Hey there. It's been a while. But, as I have told you, I will update…

Random Crowd used for Writing Purposes: …when she updates!

Thank you!

RCufWP: Your welcome!

Kay, so here ya go.

RCufWP: Here we go!

…Yes, well, anyway. I would like to thank all my reviewers for-

RcufWP: You're welcome!

…um shutup.

RcufWP: Ok!

Oh good. So as I was saying-

RcufWP: You were saying something!

…

RcufWP: …

…

RcufWP: …

That's better.

RcufWP: It's better! W00tness!

OMIGOD! (everyone is shot)

RcufWP: Holy Crap! We're dead!

And I'm so proud of you. So thanks to all those who reviewed. Ok then.

Disclaimer: lolz lyk omfg wtf I don't own Yugioh or nutin lyk b/c w/e roflmfao kthxbye

Chapter 4- Absent

The two blonde teens watched in horror as their friend flew through the air, then landed on the asphalt like a rag doll. Joey rushed to him, closely followed by Malik. The sound of car horns and the screams from the spectators came from all directions, and a large crowd quickly began to form around the fallen entity.

Joey pushed and shoved his way through the assemblage, crying out Yugi's name as he did so. When he finally reached him, he fell to his knees beside him.

"Yugi! Yugi! Can ya hear me? Say sometin', anything! No! Oh no!"

Malik came up behind him, squeezing through the ever-growing throng. He ripped off a piece of his shirt, and handed it to the other.

"Here," he said in a dazed tone. "Use this… for the blood."

Joey snatched it and delicately began wiping the blood from Yugi's face.

"Malik, call the paremedics!"

The Egyptian seemed to be in a state of shock, and he merely stared.

"MALIK!"

He blinked then nodded, extending his hand to grab the cell phone that Joey was handing him.

Joey turned back to Yugi. "Yug-" he stopped. Yugi's was whispering something, but it was unintelligible, a foreign language. His eyes were wide open. They shifted from one side to the other, watching something that only he could see. But they were empty, hollow, as if his mind and soul was absent from his body.

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Yugi's eyes shot open, but he covered them, expecting to see two others staring back at him. He peered cautiously through his fingers, and found that his predictions were false. Instead of eyes, there was a road lying out before him. It appeared to be made of pure white marble stone. Surrounding the path were flowers, but not just any flowers. These were more beautiful than any that Yugi had ever seen. Every color he could imagine, every type of flower he could imagine, were all here. A warm, blissful sensation filled him suddenly, and he smiled. Something inside told him to step onto the path, but before doing so, he looked behind him.

From the looks of it, he seemed to have come through a short tunnel, dark and clammy. Beyond the tunnel, there was a city. It looked familiar, but he couldn't quite put his finger on where he might have seen it before. He searched his memory, but decided not to worry about it.

Instead, his attention was drawn to a large crowd gathered in the middle of the street…

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Joey stared into his friend's eyes, which had stopped moving. Yugi's mouth kept talking though, speaking in an alien tongue, the lips slowly curving into an eerie smile. The boy's skin had gone pale and was now turning an unnatural shade of grey.

"Yugi…" Joey's voice was filled with concern. "C-can ya hear me?"

Yugi paid no heed. He kept on whispering, and Joey tried to make sense of what he was saying as sirens wailed in the distance.

"It's Egyptian." came a voice from behind him.

Joey turned, and saw that it was Malik who had spoken.

"What?" His voice was choked.

"Yugi… he's saying something in Egyptian… but it's different. Ancient Egyptian."

The sirens were closer now, and Malik gazed upon the small teen with wonder.

Wonder… and fear.

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Yugi turned away from the city view, feeling it was unimportant. He began walking upon the open path, smelling the flowers now and then, and basking in their breathtaking aroma. After what could have been seconds, hours, or days, Yugi didn't know, he came upon an extraordinary castle that seemed to reach up into the white fluffy clouds above.

Without hesitation, he entered.

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"His pulse is really fast! What's goin' on here?" Joey was panicking. Yugi just kept talking, like nothing was wrong, but his breathing had completely stopped. Even Joey knew that you couldn't talk without any air circulating through your lungs.

And yet his heart kept beating. It was completely haphazard at first, but then it became a beat. A fast, but ongoing beat.

Budum, bud, bud, budum, budum, bud, bud, budum

The paramedics had arrived, and were clearing everyone out of the way. Yugi was still chanting. Malik was still staring, mouthing something.

And the beat was still going.

Budum, bud, bud, budum, budum, bud, bud, budum

It was incredibly fast, and Joey just kneeled there cradling Yugi's head, and hoping, praying, that his friend would be saved.

One of the medics pulled gently on his arm.

"Don't worry son, we'll take care of him from here."

Joey nodded, but before he let go, he felt the heartbeat once more.

Budumbudumbudumbudumbudumbudumbudumbudumbudum…

Then it stopped. Frantically, Joey looked for any sign that it might start up again. It didn't.

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The castle was huge; bigger than anything Yugi had ever seen. He looked about in awe, taking in everything. The walls and pillars were made of the same marble stone as the pathway, but it was more of a grayish tint. Dozens of large flags were draped upon them, with different symbols each holding a certain meaning, none of which Yugi knew.

Then he looked down at the floor and gasped. It was glass. However, when he felt it, he blinked in surprise. Ice. But it was so clear, so beautiful. He walked forward on it, and slipped a little, but did not fall. Smiling, he began to glide forward on the ice, shifting from one side to the other.

"Enjoying yourself?" a voice asked suddenly.

Startled, Yugi slipped, and this time fell. He looked up, and standing before him was the most beautiful person he had ever seen. She was tall, at least six feet, and had flowing white hair that reached all the way to her ankles. Her skin was almost just as white, and it seemed to glow with an unnatural shine. She wore an elegant gown, but Yugi could not tell just what color it was. It was every color, he decided. And it seemed to be, for every time she moved, a different one seemed to catch his eye. Her eyes sparkled in the light, and they were a greenish blue color.

"Uh…mm…" he stuttered, unsure of what to say.

She laughed, and he blushed.

"My child," she cooed. "I welcome you. This is the Sanctuary of Pleasure."

Yugi swallowed. "Are you… are you an angel?" he asked softly.

Smiling, she shook her head. "Not quite. I am one of the guardians. There are three of us. Come, I shall take you to the King."

Yugi was taken aback. King? He would be meeting a King? Well, not that he hadn't before, but this was different. The guardian held her hand out to him, and he took it and stood up. They walked a bit until they passed through a door and began to head down a long hallway. Yugi decided to try and start up a conversation.

"Who, uh, who is the King?"

She smiled again. "In good time, my child. Now, please tell me your name."

"My name?" He paused. What was his name? What was his name? Ah yes. "My name is Yugi."

"Yugi. It is very nice."

Yugi smiled and blushed again.

"I am Amunet."

"Amunet…" Yugi breathed. "The Goddess of Mystery."

She nodded. "Yes, how did you know?"

Yugi shrugged. "I don't know. I guess I read it somewhere, sometime. But now I don't remember. It's like… like I had a life before this, but I feel as though I've always been here."

"That is how many feel. But you have always lived in this land. This, however, is the only time you have entered the Sanctuary."

He remembered back to the city he had seen through the tunnel. "Um, Miss, er, Amunet? What about the tun-"

"Shh. There will be time for questions later, my dear. But here is the King's room."

They approached a large door at the end of the hall. It was made of pure gold, with ruby handles to open it.

Amunet pushed the handles, opening the door. The room was not at all how Yugi had pictured it. It was dark, and an eerie fog made it hard to see. Yugi entered, and just as he set foot in the room, the door slammed shut behind him. Looking around, he saw nothing.

"Hey, Amunet? Where's…" his voice trailed off. Amunet was no longer there.

His eyes shifted about the room, searching for any sign of another presence. He stepped forward cautiously. Suddenly, an icy hand grabbed his shoulder. He gasped turned in an about-face. Standing before him, completely pale, eyes wide and unfocused…

…was himself.

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"No…" Joey mumbled, his voice shaking. "Yugi, no, not Yugi." His voice got louder. Panic seized him as he grabbed his friend's wrist, feeling for something, anything. Nothing.

"Yugi! Hang on! Please! Oh God not Yugi. Not Yugi no!"

The paramedics tried to calm him, waving Malik over to help. Malik grabbed Joey's arm and pulled him back so that they could take Yugi away. Tears stung his eyes as he held the blonde back. The two watched despairingly as the medics loaded Yugi into the ambulance, then drove off.

Malik took deep breath and looked at Joey, expecting him to be crying. But he was not. Instead he was staring off to where the ambulance had just been, a hard look in his eyes.

"Malik," Joey began. "When we get to da hospital, tell me everything dat Yugi said."

The Egyptian nodded, trying to remember every word that he had heard.

"Oh, and I got a question."

Joey looked Malik in the eye. His voice shook as he spoke.

"Did ya happen to see… the car? Da license… plate, I mean?"

Malik thought about that. After a moment, he shook his head. Joey nodded.

"Yeah, dat's what I thought."

Ok, just so everybody knows, Amunet is a character I made. She isn't based off anyone. She's just someone I need for the story, kay? R&R