Chapter 5: Densetsu no Tenshi no Akari Kibou

The Legend of the Angel of the Light of Hope

As they waited for help to come, Yami decided it was time to do some investigating and entered Akari's mind. Slowly he materialized beside Akari as he gently held her in his arms as if she was a baby. "Akari can you hear me?"

Akari moaned softly in response and said nothing. She doesn't have enough energy to hold on long enough for help to come… Yami thought to himself as he gently took her hand in his and closed his eyes as he began to form a psychic link between the two of them.

"Atemu…" she whispered softly as she reached upward with her free hand and brushed a lock of golden hair off his face. "you're alive."

"Yes, thanks to you Akari." Yami said with a warm smile, "But I must know, who are you & how do you know my real name?"

"When Duel Monsters was first created, the prophets of my tribe predicted that unless someone with a pure heart who could control the monsters sealed the evil in his heart, the evil would overwhelm the pharaoh and destroy him as well as his family. That's when Bakura was chosen and my people rejoiced because they thought the pharaoh would be safe, but they were wrong… For the high priestess of the "Guardians of Peace and Order" prophesized that the evil would eventually become too much for Bakura to control and driven mad by their power, would turn against the pharaoh and destroy the world. Then no one or nothing could stop him, save for one thing…" Here Akari paused for a moment as she stared deeply into Yami's eyes searching for an answer. "Do you know what that is?"

"No…" Yami said softly as his eyes met Akari's briefly. "What is it?"

"Love," Akari said softly, "only the power of love could stand against that terrible evil if it were ever unleashed. So when I was three years old, the high priestess came to take me to the temple to undergo the training as well. However I did not meet Bakura until I was 13, I'll never forget that day. I had just turned 13 and I went to the Shadow Realm where the monsters lived to celebrate with them. As I got closer to my friends, I heard someone crying and I found a young boy sitting on the ground softly crying into his arms. I asked him what was wrong and he told me he was crying because the monsters didn't trust him and he had no one else to talk to. So I showed him how to befriend and tame the monsters, after that day we became the best of friends and the two of us were inseparable. It seemed like we'd known each other forever, when in reality it had only been a few months and before we knew it the day of the ritual arrived…I waited all day in his room for him to return, finally at sunset the high priestess carried him in and laid him on his bed. He was still the same boy I fell in love with, but now his skin was pale and his hair was now white. The only thing that remained the same were his eyes, yet as I looked into those calm blue eyes of his I could see that something was wrong but I didn't know what it was. I could only watch as he left to go serve the pharaoh the very next day."

"It must have been hard for you to let go of him so suddenly." Yami said softly.

"It was the hardest thing I've ever had to do in my life…" Akari said as she blinked the tears away from her eyes. "I had to wait three years before I could undergo the ritual and when I awoke afterwards, I knew something was terribly wrong with Bakura and I immediately left to go to him. As I set foot in the palace, I saw you fighting against him and as he fell to the ground mortally wounded I cradled him in my arms as I began sobbing and confessed my love for him. He gently smiled at me as he told me to save the pharaoh. I went over to the pharaoh knowing that it was too late to help him and as I held his body in my arms desperately wishing it was a dream, the high priestess appeared and spoke to me: "Akari what transpired here today was destined to happen, nothing you could have done would have changed the outcome. However when this evil awakens again you will be there to stop it, for I shall seal your soul into this locket and your story will be passed on to each generation and your memory will live forever…"

"The priestess was right Akari," Yami said as he gently put his hand over hers. "there was nothing you could have done to change what happened that day."

"Yes, I know," Akari said in a soft voice that was barely above a whisper. "but sometimes I can't help but think that had I used my powers I could've saved you or Bakura."

"Don't worry Akari," Yami said as he gently put his hand on her shoulder and smiled warmly as he looked into her eyes. "you'll get your chance. In the meantime, just trust Yugi and his friends, they can help you." As he finished speaking, he slowly began to disappear as her surroundings slowly turned black and engulfed her in the darkness.