Chapter 9: Sono Fukano Shimei

The Impossible Mission

"Akari no!" Yugi cried as the millennium puzzle around his neck began glowing and Yami materialized beside him.

"Tea what happened!" Yami asked in a very demanding tone that few seldom disobeyed.

"I-I don't know!" Tea called out across the room as the field of energy surrounding Akari crackled and hissed. "All I know is that one minute we were both asleep and next minute she's floating in midair!"

"Tea look out!" Yugi suddenly exclaimed as the energy lashed out towards Tea. Without a moments hesitation, he dove across the room and knocked her out of harm's way as the energy bolt struck him instead.

"YUGI!" Tea cried out as she weakly crawled over to his side to make sure he was okay. "Are you all right?"

Slowly Yugi sat up and gave her a shaky thumbs up and a lopsided smile, "Never better."

"And that is just one of da' many reasons why I don't like magic." Joey said flatly as Tristan and Mai shook their heads and smiled.

"AKARI, YOU MUST FIGHT IT!" Yami yelled as loudly as he could when suddenly the energy surrounding Akari began to die down and she began to fall towards the floor. "Don't worry I've got you!" he cried as he ran underneath Akari to catch her.

However, Akari fell right on top of him, pinning him neatly to the floor. She moaned softly as she opened her eyes, found herself staring Yami right in the face, and began blushing a soft cherry pink color. "Yami what happened? What are you doing in my room?"

"You don't remember what happened do you?" Yami asked softly as a light smile played upon his face and he began to blush as he realized that everyone else was watching.

"No, but I know how to find Bakura."

A few minutes later, Duke, Serenity, Kaiba and Mokuba came running into the room to make sure everyone was ok. After Joey and Tristan explained what had happened and assured them that they were all right, as Akari began to explain what happened in her dream.

"So we must go to Hamunaptra, enter the 'Temple of Anubis', and find the 'Gates of Judgment'. Once we're there she will tell us what we must do next." Akari finished as everyone watched her with great interest. "But I must warn you, this journey is not to be taken lightly. Countless men have died in pursuit of the great treasure of Anubis' Temple and those who lived to tell the tale were changed forever. So those of you who do not wish to go may leave and I will understand." She finished softly as she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. After a few moments had passed she opened her eyes to see everyone had their arms raised.

"We believe in you Akari." Tea said gently with a warm smile on her face.

"Besides somebody's gotta' make sure dumb and dumber behave themselves." Mai said cheerfully as she gestured towards Joey, Tristan, and Duke who'd just started to bicker about who volunteered who.

"And I can't wait to see what my next adventure with my big brother brings." Serenity said enthusiastically as Tea smiled in admiration.

I hate to admit it, but she's certainly changed a lot since we first met. Tea thought to herself as she remembered all the hard times they'd been through together.

"And what about you Mr. Kaiba?" Akari asked innocently as she cast her gaze in Kaiba and Mokuba's direction. "Are you going to come with us too?"

"What do I look like a babysitter!" he snapped coldly as Akari continued to watch him.

"No, you look like an idiot who's all talk and no action." Duke muttered under his breath as Akari blushed slightly and turned her attention to Mokuba.

"Actually I was talking to your brother. So how about it, will you come with us?" she asked cheerfully as she watched the younger Kaiba brother.

"Really? You mean it?" Mokuba asked eagerly as his eyes shone with a long forgotten eager happiness that Seto hadn't seen in a long time.

"Of course you can come, I'll need all the help I can get! That is if it's okay with your brother…" Akari replied eagerly then she looked up and remembered that Kaiba was watching them.

"Well it's not exactly my idea of the perfect vacation, but I suppose a couple of weeks with you losers couldn't hurt." Kaiba said as Mokuba looked at him hopefully then hugged his brother so tightly that he had to pry him lose so he could breathe once more.