"What are you trying to do?! Hang us by our computer chairs off the cliffhanger?! . "
Janime: How did you guess?
"Arise from Darkness"
By Heikou and Janime
Chapter Twenty-One
Internal Prisons
"What do you mean she's not here?!" Seto demanded, glaring at the intercom.
"Miss Taite left about twenty minutes ago with Ryou Bakura's cousin, sir," the guard answered, slight fear in his voice.
"Find out where they went and get them back here!" Seto hit the button, and plopped himself in his desk chair, fuming.
Ryou was standing in the office, silently praying to whatever god was listening that he would stay safe, even with Katsuya sitting next to pale-haired boy.
Silver Fang looked at Ryou before whining softly, nudging his hand with his cold nose. It was as if he was worried about Keriam as well.
The young man absently petted the wolf, unsure if he was calming the animal or himself. "Seto... I know that you're upset but I'm sure they had a good reason for leaving," he tried to say in their defense.
"What better reason could they have for leaving my wife in a coma?" he growled angrily, his left hand forming into a tight fist. "I knew I should've waited on that call. Damn them!" He lifted his fist and brought it hard on his desk, knocking over several items.
Katsuya jumped before growling. The CEO just glared at him as he leaned back in his chair. Ryou swallowed, wondering if he should leave or just stay perfectly quiet. The silence dragged on before it was broken by a knock.
"Who is it?!" Seto barked angrily.
The door opened and Marik walked in. He looked at the desk before raising his eyes to the man sitting behind it. "According to my sister--courtesy of the Millennium Necklace," the Egyptian began, "Keriam and Bakura are at Domino City Hospital."
Ryou just blinked.
"What the hell are they doing there?" Seto demanded.
"Ishizu didn't say," Marik answered, "except that this will either help or condemn us."
Well that's comforting… Ryou thought.
--
"Help…" Pegasus looked at her. "No one needs my help… I can't help anyone… I am a failure…"
"No, you're not," Keriam said. "Pegasus, please, you know a lot about-"
The scene changed. The wood became fresh and looked brand new, sunlight spilled through the windows, birds chirped happily.
"Maximilian!" a sweet woman's voice called from outside.
Pegasus jumped up and looked out the window. "Cecilia!" he cried happily and ran out the door.
"Wait! Pegasus!" Keriam ran after him. He doesn't want to believe she's dead!
Racing up the hill, Keriam stopped and watched the couple laugh as Pegasus twirled his beloved wife.
"Oh my darling," Pegasus cupped Cecilia's face, "I thought I lost you."
"Pegasus!" Keriam yelled at him. "Snap out of it! Cecilia is dead!"
He ignored her as he looked at his wife. How he longed to just hold her, to feel the warmth of her body pressed against his own but even as he lowered his head to kiss her, she vanished into mist.
"No... No please... not again!" The birds turned into ebony crows, the grass turned brittle and yellow, the trees looked like bony skeletal hands, and the skies were dark and uncaring. Pegasus slowly dropped to his knees, holding his arms tightly as he felt tears fall from down the side of his face.
Keriam felt sympathy for him as she slowly made her way. Reaching out she touched his shoulder but he didn't bother to look at her. "I'm sorry... but you can't continue to live in this fantasy world."
"Says who?" he said bitterly, nearly ripping his shirt as he gripped his arms tighter. "I'm happy here. I can be with my wife forever."
"But she isn't real."
"She's real enough for me." He stood, shaking her hand off as he looked at her coldly. "You have no idea what's it like to lose someone you love."
"..." The young woman looked at him with a hard look in her eyes before she pulled her fist back and punched him on the left side of his face. Right where he used to have the Millennium Eye. Her arm shook as he looked up at her in surprise a bit of fear, his hand going to his injured cheek.
"I know damn well what it's like to lose someone you love... because I lost my mother several years back. But at least I don't wallow in self-pity! Do you honestly think Cecilia would want you to waste your life away like this? If she could see you right now, what would she say? I know you're hurting but living in this fantasy world of yours is not going to make it better!" Taking a deep breathe she closed her eyes and relaxed her arm as she lowered her voice. "I know where you're coming from, Pegasus. But if you continue like this your mortal body will die. Cecilia wouldn't want you to waste away like this; not when you have so much more to live for."
"... How can I continue to live when my meaning for life is gone forever?" he asked softly.
"You continue to live for her. That's what she would have wanted you to do." Keriam gave a weak smile and reached her hand towards him. "Please, I really do need your help. If Cecilia were here, what would she have done?"
"... She... She would help others... no matter the cost..." he looked at the young woman's hand for a long time before slowly, hesitantly reaching up but before he could touch her he halted. "How do I know... this isn't a dream? That you're actually here?"
"Only one way to find out."
He reached up and grasped her hand with his own. All around them, a brilliant light surround them before their bodies were being pulled into a direction.
--
"How long has it been?" Bakura asked.
Rose checked her watch. "Only ten minutes."
"Attention please," Yahiko's voice said through the PA. "Rose Dante, please report to the maternity ward."
"Oh no," the nurse groaned. "I can't leave you like this."
"We'll be fine," said Bakura.
"But what if-"
Keriam blinked and shook her head a little. "Always makes me a little dizzy." She slipped the cord around her neck and the Key inside her shirt.
"How did it go?" asked Bakura.
Pegasus groaned and slowly his right eye opened.
"Apparently, well," Rose said. "Keriam, I'm sorry but I've been paged."
"Okay," the girl nodded, "we'll take it from here."
Rose hesitated but nodded. "Mr. Pegasus, it's good to have you back." Nodding she headed out the door, silently closing it behind her.
"Well, I'm mildly surprised that this worked," Bakura said.
Keriam was about to make a retort but watched as the creator of Duel Monsters slowly pulled himself into a sitting position. It was clear to see he was very weak and had lost a lot of weight but he was still alive. Being mindful of the wires attached to his body he reached up to touch the left side of his face. He gently touched the area around his eye but didn't feel the cool metal of the mystic eye. Instead he felt what felt like gauze gently taped to keep his eye shut.
"How..." he tried to say only to find his voice hoarse and dry as sandpaper. "How long..."
"Two years. How's it feel to be awake?" the thief asked, crossing his arms over his chest.
Pegasus looked over at him and his real eye widen. "You--the eye-"
"Yeah I stole it from you and no I don't have it to give it back-"
"I never want to see that thing for the rest of my life! It has caused me nothing but grief!"
Keriam quickly handed him a cup of water and rubbed his shoulder. "No argument on the last part but as for seeing the Eye again, well, that depends on you."
Pegasus sipped the water and looked at her. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"How would you like to pay someone a visit?"
"Who?"
"Keriam," Bakura looked at her with slight disturbance, "no doubt he's already pissed off that we disappeared, but he'll be beyond infuriated when you bring him to the mansion."
Pegasus smiled lightly. "Seto Kaiba." He turned to Keriam. "I think I should drop by and say hello."
"I have nothing to do with this," Bakura said. "I agreed to get you here, Keriam, but this is where the line is drawn."
"Cheri had an erotic dream about you."
"Shall I get a wheelchair?"
"No need, but he's going to have to borrow your coat," said Keriam.
"I've been in a hospital bed for two years," Pegasus said. "My legs won't work properly."
"Trust me, I can wake them up from atrophied." Keriam placed both her hands on Pegasus' shoulders and closed her eyes. A golden glow surrounded her and went to Pegasus.
He felt… refreshed, ready to run a marathon. Carefully, he and Keriam set to the task of removing the wires.
"You'll have to wait for the catheter," said Keriam.
"I'm not worried," Pegasus answered, taking Bakura's coat and slipping it on.
"Here, put your hair up," Bakura handed the card game creator a surgeon's hair cap.
"I won't ask where you got that."
"Same place I got this," the thief held up a small bottle of morphine.
Keriam quickly grabbed the bottle from him. "You want to get Rose into trouble?" she hissed at him then reached into his other pockets.
"Uh… Joey and Marik would die if they saw this."
"I'm just making sure you don't have anything else."
"Sure, that's what they always say." He had several other items, one was a small pad and a pen but quickly setting everything on the table she wrote a brief note to Rose saying that they had Pegasus and to call the mansion when she read this. Warning him not to play sticky fingers anymore she opened the door and peered outside. "Coast clear. Let's go."
As they edged into the hallway they were trying very hard not to draw attention to themselves. Although it was kinda hard to walk down the brightly lit halls but they were empty and there was currently no one at the receptionist desk (thanks to Rose no doubt). They headed into the elevator as the doors opened with a delicate ding sound.
"So tell me, how has Kaiba-boy been doing?" Pegasus asked.
"He's married," Bakura growled, still not very happy about that.
A thin brow arched up. "Seto Kaiba? Married? I find that hard to believe."
"Believe it because his wife is my best friend and she's the one that needs your help," Keriam explained. "But first, what can you tell me about the Dark Scorpion cards?"
"Dark Scorpion… It's strange, but I never planned on making them when I first created the cards. It only happened when I had a strange dream." The older man frowned as he thought back. "I can't remember much… but the dream, something kept telling me over and over to create the cards. I tried to forget about it but it kept nagging at me so I created one of each. There was Don-"
"Don Zaloog, Cliff the Trap Remover, Gorg the Strong, Chick the Yellow, and Meanae the Thorn," Keriam said quietly.
"Yes. What is going on?"
"Long story short, the barrier that separates the Shadow Realm from our world is fading, Duel Monsters are coming to life, this girl and two others are the only ones to stop this but they need your help because a enemy of the gods is trying to break free of his prison and reclaim what was taken from him more than 5,000 years ago," Bakura summoned up. Pegasus just looked at him. "You can get the full story when we get to the mansion. The sooner Cheri's out of the coma the happier I'll be."
Pegasus turned to Keriam. "Love triangle?"
"Pretty much," she answered.
--
"You're twins?!" Tristen gaped.
"Surprise," said Marik, sitting on the couch between Malik and Rashid.
"Please forgive for saying this," Tea spoke when most of the shock wore off, "but your father was a lunatic."
"No need to apologize," said Ishizu. "We knew that for years."
"He's gone and so are the others so let's be thankful for that," Joey sighed, rubbing his eyes briefly. "I hope Keriam comes back soon."
Mokuba said nothing as he continued to look out the window. Seto was in his office, still upset but when Ryou came down with Katsuya he was glad he didn't kill him. He sighed and rested his chin on his crossed arms. I hope them come back soon, he thought to himself.
Silver Fang looked at everyone in turn from where he laid before Joey's feet, watching everyone with keen and intelligent eyes. Just as he was about to lay his head back down his ears peaked up. Getting to his feet he walked out of the room and headed to the front door. Realizing he couldn't open it he began to softly whimper.
"I think Katsuya wants to go out," Yugi spoke up.
"I'll go." The young Kaiba stood and headed to the front door, opening it and closed it behind him as the two of them went into the front yard.
"It's a good thing Kaiba doesn't live so close to neighbors or there would be the problem with seeing a wolf being allowed to roam free," Yami said lightly.
"Maybe I can put you as the main attraction," Seto remarked as he walked into the living room.
Before the pharaoh could counter, Mokuba walked back into the living room. He looked at Seto and went right over to his brother. "Swear to me on your marriage that you won't freak out or do anything impulsive."
Seto narrowed his eyes. "What did Katsuya do?"
"Katsuya didn't do anything," answered Keriam, entering with her wolf and Bakura.
"Where did you two go?" Seto demanded before anyone else could open their mouths.
"She gave me a wake up call," a tall man entered the living, silvery hair just past his shoulder, which covered the left side of his face. "Hello, Kaiba-boy."
"PEGASUS?!"
Everyone stared at the man in shock, Seto the only one whose expression was mixed with anger. "You!" the CEO hissed.
Mokuba grabbed Seto's arms. "Don't! Please, Seto!"
Joey blinked before slowly standing and approached the trio. He stared hard at the older man before snorting. "Here I was hoping you'd be dead," he said in a low voice.
Pegasus looked at him and just smiled. "So sorry to disappoint you."
"Seto." The thief waited until the CEO was looking at him before he continued. "I know how much you hate him and the shit he pulled over the years but we need his help. He created the cards so he created the monsters, in a sense. Besides, with the Black Scorpions on the loose we need all the help we can get."
The blue-eyed young man growled angrily at him as his entire body continued to stay tense. "I do not want him anywhere near my family, especially my wife. The same goes for you, tomb raider."
The thief's eyes narrowed dangerously as he continued to stare at him. "You know damn well I would never do anything to harm Cheri and regardless of the choice she's made I will continue to be there for her. Live with it." Breaking the contact he looked at Keriam and Pegasus. "Let's get this over with already."
Everyone silently watched as Bakura headed up the stairs, Pegasus following and Keriam taking the rear with Katsuya at her side. When Seto made to follow he was stopped by Mokuba. He could have broken from the embrace but he didn't. Instead he reached down and rested a hand on his brother's head.
I'll never forgive him, he thought to himself silently.
--
"She is rather cute," Pegasus looked at Cheri. "I think she should be given the Nobel Prize for the greatest miracle ever accomplished."
No argument there, Keriam couldn't help thinking. She lifted up the right sleeve of Cheri's blouse, revealing the Scorpion tattoo and the red glowing bands around her bicep.
"Tea put that on her," said Bakura. "Right now, it's the only thing blocking her memories as Meanae the Thorn." He tensed a little as the taller man leaned down to examine the binds.
"Rather amazing," Pegasus admitted. "I never would have believed that all this would come to pass just from a card game."
"Well, you had to go to Egypt," Keriam looked at him.
"You've been through my mind, you know what I was searching for."
"I know. We need to find a way to block Meanae permanently if possible and since you created the Scorpions..." Ra's Daughter trailed off, holding the Key tightly in her hand.
"If you're going into her mind then I'm going with you," Bakura said with dead seriousness. "And bribery won't work on making me change my mind."
Pegasus looked up at him, smiling ever so lightly. "And I thought Kaiba-boy was the stubborn one."
"His definition of stubborn and mine are very different." Bakura placed one hand on Keriam's shoulder, the other on the Key. The golden glow went around both of them and they tensed, eyes became dull.
"My, my, that's interesting," Pegasus reached for the Key.
Katsuya snapped at his hand and growled. The Duel Monster creator backed away, Katsuya following him. Pegasus didn't realize that he was being maneuvered towards the empty chair until he somewhat fell into it. The Silver Fang sat down before the man as golden eyes glared his warning.
I guess this is payback from that first duel with Yugi…
--
Keriam blinked as she looked around. For a moment she thought she was in Pegasus' soul room but it was somewhat different. The room looked like the studio Cheri had at Kaiba mansion, complete with a window balcony but it was strange. On one side of the glass door you could see a bright and luminous day; on the other side you saw a world in darkness and chaos. There were several canvases and paintings adoring the walls that if it wasn't for the windows one would almost think they were in the actual studio.
Bakura frowned. Moving deeper into the room he noticed that the room was messy but this was no ordinary mess. Squatting down he lifted a toppled frame. The fabric was shredded and whatever image was painted on it was utterly ruined. He lightly fingered the tears only to curse.
"A fight happened here. And a big one by the looks of things." He stood and showed her the painting before looking around the room. It wasn't that obvious to see it but sure enough it looked like a fight definitely happened.
Keriam took the portrait in her hand and peered at it, trying to see what the image use to be. "I can't tell what it is. But if this is her soul room, then where is she?"
A loud crash was heard and both turned just in time to see a person go crashing into the far wall. The female warrior knocked over several easels, the bladed cuffs sliced through the wood and made cracks in the walls when they got stuck. With a soft grunt she pulled her arms free and stood straight but she was breathing heavily.
"Give it up Sword Dancer! You cannot defeat me!" Meanae taunted as she walked from the shadows where another door was located on the far side of the room. The door looked like it had been broken yet there were several chains keeping it shut tightly. Burned into the wood though was the emblem of the Black Scorpion. The female assassin looked a bit worn herself as she snapped her thorn whip at her side, destroying several more paintings.
Performance of Sword glared at her angrily, holding her arms out. "The only reason I can't destroy you is I'll end up destroying the Daughter of Anubis as well," she said bitterly.
"She is no more that dog's child than I am! My king is her true father and once I gain control I will be reunited with my brothers." Smirking evilly she held her whip tightly in her hands, pulling it taunt. "No one can stop the Black Scorpions from their vengeance."
"Famous last words, assassin," Bakura spoke up, slowly moving to stand before the tired warrior. "Meanae the Thorn. Where's Cheri?"
She narrowed her light brown gaze as she dropped into an attack pose. "You… how dare you touch me!" she hissed out.
"Yeah you already said that. Where is Cheri?" he demanded more firmly. The assassin didn't answer but faintly they could hear something that sounded like knocking. Looking at the door the chains very faintly rattled as the knocking grew louder.
"Please help me! Get me outta this prison!" came a scared and feminine voice.
"Cheri!" Keriam ran towards the chained door.
Meanae swung her whip and it wrapped around Keriam's ankle, causing her to fall.
"Stay out of this!" the female Scorpion hissed. "Or you, Daughter of Ra, will share the same fate as the Sword Dancer."
Bakura ran up to Meanae and tackled her; the whip slid from her hand. Performance of Sword ran over to Keriam and helped her up.
"I'm sorry but somehow she has more power than myself," the warrior expressed softly. "I've tried to break the chains but it's no use."
"I think... the chains were made by Tea," Keriam said as she stood. The thorns scratched the surface of her skin but it stung. "Maybe... Maybe I can break them so Cheri can escape and we can push Meanae inside."
Bakura growled as his back connected with the wall before he charged once more, tackling Meanae again but this time managed to pin her to the wall. "Make this easy on yourself and give up!"
"Get off!!" Meanae yelled, managing to kick him off where he slammed into a group of paintings. Getting to her feet she went for her whip and held it up. "Time for you to die, thief!!"
"Not today!"
Meanae spun around in time to see Performance of Sword slam into her, the bladed wrist cuffs slashing her stomach.
Bakura managed to pull himself upright. His eyes widened as he watched the two cards' spirits back off from each other. Both women had their hands over their stomachs, blood oozing between their fingers.
"Oh gods…" Bakura whispered, turning his head towards the chained door.
During the fight, Keriam had broken the metallic bindings and helped Cheri out. Now the two Sisters were on the floor, Keriam kneeling beside Cheri with her hands on the other girl's stomach. Bakura almost cried out at the sight of blood forming around Cheri.
"W-we…" Meanae gasped out, "are connected… all… three…" she coughed. "What hap…happens to one… affects the other as… as well…"
The Sword Dancer grimaced as she resisted the urge to drop to her knees, hissing behind clenched teeth. "I... I would... gl-gladly lay... my... my life... for the Daughter..."
Cheri was trying very hard not to cry as she held onto her wound tightly. "K-Ker... it hurts..." she whimpered closing her eyes tightly.
"I know Cheri just, try to hold on," she said softly, letting her lean against her. She looked at the thief but what could she do? How do you hurt someone without hurting the one you love right back?
Bakura slowly pulled himself to his feet, ignoring the splinters dug into his skin and looked at Meanae angrily. "You... How could you... How dare you do this to her!! I won't let you get away with this!!" Outside the side of the window that showed a bright day suddenly turned dark and with a sudden gust of wind blew the glass doors open, shattering the glass so it rained down on them but he didn't care. His eyes looked like they were glowing as a fierce wind picked up. The wind soon took the forms of spirits as they screeched while flying around the room.
Performance of Sword stood before the Daughters, still bleeding heavily but willing to lay her life down for them. Keriam held onto her best friend and Sister tightly, watching as the spirits circled the room before flying around Bakura and Meanae. It reminded her of the card Call of the Haunted.
"Fool!" Meanae shouted. "You still don't see it! I am the past! She is the present! You can't destroy me without destroying her in the process!"
"Who said I was going to destroy you?" Bakura asked. "Memories," he pointed to her, "can be locked away."
Meanae's eyes widened and before she could do anything, the spirits swarmed around her, trapping the Scorpion in a whirlwind, and headed towards the open door.
"NOOO!" Meanae screamed as she was flung inside.
Bakura ran to the door and slammed it shut. The chains lying on the floor sprung to life and secured themselves over the door.
The warrior sighed and relaxed if only for a moment before turning and knelt at her mistress's side. Still keeping a hand over her won wound she reached out and rest her hand on Cheri's. "I'm sorry... I failed you..." she said softly.
Cheri slowly smiled and shook her head. "No... you didn't... I'm glad to... to have you on our side..." She would've said more but cringed and held her stomach tighter. She was still losing blood and the front of her shirt was completely red.
Keriam, with her hands over Cheri's wounds, closed her eyes and let her power heal her Sister. Bakura watched the Performance of Sword's wounds, which were more visible than Cheri's, slowly close. The blood ceased to flow and the flesh seemed to knit itself together. Finally, they were healed.
"Thank you," said the sword dancer.
Keriam smiled lightly and gave a small nod. She started to fall over but Bakura managed to catch her. "That took a lot," Keriam said. "I healed three."
"Meanae?" Bakura looked at the door.
"I will keep guard," said Performance of Sword. "She will not escape."
Bakura wanted to say something smart but stopped himself. Helping Keriam, he steadied her as the warrior helped Cheri up.
Cheri slowly shook her head but regretted it. "Do… do you have enough energy to get us out of here?" she asked quietly.
"I'm not sure… but I don't want to push myself too much," Keriam said honestly.
"Hold still then." Bakura rested his hands on her shoulders and closed his eyes. Slowly he let his energy ease into her body, being careful not to lose too much himself. When he finished he opened his eyes and released his grip. "How's that?"
"Better," Keriam looked at the thief. "I didn't know you could do that."
He just shrugged his shoulders as if it meant nothing. "I've given Ryou some of my energy before," Bakura smirked. "Kept him from dying in that Battle City Duel against Yami."
"I knew you cared about him," Cheri smiled as he snorted.
"Well, let's go." Keriam held out her hands, Bakura and Cheri took them and she closed her eyes.
--
Pegasus turned his head from Katsuya as the golden glow appeared around the three. Keriam and Bakura moved back and Cheri sat up.
"You weren't kidding when you said it made you dizzy on the way back," the thief stated, rubbing his eyes.
Katsuya's tail wagged as he left Pegasus alone and went to Keriam's side, nosing her hand. The young woman smiled and patted his head, lightly scratching behind the ears.
"Thanks for guarding us, boy," she said and looked at her Sister. "You okay?"
"Yeah. I won't lie but, for a moment, I thought I was never gonna have control back." Pushing the blankets back she swung her feet onto the floor but stopped when the silver wolf growled. She blinked and looked down at her shirt, feeling it stick to her skin.
It was covered in her blood.
"Looks like what happened in your soul room affected you as well," Bakura stated and silently started as Cheri lifted the shirt enough to see where she had been wounded. There was nothing there except smooth skin.
Seto burst into the room, glowering at Pegasus and Bakura then his expression changed to relief when he saw Cheri sitting up. He ran over to his wife, jumping back slightly at the blood on her shirt.
"I'm okay," Cheri raised the ruined material up so that her husband could see her stomach. "I'm alright."
Sighing, Seto pulled Cheri into his arms. "What happened?"
"Meanae is sealed away," said Keriam.
"Permanently?"
"I hope so."
Seto looked at her sharply. "What do you mean you hope so?"
"It might be permanent, it might not," Keriam answered. "I'm not going to lie to you when I say I'm not sure."
"Relax, Kaiba," Bakura said, "Meanae's locked away like a bad memory."
"I can do without another memory," the CEO looked at the thief.
"Seto please?" Cheri pleaded. He looked at his wife and embraced her tightly.
"I almost thought I lost you," he whispered in her ear.
"You didn't and you won't."
"Isn't this sweet. Never thought I would ever see Kaiba-boy so, out of character," Pegasus said with a slight smirk.
"Keriam, would you be so kind to escort two annoyances elsewhere?" Seto said in somewhat of a demanding tone rather than asking.
"Stay, Katsuya," the Daughter of Ra ordered as she helped Pegasus stand up. Bakura was already out of the room. Once the door was closed, Seto and Cheri let out breaths that they didn't realize both were holding.
"You sure you're alright?" he asked, sitting next to her but didn't let go of her.
"Fine. Scared yet relieved as well." She sighed and leaned into his chest, picking at her shirt.
Seto didn't say anything but slipped his hand under the ruined shirt and caressed the smooth skin. Tilting her face up no more words were spoken as he leaned down and pressed his lips against his wife's. Cheri didn't protest one bit as she pulled him down atop of her...
--
"Any chance I can borrow some clothing or will I be forced to wear a gown and over coat?" Pegasus asked, still being his charming if annoying self.
"Do you still have that Marriott suite you bought a few years ago?" Keriam asked. "You must have something in there unless your associates cleaned out the place, figuring you'd never wake up."
Pegasus nodded. "I'll have to call Thomas and see if he took care of everything properly while I was… indisposed."
Too bad you weren't disposed of, Joey found himself thinking, although I really did enjoy watching Bandit Keith go down via the trap door.
Katsuya suddenly rushed into the room and lay by Keriam's feet, ears flat against his head. "What's the matter, boy?" she scratched his head.
"He looks like something spooked him," said Malik.
Keriam paused, remembering where Katsuya had been then smirked. "Yes, I believe he was," she said.
Joey looked at him and couldn't help but chuckle, shaking his head. "I'm better off not knowing."
"So what happened in the soul room?" Mokuba asked, blue-gray eyes inquisitive.
"Meanae had been trapped within a room, like it was done on purpose. But when tea placed the restriction spell Meanae somehow got Cheri trapped in her place," Keriam explained, still scratching Katsuya's ears.
"Why didn't Meanae take control of her body?" Tea asked, feeling worried.
"Performance of sword wouldn't let her have control. When we went in she was fighting Meanae and neither side was winning," Bakura added. "To harm one would be to harm the others. As much as we hate to admit it, the three of them are connected.
"Can Meanae be removed?" Marik asked.
Keriam shook her head. "No, Meanae is Cheri. They're the same soul. Meanae is the past, and Cheri is the present. They're divided but…"
"What about Performance of Sword?" Ishizu asked.
"She's guarding the door where we locked Meanae."
"What's to stop the other Scorpions from releasing Meanae?" Malik asked.
"Not unless Cheri wants her to get out," Bakura said and sat on the arm of the arm of the recliner.
Ryou looked at him, knowing he had something to do about locking the assassin away but said nothing. "So what do we do now? How are we going to repair this tear?"
Yami turned his head towards the silver-haired man. "Any thoughts, Pegasus?" he asked. "You did have quite a bit of Egyptian Artifacts stored at your castle."
Pegasus gave a slight chuckle. "The tear can be repaired, yes," he said, "but you only have the Book of Shadows. You also need the Book of Amun-Ra and the Book of the Dead. And before you ask if I know where they are, no I don't."
"I find that just a little hard to believe," said Tristen.
"All I ever found pertaining to those Books was that the Keeper of the Book of Shadows would be the one to find them." Pegasus straightened in his seat. "A Chosen of Ra and a Chosen of Anubis will have the Books."
"Great more riddles," Tristen sighed and crossed his arms over his chest. "Why can't anything we do be easy? Just this once I'd like to hear a straight answer."
"I agree with you there," Yugi sighed and leaned back against the cushions.
--
Tristen yawned as he flipped through one of the books his grandfather had owned. Glancing over at the clock on the night table, the young man frowned. It was after midnight.
Yeesh, I can't believe I've been reading for three hours, he thought.
Setting the book next to him on the bed, Tristen stretched and leaned back against the pillows, sighing and closed his eyes.
--
Tristen stood before the statue of Osiris, the Book of Shadows in his hands. "Oh boy…"
"The Daughter of Ra's consort forgot to give them to you," a woman's voice spoke.
Tristen spun around, his eyes landing on a shadowy figure. "Give me what?" he asked.
"To help you find the Book of Amun-Ra and the Book of the Dead."
"Okay, I'll kick Joey's ass later. But Pegasus said that a Chosen of Ra and a Chosen of Anubis have the books."
"And they do," said the Daughter of Isis. "The Chosen of Anubis walks with you. The Chosen of Ra walks a different path for now, but he will join you soon."
"What are you talking about?" Tristen asked. "Each of the Sisters has three Guardians!"
"Indeed that is what you believe," she said, "but the Chosen of Ra learned when they were in Egypt. The Daughter of Ra only has two Guardians though it appears that she has three. Two are her Guardians, the other has been chosen for something else."
"Only two? But..." The young man frowned as he tried to figure it out. "Joey definitely has to be a Guardian and the other has to be Marik or Malik so... who the third?"
"That is what you must find out, Keeper," the shrouded woman explained. "The Chosen of Ra holds the keys to finding the Guardians... but you hold the power to unlocking their powers within..."
"Me? And Joey didn't tell us? Ooh I am really gonna kick Joey's ass as soon as I wake up."
The woman laughed softly before sighing. "Once the Books of Amun-Ra and of the Dead are revealed the Sisters' powers will increase... but there is still great danger to come and lives may be lost..." She seemed to become sad as she turned away from Tristen, her voice growing so soft it was nearly impossible to hear what she was now saying. "Even as I am now, I will not be able to protect my family..."
Tristen watched as she started to fade away. "Wait," he called, "can't you tell me who the third Chosen of Ra is? Just a little hint?"
"You already know the third Guardian," said the Daughter of Isis. "When windows are mirrored, only then will the Daughter of Ra's Guardian be revealed." She turned to face him. "And then the Books shall also appear."
Before Tristen could ask anything else, the Daughter of Isis vanished.
"What? 'When windows are mirrored'? What does that mean?!" He called out but only darkness answered him. Sighing he closed his eyes tightly but when he opened them he found himself back in his room. Blinking he sat up and looked around his room. Everything looked and seemed fine. He looked over at his clock and realized he'd only been asleep for about an hour.
Why did she have to give me another riddle to answer? he thought to himself, rubbing his face but leaned back against his pillows once more. Part of him wanted to call Joey and ask--more like demand--why he didn't tell them about the other Guardians but it was too late and he was still very tired. Rolling onto his side he yawned and let his eyes close, unable to keep them open any longer. I'll kick his ass tomorrow.
Authors' Notes:
Heikou: We're nuts.
Janime: For bringing back Pegasus, we must be. The man's a bit off his rocker.
Heikou: Actually, it looked more like a throne he was sitting on in that episode.
Janime: Yeah, it did.
Heikou: And I have to agree with Joey. I did like that trap door with Keith.
Janime: Perfect way to get rid of unwanted guests.
Heikou: Oh yeah, Desert Club we did get your e-mail thanks a ton.
Janime: And thanks to those who also posted their suggestions in the reviews.
