Crystal:  Hi there all and Merry Christmas.

Kris:  I like this holiday.  I get candy. *sucks on candy cane*

Crystal*whispers*:  I like that he gets candy canes too.  Keeps him under control with the over-protectiveness streak he's going through.

Kris:  Crystal doesn't own Yu-Gi-Oh.  However Neko-chan and me are hers.

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"Blah" = speaking

[Blah] = thoughts

//Blah// = yami to hikari

/Blah/ = hikari to yami

Chapter Seven:  Pyramids Models and Painful Dreams

            "Jono, Yugi, Ryou, about yesterday afternoon-" Crystal said.

            "What do you mean?" Jono asked, "We just searched for books and read for a while."

            "Nothing out of the ordinary happened." Ryou shrugged.

            "Well, besides the fact Jono was poring over three books at once." Yugi chuckled.

            "Seto talked to you already, didn't he?" Crystal asked, "Don't lie to me."

            "Nope, just call it a courtesy." Jono said with a wink, "I'm not low enough to do that to him, not matter how much he insults me."

            "That's good, Inu-baka." Seto's voice chuckled from behind Crystal, "If you didn't keep quiet, I would most definitely make you life miserable."

            "I don't see why you guys keep referring to something that never happened." Ryou sighed, "Now, when will we meet next."

            "I think we need to do the interview with Gramps today, and start the report." Yugi replied, "Jono and I could do that."

            "Crystal and I could work on the model." Ryou said.

            "Great idea." Crystal said, "How about we head back to the mansion and start now?"

            "If you coming back home, I'm leaving now." Seto said walking out the door.

            "We're coming." Ryou and Crystal called, following Seto out the door.

            /Yami, do you have any idea what that was about last night?/

            //Sounds like a sacrifice happened in that black Pyramid.//

            /Crystal hides it well, but she is still unsettled by that vision./

            //I know, aibou.  It tore her heart to experience a vision of death.//

Now Ryou, Crystal, and Seto...

            "So what exactly are you building you're pyramid out of?" Seto asked.

            "You don't happen to have limestone do you?" Crystal asked with a giggle.

            "Very funny, Neko-chan." Seto said rolling his eyes.

            "Neko-chan?" Ryou asked in confusion.

            "It's the closest Japanese word for my middle name without being a direct translation." Crystal explained.

            "Really? What is your middle name?" Ryou asked.

            "Sanura." Crystal replied, closing her eyes slightly, "It is Egyptian for kitten."

            //Sanura!?!// Bakura shouted, causing Ryou to jerk in surprise.

            "Ryou, what's wrong?" Crystal asked.

            "Sorry, I shifted and one of my pencils stuck me." Ryou replied, blushing in embarrassment.

            //Good little host.// Bakura chuckled.

            /Why did you shout though?/

            //None of your business.  Besides you've arrived at your destination.//

            "Ryou, you going to sit there like that all day or are you going to help me." Crystal asked, tapping Ryou on the shoulder.

            "Sorry, trying to think of a substitute for limestone." Ryou replied quickly, climbing out of the limo.

            "You don't have to apologize." Crystal smiled, "Come on.  I think we can find what we need in the kitchen."

            Ryou followed Crystal through the mansion, to the kitchen.  Once there, Crystal told him to help her find some sugar cubes.  Ryou nodded and the two of them scoured the kitchen, trying to find sugar cubes, but only succeeded in finding two bags of sugar instead.  Crystal started to pace back and forth, trying to think of something else that they could use.  As she paced, Bakura took over control of Ryou's body and watched her with a smirk on her face, waiting for her to notice the change.

            "Ryou, what else do you think we could *gulp* use?" Crystal asked, turning around to face her friend.

            "Hello there, my dear." Bakura smirked.

            "Bakura-san." Crystal choked out fearfully, "I didn't realize it was you."

            "I know." Bakura said, smirking more broadly.

            "What do you wish to know?" Crystal asked meekly, not meeting Bakura's cold mahogany eyes.

            "Nothing at all, but I would like to comment on the project you are working on." Bakura replied, "To build this model, you'll need my help.  I know all the ins and outs of the pyramids."

            The rest of the afternoon, Bakura had control over Ryou and worked with Crystal on making a model of a pyramid that could be opened from the top.  Crystal and Bakura were silent most of the time, while working.  Crystal was silent out of fear and Bakura was silent because he was watching Crystal carefully, still wondering if she was Sanura.  Finally Bakura couldn't put up with the silence and gave control back to Ryou.  Crystal noticed the change and looked at Ryou, relief pouring from her soul.

            "You and my yami certainly did a fine job." Ryou said, looking over the model.

            "It helps when one knows what one is building from the inside out." Crystal murmured, "Bakura-san knows much about the pyramids."

            "I guess that's what happens when you're called the King of Thieves." Ryou nodded, "Bakura was a mastermind when it came to robbing tombs and stealing, and still is a mastermind thief."

            "Where do you think is someplace safe for this until Friday?" Crystal asked, "Will the teacher let us keep it in the room?"

            "If not in the classroom, I'm sure Kaiba has a high-tech safe we can keep it in." Ryou chuckled, causing Crystal to crack a smile.

            "I guess; Seto is known for his security measures." Crystal replied, "Hey, Ryou do you duel by any chance?"

            "Well, I have a deck, but I don't really duel." Ryou answered, "Why?"

            "I have a deck, but there's no one for me to really duel with." Crystal explained, "Seto's skill is so much higher than mine, and Mokuba is into Capsule Chess.  I wanted to ask Yugi or Jono to duel, but that was before everyone found out I lived here."

            "How good are you?" Ryou asked.

            "Well, I was the three year champ in Tokyo, but I don't know how I rank here to be honest." Crystal replied, "The only one I've dueled is Seto and I've never been able to beat him."

            "What's the lowest number of life points you have gotten him down to?" Ryou asked curiously.

            "Fifty, but that was only one time." Crystal replied, "He never let me get him that low ever again."

            "I see." Ryou said with a nod, "I'll see you tomorrow at school."

            "Okay, Ryou." Crystal murmured, "I'll walk home with you, if you'd like."

            "I'd like that very much." Ryou replied with a small smile.

            "I need to let Seto know where I'm going." Crystal said, walking out of the kitchen.

            //Oh is my little host enjoying himself?//

            /Please, Bakura, she doesn't need to be stressed anymore./

            //I had my time with her, working on that project.//

            /Why did you take over during that time?/

            //She speaks in Egyptian, Ancient Egyptian, during those trances.  I was hoping to find out what she was saying during her trances.//

            "Nothing had better happen to her.  Understand?" Seto said coldly from behind Crystal, "Seeing that she actually wants to walk, instead of having one of the drivers take you home."

            "I promise that nothing will happen to her." Ryou said in a firm voice.

            Crystal looked at Ryou in surprise, noticing that his chocolate brown eyes held a spark of determination.  Before they left Seto made Crystal promise that she would call one of the drivers to pick her up from Ryou's house.  Crystal sighed heavily, but agreed to Seto's wishes.  Crystal didn't know why he had suddenly become so protective, but she had a good idea that something had happened before or after his meeting with Isis.

            "Something wrong, Crystal?" Ryou asked gently.

            "Seto's been acting strange ever since Friday night." Crystal replied, "It's like he's turned into one of those overprotective mothers.  He's been kinda like that before Friday, but now it is a full-blown thing, and I don't know what to do."

            "He's worried about something." Bakura said suddenly taking over Ryou's body.

            /Bakura, you said you were through with her for today./

            //Shut it, Ryou-baka.  This is important.//

            "Bakura-san." Crystal gulped in fear.

            "Yes, it's me." Bakura said rolling his eyes.

            "Do you know what worries him?" Crystal asked timidly.

            "I don't know what is wrong, but-." Bakura said, "Don't look at me like that!  Ra, you look too much like her, and you act like her too!"

            "Gomen, Bakura-san." Crystal stuttered out, fear dancing in her eyes.

            //You deal with her. I can't anymore.//

            "I'm so sorry, Crystal." Ryou said, placing a comforting arm over Crystal's now trembling shoulders, "He told me that he wasn't going to come out again."

            "I'm so scared Ryou." Crystal sobbed, "Why is all this happening to me?"

            "Take it easy Crystal.  It's going to be okay." Ryou murmured, "Take a deep breath and calm down."

            Crystal sucked in a deep breath of air still trembling in fear, before her knees gave out and she fell to the sidewalk.  Ryou dropped down beside Crystal, rubbing her back in a soothing manner.  As Ryou rubbed Crystal's back, her sobbing slowly faded into soft sniffling, before finally stopping.  When she finally lifted her head, Crystal's eyes were red and puffy from crying.  Then she rose and the two of them continued to Ryou's home in silence.

            When she arrived back at the mansion Crystal went straight to her room and lay down on her bed.  Again she felt a pair of cold eyes gazing over her, but this time she ignored the feeling.  There was no way for anyone to get in the manor without Seto knowing about it.  Crystal closed her eyes and sighed in defeat as she felt the presence persist and not go away.  She had fallen into a deep sleep so quickly that Crystal didn't even notice the slight rustle of fabric as Shadi moved around to the other side of her bed.

            "You have been through much suffering, Little Kitten." Shadi murmured in Egyptian, placing the Millennium Ankh's end on Crystal's forehead, "However, I will help you let go of these pains."

            "No, not again.  Leave her alone." Crystal muttered in her sleep, causing Shadi to pull away in shock.

            "A nightmare?" Shadi wondered softly, "No, I sense an ancient power at work here.  I will have to enter her mind to seem what she is dreaming."

            Shadi placed the Ankh against Crystal's forehead, and was engulfed in a flash of golden light.  He suddenly found himself at the base of a black pyramid, into which Crystal ran with a look of terror on her face.  Shadi followed after the girl quickly, trying not to lose her as she darted down the many pathways of the pyramid.  A scream of pain erupted, causing Shadi to sprint.  Finally, he entered a room and found Crystal kneeling on the ground, crying as a dark figure walked out of the room with a golden dagger in hand.  Then Shadi noticed a limp body on the altar that stood before Crystal's trembling body.  Shadi knew the body was that of a girl no older than Crystal, but he could not see the girl's face.

            "Why are you here?" Crystal asked, looking up at Shadi when he stood beside her, "I've already taken your test."

            "I came to help you, but it seems that there is nothing I can do, besides tell you that you should open the box Isis gave you.  I already know what lies within, and I also know that it will help you." Shadi said, as he slowly faded away.

            Crystal awoke in a cold sweat and sat up quickly.  Her terrified sapphire eyes peered around her room, but there was no one.  She turned on the lamp on her nightstand, and opened her dresser.  Then she pulled out the box that Isis had given her.  Crystal tore off the paper and opened the box to find a strange necklace inside.  It was in the shape of a heart with an Eye of Anubis in the middle.  Crystal noticed a clasp on the side, and opened it.  Once opened, Crystal realized that the necklace both a locket and empty.  It looked like something had been inscribed inside in hieroglyphics, which Crystal could barely read.

            "I will always be there for you." Crystal read slowly.

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Kris:  *stunned silence*

Crystal:  Kris, are you okay? *waves hand in front of Kris' stunned face* Yami Kris?

Kris*awe*:  You wrote that dream?

Crystal*dead serious*:  I had that dream, more than once.  Thankfully, it stopped after I typed it out.  I did not enjoy having that dream two nights in a row.

Kris:  Don't forget to read and review.  You know where the button is.