yugi?" Alexa kept from sobbing, but tears ran down her cheeks. Everyone seemed to be able to hold under pressure besides her. And this pressure was unbearable…
Yami brushed away her tears. "I could never forget either of you. But now, I must see what destiny makes of me."
Alexa let Yami go. "J-just…don't lie…he'll know…" She said, biting her lower lip to keep from crying.
"I promise." Yami answered. "But please, Alexa. Be brave for me…"
Alexa nodded, and watched as he went off to the room with the man. Why hadn't she said how much he meant to her? That she…admittedly…that she loved him. At this moment, he was all the world to her. Maybe…had she been obvious? Had that man been able to read her like a book? He had to have been…he'd read her thoughts pretty much…
Alexa found herself calming down little by little. But in almost no time at all, both Yami and the man emerged from the room.
"Alexa, I need you to do one more thing for me…" The man said. "I'll need you to judge between me and him…"
All the calm Alexa had found vanished. "J-judge what?" What happened next was completely random…
Out of nowhere, the man suddenly had an electric guitar. "You're a fan of music, Alexa. Judge between my playing and his."
Alexa protested. "But…that's no fair! Y-Yami can't play the guitar!"
The man didn't listen. He played an incredible variety of some classical guitar, which seemed strange on the electric instrument. Alexa looked down to avoid there eyes. He played extremely well; she was fighting the urge to tap her foot. She, against what she wanted, was enjoying it. Then she heard a pause, and then more playing, only this time it was more of a rock style. Alexa looked up. It, beyond what she thought, the King of Games himself playing it. The sound of the genre he was playing appealed to her much more than the other guys' did. However, once again what she wanted to think, she thought the other guys' playing was better. The sophistication, in lack of a better word, was much better in the other man's. Yami ended soon after. Both of them looked at Alexa, who immediately grew nervous again.
Alexa bit her lower lip. She personally enjoyed what Yami had played better, but the quality of the other man was much more superb. Well, of course it was! Rock music wasn't supposed to be all sophisticated. But, she held herself back: if she said Yami, would that anger the man into forcing Yami back into the past?
"Come on, Alexa. Tell him who you liked better…" Yami told her gently.
Tears ran down her face again. "I'm scared…I'm afraid of saying the wrong thing…not for the judging, but from myself…I don't want to be the cause of your leaving…" Alexa answered.
The man was also speaking gently. "The longer you wait, the harder it will be to say what you think is the truth…"
Alexa closed her eyes and took a breath, but it didn't help. She began to sob as she pointed shakily to Yami. Then, not being able to take sitting there anymore, she rushed up to Yami and accepted his comforting.
The man stayed much calmer than the other two were about to get. "He may stay. You told the truth although you were afraid of his consequence. That is definitely the kind of person he needs to be with."
Alexa sobbed with relief. The man slipped away quietly.
"Alexa…why are you crying? Aren't you happy I get to stay?" Yami asked.
Alexa nodded. "Y-Yami, I'm not crying because I'm sad. I'm just s-so happy that you get to stay…that I didn't cause you to leave forever. Because…if you've ever cried…they can be two things it means…"
Yami stopped her. "I'm experiencing the joyful kind right now."
Alexa looked up. Even the serious-in-all-situations Pharaoh had tears running down his face. Alexa slowly slipped out of her dream and into sleep, with the feeling of love still fresh in her heart.
But she wasn't the only one dreaming…
I walk a lonely road
The only one that I have ever known
Don't know where it goes
But it's home to me and I walk alone
I walk this empty street
On the Boulevard of Broken Dreams
Where the city sleeps
and I'm the only one and I walk alone…
Where in the world was he? Yami tried to make meaning out to the words going through his head.
I walk alone
I walk alone
No…that's not true. He still had Yugi…and Alexa….right?
I walk alone
I walk a...
My shadow's the only one that walks beside me
My shallow heart's the only thing that's beating
Sometimes I wish someone out there will find me
'Til then I walk alone
No…he wasn't that alone. He did have friends…those words were a lie!
Ah-ah, Ah-ah, Ah-ah, Aaah-ah,
Ah-ah, Ah-ah, Ah-ah
I'm walking down the line
That divides me somewhere in my mind
On the border line
Of the edge and where I walk alone
Read between the lines
What's freaked up and everything's alright
Check my vital signs
To know I'm still alive and I walk alone
No…he didn't walk alone. Even without Alexa…he had Yugi still. Or maybe…since he was pushing away Alexa…was he pushing away Yugi too?
I walk alone
I walk alone
I walk alone
I walk a...
My shadow's the only one that walks beside me
My shallow heart's the only thing that's beating
Sometimes I wish someone out there will find me
'Til then I walk alone
Ah-ah, Ah-ah, Ah-ah, Aaah-ah
Ah-ah, Ah-ah
I walk alone
I walk a...
I walk this empty street
On the Boulevard of Broken Dreams
Where the city sleeps
And I'm the only one and I walk a...
My shadow's the only one that walks beside me
My shallow heart's the only thing that's beating
Sometimes I wish someone out there will find me
'Til then I walk alone...
No…it couldn't be true…it just couldn't be! He wasn't alone…he wasn't!
Right…?
Yami shot up in bed. Those words…they couldn't be true…and yet, at the same time, they almost told his story exactly. He got up, and got Yugi.
The morning was just beginning to rise, and they had to leave soon.
"Yugi, would you go get Alexa?" Yami asked in a whisper. After his dream, he wasn't sure he could face her.
"Oh no…last time I tried to wake her up, she almost gave me a heart attack!" Yugi said in a loud whisper.
Yami smirked. "Fine, then let's get her."
They walked into her room, where Alexa was mentally exhausted from all of her dreaming.
"Alexa? Alexa…" Yami nudged her arm in an attempt to wake her up. Of course, the sudden burst of reality startled Alexa, who quickly shot up in bed, slapping Yami's face in the process. She held a hand to her mouth in astonishment as Yami figured out what happened.
"Holy geez…Yami, I'm so sorry!" Alexa apologized quickly. Darn her and her reflexes!
Yami straightened himself up. "It's alright…no harm done…"
"You ready to go, Alexa?" Yugi asked.
Alexa nodded. "Yeah, let's go before we get caught…"
They worked there way to where Bakura had attacked them. This time, Bakura never showed up.
No one said anything. There was a strange discomfort in the air. Alexa was afraid of being the way she was with Yugi with Yami, because she knew what she'd dreamt, although meaningful to her, was just a dream. Yami was afraid of acting too nice to Alexa, since he was, still to her, "against her trust". Yugi was just plain uncomfortable. He'd scared Alexa to death in that shadow game in Alexa's mind, well, the illusion of him did. He hadn't really fully apologized. And Yami…he knew he'd soon be leaving him behind. Alexa wasn't sure what to think of Yami's final destination, but Yami himself had it figured out.
Yugi spoke first. "Yami…I…I know you want to stay here…" Yugi tried to keep from getting emotional. "So…I'm going to let you…" Yugi began to cry, but held a clenched fist as he spoke. "It's not fair of you to come with me if you don't want to. I refuse to take your free will. It's not right! You've helped me more times than I can count, and I hope that this will repay you for that…"
Alexa laid a hand on Yugi's shoulder. She wasn't quite sure what to do to comfort him, but she stayed by his side. Whatever happened next…whatever Yami decided, whether it was to remain where he was Pharaoh or go back to where he was King of Games, she'd support them both.
Yami took a deep breath. "Yugi, I made my final decision a little while ago, and I hope you can find it in your heart to allow me to carry it out…"
Yugi made himself stop crying. Alexa could sense the bravery he needed at this moment.
"I've decided…" Yami paused. Yugi looked on; with a look that he knew exactly what he would say, exactly what he was going to do. After all, Alexa figured, he was his other half, who'd know him better than Yugi?
The suspense got to the point where it was like a movie. Yugi looked down, unable to bear what he would soon hear, so only Alexa saw when Yami made the same smirk like in a duel when he pulled off a perfect bluff. Yami closed his eyes, as if preparing himself for the moment. But…was he going to say what Alexa thought he was going to?
"I've decided to go back with you, Yugi…"
Alexa felt Yugi's excitement. So it was only right to let him go to hug Yami when he almost knocked the guy down, happily exclaiming how happy he was.
"I can't believe it! Yami…you're really staying! With me! All this time…I was so sure I'd lose you…but you're coming back with me!" Yugi was definitely excited, and who could blame him.
Alexa watched them both as they perked up after the gloom from before. She too, was extremely happy. She'd been so depressed…and then that dream she'd had. And then she was depressed again. And now, although she was only sitting a little bit back, she was overjoyed. Tears ran down her face, but not the painful, sorrowful tears she'd shed so many times recently. These were the tears of joy she'd experienced in her dream.
"Alexa…" Yami spoke to her, noticing her crying. "Why are you crying? Aren't you happy that I'm coming back with you guys?" Alexa saw eyes that looked hurt. Really hurt. Not those bluff kind to get you to lessen your attack when you dueled so he could pull out a big comeback at the end. Alexa couldn't just look anymore. The next thing she knew, she was being held tightly in his embrace.
"Yami…I'm not crying because I'm sad…I'm crying because I'm so overjoyed…" Alexa sobbed. She realized she been scared of him leaving them behind. And, although this would usually be the time she'd squeeze him harder, he beat her to it. He actually pulled her closer. Alexa knew it right then and there. Yami didn't hate her at all. He did trust her…but she also knew that, until he said it himself, he was free to change his mind any time he liked. But she held on to the moment, the happiest one in her life, after when she was able to come back to Yugi.
Alexa finally pulled away, and Yami wiped her tears. "Alexa, I'm experiencing that kind right now…"
Alexa almost gasped. That gesture…that line… "You said that when…"
Yami looked confused. "I've never said that…"
Alexa shook her head. "I'll tell you later…"
Yami smiled. Alexa smiled back.
"So, are you two lovebirds ready to go now?" Yugi asked, laughing.
"Yugi! You little! How could you! How dare you! Ack!" Yami was doing that anime style spazzing out on Yugi. Alexa sweat dropped and just sat there while Yugi defended himself with "I didn't mean to"s and "I'm sorry"s. She couldn't help but find it funny. But once one or the other had the other in a headlock, Alexa figured she'd draw attention away from the loser.
"Hey, you guys…look at the stars…" She said, looking at the sky. "There must be twice as many as back at home."
The other two stopped there "cat fight", if you will, and followed her gaze.
"Alexa's right…I think there are a ton more stars here…" Yugi answered.
"It's beautiful…" Yami agreed.
"I bet your miss it Yami…" Yugi added almost apologetically.
"We'll all miss it…" Alexa corrected him. "Not just that, but this whole place…But one day, I'll remember about it, and I'll bring us all back here somehow…with my millennium powers…"
Yugi noticed something. "Alexa…you've been remembering about your powers more easily, haven't you?"
Alexa thought about it for a second. "Well, maybe not more easily, but I have been remembering about them longer, now that you mention it."
"Maybe one day," Yami thought, "You won't have to forget about them."
They sat there in silence, and looked at the stars. That's when they noticed the new day breaking ever so slowly.
"We'd better get going." Alexa said, breaking the silence.
Yugi nodded. "Yeah…I guess so…"
Yami sighed. "Alexa, are you ready for it?"
Alexa nodded. "Yeah, I am."
Yugi smiled. "Then what are we waiting for? It's best we leave before we get caught…"
Alexa took a deep breath. "Here goes nothing…" Alexa closed her eyes and concentrated. The millennium symbol glowed on her forehead.
Yami grabbed the millennium puzzle around his neck. He too, closed his eyes and concentrated. Both the puzzle and his forehead glowed with millennium power.
Yugi felt the wind pick up slightly. Alexa and Yami felt there powers merging, and a momentary connection even with each other. They couldn't say much though, if they lost concentration, who knew what would happen?
Millennium magic began to surround the three of them in what Yugi saw as a show-off manner. He gasped at the power he felt from the both of them combined. Just as he knew they'd be forced into the future, he grabbed hold of Alexa. "Don't leave me!"
The wind kicked up violently in a whirlwind of sand. And as soon as it appeared, it disappeared. The three of them were gone.
"Please keep your seat belts on for the next couple of minutes. We will be landing momentarily."
Yugi and Alexa awoke to an announcement on the airline.
"Hey Yugi! We did it! We came back to the future!" Alexa said happily.
Yugi seemed to finally grasp what happened. "Yami? Where's Yami!"
"Did you try checking beside you?"
Yugi gave a sigh of relief. "I thought I'd lost you…"
Yami chuckled. "No, you didn't lose me…"
Alexa smiled. "Well, according to the schedule…we'll be back home in about a half hour or so…" Alexa thought back to what had just happened. She was experiencing culture shock, first from one extreme to the next, ancient to modern. Then, a shiver ran down her spine. "So…what was your favorite part of that, Yugi?" Alexa asked. Had the others forgotten too?
"I liked…uh…" Yugi had a look of confusion about him. "I liked it all. What about you Yami?"
"It was…" Yami went to say something, but seemed to have forgotten what he was going to say. "Alexa, let's here yours first."
Alexa looked guilty. "I…to be honest…I kinda forgot the details…"
"Me too…" Yugi agreed.
"So did I…" Yami looked hurt again. Really hurt.
"I mean…we didn't forget it all though, right? Just maybe some details…but…I mean…" Alexa sighed. So much for making the situation better…
"Well…it's not like we forgot everything…" Yugi said. "I mean…we can remember stuff…like the beer incident…" Yugi said with a laugh.
"Very funny…" Alexa replied sarcastically. "Oh! Don't forget about the gi-hugey guards!"
"And that random lady who made us wear make up…" Yami said with a sweat drop.
"Hey, that lady was funny!" Alexa said laughing. "I mean…you guys felt "pretty" remember…" Alexa tried hard not to burst out laughing.
"Funny for you, maybe…" Yugi said. "For us it was torture."
Alexa changed the subject. "Or the duel with Bakura…remember? I couldn't even remember if I lost or not…" Alexa answered.
"So…I suppose we didn't forget as much as we feared, didn't we?" Yami asked.
"Yeah…"
"Yup…anyone want some chocolate? I think I left some in my bag…" Alexa said, reaching down to get the bag under her seat.
"Yeah, I'd like some…" Yugi answered.
Alexa opened up her bag, and stared.
"What…what is it Alexa?" Yugi asked.
Alexa pulled out a set of ankh earrings. "Um…a little taste of the past is still with us…" Alexa continued to pull out two other sets of earrings, some more random jewelry, and pointed at the white-linen clothing still remaining. "We still have our outfits from Egypt!"
Yugi and Yami looked at each other. How in the world did that happen?
Yugi took the pair of earrings that had been his. "What do you think? Should I pierce my ears?"
Alexa laughed. "Oh yes, Yugi. That is so the look for you!" She answered slightly sarcastically. Yugi laughed too. When it all subsided, Alexa just looked out the window to stare into space.
Yami…you still have to tell Alexa that you finally trust her…Yugi told Yami in his thoughts.
Yes, I know…I'll tell her when the time is right…Yami said, a look of sadness hinting his features.
Now, telling Alexa that he trusted her is a whole other story…
Ok then, let's get these reviews over with so we can party, shall we? All reviews to this chapter will be reviewed in the first chapter of my next story! Did you like that last chapter? I know I enjoyed typing it. :p
Sonicyugishadow: Alrighty then, I'll keep that in mind. Thanks for reviewing!
Ice-neko-girl: Thanks for all the stuff! And don't worry, I don't have a guy besides Yugi…but would you believe people call him "just a cartoon"? He get's very offended…but anyways, thanks for the review! And yes, I will be making MANY sequels. As long as I am YuGiOh obsessed, as long as I can type, as long as I still get even just one review a chapter, I shall type YuGiOh fanfic! (random fireworks go off in the background) Anyway, thanks for the review, and please review again!
xXxReixXx: Yeah, poor Yami…he doesn't know what to do with himself half the time! Anyway, thanks for the review and please review again!
Klaus Lover Girl: Yay! I'm glad you like it! And I'm sorry if my song-putting-in-ness is going to make you die over a song. (sweat drops) Anyway, thanks for the review, and please review again!
Katrina Martisca: Thanks for reading my story! Thanks for the review, and please review again!
LoneWolfPrincess: (is trying not to laugh, than fails and laughs hysterically) I'm sorry…I couldn't help myself…I just had to type that in! I just love it when super-serious characters make funnies…it's so hilarious! Thanks for the review, and please review again!
And now, without further ado, the after-party!
TCG: Ok, well, if you read my last chapter, you probably know how this works. Basically, I go through all the chapters, pick the best scene or two out of it, and put it up for you to reread. And all the while, Yugi will be throwing random party favors around. So, this should help you remember some of the scenes from all the way in the beginning!
Yugi: Ok, I'll start by throwing GOLDFISH! (Which neither TCG or I own). (Goldfish fly and land on all the readers/reviewers.
TCG: Ok, this first chapter gets the reward for Yugi at his hyper-est!
Alexa ran up to Yugi's room, and heard lots of rustling coming from inside. She knocked on the door, wondering what was taking him so long. After a brief "Come in" Alexa opened the door. Yugi was running around searching frantically for something. He had two backpacks worth of luggage, and had a third bag of personal belongings. She walked in, seemingly invisible by the frantic boy. She noticed a mug sitting on his desk.
"Yugi, were you drinking coffee?"
"No…I was just drinking some hot chocolate…don't mind that mug…I wasn't drinking coffee…now…where's my millennium puzzle?"
Alexa rolled her eyes. It was obvious he had been drinking coffee. "Uh, Yuge…"
"Where is it? I know I put it somewhere…"
"Yugi…"
"Oh my gosh, I lost it! I can't go if I…"
"Yugi! It's around your neck!" Alexa shouted.
Yugi looked down at his millennium puzzle. "Oh…" he laughed nervously. "yeah…"
"Not drinking coffee, huh?"
"Uh, maybe a little…"
"Mmhmm…"
"Uh, sorry about that…"
"Come on, are you ready now?"
"Give me five more seconds…let's see, back pack one, check, back pack 2, che-ahh!" He yelled as Alexa grabbed him, as he grabbed his stuff, and dragged him downstairs…
Grandpa looked at the whole "dragging" phenomenon. "Ok…has Yugi been drinking coffee again?"
"Yeah…" Alexa said, letting Yugi go.
"It was only one cup, I swear!" He shouted defensively.
"He'll calm down…lets just get to the airport!" Grandpa told the two.
"Yeah!" Alexa shouted.
"This is going to be THE best!" Yugi said under his coffee rush.
Alexa muttered under her breath. "Yugi, I sure can't wait until the coffee runs off. Something tells me this is going to be a long trip."
Yugi: Ooh…I remember that! I blame it all on the hot chocolate!
TCG: Coffee…
Yugi: Whatever! Mocha Latte's for everyone!
TCG: Oh boy… (watches as Yugi hands everyone an iced mocha latte)
Yugi: Fine! You want a hot one! Here, have a hot one! Sheesh, you'd think people would be thankful for free food!
TCG: Yeah, I know. Well anyway, here's from the second chapter. Oh my gosh, funny ness! This gets the award for the best accidental use of beer!
"Hey Yugi, what does this smell like?" Alexa asked. Yugi was over by a few loaves of bread, wondering if he should eat it. He put it down and came over.
"I'm not sure…I know what it is…but I just can't put my finger on it…Alexa! What are you doing!" Yugi yelled as Alexa took a sip of it.
"What ever it is, it's good!" Alexa said, drinking some more.
Yugi sighed. He wasn't sure if it was something he had ever actually had before. He knew he'd heard of it, but still, what was it?
"Mm, you gotta try some of this stuff…it's absolutely delish!" Alexa said, right when Yugi remembered what it was. He knew Alexa didn't say "delish", now he knew why she said it.
"Alexa! Don't drink that! It's beer!" Yugi said, as it hit him. I should have known! I read that somewhere; beer is a staple to Ancient Egyptians diet! Yugi thought to himself.
"I've got a lovely bunch of coconuts! All stacked up in a row!" Alexa sang, drunk. "Big ones, small ones! Some as big as your head!" Alexa began to walk in a very wobbly fashion. Yugi ran over to steady her.
"We're finding a room for you, before you do something really stupid!" Yugi sighed as Alexa continued acting drunk.
"And since I don't know the rest of the words, I'll sing it again instead! Oh, I've got a lovely bunch of coconuts!" She sang, surprisingly she wasn't completely off key.
"As Alexa says, Oh goody and a couple of Ode to joys!" Yugi muttered as he dragged Alexa off down the hall.
"Peace to the coconuts!"
Yugi: Ha! That time, I wasn't the one doing something stupid! (sticks out tongue)
TCG: What? I tried to evenly spread the funny/stupid-ness…
Yugi: Sure…(throws random smarties around. Not the kind we know, the kind from Canada.)
TCG: O.o Yugi, where did you get Canadian Candy?
Yugi: From Sweden…
TCG: How did you get Canadian candy from Sweden
Yugi: (plays random clip)
Swedish lady: Hi-ya! I am from a-Sweden. Would you like some a-Swiss cheese, yah?
Yugi: No-a thank you, but I'll-a take some Candian smarties…yah?
Swedish lady: Okie dokie, here-a you go then. Canadian candy for the boy, yah!
Yugi: (stops clip) And that is how I got it.
TCG: Oh boy…well, here's something from chapter three! Ok, this gets an award for one of Alexa's most clueless moments:
Yami saw Alexa enter, but was unable to control himself anymore. This other presence was too strong…but what would he do to Alexa? He feared for her safety…
"Yami? I was wondering…"
Yami couldn't believe what he heard himself say, "Who are you?"
Alexa was obviously puzzled. "I'm Alexa, remember?"
"Oh really, what kingdom are you from, Alexa?" Yami realized this other presence was another him, that's exactly what he would have said in this time…but if that was true…
"What do you mean, "what kingdom?" I came here with you, remember?" Alexa said, in the back of her mind wondering if this was some kind of joke…
Yami felt himself touch the whip he kept at his belt. He was shocked at what he was doing. But, try as he might, he couldn't stop himself… "You came here with me? From where did we come?"
Alexa was getting annoyed. "Yami, come on! Jokes over, I have something important to tell you!"
Yami silently begged Alexa to leave before he hurt her. His life in the past wasn't as good as it was in the future. He tried to mentally talk to her, as Yugi did, but found it no use. His dis-trust in her was keeping him from reaching her. He didn't want her to get hurt, though. He began to grip the whip, which was a common weapon in this time, even though it was mostly used for chariots. Then again, he had never used it "just for chariots"… "What did you call me?"
Alexa was clueless at what was going on. "I called you by your name, Yami. Remember?"
Yami gripped the whip. He now remembered exactly how this happened in the past. This tightening grip was the last thing he would do before he used it. "Get out, before I hurt you, you're so obviously a commoner in disguise…"
Alexa ignored the precaution. "Yami, tell me what is going on! I know you know me! Now stop pretending!" Alexa sounded brave, but she felt more nervous then a balloon in a needle factory. (I can come up with some good ones, can't I-.-;;;)
Yami, although wishing with all his might that he wouldn't, tightly gripped the whip, and pulled it from his belt. He stepped away from Alexa, and then cracked the whip. It hit exactly where his other presence wanted: the side of Alexa's face, right where her hair met the edge of her head.
Alexa winced in pain. It was stinging strong, and it took a minute for her to realize what was going on. Once it registered, she backed up as if to leave, then stepped forward, refusing to let the spirit who obviously still didn't trust her let her show her fear.
"Take a step closer, and I won't miss this time." Yami threatened against his will.
Alexa placed her hand against the cut, and backed up, and headed for the door. She almost exited when Yami shouted something in Arabic to some guards, who then advanced towards Alexa. Alexa couldn't believe what was going on. She ran out, and escaped into the hallway with the guards close behind. She leapt out the door, and hid behind some trees. The guards stupidly passed her. She remembered that Yugi was still in his room, and made her way to his room. She was worried about Yugi. She came to the bottom of his window, and went to yell for him, but she stopped because the whip burn was too painful. I'll have to get into his room… Alexa thought, as she clambered in. She fell in pretty clumsily, which woke Yugi up.
"A…Alexa? What are you doing here? And why are you on the floor like that?" Yugi asked, as he yawned and got out of the bed to help Alexa up. Alexa gladly accepted the help, being careful to cover the whips fury…
"I'm here to talk to you about Yami, and I climbed in through the window." Alexa said, hoping the fact she was covering the cut would make it obvious something was wrong.
"What about him? And what's with your face?" Yugi asked. Since he had just woken up, he wasn't a clear minded as usual…
"You won't believe me."
"Try me."
"Yami, he…" Alexa sighed. "Yami whipped me." She removed her hand from her face.
Yugi couldn't believe what he heard or saw. The cut was deep, but straight and even, it had to be a whip's lash. "It must have been the Yami from the past…"
"The Yami from where?" Alexa asked, hating how clueless she was.
"That's right! We never told you!"
"Never told me what exactly?"
"Yami thought that there might be another one of him in this time, since we came into the past, here was here originally but then he came again, so now there are two Yami's in one place and time." Yugi said, more so to himself then to Alexa.
"Yugi, are you saying that the reason that this happened to me is because of Yami from the past?"
"Yeah, I think…" Yugi said, knowing that another problem now was in there way.
"Yugi, we have to remind him about, well, him! I don't think that he is two separate people, I think that two…uh…people are trying to get one body! Kind of like when you and Yami are at home, and yeah…" Alexa stopped. She was only worsening the situation. So much for trying to help.
"I think you are right. Was he in the thrown room still?" Yugi asked, wanting to confirm what he thought to be correct.
"Yep. I don't think he wanted to leave. I mean, he had no reason to, right?" Alexa answered.
"No, he doesn't. But how can we remind him of him?" Yugi asked.
Alexa smiled a smile that said it was obvious. Yugi was confused still, and Alexa told him. "Look in the mirror Yugi! Who better to remind Yami of him then someone who looks just like him?"
"Ok, yeah…but there are quite a few differences between us, actually…" Yugi answered.
"Yugi, you're the closest to him here right now! You have to do it!"
"I will, but what if Yami got completely…what if he disappeared because we came here?"
"He won't. I know he's still here. I can feel it." Alexa answered reassuringly.
Suddenly, they heard Arabic shouting from outside the window. Alexa cautiously peeked out, and saw the guards. If she didn't distract them, they would find her and Yugi…and she had a feeling that there punishment would be worse then a whipping, which was pretty bad in the first place.
"It's the guards! There the same ones that Yami sent after me."
"He sent guards after you! What did you say to him?"
"That's not important. I'm going to go out there and distract them; you keep your existence to a minimal until you think of something. Wish me luck!" Alexa said more exited then she felt, and looked.
"Alexa! No! Who knows what they'll do for a second offense? I mean, first with the Pharaoh and then escaping the law!" Yugi asked nervously
"Look, if I stay, chances are they'll look in this window and catch us both. I mean, I don't like getting captured as much as the next guy, but at least one of us has to be free. I just hope I'll live to tell the tale." Alexa said, ready to jump out at a seconds notice.
"Alexa! Don't!"
"As you once said, better a chance then none at all!" Alexa said in an almost harsh way. Yugi fell silent.
"Alright Alexa. Just be careful."
"I will." Alexa said, as she jumped out the window. Yugi leaned against the wall to hear if she said anything, and he hoped that she wouldn't…
The guards spoke angrily. Alexa yelled some final thoughts to Yugi.
"When Yami says to get out, that's the last thing he'll do before he uses the whip!" Alexa shouted.
Yugi begged Alexa through there mental link. Be quiet! They'll hear you talking in my direction!
"They would, but they can't understand English!" Alexa shouted before the guards dragged her off.
"But I do." Yami's other self muttered to himself. Thanks for telling me there's another one to torture…
Yugi: GASP! That's where the horror in this story begins!
TCG: I know…
Yugi: (Tosses Cheez-its at people) No, I don't own anything I am throwing! Neither does TCG!
TCG: Trust me, if I did, this wouldn't be a fanfic…anyway, Chapter 4, your up! This is for best use of an earring…
Yami knew what Yugi was saying was true. He had to break free…but how could he stop the other, obviously stronger one. He had an idea. It could be risky, but he was sure it would work…he just had to tell Yugi. "Yugi…you have to…you have to knock him out! Make him unconscious!" Yami got shot back, once again out of control. This time the sudden switch felt like he had been thrown hard against a wall. "Listen, if you come near me, you'll meet a grim fate…" He gripped his whip. Oh no! Yugi only has one shot at this…And there's still the risk it won't work at all!
Yugi knew what he had to now do…the question was how to do it. He quickly glanced around the room, and saw nothing within his reach that could knock someone unconscious. He began playing with his earrings again…wait, that's it! He began to frantically try to remove his earring from his ear. It was solid gold, and heavy as a rock. If thrown right, he was sure it could knock him out. His hope was that he wouldn't knock out the one he was trying to save.
"Hehe, if you make one move with that earring, you'll have a taste of the cats tongue!"
Yugi didn't even try to think about what the other person had just said. But, he thought, how in the world did you undo these earrings?
Meanwhile, Alexa was having a pretty hard time herself. She was convinced that she should try and use her powers, but how? If she used them for the wrong reason at the wrong time, she might drain them completely. That's when someone walked into the room she was in. It was a couple people actually, she soon realized, and they all held a millennium item: The items included the rod, the necklace, and the key. Alexa just sat there, almost certain that speaking was useless, since they probably only spoke Arabic. They asked her something, by which she just said "Excuse me?" not really expecting a response. But were these people friends or foe?
Yami stepped towards Yugi, who couldn't seem to take off his earring. Yugi had no choice but to step back, but never pausing at the earring. Yami, as if to prolong Yugi's suffering, un wound the whip slowly as he cornered Yugi. Yugi realized that he'd have to just yank the earring, and hope the gold would tear instead of his ear. Yami stood close; close enough to get a good hit. "You'd better be scared, because there is no way you can possibly win against me!" Yami said. Yugi gulped. He had one chance, and one chance only. This had to work. In one swift motion, Yugi gripped his earring, yanked it, and threw it towards his opponent's forehead. It struck true, much to Yugi's relief, and knocked his enemy out cold. He also realized that the earring had ripped, not his ear. He then heard grunting coming from the body, and he leaned over to help Yami back to his feet.
"You did it, Yugi! You saved me." Yami said happily, accepting Yugi's hand to help him up.
"It was nothing, really. But I'm worried about Alexa…what do they do to the prisoners anyway?"
Yami thought for a moment, and then gasped. "They send them to the shadow realm!"
Yugi and Yami wasted no time running towards the dungeons, in which Alexa was having problems again.
Alexa had said "Excuse me?" to be more of an amusement for herself. But she almost screamed when the one woman answered back.
"Ah, so you speak English, eh? Never was my favorite, but oh well. I asked you if you were ready to be sent to the shadow realm." The woman holding the necklace asked. She looked surprisingly like Ishizu.
Alexa thought to herself. The shadow realm? "What for?" she asked aloud…
"You angered the Pharaoh, a serious offense. You now must get sent to the shadow realm." The man holding the rod answered, holding the rod in Alexa's face, ready to send her there.
"Any last words, girl, before we send you away?" The man with the key asked.
Alexa was shocked. All three of there millennium items began to glow. Alexa wondered…should or shouldn't she use her powers? She hadn't thought about being sent to the shadow realm. "Yes, I do. Beat my magic!" Alexa's forehead began to glow brightly. Alexa, Alexa thought to herself, if you had taking the time to think, you would know that the odds are against you. Three obviously fresh items against your exhausted powers. Well, I tried Yugi. Guess I am no good after all …The three people, who appeared to be priests, began to use there millennium items. She winced at the pain of the items power. This was it, she was gone…
"Stop it right there!" Yami rushed in and yelled, panting from running so quick and so far. The three priests kneeled in the presence of the Pharaoh. Yugi followed close behind, wondering when Yami had learned to run like that… Alexa was not completely engulfed by the shadows, but she wasn't completely there either. Yugi and Yami rushed past the priests towards Alexa, who was struggling to sit up in the chair.
"You…guys came for me? I…I can't believe it…I thought I was gone…" Alexa said quietly, struggling against the shadows. She was more there then here…
"You will be soon, if we don't do something…" Yugi said worriedly, turning to Yami.
Yami turned towards the priests. "Release her from the shadow realm, now!" Yami's voice was filled with anger, but only towards the priests. The three quickly obeyed. It took her a second, but Alexa quickly recovered. Yugi grabbed the knife on the table, and cut through the ropes securing Alexa to the chair. Alexa ran up and, taking him by surprise, hugged Yami.
"I'm so glad your ok now!" Alexa said happily. She then ran back to Yugi, and hugged him. "You did it! You saved Yami!" Yugi gladly returned the hug, but Yami just stood there, in awe. Was he just hugged by the girl who knew he didn't trust her? Could it be possible…no; she still couldn't be trusted. She had been the one who had let his other side out, and had let herself get captured by the guards.
Yugi: Woot! Go two pound gold earrings!
TCG: Yeah-woot! It's time for chapter five, people! This gets the award for first dramatic part in the story!
Alexa was busy trying to decoy people towards her, so that others would be safe. It wasn't working too well, but Alexa was able to at least dodge all the people. That's when she saw Yami fighting off people as well. She also then noticed Bokura…who happened to be aiming at somebody. Alexa followed his aim…he was aimed at…Yami! Yami was about to be shot with an arrow! She quickly pushed through the people who had currently been trying to get her, and ran towards Yami. She saw Bokura release the arrow. She jumped towards Yami, hoping to at least knock him off balance so it would miss. She felt herself hit him, knocking him down with much more force then she had realized. She suddenly felt a sharp pain. She had been shot!
She put her hand to the hurt spot, which was her right shoulder. It was good compared to the fact that she could have been killed. Now that she thought of it, it was still possible, she could bleed to death. She winced in pain.
Yami got up, wondering what had hit him, quite literally. But when he turned to see Alexa on the ground with an arrow stuck through her, he felt frightened, angry, and sorry all at the same time. He rushed to Alexa's side, where Alexa had grown pale.
"Alexa…c-come on…I-I'll make sure your alright…I promise." Yami told her. He looked up to see what was happening on the field. Bokura was standing on top of a chariot, and shouted to his fellow evil-doers in Arabic, in which Yami translated to be:
"Come, we have accomplished what we needed for today. We have found the pharaohs true weakness! And it lies in his loved ones!"
Yami wanted to shout back at him, but Alexa was in terrible condition. Luckily, back at the castle there were excellent doctors who could hopefully stop the bleeding. As Bokura and his army rode away, Yami turned to help Alexa up.
"Yami…I-I am sorry…" Alexa said weakly to Yami, who helped her stand up.
"You're sorry, but for what?"
"I…I've been nothing but a burden since I've met you. I've caused nothing but trouble. I'm…sorry…"
"Alexa…"
Alexa suddenly fainted, probably from losing so much blood.
"Alexa! We have to get you healed, and quickly!"
…………………
It had been a few hours since the tragedy, but it looked as if she would be all right. Luckily, the doctors were able to stop Alexa's bleeding, right before it was too late. Her shoulder was wrapped in linen, and Alexa was sleeping in a room, Yugi was in there with her. He almost didn't believe Yami's story, but once he saw Alexa it was hard not to. He knew this place had been dangerous before, but now…Yugi struggled to keep the tears from falling. Alexa tossed a little in the bed, which made Yugi feel better, since it was the first movement she had made in a long time.
"How is she?" Yami walked into the room.
"Well, she moved, so obviously she's not blacked out any more."
"That's good news to hear…" I've been nothing but a burden since I met you. I've caused nothing but trouble. I'm sorry…Yami couldn't get those words out of his head. He felt so guilty, but what had he done? How was it possible that a girl's word could haunt so? I'm Sorry…
Alexa yawned in the bed and woke up. She went to prop herself up in bed, but as soon as she put weight on her arm, she winced in pain.
"Here, let me help you!" Yugi helped Alexa sit up, and she yawned again.
"Thanks Yugi! Man, my arm feels like it's broken…I mean, at least I saved Yami, I think…wait! Yami! Are you okay?"
"I'm fine, thanks to you. But are you alright?" I've been nothing but a burden since I met you…
"I guess so. I mean, as good as I'm going to get with a broken, I mean sprained…I mean arrowed arm…boy, how do you explain that one? 'Mom, yeah I kind of just got myself arrowed…'" Alexa laughed a little.
I've caused nothing but trouble…
Yami couldn't get her words out of his head. But why was he thinking about them anyway? He couldn't figure it out.
"I'm glad to hear your ok Alexa!" Yugi said happily. "But, how are we going to be able to save the puzzle? Bokura ran off with it."
"Yugi, we'll get it. By tomorrow I'm sure that we will figure out some way to get it back." Alexa said, having forgotten about her powers again.
"Maybe your powers will come back completely! Then, it'll be easy." Yugi figured.
"Yeah!" Alexa said, then remembering a possibly devastating fact, gasped. "Unless…"
"Unless what?"
"Unless I might have drained them already!"
"Drained them already? But how?" Yugi asked.
"Remember before when those dudes with the items almost sent me to the shadow realm?"
"Yeah?"
"Well, I tried to stop them with my powers, but it didn't work! I think I might have drained them when I did that!"
"But…then that means…" Yugi thought to himself.
"We might not be able to get back at all…" Yami finished. He had been quiet up to this point, but Alexa had done way more then was forgivable.
Alexa saw the anger in Yami's eyes, and felt a surge of fear. She tended to resort to humor to keep herself in the presence of the Pharaoh, even when he wasn't dressed in Egyptian clothes…when he looked like an older version of Yugi. She had always had a feeling of nervousness around him, and now she knew why: fear. Now that she had brought up the fact that her powers could be drained, she couldn't bring herself to meet eye to eye. "I'm sorry, you two…really. I'm not sure what I was thinking."
Yugi: And free chips and dip for all! Woot woot!
TCG: Geez, everyone's going to get sick from all this food…
Yugi: (Shrugs)
TCG: Alright, chapter 6's turn…This get's the award for most climatic moment!
It seemed no one had heard Bokura as he entered the palace. He sent the guards to the shadow realm, making it easy to get in. So what if he couldn't figure out how to use the powers of the Millennium Puzzle? No one knew that, and plus, it served as an excellent ransom. If they didn't cooperate, it would be destroyed. But now the choice was who to capture…
The Pharaoh would be a good choice, him being of absolute power…he could take it all away. But he wouldn't be easy to capture, and Bokura wasn't planning on having a hard time. Besides, even if he just sent him to the shadow realm, a much easier option, he would need to duel him anyway to use the puzzles powers.
There's was the boy, Yugi, who seemed almost like a long lost son of the Pharaoh. He had never seen him before, except recently. But Yugi was so closely linked with the Pharaoh, would it be possible for him to communicate with the Pharaoh? Besides, if he took him, he would be taking one with weak nature, willing the others to let him go down for there safety. He wouldn't be able to acquire what he wanted if there was no desire to save what was held ransom.
Then again, there was that girl who seemed to also just appear. She seemed like a strong character, that one. Sure, she had been shot by an arrow, but…
But that made her the perfect victim.
Little did they know that Bokura too, could speak English. It was extremely rare to learn such a foreign language, but he too, over the years, had learned it well. The girls name was Alexa, and she wouldn't dare put the Pharaoh or Yugi in danger. She was too much into proving to the Pharaoh that she could be trusted. Plus, her "powers" that she supposedly had, were for some reason weak. Now, it was all a matter of bribing her into the shadows…his plan was fool proof.
He walked into the girl's room. She was lying on the bed, bandages wrapped around her shoulder and most of her upper arm. Now, all he had to do was put her in the shadow realm, which should be easy on a now weakened girl.
He nudged her arm to wake her up, she yawned but quickly shot up when she saw Bokura standing there.
"Stay quiet, or your friend Yugi and the Pharaoh are dead!" Bokura threatened to keep things down.
"You can speak English? Never mind that, how did you get in here? And what is it you want?" Alexa asked. She had been right to Yugi. She could get up if she had too.
"Yes, I sent the guards to the realm of shadows. Now, I want the Millennium Puzzles power, which I can't do unless the Pharaoh duels me. You are gonna be the bait!"
"Oh really? How are you going to make me?" Alexa asked, fearing the worst.
"With my millennium ring! Of course, you can get away if you agree to let me take the Pharaoh and little Yugi…"
"No! You won't touch them!"
"Then, prepare to be devoured by the shadows!"
"No! Yu!" Her mouth was covered by Bokuras hand.
"You won't call them here! If you do, they and you are dead! Now either you, or they go. What's your choice?"
Alexa thought for a moment. If she was gone, Yami would think she couldn't defend herself. If she let those two get captured however, they'd be no one to prove her trust to. But they'd also be no Pharaoh destroying her self esteem with his lack of trust in her…
"I…" Alexa paused.
"Yes?"
"I…"
"Go on…"
Alexa gulped. "Take me. I won't let you hurt them!" Alexa said, the reality of what was going on just now going through her brain. It was so real when it happened, the feeling being more then just what she saw happen on the show…a whole lot more.
"Well…if that's your decision…"
"Yes…and don't you dare hurt them!" Alexa yelled, as she fought to hold back the tears.
"Ah, but if I hurt them, there would be no one to torture, now would there?" Bokura asked. "Now, prepare to enter the realm of Darkness!" He pulled his Millennium Ring from where it was on his neck, and pointed it towards Alexa, as it began to glow brightly.
Alexa tried her best to fight it off, but it was no use. She felt herself lose control of her body, as she found her mind entering the shadow realm. When she was there, she felt slightly weak, and she had a feeling it was only a matter of time before she slipped away completely. Yami, if this doesn't make you trust me, then I give up…You win; I have nothing left to give. My soul is gone, I have nothing left to lose for you…I hope you're happy now…
Bokura looked down happily at the limp body. One down, two to go. He began to leave, when the puzzle began to glow. He didn't know why, he hadn't done anything to activate it, but as soon as it started it stopped. Bokura didn't know what had happened, so he ignored it as he left the palace. Little did he realize what he did…
Yami tossed in his sleep, because suddenly he heard a voice echo through his head… Yami, if this doesn't make you trust me, then I give up…You win; I have nothing left to give. My soul is gone, I have nothing left to lose for you…I hope you're happy now…
Yugi: POP CORN!
TCG: Oh boy…popcorn…You know what I just noticed? I was a really bad writer back then…GASP! What if I still am!
Yugi: TCG…your not a bad writer! I like your stories!
TCG: (ignoring Yugi) The poor details! The bad climatic points! Oh! I've failed as a writer!
Yugi: If your writing is so bad…then why do you get reviews?
TCG: (is about to say something, but stops) I don't know…that's a good question…And I remember when I typed that chapter…I thought it was the greatest…especially the part where Alexa starts yelling at Yami when there all in the millennium puzzle…oh boy…
Yugi: Anyway…aren't you going to do the next chapter?
TCG: Oh yes…let's do number 7, shall we? Hehe…this gets the award for best "love?" scene.
There was a large dune up ahead, and although Yami had no problem scaling it, Yugi had difficulty. He couldn't get up with out trying to grab something to help him up. However since he was holding Alexa, he couldn't, at least he couldn't with out dropping her.
Yami knew it wasn't fair. He knew very well how to scale the dunes, but it was pretty much impossible without using your hands. He sighed, as he made his decision.
"Yugi, you look tired…give her to me. You can take the bags." He said, glancing to the side, not wanting to look like it was something he wanted to do.
Yugi blinked. Why would Yami offer to help him…with Alexa involved?
"Well, do you want me to help or not?" Yami asked impatiently…his face turning a very light shade of pink.
Yugi smiled. Yami wanted to carry Alexa. Why, he didn't know…but right now his arms were killing him. "Alright then, you take her if you want…" Yugi said, giving Yami a look that said "I know you want to!"
Yami laughed nervously. "No…I don't want to…You just look tired is all…"
Yugi laughed "Take her then…"
"Thank you…I mean fine!" Yami said quickly corrected himself. He couldn't help it…Alexa was pretty…
Yugi: WHEAT THINS, PEOPLE!
TCG: Wheat thins! Geez, I must be dreaming…Yugi, you don't give out Wheat thins at parties…
Yugi: Why not? Speaking of dreaming…you're dreams in the last chapter were weird!
TCG: Yugi…we are in the last chapter…
Yugi: Oh yeah…I just forgot because of all this flash back stuff…
TCG: And that dream was weird because I actually dreamt it. And I thought it fit in…yeah…definitely strange, though. Yep…
Yugi: (shrugs) HAHAHA! Electric guitar! HAHAHAHAHA!
TCG: (to audience) He's reading it for the first time…
Yugi: (sweat drops) They didn't have to know that…
TCG: Ok, time for the 8th chapter…This get's the award for shortest flashback!
Yami grabbed another piece of jerky. He might as well try and keep himself awake if Yugi was thinking so much. Hmm…was this piece teriyaki? (If you ever have eaten beef jerky, you know it comes in various spices. Teriyaki is really spicy. Just in case you didn't get that.)
Yugi: Yep…that was short. HAWAIIN PUNCH!
TCG: Oh goody…what will he think of next?
Yugi: Tootsie pops!
TCG: (sweat drops) I stand corrected…
Yugi: (dances to "We like to Party", the song that the old guy dances to on the six flags commercial. Yes, it's a real song…and a cool one at that! It's by the Vengaboys.)
TCG: Go Yugi, Go Yugi! It's your birthday! It's your birthday! Uh huh, oh yeah! (stops, clears throat) I mean…It's the 9th chapters turn! Um…how about for best moment helped by a God? I'm running out of name Ideas…
In the morning, Yami awoke this time before Yugi. He went to the river to wash his face: the morning was very hot. But as he did, he noticed something sparkle in the river. He wondered…it had a gold color to it…was it the millennium puzzle? Had Bokura tossed it in the river, hoping that he wouldn't find it?
"You'll have to try harder then that Bokura!" Yami whispered at himself. There was a log alongside of the river, and Yami pushed it so that it went out into the river. He climbed onto it, and made his way to where the object was. But, as he went to reach for it, the log shifted into the wet ground. This knocked him off balance, and soon he found himself grasping the log, trying to pull himself up. The river here was strong, and he had difficulty.
Out of all the commotion this caused, Yugi awoke quickly, only to find his other half struggling to get back up. Yugi spared no time climbing onto the log to help the Pharaoh. "Yami! Grab my hand!" As Yami did so, he lost his grip with his other hand, then being pulled down river, the only reason he was staying out of the current was because Yugi was gripping him with one hand and holding on to the log with another. Yugi struggled; it was too much to be holding on to someone being pulled away with one hand and holding for dear life with the other.
"Yugi! You have to let go of me!" Yami shouted, not wanting to harm Yugi.
"No! If I let go…it won't be of you!" Yugi shouted back.
Yami gasped. Yugi wasn't going to let Yami go alone. If he went…Yugi would go with him.
Even in the shadow realm, Alexa heard there shouts. But, even though she had just felt fine, she now felt unable to move. Was it that because they were injured…she was too? Was her strength from there's? It had to be! But…what could she do? How could she help them?
Yugi grunted. He could easily let go of Yami and save himself. But that wasn't an option. But he wasn't sure how much longer he could hold on.
Alexa was suddenly blinded by a light. It was much brighter then the one that Yugi and Yami had given off. It was also much more powerful. She knew something- or someone- of importance was with her.
"I am the Egyptian God, Ra! I am here to ask what it is you truly want: To save yourself, or your friends…"
Alexa couldn't even get herself to bow in the Gods Presence. Great…the one time I'm in front of a God, I can't even show respect…
"Rise, Alexa! You have my permission."
Alexa, realizing now she could get up, quivered as she sat up. "P-please…my Ra, w-what is it t-that you w-want?"
"You're friends, and the very Pharaoh of Egypt, are in great danger. But I also realize that you have been here in the Shadows for much longer then they've been in trouble."
"Y-yes, my Ra…but…why h-have you come, your g-greatness?"
"Simple: I offer you a choice. I can save you, and have your friends perish. Or, you can save them, and once they are on dry land, have your soul taken forever."
"My…my Ra. Let me s-save them. I-I must." Alexa stammered, not very much realizing what she'd gotten herself into.
"Yes, I knew I saw it in you. You would be the one to sacrifice yourself for others. No, go! Enjoy your last few minutes of existence!"
Suddenly, Alexa gained full consciousness. She had no time to savor it, so she quickly ran to the scene. She carefully made her way to the two, and reached for them.
"Alexa!" They both shouted at once.
"How did you get here?" Yami asked.
"More importantly, I'm glad you're ok…" Yugi said.
Alexa shook her head. "There's no time! Come on, grab hold!"
Yugi saw Alexa's arm, it was still bandaged from what had happened. "I can't! I'll hurt you!"
Alexa hadn't felt the pain. She had been too busy trying to rescue them. "Don't worry about me, grab on!" At "on" she reached for Yugi's wrist, and slowly (but as quickly as she could go) dragged them both to shore.
The three sat there, panting from exhaustion.
"You two are alright!" Alexa said, hugging her two soaked friends.
"But how did you get alright?" Asked Yami, standing up and dusting off the mud from his outfit.
"Trust me…that's not going to last long." Alexa said, both her and Yugi standing up as well. "I…"
At that, Alexa suddenly seemed to faint, and at the same moment the same bright light that had surrounded her surrounded them all. Yugi caught her as they fell, and knowing that whatever the bright light was, was indeed responsible for what had just happened. The power from the light forced him to go down on his knees, being careful not to hurt Alexa. Although Yami held against it, he too had to get down.
Yugi, his eyes filling with tears of anger, began to shout at the thing that had just come. "What have you done to her?" He gasped. Although his voice had been loud and strong, it came out as weak whisper. Knowing suddenly he couldn't talk, he looked away from the figure in the bright light, still wondering what he had done.
Seeing this, Yami knew he had to at least try. His anger, what had started out as mere confusion, was now strong, and still growing. "What have you done to her!" His voice came out just as he had wanted it, but it took a lot out of him.
"I, Ra, was merely returning for her half of the bargain. She offered herself to save you, despite all you've done to her."
At this statement, Yami almost couldn't speak. But he knew he had to. "What bargain are you referring to!" Once again, it had been hard to speak at such a tone to the God.
"Simple, I gave her the choice of helping you, then letting her soul go to the shadows, or waiting until you tired and drowned, then releasing herself. She chose to save you. And now, her soul is gone."
"No! You can't do that! Why did you interfere with the life of such an innocent girl? I demand you release her at once!" Yami was full of fear. One who talked to a God in such a manner was never known to see the next day.
"If your other half can talk in my presence, I'd gladly do the favor. Because Yugi will only be able to talk if his heart is true to his word."
Yami looked at his other half. Yugi had a terrified look on his face, and in any moment he'd surely burst into tears. But then something struck him: Yugi had been saying what was true to his heart. He really wanted to know if Alexa would be alright, because he truly wanted her to be. Yugi seemed as though he had given up, fearing his inability to do what he was to do. But if what Yami thought was true, then he wouldn't have to.
"Yugi can't talk. You have made it so it is impossible for him. His heart was in his words before, so if what you said was true, he would have been able to talk." Yami stated, his confidence suddenly dwindling. What if he was wrong? Would he be punished? He had to be right…everything depended on it.
Absolutely everything.
Alexa
Yugi
Himself
And even the fate of the world.
Ra looked down on the Pharaoh. "You have won. Alexa's mind shall be released to her body, but she will be sleeping, as it eases the transference. I shall keep to my word."
Yami nodded. He had done it, he won! He had outwitted the God, Alexa had been spared! Yugi laughed as the God left, tears of joy in his eyes. "Alexa's going to be ok! Alexa's going to be alright! Thank you Yami!"
"Thank me?" ask Yami, "For what?"
Yugi looked up to his friend, the Pharaoh. "If you hadn't been so brave…if you hadn't solved his riddle…we'd be with out a lot of things right now. Alexa, her ability to bring us back, and possibly our lives!"
Yami smiled. For once, he had done something right, at least since they've been there. He felt tired though. Speaking to the God wasn't easy. Still, he wondered what that thing in the river had been. Although he never went to see, it had been but a shiny rock smoothed by the rivers currents.
Yugi: Woot! Balloons!
TCG: Balloons! When did we get Balloons!
Yugi: Um…about 30 seconds ago?
TCG: Works for me. Time for chapter 10! This is when things start to get interesting…This get's the award for most "musical" chapter…
Alexa was full of energy. And who could blame her, after being stuck in the shadow realm for so long. She easily got ahead of both Yugi and Yami, who after walking for about three days were pretty bored with it. She skipped a little here, hopped a little there. But her most random moment was probably when she started singing.
"Ob li di, Ob la da! Life goes on, ah! La la la la, life goes on!" She said, then humming the words she couldn't remember. Then she repeated them again, and after a while, it got a little annoying. "Ob li di, Ob la da! Life goes on, ah! La la la la, life goes on!"
"What are you singing, Alexa!" Yugi asked after the second repeat.
"Ob li di, Ob la da! Life goes on, Ah-ah!" She screeched as Yugi shook her to make her stop. "Oh come on!" She complained. "I'm hyper, it's not my fault. Come on, the song grows on you!" She added.
"Ob li di, Ob la da…" Yugi said flatly. "Don't get it."
"No, it's all happy-ful! Like this:" She sang the words a lot more peppy then Yugi did, but not so peppy that it sounded artificial.
"Ob li di, Ob la da…" Yugi sang low and monotone. "Actually, it is pretty catchy…" He admitted.
Yami, who had been trying to keep out of it, just sweat dropped. "Not you too!"
"Ob li di, Ob la da! Life goes on, ah! La la la la, life goes on!" The two younger ones sang.
Yami sighed and did several sweat drops and anime falls, but nothing seemed to make them shut up. "WILL YOU TWO SHUT UP IF I SANG ONE LINE!" He yelled.
Everyone stopped, stared at each other, and blinked. Then Alexa answered. "Well, yeah…we were waiting for that!"
"I was being sarcastic!" Yami corrected.
"No you weren't, Yami. I can see right through you!" Yugi said slyly. "Come on, one line won't kill you!"
"Yeah, it's not like we're in the 21st century and someone is going to video tape us and sell it on the black market for millions." Alexa said, nodding, not realizing the look both Yugi and Yami were giving her. It was a look that said. "Where the heck do you come up with this stuff?"
So, they sang it once more, the Pharaoh included. Now, although he was reluctant to sing, he even blushed to some degree, he did sing remarkably well. Not that it mattered, in the end they all ended up just laughing and having a good time with themselves. This was good, since it helped them forget about there aching feet and the distance they'd traveled, which was really far.
Yugi: (cracks up laughing) That's HILARIOUS! Time for ice cream!
TCG: How you go from funny to ice cream is beyond me…
Yugi: It's simple, you say hilarious and then immediately after say ice cream!
TCG: Oh…ok…Anyway…time for chapter…what are we on? Ten? No, 11! Sheesh…we're getting through this pretty quickly, aren't we?
Yugi: Sure, why not?
TCG: Ok then, here's chapter 11! This is definitely for best use of slang!
"Well, I'm going!" Alexa said, "drawing a card". Let's see, I've got a monster reborn, and two fairy of the spring cards. I could activate my fairy's this turn, and put monster reborn face down for next turn…but will that seem too obvious? As long as Bakura knows English, I can't bluff like he can in Arabic. Oh, there must be a way…I could try speaking that little bit of French I know…no, I don't know enough of it. She looked at Yami, who was trying to decide whether to risk the fate of the puzzle or not. Whenever Yami spoke, it was always formal. It was polite and slightly fancy, but not old and ancient, like the "thee, thy and thou" as she'd learned in English class. That's it! Bakura only knows formal English! So if I used slang, he'd have no idea what I'm saying! Well, neither will I for that matter, but I know enough to make some sense of it.
"Yo, dawg! You showing me beef? Cause I'll give you beef, fo' sho'!" (translation: Hey, dude! Are you giving me problems? Cause I'll give you problems, for sure! I think that's what it means, anyways…)
Both Yami and Bakura looked at her like she'd grown an extra head. Alexa couldn't help but have to laugh, but she hid it behind a smile. "Man, I use da summons "Fairy of the Spring" squared, ta get back two Equip summons, my foe!" When did the Brooklyn accent get in there? "Yo, and before you move, I am gonna put one card facedown. Down with that? Peace out!" Alexa just had to add that last line. Not only did it strike her as funny, but she couldn't think of another way to say "I'm done".
Yami smiled. He couldn't understand half of what she was saying (since the other half was English), but it was better than her speaking fully in English giving away her plans.
Bakura did his turn speaking completely in Arabic. However, he did something unlike what Alexa had planned. He activated a summon that blew Alexa's monster reborn away! Then, he activated what Alexa knew as Dark hole, blowing away her monster. Now she was completely defenseless. He ended his turn with a face down monster.
"My time, fo sho? Word!" Alexa looked at her hand as she drew a card. That's it! That's what she needed! "I summon one monster face down, and I'm outtie."
Bakura seemed to get the message this time. He summoned a monster with 1500 attack points (Alexa didn't catch the name) He attacked her face down monster and…
"Activate Magician of Faith!" Alexa said, forgetting about the slang. "I use it to bring back my Monster Reborn from the grave! Then, I use that to summon up Maha Vailo, in Attack mode!" Now, my life points are safe. Maha Vailo has 50 more attack points then his monster, so it's enough to keep him at bay until I can equip him.
Yugi: Tch, Alexa almost sounded like Joey there!
TCG: Yes, I know. That was almost sort of the point…
Yugi: Oh…FREE CD's for everyone!
TCG: Yugi…those are my CD's!
Yugi: But…I'm running out of stuff to give people!
TCG: Then go raid my sisters closet…
Yugi: (shrugs) Ok…
TCG: While he's doing that, lets do chapter 12, shall we? This get's the award for most random challenge ever…
Suddenly, from the shadows, two chariots each drawn by two horses appeared, Bakura on one, and the other three on the other.
"A Chariot race!" Alexa asked, bewildered.
Bakura laughed, as a whip appeared in each of there hands. "You said you could beat me no matter what…"
"And I will!" Alexa yelled, beginning to second guess her abilities.
"However, I'll let any of you three drive the horses, so go ahead and choose your driver…"
"Yami, you should do it. You've probably done this in the past…" Alexa told him, handing him the whip.
"No…that's what I'm afraid of…if I did do it in the past…the other one…the other me…he'll probably try to take over. And with a whip in hand…"
Yami didn't have to say any more. Alexa still had the scar on her face, and everyone else knew what he meant.
"Here, Alexa. I'll do it. You just got through a really tough duel, so I'll give you a break…" Yugi offered.
"No…" Yami interrupted, and then added. "I'm sorry but…the resemblance…I really don't want any chance…"
"It's alright, I understand." Alexa said, once again taking the whip. "Besides, it can't be that hard to make some horses go when you have a whip."
"Now, are you three ready? A finish line is set for one mile in the distance, and the first one to cross it will win."
"Alright then."
"Hehe, go!" Bakura cheated taking off without a proper countdown.
"That cheat!" Alexa yelled, cracking the whip. She'd made the beginners mistake of only hitting one horse, so while one bolted ahead, the other got scared of the noise of the whip, causing the horses to go crazy. The jerk was so sudden and violent all three passengers fell down. Alexa luckily got up in time, and realizing her mistake, hit them both at once, and caught up with Bakura.
The horse's hooves hit fast but with a steady beat. Alexa and Bakura were each hitting them, each time getting a little ahead or behind the other. That's when suddenly Bakura's chariot rammed right into the side of Alexa's.
"What! That jerks cheating again!" Alexa cried, whipping the horses again.
"Look! The finish line!" Yugi pointed to a small marked point in the distance…
Bakura rammed them again.
"At this rate, we'll never make it!" Alexa cried. Just then, Bakura rammed them a final time, and suddenly the back of there chariot wobbled severely, and then the corner lowered.
Alexa braced herself, while Yugi and Yami held on. "He knocked off a wheel!" Yugi told her.
It was the final stretch, the line was really close…but they were losing speed with the lost wheel.
Yami, not being able to stand it, grabbed the whip from Alexa's hand. In a swift motion, and before Alexa knew what was going on, he took it, whipped it towards Bakura, and caught it on a wheel. He let go, and it tangled on the wheel, knocking around the chariot making Bakura fall, and since he couldn't whip, he couldn't speed up.
"But neither can we!" Alexa said, seeing Yami's plans.
"We don't need to!" Yami said. "See for yourself!"
Bakura, in an attempt to get off the whip from the wheel, which was causing it to bump a lot, tilted to the side so that the whole chariot tipped. However, he came down too quickly, and one final bump from that wheel made them turn straight over, just as Alexa, Yugi, and Yami all crossed the finish line.
"That's it, Bakura!" Alexa said, jumping down from the chariot. "We've won all your little games, so now the power of the puzzle belongs to us again!"
Yugi: (starts throwing random stuff around) Let's see…here's a collectors edition thingy…and here are some Duel Monsters' cards…and here is…
TCG: Yep, all my sister's random junk. Enjoy it people!
Yugi: What's this thing? (looks at a blob)
TCG: (Pokes it with a pencil, and it moves, then tosses it randomly outside.) Garbage, now…
Yugi: Oh…ok…
TCG: Ok, chapter 13! Just a few more chapters to go through, people! Hang in there! This is the award for…uh…most victory-turned-trick…I don't think that made sense…but oh well…
Far into the night, but not so much that it was almost morning, Alexa woke up. She wasn't sure quite why, but she did, even though she was very tired. She turned a little in the bed, trying to get comfortable.
The millennium puzzle…
Alexa suddenly blinked awake. Why did she just think of the millennium puzzle? She wasn't sure, but the next thing she knew, she was up trying to find it. She knew something was wrong, but hadn't Yami been wearing it around his neck only before? She had to make sure…
Alexa quietly walked through the palace. She had a knack for being able to be absolutely silent while traveling through houses, one of her random talents that normally didn't mean anything. Tonight, however, was an exception…
She quietly opened another door. As her eyes adjusted, she caught a glimpse of gold. Yep, this was Yami's room. Being almost as silent as not to breath, she snuck over to the puzzle, which lay on a table beside the bed, wondering why she had this strong feeling suddenly. What the heck was she doing, what if Yami woke up!
Alexa hesitated to touch it, but she did, and she almost gasped when she saw it. It was missing a single piece, a smaller, shallow one, which was barely noticeable. How in the world could she see it especially in this light? Suddenly, she realized that Bakura must still have the other piece. She quietly picked up the puzzle, and snuck back out of the room.
She went outside, and she still wasn't caught. She noticed some stables, and wondered if she knew how to ride a horse. She quickly, yet surprisingly quiet, ran over and went in. There were about five horses, all which stirred when they saw her. Alexa walked over to one, and tried getting on. Nope, it reared her off. The next one bucked, as well as the next.
"Darn it! These must be trained to only let certain people ride them…probably Yami…" Alexa talked just to break the silence. The last horse, she thought, was also her last chance.
Alexa climbed up, and much to her happiness, stayed calm. Alexa gave a soft "Ya!" and a crack at the reins and was off, the millennium puzzle safely around her neck.
Bakura…you'll get it this time. Trust me, you shall not be able to withstand me now…
Yugi: Ok, let's start an auction! Do I hear 5 bucks for this…sock!
TCG: Oh boy…now he's so desperate he's selling socks…
Yugi: Ok, can you beat 6 bucks…? Do I hear 7…?
TCG: Um…I hear 14 calling! This is when Alexa does what get's Yami to trust her…
"What's your challenge, Bakura?" Alexa asked. Maybe it'd be who could fall asleep faster, Alexa was exhausted.
"Hehe, something I know as a fact you'll fail at: A battle combining smarts and power, something I know you have neither of."
"Are you calling me a weak stupid person!"
"I'm calling you someone about to lose…" Bakura said.
"Alright then, what's the object of the game? How do we win?"
"Patience, my dear. Here are the rules. I'll place the puzzle piece on the floor, and whichever one of us can take it and get out of here first with it wins. However, you may use anything you like to retrieve it, or hurt your opponent."
Alexa gulped. That meant her.
"However, you can't do anything once your opponent get's outside the house. Also, if your opponent manages to touch you before you get out with it, you must pass it back to them, and they automatically win. Any questions?"
"Is there any way for you to cheat?"
Bakura laughed. "No, but I don't need to. There's no way you'll win!"
Alexa sighed. Oh, what was it? Why was it she could win before? She couldn't remember now. Bakura would kill her for that piece, because once he had it he'd have the millennium puzzle once again. All cause of his Millennium ring…
Wait, millennium…
"Game start!" At that, Bakura tossed the puzzle piece into the air, it silhouetted against the moonlight, and fell onto the floor, matching the color so perfectly it was hard to tell where it landed.
Alexa struggled to look for it right away, as did Bakura. They were both in the same area, and it was only a matter of time before one of them found it. Alexa just prayed that it'd be her.
Yami's horse was galloping at an alarmingly fast rate. But suddenly, he too stopped. There was a house before him. Yami somehow knew it was familiar, but that was bad; what if the other him took control again?
Alexa found the puzzle piece! Alexa was about to exclaim but thought better of it. She palmed it and pretended to start looking near the one entrance/exit to the place, but crawling as if looking through the debris on the floor. As she neared it, she knew she'd have to hurry and get out before Bakura saw her. Bakura seemed occupied, so Alexa counted mentally to three and then, in one swift motion, rose to her feet, gripped the doorknob, and-
It stopped there. The doorknob was locked.
Bakura cackled, and Alexa gasped.
"Thank you, Alexa, for finding the puzzle piece for me. Now, all I have to do is tag you and I'll win!"
Alexa couldn't believe it. When had he locked the door! She was the last one to walk in, wasn't she? That sneaky little…
Alexa grunted as he started coming near her. She took a chance and ran straight past him by clambering over some stuff on the side. She had meant to go out the single side window, but one of the wooden things she was standing on snapped and she fell near the back of the room. She growled a little as Bakura neared her. What on earth would she do now?
"Ah!" Alexa yelped. Her foot…it was stuck in some kind of whole at the back of the house.
"Now, Alexa, seeing as you've lost, I can just take my prize. However, you've meddled with my plans one too many times, and now I want you gone permanently…"
The millennium ring materialized to the front of Bakura's shirt. Then, it began to glow.
Millennium…what was it that that word reminded Alexa of? No time to think, how she could escape when her foot was stuck…
The millennium symbol began to glow on Bakura's forehead.
Wait…that looked familiar too…
He cackled as he began to charge up his…
Millennium powers! That was it! Alexa had Millennium Powers!
Bakura sent an energy blast straight at Alexa, fast and quick yet powerful. "Now that that's over with…what's this!"
Alexa was still there, backed up against the wall, foot still stuck. Her eyes were closed in a wince, as if she was afraid of a blast. Her one hand was held in front of her as if it'd shield her. The millennium symbol glowed on her forehead. Then Alexa blinked. She'd done it! In front of her, was a kind of purple shield. It crackled almost like it was electricity. Alexa grinned. She'd done it! She'd remembered her powers!
"Tiss, can't win if you can't touch me, Bakura!" Alexa said, giving a kind of hiss at the beginning as if his attempt was nothing compared to her.
"You're powers may have saved you, but they won't last long against me!" At that, Bakura sent another stream of millennium energy at Alexa.
Grr…he's right! I can't keep this up forever! I'm too weak…and now I can't remember what made me strong in that duel…how the heck will I get out of this!
Bakura continued his stream of blasts. "Go ahead, Alexa! Wear yourself out until I can defeat you! You'll make victory that much sweeter, by your own demise!"
Alexa braced herself. She was getting quickly tired out, his attacks were powerful. And her mind was concentrating so much on protecting herself that she had no time to think of what unlocked her full potential.
Bakura cackled. "It won't be long now!"
Yami dismounted and walked towards the small house; Alexa's tracks lead here. He was afraid that if he remembered what this house was, that the other him would take over. He needed to stay in control just long enough to get back the millennium puzzle and send Alexa to the shadow realm: He had to; he had betrayed both him and Yugi. That little lying girl would soon get what she deserved.
He walked up to the house, but much to his surprise didn't hear what he expected, not that he quite expected to hear anything. He heard Bakura's evil laughter and Alexa's screams of fear. He ran once he heard, but the door was locked. He ran looking for another way in, and saw the window. The window was large but high up, the bottom of it was about level with his face. He hoisted himself up and gasped. Bakura was sending millennium energy blasts in Alexa's direction, and she seemed to be guarding by a narrow margin. It was obvious she wouldn't last longer, she looked so afraid. Yami yelled when he fell, the side of the house was too smooth to grip hold too. He got up and tried getting through again, but once more to no avail. The window was up too high for him to get into.
Then Yami grunted, his head suddenly ached. Oh no! The other me is trying to take over again!
Who are you! And why have you taken over me!
What in the world? I didn't take over anyone…and I can't let you regain control, my friends in danger…
Yami realized he'd just spoken to his other self, but tried ignoring him and tried once again to get inside. Once again, he failed.
Look, I don't know what you're doing, but I know that I can get in that building. If you let me take over, I'll…
No! I won't let you harm her any more!
Yet another failed attempt to get in. Alexa wouldn't last much longer.
You have to! Or else she's going to be killed!
How will I know you won't hurt her?
You don't! But I'll help you if you give me back control…
If you save her, we'll be leaving Egypt soon, and you'll definitely be in control once more…but I can't let you hurt her again! You've caused her pain I never meant for her to bear…
You'd better! She's losing fast.
Alright, but I beg of you, if you have to hurt someone, don't let it be Alexa or Yugi…
Alexa gasped. "Oh no! My shield!" Her shield crackled and disappeared. And worst of all, her foot was crammed good.
"Finally Alexa, you lose!" Bakura shot another blast.
Alexa winced, but suddenly felt herself being pushed. The blast passed, and she looked up in time to see Yami give a blow at Bakura's face, knocking him out cold.
"Hey, are you alright?"
Alexa looked up at Yami and gasped, turning pale. "You're…you're the other one…"
The differences between the two Yami's was extremely subtle. This Yami didn't look quite younger, but as if to have less experience in life. He also had some marks under his eyes, similar to what Marik and Bakura had.
Alexa shivered and backed away. "Please…don't hurt me…please…please…" Alexa had once again backed herself into the wall, this time panting with fear. But when she realized she wasn't being attacked, she looked up.
"I won't hurt you. In fact, let me help…"
He went to where Alexa's foot was stuck in the floor. "Here, push your foot down a little…"
"What, do you want me to get my foot stuck more?"
"No, trust me, just push it down a little."
Alexa gave him a suspicious look, but pushed her foot lower.
"Now, isn't there enough room for you to get it out?"
"Hey…you're right…" When Alexa first tried to get her foot out of there, she had been trying to pull it straight out. But since she pushed down, she was able to make her foot vertical and make it slip through the hole. "How did you…?"
"It happened to me before."
"Please, I mean, thank you for helping me, but…the other you…he…"
"Don't worry, he's here…"
That's when Yami, the Yami Alexa and Yugi knew, was there. As soon as he saw Alexa, he came to her. "Alexa, are you alright? Did he hurt you?"
"No, I'm fine, but we'd better get Bakura before he…"
Yami followed Alexa's glance, which was followed by a gasp. He was gone.
"I'm sorry, Yami…"
"Sorry? For what?"
"If you didn't have to check on me, you could have gotten Bakura before he escaped. I'm sorry…"
"Alexa, I'm glad you're ok. But why on earth did you leave the castle." Yami realized that it was possible Alexa had meant to still run away with a prize, but now it seemed highly unlikely.
Alexa sighed. "It was weird…I kinda just randomly thought of the millennium puzzle, and then, I had the weirdest feeling to go look at it. When I did, there was a piece missing, and then I got angry cause Bakura stole it from us…and then…I left…I guess…"
"Why didn't you get me?"
Alexa looked down. "I was afraid…"
Yami looked away as well.
"And…I thought maybe if I got it…I thought maybe you wouldn't hate me…" Alexa paused for a moment. "But here, if it makes any difference to you…" Alexa took the millennium puzzle from her neck. "I saved the piece…and the rest of the puzzle…"
Yugi: Hey, you cut it short!
TCG: Well, if they've read it before, how much more did they need to remember?
Yugi: I don't know…
TCG: That's what I thought…besides, I like this part of that chapter too:
Then they heard cackling…
"My Pharaoh, I see you've finally obtained the puzzle in its entirety. However, will it be able to withstand the power of my millennium ring?"
"Where's his voice coming from?" Alexa asked.
"I'm not sure, but I think we should get out of here before we find out…"
Alexa nodded. "But how do we? That horse hates me more then heck…"
Yami thought quickly. "Alexa, just get over here…"
Alexa quickly followed Yami. The winds were picking up, and somehow it didn't seem like something the desert would do naturally.
Then they heard evil laughter. It was Bakura, somewhere hidden.
They both knew whatever was going on was bad, and quickened the pace. Yami helped Alexa get on the horse and quickly followed.
"NOW YOU BOTH SHALL DIE!"
Yami whipped the reigns just as soon as the wind picked up enormous speeds. Bakura revealed himself.
The horse reared at the fierce winds, and Alexa had to hold on to Yami's waist to avoid falling off. He seemed to know exactly what to do, and as soon as the horse's front legs hit the ground again, they were off.
"Oh my gosh…"
"What is it Alexa?"
"Bakura's making a giant sandstorm tornado thing! It's coming this way!"
"Just what we needed…" Yami answered sarcastically. "Alexa, tell me if something's coming our way, alright."
"Got it." Alexa gave a little gasp. "In that case, does giant energy blast count?"
"What!"
"Bakura's charging up his millennium powers, he did the same to me."
"We won't be able to get out of the way in time, this horse is too tired." Yami answered.
"Oh no! What do we do now?" Alexa asked, scared.
"We do the best we can…"
Alexa gave a small groan. This horse was probably not meant to hold two people. It was probably to bring a single person around speedily. Alexa gulped, but realized what she had to do.
"Yami, don't come back for me…" At that Alexa pushed herself off of the horse.
Then, instead of feeling the hard ground, she felt something grab her by the waist. Yami had caught her.
"Alexa, no matter what I say, I'm not going to let you die in my place."
With one swift motion, he quickly tossed her back on top of the horse. Alexa scrambled to hold on again; the winds were picking up.
"Bakura's going to attack us!"
Yami stayed quiet. There was no more he could do, but he didn't want to scare Alexa, so he kept quiet.
"HA HA HA! YOUR MOMENT OF DEATH HAS ARRIVED!"
This caught them both off guard, and they both yelled. Bakura sent his blast; this was obvious to them both. Yami shut his eyes; he couldn't bear to see Alexa get hurt.
After a moment of nothing happening, he turned around. Alexa had her shield up again, and had been able to protect them.
"Great job, Alexa! Great job!"
Alexa smiled. She'd done something that the Pharaoh liked. That was a start.
Alexa yelled as the next blast hit. "Yami…I'm not sure how much longer I can keep this up…"
"Just do it as long as you can." Yami answered.
Alexa nodded. They kept this up for a while, using Alexa to dodge blasts and Yami to get them away.
"Uh-oh…" Alexa said suddenly.
"Oh no…" Yami said simultaneously.
"You first…" Alexa gulped.
"The narrow spot on the river…isn't a narrow spot anymore…" Yami answered. As they came along the river, they realized it was true. "What's wrong there?"
"Um…my shields giving out…" Alexa said. Her shield was crackling on and off.
Another blast hit. "Strike that, my shield has given out…"
"I hope we can make this jump…" Yami said.
Alexa did a double take at the rivers edges. "Wait, we're jumping that!"
"I hope so…" Yami answered.
With that, Bakura sent another blast as they jumped, and everything happened in slow motion.
Please, let us make it! He's finally learning about his past; let him have some time to know it…
Please…if one of us has to live…let it be Alexa. Don't let her die for someone who has treated her so horribly…
The next thing they knew was they were in a heap on the ground on the other side of the river.
"Hey! Bakura…and his attack and stuff…it all stopped!"
Yami looked up. It was true, everything wasn't there anymore. "I'm not sure what happened, but it's a good thing it stopped."
As they picked themselves up, they tried to figure out which way they were going. This didn't take long to clear up, and soon they had it all figured out.
Yugi: Yep, definitely that one too…
TCG: Ok, people, two chapters left! Next, is chapter 15! This get's the award for best-attempt-at-romance-and-failing-miserably…
"Alexa…could I show you something?" Yami asked after a few minutes of silence.
"Um…sure…" Alexa asked curiously.
Yami smiled. "Good…"
Alexa was about to ask what it was, but suddenly she found herself hundreds of feet above the whole Egyptian city, not quite flying, not quite floating, and not quite falling. The sudden rush of air completely scared her, especially since it happened so fast and she had no idea what was happening.
"Alexa!"
Alexa scared herself once more when Yami was there. She hadn't even noticed him. "How the heck…what the heck…?" Alexa couldn't put her words into full sentences. That's when she noticed the millennium puzzle glowing, and the millennium symbol on his forehead. "You're millennium puzzle…you figured it out, didn't you!" She asked excitedly.
"Yes, and I wanted you to be the first to know…"
"But…what about Yugi?"
"He didn't need inspiration…"
Alexa gasped. "Wait…you heard me?"
"Isn't it beautiful?" Yami asked, avoiding the question.
Alexa followed his gaze and gasped. It was beautiful. The city was alive, and there were lots of small fires, casting a natural glow that was unlike any light from modern day cities. It was a strange, indescribable beauty, and Alexa loved it.
"Are you scared?"
Alexa shifted her wait in her kneeling position, and in doing so moved her hand. As she lifted it, the "ground" supporting that hand disappeared, letting her hand cut freely through the air. Scaring herself, she slammed her hand back down, and the "ground" was there again. She couldn't believe it. It was great. "As long as we don't fall to our doom, I'm fine…"
Yami smiled mischievously. "So you mean if I did this…" At that, he stopped his powers for a few seconds, letting themselves drop a little, and then re-activated his powers.
"Holy- What the- Yami!" Alexa stammered, and laughed a little.
Yami knew it would amuse her, and did it again.
Alexa laughed more. "Stop! We're getting too low-oh-whoa!" Yami just made them go a ton higher at quick speeds. He was laughing too, and enjoying himself.
(by counting crows…)
So she said what's the problem baby
What's the problem I don't know
Well maybe I'm in love (love)
Think about it every time
I think about it
Can't stop thinking 'bout it
How much longer will it take to cure this
Just to cure it cause I can't ignore it if it's love (love)
Makes me wanna turn around and face me but I don't know nothing 'bout love
Come on, come on
Turn a little faster
Come on, come on
The world will follow after
Come on, come on
Because everybody's after love
So I said I'm a snowball running
Running down into the spring that's coming
All this love melting under blue skies
Belting out sunlight
Shimmering love
Well baby I surrender
To the strawberry ice cream
Never ever end of all this love
Well I didn't mean to do it
But there's no escaping your love
These lines of lightning
Mean we're never alone,
Never alone, no, no
Come on, Come on
Move a little closer
Come on, Come on
I want to hear you whisper
Come on, Come on
Settle down inside my love
Come on, come on
Jump a little higher
Come on, come on
If you feel a little lighter
Come on, come on
We were once
Upon a time in love
We're accidentally in love
Accidentally in love
Accidentally in love
Accidentally in love
Accidentally in love
Accidentally in love
Accidentally in love
Accidentally in love
Accidentally
I'm In Love, I'm in Love,
I'm in Love, I'm in Love,
I'm in Love, I'm in Love,
Accidentally
I'm In Love, I'm in Love,
I'm in Love, I'm in Love,
I'm in Love, I'm in Love,
Accidentally
Come on, come on
Spin a little tighter
Come on, come on
And the world's a little brighter
Come on, come on
Just get yourself inside her
Love... I'm in love
Soon, Yami had his arm around Alexa, but she didn't even notice. She was loving it all, from the sites to the excitement. And much to her disappointment, they were soon on the ground, right where they started.
They were both panting from it, and it took them a few minutes before either of them said anything.
"Alexa, how do I know that you won't just one day turn on Yugi? On everyone else? On me? How do I know that you're truly the good-hearted girl Yugi thinks you are? What if you turn evil?"
"What if I don't?"
Yami was taken by surprise. Usually, when he said stuff like that, people didn't come up with a come back. If they did, he was usually able to counter it. But "What if I don't…" how did he counter that?
"Yami…if it makes any difference…I trust you…even if you can't trust me…"
Yami sighed. "Why does it matter? I'm no one in the future anyway…only someone who helps Yugi win his duels…"
"That's not true at all! Yugi…he needs you…in a weirdish kinda way…I mean…he can tell you everything and anything. Not everyone has that kind of person to talk to."
"For Yugi maybe, I'm important, and maybe to a few others. But it's nothing like I was here…in the past."
"Why don't you stay another day? You know…to enjoy your power?"
Yami suddenly lit up excitedly. He grabbed both of Alexa's hands in his and asked. "Really! Would you allow me too!"
"Of course, but why are you asking me? You're the Pharaoh…remember?" Alexa reminded him lightly, and glanced down at her grasped hands.
Yami followed her glance and let go. "Oh, yes, you're right…"
They both remained quiet for a little while.
"Yami…I'm going back to bed. I'll see you in the morning…"
"Good night."
"Good night."
Yami sighed. He'd wrecked it. Him and his stubborn mind. He wanted to tell her that he trusted her…but no. All he did was put her down even more. Yami punched the ground near him. Why on earth couldn't he be nice to her? Why'd he have to treat her like a jerk? Soon, he went back inside too, the only thing that comforted him was his staying in his kingdom for one last day…
Yugi: (sniff) It's so sad! KIT KAT STUFF!
TCG: And it took him that long to say that…oh well! And finally, best moment from the chapter you've just read! Last but not least, chapter 16! Award for the most frightful moment in Alexa's eyes is given to chapter 16! Woot!
"Alexa, do you honestly think you'll be able to defeat me twice!" Bakura yelled back at her.
Alexa looked at her surroundings. She seemed to be just starting a duel with Bakura, but where were they? Upon looking a little bit more, she saw them dueling high off the ground. The place seemed familiar yet different at the same time; it almost looked like the maze in Yami's mind, only, it wasn't a maze. There seemed to be a building below them, it was as if they were dueling on top of an invisible roof.
"What in the world are you thinking about! Did you forget the stakes of the duel already?"
Stakes! There were stakes in this duel!
"Well, I'll remind you just to see you squirm. Every time one of us gets attacked directly, we have to experience our greatest fears. The more life points you lose, the worse the fear. The more often, the more real it seems." Bakura gave an evil grin, which somehow told Alexa he wouldn't be that much affected.
Alexa gasped. Her fears…what were they? What was she afraid of? And why was it now, when it mattered most, that she couldn't remember them?
"Fine, since you forfeited your first turn, I'll go…"
Alexa was confused. She hadn't forfeited her turn…had she?
The next thing she knew, she was being attacked by one of Bakura's zombie monsters.
Then she saw, one by one, all of her friends. The ones that had, at some point in her life, meant a lot to her, some she had even forgotten she'd been friends with.
"Alexa, how the heck was I friends with you!" One girl asked.
"Yeah, why did I bother with such an idiot?" Said another.
"Yeah Alexa, especially since you never did anything for us…" said the third.
Alexa went to say something, but suddenly she was back at the duel. Had it all been an illusion? Bakura…did he say that it was real? Was it? No…her friends couldn't have all meant it…right?
"Fine Alexa, if you don't want to go again…" Bakura answered.
What in the world…why wasn't she doing anything!
He summoned yet another zombie, and Alexa was soon attacked by both.
"Ha! With only 200 life points left, you'll lose soon!" Bakura cackled.
Alexa then saw Yugi. "Yugi! You have to help me, Bakura's…"
"Alexa! Why are you asking me for help? I mean, can't you do anything on your own!" Yugi asked Alexa angrily.
"What? I…"
"I mean, you just invade my life, then you try to steal my friends, and now you're asking for my assistance! How low can you get!"
Yugi's harsh words cut through Alexa like a knife, and left her stinging cold. "But Yugi, I…"
"Save it! I don't want to see your face again, you jerk!"
Alexa's eyes swelled with tears. Then she saw Yami next to Yugi. "Yami! What's up with Yugi? He's acting all…"
"He's acting like he should have. I told him you were evil, and he didn't listen. But know he knows, he knows your true demonic self…"
"No Yami…not you too…"
"What do you mean 'not you too'? I was against you all along!" With that, Yami suddenly blasted Alexa with a powerful attack from his millennium puzzle.
Alexa found herself in front of Bakura. She had to do something, because there was only one thing she feared more than losing Yugi…and if she experienced it, it would be over forever…If she lost the duel, the final experience would be death. But was it an experience? No, it couldn't be…it felt much too real. Yugi really did hate her, Yami too. Everyone did.
Maybe death wouldn't be all that bad…
Yugi woke up and heard Alexa. She was talking in her sleep, saying a series of "No…no…no…!" Something told him, when he got to her, she was having more then a dream. Was it possible…that a shadow game was going on within her own mind! He tried to shake her awake, but it didn't work. Then, as if he'd awoken them, Alexa's millennium powers activated. The symbol glowed brightly on her forehead. And before long, Yugi realized that he was becoming a part of whatever was going on.
He found himself standing below Alexa's duel. Alexa looked pretty shaken, it was a 4000 to 200 LP duel, and Alexa wasn't winning. She looked scared, really scared. She wasn't doing anything, and it looked like although she wanted to, something was holding her back, keeping her from defending herself.
"Alexa! Are you alright!" He called up to her.
Alexa looked at him, and looked away without saying a word.
"Alexa! Why won't you tell me what's going on?"
Alexa looked teary eyed. "Why do you care! You made it pretty obvious that you hate me!"
Yugi looked confused. "What on earth are you talking about!"
Bakura cackled. "The girl experienced her worst fears…and I'm afraid she thought they were real."
Yugi gasped. Alexa had once said she wouldn't know what she'd do without him, but had that meant she was really that afraid of losing him? "Alexa! Please! I…" How do you convince someone who thinks you just shoved them off? "I'm not sure what I was saying! Listen to me, Alexa! I want to help you win this duel!"
"Oh, would you shut up!" Alexa cried, literally. She couldn't think straight, she was about to lose, and now she couldn't tell friend from foe.
"Alexa please, let me help you! You can still win! There's one card that can help you! Please, you've got to believe me!"
Alexa tried to stop sobbing. "Ok…I'll try…" Alexa painstakingly drew a card, and gave a weak smile. "All I have is this card face down. You're move, Bakura."
Yugi gulped. If this was the right card, the same one he was thinking about, she wouldn't lose. She wouldn't win either: they'd both end in a draw.
Bakura didn't seem to mind Alexa's weak attempt. "And now, Alexa, you'll experience death!" Bakura cackled as he called his attack.
Alexa activated her card. She was too afraid to call it, but she activated it.
Bakura noticed. "What! No, not that! That means…it's a draw! And a draw…that void's the whole shadow game!"
Alexa looked too beaten to say anything. She just stood there, looking at the ground. "Bakura, get out of my mind and stay out!"
The next thing they knew, She was awake, and Yugi was sitting next to her.
"Oh, Yugi!" Alexa leaned over and sobbed on Yugi's chest. "Yugi…thank you for saving me…I was so scared…I don't want to stay here anymore. I want to go…I was so close to death, Yugi…I felt it…" Alexa broke out in tears.
Yugi comforted her. Somehow, Bakura had dueled Alexa within her own mind, found out her real fears. This past…this past where ultimate power existed was too dangerous for them.
Alexa seemed to calm down a little. "Yugi…you…you don't hate me…right?"
"No Alexa…I could never hate you…" Yugi replied calmly. It's just the opposite…
"I'm sorry Yugi…I didn't mean to…" Alexa tried to wipe away her tears, and tried to apologize for her outburst.
"It's fine, Alexa. As long as you promise you'll do the same for me."
Alexa looked at Yugi. His sorrow filled eyes told her without words. Somehow, he told her that he knew Yami would want to stay. To stay where he ruled. After all, Yugi didn't want to force him into the nothing Yami called himself back home. "Oh Yugi…" Alexa did her best to keep the tears from coming, and although she didn't sob, a few more tears fell.
Yugi: It's not that bad…
TCG-.-;;; My writing skills need work, don't remind me.
Yugi: Ok then! I won't!
TCG: Alright people, that's all for now! Please tune in for my next story, titled "The curse of Tora Island!"
Yugi: Adios, mi amigos y amigas!
TCG: See you all soon! And don't forget to review, please and thank you!