RESPONSES


Shebythedogdemoness

Toli: Hey guys! Welcome to the fic!

Mena: Poor Yugi. I feel so bad for him. (sighs) ...Oh well! The show must go on!

Toli: If only they could have a miracle to make everything better! But if they did that, we'd only have one more chapter, now wouldn't we?

Mena: Thanks for reviewing!


Phoenix727

Mena: Okay, I think I get the ka thing now. Damn, too much mysterious stuff if you ask me. I think we'll keep it simple and leave the ka out.

Toli: (nods) Indeed. About Shizuka/Yugi...would you believe I never even thought of that? (smacks forehead with hand) It never even crossed my mind!

Mena: Now that you know, what do you think about putting some in?

Toli: Hmm. Yeah, why not, just a little. You can write all of that, right?

Mena: Yes I can! And about Yaoi, Toli hates almost all romance anyway, and I like most romance, but no, we have no plans of writing any Yaoi stories. I can read it, I just...don't...like it.

Toli: So why do you read it?

Mena: (shrugs)

Toli: If we even write a story that's mainly about romance you can consider it a miracle. Nope, no Mia/Yugi, they're like brother and sister. Besides, Jou's getting Mia. Remember? And, besides the fact that Shadow Phoenix is holding a knife over your head, I think your dread is coming from the things we have in store for poor little Yugi...

Mena: We really like Mia in this story too. It's kinda fun to imagine Mai punching the lights out of some evil guy, isn't it?

Toli: Anyway, thanks for the super-long review! We appreciate the whooole thing!


i love athrun

Mena: If you insist!

Toli: Welcome, thanks for reviewing, and here you go!


Ksaturn

Mena: (bows) Thank you for the compliments.

Toli: We read your new chapter in HellBreaking. We haven't reviewed yet, sorry. But we liked it! It looks quite interesting. Hope you update that, by the way.

Mena: Thanks for reviewing!


Soul Dreamer

Mena: Isn't it AWFUL?

Toli: Yes, but unfortunately, this isn't the worst it's going to get! Stay tuned to see what we mean!


Masami, Mistress Of Fire

Toli: Masami! Hi! (hugs Masami) Wait...where's Mani?

Mani: (appears) Masami's here! (hugs Masami's waist) HIII, MASAMI!

Toli: Isn't she the most kawaii thing?

Mena: Damie-chan! (glomps Damion) I missed you! Again!

Toli: I don't see why, the way you were kissing your Damie-chan plushie last night.

Mena: (glares) I was dreaming about my Damie-chan, for your information!

Mani: OOOO! Joey! (hugs Joey) Hi, Joey!

Mena: OOOO, cookie! (grabs cookie and stuffs it in her face)

Toli: O.O (sweatdrop) She must be being sweets deprived by Jesselda again...

Mani: I LOVE THE YUGI-CHAN PLUSHIE, MASAMI!

Toli: O.O (bigger sweatdrop) Now I see why Mena has had no sugar...Mani must have gotten it first...

Mena: You got any more cookies?

Mani: CAN MASAMI BE MY TWIN?

Toli: We'd better get to the update, Masami!

Mena: I love you, Damie-chan my hot huggable...um...can't think of a cover...good thing Mani was over there screaming in the corner; she didn't hear it! Okay, then, my hot huggable koi! See you after the chappie, okay? (winks conspiratorially)

Toli: (biggest sweatdrop) You know, it's a good thing Mani doesn't understand what that wink was for...


kristen89

Toli: Yep, another cliffie! Wow, I'm evil!

Mena: Um...yeah.

Toli: Hey! Don't you know the Rules of Proper Conduct Around Author(esse)s? Rule Number 247 clearly says "No poking the author(ess) with a stick"! You rule breaker!

Mena: But thanks for reviewing anyway!


Flame31

Toli: Hey and welcome!

Mena: We decided to switch Mai's name to Mia in the story. We think it sounds better. Sorry if it confused you, though!

Toli: I hate typos. They seem to randomly pop up out of nowhere. The main problem is this keyboard is really old and sometimes the keys get stuck, so you miss a letter. We try to catch them all, though.

Mena: Thanks for reviewing and hope you stick around!


YamiYugimoto92

Mena: Yay! So happy you decided to join us!

Toli: We're so glad you like how we write. Hey, we aim to please!

Mena: Thanks for all the cool compliments!

Toli: Enjoy the next series of twists!


Naidi the Elf

Mena: Hey! Glad you've joined us!

Toli: Here's an update like requested! And what's up with Yugi? Read on to find out!

Mena: Another cliffie? Lemme check...(scrolls down to bottom, then back up) Nope, not really! Enjoy!


Mena: I feel awful for Yugi. It's like, his shell is like open, close, open, close, open, close-Atemu's gotta be more careful!

Jesselda: You love this back and forth, don't you, Toli?

Toli: (nods) Yeah. Adds to the suspense.

Mena: (singsong) Oh, Jezzeeee, it's disclaimer tiiime.

Jesselda: (sighs) They don't own Yu-Gi-Oh. Why must I be employed to repeat this stupid phrase?

Toli: Because neither of us want to do it!

Jesselda:(sweatdrop) Great reason.


Warning! READ! It has been discussed, and pointed out, and whined about (by Mena), and we have finally figured out what we're going to do concerning romance. So! There will be pairings, and all romance will be sidenote (in other words, not enough for romance to be a genre) There will be Jou/Mia, possibly one sided Tea/Jou, and a little bit of Shizuka/Yugi. Just so you know!
SEVEN: The First Trial

The stars sprinkled in the sky were beautiful. The girl sighed almost blissfully as she tried and failed to count them. If only the moon were out, this scene would be even better, she thought.

There was a commotion behind her. "Setia?"

Setia turned and saw her mother had climbed partway up on the roughly diamond-shaped boulder that the girl had designated as her stargazing perch. "What are you doing up here? Your father is having a meeting around the campfire. You should be there."

"I know," Setia sighed. She turned back to the stars, unwilling to look at her mother. "I just...I guess...I suppose I'm having second thoughts about this."

"Second thoughts?" her mother said incredulously. "What do you mean? Everything is going according to plan. Why would you-"

"You haven't seen that boy, Mother," Setia said, turning around again. "I have. He's so innocent and adorable. I'm beginning to feel bad for the way we're using him."

Setia's mother sighed and climbed up farther on the giant rock to place a hand on her daughter's shoulder. "Honey, you know what your father would say. This plan is crucial to the future of Egypt. We cannot give it up simply because of one 'innocent' boy. We may have to sacrifice one innocent to save a thousand."

Setia sighed. "I know you're right."

"Arimayu? Setia?"

The two women turned. A third figure was beside the rock, looking up at them. "Yes, dear?" Arimayu asked.

"Why are you not at the campfire? We need to discuss the second stage of our plan," Setia's father said.

"Is the first stage already decided?" Arimayu asked with surprise.

Setia's father smirked. "I came across the notorious thief Bakura. He will be doing it for us."

"Bakura?" Setia's eyes widened. "The tomb robber? Can we truly trust him?"

"Of course we can," Setia's father said. "He knows that I am even less merciful than he is. If I detect any signs of betrayal or deceit, I can kill him on the spot."

Or can you, Setia thought.

"Come now," Setia's father said. "We need you especially, Setia, for the next stage of our plan." He helped the two women off the rock and they went to the campfire together.

Bakura was in the middle of talking to a pretty girl with long brown hair and gray eyes when the three arrived. He turned and saw them, his customary smirk on his face. "Tell me if it's true, Turo. Did you really fake your own deaths when your caravan was burnt?"

"Yes we did," Turo said, sitting down beside the white-haired thief. "That stupid slave of mine unwittingly played into my hands when she decided to burn the camp down. Now that the Pharaoh thinks us dead, he will never suspect what is coming."

"And he will never suspect I am allied with you," Bakura added, a frown crossing his face. "But what is the advantage of me being so, anyway? I am stealing something for you; what do I get in return?"

"The thrill of a good purloin?" Arimayu suggested.

"I always have that," Bakura said, his frown deepening. "I expect to be paid in full for my services."

"Then you shall," Turo said.


He had heard the voice; it seemed familiar, but he couldn't place it, and it scared him. He lost consciousness shortly after, the injury to his head affecting his brain. Nightmares freely converged on his unguarded mind. He tried to block them out; they persisted with a deadly insistency.

"Make it go away...Please, make it stop..."

He heard another voice, and tensed. "No!" he cried, wanting to back away but unable to. "Leave me alone! Please just go away!" He felt tears coming and put his face in his hands. "I want to be alone..."

Then the voices and sounds were gone. He fell to his knees, relieved yet still afraid. Shuddering, suddenly cold, he let his guard drop for a moment, and he heard voices. But soon they were drowned out by the nightmares coming once again to claim his mind.

"No! No!" he screamed, squeezing his eyes shut and pressing his hands over his ears. "Leave me alone! Please!" Tears flowed from his eyes and down his cheeks. "I...I...want out..." The nightmares slowly faded away, and he wrapped his arms around himself, trying, trying hard, to keep his shield up. He didn't want to be reminded...he didn't want the memories...


Mia's head was down, one hand over her face, her hair hiding the rest. She was sitting on the edge of Yugi's bedside, holding the lifeless hand of the unconscious boy. Atemu and Ishizu watched from a short distance.

Yugi has passed out shortly after Mia had backed away from him. He had a serious-looking bruise on one side of his forehead, which Ishizu had decided was the cause of the blackout. She had treated Yugi's injuries, and he hadn't woken up once yet.

"Why?" Mia suddenly said, not talking to either of the two conscious people in the room. "I'm your friend...your best friend...why did you close up to me?"


(Flashback)

She knelt down beside Yugi on the ground and tried to pick him up. "Yugi, are you all right?" she asked. She was surprised when Yugi started to tremble harder in her arms. "Yugi?"

"No..." Yugi whispered. "Let me go...please..."

Mia's eyes widened. "Yugi, it's okay, it's me; it's Mia," she said.

More tears came out of Yugi's eyes. "Let me go," he said again, trying to pull himself out of her arms. He was too weak to do much though.

Mia was horrified. This...this can't be happening, she thought hollowly. She gently put him back down on the floor and let him go. Her hands hesitated over him for a second; she longed to pick him up again and hold him tightly. But she vowed to respect his wishes. She backed away.

(end Flashback)


"Please, Yugi," Mia was saying, half not realizing it, "please don't shut me out. Please." She trembled hard to keep the tears behind her eyes; it didn't work, and a few gathered on her lashes, waiting to fall. Her grip tightened on Yugi's hand. "I've always been there...to help you make it through...I want to be there again. Yugi..." she tensed when she received no response. "Don't do this!" She released his hand and stood up abruptly, swaying unsteadily before gaining her balance.

She suddenly felt hands on her shoulders, keeping her from dropping to the floor. "Calm yourself, Mia." Ishizu's constantly level voice broke through her near hysteria. "Letting yourself become worked up will not make him respond."

Mia barely heard her. "He's never shut me out before," she said, simply staring at his form on the bed. "He's always been afraid of other people. And then I would be there to make him feel better. But never...never me..." She absently pushed a strand of hair from her face.

"There may be a way to reach him," Ishizu said.

Mia turned to her, desperate. "How?" she demanded.

Ishizu looked at her with what seemed like sympathy, and then led her back to the bed. She reached out an arm and motioned Atemu forward as well. "Right now the three of us are the only ones Yugi can seek comfort from. Mia, first and foremost, Atemu next, and myself last. If we want to assure him that everything is all right, we must be patient and be willing to do anything for him."

"I want to help him," Mia said, beginning to regain control. She wiped the unfallen tears from her eyes.

"So do I," Atemu said from beside her.

Ishizu nodded. "Then all we can do is remind him of who we are, and that we want to help him. When he was attacked, his mind was plagued by memories of mistreatment from his past. Any memories of us and our care for him are being overwhelmed by these. Even though he is unconscious right now, he can still hear us. We must remind him of whatever shall help him recover emotionally."

Mia and Atemu nodded.

"He will need someone to be with him during all of the hours he would not normally be asleep. Since you both have work you must do, I will spend the time with him that one of you cannot. There are a few things you should also remember..."


He felt tears stinging his eyes. The pain in his head...it hurt so badly...it hurt to keep up his shield. He longed to drop it just for a moment, to relieve the pain in his head, but he knew if he did, the nightmares would come back. He didn't want the nightmares.

The pain slowly intensified over time. He could feel it throbbing through his skull; he couldn't hold it for much longer. "Just let it drop, just for a few moments," he told himself. Then he would shield himself again. His eyes squeezed shut from the pain, he dropped his guard.

The horrible memories and visions rushed in with a vengeance. He screamed again and pressed his hands over his ears, trying to wait just a little longer, until the pain went down. Through the terrible sights and sounds, he thought he heard a familiar voice floating towards him. Curious through the pain and fear, he reached out for it. It sounded so distant.

"...need you back, Yugi. Please come back to us. I...I miss you so much..."

Who was it? He knew that voice; he knew that girl. Was she his friend? The voice was consumed in the unwanted noises, and he doubled over.

"No...no...go away..."

He was about to raise his mental shields again when he heard the voice float nearer again. He reached out for it, if for nothing else, as a way to ignore what he did not want to hear.

"...I know it might be hard, Yugi, to open up, but it was never that way with me. I was your friend, and your protector. You always came to me when you were hurt or deathly afraid. I never hurt you, and I never went against your wishes. Please, Yugi, you have to remember me."

He knew her. He knew that he knew her. But he just couldn't remember her name. He wanted to hear her name. It might help him. Pushing through the pain and fear, he tried to speak to her. "Please," he called, "tell me who you are. I know I know you!"

The memories of his past were suffocating him. In a desperate attempt to escape, he reached farther for the voice. Somehow, he just had a feeling that whoever it was could help him. He didn't want to be here anymore.

He panicked when he realized he couldn't hear the voice anymore. "Come back!" he shouted over the noise of the nightmares. "Please! Come back!" Suddenly he found himself supplied with a name.

"Mia!" he yelled. "Come back! Come back! I need you, Mia! Please come back!"

"Mia..."

Mia looked down with a start. Yugi's eyes were closed. But he had just spoken, hadn't he? "Yugi?" she said softly, holding his hand again. It had been one day since the incident in the hall. Yugi hadn't woken up once. She was surprised when the fingers in her grip twitched.

Yugi's eyelids slowly lifted. He looked up at the ceiling with half-lidded eyes, a look of confusion crossing his face.

"Yugi?" Mia said, leaning towards him. His gaze shifted to her face, and his eyes opened all the way. "Mia..." he said, seeming to register this in his mind. Then his eyes flashed. "Mia...oh, Mia!" He sat up and threw his arms around her neck. She responded by wrapping her arms around him. "Y-You came back..." Yugi was crying.

"I never left you, Yugi," Mia said to him, rubbing his back soothingly.

Yugi choked back a sob. "Mia," he said through his tears, "I forgot about you. I'm so sorry. I was just so afraid-every time I let my guard down, all these horrible memories came back. I didn't want to hear anyone's voice." His grip on her neck tightened. "I'm sorry I pushed you away. I'm so sorry! I didn't mean it, I swear!"

"It's okay, Yugi," Mia said, her grasp on him rather possessive as she felt tears rise and spill. "I'm just glad you're back. How do you feel?"

"My head hurts, but...it's nothing compared to how bad I feel," Yugi said. "I made you unhappy. I'm so sorry. I'm a t-terrible person."

"No you're not!" Mia exclaimed. "You're not terrible, Yugi. You were never terrible, and you never will be. Don't ever believe that about yourself, because it isn't true. Okay?"

Yugi nodded into her shoulder. "Okay."

"Mia."

Mia looked up and saw Ishizu in the doorway. She had probably come to relieve Mia of Yugi-watching duty so she could go back to work. She came over, her steps measured. "I see Yugi has awoken, and that he remembers you. That is good. But he may not completely remember I or Atemu."

"What do you mean?" Mia asked. "Why not?"

"From what I heard and what I know, he was trying to block out his memories. He may have blocked out some of the good ones as well as some of the bad."

Yugi was watching Ishizu a little apprehensively. He seemed to not remember her. His hold on Mia's neck tightened as she approached.

"Do not be afraid of me, Yugi," Ishizu said, sitting on the other side of the bed. "Your memories know who I am."

Yugi watched her. His eyes unfocused slightly, betraying the fact that he was trying to remember who she was. He furrowed his eyebrows in thought. "Wait...I do remember you!" He looked up at Ishizu, a happy glow on his face. "Miss Ishizu!" He let go of Mia to hug Ishizu.

"Yes, Yugi," Ishizu said with a rare smile. Mia smiled watching them. She was so happy that Yugi was back. The short period of time where he had forgotten her...she shivered. She never wanted that to happen again.


Atemu was not in a good mood. Which obviously meant he was in the middle of another council meeting. Besides the fact that he was hungry, bored, and sleepy, all at the same time, he couldn't help but wonder how Yugi was doing. He had been the same that morning when Atemu had woken up. Had there been any change yet?

"You have received a letter from the pharaoh of Tameth," one of the advisors who wasn't Nafato or Asli said. He was still a relatively young guy. Atemu thought vaguely that his name was something like Sachir.

Atemu didn't answer, and Seto jabbed him in the ribs. "Oh-what does it say?" Atemu asked, coming back to earth. Most of the time, when he received a letter from one of the other neighboring kingdoms, he was informed of it in a council meeting.

Sachir looked down at the sheet of papyrus in front of him, spread out on the table. "It says that the Pharaoh of Tameth is sending his daughter, Princess Anzu (NFT: Ahahahahaha! All right, be honest now, show of hands; who saw that coming?) here for a vacation."

Atemu raised an eyebrow. Vacation? Since when did his palace become the popular getaway resort?

"He says she also has some things concerning alliances and treaties that she wishes to discuss with you. She'll arrive tomorrow and stay for a month."

"Tomorrow!" Atemu and Seto exploded in unison. "A month!" they added after a few seconds.

The council shrank back in order to protect their ears. "That's what the letter says, Your Highness," Sachir offered lamely, as if to say "It's not our fault!"

Atemu slapped a hand to his forehead. Seto rolled his eyes. "Fine," Atemu snapped. "Inform the servants that there will be a palace-wide cleanup, including the grounds and the stables. And...oh, I don't know, prepare for an arrival!" He left the room. Seto followed.

"Tomorrow!" Atemu exclaimed, throwing his hands in the air. "And he chose to let us know today. I absolutely do not believe this."

"It could have been worse," Seto offered as they went down the hall in the direction of Atemu's room. "She could have been coming today."

Atemu shot him a frustrated look. "Don't make me feel any worse," he growled. "Now I have to be prepared to share the palace with some princess I don't even know for an entire month! I really do not want to be bothered with this. If visits keep happening like this, I'm going to end up making it illegal to come visit the Pharaoh if you are a person of any importance."

Seto just walked along silently, letting Atemu rant. He stopped when he looked up ahead and put a hand on Atemu's shoulder. Atemu, who was busy complaining about the ability to plan visits, stopped and glared at him. "What?"

"Just look," Seto said in a "you idiot" tone, pointing ahead.

Atemu turned to look up ahead, and he saw Ishizu with a stern look on her face. More importantly, he saw Yugi, hiding behind Ishizu and tightly holding onto her skirt, watching the Pharaoh and the High Priest with fearful eyes.

Suddenly Atemu's rant was not as important. He slowly approached Ishizu and Yugi. Yugi's grip on Ishizu's skirt tightened when Atemu came nearer, but he didn't seem too afraid.

Atemu knelt down to be closer to Yugi's level. He watched the boy stare at him, his eyes slightly out of focus. Slowly, very slowly, Yugi stretched out a hand and touched Atemu's shoulder. Atemu reached up and took it. "Yugi, do you remember me?"

Yugi watched him. Slowly, he nodded. He let go of Ishizu's skirt with his other hand and moved closer to Atemu. Then, in one quick moment, he closed the distance between them and wrapped his arms around Atemu's neck.

Atemu hugged Yugi back, feeling a sigh of relief escape him. Seto watched, not smiling, but his eyes were clearly amused. Ishizu was actually smiling. The first trial is over, she thought to herself, watching Atemu and Yugi embrace. They became even closer than I thought possible. Perhaps their friendship will guide them through the coming trials without breaking them apart. Then she frowned. But only time will tell.

High Priest Seto was the only one in the hall to notice Ishizu's frown.


END CHAPTER

Toli: Many sorries! I know that chapter was shorter than usual, but come on, people! I'm writing seven- and eight-paged chapters here!

Mena: In tiny text, too! And, uh, sister, (pokes Toli) I help too, remember?

Toli: Oh. Yeah.

Mena: (hands on hips) You know, I was the one in control of our penname and you decided to come along and help me out! Now it seems like you're taking the credit for everything!

Toli: Am not!

(Six minutes later Toli and Mena are in anime dustcloud fistfight. Several high-pitched exclamations in their native language are heard)

Jesselda: (sweatdrops)