Chapter X: Let The Raven Fly, Rika….

Dys: Alright, this chapter was inspired and based on another song, my apologies.

Dartz: But it's a real sweet and lovely song. What was the singer's name? Natalie?

Dys: Yes, the song "Goin' Crazy" sung by Natalie inspired this chapter. FD not only has to battle Kaiba in order to avenge Amelda, but must also learn the secrets inside herself, and her own ancient powers. She begins to remember everything from her memories from the last happy moment she had with her parents to the meeting with Dartz.

Dartz: Did you really have to give a spoiler?

Dys: I didn't really give a spoiler. I just gave them a heads up. Anyways, the lyrics from the song are in here, so if you like the chapter or the song, please review.

Seto Kaiba stared ahead at this girl. She was a complete stranger, about to die, when he just saved her. And how does she repay him? She challenges him to a duel where the loser loses their soul. That wasn't very grateful. And what's worse, she says she's going to avenge Amelda. Why? He wasn't anything special, and what's worse, he looked like a woman. So, why was she so interested in him? It didn't make any sense. And the way her silver eyes glowed in the night…the way her long black hair billowed elegantly across her fare face…the way her full, red lips always formed into a perfect smile….Seto Kaiba shuddered. Why was he thinking this!

"Oh, Seto Kaiba!" she called in a haunting, singsong way. "I believe it's your turn!"

He glared at her and looked at his hand. "I play a monster face down and place two cards on the field. Your move…sweetheart," Kaiba teased her, but it the process gained an icy death glare from her.

"You call me that again, you're going to lose more than just your soul," she threatened as she drew one card. She didn't even take a glimpse at it, because she played it instantly. "I activate Mystical Space Typhoon! One of your face down cards is destroyed!"

A card on the field by Kaiba shattered, and then he looked to see something in her eyes. Something innocent, something crying in the darkness. He wasn't seeing her cry, he saw her soul through her eyes. She wasn't trying to duel him. Inside, he saw she was innocent and scared, doing what she must do to make herself happy. She was one of the most beautiful woman Kaiba ever saw, but inside she was only a child. A scared child.

Ever since the day you went away and left me lonely and cold

My life just hasn't been the same

When I looked into your eyes the moment that I let you go

I just broke down, down, down

"FD, why are you doing this! I know inside you don't want to battle me!" Kaiba cried. Mokuba, who was hiding behind the red car they had just "bought", watched with both fear and anguish. He didn't know what his brother was talking about. She seemed serious about this. It looked like if she wasn't going to duel him, she would kill him.

"Just relax, Rika….Let me help you…."

No! Cleopatra, or whoever you are, you have no idea what I'm trying to do!

"Yes, I do….You're trying to avenge the one you love…something I should have done years ago…."

You lost your true love?

"Yes…I was married to many men, but only one I would have risked my life for…."

FD felt a weird sensation inside her. It was cold, yet warm. It was comforting, yet painful. It was like someone was controlling her body. She felt a hand on hers, and she looked up. At first, she was seeing something entirely different. She was seeing Amelda before her eyes, smiling at her. But then it changed to Kaiba, staring at her in a concerned way.

"Let me help you, Rika...please…."

No! I don't want to be alone again! I don't want to be lost again! I don't ever want to be alone!

"You're never alone. Just let me help you…please, stop resisting…."

FD looked at her hand and pulled one card out. "Thanks to my new monster's special ability, I can summon it without sacrificing for it. Go, Star Queen!" (A/N: Like I said before, FD uses some cards that aren't real cards, but cards I made up.)

Kaiba watched as a lovely woman who wore gold appear beside Vorse Raider. Kaiba then wondered if this girl was like Mai, using female cards. But then he worried about her two face down cards,

"Thanks to the power of the Orichalcos, my Star Queen gains five hundred attack points, raising her strength to 3100!" FD laughed. "Now, my Star Queen, attack his face down monster!"

The woman attacked, and Kaiba's Y-Dragon Head appeared briefly before shattering. "Now, my Vorse Raider, attack his life points directly!" FD shouted. The beast approached him, but Kaiba smirked.

"Not so fast, I activate Negate Attack!" he pronounced, revealing his trap card. "This stops your attack." Then he noticed FD's smile.

"It may stop my Vorse Raider from attacking, but it also activated one of my magic cards in a chain! Go, Sunspot!" FD cried, revealing her card, which held a picture of the sun, and a sword in the core. "This magic card only activates when I have Star Queen on the field. It powers her up by three hundred for every monster on the field, including herself. And it does direct damage to your life points of half of what my Vorse Raider would have done! Go, my Queen, attack him with Sunspot Sword!"

Kaiba flew back as the woman attacked with the sword, and did 1200 of damage to his life points. He stood back up, but then heard a scream in the distant. He looked around, but didn't see anyone.

Baby, if I ever get the chance to be with you again

I'd sacrifice

Cause this feeling that I feel within

No other man could ever make me feel so right

It's nice to smile when I get your phone call at night

But I'd rather have you here with me, next to me

I miss the way you hold me tight

"Rika, look at the stars, my baby girl."

"Rika, you're mother is very proud of you, you know?"

"You came to me for help. You trusted me."

"Don't worry, little one. You're innocent. I shall not harm you."

"Rather impressive, Miss Micamura."

"Welcome, young Rika. You've come home, my child."

"I used to look at the stars with my brother when I was a kid."

"My love for art started when I was little, but I don't remember how I was inspired."

"I know what happened. I know how your parents died."

These voices! Cleopatra! Help me! Please! Where are these voices coming from!

"Relax…they're memories of your past…you need to tap into them to obtain your true power…."

True power? I don't have any power!

"That's not true…you do, and Dartz sensed it. Your power isn't mine, and it isn't the power of the Orichalcos….This power saved you so many times in the past….You have to tap into it through your memories…."

FD closed her eyes, and felt a weird sensation flow through her. She saw herself talking to Dartz in his office, and then she's suddenly screaming for some reason. Then she saw herself talking to Amelda in her living room, the moonlight shining down on his face. Then she saw herself standing with Dartz in her living room, but she saw him holding a rope around her throat. Why was he doing that!

Then FD felt a pull on her mind. She was spinning through an eternal darkness. "You've come home, my child…." "Rika, look up at the stars…." FD looked up and saw the beautiful night sky above her, the stars sparkling like rhinestones. She was holding someone's hand. She looked up to see a man smiling down at her sweetly.

"They're beautiful, Daddy," FD suddenly spoke in a light, innocent voice. Then she felt another pull and found herself alone a dark room, clutching a stuffed animal to her chest. A light streamed into the room from an ajar door. In the light behind the door, FD heard two voices shouting at each other. The voices were so loud, they scared her. Then she felt that pain again, and then her head felt light. She was swimming through a cloud inside it. She looked up dreamily and saw Kaiba.

He stared at her, confused, and she smiled. "Kaiba, my grudge isn't necessarily against you. It's against myself," she spoke suddenly. This wasn't just her voice she heard. There was another speaking, speaking through her, echoing hers. Together, they sounded beautiful and harmonious. Her eyes lowered to her own hands, and a few tears formed behind the silver pools in her eyes.

"What are you talking about?" Kaiba asked. He was amazed by how emotional this girl just turned out to be. Maybe that Orichalcos spell was wearing off on her.

I've got to let you know I feel so weak without your touch

I never thought that I could ever love a man so much

I've got to let you know I think that we are destiny

For you, I'd cross the world

For you, I'd do anything

"When I was little, I always thought I was the luckiest person alive. I always believed I was happy. But I guess it was only skin-deep. I was never happy. My parents argued endlessly, fought for my custody, and, on the night I heard them say 'divorce', I ran away. I sought shelter and comfort from someone who was helping me, Dr. Hannibal Lecter," FD spoke. "He helped me. But I was too young and naïve to not realize the truth about him. It came out too late. He killed my parents, but promised never to harm me. I guess you could say that was foolish of me to trust him, right?"

"It's not your fault, though. You were young, you didn't know," Kaiba was starting to have sympathy for this girl. She looked so empty and cold on the outside, across her flesh, but Kaiba saw and heard different things when he looked at her. When he looked in her eyes, he saw that little child inside her, crying, praying to never be alone again. When he heard her talk, he not only heard her story, but somehow heard her heart. Her heartbeats. It was like the same way in which he knew Mokuba was in danger. But how could he feel this way for this complete stranger?

"Well, I was left all alone after that. There was no one who wanted to take care of me, no one who wanted to stay in the same house with me. I began living on my own, walking to school every day, pretending to be my parents to sign out forms and everything. If anyone asked, I hid the truth. I told them stories and lies just to keep them away. But, the more I did this, the more alone I felt. I lived a physically healthy life, but I felt alone the whole time," FD continued. "The only thing to comfort me was my art and the animals in my home. I always loved animals and would adopt any when I can. But even with the animals and my artwork, I was still alone."

"I'm so sorry," Mokuba suddenly chirped out. He came from behind the car and approached the seal carefully. FD looked at him with a sweet smile. Kaiba knew instantly that she saw a little bit of herself in him, even though they'd just met. Or did they?

"Mokuba, do you know her?" Kaiba asked. Mokuba nodded.

"A couple of years ago, we met. I was lost in the woods near the beach, and I saw her on the steps of her house. She offered to help me, but…I pushed her away. I never meant to hurt you," Mokuba cried, and Kaiba saw the tears in his eyes. He heard it, too. Her heartbeat. But how could they? She was a complete stranger. She challenged him to a life-threatening duel. Yet they could hear her heartbeats and see the child inside her. How?

"You see, Seto Kaiba, I thought I was always alone, until I got a job at a company. Paradius," FD spoke. Kaiba and Mokuba gasped at that. "The president of the company, Dartz, treated me like a daughter, and I met Amelda. I fell in love with Amelda, and when I discovered his soul was taken, I lost everything. I was blinded by rage and depression that I became a horrible monster inside, wanting revenge. But I guess the only revenge I got was against myself, Seto Kaiba."

Kaiba just then saw it. He saw something beautiful. Black wings. Beautiful, feather black wings that spread from her back. The moonlight shined down on them elegantly, and Mokuba fell over as he looked up at them, but they suddenly vanished into the darkness. She may not have noticed them, but Seto Kaiba just now realized why he could hear her heartbeat. He now knew why he saw her inner child. This girl was nothing but a child. A child lost in this cold and empty world. A child that didn't fully understand life, let alone herself. A child who would give their own soul to never be alone. A child, that was just like him and Mokuba.

That's right, baby, I'm goin crazy

I need to be your lady

I've been thinking lately

That you and me, yes, we can make it

Just ride with me, roll with me

I'm in love with you, baby

"Why don't you just stop the duel right now, FD? That way we'll both keep our souls! And you can avenge Amelda against Dartz!" Kaiba cried.

"No, I can never turn my back on Dartz. He's done so much for me, you would never understand!" FD suddenly felt the tears fall from her face. The symbol on her chest suddenly began glowing a horrible crimson. She was in so much pain, she couldn't cope with it. But this woman was real keen on her word. She wasn't going to turn back on Dartz. Not now, not ever. Kaiba could see it in her eyes.

"You've got to let the raven fly, Rika…"

The raven? Is that what I am now? Just a raven?

"No, listen…that's the reason why Dartz calls you a raven….You not only resemble a raven, you possess a raven's abilities…."

What?

"Listen. You've received your memories back…now harness the emotions over the years, through your life….Harness it through the Orichalcos…."

FD suddenly felt strange inside. Her head was floating through a cloud, flying. She closed her eyes and saw the land beneath her. She was flying through the sky, through the darkened, night sky. The land below her covered in shadows, the trees and empty grass fields greeted her. She was flying over both a utopia and a dystopia. She was flying through the skies. And she wanted to soar through the air forever.

"No!" Dartz cried, backing up from the serpents before him. He felt it. So strong, invincible…unbelievable. She's resisting the Orichalcos, and at the same time is awakening her true form! Her true power shall be unleashed onto the world…but can she control it herself?

"Master Dartz?" Rafael approached from behind, and Dartz smiled.

"Take a look upon the world, Rafael. What do you think when you see a raven?" he asked.

Rafael didn't answer, because he really didn't know. He's never actually seen a raven before.

"I've…never seen one," Rafael confessed.

"But what do you expect yourself to think?" Dartz asked.

"That it's a beautiful bird," Rafael spoke. "That if something that dark and mysterious is a pure creature."

Excellent answer. "You're right. But would you believe that a raven has ultimate strength and power over all the other birds, even a power greater than a phoenix?" Dartz spoke. Rafael didn't speak, because he knew what was coming. That new girl…FD had great power inside her. So, she must be awakening it.

"She's resisting, Rafael. Go out and make sure she doesn't break through!" Dartz demanded, and Rafael vanished into the shadows.

"That's it, Rika…"

FD opened her eyes and felt a strange sensation flow through her. It was magnificent, it was beautiful. She was staring directly at Kaiba, but she saw his smile.

"So, you really are a raven, huh?" he asked.

"What?" she asked. She touched her chest, and felt for the wound or the scar. They vanished! She looked up, and then thoughts ran through her mind a mile a minute. The seal still surrounded them, but she didn't wear the seal on herself. Could she have broken free?

"Just let the raven fly, Rika…."

Dartz: Hmm…a little angst, but you've got the emotions down.

Dys: Second compliment. I hope SpottedStripe is keeping track of his compliments! Lol!

Dartz: You mean that one who keeps reviewing?

Dys: Yeah, but I like the reviews. It shows me that people are actually reading my work and don't mind letting me know what's wrong with them. That's how this thing works.

Dartz: You are so obsessed with reviews. But you are a rather descent writer.

Dys: That's three!