Millennium I Secrets of the Puzzle

Chapter 3

By Hikari Tsuki Chi

Disclaimer- The only things I own are all in my room. Anyways, if I did own any of my favorite shows, would I be doing this? Also Yugi and Yami would already be a couple.

Notes- In this one, the declaration of Battle City will happen in this chapter. I'll try to be quicker with updating in the future. Expect long periods of no updates at least until summer. Also, you'll find out what Serena's idea is.

"…"-speaking

italics - thoughts

/…/-Yugi and Serena to Yami and Yama

…-Yami and Yama to Yugi and Serena

The next few days passed by normally. Serena was enrolled at Domino High. She never started her day now without complaining about how short the skirts were. Yugi set up a date for Tea and the spirit of the Millennium Puzzle, and Serena was determined to do the sacred duty of family and friend …and spy. The night before the date came. Serena headed up to her room right after dinner, feigning sleepiness. She was really ready to put her idea to the test. Yama appeared as soon as Serena had locked the door. "You said something about a date… ummm…what is a date?"

"A date is where a guy and a girl, sometimes two guys or two girls, go out together. Usually dinner and a movie, but dates can be anywhere."

Yama looked confused. "This sounds private…how come you want you want to follow him?"

Serena looked at her like she was crazy. "It's my sworn duty as a friend and as a family member to shamelessly spy on him and bring up the embarrassing details at a later date. But it's no fun to spy alone."

"And what does this have to do with your idea?" Serena had clearly lost Yama somewhere.

"You already know I'm a Sailor Senshi?" At Yama's nod she continued. "Well, I think I've figured out for you to have a solid body outside the crystal. But you'll still be able to go back into the crystal at will."

Yama looked at her with a mix of surprise and suspicion. "There's a catch isn't there? There's always a catch it seems."

Serena looked a little sheepish. "Well… actually there is no catch. In the past, spells were almost drilled into my head; I just didn't have the power to cast them. But I'll only go through with it if you want me to."

"I'll do it… I do want to be able to help you in any way I can, and I'll perform that duty better if I have a solid body."

Serena went from sheepish looking to happy almost instantly. "I'll hug you once the spell's done." She said, smiling.

The mood turned back to serious. Serena quickly instructed Yama how to do her part of the spell. They both put their hands on both sides of their respective crystals and focused. Serena recited the words to the spell in a language Yama couldn't understand, and a soft pale gold glow surrounded both of them. The glow quickly faded. Yama had closed her eyes some point during the spell. "Did it work?" She asked, frankly scared that she had suddenly gained limbs that were places where they weren't supposed to be.

"Why don't you see for yourself?" said Serena, gesturing to her mirror, which was on her chest of drawers.

The first thing that Yama saw when she opened her eyes was her hands. SOLID hands. She looked over to the mirror, and saw herself in a solid body for the first time. What seemed like the first time to her mind. "Did you doubt me or something?" teased Serena.

Then Yama goes her first taste of Serena-style hugs. They were the kind that seemed to make what ever it was that worried a person, be it sorrow to anger, go away. The hug Yama got from Serena was the kind you would give or get when greeting a family member or friend that you hadn't seen in years. It eased your fears away, and welcomed you at the same time. It stirred something in her, something foreign, yet faintly familiar.

Serena released Yama from her hug after another minute or two. Undoubtly Serena was glad to have a girl to talk with, share her secrets. She just didn't really bond with Tea, and she couldn't talk to her so-called 'friends' in Tokyo, not after what happened… "I still don't get why we have to spy on them, isn't that invasion of privacy?" questioned Yama, even as they followed Yugi to where Serena had heard him tell Tea to meet him. Serena had placed spells on them to ensure that Yugi and Tea wouldn't recognize them. Currently, Yama's hair was completely black, her eyes more purple than red. Serena's hair was now a more pale blonde with silvery tints, and she had removed her contacts so her eyes were back to their original purple color. She had also changed her hairstyle from its traditional two buns with hair streaming down to a long ponytail. "Shouldn't you've had asked Joey or Tristan to do this?"

"Joey and Tristan are on the school's soccer team, and they have practice. Besides, I don't know what happened to Seto… I heard that he was adopted… don't know what his surname is now…" answered Serena. The night before, Yama had learned more about Serena in a whole night than her 'friends' had learned the whole time they had known her. Every secret… except for two.

Serena planned to keep her past as Princess Serenity a secret for as long as possible. All the spells she knew and had cast were spells only the Moon's Royal Family had known. Serena feared that if Yama knew the truth, she would treat her differently. Everyone had once they knew. As for the other secret… Serena struggled to block the voices out. No one could ever learn this secret, her role… as the one who walked both planes of the human existence, Jinseikai and Shikai. (Life World and Death World, respectively)

Seeing Yugi come to a stop, she signaled to Yama to hide behind the bushes that separated the square in two. With her wider hearing range, Serena heard Yugi speak to the Millennium Puzzle, and saw it glow slightly. Her eyes widen as she saw proof of what she had sensed. The spirit that lived in the Millennium Puzzle. Yami no Yugi, as she called him. Yami for short.

Yama was also surprised with his appearance. An image appeared in her mind. A boy, who looked exactly like her, without the 'glamour spell' that her hikari had cast, only his hair was spiked, like Yugi's. He was dressed in the pharaoh's clothes. Pharaoh… where did that come from? She knows him, knew him. Yama knew what he looked like, but … she couldn't see his face… it was like she wasn't supposed to see his face… but why? Why couldn't she remember him? She was sure that he was family… her… brother? A voice… familiar, yet not, in a language she knew, but didn't know… floated through her mind. "This is the only way… to seal the Shadows…"

Yama was jarred from her deep thoughts as Serena pulled her along way her arm, since 'Yami Yugi' and Tea had headed on to a café. They headed in after them and sat at a table not too far from them. After ordering, when she knew that they wouldn't be bothered for a while, Serena asked, " Are you okay?"

" I'm fine, just… "

"Just what?"

"I'm…not sure really…" Yama trailed off, glancing at Tea and Yami Yugi after her shoulder. " I think I know him… knew him… back before… before I was in the crystal." she said glancing down to where the Millennium Crystal hung around Serena's neck, reflecting the sunlight coming through the window.

Serena's eyes showed concern for her yami's plight. She brushed her hand against Yama's, and said, "Don't worry, I'll help you remember your past. I heard the spyee's-" nodding to the two unsuspecting victims of her plot to shamelessly spying "-that there's an exhibit over at the museum, an Egyptian one. The article in the magazine has a picture of what looks like the Millennium Puzzle. The two of them are going there after the arcade."

Thankfully, in Serena's mind, the café was one where you take the check up to the cash register. After paying, they followed them to the arcade. Serena explained the games, the technology behind them, and how to play them. (I'm too lazy to type out the contest between Tea and the dance guy, and to type out the duel. Didn't like the episode anyway, muted it when it was on.) They also tailed them to Kaiba Land, and followed them to the park (think that it's a park) once what ever they were doing at Kaiba Land was done. The conversation, according to Serena, was about Yami's past, as they started calling him. It took too long to say 'Yami Yugi' when you speak at a super fast pace a.k.a. Serena-nese. Finally, Tea and Yami (with their spies in tow) came to the museum.

Serena managed to convince Yama to trail the two down a set of stairs behind a door that clearly said on it, "Authorized Personal Only", which was achieved by a promise of lots and lots of chocolate.

"Rules are meant to be broken." was all Serena said on the matter.

They hid behind the doorway into the room that held the two tablets that showed the carvings of Duel Monsters and the fight between the High Priest and the Pharaoh. They heard the entire conversation between Ishizu and Yami (I'm too lazy to go dig up the tape with that episode on it to get the conversation. 'Sides, Survivor's on and Chapera just beat Mogo Mogo.) When Yami and Tea headed towards the door, Serena cast an invisibility spell to keep them from being seen by the two spyee's. Even if Yami could sense the magicks she used, he wouldn't be able to trace it at all because it was different from shadow magick. Yama got a close-up look at Yami's face. She saw the same flash from before, but still the eyes were shadowed over. "The two of you can come out now." said Ishizu, once she was sure Yami and Tea were gone.

Serena, pulling Yama behind her, who was hell-bent on making a mad dash upstairs, came into Ishizu's line of sight. Ishizu frowned slightly. From what she had gotten from Shaadi, they were supposed to look different from what they look like now. She knew it was them by the Millennium Crystal hanging around the silvery-blonde girl's neck, and the copy that hung around the black-haired girl's neck. Which left… " Why do you wear illusion spells?" she questioned.

Serena stiffened. How could she tell about the spells?

But she still dropped the illusion. "How could you tell?" she questioned, voicing her thoughts.

"Shaadi gave me information about you. The crystal was a dead giveaway."

Serena glanced down at the crystal, cursing herself for not thinking of hiding it. Leaving at home wasn't an option, Yama had to return to the crystal if they ran into Yami and Tea at the plaza this evening. "What do you want? 'Cuz if you hurt Yugi I'll kill you."

Direct and to the point. thought Ishizu. "What I want, Serena, is to merely guide you to your destiny."

"Y'know, the last time someone said that to me, two years later I had already died twice and they wound up betraying me. I already have a destiny, I don't need another one."

"What destiny would that be?" Ishizu doubted it was as important as being the keeper to the Pharaoh's memories.

"You want proof? I'll give you proof." Serena right now didn't care about Luna's voice echoing in her mind, telling her not to do this.

She took a few steps away from Yama and the woman who had said her name was Ishizu to Yami. Her hand wrapped around her brooch. It felt… different from the last time she had transformed, both physically and magically. New words formed in her mind. "Silver… Moon… Millennium… Make-up!"

Silver light filled the room. When it got to more see-able levels, Serena noticed the changes to her fuku.

The basic design was the same as Sailor Saturn's first fuku before the Crystal Power-up, but with different colors. The kerchief/scarf started out white, and faded down to silver and then to a dark midnight/navy blue, with a single opal-colored stripe edging it about ½ inch from the edge. The skirt was the same as the scarf, fading from white to silver to dark midnight/navy blue, but with what looked like stars spread randomly across the skirt. The bows were the same dark midnight/navy blue as the bottom of the skirt and scarf. Her gloves were trimmed with the dark midnight/navy blue, and her boots were the same dark midnight/navy blue, but were like Saturn's. Her tiara held an opal-colored gem, and the choker was dark midnight/navy blue.

But the biggest change was her brooch. It was now a crescent moon, like her symbol in her princess form, but silver with writing that looked like Japanese, but the grammar was wrong. The moon was in front of a pentacle, the ancient symbol for the sacred feminine, and it bore two sets of wings, one set pointed upwards, the other curving around the bottom of the brooch. The points of the crescent held another pentacle with a crescent moon inside it, also bearing two pairs of wings. Finally, Serena held a glaive in her hands, inscribed with the same writing on her brooch, colored the same dark midnight/navy blue that seemed to be her main color now.

Taking in all these changes, Serena asked Ishizu, "Isn't being a Sailor Senshi more important than what ever destiny you seem so keen to thrust upon me?"

Ishizu was deeply shocked, although she hid it well. "This… is rather unusual, but can't some one else bear this duty?"

Serena chuckled. "You don't know anything about the Senshi. When you are chosen, you bear that duty for life." She transformed down to normal. "I'll decide for myself whether or not I'll accept this 'destiny' you seem so keen to thrust upon me."

Ishizu sighed. Shaadi had said that she seemed stubborn, but was already familiar with the legend of the Shadow Games. "Since you are already aware of the Shadow Games' legend, I can get to the point. Your destiny is to be a guardian, a guardian to the Pharaoh's memories. You hold the key to unlocking the secrets of the Millennium Puzzle. That key lays in the Millennium Crystal."

"You say the Millennium Crystal is the key… why?"

"It is said, in the unknown part of the legend, that the Pharaoh had a twin sister."

"A sister?" /Yama… are you okay? / Yama looked like she was going to pass out. The things Ishizu was saying…something inside was… "Should your brother be forced to bind himself to the shadows, you are the one who will know the truth…of the Suten-nu-heba…"

/./I'm… fine, aibou… really…/./

Ishizu continued, unaware of the mental conversation. "Yes, a sister. SHE is the one who bore the Millennium Crystal, without her brother's knowledge. She supposedly didn't have any shadow powers, but she did have telekinetic powers, and the ability to read and asset a person's aura, magical, spiritual, and other. She was supposed to be his heir until he bore one of his own. But as twins, they held a bond, similar to a bond between soul mates. After he sealed his soul into the Millennium Puzzle, it would only be a short time until she died. It is theorized that she sealed her own soul into the Crystal, most likely to save her own life, or to ensure that she would see her brother again. But we don't know anything. "

"She can't use Shadow Magick, she's too pure…too innocent." Hiding behind a pillar, listening to the High Priest tell the Pharaoh how she would never be able to bear a makaoa-kha-renput… "But should your heir be forced into the Shadows, she will be the one to hold within her the key to the memory of the Suten-nu-heba."

Yama, who had been quiet since Serena had transformed into Sailor Moon, finally spoke up. "Maybe… maybe I'm the key. I… I mean… I do look a lot like him… and I was sealed in the Crystal…"

Serena walked over to Yama. "We don't know for sure," she said, putting her hand on Yama's shoulder. "But I'd say that it is highly possible." She turned to Ishizu. "You said that I was the guardian… to his memories. But what if I'm just the catalyst, and Yama is the guardian? I was the one who enabled her to gain a solid body, so what if my role is just the one who helps everything get started, but without affecting the situation itself? Maybe my destiny is to just help Yama?"

Ishizu frowned. "It's a good theory, but the prophecy states clearly this: 'The one who bears the Crystal of the Ages, born under the moonlight, the Savior of the People, the Messiah of Light, daughter of moon and time, chosen by destiny to reveal the past, the past of the Pharaoh and the woman closest to him.'"

Serena turned from Yama, who looked like she wasn't even in the here and now, and mirrored Ishizu's frown. "Wait a sec… it says that I'll reveal the past of the Pharaoh and the …and the woman closest to him! I'm supposed to help Yama and Yami, as I called the Pharaoh, the spirit of the Millennium Puzzle, regain their memories, not to guard the memories! Me being Sailor Moon just has me fit the prophecy even better. My destiny isn't to guard his memories and bear the key, my destiny is to help the key, Yama, reveal his memories, as well as her own!"

This little declaration shook Yama from her trance-like state. "So…" she began. "You're supposed to help me get my memories back? That is if I am the key that you are supposed to help."

Ishizu nodded. This girl, the guardian of the key, Serena, was smarter than Shaadi had noted. She picked up on something that no one else had notices before in the prophecy. She had been taught that 'the woman closest to him' meant that she would reveal the memories of the Pharaoh's lover's memories in her re-incarnation. But it seems that her teachers were wrong. "That seems like the only answer possible. But before that can happen, the Pharaoh must defeat his latest challenge. You must help him in any way you can."

With this statement hanging in the air, Serena and Yama left the museum. Serena immediately headed for the plaza that the letter that she got this morning said that she was supposed to go to. When she was sure that no one was watching, she released the illusion spells on the two of them, and Yama returned to the crystal. There was a lot they had to discuss, but that could wait until they were back at the Game Shop. Serena at last reached the plaza. She saw Yami, Tea, and a woman whom she knew was Mai Kujaku (is that right?) from the Duelist Kingdom rosters that she looked up on-line when she was laid up with the flu back around the time that tournament was going on.

She didn't plan on greeting the three right know, she could drop the fact that she was completing in this tournament on them later, besides, the TV screens on the buildings were changing. When she saw who was on the screens, she gasped. It was her childhood friend, Seto. She hadn't seen him since the day before she had heard from him that Gozabaru Kaiba, head of Kaiba Corp, was going to visit his orphanage. She had met Gozabaru before he had told her this. He had come to her martial arts dojo when he was looking for a bodyguard for his son, Noah, who was around his age. He had offered the job to her, but she refused, saying that she had bigger dreams for her life than protecting some rich kid. Maybe not in those words…

Serena snapped her attention back to the screen. He explained the tournament to the duelists in the plaza, and his helicopter had come into the plaza. She heard Yami call Seto 'Kaiba', and was shocked. Seto had told her of his plan to challenge Gozabaru to chess and beat him, but she hadn't thought that he would go through with it! She was sure that she had talked him out of that! But still, the stage was set, and the actors cast into their roles. Battle City was sure to be an unforgettable tournament…

Well… what do you think? I FINALLY have got this chapter done. School's been a nightmare, and I had to go give a writing sample to the high school I applied to. But still, I hope I'm giving some one a reason to keep reading this!