Curse in the Heart of the Cards

by: Eyes of Pearl

Rating: G

Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon or Gundam Wing or Yugioh. They belong to their respective owners.


Chapter 6

The Millennium Puzzle had acknowledged her as it sensed the powers of which she possessed. She was the Goddess of the moon, of the Egyptian royalty, sister to the Pharaoh. He power is second only to the Millennium Puzzle, the Guardian of the Sun. She shall take on the duties as dictated by the scriptures and revealed the truth. The Millennium Puzzle beckoned to her, and now she shall answered its call.


Kaiba was dreaming, stuck in a place where he held no control. He resented the fact that he held no firm grasp upon the workings of his mind. The dream brought him to a time where he most wanted to forget: the orphanage. He and Mokuba were so young then, naive of the world. Mokuba relied on him for comfort and security and Kaiba gave them unconditionally. Yet, there was none to give him affection, none who would give the much-needed guidance. There were nights when Mokuba was asleep, Kaiba laid awake just trying to make everything right. Then one night, he heard it, the soft callings, a soothing voice like the hypnotizing voice of the storyteller from the Arabian nights. She caressed him in his sleep, "Seto, draw strength form the moon, for I shall be there always watching. Look to your heart, Seto."

He heard the voice throughout the years in the orphanage. There were moments where he questioned whether the source was due to his imagination, an illusion brought upon by his desperation. The moon always brought him calm with its gentle glow, the brightest object in the darkest of nights.

But, ambition set in as Kaiba hardened his resolve. Childhood assurances could not help him survive the shadows of his stepfather. He no longer looked to the moon. He would rely only on himself, Seto Kaiba.


Yami's mind was in turmoil, more so of late. True, a part of him always wondered about his past and it was comforting to share his thoughts with Yugi. Talking to Tea provided a feminine perspective on the workings of the world. Something was always lacking, a sense of incomplete. Now he know that void was his sister, of his own flesh and blood, a huge puzzle piece that linked to his muddled past.

There were so many questions that he wanted to ask, childhood stories to growing up to take upon the reign as the Pharaoh, the power of the Millennium Puzzle, the battle with Kaiba ... a sister, he turned the prospect in his mind.


Kaiba shot up from his bed. His breath was caught as he realized that he was sweating. The covers clung to his clothes that he was still wearing from the gala. He ran a wearied hand through his auburn hair. Something had awakened him, so he quickly got up to investigate. His instincts led him to his office. The Millennium Box shimmered and its cover was opened. Kaiba was surprised to find that the previously-blanked card now held a picture of Serena Tsukino, or perhaps, somebody in her likeness.

The figure was cloaked in an Egyptian attire, adorned in the colours of the sands, embroidered with jewels of blue and goal. In her right hand, she held a sleek sceptre, wrought of multicolour stones and symbols of the crescent moon and the millennium symbol. In the other hand, a glowing orb was suspended. Her alluring eyes gazed steadily into his but what was unsettling was the name of the card, "A Betrayer's Demise".

As he uttered the name softly, the entire room transformed to an endless stream of white space until Kaiba found himself in the hall of the Pharaoh. In a whirlwind of golden light, Yami appeared at the throne. The unruly-haired blond was surprised at the change of his surroundings and looked to Kaiba for some-sort of an explanation, "Kaiba, what is going on?"

Before the auburn-haired man could answer, the 'Betrayer's Demise' card laid in the center between them. Like any card being summoned, a flashed ensued and the figure appeared from the card emerged. Serena Tsukino dressed in the attired depicted in the picture, bowed before them.

"The truth shall be revealed for that is my curse and my destiny ..." she said standing to her full height. She turned and stepped backwards until she faced them both. "I am Serenity, the Goddess of the Moon, Princess to the High Court, sister to the Pharaoh, Yami, the Solar Guardian."

She paused momentarily as if searching for her words, "Titles mean nothing for I have been stripped of my powers, yet my deity as the Lunarian Goddess shall never be lost. Her essence has only been transferred into my alter ego, Serena Tsukino."

"None of this make any sense, stop speaking in riddles! I don't care who you are, just tell me the truth!" Kaiba was at the end of his patience and it was overwrought by Serenity's sphinx-liked speech.

"The truth lies in the heart ... it had always been about what is inside. Perhaps, I should start at the beginning. The balance of the world had always been dictated by the powers of the Millennium Items. Such items had been passed down to the members of the High Court and those who had pledged their loyalty to the Pharaoh and his family. Even the sister to the Pharaoh is not excluded in this balance."

As she spoke, the glow of the orb intensified as images from over five millennia ago appeared before them. "My brother and I were very close. I certainly got my brother into trouble with my antics but always my brother would be the protector. When Yami finally ascended onto the throne, I am bonded by not only loyalty but also love for the Pharaoh. Yet, always we would bear the burden of maintaining the balance. Not only did we inherited the throne but also the powers of the Sun and Moon, titles that were passed onto only a brother-sister of the throne."

Serenity paused to let the information hang in the air. Yami stood spellbound by the news of this past. He studied the girl before him and sought for the resemblances that would indicate their heritage. Dreams of a young girl and the Egyptian dancer appeared in his mind. Still, he was further intrigued by the rest of her tale.

Next to him, Kaiba grunted and crossed his arms but he made no other comment aloud. The implications were clear though, the older man was also anxious for the rest of the tale. Serenity continued as the image in the orb changed again. "Kaiba, you must wonder where you fit into the story upon the hieroglyphics. You grew up with us in the Court. We fought mercilessly and always it was Yami who had mediated our fights. You being the older of the three of us left to go into training with the Order to study the ancient scriptures. It was many years later that I returned from the journey across the desert. I came upon to find that you had taken the title as the High Priest to the Pharaoh, subject to the Millennium Rod. No longer were you a childhood playmate, but an enigmatic figure emerged from the nights. I never knew the exact moment that I fell in love with you but I did nonetheless despite the Order, which forbidden the commitment of a Goddess to a mortal."

Yami turned toward Kaiba hoping to gauge his reaction but the older man's expression was guarded. Before Yami could continue with his line of thought, he was once more interrupted by the sound of Serenity's voice. "You, Kaiba was dictated by the ancient scriptures and its callings to serve and protect the Pharaoh. You too, knew the powers which govern between mortals and immortals. Hearts are fickle, but in the end, you could not help who you love. We kept the relationship a secret from everybody especially the Pharaoh though it pained me to turn against my own brother. Then, we came up with a plan for me to grant the powers of immortality. I shall send upon my graces and combined with the powers of the Millennium Rod, but the powers were not enough so I took that of the Millennium Puzzle. Surely, two Millennium items and that of a Goddess was enough. However, we never accounted for the fact that only the wielder could call upon the Millennium Puzzle. Yami found out and was left with no choice but to challenge Kaiba in a duel for the disloyalty and for my honour."

She closed her eyes in remembrance as she was caught up in her tale. Still, she was determined to perform her duty. "No doubt even now, you are both exceptional duelists. The battle came to a showdown of the Dark Magician and the Blue Eyes White Dragon. Yami was slightly ahead and as he combined the powers of the Dark Magician and that of the Millennium Puzzle. I could not stand idly and watch as none could overcome the power of the Solar Guardian. I intercepted the attack, once more betraying my brother, the powers that binds us. By interfering with the duel, I had shamed the rules which govern these ancient games and dishonour Kaiba as a duelist. At that moment, the representatives of the Order appeared, for no longer could my deeds be left unpunished. I was stripped of my powers except for my identity as the Goddess of the Moon. Instead, a curse was laid upon me to bear the weight of the truth while those of the Pharaoh and the High Priest was wiped away until the balance could be restored. My essence was trapped in the card and locked away in the Millennium Item in my territory in the heavens ..."

The images of the orb dissipated as Serenity focussed her attention upon the two men before her. "The truth has once again been revealed. Now, the choice is yours whether to lift this curse. I ask for your forgiveness and it is only in your powers to make the right sacrifice. Without both of your consent, I shall abandoned the rest of my powers and returned to the heart of the cards to lay dormant until I am summon in a duel."

There was only silence afterwards. What can one say at such as massive revelation? Their memories were slowly flood in like waves rushing against the shore, one by one as those pieces filled up to make a larger picture. Keys were handed to them to unlock more memories and with each one, they experienced each emotion once more.

Here was the woman before them, who sacrificed much for love, leading to a betrayal. For Yami, that demise was fresh in memory but he could not forget the gentle soul that his sister was. At the same time, he could not forsake the loneliness afterwards as his soul inhabited that of Yugi's. He thought about the balance of the order ... what is life without love and friendship? How could you balance evil without goodness, the darkness in the absence of lights, the sun without the moon? Was the so-call order justifiable when the one thing in the universe that you cannot control is the heart? All Yami ever yearned for is the past ... some remnant so he could move on towards his future. Here was his link ... "You shall my forgiveness, Serenity of the Moon, of the High Court, of my blood."

Kaiba was silent in contemplation. He felt the powerlessness of the situation. Love ... could he forsake the present and returned to the past? Is he ready?

"Even now, you question yourself, Kaiba and your past. Do you not understand that it is who you are? I do not need your forgiveness, but I need for you to be true to your heart. What does it tell you? We stand at the crossroads. If you choose to move forward, then do so wholeheartedly and learn to accept everything especially your past. What happened five thousand years ago isn't a simple story but it is an integral aspect of you. If you choose not to, then I cannot sway your decision. I shall ceased to exist and all this will merely be a passing dream."

All his life, Kaiba only counted on himself and his sole abilities to work out everything in the end. He strived in perseverance, integrity and resilience. That is what he had and to look into his heart, that was too dangerous. He chose the one path that his mind dictated, when he said, "Then I choose to forget."

She bowed in acquiesce, her lips trembled slightly before she murmured, "As the bearer of the truth, I have accepted your choice. When you woke up once again, all this will be no more. I transfer all my remaining powers to you, my Pharaoh and my brother. I shall be with you in spirit within your Millennium Puzzle. Treasure the memories for that is your wish ..." She slowly dissolved into the card. The picture was the same with only one minor change, she no long held a glowing orb. Instead the object emerged and into Yami's Millennium necklace as the two remaining occupants also disappeared.

End of Chapter 6


I am so thankful for readers and their continual support. I am happy to say that there is only one or two more chapters left to this fic, depending on how long it is when I get around to typing it up. Be sure to leave a review and I will try my hardest to post the remaining parts. Anyways, until then, much love and peace!